Deck 2: Physical Changes

Question 1

normal chemical process in the body, resulting from exposure to sunlight, X-rays, and food, creates molecules or atoms that possess an unpaired electron. These atoms and molecules are called _______.

A) cross-linkages
B) DNA breakages
C) free radicals
D) antioxidants

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Research on sexual activity of older adults shows that

A) the four stages of sexual response are a little slower and a little less intense compared to their younger counterparts.
B) the lack of desire is by far the most common complaint of men.
C) the desire to have sex is highest in middle adulthood.
D) sexual desire is driven by testosterone for men, but not for women.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Research on hearing has shown that

A) hearing loss typically begins in the 30s.
B) hearing loss is more noticeable for lower tones.
C) sensorineural hearing loss is caused by damage to the hammer and anvil.
D) by age 65, about 10% of adults have some significant hearing impairment.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

which of the following age ranges is the average weight at its peak?

A) 20-29
B) 50-59
C) 60-69
D) 80-89

Question 5

some body change is linked to age but appears to be the product of environmental influences or health habits, it is an example of _______.

A) maturation
B) the impact of free radicals
C) primary aging
D) secondary aging

Question 6

number of divisions a species will undergo before reaching replicative senescence is known as its_______.

A) resistance limit
B) telomere limit
C) oxidative limit
D) Hayflick limit

Question 7

Which of the following is NOT a change in sleep patterns with increasing age in adulthood?

A) reduction in the number of hours of deep sleep
B) reduction in the total number of hours of sleep needed
C) increase in breathing disturbances
D) waking earlier in the morning

Question 8

Bernice is suffering from __________, the most common eye disorder found in adulthood.

A) cataracts
B) glaucoma
C) macular degeneration
D) a detached retina

Question 9

explanation of aging cites our dietary habits as connected to the aging process. Which statement below is NOT consistent with this theory?

A) What we eat is the most significant contributor to aging.
B) To receive the maximum benefits of caloric restriction, humans would have to reduce their caloric intake by 30%..
C) Animal research supports an association between reduced caloric intake and increased longevity.
D) "Natural" human studies suggest that individuals on restricted diets may live longer.

Question 10

Cells of different species, when observed in nutrient solutions, are seen to divide varying numbers of times, with cells of the most long-lived species dividing more times than the cells of short-lived species. The total number of divisions for any given species is sometimes referred to as _______.

A) species replicability
B) the Shock limit
C) the dividing limit
D) the Hayflick limit

Question 11

aging process has been a matter of interest and a subject of research for centuries. This research has established a(n) _______.

A) empirically documented single theory of aging
B) diversity of current propositions about the aging process, most supported by some empirical evidence
C) diversity of empirical evidence, all pointing to 4 primary theories of aging
D) unified theory of aging at the cellular level

Question 12

which parts of the body do fat deposits INCREASE in middle age and old age (past the age of about 50)?

A) the face and the upper arm
B) the chest and the belly
C) the belly and the upper arm
D) the face and the chest

Question 13

loss of calcium in the bones that occurs in many adults with aging is called _______.

A) osteopathy
B) osteoporosis
C) calcification
D) climacteric

Question 14

Beta-carotene and vitamin E are examples of________.

A) telomeres
B) resveratrol
C) free radicals
D) antioxidants

Question 15

indication that some commonly observed physical change linked to age is a product of secondary aging is that _______.

A) it occurs to some degree in all adults
B) it does not occur in all adults
C) it is strongly linked to age
D) it is associated with known genetic processes

Question 16

Which of the following individuals would you expect to have the longest telomeres?

A) Johanna, who exercises regularly for fun.
B) Marnie, who is obese
C) Emanuel, who experiences a lot of stress at work and worries he will be layed off.
D) Albert, who has heart disease, but has recently begun to eat healthier and exercise.

Question 17

some body change is linked to age but appears to be the product of environmental influences or health habits, it is an example of _______.

A) maturation
B) the impact of free radicals
C) primary aging
D) secondary aging

Question 18

Fruits and vegetables that contain beta carotene, vitamin E, and vitamin C are recommend because they are high in ________.

A) antioxidants
B) antiradicals
C) telomeres
D) resveratrol

Question 19

Which of the following is the CLEAREST example of primary aging?

A) the decline in neuronal speed with age
B) the increase in the rate of heart disease with age
C) the increase in the rate of cancer with age
D) the loss of muscle tissue with age as a result of a sedentary life style

Question 20

70-year-old father recently mentioned to you that he no longer enjoys driving at night because of glare from the headlights of oncoming traffic. Having taken this course, you are not surprised. Based on the information in the text, what other activities may prove problematic for him?

A) reading road signs at night
B) finding a seat at the afternoon softball game
C) ordering at McDonald's
D) all of the above

Question 21

gland that is the key element in the immune system is the _______.

A) pituitary
B) ovaries or testes
C) thalamus
D) thymus

Question 22

Glaucoma is the second leading cause of blindness for all people in the United States. Which statement below does NOT accurately describe glaucoma?

