Deck 13: Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood

Question 1

Which of the following is a sign of aging for the average adult in middle adulthood?

A) increase in height
B) decrease in weight
C) brittle fingernails
D) loss of memory

Answer 1

brittle fingernails

Question 2

Which of the following best explains why middle adulthood starts later and lasts longer now than in the early 1900s?

A) People today have fewer children than people in the early 1900s.
B) People today have a higher income than people in the early 1900s.
C) People today have less anxiety in their lives than people in the early 1900s.
D) People today have healthier lifestyles than people in the early 1900s.

Answer 2

People today have healthier lifestyles than people in the early 1900s.

Question 3

Accommodation of the eye experiences its sharpest decline between ________ years of age.

A) 20 and 29
B) 60 and 79
C) 40 and 59
D) 30 and 35

Answer 3

40 and 59

Question 4

Questions such as, "To which age group do you belong?" and "How old do you feel?" reflect the concept of

A) mental age.
B) age identity.
C) chronological age.
D) age stereotype.

Question 5

Age-related loss of muscle strength is especially marked in

A) the upper arms.
B) the back and legs.
C) the jaw and face.
D) the chest and abdomen.

Question 6

Which of the following statements is true of changes in weight in middle age?

A) A recent study revealed that decrease in weight from early adulthood to middle adulthood was linked to an increased risk of major chronic diseases and unhealthy aging.
B) A large-scale study found that being overweight or obese in middle age decreases an individual's risk of dying earlier.
C) On average, body fat accounts for about 20 percent or more of body weight in middle age.
D) Individuals who were obese at age 50 had a 20 to 40 percent higher risk of earlier death, whereas those who were overweight at age 50 had a 100 to 200 percent higher risk of premature death.

Question 7

Which of the following statements is true of late midlife?

A) Compared with earlier midlife, late midlife is more likely to be characterized by the preparation for retirement.
B) Compared with earlier midlife, late midlife is less likely to be characterized by the death of a parent.
C) People in this age range seldom have health problems.
D) For most people in late midlife, the number of gains outnumber losses.

Question 8

Mark is an orthopedic surgeon. He has been asked to conduct a seminar for middle-aged individuals on bone density. During the seminar, he informs the audience that they should include a lot of fruits and vegetables in their diet as they are known to increase bone density in middle-aged and older adults. Which of the following facts best supports Mark's advice?

A) Maximum bone density occurs in late adolescence.
B) Maximum bone density occurs by the mid- to late 30s.
C) Peak functioning of the body's joints occurs in the 50s.
D) The rate of bone density loss accelerates and then decelerates with further aging.

Question 9

Many experts on middle adulthood describe the age period of 55 to 65 as

A) late adulthood.
B) early midlife.
C) late midlife.
D) early adulthood.

Question 10

As an orthopedic surgeon, Carla is advising her patient who is in his mid-20s to make some changes to his diet and include exercises in his daily routine as that would ensure his bone density is normal. Which of the following statements, if true, best supports her advice?

A) Peak functioning of the body's joints usually occurs in the 30s.
B) By the end of midlife, bones break more easily and heal more slowly.
C) Maximum bone density occurs by the mid- to late 20s.
D) The rate of bone density loss decelerates in the 50s.

Question 11

Which of the following is a consistent finding regarding age identity?

A) As adults become older, their age identity is younger than their chronological age.
B) Most adults feel that their age identity is five years more than their chronological age.
C) The age identity of adults is directly proportional to their chronological age.
D) Most adults feel that their age identity is much older than their chronological age.

Question 12

The ability to focus and maintain an image on the retina is referred to as ________ of the eye.

A) muscle integrity
B) focal power
C) visual acuity
D) accommodation

Question 13

Which of the following is a reason for the decrease in height with age advancement?

A) brittleness of bones of the limbs
B) increase in weight
C) a stooping posture
D) bone loss in the vertebrae

Question 14

________ adulthood is the developmental period that begins at approximately 40 to 45 years of age and extends to about 60 to 65 years of age.

A) Late
B) Middle
C) Early
D) Emerging

Question 15

Mildred is in her 20s. Her doctor tells her that she is gradually losing muscle mass and strength especially in her back and legs. Her doctor has advised her to exercise regularly and focus on her diet as a strategy to slow down the decline of muscle mass and strength. Which of the following terms best describes Mildred's condition?

