CHAPTER 17 | PHYSICAL AND COGNITIVE Regional and Racial/Ethnic Differences How Far can the Life Span be Extended?

DEVELOPMENT IN LATE ADULTHOOD • Variations in outcomes based on race or ethnicity, Survival Curve
including differences in health, income, education, and • A curve on a graph showing the percentage of people
OLD AGE TODAY access to resources. or animals alive at various ages.
Ageism Why People Age Physical Changes
Senescence
• Prejudice or discrimination against a person (most Physical Changes Associated with Aging
commonly an older person) based on age. • Period of the life span marked by declines in physical • Older skin tends to become paler and less elastic, and,
The Graying of the Population functioning usually associated with aging. as fat and muscle shrink, the skin may wrinkle.
Epigenesis
• The global population is aging. Organic and Systemic Changes
Young Old to Oldest Old • Involves genes being turned on and off by molecular Reserve Capacity
Primary Aging “tags,” or instructions. • The backup capacity that helps body systems function
Telomeres
• Gradual, inevitable process of bodily deterioration to their utmost limits in times of stress.
throughout the life span. • The repetitive fragments of DNA on the tips of The Aging Brain
Secondary Aging chromosomes. • In late adulthood, the brain gradually diminishes in
Hayflick Limit
• Aging processes that result from disease and bodily volume and weight, particularly in the frontal and
abuse and disuse and are often preventable. • Genetically controlled limit, proposed by Hayflick, on the temporal regions.
number of times cells can divide in members of a Sensory and Psychomotor Functioning
Three Groups of Older Adults: species. Vision and Hearing
1. Young Old- Refers to people ages 65 to 74. Genetic-Programming Theories • Older individuals require more lights to see, are more
2. Old Old- Ages 75 to 84. • Theories that explain biological aging as resulting from sensitive to glare, and may struggle with depth or color
3. Oldest Old- Age 85 and above. a genetically determined developmental timetable. perception, making activities like driving, especially at
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) Four Genetic-Programming Theories: night, hazardous.
• Essential activities that support survival, such as 1. Programmed Senescence Theory- Aging is the result of Cataracts
eating, dressing, bathing, and getting around the the sequential switching on and off of certain genes. • Cloudy or opaque areas in the lens of the eye.
house. 2. Endocrine Theory- Biological clocks act through Age-Related Macular Degeneration
Functional Age • Condition in which the center of the retina gradually
hormones to control the pace of aging.
• Measure of a person’s ability to function effectively in loses its ability to discern fine details; leading cause of
his or her physical and social environment in 3. Immunological Theory- A programmed decline in
immune system functions leads to increased vulnerability irreversible visual impairment in older adults.
comparison with others of the same chronological age. Glaucoma
Gerontology to infectious disease and thus to aging and death.
• Irreversible damage to the optic nerve caused by
• Study of the aged and the process of aging. 4. Evolutionary Theory- Aging is an evolved trait thus
Geriatrics increased pressure in the eye.
genes that promote reproduction are selected at higher
• Branch of medicine concerned with processes of aging Strength, Endurance, Balance, and Reaction Time
rates than genes that extend life.
and medical conditions associated with old age. • Aging typically leads to increases in body fat and
Variable-Rate Theories
PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT decreases in muscle strength, aerobic capacity,
Longevity and Aging • Theories that explain biological aging as a result of flexibility, and agility.
Life Expectancy processes that involve damage to biological systems Functional Fitness
• Age to which a person born at a certain time and place and that vary from person to person. • The ability to perform the physical activities of daily
is statistically likely to live, given his or her current age Four Variable-Rate Theories: living.
and health status. 1. Wear-and-Tear Theory- Cells and tissues have vital parts Sleep
Longevity that wear out. • Older people tend to sleep and dream less than before,
• Length of an individual’s life. 2. Free-Radical Theory- Accumulated damage from oxygen
Mortality Rates or Death Rates with reduced hours of deep sleep and more frequent
radicals causes cells and eventually organs to stop
• The proportions of a total population or of certain age awakenings.
groups who die in a given year. functioning. Sexual Functioning
Life Span 3. Rate-of-Living Theory- The greater an organism’s rate of • A significant number of adults remain sexually active
• The longest period that members of a species can live. metabolism, the shorter its life span. late into adulthood, although sexual desire and activity
Trends and Factors in Life Expectancy 4. Autoimmune Theory- Immune system becomes decline with age, especially among women.
Gender Differences confused and attacks its own body cells.
• The difference in average life expectancy between men
and women, where women tend to live longer than
men.
