Deck 15: Socioemotional Development in Late Adulthood

Question 1

Sociologist Irving Rozow described older adulthood as a "roleless role," meaning that

A) older adults have an unstable, flexible personality.
B) older adults are an unproductive part of society.
C) people at this stage of life do not have role models.
D) people at this stage of life have no specific goals to achieve.

Answer 1

people at this stage of life have no specific goals to achieve.

Question 2

The developmental tasks of later life are determined more by _____than by_____ .

A) biological and personal needs; social norms
B) evolutionary processes; cultural traditions
C) cultural traditions; evolutionary processes
D) social norms; biological and personal needs

Answer 2

biological and personal needs; social norms

Question 3

The personal needs that determine the developmental tasks of late adulthood stem from

A) an awareness that one's time is limited.
B) cultural standards.
C) physical declines.
D) societal expectations.

Answer 3

an awareness that one's time is limited.

Question 4

In late adulthood, one's developmental tasks are most likely to include

A) adapting to physical declines.
B) establishing new friendships.
C) maintaining finances in good order.
D) contributing to one's community.

Question 5

Professor Singh's lecture concerned the life tasks, optimal timing, and relevant developmental processes of late adulthood. Accordingly, the lecture was titled

A) Evaluating the Viability of Remaining Life Goals When Life No Longer Seems Limitless.
B) Engaging in Emotionally Meaningful Activities and Deriving Feelings of Integrity from Past Life Experiences.
C) Preserving Gains Achieved in Pursuing Life Goals as Life's End First Appears on the Horizon.
D) Testing New Roles in an Expansive Time Frame.

Question 6

According to Erikson, the psychosocial challenge of late adulthood is

A) generativity vs. stagnation.
B) integrity vs. despair.
C) intimacy vs. isolation.
D) initiative vs. guilt

Question 7

Which of the following older adults appears to have achieved a sense of integrity about his or her life?

A) Alyson, who is angry and embarrassed that she can't see or hear very well, has trouble walking, and consequently avoids being with others
B) Duane, who concedes that he made a lot of mistakes along the way, including a year spent in jail, but is determined to enjoy the time he has left and not look back
C) Randolph, who loved the direction his life was taking until his wife died suddenly and left him in despair
D) Tatiana, who had a long nursing career but still, after all these years, deeply regrets never having followed her dream to become a ballerina

Question 8

Patricia's husband of 50 years recently asked her for a divorce, saying that he had fallen in love with her best friend and they will be cohabiting. Ashamed and angry, Patricia has become a virtual hermit, sitting at home, ignoring the telephone, and spending much of her time crying about all the mistakes that she made in her life. Erikson would characterize Patricia's emotional state as

A) despair.
B) despondency.
C) depression.
D) denial

Question 9

In a study of the personal goals of people aged 17-82 (Sheldon & Kasser, 2001), older adults were much more likely than younger participants to describe goals that reflected

A) initiative and autonomy.
B) generativity and integrity.
C) identity and intimacy.
D) purpose and industry.

Question 10

For older adults, engaging in life review is associated with all of the following except

A) finding solutions to problems they couldn't previously solve.
B) helping them understand others' motives.
C) enhancing their memory functioning.
D) interfering with their social interaction.

Question 11

Nineteen-year-old Gwen and her grandma Minnie are both engaging in life review. For Gwen, the process is likely to help her to_____, whereas for Minnie, the process is likely to help her_____

A) balance life goals and commitments; consider how to handle life's problems
B) accept and find meaning in her life; solidify her identity
C) consider how to handle life's problems; accept and find meaning in her life
D) solidify her identity; balance life goals and commitments

Question 12

In young adulthood, the process of developmental regulation that is particularly important is_____ In late adulthood, it is_____ .

A) compensation; optimization
B) optimization; selection
C) selection; compensation
D) compensation; selection

Question 13

After he lost most of his hearing, Felix used compensation when he

A) turned his better ear in the direction of whoever was speaking.
B) asked his grandson to raise his voice and speak more slowly.
C) started reading more books instead of watching TV.
D) stopped going to symphony concerts.

