Deck 6: The Psychology of Aging and the Social Psychology of Aging

Question 1

Which topic have psychologists in the field of aging spent more time studying than any other?

A) stress
B) memory
C) reaction time
D) dysphoria

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Ike is hoping to remember the phone number of a girl he just met at a college party.In the process of remembering,Ike will store information in which type of his memory?

A) sensory
B) short-term
C) long-term
D) working

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which process requires a person to take in new information and put it together with already stored information?

A) association
B) processing
C) elaboration
D) encoding

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following scenarios is an example of latency?

A) As her memory ages, Josephine can't remember her doctor appointments.
B) As his reflexes get slower, Frank doesn't drive as often.
C) As her osteoporosis worsens, Pauline doesn't exercise as often at the local gym.
D) As his cataracts worsen, Paul purchases large-print novels to read.

Question 5

Which of the following does Park and Reuter-Lorenz (2009)propose is the source of neural decline in older people?

A) chronic disease
B) presence of neurofibrillary plaques and tangles
C) acute disease
D) a lack of education

Question 6

The Berlin Aging Study points to which of the following factors as a source of cognitive decline in older adults?

A) physical change
B) lack of education
C) decreased income
D) increased sensory ability

Question 7

Charness (1981)used a neural network model to measure recall.He found which of the following to be true among chess players?

A) Skill level, not age, determines a player's ability.
B) Older players could visualize more moves ahead than younger players.
C) Younger players took almost 50% longer to move.
D) Speeded games cause younger players to make more mistakes.

Question 8

According to Wilson (2011),what types of activities should older people engage in,in order to maintain cognitive health?

A) activities that are stress-free and exciting
B) activities that are complex and challenging
C) activities that are relaxing and fun
D) activities that are difficult and thought provoking

Question 9

Hoyer and Verhaeghen (2006)found which of the following to be true regarding semantic memory (the storing of factual information)?

A) Older people perform as well as younger people in some studies.
B) When level of education is controlled for, older people perform as well as younger people.
C) Although speed of recall decreases with age, accuracy remains stable or increases.
D) Differences in performance between younger and older people may be related to differences in what the groups perceive as meaningful.

Question 10

In research using speeded trials to determine differences in learning,what did older subjects tend to do more often than younger subjects?

A) rely more on implicit memory
B) rely more on mediators
C) miss more verbal and pictorial items
D) encode late items at the expense of earlier items

Question 11

Which of the following has been found in much of the research on memory and aging?

A) no significant decline in memory with age
B) improvements in some types of memory with age
C) some decline in memory with age
D) that most declines in memory are due to psychological disorders or distress, which become more likely with age

Question 12

Which type of memory shows a much greater decline with age than others?

A) non-episodic
B) short-term
C) sensory
D) episodic

Question 13

Which approach to memory holds that memory is influenced by many conditions such as the environment of learning,the individual,and the situation of recall?

A) associative
B) sociological
C) environmental
D) contextual

Question 14

Which type of memory shows a greater decline with age than non-episodic memory?

A) working
B) functional
C) explicit
D) episodic

Question 15

According to Hoyer and Verhaeghen (2006),which type of memory stores,manipulates,and processes new information while temporarily storing other information?

A) non-episodic memory
B) working memory
C) episodic memory
D) latent memory

Question 16

Researchers break the process of remembering into a series of steps.Which of the following is a step in this information processing model?

A) sensory memory
B) motor memory
C) intermediate memory
D) working memory

Question 17

Charness (1981)studied the contextual approach to memory.When older chess players who were of the same skill level as younger chess players were compared,what was discovered?

A) The older players played more slowly.
B) The older players could visualize more moves ahead.
C) The older players had more difficulty recalling positions.
D) The older players did not have the same stamina levels, and therefore could not concentrate for as long.

Question 18

Older chess players have more difficulty recalling positions accurately.Charness (1981)attributes this to which of the following?

A) working memory deficits
B) less efficient organization strategies
C) poorer retrieval ability
D) interference from irrelevant information

Question 19

According to researchers,which of the following can influence performance in mental tasks and can improve with age?

A) semantic memory
B) working memory
C) competence
D) episodic memory

Question 20

According to Small and colleagues (2008),which part of the brain declines in function with age?

A) the pons
B) the hippocampus
C) the medula
D) the prefrontal cortex

Question 21

According to Hoyer and Verhaeghen (2006),there are several methods to improve memory as one ages.These include memory training,an enriched environment,and which of the following?

