Deck 7: Life Course Theory

Question 1

What is the focus of life course theory?

A) a theory of changing cognitive capacities and reasoning from infancy through adulthood
B) a framework for understanding and explaining how changing societal conditions and social forces influence development through life
C) a theory of emerging close and more remote social relationships and related social skills
D) a framework for accounting for the formation of habits and learned behaviors based on patterns of reinforcement

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Glen Elder's thinking about life course development was influenced by his study of longitudinal data from the Berkeley Guidance study and the Oakland Growth study. These data provided insights into which of the following ideas?

A) intergenerational transmission of values
B) multiple pathways or trajectories from childhood to adulthood
C) the impact of historical events on specific cohorts
D) all of the above

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which idea reflects the impact of historical time on development?

A) changes in educational opportunities from one historical period to another
B) changes in the national policy from a military based on the draft to a volunteer army
C) the onset of menopause during the 5^th decade of life
D) both A and B

Answer 3

D

Question 4

The concept of ______ reflects the idea that people make choices that become building blocks of their life course trajectories and transition?

A) agency
B) regression
C) social clock
D) role reversal

Question 5

When people say that they are too young to retire or too old to go back to school, they are reflecting norms and expectations associated with which of the following ideas?

A) social support
B) social clock
C) social welfare
D) social gatherings

Question 6

Which statement about role sequencing is true?

A) people who conform to the norms for role sequencing experience greater happiness
B) people who conform to the norms for role sequencing experience more depression
C) people who conform to the norms for role sequencing typically live longer
D) people who conform to the norms for role sequencing have larger families than those who do not conform

Question 7

When parents experience economic strain, they may become more irritable and depressed. This can disrupt their marital relationship and result in harsh parenting or withdrawal from parenting, which have negative consequences for young children. This is an example of which principle in life course theory?

A) transcendence
B) social clock
C) linked lives
D) role loss

Question 8

According to the life course theory, under conditions of crisis or critical transition, the person's most prominent personality characteristics and coping strategies will be ___________?

A) accentuated
B) abandoned
C) disorganized
D) transformed into new, more creative behaviors

Question 9

Which of the following is a benefit of longitudinal research within the life course framework?

A) assessing changes in life trajectories before and after political turmoil
B) evaluating the impact of natural disasters on subsequent life trajectories
C) understanding the long-term accumulation of advantage and disadvantage on health
D) all of the above

Question 10

Principles of the timing of events and the concept of linked lives are having specific application in which of the following fields?

A) maternal and child health
B) smoking cessation initiatives
C) the development of the core curriculum in education
D) recreational resources in urban areas

Question 11

Which of the following terms refers to unique life events that may result in significant reorganization or reframing of one's life trajectory?

A) control principles
B) age norms
C) turning points
D) life stages

Question 12

What life course principle was illustrated in the research on work-family trade-offs?

A) social norms change with historical periods
B) people make decisions, choosing among the opportunities available to them during their time in history
C) making work-family trade-offs is never historically valued
D) both A and B

Question 13

In the study of work-family trade-offs, which historical trends were observed?

A) fewer women than men made work-family trade-offs at every period
B) making work-family trade-offs was associated with more self-acceptance for men in recent times, but less self-acceptance in earlier times
C) regardless of historical period, women always have higher self-acceptance when they make work-family trade-offs.
D) younger generations are influenced in their decision about making work-family trade-offs by what their parents did

Question 14

In the application of life course theory to the study of criminal behavior, three causal mechanisms were identifie? social controls, routine activities, and _______?

A) human agency
B) imprisonment
C) age norms
D) accentuation principle

Question 15

Based on the research by Sampson and Laub, which of the following statements about the life course trajectory of criminal behavior is true?

A) those who persisted in criminal activity from childhood into adulthood had no sense of choice or agency in their decisions
B) despite exposure to a destabilizing early childhood, certain social controls in adulthood were effective in supporting young men to disengage from criminal activity
C) the social bonds formed through marriage or military service were never adequate to support young men in abandoning their criminal behaviors if they had an early exposure to delinquency and delinquent friends
D) Sampson and Laub found that the trajectory of criminal or non-criminal behavior could be predicted based on knowing the age of the boys' parents at the child's conception

Question 16

According to life course theory, what factors place individuals at risk for developmental outcomes?

A) being off-time or early entry into social roles
B) the stage of life when critical life events occur
C) events that threaten a sense of personal control
D) all of the above

Question 17

Which of the following is considered a strength of life course theory?

A) it increases awareness of the relevance of the historical context in the study of development
B) it highlights the process through which unacceptable impulses are repressed
C) it gives particular emphasis to experiences of early infancy as central to the formation of adult relationships
D) it accounts for the way experiences with novelty alter cognition

Question 18

Which of the following is considered a weakness of life course theory?

A) a lack of consideration for the timing of events and their impact on work and family trajectories
B) a limited framework for predicting which aspects of development are most likely to be vulnerable to social change at particular stages of life
C) lack of attention to the concept of agency as a factor that influences the direction of change
D) over-reliance on experimental studies that do not generalize well to real-world conditions

Question 19

Explain the life stage principle in life course theory. Using Stewart and Healy's model, give an example of how the same historical event might have a different impact on people depending on whether it occurs during their childhood, adolescence, or adulthood.

Question 20

Review the model of research on work-family trade-offs presented in the chapter. What are some changes in the norms about education, work, marriage, and parenting for men and women born in the period 1980?90 that might influence their decisions about how to coordinate work and family roles?

Question 21

Consider the technical advances in social media in the last ten years. According to life course theory, how would you structure a study of the impact of these advances on people at different stages of life?

Question 22

Explain the idea of linked lives. How does life course theory contribute to an understanding of how events that impact parents or grandparents might also influence the developmental trajectory of children? Give two examples.

Question 23

Compare and contrast the view of the environment in the three theories presented in Part I? Learning Theories, Social Role theory, and Life Course Theory.