Physical and Mental Health Causes and Risk Factor of Alzheimer’s Disease: Cognitive Abilities and Mortality
Health Status Neurofibrillary Tangles • Explores how intelligence may predict longevity and
• Poverty is linked to a higher incidence of chronic • Twisted masses of protein fibers found in brains of health in later life.
persons with Alzheimer’s disease. Memory and Aging
conditions like arthritis, diabetes, and heart disease
Amyloid Plaque Two Major Systems of Short-Term Memory:
among the elderly.
• Waxy chunks of insoluble tissue found in brains of 1. Sensory Memory- Initial, brief, temporary storage of
Chronic Conditions and Disabilities persons with Alzheimer’s disease. sensory information.
Common Chronic Conditions Symptoms of Disease: 2. Working Memory- Short-term storage of information
• Heart Disease ● Permanently forgetting recent events; asking the same being actively processed.
• Cancer questions repeatedly. Three Major Systems of Long-Term Memory:
• Chronic Lower Respiratory Disease ● Inability to do routine tasks with many steps such as 1. Episodic Memory- Long-term memory of specific
• Stroke making and serving a meal. experiences or events, linked to time and place.
• Alzheimer’s Disease ● Forgetting simple words. 2. Semantic Memory- Long-term memory of general
• Diabetes ● Getting lost on one’s own block. factual knowledge, social customs, and language.
● Forgetting what the numbers in a checkbook mean and 3. Procedural Memory- Long-term memory of motor
Four Warning Signs of Stroke:
what to do with them. skills, habits, and ways of doing things, which can be
1. Face Drooping ● Putting things in inappropriate places (e.g., a wristwatch recalled without conscious effort; sometimes called
2. Arm Weakness in a fishbowl). implicit memory.
3. Speech Difficulty ● Rapid, dramatic mood swings and personality changes. Speech and Memory: Effects of Aging
4. Time to call 911 Cognitive Reserve • Minor language difficulties in older adults are often
Disabilities and Activity Limitations ● Hypothesized fund of energy that may enable a due to memory retrieval issues, not language itself.
• The proportion of older adults with chronic physical deteriorating brain to continue to function normally. Why Do Some Memory Systems Decline?
disabilities or activity limitations has declined since the Diagnosis and Prediction: • Memory decline in older adults is explained by
late 1990s. ● Includes medical history, mental status exams, physical hypotheses focusing on biological structures.
Lifestyle Influences on Health and Longevity and neurological exams, and neuroimaging. Three Steps Required to Process Information in Memory:
Physical Activity Treatment: 1. Encoding- The process of converting information into
• Regular physical activity can prevent many physical ● No cure is available, but early diagnosis and treatment a form that can be stored in memory.
changes associated with aging, such as reducing the with FDA-approved drugs like memantine can slow
2. Storage- The process of retaining encoded information
risk of heart disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes, while disease progression and improve quality of life.
Parkinson’s Disease over time.
maintaining strength, endurance, and flexibility. 3. Retrieval- The process of accessing stored information
● Progressive, irreversible degenerative neurological
Nutrition disorder, characterized by tremor, stiffness, slowed when it is needed.
• Proper nutrition plays a crucial role in preventing chronic movement, and unstable posture. Frontal Lobes
illnesses like atherosclerosis, heart disease, and COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT • A part of the brain involved in decision making,
diabetes, as well as managing functional and activity Aspects of Cognitive Development problem solving, and planning.
limitations. Intelligence and Processing Abilities Hippocampus
Periodontal Disease Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)
• A region of the brain critical for forming new memories.
• A chronic inflammation of the gums caused by the • Intelligence test for adults that yields verbal and
bacteria in plaque. performance scores as well as a combined score. Wisdom
Mental and Behavioral Problems The Seattle Longitudinal Study: Use It or Lose It • The ability to navigate the messiness of life.
Depression • Explores how cognitive abilities change over the lifespan
• A mental health condition characterized by persistent and emphasizes the importance of mental engagement
feelings of sadness, loss of interest, and a range of in maintaining cognitive functions.
emotional and physical problems. Everyday Problem Solving
Dementia • The practical application of intelligence to deal with real-
• Deterioration in cognitive and behavioral functioning life challenges.
due to physiological causes. Changes in Processing Abilities
Alzheimer’s Disease • Involve the general slowdown in the central nervous
• Progressive, irreversible, degenerative brain disorder system's functioning, which impacts the efficiency of
characterized by cognitive deterioration and loss of information processing in older adults.
control of bodily functions, leading to death.