Question 14

As people age, their social networks become _____ and the total time they spend interacting with others _____.

A) larger; decreases
B) larger; increases
C) smaller; decreases
D) smaller; increases

Question 15

According to disengagement theory, older adults' social networks shrink because

A) an ageist society rejects older people and regards them as useless.
B) personality changes make older people unpleasant company.
C) motives that caused them to interact with some people are no longer valid.
D) they prefer to spend time alone reflecting on their lives.

Question 16

Which theory explains older adults' reduced social network as being due to our ageist society?

A) Activity theory
B) Disengagement theory
C) Socioemotional selectivity theory
D) The theory of selective optimization with compensation

Question 17

According to socioemotional selectivity theory, older adults' social network is reduced because

A) their motives for interaction with others are reduced.
B) our ageist society rejects or distances them.
C) this is a time for them to turn inward and reflect on their lives.
D) in old age, personalities change and people become antisocial.

Question 18

For the past 20 years, Brett, the president of a small toy company, used to meet with two other people in the business once a month to have a few drinks, eat a good meal, and discuss new toy trends. Now that he's retired, he stopped meeting with them. Which theory best accounts for Brett's shrinking social network?

A) Activity theory
B) Disengagement theory
C) The theory of selective optimization with compensation
D) Socioemotional selectivity theory

Question 19

Typically, older adults prefer to interact with

A) anyone who happens to cross their path.
B) family members only.
C) peers only.
D) very close friends and family members only.

Question 20

At the retirement community, almost everyone signed up for art and cooking classes, lectures, concerts, and bus trips to the local casino. One exception was Herbert. When asked about it, he said, "I just want to spend as much time as I can doing the one thing I enjoy the most, playing golf." Herbert's reasoning exemplifies which process of developmental regulation?

A) Compensation
B) Generativity
C) Optimization
D) Selection

Question 21

Which of the following is true regarding marital status among elderly people?

A) Among the young-old, married women outnumber married men, but the reverse is true among the old-old.
B) There are equal numbers of married men and married women among the young-old and the old-old.
C) Married men outnumber married women, but the gap narrows as they age from being young-old to being old-old.
D) Married men outnumber married women, and the gap widens as they age from being young-old to being old-old.

Question 22

Compared to middle-aged adults, when married older adults disagree, they tend to be

A) less humorous
B) less forgiving.
C) more affectionate
D) more hostile.

Question 23

Research suggests that later-life marriages are characterized by less discord because

A) after many years together, people learn to get along.
B) older people just don't have the energy to argue.
C) older adults are better able to control their negative emotions.
D) older adults have fewer serious issues to argue about.

Question 24

Why are women more likely than men to be taking care of an ill spouse?

A) Because they are more caring
B) Because they tend to have older spouses
C) Because they are more skilled at it from having raised children
D) Because they are less likely to be able to pay someone else to do it

Question 25

Divorce is_____Common in late adulthood than in middle adulthood, and rates of divorce among older adults have been____in recent decades.

A) less; declining
B) less; rising
C) more; declining
D) more; rising

Question 26

Seventy-eight-year-old Seymour and his wife Gladys are about to get a divorce after 53 years of marriage. Consequently, their adult children will likely feel a(n)____sense of obligation to them and will remain closer to ____.

A) decreased; Seymour
B) decreased; Gladys
C) increased; Seymour
D) increased; Gladys

Question 27

One finding of the CLOC (the Changing Lives of Older Couples) study was that

A) many older people adapt to the death of a spouse without long-term distress.
B) older people who show no signs of depression following the death of a spouse are in denial.
C) most people become depressed after the death of a spouse and remain so for a long time.
D) the duration and intensity of grief experienced as a result of widowhood is predictable and unvaried.

Question 28

Compared to older women, older men who are widowed tend to be

A) less depressed.
B) less likely to remarry.
C) more at a risk of dying.
D) healthier.

Question 29

Widowed men tend to fare less well than widowed women for all of the following reasons except

A) their financial resources are more likely to decline.
B) they are less able to manage a household by themselves.
C) they don't take care of their health.
D) their social networks are smaller.

