Test 1 Flashcards
Active Life Expectancy
Measure of the number of years a person can expect to live without a disability
Activity Theory
Theory of aging which states that the psychological and social needs of the elderly are no different from those of the middle aged and that it is neither normal nor natural for older people to become isolated and withdrawn; also called the implicit theory of aging
Adverse Mortality Selection Process
Those who are at a high risk of contraction life-threatening diseases die ealier, leaving a group of relatively healthy survivors
Age Effect
A difference due to chronological age or life course stage
Age Integration Theory
A theory that recognizes that societies have both age-segregated and age-integrated institutions that can either impede or enhance the participation of the aged
Ageism
A systematic stereotyping of and discrimination against people because they are old
Age Stratification Theory
Underlying proposition is that all societies group people into social categories and that these grouping provide people with social identities; age is on principle of ranking, along with wealth, gender, and race.
Age 30 Transition
One of Levinson’s developmental periods of adulthood, major tasks in this period are establishing a niche in society and developing competence in a chosen craft and then working at succeeding.
Alzheimer’s Disease
Severe organic deterioration of the brain that affects memory, cognitive functions, and personality to a degree sufficient to interfere with normal activities and social functioning; symptoms include impairment of memory, intellect, judgment, and orientation and excessive or shallow emotions; the most THE MOST COMMON TYPE OF DEMENTIA.
Arthritis
A chronic disease that causes joint inflammation and it’s consequences of pain, swelling, and deformity
Chronic Disease
Condition in which there is no cure
Chronological Age
Number of years a person has lived
Classic Aging Pattern
Age-related declines in verbal and performance intelligence among people 60 or older
Climacteric
The syndrome of physical and psychological changes that occur in midlife
Continuity Theory
A more formal elaboration of activity theory; uses a life course perspective to define normal aging and to distinguish it from pathological aging
Convergence Theory
A theory of aging that vies old age as a great leveler, which reduces inequality that was evident at earlier stages of the life course ( when young, you have all young friends. When you’re old, you have friends from all age groups)
Cross-linkage Theory of Aging
A theory of biological again; states that the accumulation of cross linked collagen is responsible for many changes associated with aging such as the loss of elasticity of the skin, hardening of the arteries of the circulatory system, and stiffness of joints throughout the body.
Disengagement Theory
The first formal theory of aging; the view hat normal again involves a natural and inevitable mutual withdrawal or disengagement, resulting in decreasing interaction between an aging person and others.
Early Adulthood
One of LEvinson’s development periods of adulthood; ages 17 to 45
Echo Boomers
The generation of Americans born between 1977 and 1994
Free Radical Theory of Aging
A theory of biological aging; the view that free radicals contribute to the aging process by forming age pigment and by producing cross-links
Functional Age
A definition of age based on how people look and what they can do; in functional terms, a person becomes old when he or she can no longer perform the major roles of adulthood
Gerontology
The scientific study of the biological, psychological, and social aspects of aging
Health LIfestyle
A pattern of behavior based on choices and potions that are available to people according to their life situations; includes behaviors that directly affect health care, such as having checkups and complying with prescribed treatment as well as decisions about smoking, food, exercise, personal hygiene, alcohol use, and risky behaviors like unprotected sex
Immune Function Theory of Aging
A biological theory of aging based on two discoveries: (1) Protective immune reactions decline with age, with the body becoming less capable of producing sufficient quantities and kinds of antibodies, and (2) The aging immune system mistakenly produces antibodies against normal body proteins, leading to a loss of self-recognition; as the immune system becomes less efficient, normal aging occurs.
LIfe Expectancy
The average number of years people in a given population can expect to live; the mean age at death; a measure of the combined outcome of many births and deaths calculated by taking the sum fo the ages of death of all individuals in a given population and dividing it by the number of people in that population
Life Span
The longest number of years any member of a species has been known to survive
Middle Adulthood
One of Levinson’s developmental stages; lasts from age 40 to 65 following midlife transition
Middle-Old
People aged 75 to 84
Normal Retirement Age
The age of eligibility for full Social Security benefits, presently 65; will rise to 67 in the twenty-first century
Oldest-Old
People 85 or older
Osteoporosis
Disease that causes the outside walls of the bone to become thinner and the inner part of the bone to become spongy; in the later stages, symptoms include a loss of height, back pain, and a curving of the upper back or spine, sometimes called a dowager’s hump where spinal bones weaken and slowly collapse under the weight of the upper bones.
Parkinson’s Disease
A chronic brain disorfer that may occur as early as age 30 but is more commonly diagnosed among people 60 or older; signs include a slowing of movement, a stooped posture with the head forward, elbows flexed, a shuffling gait, slurred speech, and a noticeable tremor.
Population Aging
Occurs when the proportion of older people relative to younger generations increases; a term that refers to an increase in the proportion of people 65 or older
Qualitative Research
Based on open-ended interviews and observation of beharvior
Quantitative Research
Relies on numerical summaries of the responses of many people and reports the results in statistical form
Rheumatoid Arhtritis
Inflammation of the synovial membranes, which line the joint capsule and the cartilage that covers the bones
Senescence
The study of the biological processes that cause mental and physical decline in old age
Subjective Age Identity
How people subjectively define their age; most important factors in determining subjective age identity are activity level and health
Successful Aging
The attainment of peak physical and psychological functioning and participation in rewarding social activities
Wear and Tear Theory of Aging
A theory of biological aging; views the body as similar to a machine, like and old car or truck, that simply wears out
Young-Old
People 65 to 74
