Chapter 13 Practice Questions

Mary considers herself to be "young-old." Mary is MOST likely _____ years old. 59 73 81 90

73

Erik Erikson posited a last psychosocial stage in which elderly people should ideally conclude that their life missions have been fulfilled and so accept impending death. This was Erikson's stage number _____.

8

Marla is going shopping at the new mall that just opened up and is parking her car in the parking lot. To remember where she has parked, Marla takes a photo on her phone of her car in its parking spot. A. selective optimization with compensation B. mnemonic technique C. improving mental state

A. selective optimization with compensation

Mr. Wright is at a dinner party and is meeting several new people. One person is named Mr. Whealan and Mr. Wright needs to remember his name. Now, Mr. Whealan has a large mouth and Mr. Wright thinks his mouth might be "as big as a whale's" in order to remember his name. A. selective optimization with compensation B. mnemonic technique C. improving mental state

B. mnemonic technique

Shelly's grandmother has a degree in psychology and currently Shelly is taking a social psychology course. Shelly is having problems remembering the Big Five factors of personality. Her grandmother tells her to remember OCEAN. A. selective optimization with compensation B. mnemonic technique C. improving mental state

B. mnemonic technique

Amir is 81 years old. He feels as if he has accomplished very little and has nothing to show for his life. He has no healthy family relationships and had a dissatisfying profession in which he feels like he wasted the best years of his life. According to Erik Erikson's psychosocial framework, Amir reached the negative outcome of the final life stage and is experiencing: intimacy. identity. despair. generativity.

despair.

Marilese is trying to remember what she had for dinner last Friday when her husband took her out to eat. According to the memory-systems perspective, this information is in Marilese's _____ memory. working memory episodic procedural semantic

episodic

Mexico has _____ government-funded retirement program. a fairly good no a great a universal

no

Jeannie has always been a terrific multitasker, being able to do half a dozen things at the same time. Jeannie is now elderly. Based on the research, Jeannie most likely has: permanently lost this ability. maintained this ability. improved at these activities. temporarily has lost this ability but can regain it.

permanently lost this ability.

Researchers suggest that _____ are the most important factor in predicting how well people cope following the death of a spouse. daughters friends sons caregivers

friends

Choose the procedural memory. remembering the name of the first U.S. president knowing how to ride a bike knowing one's own street address recalling what one had for dinner last night

knowing how to ride a bike

Older adults may have more difficulty with executive functioning because of loss of: myelin in the frontal lobes. synapses in the hindbrain. mass in the amygdala. myelin in the hippocampus.

myelin in the frontal lobes.

Jim is a 31-year-old lawyer. Roger is a 75-year-old retired high school teacher. According to Laura Carstensen's socioemotional selectivity theory, Jim is likely to be concerned about the _____, and Roger is more likely to be concerned about the _____. past; present future; present future; past present; present

future; present

_____ memory is the temporary gateway system that allows a person to transfer information into more permanent storage.

working

Which older person is MOST likely to feel unhappy? an old-old person suffering from disabilities an old-old woman an old-old person who was attractive as a young adult an old-old man

an old-old person suffering from disabilities

Fifty-five-year-old Beau is applying for a job as a sales manager for a book store. The owner of the store is reluctant to hire Beau because of his age. He feels that he can hire a younger, stronger, and faster worker for half the price. Beau tells the owner that studies show these facts about older workers EXCEPT that they tend to be ______ than younger workers. more ethical more reliable less likely to take time off for being sick faster

faster

Marietta is 85 years old. As she reflects on her life, she is happy with her family and her life's accomplishments. She is comfortable with her age and is satisfied with her life. According to Erik Erikson's psychosocial framework, Marietta has reached: integrity. generativity. intimacy identity

integrity.

Karl is being evaluated by a psychologist. As part of the evaluation, the psychologist asks Karl basic factual questions such as, "Who was the U.S. president during the Civil War?" The psychologist is testing Karl's _____ memory. working episodic semantic procedural

semantic

An elderly person is MOST likely to have similar performance to a 20-year-old person if the task is: recalling items from a list. a multiple choice quiz. naming familiar faces. recalling where a piece of information was learned.

a multiple choice quiz.

Erik Erikson framed the last stage of human development as despair versus _____.

integrity

In the United States, people who are currently _____ years old can expect to live an average of eighteen more years. 45 55 65 75

65

Statistically, who is MOST apt to be happy after retiring? Gary, who has been having health problems Joseph, who has a lot of money, loves to learn, and volunteers at a local food bank Georgina, who was unwillingly laid off from a job Joyce, a divorcee with few hobbies

Joseph, who has a lot of money, loves to learn, and volunteers at a local food bank

Theresa is considered young-old, and her sister Margaret is considered old-old. These two sisters MOST likely differ in: education and ethnicity. health and income. very few ways. no observable ways.

health and income.