A) increased sleep
B) physical fitness training
C) increased consumption of omega-3 fatty acids
D) activities such as games and puzzles

Question 22

What are the two main definitions of intelligence used by psychologists?

A) quotient and scalar paradigms
B) the interpretive model and the constructive model
C) the global view and the pragmatic view
D) concrete and abstract reasoning

Question 23

What is the basis of Erikson's model of the life cycle?

A) psycho-pathological problems that inhibit development and must be overcome
B) individual developments through social changes
C) conflicts between the self (ego) and the environment
D) specific stages of ego development with each stage containing a crisis

Question 24

Who developed one of the best-known stage models of the life cycle,which describes eight stages of ego development?

A) Rose Caldwell
B) Robert Peck
C) Erik Erikson
D) Leonard Levinson

Question 25

Simonton (2006)concludes from review of research on creativity that,assuming a normal life span,a creative person's peak output occurs at what point in life?

A) during all stages of one's career
B) during retirement
C) between 19 and 34 years of age
D) between 45 and 60 years of age

Question 26

Galenson's (2006)work shows that the production of great works has more to do with which of the following characteristics of the artist rather than with his or her age?

A) personality
B) education
C) personality and approach
D) social and economic status

Question 27

What does the pragmatic view of intelligence used by psychologists refer to?

A) what intelligence tests measure
B) the integration of memory and skills to solve a problem
C) a person's ability to negotiate environmental demands
D) reasoning, abstracting, and concept formation

Question 28

How does Erikson explain the development of a psychopathology in a person?

A) It is the result of the progression of one of the eight stages within a person's life cycle.
B) It is the successful completion of the adolescent stage.
C) It is an unsuccessful resolution of a crisis within a stage of ego development.
D) It is the product of the identity versus role confusion conflict.

Question 29

Amy's doctor says that she does not need to go to a nursing home just yet.However,Amy's children insist that she become a resident "before it's too late." Amy is confused about the differing opinions of her doctor and her children.Which of the following terms describes Amy's ability to suspend judgment while trying to resolve these contradictory opinions?

A) dualistic thinking
B) cognitive thinking
C) relativistic thinking
D) systematic thinking

Question 30

What are the two types of intelligence described in Horn and Cattell's (1966)model of intelligence?

A) fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence
B) cerebral intelligence and cerebellar intelligence
C) longitudinal intelligence and cross-sectional intelligence
D) creative intelligence and cognitive intelligence

Question 31

Which of the following statements can be made regarding more recent research into intelligence and aging?

A) The research concentrates on halting or reversing the effects of aging on intelligence.
B) The research has validated the perception of decreased intelligence with age.
C) The research questions a simple connection between senescence and intelligence.
D) The research has found problems with using IQ tests to compare intelligence across age cohorts.

Question 32

According to Horn and Cattell (1966),which type of intelligence relies on how well the physical nervous system works?

A) fluid intelligence
B) crystalline intelligence
C) pragmatic intelligence
D) physiological intelligence

Question 33

Studies of crystallized intelligence and aging show which of the following?

A) variations depending on the educational level of the subjects
B) stability and even increases with age
C) declines, highly correlated with functional decline, from the teen years on
D) no changes from approximately age 24 on

Question 34

What do some psychologists who study the individual in society focus on?

A) intersocial attitudes
B) personality development
C) intrapersonality conflicts
D) social-psychological perceptions

Question 35

Which of the following represents a significant difference between the studies of creativity by Dennis (1968)and Lehman (1953,1968)?

A) Dennis studied the number of works produced, rather than quality of works.
B) Dennis looked at only scientists and mathematicians, to eliminate subjectivity of judgment.
C) Dennis compared people with different lengths of life.
D) Dennis studied only people who were still alive, so that they could be interviewed to find similarities in personality.

Question 36

Which of the following shows a decline as the biological system ages?

A) fluid intelligence
B) creative intelligence
C) functional intelligence
D) cross-sectional intelligence

Question 37

Which idea is proposed by the "constant-probability-of-success model" to explain the quality of a creative person's works?

A) Truly great creative work occurs only during the ages of 25-34 years.
B) The most creative people have a constant creative output and great works are produced at regular intervals.
C) The ratio of quality works produced during a career stays the same at every stage of the career.
D) The number of great works produced in a person's life rises rapidly to a peak and then declines gradually.

Question 38

Dennis's (1968)research on creativity shows that differences in peak age of creativity for disciplines may depend as much on which of the following as it does on chronological age?

