Question 1

If you were to estimate the typical percentage of prescription errors that occur in administering medicines to older adults, the most accurate percentage would be which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The text cites several studies that all indicate the high frequency of errors in prescribing and delivering prescription medication. For example, inappropriate medicines were prescribed in 8% of doctor visits; errors were made in 28.2% of the medication deliveries in a set of 12 different assisted living facilities; and 20-25% of older adults had at least one inappropriate prescription. Taken together, this pattern demonstrates that prescription errors are frequent. The best judgment from the choices given is that errors occur in about 15% or more of the prescriptions that are given.

Question 2

Compared to younger adults, older adults typically are _________ at performing cognitive tasks and they are __________ at using performance-enhancing strategies.

Accepted Answer

Older people have slower reaction times, slower perceptual processing, and slower cognitive processes in general, but often learn new strategies to compensate for their loss of speed. By using more effective strategies, older people are often able to compensate for their loss of speed on many tasks and, in many cases, to recover much of their former performance level.

Question 3

The term most often used to refer to theories suggesting that genetic programming determines the pace and processes of aging are referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Biological clock theories suggest that aging is controlled by an internal mechanism that regulates the aging process. These theories suggest that genetic programming plays a key role in determining the pace and processes of aging.

Question 4

According to the text, theories that explain aging as the result of random assaults from both internal and external environments are referred to as:

Accepted Answer

The text states that theories that explain aging as the result of random assaults from both internal and external environments are referred to as stochastic theories of aging. Therefore, the best choice is C.

Question 5

If you were to compare the performance of a group of 30-year-olds and a group of 70-year-olds, the most noticeable differences would most likely be on tasks that involved:

Accepted Answer

Many studies have shown that the intellectual functions that depend heavily on speed of performance decline in older people. Older people have slower reaction times, slower perceptual processing, and slower cognitive processes in general.

Question 6

According to the text, the upper end of the lifespan is thought to be about age:

Accepted Answer

The text states that "The upper end of the lifespan is thought to be about age 110."

Question 7

The average annual prescription drug cost for non-institutionalized Medicare recipients was about ____ in 1992, compared to about ____ in 2004.

Accepted Answer

The average annual prescription drug cost for non-institutionalized Medicare recipients was about $500 in 1992 and increased to about $2,000 in 2004. Therefore, the best choice is D, which correctly reflects this significant increase in cost. Choices A, B, and C all underestimate the increase in cost between 1992 and 2004.

Question 8

The term most often used to refer to the internal timing that is linked to both the female menstrual cycle and the human immune system is:

Accepted Answer

The term "biological clocks" is commonly used to refer to timing mechanisms that are innate and internal to human beings, such as the circadian rhythm, the female menstrual cycle, and the immune system. Age clocks, social clocks, and psychological clocks are not typically associated with these specific physiological functions.

Question 9

If Sara believes that aging is the result of chromosome breakage that occurs each time a cell divides and accumulates until the cell no longer can reproduce itself, her view is most similar to:

Accepted Answer

According to one version of biological clock theories of aging, there is a limit to the number of times each cell can divide before it dies. One limiting mechanism that appears to be involved centers on DNA sequences, called telomeres, which lie at the tips of chromosomes. Research shows that with each cell division, the length of the telomere becomes shorter; after about 60 to 80 cell divisions, there is no longer enough telomere left for cells to reproduce, and they ultimately die.

Question 10

Which of the following disorders is more commonly known as "hardening of the arteries"?

Accepted Answer

Atherosclerosis is the disorder commonly known as "hardening of the arteries". Osteoporosis is a condition where bones become brittle and fragile, hypertension is high blood pressure, and dementia is a decline in cognitive function.

Question 11

Dr. Rogers is giving a lecture in which he stresses that aging is a normal, natural process that is very much the same for all people, unless illness or injury is involved. The topic for this lecture would best be described as:

Accepted Answer

Senescence refers to the normal aging process that is not connected with the occurrence of disease in an individual. It refers to the universal biological process of aging.

Question 12

The normal aging process, not connected with the occurrence of disease in the individual, is called:

Accepted Answer

Senescence refers to the natural aging process that occurs in individuals, which is not necessarily linked to the occurrence of any disease. Gerontology is the scientific study of aging, and osteoporosis is a disease that can occur as a result of aging. Ageism is a prejudice or discrimination against individuals based on their age.

Question 13

Dr. Robbins argues that aging is primarily the result of the attack of body cells by harmful molecules and radiation from the sun. His theory would be most closely associated with which of the following views?

Accepted Answer

Stochastic theories of aging suggest that the body ages as a result of random assaults from both internal and external environments.

Question 14

John's grandmother says she has "hardening of the arteries." The more technical term for this condition is:

Accepted Answer

Atherosclerosis is also known as hardening of the arteries, which is a common condition of aging caused by the body's increasing inability to use excess fats in the diet; responsible for many of the heart conditions prevalent among older people; these fats are stored along the walls of arteries, where they restrict flow of blood when they harden.

Question 15

Statistically speaking, which of the following people is the MOST likely to be taking 3 or more prescription medicines?

Accepted Answer

According to statistics, older adults are more likely to take multiple prescription medications, and women tend to live longer than men, so Doris, who is a 70-year-old woman, is the most likely to be taking 3 or more prescription medicines.

Question 16

If you were to compare the average prescription drug costs of people age 65 and over in the U.S. in 2012 to these same costs in 2004, you would expect that they have gone up about:

Accepted Answer

The text notes that since 2004, prescription drug costs for older adults have increased about 1 to 2% per year. Even considering the compounding effect of such increases, over 8 years this would equal a combined increase of somewhere near 15%.
The Causes of Aging

Question 17

The term that usually is used to describe general, overall intellectual functioning is:

Accepted Answer

The answer of The term that usually is used to...

Question 18

Atherosclerosis is most closely linked to a diet high in:

Accepted Answer

Atherosclerosis is the buildup of plaque in the arteries, which can lead to cardiovascular disease. A diet high in saturated and trans fats has been linked to atherosclerosis. These fats can increase levels of LDL cholesterol (the "bad" cholesterol) in the blood and lead to the buildup of plaque in the arteries.

Question 19

Which of the following would be LEAST well explained by biological clock theories?

Accepted Answer

Menarche, menopause, and changes in the immune system all occur according to biological clocks, but sun damage to skin cells centers on a "wear-and-tear" explanation that is more consistent with stochastic theories of aging.
Cognitive Changes in Advanced Age

Question 20

Dr. Smith believes that aging is the result of a genetically programmed set of changes that operate such that cells can only live for a certain length of time before they become unable to process glucose and die. Such a view would be most consistent with which of the following theoretical models?

Accepted Answer

Biological clock theories of aging are those suggesting that genetic programming determines the pace and process of aging.

Quiz 16: Older Adulthood: Physical and Cognitive Development