Lifespan Psychology Module 17: Late Adulthood – Physical and Cognitive Changes

Key Terms:

 Gerontology: the scientific study of aging

 Activities of daily living (ADLs): self-help tasks such as bathing, dressing, and using the

toilet

 Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs): more intellectually demanding daily

living tasks such as doing housework, cooking, and managing money

 Frail elderly: older adults whose physical and/or mental impairments are so extensive

that they cannot care for themselves

 Synaptic plasticity: the redundancy in the nervous system that ensures that it is nearly

always possible for a nerve impulse to move from one neuron to another or from a neuron to

another type of cell (e.g., a muscle cell)

 Tinnitus: persistent ringing in the ears

 Hayflick limit: the genetically programmed time limit to which each species is

theoretically proposed to be subject, after which cells no longer have any capacity to

replicate themselves accurately

 Telomere: a string of repetitive DNA at the tip of each chromosome in the body that

appears to serve as a kind of timekeeping mechanism

 Programmed senescence theory: the view that age-related declines are the result of

species-specific genes for aging

 Cross-linking: the formation of undesirable bonds between proteins or fats

 Free radicals: molecules or atoms that possess an unpaired electron

 Terminal decline hypothesis: the hypothesis that mental and physical functioning

decline drastically only in the few years immediately preceding death

 Satiety: the feeling of fullness that follows a meal

 Dementia: a neurological disorder involving problems with memory and thinking that

affect an individual’s emotional, social, and physical functioning

 Alzheimer’s disease: a very severe form of dementia, the cause of which is unknown

 Vascular dementia: a form of dementia caused by one or more strokes

 Wisdom: a cognitive characteristic that includes accumulated knowledge and the ability

to apply that knowledge to practical problems of living, popularly thought to be more

commonly found in older adults

I) Variability in Late Adulthood

a) Life Expectancy and Longevity

 Gerontology: the scientific study of aging.

 Young old: aged 60-75

 Old old: aged 75-85

 Oldest old: aged 85 and over

b) Health

 Activities of daily living (ADLs): self-help tasks such as bathing, dressing, and using

the toilet.

 Instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs): more intellectually demanding

daily living tasks such as doing housework, cooking, and managing money.

 Frail elderly: older adults whose physical and/or mental impairments are so

extensive that they cannot care for themselves.

 The most common chronic conditions for old people are hypertension and arthritis.

II) Physicals Changes

a) The Senses

 Synaptic plasticity: the redundancy in the nervous system that ensures that it is

nearly always possible for a nerve impulse to move from one neuron to another or

from a neuron to another type of cell (e.g., a muscle cell).

 Tinnitus: persistent ringing in the ears.

b) Theories of Biological Aging

  Hayflick limit: the genetically programmed time limit to which each species is

theoretically proposed to be subject, after which cells no longer have any capacity to

replicate themselves accurately.

 Telomere: a string of repetitive DNA at the tip of each chromosome in the body that

appears to serve as a kind of timekeeping mechanism.

 Senescence is the gradual deterioration of body systems that happens as organisms

age.

 Programmed senescence theory: the view that age-related declines are the result of

species-specific genes for aging. This leads to wrinkles.

 Cross-linking: the formation of undesirable bonds between proteins or fats.

 Free radicals: molecules or atoms that possess an unpaired electron.

 Terminal decline hypothesis: the hypothesis that mental and physical functioning

decline drastically only in the few years immediately preceding death.

c) Behavioral Effects of Physical Changes

 Satiety: the feeling of fullness that follows a meal.

III) Mental Health

a) Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias

 Dementia: a neurological disorder involving problems with memory and thinking

that affect an individual’s emotional, social, and physical functioning.

 Alzheimer’s disease: a very severe form of dementia, the cause of which is

unknown.

 Vascular dementia: a form of dementia caused by one or more strokes.

b) Wisdom and Creativity

 Wisdom: a cognitive characteristic that includes accumulated knowledge and the

ability to apply that knowledge to practical problems of living, popularly thought to

be more commonly found in older adults.