A) Two million people in the United States have glaucoma, but most seek medical attention after noting the early warning signs of the disease.
B) Untreated glaucoma can destroy the optic nerve and lead to blindness.
C) Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness for African Americans.
D) Successful treatment for glaucoma may be as simple as the application of eye drops in certain patients.

Question 23

Scientific evidence regarding the effects of aging on the nervous system seems to have changed over the last decade. Which statement below would NOT be supported by today's evidence?

A) Neurons are capable of changing with age.
B) After a person reaches the age of 8, his or her neurons do not grow dendrites to make new connections.
C) Some neuron pruning in old age may serve the same purpose as pruning in infancy.
D) Scientists' estimates of daily neuron loss in old age have declined significantly in the last 20 years.

Question 24

thickening of the lens of the eye that results in loss of visual acuity in middle and older age is part of a process called _______.

A) presbycusis
B) presbyopia
C) nearsightedness
D) macular degeneration

Question 25

about what age does a significant loss of visual acuity begin to be measurable for most adults?

A) age 30
B) age 45
C) age 60
D) age 70

Question 26

Which of the following individuals is LEAST LIKELY to have osteoarthritis?

A) Charlene, an obese middle-age woman who has recently begun an exercise regimen.
B) Anita, a 65-year-old woman.
C) Kyle, a 14-year-old who plays competitive basketball.
D) Shaniqua, a high school student who has not been involved in sports beyond exposure in gym class.

Question 27

average age at which women go through menopause about _______.

A) 40
B) 51
C) 55
D) 60

Question 28

general term used to describe the loss of reproductive capacity among both sexes in middle and later life is _______.

A) climacteric
B) menopause
C) testosterone loss
D) desexualization

Question 29

are the relative ages at which significant losses of vision and hearing occur, on average, in adulthood?

A) Both changes occur at roughly the same time.
B) Significant loss of hearing occurs earlier, on average.
C) Significant loss of vision occurs earlier, on average.
D) Both changes occur in only some adults, at widely varying ages.

Question 30

Current evidence on age-related changes in levels of testosterone in men indicates that _______.

A) there is a large and steady decline beginning at about age 40
B) there is a large decline, but it begins only after about age 60
C) there is no decline at all
D) there is a small and gradual decline from midlife onward

Question 31

Which therapy provides perimenopausal and postmenopausal women with the hormones once produced by their ovaries that sharply reduce the symptoms of the climacteric?

A) growth hormone therapy (GH)
B) DHEA therapy
C) hormone replacement therapy (HRT)
D) HGH treatment therapy

Question 32

loss of calcium in the bones that occurs in many adults with aging is called _______.

A) osteopathy
B) osteoporosis
C) calcification
D) climacteric

Question 33

Osteoporosis is the term used to describe _______.

A) loss of calcium in the bones
B) loss of estrogen at menopause
C) a disease of the joints caused from wear and tear
D) normal hearing loss that occurs with old age

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT a correct statement about the pattern of osteoporosis with age for men and women?

A) It begins in the 30s and continues thereafter.
B) It is greater for women than for men.
C) Among women, it is accelerated by menopause.
D) It accelerates in men in their 60s.

Question 35

women than men in the United States are diagnosed with _______.

A) cardiovascular problems
B) glaucoma
C) hip fractures
D) hearing loss

Question 36

finding that neurons are capable of making changes with age demonstrates _______.

A) replicative senescence
B) the Hayflick limit
C) redundancy
D) plasticity

Question 37

Which of the following is NOT a major risk factor for severe osteoporosis?

A) being light in weight for height
B) being female
C) early menopause
D) drinking lots of coffee

Question 38

Which of the following changes in our senses appears to be a normal part of aging?

A) an increase in the number of odor receptors which interfere with the ability to smell
B) an increase in the ability to taste salty and sweet flavors, causing older people to gain weight more quickly than they did earlier in the lifespan
C) a decline in the amount of saliva secreted
D) an increase in the total number of taste buds

Question 39

notice that your mother, who is 61 years old, begins to complain about her difficulty seeing while night driving, with the size of the print on her PC screen, with blurry street signs, and with the dimness of the house living and kitchen lights. She may be experiencing loss of visual acuity due to ____________.

A) presbyopia
B) dark adaption
C) cataracts
D) all of the above

Question 40

gradual loss of hearing resulting from wear and tear on the auditory nerves and inner ear structures is called _______.

A) sensorineural hearing loss
B) presbyopia
C) loud-soft discrimination deficits
D) tone deafness

Question 41

Which of the following is found only in men?

A) HGH.
B) cyclic GMP
C) aldosterone.
D) DHEA.

Question 42

For each of the following changes with age, indicate whether the change is most likely primary aging or secondary aging and why you think so.

Question 43

Medina (1996) suggests that changes in older men's and women's sexual responses are generally _______.

