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13 Cards in this Set
- Front
- Back
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gerontologists |
doctors who specialize in medical care of old people. |
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senescence |
the process of aging; the normal process of bodily change that accompanies aging. |
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macular degeneration |
this condition occurs when the center of the retina gradually loses the ability to sharply distinguish fine details. |
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terminal drop |
a sudden drop in intellectual performance- occurs a few months before death from a terminal illness. |
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excitement |
blood flows into the erectile tissue of the penis, resulting in erection. |
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plateau |
characterized by the continuation of erection, although it often waxes and wanes during sex play with a partner. |
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genetic theories on aging |
hypothesize that aging occurs as a result of damage or changes in the genetic information involved in the formation of cellular protein. |
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running-out-of-program theory |
asserts that there is a set amount of basic genetic material (DNA molecules) in each cell; as the cells age, the DNA is used up and the cells die. |
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nongenetic cellular theories |
these theories postulate that changes take place in cellular proteins after they have been formed. |
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accumulation theory |
asserts that aging results from the accumulation of harmful substances in the cells of an organism. |
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physiological theories |
these theories explain aging as being due to either the breakdown of an organ system or an impairment in physiological control mechanisms. |
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stress theory |
asserts that aging is due to the accumulated effects of the stresses of living. |
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distress |
the kind of stress that is harmful; the long-term version of this occurs when we continue to think negatively about events that have happened to us. |
