Final answer:
Zack's difficulty in focusing on the waiter amidst the noise in a restaurant is because selective attention tends to decline with age. Option (A) selective is the correct answer, as this form of attention allows for concentration on specific stimuli while disregarding others, which can become harder as we grow older.
Step-by-step explanation:
Zack is in a crowded restaurant trying to pay attention to the waiter who is reading off the daily lunch specials. He is having a difficult time because selective attention declines as one ages. The correct option is (A) selective. Selective attention refers to the ability to focus on one particular stimulus while ignoring other stimuli. As people age, this ability can decrease, making it harder to filter out background noise and concentrate on specific information, like a waiter listing specials in a noisy environment. This decline in selective attention is part of normal cognitive aging and can make it challenging for older adults to attend to what is important amidst distractions.