Exam 24: Late Adulthood: Cognitive Development

Since Russell's wife died, he has been eating the exact same thing-and a very small amount of it-for breakfast and lunch every day. Most nights, he skips dinner. Sometimes he seems confused when his granddaughter calls to check in on him. Based solely on this information, which diagnosis is most likely?

People who are diagnosed with mild neurological disorders will _____.

Travis, who played soccer in high school, college, and into his early 30s, received at least 10 head injuries in his athletic career, with 8 causing severe concussions. Now, at age 57, Travis is experiencing memory loss and mood swings. Travis probably has _____.

Plaques and tangles in the brain characterize Alzheimer's disease.

Marshall just turned 18 and is planning to attend his grandfather's 78th birthday party next week. Marshall comments to his father, "Wow, Grandpa is really old. I guess he's too old to learn anything new, huh?" Is Marshall's belief correct? Explain, citing research on new cognitive development in aging adults.

Older adults have _____ vocabularies but _____ fluency.

Overall brain slowdown is evident in which of the following ways?

The ability to recall a string of digits backward tends to _____ with age, while memory for vocabulary tends to _____ with age.

Edna, age 71, has excellent pronunciation but poor spelling. She frequently forgets the word or phrase she is trying to use, telling others that it is "on the tip of her tongue." These characteristics may be the result of _____.

Which of the following factors is NOT associated with wisdom?

Parkinson's disease begins with impaired thinking.

Parkinson's disease produces dementia as well as _____.

Manny, age 62, started experiencing rigidity in his left leg and right hand about six months ago. More recently, he has noticed that his legs tremble sometimes when he stands up. On more than one occasion, Manny has spilled coffee on his shirt due to shaky hands. Which disorder does Manny likely have? Make sure to provide a definition. What causes this disorder?

One hypothesis about aging is that when _____ began, adults developed brains that promoted more planning, remembering, and strategizing than was previously necessary.

A brain affected by Alzheimer's disease has _____ outside the brain cells; these are clumps of beta-amyloid in tissues surrounding the neurons.

Research clearly indicates that wisdom increases with age.

Loss of working memory is particularly likely to affect the ability to _____.

Compared to low-SES people, high-SES people tend to _____.

A 2013 study of extraordinarily creative people has found that in their 70s, 80s, and 90s, these people _____.

Adults with more _____ are likely to keep their minds active, and that protects intellect.