Unit 14

Question 1

Demographers

Answer 1

People who study population trends.

Question 2

Population Pyramid

Answer 2

Graphic technique for illustrating population trends.

Question 3

Average Longevity

Answer 3

Age at which half of the people born in a particular year will have died.

Question 4

Maximum Longevity (Life Expectancy)

Answer 4

Oldest age to which any person lives.

Question 5

Active Life Expectancy

Answer 5

Number of years that a person is free from debilitating chronic disease and impairment.

Question 6

Dependent Life Expectancy

Answer 6

Number of years a person lives with a debilitating chronic disease in which the person depends on others for care.

Question 7

Telomeres

Answer 7

Tips of chromosomes that play a major role in aging by adjusting the cell’s response to stress and growth stimulation based on cell divisions and DNA damage.

Question 8

Telomerase

Answer 8

Enzyme need in DNA replication to fully reproduce the telomeres when cells divide.

Question 9

Free Radicals

Answer 9

Highly reactive chemicals produced randomly in normal metabolism.

Question 10

Neurofibrillary Tangles

Answer 10

Spiral-shaped masses formed when fibers that compose the axon become twisted together.

Question 11

Beta-Amyloid

Answer 11

A protein that is the basis for neuritic plaques and is thought to be a basis for dementia.

Question 12

Neurotransmitters

Answer 12

Chemicals released by neurons in order for them to communicate with each other.

Question 13

Atherosclerosis

Answer 13

A disease caused by calcification and blockages in the arteries.

Question 14

Strokes, or Cerebral Vascular Accidents (CVAs)

Answer 14

Interruption of the blood flow in the brain due to blockage or a hemorrhage in a cerebral artery.

Question 15

Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs)

Answer 15

Interruption of blood flow to the brain; often an early warning sign of stroke.

Question 16

Vascular Dementia

Answer 16

Disease caused by numerous small cerebral vascular accidents.

Question 17

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Answer 17

Most common form of incapacitating respiratory disease among older adults.

Question 18

Presbyopia

Answer 18

Difficult seeing close objects clearly.

Question 19

Cataracts

Answer 19

Opaque spots on the lens that limit the amount of light transmitted.

Question 20

Glaucoma

Answer 20

Disease in which the fluid in the eye does not drain properly, causing a very high internal pressure that can damage the eye and cause loss of vision.

Question 21

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Answer 21

Progressive and irreversible destruction of receptors from any of a number of causes.

Question 22

Diabetic Retinopathy

Answer 22

Eye disease that is a result of diabetes and can involve fluid retention in the macula, detachment of the retina, hemorrhage, and anuerysms.

Question 23

Presbycusis

Answer 23

Reduced sensitivity to high-pitched tones.

Question 24

Diabetes Mellitus

Answer 24

Disease that occurs when the pancreas produces insufficient insulin.

Question 25

Type 1 Diabetes

Answer 25

Type of diabetes that usually develops earlier in life and requires the use of insulin; sometimes called insulin-dependent diabetes.

Question 26

Type 2 Diabetes

Answer 26

Type of diabetes that typically develops in adulthood and is often effectively managed through diet.

Question 27

Circadian Rhythms

Answer 27

Sleep - Wake cycle.

Question 28

Metabolism

Answer 28

The rate at which energy is need and used in the body.

Question 29

Speed of Processing

Answer 29

How quickly and efficiently the early steps in information processing are completed.

Question 30

Divided Attention

Answer 30

The ability of people to perform more than one task simultaneously.

Question 31

Working Memory

Answer 31

Processes and structures involved in holding information in mind and simultaneously using it for other functions.

Question 32

Implicit Memory

Answer 32

Unconscious remembering of information learned at some earlier time.

Question 33

Explicit Memory

Answer 33

Deliberate and conscious remembering of information that is learned and remembered at a specific time.

Question 34

Episodic Memory

Answer 34

General class of memory having to do with the conscious recollection of information from a specific time or event.

Question 35

Semantic Memory

Answer 35

General class of memory concerning the remembering of meanings of words or concepts not tied to a specific time or event.

Question 36

Autobiographical Memory

Answer 36

Memory for events that occur during one’s life.

Question 37

External Memory Aids

Answer 37

Memory aids that rely on environmental resources, such as notebooks and calendars.

Question 38

Internal Memory Aids

Answer 38

Memory aids that rely on mental processes, such as imagery.

Question 39

Creativity

Answer 39

The ability to produce work that is novel, high in demand, and task appropriate.

Question 40

Dysphoria

Answer 40

Feeling sad or down.

Question 41

Internal Belief Systems

Answer 41

View of a cause of depression of what one tells oneself about why certain things are happening.

Question 42

Behavior Therapy

Answer 42

Type of therapy based on the notion that depressed people experience too few rewards or reinforcements from their environment.

Question 43

Cognitive Therapy

Answer 43

Type of therapy based on the idea that maladaptive beliefs or cognitions about oneself are responsible for depression.

Question 44

Anxiety Disorders

Answer 44

Problems such as feelings of severe anxiety, phobias, and obsessive-compulsive behaviors.

Question 45

Dementia

Answer 45

Family of diseases involving serious impairment of behavioral and cognitive functioning and some form of permanent damage to the brain.

Question 46

Alzheimer’s Disease

Answer 46

Disease marked by gradual declines in memory, attention, and judgment; confusion as to time and place; difficulties in communicating; decline in self-care skills; inappropriate behavior; and personality changes.

Question 47

Incontinence

Answer 47

Loss of bladder or bowel control.

Question 48

Beta-Amyloid Cascade Hypothesis

Answer 48

Theory of Alzheimer’s disease in which beta-amyloid deposits create neuritic plaques, that in turn lead to neurofibrillary tangles, that cause neuronal death and Alzheimer’s disease.

Question 49

Parkinson’s Disease

Answer 49

Brain disease known primarily for its characteristic motor symptoms: very slow walking, difficulty getting into and out of chairs, and a slow hand tremor, but it can develop into a form of dementia.