A) family support
B) personality
C) success in social-psychological growth
D) a field's social structure

Question 39

What did Lehman find through research into creativity through analysis of the works of creative people and their achievements?

A) In most fields, achievement steadily decreases after age 45.
B) Scientists and mathematicians peak much later than musicians or artists.
C) People in almost every field peak at about the same age.
D) Greatness of work is not an effective or accurate measure of creativity.

Question 40

How does Dr.Gene Cohen describe the wisdom that can grow or improve with older age?

A) as later stage wisdom
B) as cumulative intelligence
C) as developmental intelligence
D) as aged intelligence

Question 41

Martin Luther King Jr.was a person who gave an inspiring "I Have a Dream" speech,which motivated young people to trust in the American culture and follow its prescription for action.King's speech was an example of which one of the following terms?

A) integrity
B) community involvement
C) disengagement theory
D) spirituality

Question 42

The age stratification system acts to do which of the following?

A) filter historical events through a generation, altering the event's effects on the different age groups within the period
B) replace older cohorts in society with newer cohorts as its members age
C) ensure an even distribution of ages within a generation
D) introduce new values to society through the young, and acceptance of the new values as the young move into middle age

Question 43

Anthropologists report that all societies move people through a series of age grades.Which of the following statements most accurately reflects age grades?

A) They place limits on the opportunities available to members of age groups, removing those members slowly from activity.
B) They define the rights or responsibilities given by a society to a member of a particular age group.
C) They are conflicts or crises that a person must overcome to reach a new stage of development.
D) They provide a chance for individuals to look at various paths for development and choose those most suited to their needs.

Question 44

Which of the following is an example of a non-normative event?

A) a new job
B) a second marriage
C) the birth of a baby
D) a sudden job layoff

Question 45

According to Lindsay (2008),what percentage of older Canadians say that they engage in religious activity at least once a week?

A) 22
B) 37
C) 43
D) 65

Question 46

What is the purpose of an age grade?

A) to slowly remove the aged from society and thereby provide opportunities for the young
B) to expand a person's perceptions and ensure a successful old age
C) to create status levels within a society and establish roles for its members to play
D) to give order to a person's life and help people to judge their development

Question 47

Which of the following is an example of a cohort?

A) a group of individuals who went into grade 6 in September 1972
B) a family who exercises together
C) a softball team with many ethnic players
D) a craft class for seniors aged 75 to 80 years

Question 48

As cohorts age,they replace one another in society's age structure.What do Riley,Johnson,and Foner (1972)call this?

A) trans-societal aging
B) the age stratification system
C) cohort flow
D) generation reproduction

Question 49

In terms of life events,which of the following statements can be made about women?

A) Women go through different life events than men.
B) Women go through more extended life events than men.
C) Women go through two fewer life events than men.
D) Women go through three more life events than men.

Question 50

Which of the following statements can be made about the attitudes developed by people in their teens?

A) They change drastically somewhere between the ages of 20 and 35.
B) They change slowly and in stages as a person overcomes conflicts in their life.
C) They remain relatively stable throughout life.
D) They will change at least three times before a person reaches old age.

Question 51

When compared to the theory of life stages,how do Braun and Sweet (1983-84)explain the "generational event" theory of personality in terms of the differences between age groups?

A) better
B) worse
C) less accurately
D) more superficially

Question 52

What is the term for the theory of personality development that says attitudes for a generation form during their teen years?

A) cohort reaction theory
B) generational event theory
C) life stage theory
D) age-graded event theory

Question 53

Yolanda is not a typical grandmother.She takes a woodworking class,rides a motorcycle,and is a certified black belt holder in karate.Her female friends think that her interests are strange.What is the term that describes prejudice that is based upon an individual's inability to fit a female role ideal in later life?

A) genderism
B) sexism
C) feminism
D) ageism

Question 54

According to Idler (2006),for an individual who has lived approximately 90 years,"it is difficult to name any other aspect of those lives [...] that would have changed so little." To what is Idler referring?

A) fashion
B) politics
C) religion
D) technology

Question 55

According to many psychoanalytic thinkers (Buhler,Jung,Erikson),old age is a time of which of the following?

A) inwardness, reflection on the past, and the closure of life
B) openness, care for others and the world, and achieving that which was not accessible in youth
C) concern for the future of the individual and of the world
D) rejection of the old views and an acceptance of the new world

Question 56

Andre and Janet were married at 47 and 45 years of age,and a year later,they became the parents of a baby boy.Which term describes this later life experience for Andre and Janet?

