Deck 15: Physical and Cognitive Development in Late Adulthood

Question 1

According to current projections, what is the expected number of U.S. centenarians by the year 2050?

A) 19,000
B) 77,000
C) 212,000
D) 600,000

Answer 1

600,000

Question 2

Which of the following is a characteristic of centenarians in the New England Centenarian Study (NECS)?

A) Most U.S. centenarians are likely to describe historical events, death/grief, and work/retirement events.
B) Only a small percentage of centenarians have had significant changes in their thinking skills.
C) Habitual smoking is common among centenarians.
D) Most of the centenarians are obese.

Answer 2

Only a small percentage of centenarians have had significant changes in their thinking skills.

Question 3

Which of the following is a biological theory explaining aging?

A) two-factor theory
B) attachment theory
C) mitochondrial theory
D) reverse neurogenesis theory

Answer 3

mitochondrial theory

Question 4

Life ________ is the number of years that the average person born in a particular year will probably live.

A) expectancy
B) span
C) achievement
D) extension

Question 5

According to the cellular clock theory of aging, cells can divide a maximum of

A) 50 to 60 times.
B) 65 to 70 times.
C) 75 to 80 times.
D) 80 to 100 times.

Question 6

________ are DNA sequences that cap chromosomes.

A) Free radicals
B) Polymers
C) Telomeres
D) Mitochondria

Question 7

Telomeres and telomerase are increasingly thought to be key components of the ________ process, providing a possible avenue to restrain cancer and delay aging.

A) hormone production
B) antibody proliferation
C) free radical regeneration
D) stem cell regeneration

Question 8

Which of the following biological reasons explains women's increased resistance to infections and degenerative diseases?

A) estrogen production and the additional X chromosome
B) lower cholesterol levels and improved lung function
C) postmenopausal hormone levels and increased body water
D) better osmoregulation and lower trans fat

Question 9

Researchers have extended the life of a human cell by

A) removing the cap of the DNA molecule.
B) injecting it with telomerase.
C) rearranging the DNA sequences.
D) splicing the 18th and 19th chromosomes.

Question 10

Based on the ways cells divide, Hayflick places the upper limit of the human life-span potential at about ________ years of age.

A) 90 to 100
B) 100 to 110
C) 120 to 125
D) 110 to 119

Question 11

________ theory states that cells can divide a maximum of about 75 to 80 times, and that as we age our cells become less capable of dividing.

A) Evolutionary
B) Cellular clock
C) Free-radical
D) Hormonal stress

Question 12

Which of the following biological theories of aging states that people age because their cells' normal metabolism produces unstable oxygen molecules?

A) cellular clock theory
B) free-radical theory
C) telomerase-injection theory
D) hormonal stress theory

Question 13

Nathan just celebrated his 100th birthday. It can be said that Nathan is a(n) ________.

A) supercentenarian
B) adolescent
C) centenarian
D) millennial

Question 14

Which of the following statements is true of mTOR pathway theory?

A) Some scientists argue that the mTOR pathway is linked to longevity, the successful outcomes of calorie restriction, and reducing cognitive decline.
B) Proponents of mTOR pathway theory argue that sirtuins have no serious side effects on the human body.
C) mTOR pathway theory argues that aging in the body's hormonal system can lower resistance to stress and increase the likelihood of disease.
D) mTOR pathway theory states that the maximum number of times that human cells can divide is about 75 to 80.

Question 15

In 2015, which of the following countries had the highest estimated life expectancy at birth?

A) The United States
B) Swaziland
C) Monaco
D) Afghanistan

Question 16

One factor that has contributed to the survival of centenarians is

A) their ability to cope effectively with stress.
B) the lack of stressful events in their lives.
C) their years of marriage.
D) their socioeconomic status.

Question 17

According to cellular clock theory, after about 70 or 80 replications, the cell can no longer reproduce and the ________ are dramatically reduced.

A) mitochondria
B) telomeres
C) chromosomes
D) sperm cells

Question 18

According to evolutionary theory, natural selection is linked to ________, which is present in the earlier part of adulthood.

A) reproductive fitness
B) neurogenesis
C) cognitive and perceptual fitness
D) muscular and skeletal strength

Question 19

Which of the following best describes sirtuins?

A) They are DNA sequences that cap chromosomes and are proposed as being the key components of the stem cell regeneration process, providing a possible avenue to restrain cancer and delay aging.
B) They are unstable oxygen molecules that ricochet around the cells, damaging DNA and other cellular structures.
C) They are a family of proteins that have been proposed as having important influences on longevity, mitochondria functioning in energy, calorie restriction benefits, stress resistance, and cardiovascular functioning.
D) They are tiny bodies within cells that supply essential energy for function, growth, and repair.

