Deck 15: Psychosocial Factors in Aging and Dying

Question 1

Match the following disorders with their descriptions in .
Refers to the ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections across the lifespan.

A)primary aging
B)secondary aging
C)telomere length
D)frailty
E)neuroplasticity

Answer 1

neuroplasticity

Question 2

People who express little negative emotion during bereavement experience more grief over time compared to those who express a lot of negative emotion.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Match the following treatments with their description in .
a. bargaining
b. acceptance
c. depression
d. denial
e. anger
Helpful because it results in detachment, which facilitates movement to the next stage.

A)bargaining
B)acceptance
C)depression
D)denial
E)anger

Answer 3

depression

Question 4

The three factors in Rowe and Kahn's (1997) model of successful aging include (1) avoiding disease and disability, (2) high cognitive and physical functioning, and (3) engagement with life.

Question 5

Match the following treatments with their description in .
a. bargaining
b. acceptance
c. depression
d. denial
e. anger
The first stage in Kubler-Ross' model of adjustment to dying.

A)bargaining
B)acceptance
C)depression
D)denial
E)anger

Question 6

Match the following disorders with their descriptions in .
Caused by a brief or incomplete blockage of oxygenated blood to the heart.

A)primary aging
B)secondary aging
C)telomere length
D)frailty
E)neuroplasticity

Question 7

Most children at early ages have no experience with dying.

Question 8

Match the following disorders with their descriptions in .
Involves a significant decline in the ability to respond and adapt to stress.

A)primary aging
B)secondary aging
C)telomere length
D)frailty
E)neuroplasticity

Question 9

Biological factors underlying the aging experience are referred to as secondary aging.

Question 10

In Canada, adults over the age of 65 are less likely to describe their health as either "very good" or "excellent" compared to the general population.

Question 11

Match the following treatments with their description in .
a. bargaining
b. acceptance
c. depression
d. denial
e. anger
Involves resentment towards others.

A)bargaining
B)acceptance
C)depression
D)denial
E)anger

Question 12

Match the following treatments with their description in .
a. bargaining
b. acceptance
c. depression
d. denial
e. anger
Characterized by a quiet calm.

A)bargaining
B)acceptance
C)depression
D)denial
E)anger

Question 13

Match the following disorders with their descriptions in .
Involves controllable factors underlying aging.

A)primary aging
B)secondary aging
C)telomere length
D)frailty
E)neuroplasticity

Question 14

Discrimination and social oppression on the basis of a person's age is referred to as oldism.

Question 15

Kubler-Ross' stages of adjustment to dying occur in the following order: (1) Denial, (2) Bargaining, (3) Anger, (4) Depression, and (5) Acceptance.

Question 16

On average, men and women tend to experience aging similarly.

Question 17

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that adults could choose to die with medical assistance in 2015.

Question 18

Match the following disorders with their descriptions in .
Involves biological factors underlying the aging experience.

A)primary aging
B)secondary aging
C)telomere length
D)frailty
E)neuroplasticity

Question 19

Match the following treatments with their description in .
a. bargaining
b. acceptance
c. depression
d. denial
e. anger
Often characterized by inner dialogue with 'God.'

A)bargaining
B)acceptance
C)depression
D)denial
E)anger

Question 20

Programs focused on physical activity in old age should aim to incorporate cognitive tasks in order to boost the positive effects on cognitive health.

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT one of the explanations cited for the observation that despite living longer than men, women experience higher rates of disability and poor health

A) Men are more likely to drink, smoke, and engage in risky behaviour.
B) Women are more likely to eat fruits and vegetables in their diet.
C) Women report higher social activity and more social connections across the lifespan.
D) Different changes in immune functioning and inflammation due to sex hormones.

Question 22

Research has shown that _______________ decreases the chances of older adults experiencing a fall that results in injury.

A) regular exercise
B) occasional exercise
C) anaerobic exercise
D) minimal physical activity

Question 23

Match the following treatments with their description in .
a. bargaining
b. acceptance
c. depression
d. denial
e. anger
The study of aging is called

A) geriatrics.
B) gerontology.
C) ageology.
D) gerology.

Question 24

Daily hassles appear to occur _________ as people get older.

A) more frequently
B) less frequently
C) at the same frequency
D) more frequently than major stressors

Question 25

What is the predominant risk factor for most diseases and illnesses that significantly compromise health and/or reduce life expectancy

A) genetics
B) behaviour
C) aging
D) stress

Question 26

The observation that despite living longer than men, women experience higher rates of disability and poor health is referred to as

A) the well-being paradox.
B) the health-wellness paradox.
C) the male-female-survival paradox.
D) the male-female health-survival paradox.

