Problemset
Title
Essay Questions
Introductory
Text
Question 1
Distinguish between chronological aging and biological aging.
Hint:
Does everyone the same age have the same physical/biological changes?
Type:
Feedback: pp. 41-43 There is no variability in chronological aging- 42 years old means
Essay
Question 2
you've lived for 42 years. There is, however, a lot of variability in biological
aging: your heart may have aged rapidly while your skin has not. Discuss this
variability in terms of physical differences between people who are the same
age and between different body parts within one person. You might briefly
discuss some of the reasons for these differences in biological aging and give
examples.
Type:
What is senescence? Give at least three examples of biological aging that are not
senescent and three that are.
Hint:
Does physical change always make you more vulnerable?
Essay
Feedback: p. 43 Look for examples throughout the chapter. Senescence refers to an
increased vulnerability to illness and injury and more difficulty in healing.
Question 3
Describe 5 major changes in physical appearance-at least one change must be senescent.
Hint:
Think about how an older adult looks different from a younger adult.
Type:
Feedback: pp. 43-47 There are many changes in physical appearance that are not
Essay
Question 4
senescent (e.g., gray hair) but few that are. At least one of these senescent
changes is in the skin.
Type:
What factors influence the loss of bone density and are there things we can do to maintain
or increase bone density?
Hint:
Why do women, on average, lose more bone density than men?
Essay
Feedback: pp. 49-51 You should discuss genetic, hormonal, and life style factors. The life
style factors that you discuss can be changed to maintain or increase bone
density.
Question 5
Type:
Essay
What is the major senescent change in the cardiovascular system and what other systems
are affected by this change?
Hint:
What part of this system comes into contact with tissues in all other systems?
Feedback: pp. 51-52 and 57 Your answer should focus on blood vessels and what leads
to their senescence and how this influences nearly everything else (e.g.,
nerves, muscles, brain).
Question 6
Type:
Changes in which physical systems are likely to lead to a loss of stamina for older adults.
Which systems are most involved and is a loss of stamina inevitable (give an example)?
Hint:
Stamina refers to the physical ability to withstand fatigue (i.e. to keep going).
Essay
Feedback: p. 53 and Box 3-1 You should define stamina and discuss the changes in the
respiratory (p. 52), cardiovascular (pp. 51-52), muscular (pp. 47-49), and
skeletal (pp. 49-51) systems that would produce a loss. Such loss is not
inevitable and Box 3-1 provides several examples.
Question 7
Type:
Essay
What evidence is there for organismic, rather than mechanistic, changes in our physical
systems?
Hint:
Think about the work on positive psychology.
Feedback: pp. 60-62 Define organismic (see p. 24). Physical changes that we have some
control over are those influenced by diet, exercise, and positive outlook
(among others). Examples of positive psychology research findings are on p.
62.
Question 8
What are chronic conditions and which are most frequent among older adults?
Hint:
Type:
Essay
Question 9
Type:
Essay
Feedback: pp. 58-60 These conditions are slow in onset and of long duration. The most
frequent ones are listed in Table 3.2. There is no cure but many can have their
effects eliminated for a period of time (e.g., cataracts). People have to learn to
live with these conditions and most do so successfully.
Your grandmother tells you that she never gets a good night's rest. What would you tell her
about age-related changes in sleep and what possible solutions would you suggest?
Hint:
What makes it hard or easy for you to sleep?
Feedback: pp. 61-62 You should start by telling her about the effects of environment
because those could be fairly easy to fix. If those are fine, then you should
discuss normal age-related changes (e.g., loss of deep sleep, changes in
circadian rhythm); there are solutions for these. You should end with sleep
disorders and the recommended treatments for these. Soon she'll be sleeping
like a baby.
Question 10
How are the dreams of older adults different from the dreams of younger adults?
Hint:
Are dreams related to daytime activity and anxiety?
Type:
Feedback: p. 63 Box 3-3 This feature provides information about these differences in
Essay
presence of nightmares (anxiety), emotions experienced in dreams, and sex
dreams.