Deck 9: Late Adulthood

Question 1

Both men and women are at risk of osteoporosis, but it poses a greater threat to men.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Studies which show a relationship between telomere length and the number of cell divisions support the cellular-clock theory of aging.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

The normal aging process is characterized by chronic disease and degenerative conditions.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Americans aged 65 and above are less likely than the general population to live below the poverty level.

Question 5

Arthritis is most common in European Americans.

Question 6

Older adults generally require less alcohol than younger adults to experience intoxication.

Question 7

An example of explicit memory is reciting the alphabet.

Question 8

Older adults are likely to retain their expressive vocabularies but to show a decline in their receptive vocabularies.

Question 9

The risk of Alzheimer's disease is 1 in 2 among those 75-84 years old.

Question 10

The basic challenge in the crisis of ego integrity versus despair is to maintain the belief that life is meaningful and worthwhile despite physical decline and the inevitability of death.

Question 11

As the years wear on in late adulthood, men express less body esteem than older women do.

Question 12

Depression affects some 35% of people aged 65 and above.

Question 13

According to surveys, older Americans consistently report that they prefer to reside in retirement communities even if they are physically and mentally capable of remaining in their homes.

Question 14

Older adults are less likely than younger adults to seek divorce.

Question 15

Widowhood in later adulthood increases mortality.

Question 16

Phyllis Moen and her colleagues found that when the husband was in charge of a couple's retirement plans, this control was not related to the partner's workload or income level.

Question 17

According to Kleiber and Kelly, leisure activities often become central to a retiree's identity and self-acceptance.

Question 18

In a national poll of some 1,600 adults by the Los Angeles Times, 25% of older people said they felt younger than their years.

Question 19

Professor Haskell discusses the concept of an "agequake" during his Life Span and Developmental Psychology course. What is Professor Haskell referring to?

A) Compared with other developed nations, individuals who are 65 and older in America report more stress-related disorders.
B) Americans who are 65 and older influence government policies more than any other age group.
C) Those who are 65 years and above drain more American resources than all other age groups combined.
D) People who are currently age 65 and above are the most rapidly growing segment of the American population.

Question 20

Today, how many people are over the age of 65?

A) 1 in 25
B) 1 in 12
C) 1 in 8
D) 1 in 5

Question 21

With the right genes and environment, and with the good fortune to avoid serious injuries or illnesses, people have a maximum life span of about how many years?

A) 100
B) 110
C) 115
D) 120

Question 22

The amount of time a person can actually be expected to live in a given setting is referred to as ____.

A) life span
B) life expectancy
C) longevity
D) mortality rate

Question 23

Compared with 100 years ago, the average life expectancy today for a male has increased by about how many years?

A) 10
B) 20
C) 30
D) 40

Question 24

What has contributed to increased life expectancy over the last century?

A) Hereditary changes
B) Natural selection
C) Change in climate
D) Public health measures

Question 25

Four baby girls are born on the same day, April 21st, 2012, across the globe. Putting genetic differences aside and assuming they remain in their birth country, which baby has the longest life expectancy?

A) Sophia, born in the USA
B) Lea, born in France
C) Maria, born in Cuba
D) Nami, born in Japan

Question 26

Why is it thought that men have shorter life expectancies than women?

A) Testosterone accelerates the aging process.
B) Men engage in more reckless behaviors.
C) Women experience less stress than men in a lifetime.
D) Estrogen protects women from many forms of cancer.

Question 27

On the eve of her 65th birthday, Florence is depressed about entering the next stage of her life, later adulthood. As her friend, what can you tell her to cheer her up?

A) Fluid intelligence increases with age.
B) Short term memories remain stable.
C) Older age brings peace and balance.
D) Physical changes are slower than in middle adulthood.

Question 28

Sixty-six-year old Carl applies for a job as the head of the maintenance department at a local factory. Because he has nearly 50 years experience, Carl feels that he is a serious contender for the job. However, he soon finds out from an inside source that he is not in the running for the job because of his age. Carl is the victim of ____.

