Question 1

In earlier cross-sectional studies of age-related changes in intelligence, the typical finding was that crystallized intelligence _________ and fluid intelligence _________ during middle adulthood.

Accepted Answer

A)  remained the same or increased; remained the same or increased 
B)  declined; declined 
C)  remained the same or increased; declined 
D)  declined; remained the same or increased

Question 2

Melissa is in middle adulthood. If she is typical, when can she expect menopause to occur?

Accepted Answer

A)  between ages 40 and 45 
B)  between ages 45 and 48 
C)  between ages 45 and 55 
D)  between ages 52 and 56

Question 3

Hormone replacement therapy has been found to be associated with many positive benefits, but very few, if any, health risks.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Between the ages of 45-54 and 55-65, the percent of people dying of cancer and heart disease increases.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 5

Drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction, such as Viagra and Levitra, are effective for a relatively small percentage of the men who take them.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 6

If you were going to advise a middle-aged adult on how to best maintain and improve her cognitive abilities into older adulthood, your best advice would be to tell her to:

Accepted Answer

A)  quit working, relax, and watch more TV 
B)  stay intellectually engaged in complex tasks 
C)  create a stable routine, in which the tasks she does are done repeatedly so forgetting does not occur 
D)  make sure she gets enough sleep each night so her brain has a chance to store the new information she learned that day

Question 7

What is the term for the broad complex of physical and emotional symptoms that accompany reproductive changes in middle adulthood?

Accepted Answer

A)  climacteric 
B)  menarche 
C)  midlife crisis 
D)  menopause

Question 8

Alice is 45 years old. Compared to her sensory abilities in her mid-20s, today she likely is better able to:

Accepted Answer

A)  see close-up objects 
B)  hear high-frequency sounds 
C)  taste spicy foods 
D)  see objects that are far away

Question 9

If you were to interview a representative sample of 100 women and 100 men who are 50 years old, about how many of them would likely report having been on a diet to control their weight?

Accepted Answer

A)  51% of women and 42% of men 
B)  42% of women and 51% of men 
C)  87% of women and 59% of men 
D)  59% of women and 87% of men

Question 10

According to the text, compared to early adulthood, in middle adulthood men generally take _____ time to achieve erection and orgasm and women generally take _____ time to achieve orgasm.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 11

Brain damage is more likely to affect fluid intelligence than crystallized intelligence.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 12

Today in the United States, about ____ of adults are either overweight or obese.

Accepted Answer

A)  35% 
B)  45% 
C)  55% 
D)  70%

Question 13

Although cognitive abilities typically decline in middle and older adulthood, thinking usually becomes more efficient and therefore faster, so performance usually remains steady until about age 70.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 14

In the United States, education is related to life expectancy for both men and women, and those with more education are likely to live longer.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Richard Rahe revised his earlier version of the Stress Scale for Selected Life Events, noting that life today is _____ stressful than it was in earlier decades and noting that the stress associated with certain life events today is _______ it was in earlier decades.

Accepted Answer

A)  less; the same as 
B)  less; somewhat different from 
C)  more; somewhat different from 
D)  more; the same as

Question 16

According to the text, of those deaths due to cancer, smoking is responsible for about ____ of all deaths.

Accepted Answer

A)  5% 
B)  30% 
C)  50% 
D)  67%

Question 17

According to the text, the stress of life events is additive, meaning that when stressful events occur at about the same time, their effects are cumulative.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 18

In Levinson's later work, he studied the way in which women move through middle adulthood. According to this research, Levinson concluded that women:

Accepted Answer

A)  very seldom experience a midlife crisis 
B)  do experience midlife crises, but at much earlier ages than men 
C)  do experience midlife crises, but at much later ages than men 
D)  experience midlife crises in ways very similar to men

Question 19

About what percent of middle-aged men experience erectile dysfunction on more than an infrequent basis?

Accepted Answer

A)  10-20% 
B)  33-45% 
C)  50-60% 
D)  70-80%

Question 20

Generalizing from the text, which of the following age periods is most likely to be defined by the events that are taking place in the person's life, rather than by events linked directly to biological maturation?

Accepted Answer

A)  infancy and toddlerhood 
B)  early childhood 
C)  early adulthood 
D)  middle adulthood

Exam 14: Middle Adulthood: Physical and Cognitive Development

In earlier cross-sectional studies of age-related changes in intelligence, the typical finding was that crystallized intelligence _ and fluid intelligence _ during middle adulthood.

Melissa is in middle adulthood. If she is typical, when can she expect menopause to occur?

Hormone replacement therapy has been found to be associated with many positive benefits, but very few, if any, health risks.

Between the ages of 45-54 and 55-65, the percent of people dying of cancer and heart disease increases.

Drugs used to treat erectile dysfunction, such as Viagra and Levitra, are effective for a relatively small percentage of the men who take them.

If you were going to advise a middle-aged adult on how to best maintain and improve her cognitive abilities into older adulthood, your best advice would be to tell her to:

What is the term for the broad complex of physical and emotional symptoms that accompany reproductive changes in middle adulthood?

Alice is 45 years old. Compared to her sensory abilities in her mid-20s, today she likely is better able to:

If you were to interview a representative sample of 100 women and 100 men who are 50 years old, about how many of them would likely report having been on a diet to control their weight?

According to the text, compared to early adulthood, in middle adulthood men generally take _ time to achieve erection and orgasm and women generally take _ time to achieve orgasm.

Brain damage is more likely to affect fluid intelligence than crystallized intelligence.

Today in the United States, about ____ of adults are either overweight or obese.

Although cognitive abilities typically decline in middle and older adulthood, thinking usually becomes more efficient and therefore faster, so performance usually remains steady until about age 70.

In the United States, education is related to life expectancy for both men and women, and those with more education are likely to live longer.

Richard Rahe revised his earlier version of the Stress Scale for Selected Life Events, noting that life today is _ stressful than it was in earlier decades and noting that the stress associated with certain life events today is ___ it was in earlier decades.

According to the text, of those deaths due to cancer, smoking is responsible for about ____ of all deaths.

According to the text, the stress of life events is additive, meaning that when stressful events occur at about the same time, their effects are cumulative.

In Levinson's later work, he studied the way in which women move through middle adulthood. According to this research, Levinson concluded that women:

About what percent of middle-aged men experience erectile dysfunction on more than an infrequent basis?

Generalizing from the text, which of the following age periods is most likely to be defined by the events that are taking place in the person's life, rather than by events linked directly to biological maturation?