Deck 17: Older Adulthood: Personality and Sociocultural Development

Question 1

In a national survey of older Americans reported in the text, adults age 65 and over rated their health and well-being. The most accurate conclusion to be drawn from the data reported would be that _______ of the people in this study reported that their health was good to excellent and Black Americans reported _______ levels of health than did White Americans:

A) less than half; lower
B) less than half; higher
C) about three-quarters; lower
D) about three-quarters; higher

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Rod visited with a retirement counselor who asked him if he had adequate savings and income, a place to live, and other related questions to learn how prepared Rod is to retire. The retirement counselor was most likely trying to estimate Rod's index of:

A) functional well-being
B) emotional health
C) openness to experience
D) retirement maturity

Answer 2

D

Question 3

If you were to describe the emotionality of the majority of older adults, the best conclusion to come to would be that, compared to earlier in their lives, their emotionality is ______ complex and their sense of well-being is _________.

A) more; lower
B) more; greater
C) less; lower
D) less; greater

Answer 3

B

Question 4

If Julie were the youngest child in her family and the last to leave home, she should expect that the stress her parents feel after she moves away will ______ and their level of marital satisfaction will _______.

A) increase; increase
B) increase; decrease
C) decrease; increase
D) decrease; decrease

Question 5

For men who are age 75-84, the most common marital status is __________; for women in the age range the most common marital status is ___________.

A) widowed; widowed
B) married; widowed
C) widowed; married
D) married; married

Question 6

Jones has suffered a severe stroke that has left him unable to walk, speak, or dress and feed himself. He needs nursing care for several hours a day, but his wife has died and his adult son lives 1,000 miles away. Which of the following options would most likely be the type of living arrangement that would best serve Mr. Jones's needs?

A) an adult daycare facility
B) an assisted living facility
C) a nursing home
D) an Elderhostel

Question 7

For men who are age 75-84, the most common marital status is ; for women in the age range the most common marital status is .

A) widowed; widowed
B) married; widowed
C) widowed; married
D) married; married

Question 8

According to Piaget, if new events and changing circumstances can be absorbed into one's self-concept, this defines the process called:

A) equilibration
B) accommodation
C) integrity
D) assimilation

Question 9

Questions that assess a person's best time for retirement provide an index of

A) functional well-being
B) openness to experience
C) retirement maturity
D) emotional health

Question 10

Suppose you show positive and negative images on a computer screen to younger and older adults. If younger adults remember 25% of the positive images and 25% of the negative images, you would expect that, of the total number of images they remembered, older adults would remember _____ positive images and _____ negative images.

A) more than 25%; more than 25%
B) less than 25%; less than 25%
C) less than 25%; more than 25%
D) more than 25%; less than 25%

Question 11

According to statistics reported in the text, the fastest-growing segment of the U. S. population is:

A) adults age 55-64
B) adults age 65-74
C) adults age 75-84
D) adults age 85 and over

Question 12

An elderly widow is angry with her children for telling her she should not live alone in her home anymore, because she fell recently. She blames the fall on inadequate lighting and claims that if her children did some house repairs, she could stay in her house. This woman's inability to deal with her changed circumstances reflects her difficulty in which of the following processes?

A) making a successful status passage into older adulthood
B) achieving intimacy with herself
C) assimilation
D) accommodation

Question 13

Which of the following is the final stage in Erikson's theory of the life cycle?

A) integrity versus despair
B) generativity versus self-absorption
C) intimacy versus isolation
D) identity versus identity confusion

Question 14

Which of the following expenses does Medicare currently cover, in whole or in part?

A) hospital visits, but not physician charges or medication costs
B) physician charges and medication costs, but not hospital visits
C) hospital visits and physician charges, but not medication costs
D) hospital visits, physician charges, and medication costs

Question 15

When she is honest with herself, Judy recognizes that she has wasted many of the opportunities that could have led her to a positive lifestyle. In this respect, Judy is engaging in the developmental task that Erikson thought characterized which of the following periods of the lifespan?

A) adolescence
B) early adulthood
C) middle adulthood
D) later adulthood

Question 16

Frank says that he doesn't like having to use a walker, but at least he's in better shape than his brother, who must use a wheelchair. Frank's statement exemplifies the basic principle involved in:

A) integrity
B) despair
C) social comparison
D) conflict resolution

Question 17

Who are the Gray Panthers?

A) an activist group that promotes issues important to older adults
B) a political action committee that raises money to support older candidates for public office
C) a group of health-care workers who lobby for health-care reform for the elderly
D) retired workers who volunteer to help new businesses and volunteer agencies improve their operations
Applied questions:

Question 18

If you conducted a random survey of older people who were living alone after a spouse had died, and of the people you surveyed 100 were men, you should expect that your survey group included about _____ women.

