Deck 1: Studying Adult Development and Aging

Question 1

Normative age-graded influences are events that

A)are unique to each person.
B)occur at a specific age for each person.
C)generally occur around the same age for most people.
D)rarely occur to any individual.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Which of the following statements is true regarding the population in the United States?

A)The fastest growing segment of the U.S.population is the over-85 group.
B)There are more men than women in all segments of the elderly population.
C)The baby boomers are the smallest cohort of individuals ever to reach old age.
D)By 2050, the population distribution in the United States will resemble the shape of a rectangle.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

A key premise of the life-span perspective is that

A)biological changes are the most important.
B)events that happen in old age are more important than earlier experiences.
C)social changes are the most important.
D)aging is a lifelong process that begins at conception and ends at death.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

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 5

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 6

Which of the following is an example of a normative age-graded influence on development?

A)learning to drive a car
B)living during the Great Depression
C)winning the lottery
D)contracting AIDS

Question 7

Menopause is an example of which force of development?

A)life-cycle forces
B)psychological forces
C)biological forces
D)histological forces

Question 8

The "sexual revolution" in the 1960s is an example of a

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

Question 9

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 10

Normative history-graded influences are events that

A)are unique to each person.
B)occur at a specific age for each person.
C)generally occur around the same age for most people.
D)often give a generation its unique identity.

Question 11

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)winning the lottery

Question 12

The cohort of individuals born between the years 1946 and 1964 are, on average,

A)the most active and healthiest generation to reach old age in history.
B)most likely to be unemployed during the retirement years.
C)more likely to experience ageism than any other cohort in history.
D)most likely to be in poor health in older age.

Question 13

Gerontology is

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

Question 14

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 15

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 16

The age at which one gets married 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 17

Dismissing an older person's account of their physical aches and pains by saying "What do you expect for someone your age?" is a form of

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

Question 18

Characteristics that make us individuals, such as one's personality, are the result of

A)life-cycle forces.
B)psychological forces.
C)biological forces.
D)histological forces.

Question 19

The death of a spouse at age 25 is an example of a

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

Question 20

A manager of a department store tries to avoid hiring people over the age of 65 because he believes they cannot handle the stress and that they take longer to learn the job than people who are younger.The belief of the manager is known as

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

Question 21

Measuring the functioning of various vital or life-limiting systems, such as the cardiovascular system, is an assessment of

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

Question 22

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 23

Understanding the cultural and ethnic differences between African American and European American family structures falls under which controversy?

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

Question 24

Structured observations differ from naturalistic observations in that they

A)use correlations to assess the strength and direction of a relationship.
B)create a situation that is likely to elicit the behavior of choice.
C)sample behaviors of interest in everyday situations.
D)manipulate independent variables to see the effects on dependent variables.

Question 25

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 26

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 27

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 28

Some forms of Alzheimer's disease are linked to genetics.However, whether one experiences Alzheimer's, and how the disease might progress, is thought to be influenced by one's environment.This example expresses which of the following controversies?

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

Question 29

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 30

Normative age-related developmental changes, such as the slowing of one's reaction time and the loss of family members and friends, are considered

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

Question 31

is extremely important in gerontology because it shapes how people define core concepts such as age, old age, and normative life course.

A)The age of the individual
B)Ethnicity
C)Culture
D)Socialization

Question 32

If you are using a questionnaire to assess memory in older individuals, and each time you administer the questionnaire it produces different results, it can then be said that the measure has low

A)representativeness.
B)utility.
C)validity.
D)reliability.

Question 33

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 34

Denise is 51-years-old.However, learning how to ride her son's skateboard yesterday 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 35

A relatively recent term that points to the complexities of understanding the concept of age is "emerging adulthood." Emerging adulthood can best be 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 36

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 37

Terminal drop, in which intellectual abilities show a marked decline in the years directly preceding death, is an example of which type of aging?

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

Question 38

The degree to which a questionnaire measures what it is supposed to measure is an indication of its

A)representativeness.
B)utility.
C)validity.
D)reliability.

