Lifespan Ch 15 – Flashcards
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Why do we know so little about normal middle-aged brains?
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research has focused on changes associated with trauma and disease rather than due to aging
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What is a reason why it takes middle-aged adults longer to perform cognitive tasks than younger adults?
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cognitive processing is less selective in older adults
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Discuss cognitive functioning and automobile accidents
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research on lapses in concentration shows that younger drivers are more likely to have an attention lapse.
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50 year old Sammy has begun to experience difficulty achieving and maintaining an erection. These changes might indicate that Sammy is experiencing what?
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climacteric
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What is sildenafil?
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viagra
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What is associated with the male climacteric?
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erectile dysfunction, impotence, slow testosteron decreases
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What is likely to contribute to a male's problems with sexual functioning?
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lower testosterone levels
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Which hormone rises during the 2nd half of the menustral cycle and stimulates the sloughing off of accumulated material in the uterus each month if conception has not occurred?
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progesterone
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What is the average age for menopause in the US?
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about 50, range 40 to 60
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Lucy is 35. Her estrogen levels have decreased, menstrual periods have become irregular, and she experiences periods of extreme sweating. What is happening?
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menopause
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During which phase of menopause do both types of estrogen drop, progesterone levels drop, and ovulation ceases?
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perimenopausal
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Tina has noticed that she is becoming very forgetful, sometimes gets words mixed up, and her emotions seem to be "making her crazy." She is also very fatigued. What is the likely cause of this?
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perimenopausal stage
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What is a physical effect that is attributed to the reduction in estrogen during the phases of menopause?
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breasts become less firm, genitals and uterus shrink, vagina becomes shorter and smaller
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From No Easy Answers on page 394: summarizes the current research on hormone therapy (HT) for menopause?
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the only benefits are reduction of hot flashes and protection against osteoporosis. it increased a risk of breast and ovarian cancer
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According to the most current research, what is a benefit of hormone replacement therapy?
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reduction of hot flashes, protection against osteoporosis
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According to several studies, the psychological effects of menopause should not be linked with
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depression
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Jan is 45. At least once a week, she wakes up in the middle of the night wringing wet with sweat. She is having ________, a form of ________.
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hot flashes, physical change... i dont know
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What is a factor that is likely to lead to clinical depression during and after menopause?
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a stressful life
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What is likely to have a negative view of menopause?
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...
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What is the most likely explanation for the decline in sexual activity associated with mid-life?
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possibly that it is just hard to find time for sex
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What is a condition of primary aging characterized by loss of bone mass and brittle, porous bones?
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osetoporosis
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Describe osteoporosis.
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loss of bone mass with age, resulting in more brittle and porous bones
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What are factors that are linked most directly to osteoporosis in women?
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estrogen and progesterone levels
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What are helpful in preventing osteoporosis?
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they can get enough calcium during early adulthood so that peak levels of bone mass are as robust as possible. women can exercise regularly
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What is a risk factor associated with osteoporosis?
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race, gender, weight
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What is a dietary factor which contributes to the risk of osteoporosis?
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a diet low in calcium during adolescence
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Ann has never had anything but perfect vision, but shortly after her 40th birthday, she noticed it was getting more and more difficult to read the morning newspaper - as if her arms were not long enough to hold the paper far enough away to get it in focus. If Ann visits her ophthalmologist, she will likely be diagnosed with what?
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presbyopia
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What is the condition that results when the lens of the eye thickens and becomes less elastic?
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presbyopia
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What is the condition that results from degeneration of the auditory nerves and inner ear structures, so that an individual loses the ability to hear sounds of high and very low frequencies?
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presbycusis
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Luke is 55 and has come to believe that his phone is not working right because whenever his elderly mother calls, he has trouble hearing her voice. Luke should be examined for
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presbycusis
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Degeneration associated with presbycusis accelerates after what age?
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after age 50
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Statistically, which group has the SHORTEST life expectancy in the United States?
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African Americans
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What is the most common mechanism that causes heart disease?
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not sure
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What term is used for deposits of plaque in the arteries which cause them to narrow or become blocked?
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athersclerosis
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What is the leading cause of death among adults in the United States?
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cardiovascular disease
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Regarding cardiovascular disease, describe the trend over the last three decades?
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not sure
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List the significant risks factors for heart disease.
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smoking, blood pressure, weight, cholesterol, inactivity, diet, alcohol, heredity
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Discuss the risk factors for cardiovascular disease.
