| A | B |
|---|
| senescence | A gradual physical decline that is related to aging and during which the body becomes less strong and efficient. |
| presbycusis | A loss of hearing that is associated with senescence and that usually does not become apparent until after age 60. |
| in vitro fertilization ( IVF) | A technique in which ova (egg cells) are surgically removed from a woman and fertilized with sperm in a laboratory. After the original fertilized cells (the zygotes) have divided several times, they are inserted into the woman's uterus. |
| Menopause | The time in middle age, usually around age 50, when a woman's menstral periods cease completely and the production of estrogen, progesterone, and testosterone drops considerably. |
| hormone replacement therapy (HRT) | Treatment to compensate for hormone reduction at menopause or following surgical removal of the ovaries. |
| andropause | A term coined to signify a drop in testosterone levels in older men, which normally result in a reduction in sexual desire, erections, and muscle mass. Also known as male menopause. |
| mortality | Death. As a measure of health, mortality usually refers to the number of deaths each year per 1,000 members of a given population. |
| morbidity | Disease. As a measure of health morbidity refers to the rate of diseases of all kinds--physical and emotional, acute (sudden), chronic (ongoing), and fatal--in a given population. |
| disability | Long-term difficulty in performing normal activities of daily life because of some physical, emotional, or mental condition. |
| vitality | A measure of health that refers to how healthy and energetic--physically, emotionally, and socially--an individual actually feels. |
| general intelligence (g) | A construct based on the idea that intelligence is one basic trait that involves all cognitive abilities, which people possess in varying amounts. |
| Seattle Longitudinal Study | The first cross-sequential study of adult intelligence. |
| fluid intelligence | Those types of basic intelligence that make learning of all sorts quick and thorough. |
| crystalized intelligence | Those types of intellectual ability that reflect accumulated learning. |
| selective optimization with compensation | The theory, developed by Paul and Margaret Baltes, that people try to maintain a balance in their lives by looking for the best way to compensate for physical and cognitive losses and to become more proficient in activities they can already do well. |
| selective expert | Someone who is notably more skilled and knowledgeable than the average person about whichever activities are personally meaningful. |
