Deck 7: Adult Sexuality and Relationships

Question 1

Theories of mate selection have fallen into all of the following categories EXCEPT

A) psychological theory.
B) social network theory.
C) evolutionary or sociobiological theory.
D) Freudian theory.

Answer 1

Freudian theory.

Question 2

The tendency toward equal status contact means

A) that extramarital sexual activity is most likely to occur between people of equal status.
B) that people tend to initiate and maintain relationships with people who have similar social characteristics.
C) that when people have frequent contact, differences in their status diminish.
D) All of these

Answer 2

that people tend to initiate and maintain relationships with people who have similar social characteristics.

Question 3

A hypothesis of evolutionary psychology supported by cross-cultural research holds that

A) cultural differences prevent meaningful generalizations about mating strategies.
B) females place a higher value on the attractiveness of potential mates than on their status.
C) males and females have different sexual strategies.
D) the mating behaviors of males and females are guided by the same goals.

Answer 3

males and females have different sexual strategies.

Question 4

Evolutionary psychology theorists maintain that cross-cultural evidence suggests that

A) the complex decision-making processes involved in choosing a mate are patterned, universal themes built into human psyches and societies by evolutionary imperatives.
B) men look on women solely as sex objects.
C) women view men only as success objects.
D) men and women view each other as both sex and success objects.

Question 5

The concept of formalizing the context for a sexual relationship between two people, traditionally assumed to be a man and a woman,

A) grew out of the example of relationships practiced by Native Americans.
B) is based on Jesus' teachings in the Bible.
C) came to North America with European colonists.
D) was introduced to North Americans by European missionaries.

Question 6

By the late 1990s, what percent of men and women in the country had been married at least
Once by age 55?

A) 95 percent
B) 85 percent
C) 68 percent
D) Just over 50 percent

Question 7

What is the relationship between cohabitation and later marriage?

A) A majority of cohabiting couples later marry each other.
B) Fewer than 5 percent of cohabiting couples later marry each other.
C) Approximately 50 percent of cohabiting couples later marry each other.
D) Virtually all couples that cohabit later marry each other.

Question 8

About half of cohabitations end within

A) the first year.
B) the second year.
C) the fifth year.
D) after ten years.

Question 9

Which of the following groups has been found to engage in partnered sexual activity most frequently?

A) Adolescents
B) Married and cohabiting couples
C) Single people
D) The elderly

Question 10

Jennie and Vin have been married for several years. If they are similar to most U.S. couples,

A) Jennie will have a more positive view of their sex life than will Vin, but Vin will have a more positive view of married life in general.
B) the frequency of their sexual activity will be decreasing with the length of their relationship.
C) they will say that they receive great sexual pleasure and emotional satisfaction from their sex lives.
D) All of these

Question 11

It is believed that approximately _____ percent of married couples may have sex infrequently enough to Essentially be considered nonsexual.

A) 5
B) 20
C) 30
D) 50

Question 12

People in their __________ have sex most frequently.

A) teens
B) twenties
C) thirties
D) forties

Question 13

Research on sexual fidelity in the United States indicates that

A) compared with married couples, unmarried cohabiting couples have a dramatically higher rate of extrarelational sex.
B) extramarital sex is usually motivated by a desire for sexual excitement.
C) sexual infidelity is high among those who had high levels of sexual activity before marriage.
D) the vast majority of couples tend to be sexually faithful to their spouses.

Question 14

What percent of married people report that they receive great physical pleasure from Their sexual lives?

A) 40
B) 50
C) 68
D) 88

Question 15

The median age for women at first marriage is

A) 21.
B) 23.
C) 25.
D) 27.

Question 16

The median age for men at first marriage is

A) 21.
B) 23.
C) 25.
D) 27.

Question 17

Ultimately, nearly ________ of U.S. marriages end in divorce.

A) one-fourth
B) one-third
C) half
D) three-fourths

Question 18

What percentage of divorced people remarry?

A) 20 percent
B) 30 percent
C) 50 percent
D) 70 percent

Question 19

Second marriages tend to be _______ first ones.

A) quite a bit longer than
B) about the same length as
C) a bit shorter than
D) much more satisfying than

Question 20

Which of the following is a true statement about sexuality among older people?

A) Individuals with a low level of sexual interest during their young adult years often experience increased sexual interest during their older adult years.
B) Older people in institutional settings often retain an interest in sex but lack the privacy to engage in it.
C) Sexual dysfunctions due to medical treatments among older people can rarely be overcome.
D) There is generally no decline in sexual behavior as people age.

