Chapter 17

Question 1

Ageism

Answer 1

Prejudice and discrimination toward people on the basis of their age

Question 2

Young-old

Answer 2

Older adults ages 65-79

Question 3

Old-old

Answer 3

Older adults ages 80 and older

Question 4

Life Expectancy

Answer 4

Average number of years a person is expected to live

Question 5

Population Aging

Answer 5

Aging of the population in a society such that an increasing proportion of people in the population are elderly

Question 6

Maximum Lifespan

Answer 6

Max number of years people could live if they avoided all accidents and diseases

Question 7

Centarian

Answer 7

A person who lives to be at least 100 years old

Question 8

Supercentarian

Answer 8

A person who lives to be 110 or older

Question 9

Programmed Theories of Aging

Answer 9

Theory that we have a build-in clock of some kind that causes us to age and eventually die

Question 10

Evolutionary Theories of Aging

Answer 10

Theory that natural selection favors genes that confer fitness and increase survival through the age of reproductive maturity , but not beyond the age of reproductive maturity
-without this advantage, older adults are less able to withstand random damage to genes and other essential cells

Question 11

Random Damage Theories of Aging

Answer 11

Theory that damage accumulates as people grow older
-when the accumulated damage exceeds the body’s capacities for maintenance and self-repair, age-related declines become evident, contributing to disease, disability, and eventually death

Question 12

Free Radicals

Answer 12

Unstable oxygen molecules produced during metabolism that can penetrate or collide with other molecules, causing damage to cells

Question 13

Caloric Restriction

Answer 13

Experiment determining if reducing calorie intake extends longevity

Question 14

Hayflick Limit

Answer 14

Number of times a cell will divide and replicate before it stops due to telomere shortening

Question 15

Telomeres

Answer 15

Protective tips at the ends of our chromosomes

Question 16

Reserve Capacity

Answer 16

Excess physiological capacity that allows organs and bodily systems to continue functioning even though age-related declines have begun to occur

Question 17

Compensation

Answer 17

Using alternative strategies to pursue an important goal when one’s physical capacities or resources decline

Question 18

Plasticity

Answer 18

Idea that development is malleable; the ability of the brain to reorganize its structure and function

Question 19

Frailty

Answer 19

State of increased vulnerability to stressors that results from diminished reserve capacity and impaired functioning of multiple bodily systems

Question 20

Cataracts

Answer 20

Cloudy areas that form gradually in the lens of the eye, causing blurry distorted vision, and increasing sensitivity to glare

Question 21

Macular Degeneration

Answer 21

Condition when the center of the retina (macula) deteriorates, causing loss of vision

Question 22

Arteriosclerosis

Answer 22

Process that causes artery walls to become less elastic, requiring the heart to pump harder and increasing the risk for high blood pressure

Question 23

Hypertension

Answer 23

High blood pressure

-treat to health if chronic

Question 24

Urinary Incontinence

Answer 24

An inability to control urination

Question 25

Bodily Control Systems

Answer 25

Bodily systems that monitor and regulate the functioning of all organs and systems in the body

Question 26

Reaction Time

Answer 26

Length of time needed to respond to a stimulus

Question 27

Immune System

Answer 27

Bodily control system that detects, isolates, and destroys foreign substances that might invade the body and cause illness

Question 28

Autoimmune Disease

Answer 28

Diseases that develop when the immune system mistakenly attacks the body's own cells, damaging and destroying healthy tissues

Question 29

Inflammation

Answer 29

How the immune system tries to destroy foreign objects by rushing blood and immune cells to affected tissues

Question 30

Activities of Daily Living

Answer 30

Basic self care activities such as eating, bathing, going to the bathroom, getting dressed, getting out of a chair

Question 31

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living

Answer 31

Activities that allow people to live independently such as shopping, cooking meals, managing finances

Question 32

Compression of Morbidity

Answer 32

Shortening of the duration of morbidity (illness and disability) that results from postponing the onset of chronic illness to a time in life that approaches the average age of death

Question 33

Sensory Memory

Answer 33

Memory that lasts about 1-2 seconds, after that the memory fades unless it is intended to pass to working memory

Question 34

Recall

Answer 34

Retrieving info without cues

Question 35

Working Memory

Answer 35

Short-term memory system that holds info for long enough (15-20 sec) for it to be used

Question 36

Long-term Memory

Answer 36

Memory with vast capacity that can store info for a very long time

Question 37

Recognition

Answer 37

Process of identifying previously learned info

Question 38

Episodic Memory

Answer 38

Memory for new info (words/numbers) or details from one's life (where they parked the car or details from a recent vacation)

Question 39

Semantic Memory

Answer 39

Memory for facts and general knowledge that one has learned (vocab, historical facts, cultural customs)

Question 40

Procedural Memory

Answer 40

Memory for skills and procedures someone has learned (how to ride a bike)

Question 41

Dementia

Answer 41

Chronic brain disorder characterized by irreversible cognitive decline severe enough to impair self-care and daily activities

Question 42

Delirium

Answer 42

Acute brain disorder characterized by cognitive impairment that can be reversed if treated

Question 43

Alzheimer's Disease

Answer 43

Most common form of dementia in later life, characterized by cognitive, behavioral, and motor deficits that get worse over time

Question 44

Apolipoprotein (APOE)

Answer 44

A gene present in 50-60% of people with Alzheimer's disease (20-25% in healthy adults)

Question 45

Amyloid Plaques

Answer 45

Abnormal deposits of protein that form in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease, causing inflammation and destroying neurons and synapses

Question 46

Vascular Dementia

Answer 46

Type of dementia caused by a series of strokes that disrupt blood flow to the brain, depriving the brain of oxygen and causing brain tissue to die

Question 47

Wisdom

Answer 47

Form of expert knowledge or judgement about life problems