Deck 7: Cognition and Problem Solving in the Everyday World

Question 1

Compared to the creative works produced earlier in adulthood,the creative works produced in older adulthood focus more on simplicity of style and integration of ideas.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Glück and and Bluck (2011) found that,within Western culture,people under the age of 20 were ______ people ages 20 and beyond to emphasize the affective aspects of wisdom.

A)more likely than
B)equally likely compared to
C)less likely than

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following statements is true about creative productivity?

A)There is an earlier peak in some creative fields than there is in others.
B)The highest peak of productive output comes late in life.
C)Productivity rises steadily through middle-adulthood and then remains stable over the rest of the adult life span.
D)Creative productivity is measured by convergent ideas.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Postformal thinking calls for ___________.

A)tolerance of ambiguity
B)solving abstract problems in a logical manner
C)remaining aware the every problem has only one solution
D)All of the above

Question 5

Collins et al.compared the interpersonal problem solving solutions of Australian women ages 65 to 90 who either lived in the Adelaide community or in a group nursing hostel in the same area.The women were asked to solve problems that occurred either in a community context or in a nursing hostel context.Which of the following describes what Collins et al.found?

A)Study participants offered the best solutions for problems that occurred in the same context in which they lived.
B)The quality of problem solutions was negatively associated with study participants' chronological age.
C)The nursing hostel residents gave more relativistic solutions compared to the community-living residents.
D)All of the above were found.

Question 6

Older adults often see themselves as ______ at problem solving and ______ at memory.

A)getting better; declining
B)getting better; getting better
C)declining; declining
D)declining; getting better

Question 7

Wise individuals _______________.

A)are able to balance cognition and emotion
B)are able to balance reflection and action
C)know what they do and do not know
D)All of the above

Question 8

Wise individuals _____________.

A)are impulsive
B)always know there is one perfect solution to a problem
C)are set in their opinions
D)are good at problem-finding

Question 9

Individuals are more likely to give wise advice when it comes to solving dilemmas faced by people in their own age group rather than dilemmas faced by people in a different age group.

Question 10

Unlike formal knowledge,tacit knowledge _________________.

A)is obtained from information provided by others
B)is clear and well defined
C)is often inferred from the actions or indirect statements of others
D)has little practical use

Question 11

According to Sternberg,creative intelligence ____________.

A)is knowing how to get what one wants in the real world
B)is related to divergent thinking
C)is the main ingredient in academic intelligence
D)is being able to find the one correct solution to a problem

Question 12

Research has been clear in demonstrating that older adults show a higher degree of wisdom than do young and middle-aged adults.

Question 13

Formal operations are best used when there is a need to _____________.

A)reach a logical solution to a problem
B)solve such problems as why a car breaks down
C)solve such problems as why a recipe failed
D)resolve disputes between two good friends

Question 14

Unfortunately,wise older adults usually have a lower level of personal well-being compared to older adults who are not wise and are happy in their ignorance.

Question 15

Postformal thought ________________.

A)involves solving problems using a logical,deductive approach
B)involves solving problems as quickly and efficiently as possible
C)involves being able to deal with conflict and multiple perspectives
D)is usually considered a sign of cognitive decline

Question 16

According to the constant-probability-of-success model of creativity,________.

A)the point of maximum productivity coincides with the lowest level of creativity
B)the point of maximum productivity coincides with the point of maximum creativity
C)the less productive a person is,the most likely he/she will achieve creative expression
D)productivity and creativity are independent and unrelated

Question 17

According to Ardelt,Western implicit theories of wisdom tend to emphasize _____ whereas Eastern implicit theories of wisdom tend to emphasize ______.

A)the cognitive aspect; the reflective aspect
B)compassion; knowledge base
C)maintaining composure; having a broad store of facts
D)concern for others; being encyclopedic

Question 18

Schaie and Willis' reorganizational stage of cognitive development occurs in _____.

A)young adulthood
B)middle-adulthood
C)the young-old years
D)the oldest-old years

Question 19

The swan-song phenomenon refers to _______________.

A)an increase in formal knowledge over the adult lifespan
B)learning to "know how" rather than "know that" with increasing age
C)the fact that people develop expertise in the middle-adult years
D)a resurgence in creative output in the later years of many artists and composers

Question 20

Schaie proposed a stage model of cognitive/intellectual development.In the (reintegrative) stage,the main emphasis is on ______________.

A)acquiring many new skills and abilities
B)selectively focusing on tasks that are personally meaningful
C)being in charge and responsible for others
D)attaining a high level of achievement in many areas of cognitive functioning

Question 21

When making causal attributions for a social outcome,people in Asian cultures are more likely than people in Western cultures to make _________ attributions.

A)dispositional
B)situational
C)external
D)interactive

Question 22

Let's say you rent a movie and it turns out to be extremely boring and unlikely to get any more interesting but you continue watching it to the end anyhow.This is an example of _____________.

A)implicit wisdom
B)good numeracy
C)sunk-cost fallacy
D)compensatory thinking

Question 23

When they are required to make a decision about which prescription medication insurance plan to select,older adults usually prefer to have as large an array of choices as possible.

