Deck 16: Adulthood

Question 1

Which of the following statements concerning the effects of aging is true?

A) Aging almost inevitably leads to total memory failure if the individual lives long enough.
B) Aging increases susceptibility to short-term ailments such as the flu.
C) Significant increases in life satisfaction are associated with aging.
D) The aging process can be significantly affected by the individual's activity patterns.

Answer 1

The aging process can be significantly affected by the individual's activity patterns.

Question 2

Of the following, which is a possible cause of dementia?

A) stroke
B) brain tumor
C) alcohol dependence
D) All of these are possible causes.

Answer 2

All of these are possible causes.

Question 3

The preferred age for retirement is quite different in Mexico than in Western Europe. This best illustrates that ________ differs from culture to culture.

A) the maturational cycle
B) rites of passage
C) terminal decline
D) the social clock

Answer 3

the social clock

Question 4

After their grown children have left home, most couples experience

A) the distress of the empty nest syndrome.
B) increased strain in their marital relationship.
C) the need to have their children visit often.
D) greater happiness and enjoyment in their relationship.

Question 5

Cross-sectional research

A) compares people of different ages with one another.
B) studies the same group of people at different times.
C) is used for studying cognitive development during infancy.
D) is used for studying social development during infancy.

Question 6

A researcher who administers a personality test to the same children every 3 years as they progress through school is conducting a(n) ________ study.

A) longitudinal
B) experimental
C) cross-sectional
D) chronological

Question 7

The end of menstruation is called

A) the social clock.
B) menopause.
C) the midlife crisis.
D) generativity.

Question 8

The cognitive ability that has been shown to decline during adulthood is the ability to

A) recall new information.
B) recognize new information.
C) learn meaningful new material.
D) use judgment in dealing with daily life problems.

Question 9

Compared with younger adults, older adults are ________ attentive to positive news and they have ________ problems in their social relationships.

A) more; more
B) less; fewer
C) more; fewer
D) less; more

Question 10

A series of small strokes that progressively damage an older adult's brain is most likely to produce

A) menarche.
B) dementia.
C) Asperger syndrome.
D) Alzheimer's disease.

Question 11

The tips of chromosomes that wear down as we age are called

A) teratogens.
B) scaffolds.
C) schemas.
D) telomeres.

Question 12

Underlying Alzheimer's disease is a deterioration in neurons that produce

A) epinephrine.
B) norepinephrine.
C) serotonin.
D) acetylcholine.

Question 13

According to Erikson, older adults can most effectively cope with the prospect of their own death if they have achieved a sense of

A) conventional morality.
B) object permanence.
C) conservation.
D) integrity.

Question 14

Longitudinal research

A) compares people of different ages.
B) studies the same people at different times.
C) usually involves a larger sample than does cross-sectional research.
D) usually involves a smaller sample than does cross-sectional research.

Question 15

When adults of varying ages were tested for their memory of a recently learned list of 24 words, the older adults demonstrated

A) no decline in either recall or recognition.
B) a decline in recognition but not in recall.
C) a decline in recall but not in recognition.
D) a decline in both recognition and recall.

Question 16

An older person who can look back on life with satisfaction and reminisce with a sense of completion has attained Erikson's stage of

A) generativity.
B) intimacy.
C) isolation.
D) integrity.

Question 17

The ratio of males to females first begins declining during

A) prenatal development.
B) childhood.
C) adolescence.
D) adulthood.

Question 18

Research on people age 65 and over has shown that

A) most older people become increasingly fearful of death as they age.
B) most older people experience loss of visual sharpness.
C) most victims of Alzheimer's disease can reverse the disorder by becoming physically active.
D) about 25 percent of those over 65 reside in health care institutions such as nursing homes.

Question 19

A diminishing sense of smell is associated with the pathology that foretells

A) FAS.
B) pneumonia.
C) Alzheimer's disease.
D) terminal decline.

Question 20

The social clock refers to

A) an individual or society's distribution of work and leisure time.
B) adulthood responsibilities.
C) typical ages for starting a career, marrying, and so on.
D) age-related changes in one's circle of friends.

Question 21

Researchers have detected unusually diffuse brain activity while people at risk for ________ are trying to memorize words.

A) Asperger syndrome
B) cancer
C) Alzheimer's disease
D) terminal decline

Question 22

In terms of incidence, susceptibility to short-term illnesses ________ with age and susceptibility to long-term ailments ________ with age.

A) decreases; increases
B) increases; decreases
C) increases; increases
D) decreases; decreases

Question 23

Older people are NOT increasingly susceptible to

A) pneumonia.
B) terminal decline.
C) common cold viruses.
D) dementia.

Question 24

Research on the American family indicates that

A) fewer than 23 percent of unmarried adults, but nearly 40 percent of married adults, report being "very happy" with life.
B) the divorce rate is now one-half the marriage rate.
C) children born to cohabiting parents are five times more likely to experience their parents' separation.
D) all of these statements are true.

