Deck 13: Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood

Question 1

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

A)35
B)40
C)45
D)50

Answer 1

40

Question 2

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

A)The "hippies."
B)The "gothics."
C)The "elderly."
D)The "baby boomers."

Answer 2

The "baby boomers."

Question 3

The term __________ is given to age-related loss of muscle mass and strength.

A)arthritis
B)sarcopenia
C)osteoporosis
D)muscular dystrophy

Answer 3

sarcopenia

Question 4

Which of the following is most likely to cause difficulty for a middle-aged adult without glasses?

A)reading a newspaper
B)watching TV
C)reading an eye chart 20 feet away
D)reading a road sign during the day

Question 5

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:

A)deceased.
B)in good health.
C)in middle adulthood.
D)in later adulthood.

Question 6

Bob is 50 years old.If he is typical for his age,what is one of his major health concerns at this stage of life?

A)weight
B)complexion
C)liver disease
D)optimal exercise

Question 7

A man in his mid-40s is most likely to notice:

A)increased strength in his upper arms.
B)sensitivity to high-pitched sounds.
C)joint stiffness.
D)decreased bladder control.

Question 8

What percentage of the U.S.population is older than 65 years?

A)2
B)12
C)22
D)23

Question 9

Middle-aged adults tend to focus more on assessment of __________ than young adults do.

A)how much time remains in life
B)time spent in different contexts of life
C)how much time is available for enjoyment
D)how much time is spent in intimate relationships

Question 10

What was the average life expectancy in 1900?

A)37 years
B)42 years
C)47 years
D)52 years

Question 11

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

A)Accommodation ability of the eye diminishes.
B)The size of the retinal blind spot diminishes.
C)More illumination is required for visual work.
D)It is necessary to have glasses that focus on multiple distances.

Question 12

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

A)very little emphasis on
B)great emphasis on
C)no emphasis on aging gracefully and
D)too much emphasis on

Question 13

Bernard is now in his 50s.Body fat accounts for __________ of his total body weight.

A)5%
B)10%
C)20%
D)30%

Question 14

A major health concern for middle-aged adults is:

A)diabetes.
B)cancer.
C)being overweight.
D)tooth decay.

Question 15

The average adult in middle adulthood __________ height and __________ weight.

A)loses;loses
B)loses;gains
C)gains;gains
D)gains;loses

Question 16

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

A)Facial wrinkles and gray hair are among the signs of aging that appear in the forties or fifties.
B)Middle-aged people focus less on facial attractiveness than do older or younger people.
C)Middle-aged people are more likely to perceive the signs of aging as having a negative effect on their physical appearance.
D)Middle-aged people will often dye their hair,take heavy doses of vitamins,and participate in exercise programs to sustain a youthful appearance.

Question 17

People become __________ as they go through middle adulthood.

A)faster
B)happier
C)thinner
D)shorter

Question 18

As your author points out,middle age is a very difficult time to quantify.Experts are now starting to refer to the ages of __________ as "late midlife" in an attempt to create more distinction between age periods.

A)40-60
B)45-55
C)50-60
D)55-65

Question 19

Experts predict that the median age in the United States will rise to ____ years by the year 2050.

A)35
B)38
C)42
D)45

Question 20

Larry is a normal 45-year-old male.Which of the following is Larry most likely to be experiencing?

A)decreased sexual drive
B)divorce
C)declines in vision and hearing
D)increased metabolic rate

Question 21

During middle age,the ability to hear __________ sounds declines first.

A)lower-pitched
B)higher-volume
C)higher-pitched
D)midrange-pitched

Question 22

Sensitivity to ____ pitches usually declines first among ____.

A)high;women
B)high;men
C)low;women
D)low;men

Question 23

Evidence suggests that male menopause is:

A)psychological rather than physical.
B)physical rather than psychological.
C)beginning to appear at an earlier age than before.
D)caused more by a loss of androgen than by a loss of testosterone.

Question 24

The main cause of death in middle adulthood in the United States is:

A)cancer.
B)accidents.
C)heart disease.
D)smoking-related illnesses.

Question 25

Stress weakens the ability of the immune system to fight disease.This effect can start to cause serious health concerns by the time we reach ________.

A)early adulthood
B)middle age
C)retirement age
D)old age

Question 26

Lillian is 50 years old.Her doctor has noticed a sharp decrease in her estrogen levels,and Lillian is complaining about nausea and fatigue.What will her doctor probably tell her?

A)Her thyroid is malfunctioning.
B)She is going through menopause.
C)She may have a problem with her bone marrow.
D)She needs to control her diet and blood sugar levels.

Question 27

After menopause,most women experience:

A)prolonged depression.
B)a loss of sexuality or sexual desire.
C)an increase in psychological disorders related to menopause.
D)no severe negative effects.

