Chapter 15

Question 1

life span:

Answer 1

the maximum number of years an individual can live (120-125 years)

Question 2

life expectancy:

Answer 2

the number of years the average person born in a certain year can live

Question 3

average life expectancy of individuals born today is

Answer 3

78 years
- women: 80.7 years of age
- men: 75.4 years of age
changes according to medical, technological, and scientific advancements

Question 4

social factors that affect life expectancy

Answer 4

includes habits, lifestyles, and occupations
lead causes of death in men are associated with death (ex. cancer of the respiratory
system, motor vehicle accidents)

Question 5

biological factors that affect life expectancy

Answer 5

women have more resistance to infections + degenerative diseases

Question 6

Summarize research findings on centenarians, pertaining to disease, obesity, smoking,
and thinking skills.

Answer 6

many centenarians have good lifestyles + mental health
- number of centenarians have increased at a rate of 7% per year
- lived through harsh events → could cope with their stress

Question 7

research on Okinawa’s life expectancy / centenarians

Answer 7

average life expectancy = 81.2 (women = 86, men = 78)
- diet: grains, fish, vegetables, but light on meat, eggs and dairy. risk of dying from cancer is
lower
- low stress lifestyle: easygoing! they’re just chilling!
- caring community: do not isolate themselves / ignore neighbors. they support each other
- activity: active, they take walks or work in their gardens. some continue working at their
jobs
- spirituality: find purpose in spiritual matters + can ease stress through prayer

Question 8

evolutionary theory of aging:

Answer 8

where natural selection hasn’t eliminated many harmful conditions +
nonadaptive characteristics in older adults. in simple terms, it’s when all species are related +
gradually change over time
- decline with age because natural selection → reproductive fitness
- criticisms: does not account for cultural influences
- evolution → time scale that doesn’t lend itself to empirical study

Question 9

Explain the cellular clock theory, why do we age?

Answer 9

cellular clock theory: Leonard Hayflick’s theory where cells can divide a maximum of 75-80 times.
our cells become less capable of aging as time goes on
- flaw: didn’t know when cells died
- telomeres become more frayed / shorter as cells replicate, which is why reduction can lead
to less reproduction

Question 10

Describe changes in the brain during late adulthood, pertaining to total weight and
volume, neurons, and specific brain areas.

Answer 10

weight: the brain loses 5-10% of its weight between the ages of 20 to 90
- neurons shrink, there are less synapses + they are reduced, axons are more simple, there is
less branching in dendrites
- prefrontal cortex shrinking = less working memory and slower motor behavior
- dopamine reduction can lead to problems with motor activities (ex. Parkinson’s disease)
neurogenesis can occur in human adults, only recorded in the hippocampus (memory center) and
olfactory bulb (sniff sniff)
if you are challenged to learn something, brain cells can survive longer
dendritic growth can continue to grow even during adulthood
- growth of dendrites increased between the ages of 40-70
- stopped entirely in the 90s
- could be due to lack of environmental stimulation + activity

older brains = rewired to compensate for losses. ex. if a neuron was tired and couldn’t get the job
done, neighboring neurons help them out (:
changes in lateralization → use both hemispheres of the brain in older
adults rather than just one
- brain activity in prefrontal cortex is lateralized less than younger adults

Question 11

height as you get older

Answer 11

you get shorter because of vertebrae bone loss

Question 12

Weight as you get older

Answer 12

weight: drops after 60 as we lose muscle, gives body a “sagging” look

Question 13

mobility as you get older

Answer 13

older adults move slower than younger adults
- obesity was due to mobility issues
- risk of falling also increases with age

Question 14

physical and social activity as you get older

Answer 14

= improvement in appearance and preserving motor functions in adults

Question 15

What can visual decline in old age cause and why?

Answer 15

visual decline → cognitive decline, fewer social contacts, and less
challenging social / leisure activities

Question 16

Visual decline specifically regarding light

Answer 16

tolerance for glare gets lower + adaptation to the dark is slower
- reduction in quality / intensity of light reaching retina
- 60 years of age = 1/3rd as much light as it did at 20 years of age

Question 17

Visual decline regarding color

Answer 17

color vision declines due to yellowing of lens in the eye

Question 18

Visual decline regarding depth perception

Answer 18

depth perception declines (how adults can determine how close / far away or how high / low
something is)

Question 19

cataracts:

Answer 19

thickening of eye’s lens → vision becomes cloudy, opaque, and
distorted

Question 20

glaucoma:

Answer 20

damage to optic nerve because of pressure created by fluid buildup in the eye

Question 21

macular degeneration:

Answer 21

the retina’s macula deteriorates → corresponds to
focal center of the visual field

Question 22

touch sensitivity in late adulthood

Answer 22

detect less touch in the lower extremities (ex. ankles, knees) vs the upper extremities (ex. wrists,
shoulders)
adults who are blind → retain higher level of touch sensitivity

Question 23

pain sensitivity in late adulthood

Answer 23

older adults experience less pain + are less sensitive to it
- double-edged sword: they can help adults cope with disease / injury BUT also masks
illnesses that need to be treated
persistent pain amongst 60% to 75 of older adults
- frequently back pain, peripheral neuropathic pain (nerve damage, pain is usually in the
hands and feet)
high levels of pain = memory impairment
cardiovascular disorders increase and lung capacity drops by 40%

Question 24

Summarize research on sexual function during late adulthood, depending on gender.

