Deck 1: Studying Adult Development and Aging

Question 1

Meta-analysis allows researchers to synthesize the results of many studies to estimate relations between variables.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Discrimination against older people simply because they are older is called ageism.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Secondary aging refers to normal, disease-free development in adulthood.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Life-span perspective divides human development into an early phase and a later phase.

Question 5

Development is said to have plasticity when there is more than one path to successful aging.

Question 6

When one cannot determine which of two or more variables is responsible for an observed behavior or outcome, the results are said to be uncorrelated.

Question 7

Gerontology is the study of aging from maturity through old age.

Question 8

Informed consent involves gaining permission from the participant before collecting data and telling theparticipant about any potential risks and benefits.

Question 9

Reliability is an indication that a measure is actually assessing what it was designed to measure.

Question 10

Events are characterized as normative if they are important to the individual but do not happen to most people.

Question 11

In an experiment, which group receives the manipulation?

A) the control group
B) the experimental group
C) the sample
D) the population

Question 12

A cohort is a collection of people born in the same time period and/or who experience the same historical events.

Question 13

When a person is asked to write down their responses to a set of questions, this is called a questionnaire.

Question 14

A study in which participants answer questions on topics of interest is called:

A) Sequential design
B) Multidirectional testing
C) Plasticity testing
D) Self-reporting

Question 15

Intelligence and memory abilities are examples of your social age.

Question 16

An index variable is a variable that is used to represent the complex interrelated influences on people over time, such as chronological age.

Question 17

When participants begin but do not finish a longitudinal assessment or study, there may be a problem with dropout.

Question 18

Culture can be defined as shared basic value orientations, norms, beliefs, and customary habits, and ways of living.

Question 19

When a participant cannot give informed consent, such as in the case of a participant with advanced Alzheimer's disease, then a family member may give consent.

Question 20

In a case study, a single person is examined in great detail.

Question 21

The index of age that represents a person's intellectual, memory, or learning ability is called

A) biological age.
B) perceived age.
C) sociocultural age.
D) psychological age.

Question 22

Graduate student Patty Hope Davis wants to follow the 2017 class of medical school graduates across the first decade after their graduation. Which research design will Patty most likely use?

A) cross-sectional
B) longitudinal
C) time-lag
D) sequential

Question 23

A research design combines two or more cross-sectional designs.

A) cross-sequential
B) longitudinal
C) cross-sectional
D) longitudinal sequential

Question 24

The retiring from the world of work at age 35 is an example of a

A) normative age-graded event.
B) normative history-graded event.
C) normative individual-graded event.
D) nonnormative event.

Question 25

An example of a longitudinal-sequential design would be

A) measuring two cohorts of people over time.
B) measuring several cross sections of people once.
C) measuring multiple groups of same-aged people.
D) measuring one group of people over time.

Question 26

Testing people's fear of bridges shortly following a well-publicized bridge collapse might produce a(n)

A) age effect.
B) time-of-measurement effect.
C) practice effect.
D) cohort effect.

Question 27

Multidirectionality refers to

A) development and aging involving both decline and growth.
B) the ability to change and improve abilities over time and with development.
C) the fact that each of us is affected by a variety of factors, both positive and negative.
D) our differing cultural backgrounds.

Question 28

According to Schaie (1994), how can someone reduce the risk of cognitive decline in old age?

A) Remaining cognitively active through lifelong reading and learning.
B) Not treating cardiovascular and other chronic diseases in middle age.
C) Having a rigid and structured lifestyle in middle age.
D) Remaining unmarried throughout life.

Question 29

A relatively recent term that points to the complexities of understanding the concept of age is "emerging adulthood." Emerging adulthood is best understood as

A) the transition from working life to retired life.
B) the period of time from late adolescence until one's early to mid-20s.
C) the transition from early to late adolescence.
D) the period of time during which one's children leave home resulting in an "empty nest."

Question 30

In order to understand a newborn's future, we must simultaneously consider his or her inborn, hereditary characteristics, and the environmental influences. This is an example of which of the following controversies?

A) continuity-discontinuity
B) stability-change
C) longitudinal-sequential
D) nature-nurture

Question 31

Which of the following cannot be an independent variable?

A) drug dosage
B) use of memory aids
C) amount of sleep
D) age

Question 32

Which controversy is a derivative of the stability-change issue and examines whether development occurs as a smooth transition over time or as a series of abrupt shifts?

A) nature-nurture
B) quantitative-qualitative
C) continuity-discontinuity
D) heredity-environment

Question 33

In a design, groups of participants who vary in age are studied at one point in time.

A) cross-sectional
B) longitudinal
C) cross-sequential
D) longitudinal-sequential

Question 34

Age changes are studied most effectively using a design.

A) cross-sectional
B) longitudinal
C) time-lag
D) sequential

Question 35

A researcher decides to investigate whether there are any significant changes in personality from early adulthood through late adulthood. The researcher begins with a sample of 21-year-olds and plans to follow this group until they are 80 years old. The type of research design is

A) cross-sectional.
B) longitudinal.
C) time-lag.
D) sequential.