A) 80
B) 120
C) 300
D) 600
Applied questions:

Question 19

In the United States today, about what percent of the population continues to work part-time or return to work following retirement?

A) about 3%
B) about 10%
C) about 33%
D) about 50%

Question 20

Generalizing from information presented in the text, in which of the following years would you predict to see the highest proportion of retirements occurring at ages 65 or younger?

A) 1955
B) 1970
C) 1988
D) 2009

Question 21

When she is honest with herself, Judy recognizes that she has wasted many of the opportunities that could have led her to a positive lifestyle. In this respect, Judy is engaging in the developmental task that Erikson thought characterized which of the following periods of the lifespan?

A) adolescence
B) early adulthood
C) middle adulthood
D) later adulthood

Question 22

A change in role and social position that occurs as one enters a new developmental stage is the text's definition of:

A) role reversal
B) lateral transition
C) status passage
D) rite of passage

Question 23

According to Piaget, the best adjustment is characterized by:

A) reliance on assimilation, rather than on accommodation
B) reliance on accommodation, rather than on assimilation
C) a balance between assimilation and accommodation
D) avoiding assimilation and accommodation in favor of association

Question 24

As a young adult, Aaron had many friends, but his friends were not very important to him. In older adulthood, researchers would expect that Aaron would have ______ friends and his friends would __________ to him.

A) even more; still be unimportant
B) fewer; still be unimportant
C) even more friends, more important
D) fewer; more important

Question 25

The text describes a study of older adults who experienced major negative changes to their health and living circumstances. As these people adjusted, they usually did so by:

A) denying that their new circumstances were permanent
B) thinking more about the past than the present
C) becoming very, very angry and bitter
D) giving up and becoming totally dependent on others, to a degree greater than necessary

Question 26

Which of the following is the final stage in Erikson's theory of the life cycle?

A) integrity versus despair
B) generativity versus self-absorption
C) intimacy versus isolation
D) identity versus identity confusion

Question 27

Wilma, age 90, is able to look back and say that her life had meaning and that she has done the best she could under the circumstances. According to Erik Erikson's theory of the life cycle, Wilma has successfully resolved the conflict called:

A) integrity versus despair
B) generativity versus self-absorption
C) identity versus identity confusion
D) trust versus mistrust

Question 28

According to the text, the major difference between the status passage into older adulthood, compared to status passages into earlier stages of the lifespan, is that moving into older adulthood includes:

A) having to deal with grandchildren
B) losses of power, responsibility, and autonomy
C) poorer health
D) more freedom from responsibility

Question 29

According to Piaget, if new events and changing circumstances can be absorbed into one's self-concept, this defines the process called:

A) equilibration
B) accommodation
C) integrity
D) assimilation

Question 30

Max and Toni just had their first child, thereby entering a new period of their lives. According to the text, such a change in role and position would best be considered an example of what is meant by the term:

A) role transfer
B) status passage
C) developmental step
D) developmental integrity

Question 31

Gwen looks back over the last 77 years of her life and feels satisfied that her life has had meaning and that she has done the best she could with life's circumstances. According to Erikson, Gwen will develop a sense of:

A) hope
B) integrity
C) generativity
D) ego transcendence

Question 32

Greta has lost her driver's license because she can no longer pass the vision test. Rather than feeling bad about her lost abilities, she has simply adjusted to this new circumstance by selling her car, getting a bus pass, and using a taxi service for unanticipated trips. Greta's ability to adjust to her new circumstances without its negatively affecting her self-concept is a good example of:

A) a status passage
B) integrity
C) assimilation
D) generativity

Question 33

According to Piaget, if new events and changing circumstances cannot be absorbed into one's self-concept, and the self-concept changes in order to adapt to these new events, this defines the process called:

A) equilibration
B) accommodation
C) integrity
D) assimilation

Question 34

In comparison to early stages of adulthood, in older adulthood, adults tend to have _______ friends; during this stage, their friendships tend to be _________ meaningful.

A) more; more
B) fewer; less
B) fewer; more
C) more; less

Question 35

Although individuals must sometimes deal with losses that occur unexpectedly in their lives, losses are an inevitable part of which of the following stages of the lifespan?