A) sarcoma
B) osteopenia
C) osteoporosis
D) sarcopenia

Question 16

Compared with earlier and later periods, middle age is influenced most by ________ and biological factors.

A) sociocultural
B) humanistic
C) psychodynamic
D) neurological

Question 17

The average adult in middle adulthood ________ height and ________ weight.

A) loses; loses
B) loses; gains
C) gains; gains
D) gains; loses

Question 18

Which of the following statements is true of the physical changes in bones?

A) Maximum bone density occurs in late adolescence.
B) By the end of early adulthood, bones break more easily and heal more slowly.
C) The rate of bone loss is steady throughout the life span.
D) Women lose bone mass twice as fast as men do.

Question 19

James is in his mid-40s and has little time to exercise as he runs a business. However, he knows that he should focus more on his health, eat healthy meals at regular intervals, and exercise as often as he can. One of the age-related conditions that James is most likely to face at his age is

A) increased strength in his upper arms.
B) sensitivity to high-pitched sounds.
C) joint stiffness.
D) decreased bladder control.

Question 20

Compared with middle age, which of the following best describes late middle age for many individuals?

A) Health problems start to decline.
B) Losses may begin to outnumber gains.
C) Life changes decrease; the path is relatively fixed.
D) Losses and gains even out.

Question 21

Sensitivity to ________ sounds usually declines first among ________.

A) high-pitched; women
B) high-pitched; men
C) low-pitched; women
D) low-pitched; men

Question 22

Douglas is diagnosed with erectile dysfunction. He consults his doctor to know about the treatment options available for his condition. Which of the following drugs that are similar to Viagra will the doctor most likely prescribe to treat Douglas's condition?

A) Rogaine and Prozac
B) Levitra and Cialis
C) Oxycodone and Prozac
D) Naproxen and OxyContin

Question 23

Sandra is turning 50 this year. At this age, she can expect certain age-related conditions, such as loss of strength in her legs and back and difficulty in viewing objects and hearing clearly, to affect her. Of the vision-related issues that affect individuals, which of the following is Sandra most likely to experience because of her age?

A) difficulty in viewing moving objects
B) difficulty in viewing bright objects
C) difficulty in viewing close objects
D) difficulty in viewing complicated patterns

Question 24

Vanessa was never prescribed glasses as a child as she did not have any vision problem. Now, at the age of 45 years, which of the following tasks is most likely to cause her difficulty?

A) reading a newspaper
B) watching TV
C) looking at a turn signal indicator on a vehicle
D) reading a road sign during the day

Question 25

Brandon is a chain smoker and has been smoking cigarettes since college. He is currently 50 years old and has been recently diagnosed with erectile dysfunction. He consults his doctor to know more about his condition. Which of the following would the doctor most likely tell Brandon during the consultation?

A) Erectile dysfunction only occurs in males over 70 years of age and seldom occurs in younger males.
B) Erectile dysfunction is a fatal condition in males.
C) Obesity and elevated cholesterol levels are the only known causes for erectile dysfunction.
D) The main treatment for men with erectile dysfunction has focused on Viagra and similar drugs.

Question 26

Ruth is currently in menopause. This indicates that the production of ________ by her ovaries will decline drastically.

A) testosterone
B) estrogen
C) adrenaline
D) insulin

Question 27

Which of the following statements is true of cholesterol levels in humans?

A) High-density cholesterol leads to the hardening of the arteries when its level increases and sticks to the lining of the blood vessels.
B) Low-density cholesterol is referred to as good cholesterol as it reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease.
C) High-density cholesterol is referred to as bad cholesterol as the risk of cardiovascular disease increases when low-density cholesterol is high.
D) The level of cholesterol in the blood increases during the adult years and in midlife and begins to accumulate on the artery walls.

Question 28

Lillian is 50 years old. Her doctor has noticed a sharp decrease in her estrogen levels, and Lillian is complaining of nausea and fatigue. Based on these symptoms, what could be her initial diagnosis?

A) She has hyperthyroidism.
B) She is going through menopause.
C) She is going through postpartum depression.
D) She has atherosclerosis.

