Final Exam

53. Why is the social clock an important consideration when understanding development?

It may differ for different generations and indicate different age ranges for completing developmental tasks.

39. Which of the following statements about a living will is FALSE?

Only the terminally ill can write one

73. A reasonable explanation for why 40-year-olds and 60-year-olds show differences in intelligence test scores is:

cohort effects.

24. The more ________ a society is, the more respect is accorded to its elderly adults.

collectivistic

63. Stages of adulthood in the Gusii culture of Kenya are defined by:

events in a person's life.

42. Which of the following describes a biological component to the difference in life expectancies between men and women?

existence versus absence of an X chromosome

27. According to Levinson the transition from the teens to early adulthood was marked by two tasks. They are:

exploring possibilities of adult living and developing a stable life structure.

31. Evidence offered by Turner suggests that as men reach late adulthood, they become more:

feminine

72. According to Baltes and his colleagues, successful aging is based on selection, optimization, and:

flexibility.

34. The life-events approach to understanding adult development has been criticized because it:

focuses on major life events but not on daily experiences as stressors

3. Which of the following biological theories of aging states that people age because their cells' normal metabolism produces unstable oxygen molecules?

free-radical theory

66. The crux of the recent controversy surrounding the funeral industry is whether:

funeral directors are simply out to benefit financially.

16. In general, the argument that middle adulthood has advantages for women in nonindustrialized cultures is based on the idea that women in these cultures typically:

gain respect in the community as they age

40. According to the research of Vaillant, which of the following characteristics in middle age was the best predictor of having an enduring and happy marriage between the ages of 75 and 80?

generativity

8. The seventh stage of Erikson's life-span theory is the characteristic of middle age. What name did Erikson give this stage?

generativity versus stagnation

71. More than for previous generations, the baby boom generation in the United States places ___________ maintaining a youthful physical appearance.

great emphasis on

51. The term ________ refers to the ability to focus on a specific aspect of experience that is relevant to the task at hand while ignoring others that are irrelevant.

selective attention

11. According to the socioemotional selectivity theory, individuals are motivated by two types of goals—emotion-related and ________-related.

knowledge

61. Erikson believed that elderly adults use their impending death as a motivation to look back and evaluate their life. This form of retrospection is what many theorists call:

life review.

35. Which of the following refers to the right of an individual to determine whether extraordinary means should be used to keep them alive?

living will or advance directive

Deterioration of part of the retina is called:

macular degeneration.

93. Hospices are a relatively recent approach developed to:

make the end of life as free from pain and anxiety as possible.

13. In middle adulthood, __________ intelligence continues to increase.

multiple

1. In the Berkeley longitudinal studies, which of the following characteristics generally changed across time for the adult?

nurturance or hostility

65. In the Berkeley longitudinal studies, which of the following characteristics was generally stable across time for the adult?

nurturance or hostility

92. Which of the following groups of individuals is most likely to be satisfied with their marriage?

older adults

99. Cohabitation is increasing among ________ and is expected to continue to increase. Cohabitation for this age group may be based on a need for companionship and a legal sharing of resources without finances being legally joined.

older adults

50. Although there are differences in the quality of care in nursing homes in the United States, about __________ are considered to be seriously deficient.

one-third

Loss of bone mass is associated with:

osteoporosis.

14. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross believed that when a person is dying, depression is:

part of the normal process of disconnecting oneself from love objects.

84. Mieka was in a major car accident and, as a result, cannot live without being hooked up to a respirator. After several months of living in a coma attached to this machine, Mieka's parents decided to have the respirator turned off and Mieka died two days later. This is an example of:

passive euthanasia.

82. The Seattle Longitudinal Study concluded that middle age is a time of:

peak performance for verbal abilities and verbal memory.

41. Middle-aged Americans agree that a major component of their well-being involves:

positive relationships.

100. Evidence suggests that male menopause is:

psychological rather than physical

69. Tran wants to live a long and healthy life. The most important thing he can do to improve longevity is:

quit smoking.

Fluid intelligence is the ability to:

reason abstractly.

