2. To what extent do we continue to change and develop during adulthood? Which capacities appear to remain static during adulthood and which seem to be fluid?

Key Points:

• Review of the topics covered in the chapter, including relevant aspects of physical development, cognitive development and social and emotional development.
• Point out that change inevitably occurs during adulthood, but discuss to what extent development in adulthood is due to intrinsic, fundamental changes in the organism, to accumulating experiences in complex environments, or to social and community pressures to adapt.
• Extra credit is given for consideration of some of the popular myths associated with aging, and – linked to this point – for highlighting some of the relevant methodological problems associated with investigations of adult development (such as the cohort effect in cross-sectional studies and issues of selective attrition in longitudinal studies).