A) adolescence
B) older adulthood
C) early adulthood
D) infancy and toddlerhood

Question 36

According to Erikson, older adulthood is ideally a time when:

A) identity has predominated over integrity
B) integrity has predominated over despair
C) identify has predominated over role confusion
D) trust has predominated over mistrust

Question 37

Marie is dying of cancer and she tells her husband that she is "at peace" with the way she lived her life, because she always tried to do her best to be a good wife and mother. Marie's statement best reflects the meaning of the term:

A) integrity
B) autonomy
C) identity
D) self-esteem

Question 38

Lou is dying of cancer and he is very angry that his life "didn't work out the way it should have." In Erik Erikson's view, Lou's disappointment is best considered to be an example of:

A) mistrust
B) guilt
C) despair
D) isolation

Question 39

During most of older adulthood

A) emotional growth; remains the same or declines
B) emotional stagnation; remains the same or declines
C) emotional growth; becomes more positive
D) emotional stagnation; becomes more positive

Question 40

An elderly widow is angry with her children for telling her she should not live alone in her home anymore, because she fell recently. She blames the fall on inadequate lighting and claims that if her children did some house repairs, she could stay in her house. This woman's inability to deal with her changed circumstances reflects her difficulty in which of the following processes?

A) making a successful status passage into older adulthood
B) achieving intimacy with herself
C) assimilation
D) accommodation

Question 41

According to research cited in the text, which of the following groups of people age 65 and older would be expected to report the highest levels of healthiness?

A) white Americans
B) black Americans
C) Hispanic Americans
D) White Americans and Hispanic Americans would report equally high levels of healthiness, which would be higher than that reported by black Americans.

Question 42

Generalizing from information presented in the text, in which of the following years would you predict to see the highest proportion of retirements occurring at ages 65 or younger?

A) 1955
B) 1970
C) 1988
D) 2009

Question 43

According to the text, the major difference between stage theories and continuity theories that describe adult development is the degree to which they:

A) focus on emotional development
B) focus on physical changes
C) see changes as being dramatic or cumulative
D) view behavior as being the result of hereditary versus environmental forces

Question 44

Which of the following in NOT one of the six components of adult well-being, as identified by Carol Ryff?

A) self-acceptance
B) personal growth
C) autonomy
D) parenthood

Question 45

Jane is surprised to learn that her income for most of her career was quite low, because when she thinks back she remembers making more money than she actually did. Jane's memory distortion is best considered to be an example of:

A) the positivity effect
B) the negativity effect
C) state-dependent memory
D) episodic drift

Question 46

In comparison to older women, older men tend to be _____ emotional and to cope _____ effectively.

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

Question 47

A study of Americans 65 or older found that about ____ rated their health and well-being as good to excellent:

A) 10%
B) 25%
C) 50%
D) 75%

Question 48

According to the text, in comparison to the coping styles used by younger adults, older adults are more likely to use coping styles that are more:

A) passive and focused on specific problems
B) passive and focused on emotions
C) active and focused on specific problems
D) active and focused on emotions

Question 49

Suppose you show positive and negative images on a computer screen to younger and older adults. If younger adults remember 25% of the positive images and 25% of the negative images, you would expect that, of the total number of images they remembered, older adults would remember _____ positive images and _____ negative images.

A) more than 25%; more than 25%
B) less than 25%; less than 25%
C) less than 25%; more than 25%
D) more than 25%; less than 25%

Question 50

About what percent of workers in 2012 chose to retire "in the traditional sense" - to quit working entirely at age 65?

A) 10%
B) 25%
C) 33%
D) 50%

Question 51

Frank says that he doesn't like having to use a walker, but at least he's in better shape than his brother, who must use a wheelchair. Frank's statement exemplifies the basic principle involved in:

A) integrity
B) despair
C) social comparison
D) conflict resolution

Question 52

According to the text, which of the following is the most important determinant of satisfaction in older adulthood?

A) money
B) marital status
C) amount of social interaction
D) health

Question 53

According to the text, in older adulthood

A) remain consistent; increases
B) remain consistent; decreases
C) change considerably; increases
D) change considerably; decreases

Question 54

If you were to describe the emotionality of the majority of older adults, the best conclusion to come to would be that, compared to earlier in their lives, their emotionality is ______ complex and their sense of well-being is _________.

A) more; lower
B) more; greater
C) less; lower
D) less; greater

Question 55

According to the text, the positivity effect is best described as:

A) older adults' increased ability to look on the "bright side" of health-related problems
B) the peace that they feel as they assume fewer responsibilities for caring for others
C) older adults' decrease in intellectual flexibility such that they feel more positive they are right
D) the tendency to remember positive information better than negative information

Question 56

According to research presented in the text, you would expect that in older adulthood adults would experience all of the following changes EXCEPT:

A) a reduced capacity to feel positive emotions
B) fewer mood swings
C) less agitation
D) a greater ability to control emotions

Question 57

In a national survey of older Americans reported in the text, adults age 65 and over rated their health and well-being. The most accurate conclusion to be drawn from the data reported would be that _______ of the people in this study reported that their health was good to excellent and black Americans reported _______ levels of health than did white Americans:

A) less than half; lower
B) less than half; higher
C) about three-quarters; lower
D) about three-quarters; higher

Question 58

According to the text, as men age, they typically become:

A) less conscientious
B) less agreeable
C) less open to new experiences
D) less extroverted

Question 59

If you looked at MRI results of brain activity of younger and older adults while viewing positive images, you would expect that brain activity would be relatively ___________ for older adults in the area of the brain called the ____________.

