Deck 16: A: Adulthood

Question 1

Compared with those who lived shorter lives, centenarians were more likely to have 33 seemingly protective

A) genes.
B) schemas.
C) teratogens.
D) critical periods.

Answer 1

genes.

Question 2

In recall and recognition tests of memory for recently learned material, older adults are more likely than young adults to have difficulty

A) recalling meaningful material.
B) recognizing meaningful material.
C) recalling meaningless material.
D) recognizing meaningless material.

Answer 2

recalling meaningless material.

Question 3

An early sign of Alzheimer's disease would most likely be

A) an inability to recognize oneself in a mirror.
B) the use of profane and abusive language.
C) an increase in object permanence.
D) difficulty in naming familiar objects or people.

Answer 3

difficulty in naming familiar objects or people.

Question 4

The increase in death rates among older people after they reach a life milestone such as a birthday provides evidence of

A) habituation.
B) a death-deferral phenomenon.
C) a critical period.
D) terminal decline.

Question 5

A telomere is a region at the end of a

A) neuron.
B) placenta.
C) teratogen.
D) chromosome.

Question 6

An irreversible brain disorder marked by a deterioration of one's normal reasoning and memory skills is called

A) menarche.
B) autism.
C) infantile amnesia.
D) Alzheimer's disease.

Question 7

The deterioration of memory and thinking caused by ailments such as Alzheimer's disease or a series of small strokes is called

A) infantile amnesia.
B) role confusion.
C) dementia.
D) autism.

Question 8

As adults grow older, they are most likely to show a decline in their ability to remember

A) nonsense syllables.
B) musical lyrics.
C) famous people.
D) practical skills.

Question 9

Compared with younger adults, older adults take ________ time to solve perceptual puzzles and ________ time to remember names.

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

Question 10

Judson is a 70-year-old retired automobile mechanic. In contrast to when he was 20, he now probably

A) has a greater fear of death.
B) is less susceptible to catching colds.
C) experiences less life satisfaction.
D) would not do as well on a vocabulary test.

Question 11

Which of the following is true of physical development in adult life?

A) The outward signs of advancing years are psychologically stressful for adults in every culture.
B) Sensory ability and reaction time reach their peak by the mid-twenties.
C) Most adults are keenly aware of the first signs of physical decline.
D) None of these statements are true.

Question 12

As people progress into old age, their disease-fighting immune systems become

A) more effective in resisting most life-threatening ailments.
B) less effective in resisting common cold viruses than in resisting cancer.
C) more effective in resisting upper respiratory flu than in resisting pneumonia.
D) completely ineffective in resisting any diseases without specific medication.

Question 13

Which of the following describes gender differences in life expectancy?

A) The number of newborn females is equal to the number of males, and females have a longer life expectancy than do males.
B) The number of newborn females is larger than the number of males, and females have a shorter life expectancy than do males.
C) The number of newborn females is equal to the number of males, and females have a shorter life expectancy than do males.
D) The number of newborn females is smaller than the number of males, and females have a longer life expectancy than do males.

Question 14

As men progress through middle adulthood they experience a ________ in sperm count and a ________ in testosterone level.

A) rise; decline
B) decline; rise
C) rise; rise
D) decline; decline

Question 15

Remembering to do something at a particular time or in particular circumstances is called

A) object permanence.
B) prospective memory.
C) the social clock.
D) a critical period.

Question 16

Judy has recently had periods of mild physical discomfort, and her doctor notes that she is no longer able to become pregnant. It is most likely that Judy is experiencing

A) menarche.
B) dementia.
C) menopause.
D) autism.

Question 17

Physical exercise helps maintain the ________ protecting the ends of chromosomes.

A) telomeres
B) myelin
C) teratogens
D) schemas

Question 18

As people progress through late adulthood, they typically experience a slight

A) decrease in brain weight.
B) increase in colds and flu.
C) increase in life satisfaction.
D) increase in the perception of high-pitched sounds.

Question 19

Twenty-year-olds would most likely outperform 60-year-olds on an art history exam in which they were asked to

A) list as many famous artists as possible.
B) match paintings with famous painters.
C) pick an artist's country of birth from a list of four possibilities.
D) respond to true-false statements regarding important events in artists' lives.

Question 20

Shriveled protein filaments in the cell bodies of acetylcholine-producing neurons is a telltale abnormality associated with

A) fetal alcohol syndrome.
B) Alzheimer's disease.
C) pneumonia.
D) autism spectrum disorder.

Question 21

A longitudinal study is one in which

A) individuals of different ages are compared with one another.
B) the behavior of a large group is assessed by different researchers.
C) development is studied during a critical period.
D) the same people are retested over a long period.

Question 22

Emotional instability has been found to be

A) highest among 30-year-olds.
B) highest among 40-year-olds.
C) highest among 50-year-olds.
D) similar among adults at all of these ages.

