Learning objectives
Chapter 23:

1. Define ageism.
2. Describe ongoing changes in the age distribution of the American population.
3. Explain the current state of the dependency ratio, and distinguish among three categories of the aged.
4. Differentiate between primary and secondary aging, and list several characteristic effects of aging on the individual's appearance, noting how the aged see themselves.
5. Describe age-related problems in vision and hearing.
6. Briefly describe the wear-and-tear theory of aging.
7. Discuss the genetic theory of senescence, focusing on an epigenetic theory explanation.
8. Discuss the cellular aging theory, and explain what the Hayflick limit is and how it supports the idea of a genetic clock.
9. Identify lifestyle characteristics associated with the healthy, long-lived adult.

Learning objectives
Chapter 24:

1. Summarize research findings regarding changes in the sensitivity of the sensory register and the capacity of working memory during late adulthood.
2. Summarize research findings regarding changes in the older adult's ability to access the knowledge base and to use control processes efficiently.
3. Distinguish between explicit and implicit memory, and discuss resistance as a reason for declining control.
4. Suggest several reasons, other than the aging process itself, which might contribute to age-related declines in cognitive functioning.
5. Characterize and explain discrepancies between how the elderly perform on memory and problem-solving tasks in the laboratory, on the one hand, and in daily life, on the other.
6. Identify the two most common forms of dementia, and discuss the differences between them.

Learning objectives
Chapter 25:

1. Explain the central premises of self theories of psychosocial development during late adulthood.
2. Discuss Erikson's stage of integrity versus despair, and describe how the search for identity continues into old age.
3. Discuss the dynamic theories of late adulthood.
4. Discuss several alternative sources of achievement for retired people during late adulthood.
5. Describe the components of the social convoy, and explain this convoy's increasing importance during late adulthood.
6. Discuss how, and why, marriage relationships tend to change as people grow old.
7. Discuss the impact of being old and single (never-married, divorced, or widowed) on both women and men.
8. Describe friendships among older people.
9. Identify and discuss four factors that may protect the elderly from frailty.
10. Discuss alternative care arrangements for the frail elderly, identifying some of the potential advantages and disadvantages of each.

Learning objectives
Chapter 26:

1. Explain the concept of palliative care, focusing on the advantages and disadvantages of hospices.
2. Discuss the steps that patients, family members, and medical personnel can take to plan for a swift, pain-free, and dignified death.
3. Discuss issues surrounding euthanasia.
4. Identify Kübler-Ross's stages of dying, and discuss these stages in light of more recent research.
5. Describe some cultural variations in how death is viewed and treated.
6. Describe some religious variations in how death is viewed and treated.
7. Describe recent changes in the mourning process, and suggest steps that can be taken in helping someone to recover from bereavement.