Deck 6: Sensation, Perception, and Slowing

Question 1

Mabel Davis, in this chapter's Senior View, would agree with which of the following?

A) cataract surgery should be avoided if possible
B) hearing loss occurs only for older men
C) time seems to speed up when you grow older
D) all of the above

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Cells in the eye that respond to high levels of illumination are called

A) rods
B) cones
C) illiuminati
D) retinal foci

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Older eyes may appear to stick out and lack luster because of changes in the

A) cornea
B) iris
C) retina
D) vitreous humor

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Presbyopia refers to

A) the point of clearest vision moving closer to the eye
B) the decline in vision with advanced age
C) the loss of hearing for high pitch as one grows older
D) the point of clearest vision moving further from the eye

Question 5

Why might the colors on your grandparent's TV look incorrect to you? Because your grandparents have _____ and you do not.

A) presbyopia
B) a loss of acuity
C) yellow lens
D) floaters

Question 6

Particles of insoluble protein that accumulate in the vitreous humor are called

A) pilons
B) meta carpals
C) floaters
D) risers

Question 7

Which of the following aspects of vision are likely to change with advanced age?

A) dark/light adaptation
B) peripheral vision
C) dynamic acuity
D) all of the above

Question 8

Severe clouding of the lens of the eye is called

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

Question 9

Glaucoma refers to the visual disorder in which

A) the inner and outer layers of the retina separate
B) the small blood vessels that nourish the retina do not function properly
C) excessive fluid pressure builds up in the eye and damages the retina
D) cloudy, opaque areas form on the lens of the eye

Question 10

When one looks at traffic accidents for older adults as a function of miles driven, one finds that older adults

A) have the same accident rate as younger adults
B) have a much higher accident rate
C) have a much lower accident rate
D) have a slightly lower accident rate

Question 11

Presbycusis refers to

A) a general decline in hearing with advanced age
B) a decline in ability to understand spoken language
C) a decline in hearing for higher pitch sounds
D) a general decline in vision with advanced age

Question 12

A decline in hearing during old age occurs more frequently for

A) men than women
B) women than men
C) people with some visual decline
D) people without any visual problems

Question 13

Older adults have the greatest difficulty understanding speech when

A) other people are also talking
B) static noise is occurring
C) speech has been recorded
D) all of these conditions are equally difficult

Question 14

When talking with a hearing impaired older adults one should not

A) face the person so they can see your lips move
B) rephrase what you've said if they do not understand
C) find a relatively quiet place to talk
D) speak loudly directly into their ear

Question 15

Some recent work suggests that hearing loss is related to an individual's

A) loss of sight
B) memory functioning
C) belief in negative stereotypes
D) all of the above

Question 16

Research suggests that it is better to place a hearing aid in the right ear because that ear

A) will experience less discomfort
B) is better at detecting speech
C) usually has the greatest amount of hearing loss
D) is a little closer to the brain

Question 17

Loss of the sense of smell in old age seems to

A) be fairly common
B) be very rare
C) occur more often in men
D) occur more often in women

Question 18

A dangerous aspect of the loss of smell is that one may

A) lose all sense of direction
B) be unable to detect a gas leak or smoke
C) also lose ability to taste really good food
D) remain in an environment that smells really bad

Question 19

The type of taste bud that usually shows the greatest loss in older adults is the _____ type.

A) sour
B) salty
C) sweet
D) bitter

Question 20

The loss of nerve cells under the skin frequently produces a decline in sensitivity to which of the following for older adults?

A) touch
B) pain
C) light
D) sound

Question 21

Older adults with extensive cell loss in their vestibular system are likely to have difficulty

A) tasting certain foods
B) detecting subtle aromas
C) maintaining their balance
D) all of the above

Question 22

One of the more effective treatments for restoring a good sense of balance and reducing fears of falling for older adults is

A) the scooter
B) better lighting
C) Tai chi
D) aerobic exercise

Question 23

In which of the following reaction time situations is the difference between old and young responders the smallest?

A) simple
B) choice
C) complex
D) multiplex

Question 24

Comparisons of age differences in simple and choice reaction time situations show that the slowing down with advanced age is primarily in

A) the sensing of presented stimuli
B) the central processing of information
C) the motor muscle responses
D) all are equally involved

Question 25

One aspect of central processing that seems to contribute to age differences in reaction time is

A) a smaller short-term memory
B) a slower cerebral cortex
C) a more conservative response strategy
D) an increased difficulty in making decisions

Question 26

Decreased blood flow in older adults is one possible reason for

A) presbyopia
B) presbycusis
C) slower central processing
D) decreased sense of balance

Question 27

Mortality appears to be strongly related to the slow down in

A) reaction time
B) complex reaction time
C) motor response time
D) sensation time

Question 28

The most typical traffic accidents for older adults are when they are

A) speeding
B) a pedestrian
C) driving in heavy traffic
D) driving an unfamiliar route

Question 29

The most frequent accident for older adults is a

A) fall
B) burn
C) poisoning
D) drowning

Question 30

Which of the following increase the risk of falling?

A) diabetes
B) alcohol consumption
C) a low level of physical functioning
D) all of the above

Question 31

The leading cause of accidental death in older adults is a

A) traffic accident
B) fall
C) food poisoning
D) fire smoke

Question 32

Describe the typical changes that can occur in three different senses with advanced age.

Question 33

Why do sensory changes influence perception in some cases but not in others?

Question 34

Why have researchers concluded that the slowing that occurs with aging is in the central processing that takes place in the brain rather than in the sense organs or muscles? Describe the relevant research.

Question 35

Describe some steps that you might take to lessen the probability of a fall in an older adult's home.