Question 20

Allen can be described as an average American. He is currently 65 years old. He is likely to live 18.4 more years. Hence, it can be said that Allen has a ________ of 83.4 years.

A) mortality rate
B) circadian rhythm
C) cellular clock
D) life expectancy

Question 21

Severe reductions in the production of dopamine have been linked with

A) Parkinson disease.
B) Alzheimer disease.
C) dementia other than Alzheimer disease.
D) brain cancer.

Question 22

Aaron is a healthy, 65-year-old man. Compared with his 24-year-old son Harry, Aaron has much less brain volume. Which of the following is most likely the reason for this difference?

A) Harry has a lower number of synapses than Aaron has.
B) Aaron is experiencing shrinkage of neurons.
C) Harry has reduced tree-like branching in the dendrites of his brain.
D) Aaron has a thicker corpus callosum than Harry has.

Question 23

Identify the region of the human brain in which neurogenesis has been documented in adults.

A) amygdala
B) hypothalamus
C) prefrontal cortex
D) olfactory bulb

Question 24

Which of the following is a primary reason for the lowered brain volume of older adults compared with that of younger adults?

A) increased growth of dendrites
B) increased length and complexity of axons
C) lower numbers of synapses
D) lower number of neurons

Question 25

Which of the following is one of the findings from the Nun Study?

A) Positive emotions early in adulthood were linked to longevity.
B) Higher levels of idea density were linked with higher incidences of mild cognitive impairment.
C) Aerobic exercise was linked to greater telomere length in older adults.
D) Stimulating the brain with intellectual activity did not have any effect on the health of neurons.

Question 26

The ________ is one area that shrinks more than others with aging.

A) prefrontal cortex
B) amygdala
C) hypothalamus
D) premotor cortex

Question 27

The vision of older adults can be affected by age-related changes. One of these changes, which can make steps or street curbs difficult to manage, is a decline in

A) eye-hand coordination.
B) depth perception.
C) ocular elasticity.
D) color vision.

Question 28

The ________ is involved in smell.

A) hippocampus
B) amygdala
C) olfactory bulb
D) prefrontal cortex

Question 29

Cynthia is 91 years old. Doctors have found that Cynthia's optic nerves have been damaged because of accumulation of fluid in the eye. Cynthia is worried that she will lose her vision, but the doctor has told her that her condition can be treated with eye drops. The disease that has marred Cynthia's vision is

A) glaucoma.
B) cataracts.
C) retinopathy.
D) macular degeneration.

Question 30

According to a study by Coleman that compared the brains of adults at various ages, from the 40s through the 70s, the

A) growth of dendrites increased.
B) growth of dendrites decreased.
C) number of axons increased.
D) number of neurons increased.

Question 31

Which of the following is a major disease that can impair the vision of older adults?

A) myopia
B) otosclerosis
C) glaucoma
D) tinnitus

Question 32

Why does night driving become especially difficult in late adulthood?

A) because of diminishing sensitivity to contrasts and reduced tolerance for glare
B) because of the decline in color vision
C) because of increased tolerance for glare and increased sensitivity to contrasts
D) because of the expanding area of the visual field

Question 33

________ are the most noticeable changes in physical appearance in late adulthood.

A) Loss of hair and brittle nails
B) Osteoporosis and osteoarthritis
C) Reduction in height and weight
D) Wrinkles and age spots

Question 34

Which of the following is the region of the adult human brain where neurogenesis has been documented?

A) amygdala
B) hippocampus
C) prefrontal cortex
D) hypothalamus

Question 35

Defects in mitochondria are linked with

A) Parkinson disease.
B) arthritis.
C) roseola.
D) cerebral palsy.

Question 36

Reductions in ________ have been linked to small declines in memory functioning and to the severe memory loss associated with Alzheimer disease.

A) gamma-aminobutyric acid
B) dopamine
C) acetylcholine
D) adrenaline

Question 37

Ruth and Gerald are a married couple. Both are in their late 60s. It is likely that as they get older, ________.

A) both Ruth and Gerald will get shorter
B) Gerald will get shorter, but Ruth will not get shorter
C) Ruth will get shorter, but Gerald will not get shorter
D) only if Ruth or Gerald has osteoporosis, he or she will get shorter

Question 38

On average, the adult brain loses ________ percent of its weight between the ages of 20 and 90.

A) 1 to 5
B) 5 to 10
C) 10 to 20
D) 20 to 30

Question 39

Jake has been diagnosed with a condition characterized by damage to the optic nerve due to a buildup of fluid in the eye. Jake is suffering from

A) glaucoma.
B) cataracts.
C) retinopathy.
D) macular degeneration.