Question 25

Lewis is a 70-year-old retired college professor. In contrast to when he was 30, he now probably

A) does not hear as well.
B) is more susceptible to catching the flu.
C) has significantly fewer neural connections.
D) has all of these problems.

Question 26

The popular idea that terminally ill and bereaved people go through predictable stages, such as denial, anger, and so forth

A) is widely supported by research.
B) more accurately describes grieving in some cultures than others.
C) is true of women but not men.
D) is not supported by research studies.

Question 27

Physical exercise in later life promotes ________ in the hippocampus.

A) a reduction of myelin
B) the shortening of telomeres
C) the process of neurogenesis
D) reduced mirror neuron activity

Question 28

Alzheimer's disease involves a deterioration of neurons that produce

A) dopamine.
B) telomeres.
C) acetylcholine.
D) serotonin.

Question 29

Aging cells may die without being replaced due to the shortening of

A) critical periods.
B) teratogens.
C) schemas.
D) telomeres.

Question 30

In one 15-year period, more Americans died on the two days after Christmas than on the two days before Christmas. It has been suggested that this illustrates

A) a death-deferral phenomenon.
B) a critical period.
C) terminal decline.
D) habituation.

Question 31

Dementia is most commonly associated with

A) menopause.
B) role confusion.
C) Alzheimer's disease.
D) infantile amnesia.

Question 32

Research on older people has shown that

A) they grow increasingly fearful of death.
B) they become increasingly prone to car accidents.
C) they experience less life satisfaction than younger adults.
D) all of these statements are true.

Question 33

Most 20-year-olds outperform most 70-year-olds on video games due to age-related differences in

A) role confusion.
B) object permanence.
C) infantile amnesia.
D) information-processing speed.

Question 34

As men advance through middle adulthood they experience a gradual decline in

A) testosterone level.
B) sperm count.
C) ejaculation speed.
D) all of these things.

Question 35

Between the middle of the last century and the early years of the current century

A) human birthrates have increased and life expectancy at birth has increased.
B) human birthrates have decreased and life expectancy at birth has decreased.
C) human birthrates have increased and life expectancy at birth has decreased.
D) human birthrates have decreased and life expectancy at birth has increased.

Question 36

Aerobic exercise programs during late adulthood stimulate improvement in

A) object permanence.
B) basic trust.
C) menarche.
D) memory.

Question 37

Physical abilities such as muscular strength, reaction time, sensory keenness, and cardiac output reach their peak during

A) late childhood.
B) early adulthood.
C) puberty.
D) middle adulthood.

Question 38

During the last few years, 75-year-old Mrs. Yamaguchi has gradually become so mentally disoriented that she can't find her way around her own house and often fails to recognize her husband. It is most likely that Mrs. Yamaguchi is suffering the effects of

A) Asperger syndrome.
B) menopause.
C) habituation.
D) Alzheimer's disease.

Question 39

Menopause refers to

A) the cessation of menstruation.
B) the loss of male sexual potency.
C) irregular timing of menstrual periods.
D) the loss of sexual interest in late adulthood.

Question 40

African infants have had a greater chance of survival if they have a living maternal grandmother who is without young children of her own. This fact has been used to support an evolutionary explanation of

A) conservation.
B) habituation.
C) stranger anxiety.
D) menopause.

Question 41

Researchers have discovered that the midlife transition between early and middle adulthood is characterized by unusually high levels of

A) job dissatisfaction and career change.
B) marital dissatisfaction and divorce.
C) anxiety and emotional instability.
D) none of these feelings or events.

Question 42

Remembering to take your prescribed medications at a specific time of day best illustrates

A) the social clock.
B) a critical period.
C) prospective memory.
D) a death-deferral phenomenon.

Question 43

People typically experience an increasing sense of confidence and self-esteem

A) from the early to mid-teen years.
B) from the mid-teen years to midlife.
C) from middle adulthood through the very final weeks prior to death.
D) during all of these periods.

Question 44

Compared with their counterparts of 40 years ago, American men today are marrying

A) at a younger age and American women are marrying at an older age.
B) at an older age and American women are marrying at a younger age.
C) at an older age and American women are marrying at an older age.
D) at a younger age and American women are marrying at a younger age.

Question 45

When children grow up and leave home, mothers most frequently report feeling

A) depressed.
B) bored.
C) happy.
D) anxious.

Question 46

The best predictor of a couple's marital satisfaction is the

A) frequency of their sexual intimacy.
B) intensity of their passionate feelings.
C) ratio of their positive to negative interactions with each other.
D) experience or nonexperience of a prior marriage.

Question 47

The age at which people are expected to leave home, get a job, and marry has changed dramatically in Wallonia over the past 50 years. Developmentalists would say that the country's ________ has been altered.

A) social clock
B) developmental norm
C) maturation cycle
D) family calendar

Question 48

When asked to recall the one or two most important events over the last half century, older adults tend to name events that occurred when they were between ________ years of age.

A) 2 and 5
B) 5 and 10
C) 10 and 30
D) 30 and 50

Question 49

The terminal decline phenomenon involves a decrease in mental ability that accompanies the approach of

A) menopause.
B) retirement.
C) death.
D) any critical period.