74. The model of selective optimization with compensation proposes that successful aging is related to three main factors. Which of these factors is based on the concept that, in old age, there are reduced capacity and loss of functioning which mandate a reduction of performance in most domains of life?

selection

70. Life-span developmentalist Paul Baltes and his colleagues believe that successful aging is related to three main factors:

selection, optimization, and compensation.

85. A person's knowledge about the world is called ________ memory.

semantic

6. Although Alicia has a great memory for trivia, she has difficulty remembering important events in her life. Alicia has good ________ memory but poor ________ memory.

semantic; episodic

18. Which of the following is NOT one of the big five personality traits identified by Costa and McCrae?

adaptability

Manuel has just reached middle age as defined by the text. This means he is at least __________ years old.

40

62. Which theory holds the most positive view of the abilities of elderly adults?

activity

96. For a terminally ill person, which of the following can be the most useful benefit of denying one's imminent death?

Denial can lead the dying person to a perception of control over his or her circumstances.

29. In what ways can denial of death be a positive response?

Denial can soften the emotional impact of impending death.

67. ________ memory refers to facts we consciously know, and ________ memory refers to memory without conscious recollection.

Explicit; implicit

64. Which of the following statements is FALSE regarding middle-aged people's appearances?

Middle-aged people focus less on facial attractiveness than do older or younger people.

98. During middle age, the visual system begins to change. Which of the following is NOT one of those changes?

The size of the retinal blind spot diminishes.

20. Which of the following strategies would be most helpful in improving memory in middle age?

Use organization and imagery to assist the remembering of specific information.

57. ________ is knowledge about the practical aspects of life that permits practical judgment about important matters.

Wisdom

2. For women and men, the role of grandparent is seen differently. For women, grandparenting is ________, whereas for men, it is ________.

a responsibility; voluntary

21. The stage of death during which a person may wish to be alone is:

acceptance.

32. Alzheimer disease involves a deficiency in the neurotransmitter:

acetylcholine.

97. Which of the following factors combine to form the "double jeopardy" that is noted in this chapter?

ageism and racism

78. Which of the following individuals who live alone is most likely to live in poverty?

an African-American woman

68. Three family members are discussing their mother's last days a few days after her funeral. They talk in detail about the symptoms the mother had and her day-to-day decline. Such conversation indicates:

an effort to use grief to understand the death better.

12. An advance directive/living will must be signed when:

an individual is still able to think clearly.

22. According to Antonucci, Lansford, and Akiyama (2001), friendships in late adulthood:

are associated with lower levels of depression for women.

86. Mrs. Hernandez has considerable pain and stiffness in her wrists, fingers, and knees. It is becoming very difficult for her to maintain her usual routines as her stiffness increases. Mrs. Hernandez has:

arthritis.

88. According to Elisabeth Kübler-Ross, the third stage of dying is:

bargaining.

80. According to Levinson, the change to middle adulthood requires that the adult male come to grips with four major conflicts. Which of the following is NOT one of these conflicts?

being attractive versus being unattractive

7. A major health concern for middle-aged adults is:

being overweight

1. One way in which most societies are alike regarding death is that:

biological death is not equated with spiritual death.

15. What do Alzheimer disease and Parkinson disease have in common?

both are chronic and progressive

33. An assumption that underlies the contemporary life-events approach to adult development is that adult development is:

c. development is a result of life events, our adaptation to those events, and the life-stage context that encapsulates those events.

43. Dr. LaRossa has spent her career studying the causes of aging. She hypothesizes that as we age, our cells become increasingly less capable of dividing. Dr. LaRossa espouses the ________ theory of aging.

cellular clock

37. Of Costa and McCrae's Big Five personality traits, which one is most likely to increase in early and middle adulthood?

conscientiousness

23. Jack Kevorkian, a Michigan physician, has assisted a number of terminally ill patients in ending their lives. After a series of legal trials, Dr. Kevorkian was:

convicted of second-degree murder and given a long prison sentence.

9. In the social _______ model of social relations, individuals go through life embedded in a personal network of individuals to whom they give, and from whom they receive, social support.

convoy

52. Which "cohort" represents the largest single age group in the United States?

d. The "baby boomers."

