Deck 16: Old Age: Physical, Neurobiological, Sensorimotor and Cognitive Development

Question 1

According to Goldman &Goldman (1982), schoolchildren's ideas about the old were overwhelmingly pessimistic, with more than 75 percent of seven- year- olds using derogatory terms to portray them.

A) 40
B) 66
C) 75
D) 54

Answer 1

75

Question 2

_____________ is the build- up of calcium deposits (or plaque) on the inside walls of the arteries. This reduces blood flow and blood- vessel flexibility, contributing to heart disease and stroke.

Answer 2

Arteriosclerosis

Question 3

In a study of memory for real events out of recent decades of modern history, the best recall was shown by people who had been in their _____________ at the time the events had happened, regardless of their age when memory was tested (Botwinick & Storandt, 1974).

A) 40s
B) 30s
C) 50s
D) 20s

Answer 3

20s

Question 4

Which of the following in not true in relation to changes in the visual system in old age?

A) Proteins in the lens change, elasticity is reduced, and cataracts may develop.
B) Dilation of the pupil becomes less efficient, owing to changes in the autonomic nervous system.
C) The cornea becomes flatter and less transparent.
D) The retina becomes thicker and contains more rods.

Question 5

In Japan, Hori (1994) asked a group of 400 adults over the age of 60 'Do you think you are an old man/woman?' _____________ percent of the group aged 60 to 64 years answered 'Yes' to this question.

Question 6

Baltes (2002) defines the term __________________________ as the oldest group in any given population with at least 50 percent of its birth cohort still alive.

Question 7

Baltes (1993) studied the spontaneous use of memory strategies in older adults, and found that older adults used them _____________ often than young adult students.

Question 8

Horin (2002) found that in a sample of 1000 large Australian companies in the financial and business sector, nearly _____________ percent had no employees who were over the age of 50.

A) 10%
B) 50%
C) 30%
D) 5%

Question 9

According to Park (2002), in contrast to the placebo group, matched on other variables, women taking __________________________ were found to have a significantly elevated risk of breast cancer, heart disease and stroke.

Question 10

In Japan, Hori (1994) asked a group of 400 adults over the age of 60, 'Do you think you are an oldman/woman?' About _____________ percent of the group aged 70 to 74 years answered 'No' to this

A) 27
B) 33
C) 17
D) 22

Question 11

The patterns of electrical activity (EEG) in the brain typically change during old age, and the conduction speed of the impulses along neuronal fibres throughout the body also slows down. This is owing to a reduced rate of production of certain biochemical substances involved in _____________ , including serotonin, glucamate, dopamine and acetylcholine (Rosenzweig, Breedlove and Leiman, 2002).

Question 12

Much of the ill health during adulthood and old age is caused directly by:

A) iron depletion.
B) obesity.
C) vitamin deficiency.
D) All of the above

Question 13

A recent survey of employment practices in Australia (Horin, 2002) revealed that _____________ job out of every ten is currently being filled by an applicant over the age of 45.

Question 14

According to Baltes (2001), which of the following is not a way of defining old age?

A) Sociological/familial
B) Institutional
C) Occupational
D) Biological

Question 15

Which of the following is true about an average 75- year- old, as compared to an average 30- year- old?

A) There is a decrease of 45 percent in cardiac output (at rest).
B) The kidneys are only 58 percent as efficient.
C) There is a decrease of 10 percent in hand grip strength.
D) All of the above

Question 16

Schaie (2000) found that for the average adult, the decline in IQ did not begin until after age _____________ on any of the subtests of the Wechsler IQ scale apart from one measure of word fluency.

Question 17

According to Baltes (1987), depending on the prevailing cultural conditions during an individual's development, the level and course of intellectual ageing can vary markedly. Any single _____________ - _____________ observation does not tell the final story on the nature of intellectual ageing.

Question 18

According to Moskovich and Winocur (2002), older adults' memories are rich in _____________ memory features, including narrative accounts, meaningful connections, emotional associations and familiar oft- repeated routines. In contrast, young adults' accounts are rich in _____________ memory for discrete details.

Question 19

_____________ refers to an individual's use of private recollection or storytelling as a means of substituting memories of a more pleasant past for the painful present.

A) Memory protecting
B) Escapist reminiscing
C) Oral history
D) Defensive fantasising

Question 20

Most _____________ changes associated with old age build up at a gradual rate in the average adult, but can be accelerated under adverse circumstances.

Question 21

In recent longitudinal studies, cognitive abilities have been shown to improve from early to later adulthood (Schaie, 2000).

Question 22

In contemporary Japan, older family members are generally assumed to have meaningful wisdom and occupy the rooms with the best views, the finest silks and the most expensive bedding (Takahashi and Overton, 2005).

Question 23

Death rates from breast cancer, a potentially preventable cancer, are much lower in Australian women over 60 than among younger age groups.

Question 24

According to Braithwaite (1990), ageism and bigotry against older people were distressingly evident in her Australian sample.

Question 25

Greek philosopher Hippocrates described 'ultimate old age' or 'caducity' as between 50 and 55 years of age.

Question 26

Fries (1990) explained the apparent improvement in longevity over the past century as due primarily to the elimination of traumatic illness and injury, or the reduction in severity of these afflictions.

Question 27

Feeling physically healthy is more important than chronological age in years, in setting the boundary between 'middle' and 'old' age.

Question 28

Cutler and Grams (1988) found that in their sample of men and women over age 55, around 25 percent claimed that they were frequently troubled by forgetfulness.

Question 29

Longitudinal studies have shown that a terminal drop in intelligence occurs consistently, though not invariably, several months before a person dies.

Question 30

According to Levkoff et al. (1987), elderly individuals reported a displaced, distorted and unduly pessimistic impression of their current health status.