Question 36

The belief that one's capacity can be learned or improved with practice is called

A) age effects.
B) plasticity.
C) incontinuity.
D) instability.

Question 37

If the surviving participants in the last wave of testing in a longitudinal study on health and aging are those who initially had the lowest blood pressures, then we have a case of

A) negative selective survival.
B) positive selective survival.
C) elective selective survival.
D) equally selective survival.

Question 38

In a design, one group of participants is studied repeatedly over a period of time.

A) cross-sectional
B) longitudinal
C) cross-sequential
D) longitudinal-sequential

Question 39

Correlations can range from -1.0 to 1.0, reflecting three different types of relations between study time and number of grocery items from a list that are remembered. Which of the following statement satisfies the condition "r = 0"?

A) Study time has no relation to remembering grocery items from a list.
B) As study time increases (or decreases), the number of grocery items remembered also increases (or decreases).
C) When study time increases (or decreases), the number of grocery items remembered decreases (or increases).
D) Study time has relation to remembering items from the list.

Question 40

The age at which one begins their first marriage or retires from a career are

A) normative age-graded events.
B) normative history-graded events.
C) normative individual-graded events.
D) nonnormative events.

Question 41

Professional organizations and government agencies adhere to ethical codes such as 'Minimize risks to research participants' which will specify the rights of research participants and procedures. What does "Minimize risks to research participants" mean?

A) Have the least potential for causing harm or stress.
B) During the research, do not seek to avoid any unforeseen stress or harm.
C) Have the substantial potential for causing harm or stress and proceed with the research regardless.
D) None of these

Question 42

Dr. Faith Brook wants to survey young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults on their use of social media. Which research design is Dr. Brook likely to use?

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

Question 43

A resident of an assisted living center experiencing a marked decline in intellectual abilities in the years directly preceding death, known as terminal drop, is an example of which type of aging?

A) primary
B) secondary
C) tertiary
D) biopsychosocial

Question 44

Meta-analysis is ____________ .

A) a powerful tool as it allows scientists to determine whether a finding generalizes a study.
B) a powerful tool as it allows people to determine whether a finding generalizes across many studies that used different methods.
C) a confusing tool that does not allow people to determine whether a finding generalizes a study.
D) None of these

Question 45

The main question with the sampling behavior approach is its

A) observability.
B) reliability.
C) specificity.
D) validity.

Question 46

Which of the following factors may encourage participants to participate in the research?

A) participants must be told the purpose of the project.
B) participants must be warned about potential risks or harm.
C) participants must be told whether they are free to discontinue participation at any time without penalty.
D) All of these

Question 47

If a study concludes that increases in yoga pants purchases are correlated with increases in brain functioning in older adults, what can we assume to be suggested by the study?

A) The increased yoga pants purchases caused an increase in brain functioning.
B) The two variables are unrelated.
C) The variables are positively related or correlated.
D) The two variables are inversely or negatively correlated.

Question 48

Confounding refers to:

A) any situation in which one cannot determine which of two or more effects is responsible for the behaviors being observed.
B) any situation in which one can determine which of two or more effects is responsible for the behaviors being observed.
C) any situation in which one cannot determine the behaviors being observed.
D) effects that are responsible for the behaviors being observed.

Question 49

Which of the following is a nonnormative influence on behavior?

A) when one's first marriage occurs
B) being a "baby boomer"
C) having a child
D) surviving a natural disaster

Question 50

Population trends in the United States, specifically the continuing rise in the number of elderly people, are

A) unique and specific to the United States.
B) not unique because the population of elderly persons is increasing in most parts of the world.
C) also seen in Africa but not elsewhere in the world.
D) also seen in Europe but not elsewhere in the world.

Question 51

If we consider whether personality in young adulthood predicts personality in late adulthood, we are concerned with which of the following controversies or issues?

A) nature-nurture
B) stability-change
C) continuity-discontinuity
D) quantitative-quantitative

Question 52

Gerontology is

A) the same thing as ageism.
B) the study of prejudice and discrimination toward the elderly.
C) the study of aging.
D) the study of how chronic illnesses progress over time.

Question 53

You are conducting a study on adult development and aging. Your sample is 25 middle-class European Americans. This brings into question whether your sample is

A) representative of the larger population.
B) assessed using reliable measures.
C) biased in their results because they rely on naturalistic observation as opposed to experimental design.
D) biased in their self-reports.

Question 54

A commonly used design in adult development and aging research is the extreme age design ("young" vs "old"). Which of the following is a limitation of this type of study?

A) the samples are not representative and may not generalize
B) the measures may not mean the same thing across age groups and may not be valid
C) age is not treated as a continuous variable
D) all of these are correct

Question 55

Even if age is positively correlated with speed of cognitive processing, we cannot conclude that age "caused" this increase because

A) response speed is not usually affected by age.
B) age normally causes a decrease in cognitive speed.
C) only experimental studies can demonstrate cause and effect relationships.
D) only correlational studies can demonstrate cause and effect relationships.