Question 21

Which of the following is a false stereotype about sex and aging?

A) A loss of interest in sexual intimacy is a natural part of the aging process for most people.
B) It is more difficult for older women to find potential sexual partners than it is for older men.
C) Many medications given to older people decrease sexual desire.
D) The level of sexual interest shown by elderly adults correlates with the level of sexual interest they showed as young adults.

Question 22

Research confirms that among older people, negative attitudes toward sex correlate with

A) heightened sexual activity.
B) relative sexual inactivity.
C) excessive masturbation.
D) negative views about marriage.

Question 23

What becomes the sole means of sexual gratification for many older people who have lost their sexual partners?

A) Escort services
B) Homosexual relationships
C) Masturbation
D) None of these

Question 24

There is evidence to suggest that gays and lesbians

A) are beginning to become more open about their sexual orientations.
B) are more likely to identify themselves as bisexual.
C) tend to revert back to a heterosexual identity.
D) obtain more sexual partners.

Question 25

Diseases most frequently found to have adverse effects on sexual functioning include all of the following EXCEPT

A) multiple sclerosis or stroke,
B) diabetes, cardiovascular disease and heart attacks.
C) arthritis.
D) asthma.

Question 26

_________________________ is the ability to open oneself to others in a way that permits mutual sharing and caring; it represents an essential quality in deeper human relationships.

Question 27

_________________________ of mate selection assume that the process is essentially the same for both women and men and that people search for mates who remind them of their opposite-sexed parent or who, at some deeper psychological level, represent qualities they long to attain within themselves.

Question 28

There seems to be a tendency toward what social psychologists call _________________________, meaning that people initiate and maintain relationships with others who have similar social characteristics.

Question 29

A two-person partnership is sometimes called a(n) _________________________.

Question 30

Statistics from the General Social Survey and from the NHSLS indicate that about _____ percent of married women and more than 75 percent of married men have been sexually exclusive during their marriages.

Question 31

The practice in which men have more than one wife is known as ____________________.

Question 32

The practice in which women take more than one husband is known as _____________________.

Question 33

People are getting married ____________________ now than at any time in the past century.

Question 34

In nursing homes and other institutions, not only are outward expressions of sexual interest seen as inappropriate and therefore discouraged, but there is often a lack of _____________________ for any sort of personal or shared sexual activity.

Question 35

Erection problems are particularly common in men who have _____________________.

Question 36

Women become more sexually assertive during the college years, sometimes taking the initiative to have sex with a partner or even pursuing sex somewhat aggressively.

Question 37

The double standard that legitimizes sexual permissiveness for men but not for women no longer exists in our culture.

Question 38

One of the major tasks of early adulthood is to achieve intimacy with others.

Question 39

Psychological theories assume that human beings use sexual strategies to select mates who are advantageous from an evolutionary perspective because they contribute to the survival and perpetuation of the human species.

Question 40

Short-term sex partners are more important to women than to men.

Question 41

About 12 million people in the United States are estimated to be cohabiting currently.

Question 42

Adults who have more than one sexual partner available report greater sexual satisfaction than those who have one partner.

Question 43

During the sexual revolution, there was a fair amount of debate about the viability of monogamous relationships.

Question 44

There has been a trend toward delaying marriage until later in life, with younger professional women and men wanting to establish themselves in a career before pursuing a committed relationship.

Question 45

Based on recent statistics, it has been predicted that 60 percent of couples who marry today will be divorced within five years,

Question 46

Providing older people with opportunities for choice and a sense of personal autonomy can enhance their sexual identity and adjustment.

Question 47

47 Evidence shows that as women age, they become much more likely to have a sexual partner than are men.

Question 48

For many older people who have lost their sexual partners, masturbation becomes their sole means of sexual gratification.

Question 49

Fifty percent of sexual dysfunctions among individuals over 40 may be due to physiological changes and illnesses.

Question 50

According to sociobiological theory, what features do people look for in long-term mates?

Question 51

Some people define cohabitation as "living together before getting married."
Is this accurate?

Question 52

What is the prevailing attitude in the U.S. toward monogamy for couples and cohabiting partners?

Question 53

What is the success rate of second marriages?

Question 54

What have cross-cultural researchers found regarding expectations about sexuality and aging?

Question 55

What are some of the medical problems that hamper the continuation of sexual activities as people age?

Question 56

Describe some current trends in marriage patterns in the U.S.

Question 57

Think of an individual or couple in their sixties or older. How do the myths and attitudes about aging that are discussed in the text appear to apply to their experiences?