Question 39

involves a rapid loss that occurs just before death.

A)Primary aging
B)Secondary aging
C)Tertiary aging
D)Pathological aging

Question 40

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 41

Most studies in adult development and aging have been conducted on middle-class European Americans.This brings into question whether these types of samples are

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 42

Manipulation is a fundamental component of

A)correlational techniques.
B)naturalistic inquiry.
C)observation.
D)experimentation.

Question 43

Dr.Geri Atrics wants to survey people ages 21- and 90-years-old to get their opinions concerning Social Security.Which research design is Dr.Atrics most likely to use?

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

Question 44

Which variables are manipulated by the researcher(s) in an experiment?

A)dependent variables
B)independent variables
C)codependent variables
D)confounding variables

Question 45

The term used to refer to a group of people who experience the same event or were born during the same time period is

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

Question 46

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 47

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 48

A research design that seeks to determine the nature of the relationship between two variables, such as a healthy diet and the prevalence of health issues in old age, is called a(n)

A)self-report study.
B)observational study.
C)experiment.
D)correlational study.

Question 49

In an experiment, which group receives the manipulation?

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

Question 50

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.

Question 51

Questionnaires and interviews are examples of techniques.

A)observational
B)correlational
C)sampling
D)self-report

Question 52

If a study concludes that increases in aerobic exercise are correlated with increases in brain functioning in older adults, what can we assume to be true?

A)The increased exercise 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 53

Dr.Black is a gerontologist.She 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 54

Dr.Geron Tology wants to survey young adults, middle-aged adults, and older adults on their physical health.Which research design is Dr.Tology most likely to use?

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

Question 55

Testing people's fear of flying shortly following a well-publicized major airplane crash might produce a(n)

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

Question 56

Which of the following cannot be an independent variable?

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

Question 57

A woman experiencing symptoms of menopause in her late 40s and early 50s is an example of a(n)

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

Question 58

The reason that most research on aging is not truly experimental is because

A)age cannot be measured accurately in most people.
B)most statistical techniques are not able to use age as a variable.
C)age cannot be manipulated, so it cannot be an independent variable.
D)it is hard to get large enough samples to represent different age groups.

Question 59

Being born in the year 2000 is a variable that could produce a(n)

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

Question 60

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 61

If participants at the end of a longitudinal study tend to be those who were initially higher on some variable, then we have a case of

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

Question 62

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 63

Dr.D.Termined wants to follow the 2010 class of gerontology graduates across the decade after their graduation.Which research design will Dr.Termined most likely use?

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

Question 64

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 65

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)time-lag
D)cross-sectional

Question 66

Practice effects are a major problem with .

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

Question 67

The career development center at a local university wants to know what will happen to the 2010, 2015, and 2020 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 68

Describe the four main factors in Baltes' life­span perspective.

Question 69

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 70

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

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

Question 71

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 72

Age changes are studied most effectively using a design.

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

Question 73

Describe the relationship between stereotypes of aging and the practice of ageism.Include a definition and an example of each term.

Question 74

A researcher decides to investigate whether there are any significant changes in IQ scores 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 75

Children in a daycare setting, ages 6-months to18-months of age, are participating in a study examining the development of gross and fine motor skills.They are tested each week so that the researchers can observe their progress as it occurs.This type of study is known as

A)an experiment
B)a microgenetic study
C)a macrogenetic study
D)a cohort study

Question 76

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

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

Question 77

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 78

You recently read a study in which the researchers concluded that after age 60, women's IQs drop dramatically.This conclusion was based upon comparisons of women born between 1910-1930 and women born between 1960- 1980.Based upon this information, the comment you would most likely make is

A)this is not a valid result because men were not included in the study.
B)longitudinal research doesn't work well when looking at IQ over time.
C)cohort effects likely account for the observed differences.
D)whoever conducted this study is negatively biased against older women.

Question 79

A commonly used design in adult development and aging research is the extreme age design ("young" versus "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

Question 80

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