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Chapter 17: Problem 10

Describe how well older adults function cognitively. According to sequential studies, such as those conducted by developmental psychologist K. Warner Schaie, intellectual abilities tend to decline slowly throughout old age, but different abilities change in different ways. Training, stimulation, practice, and motivation can help older people maintain their mental abilities.

Short Answer

Expert verified
According to developmental psychologist K. Warner Schaie's studies, older adults generally experience a slow decline in cognitive functioning with different abilities changing in various ways. However, factors like training, stimulation, practice, and motivation can assist in maintaining their cognitive abilities.

Step by step solution

01

Understanding the context

Read the provided information thoroughly. Make sure the understanding of cognitive functioning and intellectual abilities in the context of older adults is clear.
02

Highlighting key points

Identify and note down the key points from the studies. The points are, slow decline of intellectual abilities in old age, different abilities changing in different ways, and factors like training, stimulation, practice, and motivation that can help maintain these abilities.
03

Formulating the result

Combine the key points to describe how well older adults function cognitively. Make sure the summary is cohesive, clear and logically expresses how these studies describe cognitive functioning in older adults.

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Most popular questions from this chapter

Explain the extent to which people slow down as they age and the consequences of this slowing Reaction time among the elderly is slower, a fact that is explained by the peripheral slowing hypothesis (processing speed in the peripheral nervous system slows down) and the generalized slowing hypothesis (processing in all parts of the nervous system slows down).

Identify the factors involved with life span and the causes of death. The inevitability of death is unquestioned but unexplained. Genetic programming theories claim that the body has a built-in time limit on life, while wear-and-tear theories maintain that the body simply wears out. Life expectancy has been rising steadily for centuries and continues to do so, with differences according to gender, race, and ethnicity.

Describe how the senses are affected by aging. Physical changes in the eye bring declines in vision, and several eye diseases become more prevalent in old age, including cataracts, glaucoma, and age- related macular degeneration (AMD). Hearing also declines, particularly the ability to hear higher frequencies. Hearing loss has psychological and social consequences, since it discourages older people from engaging in social interactions. Declines in the senses of taste and smell also occur in late adulthood.

Discuss the possible extension of the life span through scientific advances and its implications. The life span may be further increased by technological advances such as telomere therapy, the use of antioxidant drugs to reduce free radicals, development of low-calorie diets, and organ replacement.

Describe how learning and education continue in late adulthood. The popularity of programs like Road Scholar attests to the desire of many older people to continue learning. Older students can significantly enhance college courses by bringing their experiences and prior learning to the classroom.
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