Marcia is a healthy 60-year-old widow. According to developmentalists, she is in the _____ classification. old-old young-old elderly frail

young-old

Who is LEAST likely to experience poverty after retirement? Ginny, an upper middle class female Larry a middle class man. Lorraine a middle class female Gerome, an upper middle class male

Gerome, an upper middle class male

Fan Ling just graduated from architecture school with a specialty in urban architecture and design for older people. She envisions a great future for herself in a nation that expects a really high median age in 2030, when she hopes to be in mid-career. As a result, Fan Ling has decided to move to _____, which has the highest projected median age in 2030. the United States Germany Italy China

Italy

Anna gladly returned to work after retirement. She is a typical female in her society. Thus, Anna MOST likely lives in: the United States. Poland. Northern Europe. Mexico.

Northern Europe.

Erik Erikson posited a(n) _____ psychosocial stage, in which elderly people should ideally conclude that their life missions have been fulfilled and so accept impending death. sixth fourth eighth tenth

eighth

The idea that the time one has left to live changes one's priorities and social agendas is the basis of _____ theory.

socioemotional selectivity

Carrie Ann is an advertising executive attempting to sell soap to older Americans. In focus groups, she notices that people seem to hold contradictory stereotypes about later life. Sometimes the participants view old age as the happiest life stage and sometimes as the most depressing life stage. This may be explained by: the age of the person holding the stereotypes. the increase in the median age. the falling fertility rate caused by widespread use of birth control. the health and wealth differences between the young-old and the old-old.

the health and wealth differences between the young-old and the old-old.

Gerald considers himself to be part of the "old-old" group in his community in Florida. Gerald is MOST likely _____ years old. 56 69 75 87

87

Two groups comprised of a mix of 70 year olds and 75 year olds are given the same test of fluid intelligence. One group is told it is a memory test, and the other group is told it is a wisdom test. What results are likely to be observed? Performance of the memory group will be better than performance of the wisdom group. Performance of the wisdom group will be better than performance of the memory group. Performance of the wisdom group will be the same as performance of the memory group. The 70 year olds will do better than the 75 year olds regardless of the test label.

Performance of the wisdom group will be better than performance of the memory group.

Thomas, Martha's husband of 58 years, died more than a month ago. Martha told her son that when she wakes up in the morning she feels as if his father is in the bed. Martha reports to friends that during the afternoon she feels as if Thomas is going to walk into the house from the garden. She knows this is unrealistic, but she feels comforted by the thought. Martha's experience is an example of: a clear-cut attachment response. emerging bonds. medium spouse. spousal presence.

a clear-cut attachment response.

The median age in a country has increased over the last ten years. This is likely due to: a decline in the birth rate. ageism. there being fewer people who are considered old-old. an increase in the birth rate.

a decline in the birth rate.

Alexandra has an intensely negative view of the elderly. This is an example of: the paradox of well-being. ageism. median age. age discrimination.

ageism.

Juanita's husband, Mario, was a jerk who always criticized her in front of friends and said she was "no good." For 10 years, he told her she could not do anything right, and so would not let her perform the simplest tasks. Mario gradually succeeded in reducing Juanita's self-esteem to almost zero. Then, Mario died of a massive heart attack. Juanita can expect: to have major difficulties adjusting because her husband used to do everything. her self-confidence to rise when she discovers she can cope after all. her self-esteem to collapse since she now has nothing else in the world. to be remarried within three years.

her self-confidence to rise when she discovers she can cope after all.

As a memory task gets more difficult, performance differences favoring young people: decrease insignificantly. decrease dramatically. show little change. increase dramatically.

increase dramatically.

When the birth rate decreases, the median age: decreases. increases. is usually below age 18. is usually about age 30.

increases.

Sean is 82 and very frail and uses a walker. Developmentalists classify Sean as: young-old. elderly. frail. old-old.

old-old.

Jason is 75 years old and an avid cellist. He may have trouble remembering what he had for breakfast yesterday, but he has no problem remembering the fingering on his cello. The memory for playing a cello is an example of his _____ memory. semantic episodic procedural working memory

procedural

Emily is 72-years-old, and her husband died six months ago. After a period of extreme grief, she is now actively involved with caring for her great granddaughter and meets with a group of friends twice a week to walk and have lunch. She remembers her husband fondly and loves telling stories about their life together. According to attachment theorists, Emily has entered the ______ phase of life. continuing bond clear-cut attachment working model emerging bond

working model

Dave is 76 and still lives independently. Developmentalists classify Dave as: old-old. elderly. frail. young-old.

young-old.

Doris is an older adult. Based on statistics, one can predict that Doris: will not adjust well to widowhood. is old-old. is unlikely to want to retire. is calmer and less stressed than her granddaughter who is a young adult.

is calmer and less stressed than her granddaughter who is a young adult.