Question 29

________ was the main cause of death in the United States until the middle of the 20th century.

A) Infectious disease
B) Accident
C) Chronic disease
D) Homicide

Question 30

Which of the following is an example of a fatal chronic disorder?

A) varicose veins
B) bursitis
C) arthritis
D) cardiovascular disease

Question 31

Which of the following statements is true of mortality rates in the United States and the world?

A) The least number of deaths in the 20th century were due to infectious diseases.
B) The rates of chronic disorders have decreased and the rate of infectious diseases have increased.
C) In old age, many deaths are caused by a single, readily identifiable condition.
D) Men usually have higher mortality rates than women for all of the leading causes of death.

Question 32

Which of the following statements about menopause is true?

A) The age at which menopause occurs has increased dramatically in recent years.
B) There is a correlation between the onset of menarche and the onset of menopause.
C) Perimenopause takes up to 2 years or less in most women.
D) Later menopause is linked with increased risk of breast cancer.

Question 33

Which of the following is most likely a factor that is associated with erectile problems in middle-aged men?

A) smoking
B) moderate exercises
C) excessive sexual activity
D) high testosterone levels

Question 34

________ is a term that is used to describe the midlife transition in which fertility declines.

A) Puberty
B) Menarche
C) Spermarche
D) Climacteric

Question 35

Diana is 50 years old and has recently started experiencing a few symptoms of menopause. Which of the following symptoms is Diana most likely to experience?

A) bipolar disorder
B) psychotic depression
C) hot flashes
D) high blood sugar

Question 36

Which of the following types of hormones is most commonly administered during hormone replacement therapy?

A) estrogen
B) testosterone
C) follicle stimulating hormone
D) luteinizing hormone

Question 37

During middle age, the sensitivity to ________ sounds declines first.

A) low-pitched
B) high-volume
C) high-pitched
D) high-amplitude

Question 38

Meghan is showing initial signs of menopause. She decides to research online about menopause and familiarize herself with the causes, symptoms, and the treatments related to this process. After reading about the treatment plans and other details online, she decides that she will not opt for hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Which of the following statements favors Meghan's decision to forego HRT?

A) HRT is least favorable in reducing negative menopausal symptoms for women 60 years and younger who are within 10 years of menopausal onset.
B) HRT is least favourable in reducing bone loss or fracture for women 60 years and younger who are within 10 years of menopausal onset.
C) HRT is less favorable for women who are more than 10 or more years from menopausal onset because of greater risk for cardiovascular disease.
D) HRT is less favorable for women who are below 50 years because of greater risk for Alzheimer disease.

Question 39

The gradual decline in men's testosterone levels in middle age can reduce their

A) lung capacity.
B) sexual activity.
C) infertility.
D) thyroid levels.

Question 40

Which of the following is typical of the health condition during early and late middle age?

A) Frequency of accidents increases.
B) Susceptibility to colds and allergies decreases.
C) Wakeful periods during sleep decrease.
D) Incidence of chronic disorders decreases.

Question 41

According to the Seattle Longitudinal Study, which of the following abilities showed signs of early decline?

A) spatial orientation
B) perceptual speed
C) inductive reasoning
D) verbal memory

Question 42

According to cognitive aging expert Denise Park, the slowdown in learning new information has been linked to changes in

A) dopamine levels.
B) working memory.
C) cognitive atrophy.
D) neurotransmitter dysfunctions.

Question 43

Crystallized intelligence is

A) an individual's ability to reason abstractly.
B) an individual's accumulated information and verbal skills.
C) an individual's ability to think hypothetically.
D) an individual's ability to use deductive reasoning.

Question 44

According to John Horn, ________ steadily declines from middle adulthood onward.

A) fluid intelligence
B) crystallized intelligence
C) verbal memory
D) kinesthetic intelligence

Question 45

According to the Seattle Longitudinal Study of individuals aged 25 to 95, which of the following abilities showed the least decline with age?

A) verbal comprehension
B) spatial orientation
C) inductive reasoning
D) numerical abilities

Question 46

Fluid intelligence is the ability to

A) reason abstractly.
B) recall information.
C) accumulate information.
D) accumulate verbal skills.

Question 47

The Seattle Longitudinal Study concluded that middle age is a time of

A) peak performance for verbal ability.
B) great decline for inductive reasoning.
C) moderate decline for spatial abilities.
D) increased mathematical abilities.