Question 30

In the United States, approximately____percent of older widowed women and____Percent of older widowed men eventually remarry.

A) 2; 2
B) 2; 20
C) 20; 2
D) 20; 20

Question 31

One reason that widowed older men are much more likely to remarry than widowed older women is that widowed women

A) are sometimes wary of having to take care of an ill spouse in the near future.
B) are by nature less needy of emotional support.
C) tend to be in poorer health and are reluctant to inflict their problems on another.
D) tend to be better off financially and so are better able to manage by themselves.

Question 32

In 1960, approximately 10,000 people over the age of 60 were cohabiting. By 2000, that number rose to

A) 20,000.
B) 50,000.
C) 100,000.
D) 500,000.

Question 33

Seventy-year-old Brie and 69-year-old Henry met at a church social and after dating for a couple of weeks established a committed relationship. Because both had been long-time widowed and relish their independence and freedom from obligations, they are most likely to favor which type of living arrangement?

A) Cohabitation
B) Living separately
C) Living apart together
D) Traditional marriage

Question 34

Approximately how many older adults in the United States are homosexual?

A) 20,000
B) 100,000
C) 500,000
D) 2 million

Question 35

Older gay and lesbian couples have an easier time adapting to retirement than heterosexual couples because they

A) have better family support systems.
B) have greater gender role flexibility.
C) have stronger bonds of intimacy, support, and companionship.
D) are more creative at finding ways to occupy their leisure time.

Question 36

The loneliest age group is____, and the least lonely age group is____.

A) middle-aged adults; older adults
B) older adults; middle-aged adults
C) older adults; young adults
D) young adults; older adults

Question 37

One thing that's true about the bean-pole family structure is that it

A) is made up of a single generation.
B) is partially due to an increase in life expectancy.
C) includes many family members within the same age group.
D) is more common when there is a large birthrate.

Question 38

The Smith family now has a bean-pole structure that it did not have a few decades ago. Knowing that, you can predict that which of the following is true?

A) Smith family relationships tend to last less time these days than they did in earlier times.
B) The Smith family is more diverse now than it was in earlier times.
C) There are fewer older members in the Smith family today than there were in earlier times.
D) There are more siblings to share in the care of the older generation than there were in earlier times.

Question 39

The alienation myth states that older adults today are

A) more likely to get divorced.
B) less likely to have friends.
C) more likely to have their own peer culture.
D) less likely to live with their children and grandchildren.

Question 40

Which of the following statements is true and therefore shows the alienation myth to be just that, a myth?

A) Older adults today are more likely to have grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
B) Larger numbers of older adults lived in multigenerational households in past eras.
C) Older adults today are not likely to have frequent contact with their adult children.
D) Most older adults prefer to live with their children, but the children prefer they live elsewhere.

Question 41

"Intimacy at a distance" reflects older adults' preference to

A) see their grandchildren only on rare occasions.
B) live near their adult children but not with them.
C) be in a committed romantic relationship while maintaining separate living quarters.
D) interact with friends via e-mail instead of face-to-face.

Question 42

The majority of older adults describe their relationship with their adult children as____, and most adult children describe their relationship with their elderly parents as____.

A) close; distant
B) distant; distant
C) close; close
D) distant; close

Question 43

The closest parent-child relationships of the elderly appear to be between

A) fathers and daughters.
B) fathers and sons.
C) mothers and daughters.
D) mothers and sons.

Question 44

Consistent with the generational stake,

A) Joanna loved her mother more than her mother realized.
B) Joanna's mother thought their relationship was closer than Joanna thought it was.
C) Joanna's mother loved her, but Joanna didn't feel much love for her mother.
D) Joanna confided in her mother, but her mother didn't reciprocate.

Question 45

According to the norm of filial responsibility,

A) brothers and sisters should take care of each other.
B) children should take care of their elderly parents.
C) parents should take care of their children.
D) good friends should take care of each other.

Question 46

What is the main reason that elderly mothers tend to receive more intergenerational support than elderly fathers?