Question 40

Gisela is suffering from a condition that involves thickening of the lenses of her eyes. This causes her vision to become cloudy or distorted. Identify the condition that Gisela is suffering from.

A) glaucoma
B) nearsightedness
C) macular degeneration
D) cataracts

Question 41

The term ________ refers to the ability to focus on a specific aspect of experience that is relevant while ignoring others that are irrelevant.

A) divided attention
B) selective attention
C) attention deficit
D) sustained attention

Question 42

Which of the following is true of changes in touch and pain sensitivity in older adults?

A) The most frequent pain complaints of older adults are back pain, peripheral neuropathic pain, and chronic joint pain.
B) With aging, individuals could detect touch less in the upper extremities than in the lower extremities.
C) Older adults are more sensitive to pain than are younger adults.
D) Increased sensitivity to pain can help older adults cope with disease and injury.

Question 43

A recent study of older adults found that the greater the variability in their ________ attention, the more likely they were to experience falls.

A) sustained
B) selective
C) divided
D) executive

Question 44

An example of ________ attention is the ability to focus on one voice among many in a crowded room or a noisy restaurant.

A) selective
B) divided
C) sustained
D) executive

Question 45

________ is the most common chronic disorder in late adulthood.

A) Glaucoma
B) Diabetes
C) Arthritis
D) Kidney disease

Question 46

In the respiratory system, lung capacity drops ________ percent between the ages of 20 and 80, even when disease is not present.

A) 20
B) 40
C) 50
D) 60

Question 47

In the study by Judith Rodin and Ellen Langer (1977), which of the following was found to be the result of older adults having perceived control over their own lives?

A) It led to fewer social interactions.
B) It significantly reduced life expectancy.
C) It increased the levels of stress.
D) It was found to increase longevity.

Question 48

________ attention is focused and extended engagement with an object, task, event, or some other aspect of the environment.

A) Selective
B) Sustained
C) Divided
D) Executive

Question 49

________ diseases have a slow onset and a long duration, and they are rare in early adulthood.

A) Acute
B) Chronic
C) Terminal
D) Pervasive

Question 50

Zack is having a conversation with his friend Ben in a crowded room. Despite the presence of many voices around him, Zack focuses on what Ben is saying. This is an example of ________ attention.

A) selective
B) divided
C) implicit
D) executive

Question 51

Maria is 75 years old. She is experiencing severe loss of bone tissue. Maria is most likely to be diagnosed with

A) arteriosclerosis.
B) diabetes.
C) arthritis.
D) osteoporosis.

Question 52

The retention of information about the details of life's happenings is called ________ memory.

A) episodic
B) prospective
C) source
D) semantic

Question 53

Which of the following is a term used to describe sustained attention?

A) executive functioning
B) transitivity
C) vigilance
D) multitasking

Question 54

Recent research indicates that the greater distractibility of older adults is associated with less effective functioning in neural networks running through the ________ of the brain, which are involved in cognitive control.

A) occipital and temporal lobes
B) frontal and parietal lobes
C) cerebellum
D) medulla

Question 55

What is a leading cause of blindness in older adults?

A) presbyopia
B) myopia
C) macular degeneration
D) retinal hardening

Question 56

Felicia is a 70-year-old American woman. Her doctor should be most concerned about her developing ________, the leading cause of death in her age group.

A) cancer
B) influenza
C) lung disease
D) cardiovascular disease

Question 57

Which of the following is the leading cause of death in the 75-to-84 and 85-and-over age groups?

A) cardiovascular disease
B) kidney disease
C) cancer
D) hypertension

Question 58

In a classic study, Judith Rodin and Ellen Langer found that an important factor related to health, and even survival, in a nursing home is the

A) provision of emergency geriatric care.
B) availability of trained staff to care for the oldest-old.
C) patient's feelings of control and self-determination.
D) opportunity to interact with family members during the stay.

Question 59

Which of the following is true of the effects of aging on human sexual performance?

A) Orgasm becomes less frequent in females with age, occurring in every second to third attempt rather than every time.
B) More direct stimulation usually is needed to produce an erection.
C) A large-scale study of individuals from 57 to 85 years of age revealed that sexually active life expectancy was longer for women than for men.
D) Women lost more years of sexually active life due to poor health than men did.

Question 60

Which of the following is a way of preventing osteoporosis in middle-aged women?

A) eating foods rich in fiber
B) avoiding smoking
C) reducing weight
D) increasing the intake of vitamin B

Question 61

Remembering where a person went on vacation last summer is an example of ________ memory.