Question 48

Toby is a computer programmer who has a passion for creating 3D games. He has the ability to visualize three-dimensional objects and mentally rotate them, which helps him put his ideas and drawings into virtual reality. In the context of the Seattle Longitudinal Study, Toby's mental ability is referred to as

A) spatial orientation.
B) inductive reasoning.
C) verbal ability.
D) perceptual speed.

Question 49

John Horn maintains that in middle adulthood, ________ intelligence continues to increase.

A) fluid
B) semantic
C) crystallized
D) multiple

Question 50

Jeanette, a 60-year-old woman, participates in a competition in which the participants are asked to memorize a list of words and then recall them in the same order in less than 2 minutes. In this competition, the participant who recalls the maximum number of words in the right order will be the winner. Unfortunately, Jeanette is not able to recall more than 10 words. In the context of the Seattle Longitudinal Study, Jeanette is most likely showing a decline in the mental ability referred to as

A) muscle memory.
B) implicit memory.
C) verbal memory.
D) verbal comprehension.

Question 51

Which of the following is the finding of the longitudinal and cross-sectional assessment of intellectual abilities conducted by Schaie?

A) Decline in intellectual abilities was more likely in the cross-sectional assessments than in the longitudinal assessments.
B) When assessed longitudinally, inductive reasoning showed a consistent decline in the middle adulthood years.
C) When assessed cross-sectionally, inductive reasoning increased until toward the end of middle adulthood.
D) People reach a peak in their cognitive functioning for many intellectual skills in early adulthood.

Question 52

________ refers to the ability to quickly and accurately make simple discriminations in visual stimuli.

A) Spatial orientation
B) Inductive reasoning
C) Perceptual speed
D) Verbal comprehension

Question 53

________ refers to the ability to encode and recall meaningful language units, such as a list of words.

A) Spatial orientation
B) Inductive reasoning
C) Implicit memory
D) Verbal memory

Question 54

According to studies, which of the following is one of the most common sexual problems of older men?

A) premature ejaculation
B) partner non-cooperation
C) lack of foreplay
D) lubrication difficulties

Question 55

Identify a possible reason for the changes in fluid and crystallized intelligence of different age groups in John Horn's cross-sectional study.

A) secular trends
B) cohort effects
C) declining IQ with age
D) biases in IQ testing

Question 56

The slowdown in learning new information has been linked to changes in ________, where individuals manipulate and assemble information when making decisions, solving problems, and comprehending written and spoken language.

A) working memory
B) brain circuitry
C) episodic memory
D) neural network

Question 57

________ refers to the ability to understand ideas expressed in words.

A) Verbal comprehension
B) Verbal memory
C) Implicit memory
D) Spatial orientation

Question 58

Which of the following statements is true of the Seattle Longitudinal Study?

A) It involves extensive evaluation of sexual abilities during adulthood.
B) It was initiated by John Horn.
C) Participants have been assessed in 2-year intervals since 1985.
D) New waves of participants are added periodically.

Question 59

According to studies, which of the following is one of the most common sexual problems of older women?

A) lack of foreplay
B) lack of sexual interest
C) partner non-cooperation
D) reduced muscular movements

Question 60

________ refers to the ability to recognize and understand patterns and relationships in a problem and use this understanding to solve other instances of the problem.

A) Spatial orientation
B) Inductive reasoning
C) Verbal comprehension
D) Perceptual speed

Question 61

Drawing on beliefs, values, and goals to change the meaning of a stressful situation is known as

A) self-efficacy.
B) problem-focused coping.
C) meaning-making coping.
D) proactive coping.

Question 62

According to Viktor Frankl, the three most distinct human qualities are freedom, responsibility, and

A) authority.
B) spirituality.
C) fraternity.
D) industry.

Question 63

________ is the developmental period that begins at approximately 40 to 45 years of age and extends to about 60 to 65 years of age.

Question 64

Which of the following statements is true of Austrian psychiatrist Viktor Frankl?

A) He argued that examining the finiteness of our existence and the certainty of death adds meaning to life.
B) He said that the two most distinct human qualities are religiousness and philanthropy.
C) Spirituality, in his view, has a religious underpinning.
D) He argued that freedom refers to a human being's uniqueness of spirit, philosophy, and mind.

