Understanding Psychology (10th Ed)

 
Module 39 
Adulthood 
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By focusing on the period of life that starts at around age 65, gerontologists are 
making important contributions to clarifying the capabilities of older adults. Their 
work is demonstrating that signifi cant developmental processes continue even dur-
ing old age. And as life expectancy increases, the number of people who reach older 
adulthood will continue to grow substantially (see Figure 2). Consequently, develop-
ing an understanding of late adulthood has become a critical priority for psycholo-
gists (Birren, 1996; Moody, 2000, Schaie, 2005b). 

Physical Changes in Late 
Adulthood: The Aging Body
Napping, eating, walking, conversing. It probably doesn’t surprise you that these 
relatively nonstrenuous activities represent the typical pastimes of late adulthood. 
But it is striking that these activities are identical to the most common leisure activ-
ities reported in a survey of college students (Harper, 1978). Although the students 
cited more active pursuits—such as sailing and playing basketball—as their favorite 
activities, in actuality they engaged in such sports relatively infrequently and spent 
most of their free time napping, eating, walking, and conversing. 
Although the leisure activities in which older adults engage may not differ all 
that much from the ones that younger people pursue, many physical changes are, of 
course, brought about by the aging process. The most obvious are those of appear-
ance—hair thinning and turning gray, skin wrinkling and folding, and sometimes a 
slight loss of height as the thickness of the disks between vertebrae in the spine 
decreases. But subtler changes also occur in the body’s biological functioning. For 
example, sensory capabilities decrease as a result of aging: Vision, hearing, smell, 
and taste become less sensitive. Reaction time slows, and physical stamina changes 
(Stenklev & Laukli, 2004; Schieber, 2006; Madden, 2007). 
What are the reasons for these physical declines?  Genetic preprogramming