Question 50

There is very little relationship between the age of an adult and his or her

A) risk of dementia.
B) ability to recall meaningless information.
C) level of life satisfaction.
D) susceptibility to accidental physical injury.

Question 51

After living together for a year, Sylvia and Yefim have decided to marry. Research on premarital cohabitation most strongly suggests that

A) they have more positive attitudes toward the institution of marriage than the average couple.
B) their marriage will have a higher-than-average probability of being successful.
C) most of their college friends and acquaintances have viewed their cohabitation negatively.
D) their marriage will have a higher-than-average probability of ending in divorce.

Question 52

People have been most likely to describe themselves as a "sandwich generation" during their

A) adolescence.
B) early adulthood.
C) middle adulthood.
D) late adulthood.

Question 53

A cross-sectional study is one in which

A) the same people are retested over a period of years.
B) different age groups are tested at the same time.
C) different characteristics of a given individual are assessed at the same time.
D) the behavior of a group is assessed by different researchers.

Question 54

On which of the following tasks is a 20-year-old most likely to outperform a 70-year-old?

A) recalling previously presented nonsense syllables
B) recognizing previously presented foreign language words
C) recalling previously presented names of cities
D) recognizing previously presented names of fruits and vegetables

Question 55

Among employed women, the task of raising children is especially likely to be associated with ________ marital satisfaction. The departure of mature children from the home is typically associated with ________ marital satisfaction.

A) increasing; decreasing
B) decreasing; increasing
C) increasing; further increasing
D) decreasing; further decreasing

Question 56

Researchers studied the effects on exercise on the physical health of over 5000 residents in one locale throughout their middle and late adulthood. The research best illustrates a ________ study.

A) formal operational
B) cross-sectional
C) concrete operational
D) longitudinal

Question 57

Professor Parker suggested that heterosexual adults are genetically predisposed to form monogamous bonds because this practice facilitated the cooperative nurture and survival of children. The professor's suggestion best illustrates a(n) ________ perspective.

A) authoritarian
B) postconventional
C) psychosocial
D) evolutionary

Question 58

The same people are retested over a long period in a ________ study.

A) concrete operational
B) longitudinal
C) postconventional
D) cross-sectional

Question 59

Marie feels socially useful in her career as a financial investment advisor. Erik Erikson would have suggested that Marie experiences a sense of

A) secure attachment.
B) conventional morality.
C) generativity.
D) conservation.

Question 60

Professor Kuilema compared the moral intuitions of one group of children, a second group of adolescents, and a third group of adults by assessing their reactions to a variety of moral dilemmas. Professor Kuilema conducted a ________ study.

A) longitudinal
B) postconventional
C) cross-sectional
D) concrete operational

Question 61

An integrated understanding of successful aging in terms of appropriate nutrition, family support, and an optimistic outlook is most clearly provided by

A) a cross-sectional study.
B) an intuitionist perspective.
C) a biopsychosocial approach.
D) Piaget's cognitive development theory.

Question 62

During the time following the death of a loved one

A) those who express the strongest grief immediately do not purge their grief more quickly.
B) those who talk frequently with others are unusually likely to prolong their own feelings of depression.
C) grieving men are at less risk for ill health than are grieving women.
D) both men and women go through predictable stages of denial followed by anger.

Question 63

At the age of 30, Angela hesitates to commit herself to a lifelong marital relationship, primarily because she believes that the personalities of marriage partners often change in surprising and unpredictable ways during their lifetimes. What professional advice could you appropriately provide to Angela in light of the research on marital happiness, life satisfaction, and adult development?

Question 64

As people progress into late adulthood, they increasingly use words that convey ________ emotions, and the amygdala shows diminishing activity in response to ________ events.

A) negative; negative
B) positive; positive
C) negative; positive
D) positive; negative

Question 65

Compared with middle-aged adults, older adults experience

A) positive emotions with less intensity and negative emotions with more intensity.
B) positive emotions with more intensity and negative emotions with less intensity.
C) positive emotions with less intensity and negative emotions with less intensity.
D) positive emotions with more intensity and negative emotions with more intensity.

Question 66

Abner, a 70-year-old retired teacher, feels that his life has not been of any real value or significance. According to Erikson, Abner has failed to achieve a sense of

A) basic trust.
B) intimacy.
C) autonomy.
D) integrity.

Question 67

Older adults who feel satisfied when reflecting on their lives demonstrate what Erikson called a sense of

A) attachment.
B) maturity.
C) integrity.
D) resilience.

Question 68

Compared with when she was an adolescent, elderly Mrs. Packer is likely to experience a sad mood with

A) less intensity and for a longer time.
B) more intensity and for a shorter time.
C) less intensity and for a shorter time.
D) more intensity and for a longer time.

Question 69

According to Erikson, adolescence is to identity as late adulthood is to

A) integrity.
B) autonomy.
C) generativity.
D) intimacy.