A) ageism
B) elderism
C) maturism
D) generism

Question 29

At a visit to her ophthalmologist, seventy-six-year old Meredith learns that she has cataracts. What does this mean?

A) The photoreceptors in her retina are degenerating.
B) There is a buildup of fluid pressure inside her eyeball.
C) There is a hardening of the lens of her eye.
D) There is a clouding of the lens of her eye.

Question 30

Ramiro gets a distressing call from his 80 year old mother Adriana; she is upset about a recent diagnosis of glaucoma. What does this mean?

A) The photoreceptors in her retina are degenerating.
B) There is a buildup of fluid pressure inside her eyeball.
C) There is a hardening of the lens of her eye.
D) There is a clouding of the lens of her eye.

Question 31

Loss of acuteness of hearing due to age-related degenerative changes in the ear is referred to as ____.

A) presbycusis
B) otosclerosis
C) Ménière's disease
D) superior canal dehiscence syndrome

Question 32

Seventy-two-year old Eloise ends up in the emergency room with a hip fracture. After a series of bone scans, Eloise learns that her bones are brittle due to severe loss of calcium. What is Eloise's diagnosis?

A) osteitis
B) dysostosis
C) osteoporosis
D) hypochondrogenesis

Question 33

Sleep apnea may be more than a sleep problem. For reasons that are not entirely clear, it is linked to increased risk of ____.

A) cancer and strokes
B) cancer and diabetes
C) heart attacks and strokes
D) heart attacks and diabetes

Question 34

According to the text, what is a source of distress for many older adults who remain sexually active?

A) Believing cultural myths about sex
B) Fearing rejection from new partners
C) Lack of familiarity with contemporary sexual norms
D) Anxiety about trying new things

Question 35

Many of the physical changes in older women stem from a decline in ___ production.

A) progesterone
B) estrogen
C) luteinizing hormone
D) follicle stimulating hormone

Question 36

What is a change in the reproductive system of older women?

A) Dilated vaginal opening
B) Thickened vaginal wall
C) Loss of ability to orgasm
D) Delayed vaginal lubrication

Question 37

What is a change in the reproductive system of older men?

A) Delayed erections after age 50
B) Sharp decline in testosterone levels after age 60
C) Absence of nocturnal erections after age 70
D) No more sperm production after age 80

Question 38

Dr. Thornton discovers a gene that he calls AATF-1 (accelerated aging transcription factor-1). When Dr. Thornton deletes this gene in mice, the mice show increased longevity. Thus, he proposes a new model of aging that fits within the ____.

A) evolutionary theories of aging
B) cellular-damage theories of aging
C) homologous theories of aging
D) programmed theories of aging

Question 39

Dr. Basso investigates the role of environmental toxins on aging. She discovers that several common food preservatives accelerate the aging process. Dr. Basso proposes a new model of aging that fits within the ____.

A) exogenous theories of aging
B) cellular-damage theories of aging
C) heterologous theories of aging
D) programmed theories of aging

Question 40

The hormonal theory of aging asserts that ____.

A) sex hormones accelerate the aging process
B) as we age, less hormones circulate through the blood
C) following illness, stress hormones remain elevated in the elderly
D) our bodies lose sensitivity to hormones as we age

Question 41

Which of the following lends support to the immunological theory of aging?

A) Antibody production declines with age.
B) White blood cell numbers rise with age.
C) Phagocytosis becomes less effective with age.
D) Autoimmunity becomes more prevalent with age.

Question 42

Which theory of aging that suggests that over time, our bodies become less capable of repairing themselves?

A) restoration-limitation theory
B) maximum-capacity theory
C) wear-and-tear theory
D) finite-use theory

Question 43

Dr. Layton investigates the role of free radicals in aging. She hopes to find effective chemicals that will combat free radicals and slow the progression of age-related processes. For what class of chemicals is Dr. Layton searching?

A) antibiotics
B) antigens
C) antibodies
D) antioxidants

Question 44

Which theory of aging maintains that the stiffening of body proteins accelerates and eventually breaks down bodily processes, leading to some of the effects of aging?

