Deck 25: Late Adulthood: Psychosocial Development

Question 1

The tendency for older adults to perceive, prefer, and remember negative images and experiences more than positive ones is the positivity effect.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Many older people resist moving from unsuitable homes into a smaller, safer place out of a desire to hold on to their sense of self.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

According to disengagement theory, aging leads to decreasing options for relationships and activities.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Only 25 percent of adults over the age of 65 are grandparents.

Question 5

Adult children who care for their elderly parents out of a sense of obligation demonstrate filial responsibility.

Question 6

SES impacts one's health and options throughout the life span, impacting health and options as one ages.

Question 7

Volunteer work is a form of exploitation of the elderly.

Question 8

Retirement is most often a traumatic event in the life of an older person.

Question 9

ADLs include such things as eating, bathing, dressing, and moving from a bed to a chair.

Question 10

The quality of older peoples' friendships tends to improve even as they experience losses.

Question 11

The elderly are more political than any other age group on all measures of and in all categories related to political interest.

Question 12

An individual's worldview tends to turn more cynical and negative with age.

Question 13

Older couples that are happy together are likely to say they no longer disagree about things.

Question 14

An older person's use of selective optimization with compensation is a sign that he or she is near death.

Question 15

Erik Erikson developed one of the most comprehensive self theories.

Question 16

The life expectancy for 65-year-old European Americans is the same as that for 65-year old African Americans.

Question 17

The ability to perform IADLs may be even more critical to self-sufficiency than ADL ability.

Question 18

Stratification theories maintain that social forces promote individual choice.

Question 19

Older adults who want to remain in their homes as they age are expressing a desire to age in place.

Question 20

The impulse toward compulsive hoarding tends to increase with age.

Question 21

Longevity itself may result from lifelong ______, in this case harming men.

A) income discrepancies
B) gender stratification
C) prejudice
D) social disengagement

Question 22

In older adults, a positive worldview _____.

A) correlates with less well-being
B) correlates with believing that life is meaningful
C) is associated with increased family conflict
D) is associated with increased responsiveness to regretful events

Question 23

Today in the United States, public agencies rarely provide support or assistance to caregivers unless an emergency situation arises.

Question 24

Erik Erikson called the final crisis of development _____.

A) optimization versus compensation
B) generativity versus stagnation
C) integrity versus despair
D) activity versus disengagement

Question 25

The medical establishment is largely responsible for preventing frailty among the old.

Question 26

Yvette looks back at her life with pride, even though some aspects of her personal history include errors on her part. Yvette is in the stage that Erik Erikson called _____.

A) generativity versus stagnation
B) optimization versus compensation
C) activity versus disengagement
D) integrity versus despair

Question 27

Self theories emphasize _____.

A) social forces
B) levels of discrimination
C) perceptions of self
D) circumscribed opportunities

Question 28

Gender-stratification theory recognizes that men and women are pushed into certain roles because of their sex, roles that may ultimately _____.

A) limit women but not men
B) harm them in late adulthood
C) keep society intact
D) make them better spouses

Question 29

_____ theories claim that social forces limit individual choice and direct life, especially in late adulthood.

A) Dynamic
B) Self
C) Stratification
D) Stage

Question 30

Outright abuse is now rare in U.S. nursing homes, at least in part because of mandatory inspections.

Question 31

According to Erik Erikson, each new experience throughout life requires _____.

A) both assimilation and accommodation
B) a reassessment of identity
C) selective optimization
D) stratification

Question 32

In one study, researchers discovered that the brains, bodies, and behaviors of adults diagnosed with _____ were more like those of younger adults.

A) the positivity effect
B) compulsive hoarding
C) late-life depression
D) disengagement

Question 33

Most elderly hoarders grew up ______.

A) in the Great Depression
B) in middle-class families
C) during the turn of the century
D) in western states

Question 34

A caregiver who uses restraints and overmedication when taking care of an elderly person is committing elder abuse.

Question 35

Marge was asked to select a cherished object from her life. She chose a small tarnished picture frame with a photo of her with her mother, taken when she was a girl. Her selection demonstrates her attempt to _____.

A) portray her object as a valued antique
B) be young again
C) hold on to her identity
D) be more like her mother

Question 36

Martha has accumulated such large piles of old papers and magazines that she can no longer use her table or desk, and she has held on to so much old furniture and clothing that many rooms in her home cannot be entered. In her attempts to hang on to various material items from her life, Martha developed _____.