Question 24

Which strategy is most likely to be used by older adults to solve everyday dilemmas that are low in emotional significance?

A)Passive-dependent
B)Avoidant
C)Problem-focused
D)Cognitive-analytic

Question 25

According to a study conducted by Johnson,when making a decision about purchasing a car,older adults _______________.

A)use noncompensatory decision rules
B)use compensatory decision rules
C)use bottom-up decision rules
D)weigh and average all possible alternatives

Question 26

Prior to making a decision such as purchasing a car,young adults are ______________ to sum,weigh,and average all possible alternatives.

A)less likely than older adults are
B)equally likely compared to older adults
C)more likely than older adults are

Question 27

When left to their own devices to make a decision about selecting a physician and a health plan,older adults are more likely than young adults are to_________ before making a choice.

A)review both positive and negative information more extensively
B)review more positive information than negative information
C)concentrate on negative information,ignoring any positive information.
D)give up

Question 28

The fundamental attribution error refers to the common finding that when people make attributions for social outcomes involving others (targets),they overemphasize ________ factors.

A)situational
B)dispositional
C)external
D)interactive

Question 29

When making a decision about which breast cancer treatment a woman should select,older women were more likely than younger women to ________________.

A)collect as much new information as possible
B)make more comparisons between treatment alternatives
C)seek new information and integrate it with what they already know
D)make decisions quickly

Question 30

In studying perspective-taking about moral dilemmas,researchers found that younger adults are more likely than older adults to consider the perspective of all the characters involved.

Question 31

Older adults who serve as jurors in a complex civil trial are most likely to make evidence-based decisions and appropriate compensation awards to plaintiffs when the judge provides instructions explaining legal concepts _________________.

A)after they hear opening arguments and evidence
B)before they hear opening arguments and evidence
C)while they are hearing opening arguments and evidence

Question 32

When they are not required to justify their decisions,older adults are ________________ framing effects.

A)less influenced than young adults by
B)equally influenced compared to young adults by
C)more influenced than young adults by

Question 33

Compared to younger adults,older adults are ______ to use passive-dependent and avoidant strategies to solve dilemmas that are high in emotional salience.

A)more likely
B)less likely
C)equally likely

Question 34

In situations involving interpersonal conflict,older adults are _________ to respond emotionally.

A)less likely than younger adults are
B)more likely than younger adults are
C)equally likely compared to younger adults

Question 35

In a study on decisions about medical treatment,Turk-Charles et al.asked young and older adults attending an outpatient oncology clinic what information they used in deciding which cancer treatment to select.Which of the following most accurately describes what Turk-Charles et al.found?

A)The young adults sought information mainly from non-medical sources,whereas the older adults sought information mainly from medical sources.
B)The young adults sought out information mainly from medical sources,whereas the older adults sought information mainly from non-medical sources.
C)Both young and older adults sought information mainly from medical sources.
D)Both young and older adults sought information mainly from non-medical sources.

Question 36

Explain the difference between formal operations and postformal thinking.In which situation would each be most effective?

Question 37

In general,individuals who collaborate with others before making a final decision think about problems in more complex ways than those who do not collaborate before reaching a decision.

Question 38

In their expanded stage model of cognitive/intellectual development,Schaie and Willis include a reorganizational stage.When does this stage occur and what is the main motivation at this time?

Question 39

Older men take _________ to come to a decision about which treatment to select for prostate cancer.

A)more time than younger men do
B)less time than younger men do
C)the same amount of time as younger men do

Question 40

Compared to young perceivers,older perceivers place _______ on the diagnostic value of a target's behaviors.

A)greater weight
B)less weight
C)same amount of weight

Question 41

In research on decision making in a consumer context,individuals,asked to make choices about what to purchase,use either compensatory or noncompensatory decision rules.Define each of these and explain which kind of rules young and older adults are more likely to use.

Question 42

Wisdom is considered by researchers Glück and Bluck to be multidimensional.What are the two main dimensions of wisdom? Describe the developmental shift found by these researchers with regard to these two dimensions?

Question 43

When forming impressions of other people (targets),individuals (perceivers) can use category-based operations or piecemeal operations.Define each type of operation and describe which one is used more often by older adults.

Question 44

What is meant by collaborative cognitive activities and what is their utility for older adults?

Question 45

What types of causal attributions can people (perceivers) make for a positive or negative outcome experienced by another person (target) who has been faced with a social dilemma? Are there any age-related differences in the kind of attributions perceivers make?

Question 46

In medical decision making situations,patients diagnosed with a disease that can be treated in more than one way must often decide which treatment to select.What is the difference between a bottom-up processing strategy and a top-down processing strategy that the patient can use to make the decision? Which strategy is used more frequently by older adults?

Question 47

Explain the difference between formal knowledge and tacit knowledge.

Question 48

Define wisdom and explain what we know about the relationship between wisdom and age.

Question 49

People use various strategies when they are faced with dilemmas.When dilemmas that are high in emotional significance (such as handling conflicts between friends or family members),which type of strategy is most often used by older adults?