A) situational
B) semantic
C) prospective
D) episodic

Question 62

Frank, aged 67, recites a poem that he learned in grade school, much to the amazement of his grandchildren. This is an example of Frank's ________ memory.

A) procedural
B) implicit
C) semantic
D) functional

Question 63

Travis, who is 25 years old, knows that Beijing is the capital of China, but he cannot remember when or where he learned this. This is an example of how semantic memory

A) improves with age.
B) is closely linked to an individual's personal identity with the past.
C) begins to decline in early adulthood.
D) is independent of an individual's personal identity with the past.

Question 64

Perceptual speed shows considerable decline in late adulthood and is strongly linked to declines in

A) selective attention.
B) semantic memory.
C) working memory.
D) divided attention.

Question 65

Which of the following is a probable reason for the decline in working memory in older adults?

A) increased distractibility
B) efficient inhibition
C) tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon
D) lowered implicit memory

Question 66

Although Alicia has a great memory for trivia, she has difficulty remembering important events in her life. Alicia has good ________ memory but poor ________ memory.

A) episodic; procedural
B) procedural; semantic
C) semantic; episodic
D) explicit; implicit

Question 67

In the context of work and aging, which of the following statements is true of older adults?

A) When older adults engage in complex working tasks and challenging daily work activities, their cognitive functioning shows less age-related decrease.
B) Employment gaps involving unemployment or sickness are associated with a lower risk of cognitive impairment in older adults.
C) Working in a job with a high level of mental demands is linked to lower levels of cognitive functioning before retirement in older adults.
D) For older adults who work in low-complexity jobs, experiencing novelty in their work is linked with a reduction in processing speed and working memory.

Question 68

Which of the following is true of the influence of education on the cognitive functioning of older adults?

A) Today's older adults were less likely to go to college when they were young adults than were their parents or grandparents.
B) Fewer older adults are returning to college today to further their education than in past generations.
C) For older adults with less education, frequently engaging in cognitive activities improve their episodic memory.
D) Educational experiences have no impact or are negatively correlated with scores on intelligence tests and information-processing tasks.

Question 69

Which of the following statements about the relationship between semantic memory and aging is true?

A) Episodic memory declines more than semantic memory in older adults.
B) Older adults are usually unable to retrieve semantic information.
C) Episodic memory and semantic memory remain unchanged in older adults.
D) Older adults can retrieve semantic information from long ago but not from the recent past.

Question 70

What is the term that refers to the maximum number of years an individual can live?

Question 71

Explicit memory is also called ________ memory.

A) collective
B) procedural
C) declarative
D) false

Question 72

________ is a cognitive resource that involves the ability to perform tasks such as deciding whether pairs of two-digit or two-letter strings are the same or different or determining the time required to step on the brakes when the car directly ahead stops.

A) Sustained attention
B) Executive attention
C) Episodic memory
D) Perceptual speed

Question 73

The concept of ________ emphasizes that changes in cognitive activity patterns might result in disuse and consequent atrophy of cognitive skills.

A) multiple intelligence
B) "mind over matter"
C) terminal decline
D) "use it or lose it"

Question 74

________, which is closely linked to short-term memory, allows children and adults to manipulate and assemble information when making decisions, solving problems, and comprehending written and spoken language.

A) Working memory
B) Episodic memory
C) Working cognition
D) Source memory

Question 75

A person's knowledge about the world is called ________ memory.

A) schematic
B) functional
C) normative
D) semantic

Question 76

Helen's knowledge of calculus and statistics is part of her ________ memory.

A) semantic
B) episodic
C) prospective
D) implicit

Question 77

Which of the following is true of implicit memory?

A) It is also known as declarative memory.
B) It is more likely to be adversely affected by aging than explicit memory is.
C) It involves skills and routine procedures that are performed automatically.
D) It is memory of facts and experiences that individuals consciously know and can state.

Question 78

________ memory is memory without conscious recollection.

A) Implicit
B) Prospective
C) Source
D) Explicit

Question 79

Which of the following is an example of explicit memory?

A) John summarizes the plot of a novel that he has just read to his friend.
B) Max drives the car from his office to his home.
C) Linda turns off the lights before going to bed.
D) Maria types on her computer while talking to her friend.

Question 80

Which of the following is true of executive function?

A) It involves managing one's thoughts to engage in goal-directed behavior and to exercise self-control.
B) It is unrelated to health, emotion regulation, and social functioning.
C) It consists of a number of low-level cognitive processes.
D) It shows considerable increase in late adulthood and is strongly linked to increase in working memory.