A) Because children tend to love their mothers better than their fathers
B) Because mothers tend to ask for help and fathers tend not to
C) Because mothers tend to invest more time when children are young
D) Because mothers tend to be more needy than fathers

Question 47

In general, the interaction between grandparents and their adult grandchildren can be characterized as which of the following?

A) Frequent and affectionate
B) Frequent but perfunctory
C) Infrequent but affectionate
D) Infrequent and perfunctory

Question 48

When it comes to the relationships between grandparents and their adult grandchildren, which of the following is true?

A) The grandchildren tend to be closer to grandfathers than to grandmothers.
B) Grandchildren tend to be just as close to step-grandparents as to biological grandparents.
C) The more affectionate the relationship was when the grandchildren were small, the more affectionate it is likely to be when they're grown.
D) As the grandchildren grow up and become adults, intergenerational contact becomes more frequent.

Question 49

The metaphor of an hourglass is used to describe lifelong relationships between

A) mothers and daughters.
B) grandparents and grandchildren.
C) parents and children.
D) siblings.

Question 50

Research has found a link between greater emotional health in late adulthood and having a close relationship with a

A) sister, for both men and women.
B) brother, for both men and women.
C) brother, but only for men.
D) sister, but only for women.

Question 51

Approximately what percentage of elder abuse is perpetrated by family members?

A) 12
B) 35
C) 67
D) 94

Question 52

The largest single expenditure in the federal budget today involves

A) national defense.
B) Medicare.
C) education.
D) social security.

Question 53

Between 1950 and 1990, the number of workers over the age of 65

A) decreased from 50 to 16 percent.
B) increased from 16 to 50 percent.
C) decreased from 16 percent to 5 percent.
D) increased from 5 percent to 16 percent.

Question 54

Which of the following people faces mandatory retirement?

A) Beth, a lawyer
B) Sam, a pilot
C) Mandy, a secretary
D) Rex, a salesman

Question 55

People born after 1959 are eligible to retire with full social security benefits at age

A) 62
B) 65
C) 67
D) 70

Question 56

Naomi was born in 1960. For the past 30 years, she has been employed as a librarian. When will she be eligible for full social security benefits?

A) She already is
B) In 2023
C) In 2025
D) In 2027

Question 57

Unlike defined-benefit pension plans, defined-contribution pension plans

A) can be affected by the economy.
B) guarantee an employee a certain amount during retirement.
C) give no say to the employee regarding how his or her pension money will be invested.
D) are no longer being used.

Question 58

Approximately what percentage of American workers has employer-provided pension plans?

A) 25
B) 50
C) 75
D) 98

Question 59

Researchers believe that when people retire from work, they generally follow which pattern of adjustment?

A) Disenchantment, honeymoon, reorientation
B) Honeymoon, disenchantment, reorientation
C) Reorientation, honeymoon, disenchantment
D) Honeymoon, reorientation, disenchantment

Question 60

Emanuel just retired after 45 years of working as a janitor. In the period immediately after retirement, he is most likely to experience what kinds of feelings?

A) Euphoria
B) Disappointment
C) Boredom
D) Anxiety

Question 61

At the Acme Paper Products factory, four working couples have recently reached retirement age. Marital quality is most likely to dip for

A) Carlos and Jenny, who both opted for full retirement
B) Joey and Esther, with him remaining on and her retiring
C) Mack and Frieda, who both opted to remain on but only part time
D) Helen and Gus, with her remaining on and him retiring

Question 62

Compared to middle-aged adults, a____ percentage of older adults volunteer and they contribute____Hours.

A) larger; fewer
B) larger; more
C) smaller; fewer
D) smaller; more

Question 63

John owns a moving company. On various occasions, when asked what he's observed over the years in dealing with the relocation of people, he responded with various observations, only one of which was accurate. Which one?

A) "When older adults move, they are likely to move to a state with warmer weather."
B) "When older adults move, they are likely to remain in the same state."
C) "Older adults are more likely to move than are middle-aged adults."
D) "Older adults are more likely to move than are young adults."

Question 64

What percentage of older adults owns their own home free and clear?

