Aging and Society: Canadian Perspectives 8th Edition
by Mark Novak, Herbert C. Northcott, TEST BANK
Explain the following as used in Aging and Society?
Geriatrics - ANSWER: The branch of medicine or social science dealing with the
health and care of old people
Gerontology - ANSWER: The scientific study of the biological, psychological, and
social aspects of aging.
Social Gerontology - ANSWER: Is a subfield of gerontology. They are concerned
mainly with the social, as opposed to the physical or biological, aspects of aging.
They seek to understand how the biological process of aging influence the social
aspects of aging.
Successful Aging - ANSWER: Depends not just on the prevention of disease and
disability, but also on the attainment of peak physical and psychological functioning
and participation in rewarding social and productive activities. Successful aging is
achieved by setting goals and then working to achieve those goal- Successful aging
involves BOTH the individual and society
Chronological Aging - ANSWER: Commonly used marker of old age. Social
gerontologists often divide older people into three subcategories: The young/old-
65-74 The middle- 75-84 and the oldest old- 85 or older. It can be problematic
because it lumps people together of widely varying generations into a single
category
Functional Aging - ANSWER: Third criterion for deterring old age. Based on how
people look and what they can do. In functional terms, a person becomes old when
he or she can no longer perform the major roles of adulthood. It can be measured by
such normal physical changes as stiffness of joints, diminished short-term memory,
reduced skin elasticity and diminished aerobic capacity. It can be determined by
appearance. Gerontologists have devised three categories. 1. Well 2. Somewhat
impaired 3. Frail
Subjective Age - ANSWER: The most important factors in sub. age identity are activity
level and health. Influenced by social class. It is also influenced by gender. One of the
most complex issues they face is distinguishing age changes from age differences
Cohort - ANSWER: Is the "aggregate of individuals who experienced the same event
within the same time interval" Each cohort lives through its own slice of history.
Cohorts vary in their racial, gender, and ethnic composition. p
, Cohort Aging - ANSWER: "is the continuous advancement of a cohort from one age
category to another over its life span" When the last member of the birth cohort
dies, it is distinguished.
Cohort Effect - ANSWER: A cohort effect is the particular impact of a group bonded
by time or common life experienceSix distinct birth cohorts in the 20th century- The
oldest, -swing generation, silent generation, baby boomers, baby bust cohort, echo
boomers.We call the distinctive experiences that members of a birth cohort share
and that shapes them throughout their lives a COHORT EFFECT.
Ageism - ANSWER: Set of beliefs about the aged, Involves two kinds of activities- 1ST-
discrimination- which means that people are denied opportunities because they are
old. 2ND- prejudice- refers to negative stereotypes about older people. Tendency to
patronize the elderly and be overly solicitous toward them.
Stereotypes - ANSWER: They may incorporate some characteristics or attributes that
accurately describe some people who belong to that group, but they always fail to
capture the diverse qualities of all the individuals in the group.
Age Discrimination - ANSWER: When people act out on the basis of negative
stereotypes, they are engaging in age discrimination. Most common- employers
refuse to hire older workers. Ageism occurs in health care- different treatment from
physicians
Meaning of Old Age - ANSWER: The later part of normal life
Life Course Approach - ANSWER: Human development is also influenced by an array
of psychological, social, historical, and economic factors
Life Course Framework - ANSWER: An approach to the study of aging that combines
the study of the changing age structure with the aging experiences of individuals
Life Course Research - ANSWER: Early experiences, opportunities, and decisions
result in individual differences in adulthood and are critical for future life chances.
Age Grade - ANSWER: Are ways of using age as a social category to group people by
status. In age- graded systems, males are ranked in hierarchal order according to
their age group.
Transitions - ANSWER: Refers to the role changes individuals make, as they leave
school, take a job, get married, have children, or retire. Transitions are age- graded
in the sense that there are certain expectations for when the transition from one
role to another should take place
Counter -transitions - ANSWER: Produced by others' role changes, Ex. when you
marry your mother automatically becomes a mother-in-law
by Mark Novak, Herbert C. Northcott, TEST BANK
Explain the following as used in Aging and Society?