Question 28

What is the hormonal change that is associated with menopause in women?

A)increase in estrogen
B)decrease in estrogen
C)increase in androgen
D)decrease in androgen

Question 29

When it comes to treating male menopause,hormone treatments are:

A)effective.
B)not effective.
C)effective only after age 60 years.
D)effective in about two-thirds of cases.

Question 30

Female menopause is more _________,whereas male menopause is more _________.

A)psychological;physical
B)physical;psychological
C)psychological;psychological
D)physical;physical

Question 31

The idea that menopause causes depression,loss of sexual desire,and psychological disturbance is:

A)inaccurate for most women.
B)true for most women.
C)true for about half of all women.
D)true only for women who have given birth.

Question 32

When Janet goes to her doctor to discuss ways to cope with discomfort during menopause,her doctor most likely will advise short-term:

A)antibiotics.
B)amphetamines.
C)estrogen reduction.
D)hormone replacement therapy.

Question 33

Which of the following is NOT a symptom of metabolic syndrome,which is commonly seen during the middle age years?

A)congestive heart failure
B)hypertension
C)obesity
D)insulin resistance

Question 34

What is the hormonal change that is associated with male menopause?

A)increase in testosterone
B)decrease in testosterone
C)increase in androgen
D)decrease in androgen

Question 35

When it comes to treating male and female menopause,hormone treatments are:

A)about equally effective for both sexes.
B)more effective for women than for men.
C)more effective for men than for women.
D)effective for men younger than 50 years and women older than 50.

Question 36

What is the most common change in sleep patterns of adults during middle age?

A)They spend more time in REM sleep.
B)They sleep about 30 to 45 minutes less each night.
C)They take more frequent naps during the day.
D)They spend less time in deep sleep.

Question 37

Forty-five-year-old Angie loves going to the symphony,but she has been complaining that lately the basses and cellos are overwhelming the violins and flutes.Angie may be experiencing the middle-age decline in her:

A)sensitivity to low-pitched sounds.
B)hearing attention span.
C)sensitivity to high-pitched sounds.
D)sensitivity to middle-pitched sounds.

Question 38

Mattie is in middle adulthood and can expect all of the following changes to her cardiovascular system,EXCEPT:

A)after menopause,her blood pressure will sharply rise.
B)deposits will line her blood vessels.
C)the level of cholesterol in her blood will increase.
D)shortness of breath will occur more frequently.

Question 39

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:

A)diabetes.
B)stroke and breast cancer.
C)ovarian cancer.
D)high blood pressure.

Question 40

A recent large-scale study of American women found that the majority of postmenopausal women reported:

A)debilitating depression and irritability.
B)embarrassing hot flashes.
C)regret that they no longer had their period.
D)that menopause was not the negative event that it was once portrayed to be.

Question 41

One reason that leisure is important in middle adulthood is that:

A)it prepares middle-aged adults for retirement.
B)adults in midlife enjoy diversion more than people do at other life stages.
C)other experiences have become relatively less meaningful and important to most people.
D)leisure has a major impact on career advancement.

Question 42

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

A)secular trends.
B)cohort effects.
C)declining IQ with age.
D)biases in IQ testing.

Question 43

Tony's condition has been diagnosed as sexual dysfunction.His doctor will most likely treat him with:

A)Rogaine.
B)Viagra.
C)cognitive restructuring.
D)Prozac.

Question 44

Michelle is upset because she believes her memory has been getting worse since she entered middle age.She finds it harder to remember a grocery list or telephone number,although she does not have difficulty with information she uses often,such as her address or Social Security number.Which of the following is probably TRUE about Michelle?

A)Michelle is showing signs of premature memory failure.
B)Michelle is typical of middle-aged people in her ability to remember information.
C)Michelle is better at remembering information than the majority of middle-aged people.
D)Michelle is typical in her memory for frequently used information but is worse than average in her memory for lists.

Question 45

The number one factor that determines whether a woman will continue to have an active sex life during middle age is:

A)good health.
B)time.
C)the presence of a spouse or partner.
D)sexual drive.

Question 46

Laura is in her 40s.Which of the following of her abilities will decline in the next 10 years?

A)inductive reasoning
B)numerical abilities
C)spatial orientation
D)verbal abilities

Question 47

What percentage of Americans consider themselves to be religious?

A)35
B)55
C)70
D)95

Question 48

Compared with men's involvement in religion,women are more likely to:

A)have less faith in religious institutions.
B)believe in a higher power or presence.
C)change churches when they are dissatisfied.
D)experiment with alternative religious practices.

Question 49

In middle age,the role of work __________ in people's lives.

A)is downplayed
B)is very central
C)lessens
D)is of moderate importance

Question 50

In general,why are 40-year-olds better problem-solvers than 20-year-olds?