Question 65

Name the term given to age-related loss of muscle mass and strength.

Question 66

Name the term that refers to the type of intelligence that consists of one's accumulated information and verbal skills.

Question 67

Which of the following statements is true of work in midlife?

A) There are always huge differences in the work performance of young adults and middle-aged adults.
B) Age related declines occur in some occupations such as air traffic controllers and professional athletes.
C) There is usually little emphasis on work during middle adulthood regardless of the work being full-time, part-time, or volunteer work.
D) The peak of work performance is usually reached in early adulthood and hence the percentage of people working during middle adulthood is the lowest.

Question 68

Name the term that refers to the type of intelligence that consists of one's ability to reason abstractly.

Question 69

Which of the following strategies would be most helpful in improving memory in middle age?

A) Avoid using vivid imagery to keep from becoming distracted.
B) Use a recall rather than recognition strategy whenever possible.
C) Use an organization strategy to categorize information to be remembered.
D) Avoid using the information to be remembered so that it does not become confused with other information.

Question 70

Name the term that refers to the midlife transition, for both men and women, in which fertility declines.

Question 71

Which of the following is one of the outcomes of the restructuring, downsizing, and outsourcing resulting from globalization?

A) offering incentives to middle-aged employees to retire early
B) encouraging middle-aged professionals to take up entrepreneurship
C) offering incentives to young professionals to outperform middle-aged employees
D) hiring more middle-aged professionals to supervisory and managerial positions

Question 72

Name the theorist who referred to midlife as "the afternoon of life."

Question 73

Which of the following statements is true of spirituality?

A) Only a small minority of U.S. adults consider themselves to be religious.
B) Most U.S. middle-aged adults do not consider spirituality a major part of their lives.
C) There is no evidence of changes in spirituality and religiousness in people as they age.
D) Women have consistently shown a stronger interest in religion and spirituality than men have.

Question 74

Which of the following is one of the reasons why many middle-aged workers are delaying their retirement plans?

A) the increase of retirement age to 75 years
B) the increasing opportunity for middle-aged professionals
C) the increased productive health owing to medical advancements
D) the decline in defined-benefit pensions

Question 75

A longitudinal study of individuals from their early 30s through their late 60s/early 70s showed that

A) a significant increase in spirituality occurred between late middle and late adulthood.
B) spirituality peaked in late middle adulthood.
C) there was no significant change in spirituality from late middle to late adulthood.
D) a dramatic decrease in spirituality occurred between late middle and late adulthood.

Question 76

According to Denise Park, much of the blame for declining memory in late middle age is a result of

A) neuroanatomical changes during late middle age.
B) decreased blood supply to various parts of the brain.
C) physiological and cognitive atrophy during late middle age.
D) information overload that builds up over the adult years.

Question 77

Which of the following statements is true of working memory?

A) Decline in working memory is more likely to occur when individuals do not use effective memory strategies, such as organization and imagery.
B) Studies indicate that starting in late middle age, less time is needed to learn new information as working memory expands.
C) Decline in working memory in late middle age is due to lack of information stored over the years.
D) Studies indicate that techniques such as imagining phone numbers as representing different objects around the house are highly inefficient in improving working memory in middle adulthood.

Question 78

Name the term that refers to the mental ability to quickly and accurately make simple discriminations in visual stimuli.

Question 79

Meghan is conducting a seminar in her office on the importance of investing time in leisure activities. She explains that a lot of research has been conducted on the importance of leisure activities and that the research findings indicate that middle-aged adults need to make some changes to their current lifestyle. Which of the following research findings would Meghan most likely mention in her seminar?

A) If an adult develops leisure activities that can be continued into retirement, the transition from work to retirement will be highly stressful.
B) When middle-aged adults engage in active leisure pursuits, they show a lower level of cognitive performance in late adulthood.
C) When those who had worked in occupations with fewer cognitive challenges prior to retirement engaged in physical and cognitive leisure activities during retirement, they showed less cognitive decline.
D) It has been observed that after individuals experienced stressful events, if they engaged in more leisure time than usual on those days, the leisure time seldom helped improve their moods.

Question 80

Name the term that refers to disorders characterized by a slow onset and a long duration.