Question 27

Frailty is characterized mainly by

A) a significant decline in the ability to respond and adapt to stress, accompanied by what appears to be a loss in physical reserves.
B) a significant decline in the ability to respond and adapt to stress, accompanied by a loss in cognitive functioning.
C) a significant decline in the ability to respond and adapt to stress, accompanied by compromised immune functioning and slowed healing time.
D) None of the above.

Question 28

One biological mechanism through which exercise can contribute to decelerated aging is

A) cellular senescence.
B) secondary aging.
C) lengthening of telomeres.
D) shortening of telomeres.

Question 29

Neuroplasticity refers to

A) the brain's ability to manage stress in old age.
B) the brain's ability to form and reorganize synaptic connections in response to experiences.
C) the brain's ability to adapt to adversity.
D) None of the above.

Question 30

Research has found that retirement is associated with

A) loss of identity.
B) higher spousal stress.
C) expectations of freedom and leisure
D) All of the above.

Question 31

In Canada, adults over the age of 65 are less likely to describe their health as either ________ or _________ compared to the general population.

A) good; satisfactory
B) very good; excellent
C) satisfactory; poor
D) good; bad

Question 32

Health care provided to older adults is referred to as

A) gerontology.
B) gerology.
C) palliative care.
D) geriatric care.

Question 33

Cellular senescence is an example of

A) primary aging.
B) secondary aging.
C) tertiary aging.
D) None of the above.

Question 34

Which disease takes over as the leading cause of death for Canadians 85 years and older

A) stroke
B) heart disease
C) cancer
D) Alzheimer's disease

Question 35

There appear to be greater cognitive benefits associated with physical activity in old age when it is combined with

A) a healthy diet.
B) cognitive training.
C) higher education.
D) higher intelligence (IQ).

Question 36

Lack of physical exercise and poor diet are examples of

A) primary aging.
B) secondary aging.
C) tertiary aging.
D) None of the above.

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT a factor that has been associated with cognitive decline in old age

A) retirement
B) consumption of alcohol and glucose
C) falls, days spent in hospital, and number of doctor visits
D) lower hippocampal volume

Question 38

Cognitive decline may include

A) reduced capacity for working memory.
B) memory failure.
C) reduced attention span.
D) All of the above.

Question 39

Which of the following is NOT a factor that has been associated with physical decline in old age

A) low income and education
B) depression, loneliness, and low feelings of hope
C) living without spouse or partner in the household
D) lower hippocampal volume

Question 40

Activities that are both __________ and ___________ appear to have a more reliable effect on cognitive health.

A) physically challenging; stress-relieving
B) mentally challenging; stress-relieving
C) physically challenging; mood-inducing
D) physically challenging; mentally challenging

Question 41

The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that Canadians have the right to die with medical assistance in what year

A) 2014
B) 2015
C) 2016
D) 2017

Question 42

Care that focuses on reducing pain and discomfort, as well as improving quality of life, is referred to as

A) hospice care.
B) end-of-life care.
C) chronic illness care.
D) palliative care.

Question 43

Which of the following is NOT one of the requirements outlined by Bill C-14 for medical assistance in dying

A) The individual must be at least 19 years of age.
B) The person must be in an advanced state of irreversible decline.
C) The person must have a serious and incurable illness, disease, or disability
D) Informed consent must be provided.

Question 44

Which of the following is the correct order of Kubler Ross' stages of adjustment to dying

A) Denial, Bargaining, Anger, Depression, Acceptance
B) Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance
C) Anger, Denial, Bargaining, Depression, Acceptance
D) Anger, Denial, Depression, Bargaining, Acceptance

Question 45

Which of the following is NOT one of the three criteria for successful aging proposed by Rowe and Kahn (1997)

A) positive spirituality
B) engagement with life
C) avoiding disease and disability
D) high cognitive and physical functioning

Question 46

The principal coping mechanism people use during the phase of terminal illness is

A) anger.
B) bargaining.
C) regression.
D) denial

Question 47

In what year did Bill C-14 pass in Canadian parliament, allowing for the regulation of medically assisted dying

A) 2014
B) 2015
C) 2016
D) 2017

Question 48

The terminal phase of care begins when

A) medical judgment indicates that the patient's condition is worsening.
B) no treatment is available to reverse or arrest the progress toward death.
C) medical judgement indicates that the patient's condition is worsening AND no treatment is available to reverse or arrest the progress toward death.
D) The terminal phase of care cannot be determined by any of the above.