A) cross-linking theory
B) tether-and-hold theory
C) congealed-tissue theory
D) cellular-polymerization theory

Question 45

Which hormone is thought to play a crucial role in increasing life span following caloric restriction?

A) cholecystokinin
B) glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide
C) dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate
D) antidiuretic hormone

Question 46

People over the age of 65 make up about 12% of the population. What percent of hospital beds do they occupy?

A) 15%
B) 25%
C) 35%
D) 45%

Question 47

What is the leading chronic health condition affecting people in late adulthood?

A) diabetes
B) arthritis
C) hypertension
D) heart disease

Question 48

Barb is training for her certification in hospice care. She learns that the leading cause of death for women between the ages of 40 and 79, and men between the ages of 60 and 79, is ____.

A) cancer
B) heart disease
C) stroke
D) chronic respiratory diseases

Question 49

Hazam begins his new employee training at Shady Acres Senior Living Center. During his training, he learns that the number one cause of death among men and women over the age of 80 is ____.

A) cancer
B) heart disease
C) stroke
D) chronic respiratory diseases

Question 50

As we age, the dysfunction of which organ system increases our risk of cancer?

A) immune
B) integumentary
C) cardiovascular
D) digestive

Question 51

Many older people are not adequately screened or treated for cancer or heart disease because of ____.

A) lack of health insurance
B) elder bias
C) misinformation about risks
D) mistrust of physicians

Question 52

A painful, degenerative disease characterized by wear and tear on the joints is referred to as ____.

A) rheumatoid arthritis
B) chondrocytic arthritis
C) osteoarthritis
D) fibroarthritis

Question 53

A painful, degenerative disease characterized by chronic inflammation of the membranes that line the joints is referred to as ____.

A) rheumatoid arthritis
B) chondrocytic arthritis
C) osteoarthritis
D) fibroarthritis

Question 54

A quarter of a million older adults are hospitalized each year because of adverse drug reactions. What is a common reason for this?

A) Intentional overdose
B) Caretaker negligence
C) Too high of a prescribed dosage
D) Misappropriation of drugs

Question 55

Gretel's mother Sylvia lives alone. Now that Sylvia is elderly, Gretel is worried that her mother may suffer serious injury from an accident. According to the text, what can Gretel do to help protect Sylvia?

A) Insist that Sylvia hand over her driver's license.
B) Sign Sylvia up for a medical alert service.
C) Make sure Sylvia has Internet, land line, and cell phone access.
D) Equip Sylvia's home with nonskid floors.

Question 56

What type of intelligence is most vulnerable to decline in late adulthood?

A) crystallized
B) subjective
C) formulized
D) fluid

Question 57

What is the evidence that visual-recognition memories can last half a century for those in late adulthood?

A) The pulse rate of older adults increased when they were presented with a picture of a "B list" celebrity from their youth nearly 70% of the time.
B) Fifty years after graduating high-school, subjects recognized former classmates 75% of the time.
C) Eye scanning technology detected pupil dilation in older adults 80% of the time when they viewed pictures of former elementary school teachers.
D) When adult men aged 70 and older were presented with images of sports figures from their childhood, EEG recordings showed heightened activity 85% of the time.

Question 58

Danielle asks her great grandmother Josephine "Can you list the capitals of all 50 states?" Josephine does pretty well and lists 39 capitals correctly. What kind of memory is Josephine demonstrating?

A) implicit
B) explicit
C) prospective
D) associative

Question 59

Devin asks her grandfather Al to count up by 5s. Al quickly starts counting up 5, 10, 15, 20, 25,...etc. What kind of memory is Al demonstrating?

A) implicit
B) explicit
C) prospective
D) associative

Question 60

Seventy-six-year old Sonja is thinking about what she will order for lunch as she runs out the door to pick up her friend Suzette. She shouts out to her husband, "Can you please call, um, um...what's her name... and tell her that I'm running late." She wanted to say "Suzette" but could not think of her name. Why does this often happen to older adults?

A) Crystallized memory declines.
B) Working memory holds less information simultaneously.
C) There is an inability to easily engage implicit memory.
D) Fluid memory is blocked by working memory.