Geriatrics - ANSWER: The branch of medicine or social science dealing with the
health and care of old people
Gerontology - ANSWER: The scientific study of the biological, psychological, and
social aspects of aging.
Social Gerontology - ANSWER: Is a subfield of gerontology. They are concerned
mainly with the social, as opposed to the physical or biological, aspects of aging.
They seek to understand how the biological process of aging influence the social
aspects of aging.
Successful Aging - ANSWER: Depends not just on the prevention of disease and
disability, but also on the attainment of peak physical and psychological functioning
and participation in rewarding social and productive activities. Successful aging is
achieved by setting goals and then working to achieve those goal- Successful aging
involves BOTH the individual and society
Chronological Aging - ANSWER: Commonly used marker of old age. Social
gerontologists often divide older people into three subcategories: The young/old-
65-74 The middle- 75-84 and the oldest old- 85 or older. It can be problematic
because it lumps people together of widely varying generations into a single
category
Functional Aging - ANSWER: Third criterion for deterring old age. Based on how
people look and what they can do. In functional terms, a person becomes old when
he or she can no longer perform the major roles of adulthood. It can be measured by
such normal physical changes as stiffness of joints, diminished short-term memory,
reduced skin elasticity and diminished aerobic capacity. It can be determined by
appearance. Gerontologists have devised three categories. 1. Well 2. Somewhat
impaired 3. Frail
Subjective Age - ANSWER: The most important factors in sub. age identity are activity
level and health. Influenced by social class. It is also influenced by gender. One of the
most complex issues they face is distinguishing age changes from age differences
Cohort - ANSWER: Is the "aggregate of individuals who experienced the same event
within the same time interval" Each cohort lives through its own slice of history.
Cohorts vary in their racial, gender, and ethnic composition. p
, Cohort Aging - ANSWER: "is the continuous advancement of a cohort from one age
category to another over its life span" When the last member of the birth cohort
dies, it is distinguished.
Cohort Effect - ANSWER: A cohort effect is the particular impact of a group bonded
by time or common life experienceSix distinct birth cohorts in the 20th century- The
oldest, -swing generation, silent generation, baby boomers, baby bust cohort, echo
boomers.We call the distinctive experiences that members of a birth cohort share
and that shapes them throughout their lives a COHORT EFFECT.
Ageism - ANSWER: Set of beliefs about the aged, Involves two kinds of activities- 1ST-
discrimination- which means that people are denied opportunities because they are
old. 2ND- prejudice- refers to negative stereotypes about older people. Tendency to
patronize the elderly and be overly solicitous toward them.
Stereotypes - ANSWER: They may incorporate some characteristics or attributes that
accurately describe some people who belong to that group, but they always fail to
capture the diverse qualities of all the individuals in the group.
Age Discrimination - ANSWER: When people act out on the basis of negative
stereotypes, they are engaging in age discrimination. Most common- employers
refuse to hire older workers. Ageism occurs in health care- different treatment from
physicians
Meaning of Old Age - ANSWER: The later part of normal life
Life Course Approach - ANSWER: Human development is also influenced by an array
of psychological, social, historical, and economic factors
Life Course Framework - ANSWER: An approach to the study of aging that combines
the study of the changing age structure with the aging experiences of individuals
Life Course Research - ANSWER: Early experiences, opportunities, and decisions
result in individual differences in adulthood and are critical for future life chances.
Age Grade - ANSWER: Are ways of using age as a social category to group people by
status. In age- graded systems, males are ranked in hierarchal order according to
their age group.
Transitions - ANSWER: Refers to the role changes individuals make, as they leave
school, take a job, get married, have children, or retire. Transitions are age- graded
in the sense that there are certain expectations for when the transition from one
role to another should take place
Counter -transitions - ANSWER: Produced by others' role changes, Ex. when you
marry your mother automatically becomes a mother-in-law
