Deck 7: Psychological Perspectives on Aging

Question 1

A _____ is a rupture or obstruction of a blood vessel to the brain that damages brain tissue.

A) vascular dementia
B) stroke
C) tumor
D) blackout

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Which of the following statements is true about long-term memory?

A) It is a temporary storage site for new information.
B) It is highly unstable.
C) It declines rapidly with age.
D) It involves recalling distant people and events.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

One of the reasons women tend to be more depressed than men is that:

A) women have more biological tendencies to be depressed.
B) men are more likely than women to remarry if widowed or divorced and have more social support.
C) men have stronger emotional constitutions and don't get depressed as easily.
D) women watch too many sad movies and this makes them depressed.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

There are two categories of theories explaining the cause of Alzheimer's disease. One general category is genetic predisposition. The other one is:

A) biological influences.
B) lack of social support systems.
C) nutrition.
D) environmental influences.

Question 5

Which of the following statements is true about Alzheimer's disease?

A) It causes patients to forget information permanently.
B) It is reversible and can be cured easily.
C) It is the rarest form of dementia.
D) It completely impairs an individual's motor control abilities.

Question 6

The ability to reflect on past experience and socialization is:

A) fluid intelligence.
B) wisdom.
C) crystallized intelligence.
D) creativity.

Question 7

Personality studies of the very old suggest:

A) a decrease in social vitality and openness.
B) an increase in anger and hostility.
C) a decrease in patience in younger people.
D) an increase in warmth and self-control.

Question 8

An example of the tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon is:

A) forgetting where one placed a shopping list.
B) forgetting where one placed a friend's phone number.
C) the inability to remember a friend's name while making an introduction.
D) the inability to remember where the car keys are.

Question 9

What change has been made by the International Civil Aviation Organization in regard to the upper age limit for airline pilots?

A) Pilots now must retire at age 60.
B) Pilots can now fly until age 65 if they have a younger copilot in the cockpit.
C) Pilots can now fly until age 70.
D) Pilots can fly until age 55 if they have a younger copilot in the cockpit.

Question 10

A type of mental disorder that affects memory, cognitive functions, and personality to a degree sufficient to interfere with normal activities and social functioning is:

A) depression.
B) dementia.
C) Parkinson's disease.
D) psychosis.

Question 11

Identify an accurate statement about cognitive functioning.

A) People are less likely to exhibit cognitive decline if they have regular social ties.
B) Research suggests that people who remain active have lower levels of cognition than people who are couch potatoes.
C) Cognitive functioning improves as people move into old age.
D) Cognitive functioning remains unaffected by activity level.

Question 12

_____ is the most elusive mental process to define and measure.

A) Wisdom
B) Mental process
C) Creativity
D) Knowledge

Question 13

The classic aging pattern refers to _____.

A) the combination of fluid and crystallized intelligence
B) the fact that older people have more difficulty than younger people in storing learned materials
C) the finding that older people have less interest in learning than younger people
D) the age-related declines in verbal and performance intelligence among people older than 60

Question 14

Approximately _____ percent of dementia is actually vascular dementia.

A) 40
B) 90
C) 75
D) 60

Question 15

Which of the following is a symptom of clinical depression?

A) feelings of worthlessness and guilt
B) regular periods of heightened ecstasy
C) increased appetite
D) complete loss of motor coordination

Question 16

_____ intelligence is largely uninfluenced by prior learning.

A) Fluid
B) Crystallized
C) Verbal
D) Performance

Question 17

Older people tend to be less computer savvy than younger people. Which of the following is NOT a reason for this lack of computer expertise?

A) Older people have less exposure to new technologies and feel less confident about their abilities to use a computer.
B) Older people take longer to complete computer training.
C) Older people lack the money to purchase a computer.
D) Older people have more problems working a computer mouse due to declines in motor control and manual dexterity.

Question 18

A study of 8,000 twins who were World War II veterans found that:

A) there was a high prevalence of Alzheimer's overall, more than 35 percent.
B) among the veterans who were fraternal twins, both twins tended to develop Alzheimer's.
C) among the veterans who were identical twins, 35 percent of those who had Alzheimer's had a twin who also developed the disease.
D) strong support for environmental influences on Alzheimer's risk.

Question 19

The branch of psychology that studies mental processes is:

A) experimental psychology.
B) behavioral psychology.
C) clinical psychology.
D) cognitive psychology.