Answer 24

aging → inducing changes in human sexual performance

orgasms become less frequent in males
- maintain function, feel young again, feel attractive, lust → love,
change from “getting sex” to “giving sex”
- aspects of sexuality were higher in aging males than for women, but lost more years due to
poor health
sexual activity, a good quality sexual life, + interest in sex → good
health in middle / late adulthood
declined in late adulthood, lower rate of sexual activity with a partner for women than men

Question 25

10. Distinguish between acute, chronic, and terminal diseases.

Answer 25

acute diseases: quick onset and short durations
chronic diseases: slow onset and long durations, common in late adulthood
- ex. arthritis is the most common chronic disorder, followed by hypertension
terminal diseases: a disease that cannot be cured / adequately treated and is expected to result in
the death of the patient
low income can be related to health problems

Question 26

11. Rank order and describe the leading causes of death for older adults.

Answer 26

1. cancer is the leading cause in middle aged adults
   a. 60% of 65-74 year olds die of cancer or cardiovascular disease
2. cardiovascular disease is the leading cause in older adults (75-85+ years of age)
   - 8/10 COVID-19 deaths in the U.S occurred in adults 65+ years
   - underlying conditions → risk

Question 27

12. What is osteoporosis? What behaviors help prevent it?

Answer 27

osteoporosis = extensive loss of bone tissue and causes many older adults to walk with a stoop
- women are more vulnerable, 80% of cases occur in females and 20% occur in males
- ⅔ of all women over the age of 60 are affected by osteoporosis
- more common in non-Latina white, thin, and small-framed women
related to nutritional deficiencies: calcium, vitamin D, estrogen, and lack of exercise
young + middle aged women ended to eat foods rich in calcium, exercise more, and avoid smoking

Question 28

13. exercise is important subunit because for some reason this study guide doesn’t go over
    that

Answer 28

increased longevity: burning at least 1,000 calories a week because of
exercise → increase life expectancy by 30%, 2,000 calories a week →
increase life expectancy by 50%
prevents common chronic diseases
associated with improvement of disease treatment

improves older adults’ cellular functioning
improves older adults’ immune system functioning
optimizes body composition and reduces decline in motor skills
reduces likelihood of mental health problems + assists with mental health treatment
improved brain + cognitive functioning in older adults

Question 29

14. Discuss factors related to health and survival in a nursing home, including the patient's
    feelings of control and self-determination.

Answer 29

feelings of control + self-determination → impacted health and survival
- nursing home residents who were encouraged to feel more in control of their lives were
more likely to be alive 18 months later than those who were being treated as more
dependent
- decreased levels of cortisols when nursing home residents were taught assertiveness
training and to be comfortable with saying no
employees contribute to stress levels

Question 30

explicit memory:

Answer 30

the facts + experiences that individuals consciously know can state. declines as a
person ages

Question 31

implicit memory:

Answer 31

skills + routine procedures. not really affected by aging

Question 32

episodic memory:

Answer 32

retention of information about the where + when about
life’s happenings. basically specifics behind experience. age related
decline → impairs access to autobiographical events and details involved
- reminiscence bump: older adults remember more events from the second and third
decades of their lives

Question 33

semantic memory:

Answer 33

a person’s knowledge about the world. it declines less than episodic memory

Question 34

source memory:

Answer 34

ability to remember where one learned something. declines with age

Question 35

prospective memory:

Answer 35

remembering to do something in the future. decline is complex and is
dependent on other factors, such as the nature of the task, what is being assessed, etc.
- pov me

Question 36

What is executive function? How does it change during late adulthood, and why is this
important?

Answer 36

skills involved in engaging with goal-directed behavior + exercising self-control
- this declines in late adulthood!!! and there is a variation in older adults

executive function is not just involved with decision making / discipline →
seen in health, emotion regulation, adaptation, motivation, and social
function

Question 37

17. Discuss the "use it or lose it" explanation for cognitive decline. How does this play out
    for older adults in work environments?

Answer 37

“use it or lose it”: changes in cognitive activity → disuse / consequent
waste of cognitive skills
- participate in more mental activities, like reading books, doing crossword puzzles, doing ur
silly little wordle everyday
people are able to avoid development of chronic diseases, decrease onset of memory loss, have
faster processing speeds, reduced mortality, etc.