A)they have better methods to improve their memory
B)they have more experience
C)they are more patient
D)they have better insight

Question 51

At age 45,Dena wants to begin a new leisure activity.Which of the following would NOT fit the definition of leisure?

A)reading poetry
B)taking a jewelry-making class
C)selling ceramics out of her home
D)volunteering 10 hours per week at the library

Question 52

In addition to Viagra,there are two more recent drugs to help with erectile dysfunction.These drugs,which are reported to have fewer side effects,are:

A)Rogaine and Prozac.
B)Levitra and Cialis.
C)oxycodone and Prozac.
D)naproxen and OxyContin.

Question 53

Fluid intelligence is the ability to:

A)reason abstractly.
B)memorize information quickly.
C)adapt to new ways of thinking.
D)use deductive reasoning.

Question 54

In middle adulthood,__________ intelligence continues to increase.

A)fluid
B)semantic
C)crystallized
D)multiple

Question 55

According to information in Chapter 13,what will be the balance of leisure and work for most individuals during middle adulthood?

A)They will work more and participate in leisure less.
B)The balance of work and leisure will stay the same as in their earlier life.
C)They will participate in leisure more and work less.
D)The balance cannot be determined;different people are too variable.

Question 56

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

A)Avoid using vivid imagery to keep from becoming distracted.
B)Use a recall rather than recognition strategy whenever possible.
C)Use organization and imagery to assist the remembering of specific information.
D)Avoid using the information to be remembered so that it does not become confused with other information.

Question 57

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

A)peak performance for verbal abilities and verbal memory.
B)great decline for inductive reasoning.
C)moderate decline for spatial abilities.
D)increased mathematical abilities.

Question 58

An adult in middle age will do most poorly on which of the following tasks?

A)adding columns of numbers
B)completing a crossword puzzle
C)hitting the brakes when the light turns red
D)lifting a box that weighs 20 pounds

Question 59

Which of the following is NOT a reason that leisure may be an especially important aspect of middle adulthood?

A)inevitability of death
B)life change
C)opportunity
D)availability of money

Question 60

As they proceed through middle age,Tony and Martha are not having sexual relations quite as often as they did when they were younger.From what we know about sexual development in middle age,we can expect that this is because Tony and Martha:

A)have less time and energy for sex.
B)are not as healthy as they once were.
C)do not find each other as attractive as before.
D)have reduced sexual drives as a result of hormonal changes.

Question 61

Recent research suggests that religion can promote physical health due to:

A)lifestyle issues
B)social networks
C)coping with stress
D)all of these

Question 62

The midlife transition,for both men and women,in which fertility declines.

Question 63

Identify three of the physical changes that take place during middle adulthood.

Question 64

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

A)meaning.
B)spirituality.
C)religion.
D)faith.

Question 65

The mental "workbench" in the mind through which individuals manipulate information and solve problems.

Question 66

As we age,our level of spirituality:

A)increases.
B)decreases.
C)remains the same.
D)increases,but only in those who have chronic health concerns.

Question 67

A kind of (adult)intelligence that consists of one's ability to reason abstractly.

Question 68

List three changes to ones appearance that may occur as we reach middle age.

Question 69

In 1933,this theorist referred to midlife as "the afternoon of life."

Question 70

A kind of (adult)intelligence that consists of one's accumulated knowledge base and verbal skills.

Question 71

Which statement best characterizes the nature of religion's influence on Americans' lives?

A)The vast majority of Americans attend religious services.
B)Religion appears to be less important to Americans than to other people around the world.
C)The majority of Americans engage in some sort of spiritual practice.
D)Americans attend religious services out of habit,not out of religious conviction.

Question 72

List three ways that memory generally changes during middle adulthood.

Question 73

The developmental period that begins at approximately 40 years of age and extends to about 60 to 65 years of age.

Question 74

The complete cessation of a woman's menstruation which usually occurs in the late 40s or early 50s.

Question 75

Which group has a stronger interest in religion?

A)men
B)women
C)Protestants
D)Catholics

Question 76

Disorders that are characterized by slow onset and long duration.They are rare in early adulthood,they increase during middle adulthood,and they become common in late adulthood.

Question 77

The ability to focus and maintain an image on the retina.

Question 78

List three reasons why religion is positively associated with positive physical health.

Question 79

This theorist proposed that two kinds of intelligences (knowledge of facts and the ability to reason abstractly)could be identified,and each of these intelligences were differentially affected as one aged.

Question 80

This Austrian psychiatrist,a concentration camp survivor,wrote the book Man's Search for Meaning,in which he proposed that the human qualities of spirituality,freedom,and responsibility were key in finding one's true meaning in life (and death).