One Reason Why Brain Functioning Begins to Change in Middle

question 132

Multiple Choice

One reason why brain functioning begins to change in middle adulthood is that

• A)middle-aged adults do not take good care of themselves, and it affects the health of their brains.
• B)middle-aged adults carry greater loads of stress, which adversely affects their health.
• C)researchers have found that 20 genes that are vital to learning, memory, and mental flexibility begin to function less efficiently as early as age 40.
• D)middle-aged adults are too busy to participate in mental learning and activities to maintain mental flexibility.

---

Definitions:

Primary Reinforcement

A naturally rewarding stimulus, such as food or water, that satisfies a basic biological need and hence reinforces a behavior directly.

Secondary Reinforcement

A process in conditioning where a stimulus reinforces a behavior after it has been associated with a primary reinforcer.

Variable Ratio Schedule

A reinforcement schedule used in conditioning where a response is reinforced after an unpredictable number of responses, leading to high and steady response rates.

Fixed Ratio Schedule

A type of reinforcement schedule in behavioral psychology where a response is reinforced only after a specified number of responses.