People in different ethnic groups do not have the same average longevity at birth. For example, African Americans’ average longevity at birth is roughly 6.5 years lower for men and about 5 years lower for women than it is for European Americans (National Center for Health Statistics, 2008a). Why do such large differences exist? The […]

Let’s return to Susie, who wonders whether she can expect to live a long life. What influences how long we will live on average? Our average longevity is influenced most by genetic, environmental, ethnic, and gender factors. Clearly, these factors interact; being from an ethnic minority group or being poor, for example, often means that […]

How long you live, called longevity, is jointly determined by genetic and environmental factors. Researchers distinguish between two different types of longevity: average longevity and maximum lon­gevity. Average longevity is commonly called aver­age life expectancy and refers to the age at which half of the individuals who are born in a particular year will have […]

Did you ever speculate about how long you might live? Are you curious? If you’d like a preview of several of the key influences on how long we live,try completing the questions at http://www. livingto100.com. Take notes about why you think each question is being asked. Once you’re finished, submityour form. Take time to read […]

LEARNING OBJECTIVES • What is the average and the maximum longevity for humans? • What genetic and environmental factors influence longevity? • What ethnic factors influence average longevity? • What factors create gender differences in average longevity? 108 CHAPTER 4 S usie is a 51-year-old Chinese American living in San Francisco. Susie’s mother (age 76), […]

4.1 HOW LONG WILL WE LIVE? Discovering Development: Take the Longevity Test • Average and Maximum Longevity • Genetic and Environmental Factors in Average Longevity • Ethnic Differences in Average Longevity • Gender Differences in Average Longevity • International Differences in Average Longevity 4.2 HEALTH AND ILLNESS Defining Health and Illness • Quality of Life […]

As we have noted, the normative changes that occur in the brain with age have potentially profound effects, particularly when these changes result in disease. Con­sequently, considerable resources are put into research on the causes and outcomes of such structural brain changes. In the United States, major research support is provided by the National Institutes […]

Do you feel hot or cold right now? Do your palms sweat when you get nervous? These and other regu­lation functions in your body are controlled by the autonomic nervous system. Fortunately, few changes occur in the autonomic nervous system as we age, but two changes do tend to get people’s attention: body temperature control […]

If you ask older adults to describe their experience of changes in their central nervous system, it’s likely that they will be hard pressed to do so. This is because the age-related changes in the brain that we will consider begin very subtly; they are often difficult to notice in the beginning and to document […]

If we could peek inside a living, working brain, what would we find? The answer to this question turns out to be one of the most exciting avenues of research on brain development. Investigators can now use computer-enhanced images to assist in diagnosing disease and even to study the thinking brain. As described in Table […]