Question 49

The notion of positive aging, or reaching primarily optimal outcomes in old age while avoiding significant decline, is referred to as

A) aging success.
B) optimal aging.
C) positive aging.
D) successful aging.

Question 50

Which of the following is NOT one of the three behaviours underlying successful aging proposed by Baltes and Baltes (1990)

A) selecting fewer and meaningful goals
B) compensating for loss of abilities by engaging in new strategies
C) optimizing existing abilities through practice and technology
D) disengaging from frustrating or impossible goals

Question 51

Socio-emotional selectivity theory underscores the increasingly important role of what in the second half of life

A) reminiscence
B) meaning
C) purpose
D) engagement

Question 52

According to the research cited in the text, the loss of one's spouse would be most stressful for which of the following age groups

A) An adult at any age.
B) People approaching or in early adulthood.
C) People in mid-life.
D) People in old age.

Question 53

There is evidence that older adults are more likely to reappraise the outcomes of situations in such a way that

A) redefines them positively.
B) strikes balance between the costs and gains.
C) makes them no longer threatening.
D) redefines the situations as challenges.

Question 54

In line with research on young and middle-aged adults, high ________ and low ________ have both been correlated with lower ratings of perceived health in old age.

A) extraversion; neuroticism
B) conscientiousness; neuroticism
C) neuroticism; extraversion
D) neuroticism; conscientiousness

Question 55

The objective chronic experience of physical separation from other people, as in living alone or having a scarcity of social interactions, is referred to as

A) social isolation.
B) loneliness.
C) social exclusion.
D) momentary solitude.

Question 56

Suppose for a moment that "George" was one of the older adults in the Langer & Rodin (1976) study on nursing homes and was assigned to the experimental group (i.e., he had a plant he cared for). On the basis of the research findings, a year and a half later, he was more likely to be _____ than control condition participants.

A) deceased.
B) a member of the gardening team.
C) alive and healthier than control condition participants.
D) alive but no healthier than control condition participants.

Question 57

Which of the following is NOT one of the key findings on ageism reported by Dionigi (2015)

A) Being primed with negative stereotype words also increases cardiovascular stress in older adults before and after mental challenges.
B) Exposure to negative stereotypes about aging may increase cognitive performance in older adults.
C) Repeated exposure to negative stereotypes about aging can lead older adults to disengage from daily activities.
D) Exposure to positive stereotypes about aging may increase cognitive performance in older adults.

Question 58

Which of the following statements regarding bereavement is true

A) Young children grieve longer and more intensely than older children.
B) Parents with more children grieve the loss of a child more than parents with a single child who can regain their pre-parenting freedoms.
C) Older couples grieve spousal loss more than younger couples because they have lived with each other longer.
D) None of these statements is supported by the research in the text.

Question 59

What activity in old age has the capacity to be either adaptive or maladaptive, depending on whether one's focus is positive or negative

A) finding meaning
B) spirituality
C) reminiscence
D) generativity

Question 60

Which of the following statements about a child's grief at the loss of a loved one is true

A) Adolescents seem to grieve the least.
B) All age levels of children seem to grieve with equal intensity.
C) Children under age 5 seem to grieve the least.
D) A child's concept of death remains the same from age 4 to 8.

Question 61

Knowing what you know about successful aging, what three major recommendations would you make to an older adult who is concerned with attaining optimal outcomes in old age

Question 62

Which of the following is an accurate statement regarding the nature of bereavement

A) Family urging the bereaved to "get on with life" is critical to good adjustment.
B) When children seem unconcerned following a death it is most likely due to denial.
C) Most bereaved people appreciate the isolation they experience following the death of a loved one.
D) Although most people make positive adjustments following a death, some people never adjust to the loss.

Question 63

Summarize the range of effects that can result from grief. How do psychologists generally see grief today What treatments are available in more extreme cases of grief

Question 64

Explain how medical assistance in dying (MAiD) laws in Canada help to prevent misuse of this option at the end of life.

Question 65

Which of the following is NOT one of the four common conditions for dignity

A) lack of pain and suffering
B) control
C) sense of purpose
D) independence

Question 66

Briefly name and describe all stages in Kubler-Ross' stages of adjustment to dying.

Question 67

Briefly describe the course of disease in old age, citing examples of both physical and cognitive decline.

Question 68

According to research at the University of Manitoba, the desire to die early was associated with

A) depression
B) more severe ratings of pain.
C) lower family support.
D) All of the above.

Question 69

Discuss the role of ageism in later life, noting its effects as demonstrated in research. What can older adults do to reduce the impact of ageism