Aging and Perception

• What are the typical age-related changes in vision and hearing?

  Changes include deterioration in hearing and vision acuity.
• Why is it important to study age-related changes in sensation and cognition?

  It is important due to the large aging population and its practical implications for quality of life.
• What is the significance of the aging population in relation to sensory changes?

  • 18% of the population is aged 65 and over
  • 2.4% of the population is aged 85 and over
  • Practical implications for quality of life and continued working
• What is presbycusis?

  Presbycusis is age-related hearing loss characterized by deterioration in hearing as we age.
• How does age affect the ability to hear high-frequency sounds?

  Older adults require sounds to be louder to hear high-frequency sounds compared to younger adults.
• What difficulty do older adults face in noisy environments?

  Older adults have more difficulty understanding speech in noisy environments.
• What are some causes of age-related hearing loss?

  Causes include deterioration of hair cells in the cochlea and decreased efficiency of sound transmission.
• What is high contrast acuity?

  High contrast acuity is the ability to see fine detail under high contrast conditions.
• What is low contrast acuity?

  Low contrast acuity is the ability to see fine detail under low contrast conditions.
• What does contrast sensitivity measure?

  Contrast sensitivity measures the ability to detect finer increments of light and dark.
• When does contrast sensitivity begin to decline?

  Contrast sensitivity begins to decline around 40 years old.
• What is stereopsis?

  Stereopsis is the ability to perceive depth.
• How does pupil size change with age?

  Pupil size in older adults is smaller in both light and dark conditions.
• What is presbyopia?

  Presbyopia is the reduced flexibility in the lens leading to difficulty seeing things at near distances.
• What happens to the lens as we age?

  Proteins in the lens change shape and clump together, leading to cataracts.
• What percentage of adults aged 85 and older have good visual acuity?

  Only 54.9% of adults aged 85 and older have good visual acuity.
• What is the global estimate of older adults with presbyopia who lack adequate spectacles?

  About half of older adults with presbyopia globally have no or inadequate spectacles.
• Why is it difficult to distinguish between normal aging and eye disease?

  It is difficult because symptoms of normal aging can overlap with those of eye diseases.
• What are some symptoms of cataracts?

  Symptoms include misty vision and washed-out colors.
• How does glaucoma affect vision?

  Glaucoma affects peripheral vision first, leading to tunnel vision.
• What is the most common cause of visual impairment in the UK?

  Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause.
• What do people with advanced age-related macular degeneration often do to see better?

  They often adopt a "preferred retinal locus" to use their peripheral vision.
• What are some risk factors for age-related macular degeneration?

  Risk factors include age, family history, and smoking.
• What does the common cause hypothesis suggest about sensory and cognitive decline?

  The common cause hypothesis suggests a third factor underlies both sensory and cognitive decline.
• How does impoverished perceptual input affect cognitive resources?

  Poor perceptual input requires additional cognitive resources to decipher the signal.
• What is the relationship between sensory impairment and cognitive decline?

  Sensory impairment can lead to cognitive decline, often due to social isolation.
• What are the key points in the summary of age-related changes in sensory modalities?

  • Hearing declines, especially for high frequencies
  • Vision declines in contrast sensitivity and depth perception
  • Aging is associated with visual diseases like AMD, cataracts, and glaucoma
  • Various hypotheses explain the relationship between sensory and cognitive changes