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see other question
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Jack is not particularly worried about setting the world on fire. He takes his time and is fairly laid back in most cases. He's not the least bit competitive and seems to just take things as they come. Jackwould be considered to be a
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Type B
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Give examples of the Type A personality characteristic that is most strongly linked to cardiovascular disease.
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competitive striving for achievement, sense of time urgency, and hostility or aggressiveness
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Which personality traits such as a competitive drive, a sense of time urgency, and sometimes aggressiveness or hostility?
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Type A
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Which characteristic of Type A personality is most closely linked to CVD?
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competitiveness.... not sure
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What is a risk factor for both heart disease and cancer?
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smoking, weight, inactivity, diet, alcohol, heredity
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How does being overweight affect one's risk of cancer?
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increased risk of cancer, especially breast cancer
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_______ is not a risk factor commonly associated with cancer.
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blood pressure, cholesterol
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What is the second leading cause of death in middle and old age in the United States?
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cancer
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Hepatitis B virus is closely linked to what?
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liver cancer
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Clare is very conscious of cancer risk factors so she tries to take care of herself and minimize as many of the controllable risks as possible. She is vaccinated against hepatitis, she practices safe sex, and when she travels to strange places, she drinks bottled water to decrease her chances of developing a bacterial infection that has been linked to some cancers. What is the name of this bacteria?
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helicobacter pylori
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What virus is linked to cancers of the nose and throat?
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HPV
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Regarding the relationship between gender and health describe who lives longer.
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women live longer but have more diseases and disabilities
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Why do women fare better after a heart attack than men?
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they have a greater ability to recover
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In middle adulthood, what correlate with socioeconomic class and are predictive of health?
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occupational and educational level
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Which groups are most likely to die of heart disease?
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African Americans
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Among minority women, what is the major risk factor for CVD?
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obesity
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What is a common complication of diabetes?
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cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, blindness
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What is one of the hypotheses as to why diabetes has a more devastating effect on minority individuals than on whites?
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tends to develop earlier in minorities, so the disease effects their bodies for longer
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Discuss the health of Africa-Americans.
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higher incidences of some types of cancer
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What is the most frequently abused substance in the U.S.?
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alcohol
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What is the name of the drug that can help recovering alcoholics deal with withdrawal symptoms?
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acamprosate
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How do the death rates of men with alcoholism in their 50s and early 60s compare with nonalcoholics?
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5 to 6 times higher
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What is most consistent with Denney's view of age-related change in physical and cognitive functioning?
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a typical curve
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According to Denney's model, the maximum level of cognitive and physical function an individual can achieve with exercise
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will decline with age
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What is the term used by Baltes and Baltes to refer to the process of balancing the gains and losses associated with aging?
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selective optimization with compensation
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Kenny wears reading glasses, uses an ergonomically designed chair when he works at the computer, and exercises regularly to offset the effects of aging. He is also taking two courses at the local community college just for the sake of learning. What principle is at work here?
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...
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Of the following, which individual might be expected to experience earlier or larger intellectual declines?
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participants with cardiovascular disease
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Overall physical health and cognitive performance in middle adulthood are most closely linked to
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exercise
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How does physical exercise help maintain cognitive abilities in middle age?
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helps maintain cardiovascular fitness
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A researcher who is testing the cognitive functioning of middle-aged adults would find _______________ to be true of her subjects regarding well-rehearsed, familiar tasks?
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falls in between older adults and college students
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What best explains the typical pattern of cognitive functioning in middle adulthood?
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performance on more complex memory tasks declines with age
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Terry told her mother everything that happened at her school dance last night. Terry was relying on which type of memory?
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episodic knowledge
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How does aging affect memory?
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adults who engage in intellectually challenging activities show fewer losses in cognitive ability
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What best defines the term creativity?
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ability to produce original, appropriate, and valuable ideas and/or solutions to problems
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James and Sue want to repaint their entire house and renovate some of the rooms as well. They look at many paint samples, magazine pictures, and try out several different arrangements of furniture. This process represents what type of thinking?
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creativity
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What is one of the four stages of "mulling over" proposed by Daniel Goleman?
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preparation, incubation, illumination, translation
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From Developmental Science in the Workplace on page 409: According to data collected from interviews of successful and creative older adults, what was one of the consistent themes reported to enhance creativity?
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being consciously aware of one's own creative process and some degree of humility