Marta, age 76, states her philosophy about unpleasant people and situations as: "I do not have that long to live. I have to spend my time doing what makes me feel good emotionally." Her philosophy is best described as the _____ theory. positivity effect self-efficacy information processing theory socioemotional selectivity

socioemotional selectivity

Allison is one of the many Americans who is not saving for her retirement. She believes that she will not really need that much money and that Social Security will take care of everything. However, the concept of retirement has changed greatly in the last 75 years. Retirement is no longer a short life stage before death. If Allison retires at 62 years old, she can expect to be retired about: 10 percent of her life. 15 percent of her life. 5 percent of her life. 25 percent of her life.

25 percent of her life.

Four actors who are 17, 33, 59, and 75 years old each perform a scene in which their character mentions being absentminded several times. Each actor speaks the same words and uses the same gestures. The audience is MOST likely to remember the absentmindedness if they saw the performance by the actor who is _____ years old. 17 33 59 75

75

John wants to make sure that he remembers where he puts his wallet and car keys. When placing these items in the top dresser drawer he focuses on where he has placed them and tries hard to encode the location in his brain. A. selective optimization with compensation B. mnemonic technique C. improving mental state

A. selective optimization with compensation

Judith suffers from what she thinks is the early stages of Alzheimer's disease. She is often sad and lonely. Judith's daughter asks her if she would like to move in with her. Shortly after moving in with her daughter Judith's memory begins to improve. A. selective optimization with compensation B. mnemonic technique C. improving mental state

C. improving mental state

Steven has been continuously depressed since his wife died over five years ago. He has also experienced significant cognitive decline since her death. Steven and his wife had three children, all of whom now live out of state. Steven's son thinks it is a good idea for his father to move to a continuing care community and Steven agrees. Shortly after moving Steven feels more upbeat and shows cognitive improvements. A. selective optimization with compensation B. mnemonic technique C. improving mental state

C. improving mental state

Sam is 60 years old has worked for the same accounting firm for his entire career as an accountant. His employer told him he was being "let go" because the company wanted someone younger who can relate better to the clients. This is an example of: age discrimination. sex discrimination. discrimination against the handicapped. racial discrimination.

age discrimination.

All of these reasons explain why the median age of the U.S. population will probably increase in coming decades EXCEPT for: longer life expectancies. the baby boom generation reaching old age. declining fertility. an expected rise in immigration.

an expected rise in immigration.

According to the text, all of the following are good ways to help older people with memory problems EXCEPT to: be realistic. assume that all older adults have a "bad" memory and make communication simpler by using fewer words. give older people ample time to learn new material. teach mnemonic strategies.

assume that all older adults have a "bad" memory and make communication simpler by using fewer words.

According to the text, all of the following are ways to help older adults EXCEPT to: encourage older people to maintain a personal passion. teach older adults mnemonic strategies and other memory tips. give older people ample time to learn new material and provide them with a non-distracting environment. expect older people to want to socialize or make new friends.

expect older people to want to socialize or make new friends.

In a country in Europe half of the citizens are older than 42 years old and half are younger than 42 years old. Forty-two is thus the country's _____ age. median mean mode average

median

All of the following are external reasons why old age should be a worry-free life stage EXCEPT that many older people: report fewer daily stresses than the young. no longer have the hassles of raising children. mental declines are not too severe until the old-old stage. no longer have the pressure to perform at work.

mental declines are not too severe until the old-old stage.

Some people remember the so-called "Great Lakes" in the midwestern United States by the acronym HOMES: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior. This is an example of a _____ technique.

mnemonic

Margot has just celebrated her 60th birthday. After the party, her son tells her she is now "officially" old. Margot is horror-struck; where has her life gone? She is terrified of old age and calls you up to confide her fears. You tell Margot that while old age is no picnic, she can at least be confident that: she might as well face reality that there is little that can be done to improve memory in old age. old age can be the most calm time of life stage. memory stays stable through midlife, and will not decline until she hits about 75. it's only normal to be afraid because old people think about life more negatively than young people.

old age can be the most calm time of life stage.

The positivity effect refers to the fact that: as people age and their perceived time left in life decreases, they shift from focusing on information seeking goals to focusing on emotional goals. human mortality causes existential dread and terror, and much human behavior exists as a buffer against this fear. despite their physical and mental losses, the elderly claim to be just as happy or happier than the young.

older people tend to focus on positive experiences and screen out negative events.

Guadalupe works as a nurse in a New York City hospital. Even though she has a pension and savings account, and is eligible for social security, she is planning on working past age 65. In fact, Guadalupe is not that unusual. In 1990, about one in five Americans worked past age 65. Soon that ratio is expected to be about: one in four. one in three. one in two. two in three.

one in two.

Anchali works as a beautician. She has just celebrated her 65th birthday but has no plans to retire soon. According to statistical studies, if she is typical, Anchali is MOST likely working because: she would not know what to do with herself if she retired. she feels tremendous flow in her career. she must keep working to economically survive. she loves her job and finds it extremely fulfilling.

she must keep working to economically survive.