PHYSIOLOGIC CHANGES IN AGING
I. Definition of Terms.
1. Crystallized intelligence - knowledge accumulated over a lifetime; arises from the dominant
hemisphere of the brain.
2. Fluid intelligence - involves new information emanating from the nondominant hemisphere;
controls emotions, retention of nonintellectual information, creative capacities, spatial
perceptions, and aesthetic appreciation.
3. Immunosenescence - the aging of the immune system.
4. Presbycusis - progressive hearing loss that occurs as a result of age-related changes to the
inner ear.
5. Presbyesophagus - a condition characterized by a decreased intensity of propulsive waves and
an increased frequency of nonpropulsive waves in the esophagus.
6. Presbyopia - the inability to focus or accommodate properly due to reduced elasticity of the
lens.
II. List the related impact of age-related changes:
⦁ Graying and thinning hair.
⦁ Ectropion of eyelids.
⦁ Elonated ears.
⦁ Thicker hair in ears and nose.
⦁Darkening and wrinkling of skin around orbits.
⦁Growth of facial hair in women.
⦁Deepening of hollows of axillae and intercostal and supraclavicular spaces.
⦁Diminished muscle mass and skinfold thickness.
⦁Narrower gait in women and wider gait in men.
⦁Decreased height.