A) age-grade exclusion syndrome
B) a tenuous social status
C) non-normative stage development
D) age-status asynchronization

Question 57

Which of the following describes history-graded events?

A) events that have little effect on an individual's personal life
B) events that create a condition of lowered expectations
C) events that are less stressful than non-normative life events
D) events that change the lives of many age cohorts

Question 58

How is a person's life cycle mainly regulated?

A) by the person's subconscious
B) by the educational level the person has attained
C) by the person's needs or desires
D) by the social groups that the person belongs to

Question 59

Which of the following do sociologists define as social guidelines that prescribe how a person of a certain age should act?

A) social readjustment
B) age norms
C) social norms
D) ageism

Question 60

According to Einolf (2011),how does generativity come about?

A) through learning
B) through prayer and reflection
C) through medical consultation
D) through service to others

Question 61

Describe Park and Reuter-Lorenz's (2009)scaffolding theory of aging and cognition.

Question 62

In general,what have studies found about the risk of depression in later life ?

A) The risk decreases.
B) The risk remains constant.
C) The risk increases.
D) The risk decreases slowly until middle age, and then increases sharply by about age 65.

Question 63

Explain how physical exercise can be beneficial to the brain and cognitive development in older age.

Question 64

According to Baltes and colleagues (Schiebe,Kunzmann,and Baltes,2007),what are the five criteria of wisdom,and what is important about these criteria?

Question 65

Research shows that 89% of the time,the Alzheimer Predictive Index can predict the onset of Alzheimer's disease within how many years?

A) 2
B) 10
C) 20
D) 50

Question 66

Stones and colleagues (2004)studied residents of long-term care facilities and found that what percentage of people in these settings do not get treatment for depressive symptoms?

A) 10-20%
B) 25-35%
C) 40-55%
D) 60-75%

Question 67

Which of the following phrases describes the concept of competency?

A) the exercise of rights by all citizens
B) the loss of civil rights when a person comes into protective care
C) the loss of ability to make decisions
D) the ability to understand the information relevant to the decision to be made

Question 68

According to Milan and Vezina (2011),what percentage of seniors reported feeling "happy and interested in life?"

A) more than 25%
B) more than 50%
C) more than 75%
D) more than 90%

Question 69

According to the Ontario Alzheimer Society,what percentage of the Canadian population is projected to suffer from Alzheimer's disease by 2038?

A) 1.5%
B) 1.9%
C) 2.5%
D) 2.8%

Question 70

Lewis suffers from insomnia and he does not want to take a prescription drug to relieve it.His physician describes a new method to treat Lewis' sleeplessness.What do some clinicians use to help relieve insomnia?

A) large doses of thiamine
B) milieu therapy
C) encounter therapy
D) behaviour therapy

Question 71

Which of the following conditions is considered to be a functional disorder?

A) diabetes
B) arthritis
C) depression
D) hypertension

Question 72

Which of the following statements can be made about the relationship between mental health experts and older people?

A) Mental health experts have not learned about many of the problems unique to older people
B) Mental health experts have little success treating older people
C) Mental health experts often ignore the needs of older people
D) Mental health experts treat older people the same as younger people.

Question 73

Alzheimer's disease accounts for what percentage of all dementias?

A) 49%
B) 52%
C) 57%
D) 63%

Question 74

Your Aunt Tilley has recently heard a report by the Alzheimer's Society that discussed methods to build a "cognitive reserve" to help her as she ages.What types of activity can your aunt become involved in to build up her cognitive reserve?

A) ride a bike
B) play chess
C) learn yoga
D) practice a musical instrument

Question 75

What does research by Cohen (2005)illustrate regarding mental growth and development in later life?

Question 76

According to the Slaughter and Bankes (2007)report,those with Alzheimer's disease lose one functional ability every how many months?

A) 5
B) 4
C) 3
D) 2

Question 77

Which of the following conditions is a disease of the brain?

A) Down syndrome
B) dementia
C) depression
D) diabetes

Question 78

Because they interfere with how a person functions,psychological problems such as emotional upset,anxiety,and depression are known as which of the following?

A) functional disorders
B) organic disorders
C) dementia
D) autodidactic disorders

Question 79

Research has shown that a large percentage of older Canadians shared the greatest tendency toward depression because of which of the following factors?

A) stress
B) financial instability
C) anxiety
D) the inability to get out and a loss of social support

Question 80

Which of the following is true for older people with functional problems?

A) Few treatments are readily available.
B) Many treatments are available for a wide range of problems.
C) Successful recoveries are rare.
D) Institutionalization is the most frequent result.