Question 23

Compared with non-cohabiting couples, which of the following is true of couples who live together before marriage?

A) They are initially more committed to the ideal of an enduring marriage, and they become increasingly more marriage-supportive while cohabiting.
B) They are initially less committed to the ideal of an enduring marriage, and they become increasingly more marriage-supportive while cohabiting.
C) They are initially more committed to the ideal of an enduring marriage, and they become increasingly less marriage-supportive while cohabiting.
D) They are initially less committed to the ideal of an enduring marriage, and they become increasingly less marriage-supportive while cohabiting.

Question 24

People of different ages are compared with one another in a ________ study.

A) formal operational
B) cross-sectional
C) preconventional
D) longitudinal

Question 25

Kathryn and Rafael's third and last child is leaving home for college next year. Their empty nest is likely to be a(n) ________ place.

A) depressed
B) happy
C) anxious
D) boring

Question 26

Research on people's feelings of satisfaction with their lives indicates that

A) adolescents report being slightly happier than people over 65 years of age.
B) people over 65 years of age report being slightly happier than adolescents.
C) middle-aged adults report being slightly happier than both adolescents and people over 65 years of age.
D) compared with other phases of life, the over-65 years are not notably unhappy.

Question 27

Marriage bonds are especially likely to endure when members of a couple

A) live together for a time before they marry.
B) focus their time and energy on their growing children's needs.
C) engage in less frequent sexual interactions.
D) engage in more positive than negative interactions with each other.

Question 28

According to Erikson, engaging in productive work that contributes to the world provides adults with a sense of

A) object permanence.
B) conventional morality.
C) generativity.
D) conservation.

Question 29

Rising divorce rates over the past 40 years are partly a consequence of

A) increasing marital expectations and the increasing economic independence of women.
B) decreasing marital expectations and the decreasing economic independence of women.
C) increasing marital expectations and the decreasing economic independence of women.
D) decreasing marital expectations and the increasing economic independence of women.

Question 30

As adults advance in age, their positive and negative moods become

A) less extreme and more enduring.
B) more extreme and less enduring.
C) less extreme and less enduring.
D) more extreme and more enduring.

Question 31

Compared with young adults, the amygdala in older adults shows

A) diminishing activity in response to positive events.
B) enhanced activity in response to negative events.
C) diminishing activity in response to negative events.
D) enhanced activity in response to positive events.

Question 32

The term social clock refers to

A) the culturally preferred time to leave home, marry, have children, and retire.
B) an optimal time for developing social bonds between children and caregivers.
C) the average age of people in different social groups and organizations.
D) the different ways in which societies evaluate the physical and cognitive changes accompanying the aging process.

Question 33

Adults are ________ likely to divorce in their early forties than in their early twenties. They are ________ likely to commit suicide in their early forties than in their early seventies.

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

Question 34

Erik Erikson maintained that the two basic aspects of life that dominate adulthood are

A) identity and independence.
B) intimacy and identity.
C) intimacy and generativity.
D) independence and generativity.

Question 35

Professor Appledorn emphasizes that whether people flourish in later life depends on a continuous interaction among their inborn temperaments, their personal relationships, and their mental expectations regarding the aging process. The professor's viewpoint best illustrates

A) longitudinal study.
B) a developmental stage theory.
C) an intuitionist perspective.
D) a biopsychosocial approach.

Question 36

To compare moral reasoning skills of younger and older children, Professor Hauten tested and retested a group of children from the time they were 4 until they reached the age of 12. The professor conducted a ________ study.

A) longitudinal
B) concrete operational
C) preconventional
D) cross-sectional

Question 37

The accelerated loss of cognitive abilities in the last years of life is called

A) role confusion.
B) terminal decline.
C) Asperger syndrome.
D) a death-deferral phenomenon.

Question 38

The grief experienced over the death of a loved one is especially severe when death is experienced

A) as a time that requires sharing honest emotions with others.
B) after years of anticipating the death of one's loved one.
C) as a time for celebrating the life and memory of the deceased person.
D) as coming before it's expected time on the social clock.

Question 39

Compared with their counterparts of 40 years ago, Americans are marrying at a(n)

A) older age and are experiencing more marital satisfaction.
B) younger age and are experiencing less marital satisfaction.
C) older age and are experiencing less marital satisfaction.
D) younger age and are experiencing more marital satisfaction.

Question 40

Tonya asks people of different ages to complete a measure of life satisfaction. She then looks for life satisfaction differences across different age levels. Tonya is conducting a ________ study.

A) longitudinal
B) preoperational
C) cross-sectional
D) concrete operational

Question 41

In Erikson's theory, the sense of integrity achieved in late adulthood refers to the feeling that

A) one's life has been meaningful.
B) one is healthy and not dependent upon others.
C) one is acting ethically.
D) one's life is full of close friendships.