A) 7
B) 27
C) 47
D) 67

Question 65

When older adults move, it is most often because they want to be

A) closer to their children.
B) in a warmer climate.
C) closer to friends.
D) in a place that is "senior" friendly.

Question 66

What percentage of adults over the age of 65 resides in a nursing home?

A) 4
B) 16
C) 27
D) 38

Question 67

Of the Big Five factors, the two that decrease somewhat in later life are

A) agreeableness and conscientiousness.
B) extraversion and agreeableness.
C) openness and extraversion.
D) neuroticism and conscientiousness.

Question 68

Evelyn is neurotic, whereas her friend Sadie is low in neuroticism. It is most likely that as the two friends age,

A) Evelyn will become happier than Sadie.
B) Evelyn will become unhappier.
C) Sadie will become more neurotic.
D) Sadie will become happier.

Question 69

Theodore is a neurotic 25-year-old. His next door neighbor, Xavier, is a neurotic 65-year-old. A storm knocked out their electricity and both men have had no power for the past three days. Which is following is most likely to be true?

A) Both men are equally stressed.
B) Neither one is stressed.
C) Theodore is more stressed than Xavier.
D) Xavier is more stressed than Theodore

Question 70

One effect of repeated activation of the stress-response system over many years is

A) a decrease in neurotic behavior.
B) diminished sensitivity to stress.
C) damage to the heart.
D) a dampened negative affect.

Question 71

A study of the daily experiences of younger and older adults (Mroczek et al., 2006) found that the majority of older adults are____on neuroticism and that ____adults experience fewer negative emotional responses to stress.

A) high; older
B) high; younger
C) low; older
D) low; younger

Question 72

Compared to younger age groups, older adults experience____negative emotions and____Positive emotions.

A) fewer; fewer
B) fewer; more
C) more; fewer
D) more; more

Question 73

Someone just pushed his way into the middle of a line of people waiting to buy tickets to a movie. Thirteen-year-old Luke and his 71-year-old grandpa Chester are now standing right behind the pusher. Which of the following is likely to be their relative reaction?

A) Chester will obsess about the event more than Luke.
B) Chester will be less likely to express his outrage than Luke.
C) Luke will experience less negative affect than Chester
D) Luke will be more in control of his anger than Chester.

Question 74

The part of the brain that is involved in the processing of emotions is the

A) amygdala.
B) hippocampus.
C) hypothalamus.
D) thalamus.

Question 75

In the lab, the research assistant is showing young and old adults some very sad and some heartwarmingly happy images. Whose brains are likely to show greater activation in the amygdala upon viewing the images, and will the activation be greater for the happy or the sad images?

A) The older adults will show greater activation and more so for the sad images.
B) The older adults will show greater activation and more so for the happy images.
C) The younger adults will show greater activation and more so for the sad images.
D) The younger adults will show greater activation and more so for the happy images.

Question 76

After being given a cancer diagnosis, Penelope used problem-focused coping when she

A) ate some chocolate to make herself feel better.
B) called her best friend for support.
C) tried not to think about it.
D) went online to search for information and doctors.

Question 77

Gavin used emotion-focused coping to deal with the loss of his dog when he

A) placed a bowl of dog food outside the front door of his house.
B) placed "Lost Dog" ads all over the neighborhood.
C) went to the movies with a friend to distract himself.
D) went to the pound and checked out the latest arrivals.

Question 78

Problem-focused coping is to ____, as emotion-focused coping is to ____.

A) actions; feelings
B) feelings; action
C) stress reduction; stress magnification
D) stress magnification; stress reduction

Question 79

In older adulthood,____ coping is more common and, compared to younger adults, older adults are ____flexible copers.

A) emotion-focused; less
B) emotion-focused; more
C) problem-focused; less
D) problem-focused; more

Question 80

In laboratory studies, when people of different ages were presented with various scenarios describing various stressful situations, older adults used____and younger adults used____to deal with the stressors.

A) only emotion-focused coping; only problem-focused coping
B) both emotion-focused coping and problem-focused coping; only problem-focused coping
C) only problem-focused coping; only emotion-focused coping
D) only problem-focused coping; both emotion-focused coping and emotion-focused coping