Final answer:
Health and exercise can influence the decline in processing speed. Aerobic exercise has been shown to improve older adults' performance on reaction time tasks. The decline in processing speed is likely due to a decline in the functioning of the brain and central nervous system.
Step-by-step explanation:
Statement 1: Health and exercise may influence the extent to which processing speed declines. Studies indicate that exercise and a healthy lifestyle can slow down the deterioration of the body that comes with old age.
Statement 2: Research has shown that aerobic exercise can improve older adults' performance on reaction time tasks. Regular exercise has been linked to improvements in cognitive functions such as attention, memory, and information processing speed.
Statement 3: It is likely that the decline in processing speed is due to a decline in the functioning of the brain and central nervous system. Aging can lead to degeneration of brain connections, resulting in slower processing speed.