A) lower; amygdala
B) lower; prefrontal cortex
C) higher; amygdala
D) higher; prefrontal cortex

Question 60

According to research conducted by Carol Ryff, which of the following statements describe a person who scores LOW on the "autonomy" component of adult well-being?

A) relies on judgments of others to make important decisions
B) evaluates self by personal standards
C) is able to resist social pressures to think and act in certain ways
D) regulates behavior from within

Question 61

According to the text, all of the following are trends taking place in U. S. society EXCEPT:

A) people are retiring at younger ages
B) divorce and remarriage are more common
C) there is a wider range of single lifestyles
D) kinship relationships with grandchildren are more complex

Question 62

Rod visited with a retirement counselor who asked him if he had adequate savings and income, a place to live, and other related questions to learn how prepared Rod is to retire. The retirement counselor was most likely trying to estimate Rod's index of:

A) functional well-being
B) emotional health
C) openness to experience
D) retirement maturity

Question 63

After children leave home

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

Question 64

If Julie were the youngest child in her family and the last to leave home, she should expect that the stress her parents feel after she moves away will ______ and their level of marital satisfaction will _______.

A) increase; increase
B) increase; decrease
C) decrease; increase
D) decrease; decrease

Question 65

Statistically speaking, in the U.S. today, which group is most likely to be poor?

A) married people
B) men
C) young adults
D) older adults

Question 66

Generally speaking, older adults who become grandparents generally feel _________ about this role and those who become great-grandparents generally feel _________ about this role.

A) negative; positive
B) positive; negative
C) negative; negative
D) positive; positive

Question 67

Maria, who worked full-time for her entire adult life, has recently retired. However, she misses her friends at work and she feels lonely and bored. According to Robert Atchley, she is in which stage of retirement?

A) retirement routine
B) disenchantment
C) reorientation
D) termination of retirement

Question 68

Ruth and John have just entered the "empty nest" phase of their lives. You would expect that the amount of stress that Ruth feels would ______ and the amount than John feels would ______.

A) decrease; decrease
B) decrease; increase
C) increase; decrease
D) increase; increase

Question 69

According to research presented in the text, about what percent of people who retire report that their mental and physical health DECLINED during the period immediately after retirement?

A) about 83%
B) about 50%
C) about 33%
D) about 17%

Question 70

According to a study reported in the text, which of the following groups has the largest proportion of its members in the U.S. work force?

A) men, ages 65-69
B) men, ages 70 and older
C) women, ages 65-69
D) women, ages 70 and older

Question 71

Statistically speaking, in the U S. today, which of the following individuals is most likely to be poor?

A) a black older woman
B) a black older man
C) a white older woman
D) a white older man

Question 72

How prepared a person is to retire is known as an index of:

A) retirement maturity
B) emotional health.
C) openness to experience
D) functional well-being

Question 73

In comparison to marriages that have not been happy, marriages that are happy tend to be more _________ in older adulthood.

A) traditional in terms of religion
B) egalitarian
C) organized along gender lines
D) stressful

Question 74

According to the text, about what percent of America's elderly live below the poverty line?

A) 7%
B) 10%
C) 24%
D) 46%

Question 75

According to the text, about what percent of retired U. S. adults over age 65 rely to a significant degree on Social Security as a source of income?

A) about 25%
B) about 45%
C) about 66%
D) about 90%

Question 76

According to the text, about what percent of retired U. S. adults over age 65 rely on Social Security as virtually their only source of income?

A) about 8%
B) about 15%
C) about 31%
D) about 40%

Question 77

Which of the following situations would be LEAST likely to predict a negative adjustment to retirement?

A) when the retiree loved her job
B) when retirement is accompanied by a substantially reduced standard of living
C) when the transition to retirement has been anticipated for a long period of time
D) when the retiree's self-concept is dependent upon her job role and job status

Question 78

Generalizing from information presented in the text, which of the following persons would adjust best to retirement?

A) a healthy man who wanted to retire
B) a healthy man who did not want to retire
C) an unhealthy man who wanted to retire
D) an unhealthy man who did not want to retire

Question 79

In the United States today, about what percent of the population continues to work part-time or return to work following retirement?

A) about 3%
B) about 10%
C) about 33%
D) about 50%

Question 80

Questions that assess a person's best time for retirement provide an index of:

A) functional well-being
B) openness to experience
C) retirement maturity
D) emotional health