A) a positivity effect
B) a good strategy for aging in place
C) universal design
D) compulsive hoarding

Question 37

According to Erik Erikson, the dichotomy of integrity versus despair is the focus of _____.

A) adolescence
B) early adulthood
C) middle adulthood
D) late adulthood

Question 38

Theories that describe the ways in which societies place people on a particular life path are called "______."

A) self theories
B) stratification theories
C) continuity theories
D) activity theories

Question 39

"Assisted living" is the term used to describe when an elder moves into a younger relative's home.

Question 40

The caregiver of a frail elderly person is usually a daughter even if the frail person is still living with a spouse.

Question 41

Generally, where do the elderly prefer to live?

A) in a planned retirement community
B) with their children or other relatives
C) in their own homes
D) in nursing homes

Question 42

The theory that is contrary to disengagement theory is _____ theory.

A) epigenetic
B) identity
C) activity
D) feminist

Question 43

Age, gender, ethnicity, and income are the four major categories of _____; as such, they can limit choice at every stage of life.

A) cognitive development
B) socioeconomic status
C) self theories
D) stratification

Question 44

Older immigrants tend to be _____.

A) happy and financially stable due to retirement savings
B) well integrated into extended family life, as is the norm in the United States
C) isolated but provided for by social welfare programs
D) lonely and poor, without a U.S. work history or the benefit of extended family life to support them

Question 45

Older adults who work part-time or become self-employed tend to be _____ than those who work full time or quit completely.

A) happier
B) more depressed
C) more stressed
D) sicker

Question 46

A man who is almost 65 years old withdraws from his connections with younger people and his coworkers stop asking him for help. Which theory says this behavior is a natural part of aging?

A) continuity
B) self-actualization
C) selective optimization
D) disengagement

Question 47

Typically, who does more housework after retirement than before?

A) men
B) women
C) hired caregivers
D) both men and women

Question 48

The most controversial version of social stratification theory is _____ theory, in part because it can be used to justify ageism and social isolation.

A) compensation
B) disengagement
C) optimization
D) activity

Question 49

In the United States, elderly Hispanics seem to have a(n) _____ advantage over elderly non-Hispanics.

A) longevity
B) income
C) health care
D) education

Question 50

All of the following workers are quite likely to remain in the paid labor force after age 60 EXCEPT a(n) _____.

A) English professor
B) unionized mechanic at a local factory
C) independently employed cleaning lady
D) judge in a state court

Question 51

Longitudinal as well as cross-sectional research finds a strong link between _____ and volunteering.

A) age
B) health
C) political affiliation
D) vocational identity

Question 52

Lloyd has retired from his career as a city administrator, disengaging from his work life. In a case like this, disengagement in one area of life _____.

A) means that Lloyd will certainly disengage from all other areas of life, too
B) does not necessarily mean that Lloyd will disengage from other areas of life
C) proves that disengagement theory is more accurate than activity theory
D) is the start of Lloyd's decline

Question 53

_____ may magnify stratification of gender, ethnicity, and immigration.

A) Age
B) Marriage
C) Income
D) Retirement

Question 54

The idea that opportunities and roles are determined based on age is referred to as "______."

A) stratification by age
B) selective optimization
C) self-actualization
D) social stagnation

Question 55

Xavier had strong social connections and community ties throughout his adult life, and mentored many individuals while in his career as a business manager. He was also an active volunteer in his community. Now that he is retired, Xavier will most likely _____.

A) become socially isolated as he disengages from his work
B) become an active volunteer or find other ways to remain socially engaged
C) actually return to work because his professional life was his sole source of identity
D) experience rapidly declining health and well-being as he becomes more and more isolated

Question 56

Each stereotype adds to stratification and thus adds to the risk of problems, perhaps putting those who are female, non-White, and poor in ______.

A) an aging trifecta
B) triple jeopardy
C) a bidirectional loop
D) reverse discrimination

Question 57

The crucial stratification variable in the well-being of the elderly is _____, which causes a lifetime of stresses including less education, less health care, and accumulating disadvantages of many kinds.

A) the age of retirement
B) low income
C) age
D) family size

Question 58

Disengagement is more likely among ______.