Question 20

New research suggests that Erikson's stages of identity development:

A) are biological characteristics of all humans.
B) are actually dependent on cultural context.
C) are universal psychological manifestations.
D) are untrue and apply to no one.

Question 21

Enduring dispositions toward thoughts, feelings, and behaviors, both inherited and learned, are called:

A) personality traits.
B) adaptation.
C) coping skills.
D) temperament.

Question 22

The state of compatibility between an individual and the environment that allows a person to maintain a sense of well-being or satisfaction with quality of life is known as:

A) adaptation.
B) temperament.
C) coping.
D) development.

Question 23

Theories proposed by Levinson and Apter are called stage theories. Social gerontologists are critical of these theories which rely on an implicitly biological model of development because they ignore:

A) social environments.
B) places of residence.
C) ethnicities.
D) historical and environmental factors.

Question 24

The tip-of-the-tongue phenomenon is a symptom of Alzheimer's disease.

Question 25

Fluid intelligence is required to identify relationships and to draw inferences on the basis of that understanding.

Question 26

According to the trait theory, personality can be organized into five major factors. Which of the following is NOT one of these factors?

A) openness
B) closeness
C) neuroticism
D) conscientiousness

Question 27

Short-term memory seems to slow down with age.

Question 28

The _____ were pioneers in a man's world. They had strong career ambitions and guarded against distractions.

A) innovators
B) traditionalists
C) retreatists
D) expansives

Question 29

Genetic predisposition and environmental influences support the cause of Alzheimer's disease.

Question 30

Alzheimer's disease is a common type of depression.

Question 31

New research suggests that individuals experience stages of identity development differently depending on their race, ethnicity, gender, and social circumstances.

Question 32

In the context of cognitive functioning, people who retire from jobs involving skilled work or clerical work are less likely to spend time in passive activities like watching television.

Question 33

Working memory refers to the ability to temporarily store and manipulate information.

Question 34

Women of all ages exhibit more depressive symptoms than men, and the gender gap increases with age.

Question 35

A major criticism of Levinson and Apter's research is that:

A) stages are not clearly defined.
B) broad generalizations are made about universal development processes based on a small number of subjects.
C) the concept of "midlife" is not valid.
D) there are too many stages.

Question 36

Vascular dementia is primarily caused by:

A) a rapid decline of the nerve cells in the brain.
B) the lack of red blood cells or hemoglobin in the blood.
C) the lack of platelets in the blood.
D) hardening of blood vessels in the brain.

Question 37

Three adaptive skills can enhance coping or help to alleviate stress. Which of the following is NOT one of these skills?

A) substituting new roles for role losses
B) modifying one's environment
C) remaining active
D) being able to marshal social support

Question 38

A major finding from Levinson's Seasons of a Man's Life was:

A) men after age 50 wanted to forge a new path or modify the old one.
B) men who have made work and career a priority shifted gears in midlife and made family and family life a concern.
C) men began to reexamine their work and attempted to obtain less dominating positions.
D) men were extremely dissatisfied with their current home and work lives.

Question 39

In the context of Apter's four types of women in midlife, a traditional woman is one who:

A) constantly tries to escape from her past experiences.
B) works hard to minimize familiar feminine roles.
C) seeks fundamental changes in her life.
D) channelizes her ambitions into domestic activities.

Question 40

Rates of depression are especially high among:

A) widowed females and males.
B) nursing home residents.
C) older adults who have never married.
D) low-income older adults.

Question 41

Have you ever had a head injury? What are some of the long-term consequences of head injuries?

Question 42

The African American Twin Study of Aging found that cognitive impairment was inherited.

Question 43

According to one study, having an "optimistic outlook" on life can help reduce the risk of heart disease.

Question 44

For Erikson, each of his stages posed an opposing possibility or dilemma. To successfully resolve the dilemma and move on to the next development stage, a person needed to master certain tasks.

Question 45

Why do you think younger people are more computer savvy than seniors?

Question 46

In the midlife transition of Levinson's model, men sought to answer the question, "What have I done with my life?"

Question 47

Traumatic head injuries increase the risk of dementia but not of Parkinson's disease.

Question 48

Aphasia is one of the consequences of Alzheimer's.

Question 49

There are different types of coping strategies. Three of these strategies are confrontational, resigned, or passive.

Question 50

One of the criticisms of Levinson and Apter's findings is that they may reflect cohort effect rather than a developmental path.