A) a little slower and a little less intense
B) a little slower, but with no change in intensity
C) a little less intense, but with no change in arousal speed
D) NOT positively affected by an end to concerns about pregnancy

Question 44

List and discuss several factors that appear to contribute to the wide individual variations in rate of physical aging in middle and late adulthood.

Question 45

most common symptom associated with menopause is _______.

A) anxiety
B) depression
C) hot flashes
D) headaches

Question 46

Which of the following is NOT a change in sleep patterns with increasing age in adulthood?

A) a reduction in the number of hours of deep sleep
B) fewer daily naps because of less physical activity
C) an increase in breathing disturbances
D) waking earlier in the morning

Question 47

Which of the following is TRUE of insomnia?

A) It decreases in middle age and later adulthood when stress levels decline for most.
B) It is more common in men.
C) It can be caused by the use of blue-screen electronic devices before bedtime.
D) It is caused by a constriction of the airway.

Question 48

reasonable inference from the information presented in this unit regarding the availability of sexual partners for older adults suggests that which older person would have the LEAST problem locating a sexual partner?

A) an independent single female
B) a female living with her adult children
C) an independent single male
D) a single male living in a nursing home

Question 49

Which of the following is the best statement about individual differences in the rate or pattern of physiological aging?

A) The maturational sequences are very powerful; virtually all adults follow the same sequences at the same rates.
B) There are significant maturational sequences, although there is room for individual variation within relatively narrow limits.
C) There are significant underlying maturational sequences, but there are very wide individual variations in rate and pattern.
D) There are no shared underlying maturational sequences.
SHORT ANSWER QUESTIONS

Question 50

Define the following terms:

Question 51

major shortcoming of most of the research on sexual activity is that it

A) focuses primarily on quality of sexual relations at different ages.
B) focuses primarily on many types of sexual expression besides intercourse.
C) focuses only on males.
D) focuses primarily on frequency counts of sexual activity.

Question 52

List two changes that occur in the cardiovascular system with age and two changes that occur in the nervous system with age.

Question 53

There is an old adage to the effect that if a married couple put a bean in a jar for each time they have intercourse during the first year of marriage and take out a bean for every time they have intercourse in each year after the first, the jar will never become empty. Given the evidence on sexual activity in adulthood presented in the book, do you think this is true or not? Give specific support for your position.

Question 54

Discuss two factors that affect the probability of sexual relations in older people.

Question 55

problem with the results from cross-sectional and longitudinal research on the sexual activity of adults in the United States is that ___________.

A) the majority are no longer sexually active after midlife
B) the majority are most sexually active in late adulthood, but many die before this part of the life span
C) it reduces a complex human interaction to a simple frequency count
D) the data do not allow us to determine the answer to sexual frequency

Question 56

Which statement is FALSE?

A) Some environments may retard the aging process.
B) Some environments may speed up the aging process.
C) The old adage "use it or lose it" seems true when applied to older individuals' physical and mental activities.
D) Twin studies show that rate of aging is highly heritable; only about 5% of aging is caused by other factors.

Question 57

Premenopausal and menopausal changes in women are triggered by a significant reduction in the production of which hormone?

A) testosterone
B) androgen
C) thyroxin
D) estrogen

Question 58

Discuss one study that has examined telomere length..

Question 59

According to research on normal adult men, which of the following is NOT a major change in the reproductive system with age?

A) a major decline in testosterone levels
B) a diminished production of sperm
C) a longer time required to achieve erection
D) shrinkage of the testes

Question 60

Name one age-related visual condition and at least one risk factor associated with the condition.

Question 61

Discuss the impact of socioeconomic status and ethnicity on aging .

Question 62

Discuss the two types of hormone replacement therapy that both men and women seem to benefit from.

Question 63

Discuss one theory of primary aging and explain whether there is evidence that supports it.

Question 64

One of the common assumptions about midlife is that most (if not all) women experience major physical and psychological upheaval at menopause. Design a study to examine this assumption.

Question 65

Compare and contrast two real-life or fictitious adults at age seventy in terms of primary aging. In your comparison, what factors account for the differences that you portray in your example?

Question 66

Primary aging is affected by many individual differences. Illustrate how certain genetic predispositions might affect your aging process; use at least one member of your family as a comparative example.

Question 67

Describe the physical changes of an aging adult, fictitious or real, including height, weight, bone structure, skin/hair, the senses, and internal systems. Be thorough, and use terminology from your textbook.

Question 68

We observe a loss of muscle tissue, with accompanying loss of strength, over the years of adulthood. What explanations of this phenomenon have been offered? What kind of evidence exists for and against each explanation? What conclusion do you come to?

Question 69

Compare and contrast the climacteric for men and women. Make sure you describe the physiological changes as well as possible treatments.

Question 70

Discuss the following statement: "There are such wide variations in individual rates and patterns of aging that it doesn't make any sense to talk about 'normal aging.' There is no such thing."

Question 71

Discuss osteoporosis and osteoarthritis and whether there are treatments available for these conditions.