A) the sandwich generation
B) professional women
C) those low in SES
D) affluent elders

Question 59

Which of the following is NOT characteristic of typical elder volunteers?

A) strong commitment to the community
B) many social contacts
C) married to a volunteer
D) poor health

Question 60

The view that elderly people need to remain active in a variety of social spheres is called "______."

A) stratification theories
B) positivity effect
C) activity theory
D) disengagement theories

Question 61

The fact that Maine, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia follow Florida as the states with the highest proportion of residents over age 65 illustrates that _____.

A) most elderly people want to retire to warmer environments
B) only a few states have an adequate number of planned retirement communities
C) most people prefer to age where they have always lived
D) the old tend to congregate in a few parts of the country

Question 62

Who of the following are ideal social-convoy members for older adults?

A) former spouses
B) former teachers
C) old friends
D) retired bosses or supervisors

Question 63

With regard to elections and public policy debates, the elderly tend to _____.

A) always vote in support of their economic interests
B) uniformly support the candidate or measure endorsed by AARP
C) be divided
D) look to their adult children for guidance

Question 64

Who is most likely to be the healthiest and happiest at age 70?

A) Jan, who never married and lives alone
B) Annette, who lives with her husband of 40 years
C) Carly, who has been a widow for 14 years and did not remarry
D) Susan, who has been divorced for 23 years and lives with her daughter

Question 65

Which state has the highest proportion of people over the age of 65?

A) Florida
B) California
C) Arizona
D) Maine

Question 66

Religious faith is associated with improved psychological health in old age due to _____.

A) the belief that one's particular faith or ethnicity is superior to that of others
B) beliefs that give meaning to life and death
C) a focus on pleasure and immediate needs
D) the regular attendance of religious services

Question 67

In what way are older Americans the LEAST politically active?

A) voting
B) writing letters to elected officials
C) staying informed on current events
D) volunteering on political campaigns

Question 68

When many adults who moved into a neighborhood decades earlier never leave the area, the result is _____.

A) assisted living
B) an empty nest
C) a universal design
D) a naturally occurring retirement community

Question 69

What percentage of older adults volunteer in political campaigns?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 5

Question 70

Most studies of marriages of long duration find that compared to younger adults, the elderly are _____.

A) more open to the possibility of divorcing
B) happier in their marriages
C) no longer interested in sexual interaction
D) more likely to dwell on areas of disagreement

Question 71

Religious involvement correlates with _____ because it promotes social relationships and healthy habits.

A) higher levels of stress
B) better health
C) more wealth
D) earlier death

Question 72

Claire and Dennis have lived in the same house for over 40 years. They reared their children there and were actively involved in the neighborhood. As they age, their children want them to move to a nearby small apartment. Like many other older adults, Claire and Dennis _____.

A) look forward to moving to a new home
B) prefer to age in place
C) are divided on the decision, as women in general prefer to move during retirement
D) would actually prefer to head to a warmer climate than stay local

Question 73

Life satisfaction for the elderly correlates with _____.

A) work
B) companionship
C) sexual activity
D) income

Question 74

When older Americans move, they are most likely to move _____.

A) not far from their old residence
B) to a warm climate
C) to the town where they were born
D) to the countryside, where it is quiet and where there is less crime

Question 75

Among adults in long-term marriages, ____ is the goal.

A) affluence
B) notoriety
C) equality
D) equity

Question 76

Compared to single older adults, elderly spouses tend to be _____.

A) happier and wealthier
B) happier but poorer
C) poorer and less happy
D) wealthier but less happy

Question 77

The most important buffer against the loss that comes from such stressors as retirement or widowhood is having _____.

A) several grandchildren
B) at least one close friend
C) paid caregivers
D) a home of one's own

Question 78

According to one 2010 study, about one out of every _____ long-term marriages decreases health and happiness.

A) ten
B) six
C) four
D) two

Question 79

Which of the following statements about older people and religion is true?

A) Faith communities promote caring relationships.
B) Belief in the afterlife may explain the high numbers of suicide among African American women.
C) Faith decreases with age and experience.
D) Religious identity is never as significant as ethnic identity in the lives of older adults.

Question 80

About ____ percent of older people prefer to age in place.

A) 25
B) 50
C) 70
D) 90