Deck 13: Basic Concepts I: Life Course Perspective on Aging Life Course Perspective on Aging

Question 1

The oldest-old refers to individuals aged ______.

A) 65+
B) 65-74
C) 75-84
D) 85-100
E) 85+

Answer 1

E

Question 2

The maximum human life span is approximately ______ years.

A) 85
B) 100
C) 120
D) 135
E) none of these

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which research method/design is most appropriate for looking at aging from the life-course perspective?

A) longitudinal research
B) quasi-experimental design
C) experimental design
D) panel study
E) survey analysis

Answer 3

A

Question 4

This theory of aging posits that in old age, people maintain the habits, personality, and lifestyle that they developed in their younger years.

A) modernization
B) continuity
C) technology
D) disengagement
E) activity

Question 5

The ______ theory of aging posits that the status of older people declines as the level of technology progresses.

A) disengagement
B) technology
C) modernization
D) continuity
E) activity

Question 6

______ depicted the life course as a series of psychosocial struggles that had to be resolved.

A) Cicero
B) William Shakespeare
C) Daniel Levinson
D) Erik Erikson
E) Sophocles

Question 7

According to the ______ theory of aging, old age is marked by the mutual withdrawal of older persons and society.

A) modernization
B) continuity
C) technology
D) disengagement
E) activity

Question 8

Researchers have located groups of people in remote parts of the world (e.g., in the mountains of Peru) who live beyond the maximum human life span.

Question 9

The most persistent view of aging in society reflects continuous deterioration and decline, thus forming the basis for age-based prejudice known as ______.

A) age grading
B) age stratification
C) age norms
D) ageism
E) age differentiation

Question 10

People of the same chronological age can differ dramatically in their functional age.

Question 11

The ______ theory of aging holds that the more engaged people are, the more likely they are to be satisfied with life.

A) disengagement
B) activity
C) technology
D) modernization
E) continuity

Question 12

Old age is best understood as a separate stage of life.

Question 13

Most people over age 65 suffer from dementia.

Question 14

Which of the following is an example of providing opportunities to increase locus of control?

A) allowing nursing home residents to choose activities
B) giving nursing home residents responsibility for taking care of plants
C) limiting meal choices
D) instituting a uniform bedtime for residents
E) a and b

Question 15

A type of research design in which the same group of people is followed over a long period of time is called ______.

A) longitudinal design
B) cross-sectional design
C) survey research
D) experimental design
E) control group

Question 16

A type of research design in which people of varying ages are analyzed at a single point in time is called ______.

A) longitudinal design
B) cross-sectional design
C) survey research
D) experimental design
E) control group

Question 17

Special events that mark the transition from one role to another-such as a bar mitzvah, confirmation, graduation ceremony, or wedding-are known as ______.

A) social clocks
B) age grading
C) rites of passage
D) life course events
E) demographic transitions

Question 18

The life course can be significantly affected by which of the following?

A) social class
B) earlier life events, such as early completion of college
C) historical events
D) unpredictable life events, such as losing a job or divorce
E) all of these

Question 19

Helen Gurley Brown (1993) wrote that work is "our chloroform . . . our life . . . our freedom from pain . . . supplier of esteem." Which theory of aging does this statement best reflect?

A) continuity
B) technology
C) modernization
D) activity
E) disengagement

Question 20

The transition out of social roles, such as into widowhood and retirement, is referred to as ______.

A) unsuccessful aging
B) cognitive functioning
C) continuity theory
D) life events
E) role loss

Question 21

The text asserts that today we no longer have a shared map for the course of life and that the timing of major life events has become less and less predictable at all levels of society. Do you agree or disagree with this statement? Provide specific evidence to back up your position.

Question 22

Consider the traditional theories of aging-modernization, detachment, activity, and continuity theories. How relevant do you think these theories are for explaining aging, later life, and old age in the 21st century?

Question 23

In the New York Times column "The New Old Age," author Judith Graham asked, "What language do you think we should use to describe people who have advanced beyond the middle of their lives, and why?" What are your thoughts about how best to answer this question?

Question 24

Discuss the variety of ways in which the life course has been organized over time.

Question 25

Compare and contrast images of aging in electronic media, mythic/religious literature, and early Western literature.

Question 26

Why is the disengagement theory of aging criticized by some contemporary gerontologists?

Question 27

"Excess disability" involves experiencing more disability than necessary because the environment in which one lives is either too challenging or not challenging enough.

Question 28

How is looking at old age from the life-course perspective different from looking at old age as a separate period of life?

Question 29

"Selective optimization with compensation" involves maintaining capacities one considers most useful as one grows older and letting go of those that are less useful.

Question 30

Describe the ways in which our changing perceptions of time have altered the way we think about aging and the life course.

Question 31

What is meant by the life-course perspective? Why is old age not fully understood "unless we understand it as part of the entire course of human life"?

Question 32

Both biomedical science and social behavior among older adults confirm stereotypical images of what is "right" or "appropriate" for old age.