Question 61

Compared with younger adults, older adults tend to do as well, or nearly as well, in tasks that assess ____ memory.

A) implicit
B) explicit
C) prospective
D) associative

Question 62

Which type of memory would be used to recall that the written letter B has the sound of "bh?"

A) implicit
B) explicit
C) prospective
D) associative

Question 63

Research by Melanie Cohn and her colleagues suggests that impairments in associative memory among older adults represent problems in ____.

A) binding and retrieval
B) comprehension and retrieval
C) binding and motivation
D) comprehension and motivation

Question 64

In the aging brain, atrophy in which brain regions may account for deficits in associative memory?

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

Question 65

Older adults recall events from which decades of life in greatest detail?

A) second and third
B) third and fourth
C) fourth and fifth
D) fifth and sixth

Question 66

What is an example of prospective memory?

A) Cheryl thinks about what she needs to buy at the store.
B) Don rehearses his lines for an upcoming play.
C) Edith practices her dance solo for tomorrow's show.
D) Juan studies National Brands, Inc's Web site prior to his job interview.

Question 67

Age-related decline in prospective memory tend to be smallest when the task to be completed is ____.

A) ordinary
B) important
C) repetitive
D) procedural

Question 68

Age-related declines in what two facets make it more difficult for older adults to understand the spoken language?

A) declarative memory and hearing
B) declarative memory and attention
C) working memory and hearing
D) working memory and attention

Question 69

In addition to processing speed, what other cognitive tools are required to solve the Duncker candle problem?

A) executive functioning and long-term memory
B) executive functioning and working memory
C) verbal reasoning and long-term memory
D) verbal reasoning and working memory

Question 70

Compared with younger adults, how does an older person typically respond to interpersonal conflict?

A) Shows little patience
B) Displays anger
C) Remains calm
D) Seeks advice

Question 71

According to Lynn Hasher, what attribute enables older adults to take a broader view of various situations?

A) Increased distractibility
B) Decreased distractibility
C) Increased flexibility
D) Decreased flexibility

Question 72

Kunzmann and Baltes noted that wise people approach life 's problems in a way that addresses ____.

A) simplicity rather than grandeur
B) logic and reason
C) the meaning of life
D) the most efficient solution

Question 73

What is true of dementia?

A) It is part of the normal process of aging.
B) The second most common cause of dementia is Alzheimer's disease.
C) Although memory declines, other cognitive functions remain intact.
D) Infection is one cause of dementia.

Question 74

Carol learns that her father Drake has Alzheimer's disease. She meets with Drake's neurologist who informs her that ____.

A) the symptoms are irreversible and will become progressively worse
B) the disease is somewhat reversible with aggressive occupational therapy
C) Drake likely inherited a sex-linked mutated gene from his mother's side
D) the disease is associated with an increased risk of stroke

Question 75

What are generally the earliest signs of Alzheimer's disease?

A) Inability to recall names or a home address
B) Getting lost in familiar places
C) Confusion, aggression, or agitation
D) Subtle changes in cognition and personality

Question 76

Scientists believe that memory deficits and other symptoms of Alzheimer's disease are associated with ____.

A) loss of axonal myelination
B) the accumulation of plaques
C) reduction in neuronal size
D) an increased white to gray matter ratio

Question 77

The major psychological challenge of the late adulthood years, according to Erikson, is ____.

A) industry versus inferiority
B) intimacy versus isolation
C) generativity versus stagnation
D) ego integrity versus despair

Question 78

How does late adulthood differ from the phases of life that come before it?

A) Focus is no longer on growth and stability.
B) All facets of cognition decline.
C) Focus shifts from self to others.
D) Generativity becomes the most important goal.

Question 79

Compared with younger people, older Americans are generally ____.

A) more anxious
B) at least as anxious
C) less happy
D) at least as happy

Question 80

According to Erikson, adjustment in the later years requires ____.

A) preparing future generations
B) perspective on life events
C) the wisdom to let go
D) modesty and humility