59. Greta is 55 years old. If she had been born a century earlier and destined to turn 55 in the year 1900, by that year she would probably have been:

deceased.

36. Research has attempted to identify physiological markers of Alzheimer disease. Which of the following is NOT one of the physical changes that has been identified in these patients?

degeneration of the superior tissue of the amygdala

58. Uncle Harry has been "losing his memory" for over a year. He also has developed some fantastic ideas about aliens taking over the government, and on some occasions he requires visitors to "give the password" before letting them into his apartment. Uncle Harry appears to have:

dementia.

5. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross believed that, as one proceeds through the stages of death, the person tends to move from:

denial to shock

87. The vision of older adults can be affected by age-related changes. One of these changes, which can make steps and curbs difficult to manage, is a decline in:

depth perception.

Competently driving a car demands ________.

divided attention

76. Gina is doing what she can to help her older aunt take care of herself and stay in her own home. Gina often takes meals to her aunt and helps her clean, go shopping, and make visits to the doctor. Gina is providing ________ for her aunt

eldercare

54. The retention of information about the when and where of life's happenings is called ________ memory.

episodic

83. The empty nest syndrome implies that parents:

have few interests and activities other than their children.

10. Traditional Amish and Jewish cultures are similar in how they cope with death in that they both:

have important roles of the family during and after the loss.

17. If the cortical death definition were adopted, then physicians could claim a person is dead when his or her ________ is no longer functioning.

higher brain

25. Germain has signed an advance directive. This means that:

his physician will not use means to prolong his life when death is imminent.

89. Dr. Lone Dove has begun studying the effects of a newly discovered hormone on aging. He hypothesizes that the new hormone protects the body's cells from deterioration by strengthening the cell wall against detrimental substances. Dr. Lone Dove is finding evidence for the ________ theory of aging.

hormonal stress

28. One research study examined the changes in the personality factor called conscientiousness. It found that as we age several facets of this factor increase. Which of the following was NOT one of those facets?

hostility

75. Defining death as nonfunction of the higher cortex implies that:

human life depends on characteristics such as intelligence and personality which are controlled in that brain area.

30. Stage theories of development emphasize ________, whereas the life-events approach focuses on ________.

similarities; differences

26. Older adults have a harder time recognizing a street sign than younger adults, because they have:

slower perceptual speed.

79. Sandra's mother is concerned about Sandra's lack of interest in marrying and having children. She told Sandra, "When I was your age, I had already found a good husband and settled down." Sandra and her mother:

social clocks.

38. According to Costa and McCrae's study on adult personality development, the superfactor called extraversion was complex for older adults until it was divided into two sub-traits. They are:

social dominance and social vitality

44. Which theory challenges the notion that older adults are in despair because of social isolation?

socioemotional selectivity theory

77. Which theory explains why older adults spend most of their time with familiar individuals and family?

socioemotional selectivity theory

81. According to Victor Frankl, the three most distinct human qualities are freedom, responsibility, and:

spirituality.

90. As he looks back over his life, Chris realizes that his work was not as important to him as he believed, and that he lost too much valuable time with his children. If he could do it over again, he would work less and spend more time with his children. According to Erik Erikson, Chris is experiencing some degree of:

stagnation

49. Since 2004, many women and their doctors are concerned that the hormonal treatments available for menopause may have the side effect of being associated with:

stroke and breast cancer

94. Marsha, an adult in her 70s, can expect a decline in certain types of attention but not in: a. selective attention.

sustained attention.

60. Rhonda and Lewis are taking care of their elderly mother while she lives in Rhonda's home. Research on the care of the elderly shows that their mother will benefit the most if Rhonda and Lewis:

take care of her needs, but let her do what she can for herself.

4. A view that grief proceeds in stages would not address:

the invariant order in which grief proceeds.

46. Older women are more likely to have ________ but less likely to have ________ than are older men.

visual problems; hearing problems

47. In his studies on wisdom, Paul Baltes has found all of the following, EXCEPT:

wisdom is correlated with cognitive factors such as intelligence.

56. Shama, who is now 80 years old, will show a steady decline in:

working memory and perceptual speed.