Question 56

Plasticity refers to

A) development and aging involving both decline and growth.
B) the ability to change and improve abilities over time and with development.
C) the fact that each of us is affected by a variety of factors, both positive and negative.
D) our differing cultural backgrounds.

Question 57

How much of one's development is influenced by heredity and how much is influenced by experience is referred to as the

A) nature-nurture controversy.
B) continuity-discontinuity controversy.
C) stability-change controversy.
D) universal versus context-specific controversy.

Question 58

The uniforms for a fast food franchise are designed to fit young adults comfortably. This practice is known as

A) contextualism.
B) socialization.
C) ageism.
D) dysthmia.

Question 59

As people age, the speed at which they react decreases. This phenomenon is cited in your textbook as an example of

A) continuity.
B) universality.
C) plasticity.
D) a cohort effect.

Question 60

Denise is 51-years-old. However, posting selfies in a bungie jumping harness to her social media page made her feel much younger than her 51 years. The two types of age described here are

A) sociocultural and biological.
B) chronological and perceived.
C) perceived and biological.
D) chronological and biological.

Question 61

While going through her late 40s and early 50s a woman is experiencing menopause. This is an example of a(n)

A) age effect.
B) time-of-measurement effect.
C) practice effect.
D) cohort effect.

Question 62

All of the following are historical terms referring to Americans of African ancestry except:

A) Caucasian
B) Colored people
C) Negroes
D) Black Americans

Question 63

Name the type of investigation design invented by K. Warner Schaie.

A) Sequential design
B) Parallel design
C) Disordered design
D) None of these

Question 64

Dr. Grey, a gerontologist, is intensely studying one individual who has shown a remarkable lessening of Alzheimer's symptoms after taking a new drug. This reversal has never before been observed in other individuals. This research design is known as a(n)

A) experiment.
B) correlational study.
C) case study.
D) unethical research method.

Question 65

Developmental researchers are interested in understanding

A) how people change over time.
B) age-related changes.
C) age-related differences or variations.
D) all of these are correct.

Question 66

In this type of sequential design, cohort and time-of-measurement effects are examined.

A) cross-sequential
B) time-sequential
C) time-lag sequential
D) longitudinal-sequential

Question 67

If the spring semester class of adulthood and aging students filled out questionnaires regarding stereotypes about aging people, the class would be a

A) population of people.
B) sample of people.
C) independent variable.
D) dependent variable.

Question 68

One of the perspectives of life-span development is that people develop within a certain set of circumstances that are determined by the culture in which they were born. This perspective is called:

A) Plasticity
B) Multidirectionalism
C) Historical context
D) Multiple causation

Question 69

What is the time frame of testing participants in Schaie's sequential design?

A) Three years
B) Five years
C) Seven years
D) One year

Question 70

A developmental psychologist wants to survey several cohorts of people aged 60-years-old to get their opinions concerning Medicare . Which research design is best suited to this task?

A) cross-sequential
B) longitudinal-sequential
C) microgenetic
D) cross-sectional

Question 71

The career development center at a local university wants to know what will happen to the 2015, 2020, and 2025 classes of gerontology graduates during the decade following their graduation. Which research design will the center most likely use?

A) cross-sequential
B) longitudinal
C) time-lag
D) longitudinal-sequential

Question 72

A study of 70-year-olds finds that they are more likely to vacation in January than younger individuals. What can be concluded?

A) Increased age caused participants to vacation more.
B) Sex of participant is a confounding variable.
C) Since age and cohort are confounding variables, it is not possible to determine whether increased vacations in January are due to age or historical time in which one lived.
D) Time of measurement is a confounding variable.

Question 73

Understanding that development is shaped by biological, psychological, sociocultural, and life-cycle forces defines which feature of the life-span perspective?

A) multidirectionality
B) plasticity
C) historical context
D) multiple causation

Question 74

The procedures used in research to ensure that participants are treated fairly and with care are known as

A) ethical principles.
B) psychological principles.
C) psychometrics.
D) debriefing.

Question 75

Developmental changes that are related to disease, lifestyle, and other environmental factors that are not inevitable are termed

A) primary aging.
B) secondary aging.
C) tertiary aging.
D) holistic aging.

Question 76

As a human resources director, you are only scheduling interviews with applicants under age 60. This is an example of

A) ageism.
B) gerontology.
C) life-span perspective.
D) age effects.

Question 77

Relative to the population of older European Americans, the number of older ethnic Americans is

A) decreasing.
B) increasing.
C) similar.
D) decreasing among women, while increasing among men.

Question 78

Which of the following is not a characteristic of cross-sectional research?

A) multiple age groups
B) multiple cohorts
C) repeated observations
D) single time-of-measurement

Question 79

Loss of memory due to Alzheimer's disease is an example of

A) primary aging.
B) secondary aging.
C) tertiary aging.
D) quaternary aging.

Question 80

Together with life-cycle forces, the __________________________ provides a complete overview of the shapers of human development.

A) context-specific approach
B) internal perceptions scaffold
C) biopsychosocial framework
D) genetic forces model