Question 1

____ is the amount of time it takes the person to respond to a stimulus.

Accepted Answer

Reaction time is the amount of time it takes the person to respond to a stimulus, such as reacting to a traffic light turning green by pressing the gas pedal. Crystallised intelligence is the ability to use learned knowledge and experience, creativity is the ability to generate novel and useful ideas, and temporal lobe processing speed refers specifically to the speed at which the brain processes auditory and visual information in the temporal lobe.

Question 2

You and your 51-year-old mother are playing a speed-based computer game. The point of the game is to respond as quickly as possible to a set of three letters, while disregarding other letters that appear. Your mother is getting frustrated because she keeps ____.

Accepted Answer

The question states that the mother is getting frustrated because she keeps pushing the button on the controller for the wrong letters, indicating that this is her problem with the game. Option B is incorrect because it contradicts the information given; if the mother is correct in her responding, she wouldn't be losing to the player. Option C is a possibility, but it is not given as the reason for her frustration. Option D is not relevant to the situation.

Question 3

____ adults may also be slower than ____ adults to respond to a driving situation that requires an immediate reaction, such as braking quickly when another driver stops unexpectedly.

Accepted Answer

The answer of ____ adults may also be slower than...

Question 4

You are teasing your 53-year-old father that he is slower than you are in responding to a visual stimulus. He rightfully argues that ____.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that there is generally only a small difference in reaction times between young and middle-aged adults in real-world situations. Age-related changes in reaction times are more pronounced in laboratory settings.

Question 5

Your parents are in their 50s, both work and have high satisfaction with their careers. You have noticed that most of your parents' friends also seem to have high satisfaction with their careers. Why?

Accepted Answer

Job satisfaction is often linked to enjoying the work that one is doing. Therefore, it is likely that your parents and their friends have high satisfaction with their careers because they enjoy their work. Salary and promotions may also be contributing factors, but enjoyment of the work itself is a key determinant of job satisfaction. Retirement plans are not likely to compensate for a lack of work enjoyment since individuals still spend a significant portion of their lives at work before retirement.

Question 6

What is known as the ability to respond quickly and accurately to sensory stimuli?

Accepted Answer

The answer of What is known as the ability to...

Question 7

Which of the following is a measure of an individual's perceptual speed?

Accepted Answer

Pressing a button in response to a sound requires quick processing of sensory information and motor response, which is a measure of an individual's perceptual speed. Recalling past events (B), reciting lengthy speeches (C), and completing puzzles (D) measure other types of cognitive abilities.

Question 8

In terms of memory, what differences are there between young and middle adulthood?

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that there are very little differences in memory performance between young and middle adulthood, with most cognitive abilities remaining stable during this period.

Question 9

The reaction time of midlife adults is typically a few ____ longer than for young adults in laboratory tasks involving lights and sounds and pressing button.

Accepted Answer

The sentence indicates that the difference in reaction time is only a "few", indicating a small difference. Therefore, the most likely unit of measurement is milliseconds, which represents a small amount of time. B, C, and D are all too large to represent a small difference in reaction time.

Question 10

In terms of attention, with age people seem to become less able to ____.

Accepted Answer

As people age, they become less able to inhibit irrelevant information, meaning they may have more difficulty filtering out distractions and focusing on what's important. This can affect attention and concentration. The other options (B, C, and D) are not necessarily true for everyone as they age and can vary depending on factors such as individual health, lifestyle, and cognitive abilities.

Question 11

What is the ability to maintain attention to two or more information sources simultaneously and to be able to switch back and forth between them?

Accepted Answer

Divided attention is the ability to maintain attention to two or more information sources simultaneously and to be able to switch back and forth between them. Therefore, option B is the correct choice. Option A, information processing, refers to the way the brain receives, interprets, stores, retrieves, and uses information. Option C, perceptual attention, refers to the ability to selectively attend to a specific stimulus while filtering out unwanted or irrelevant stimuli. Option D, multi-attention, is not a recognized term in psychology.

Question 12

The ____ is a social phenomenon that limits women's advancements in the workforce due to gender discrimination.

Accepted Answer

The term "glass ceiling" is commonly used to describe the social phenomenon that limits women's advancement in the workplace due to gender discrimination. The term suggests an invisible barrier that prevents women from reaching the highest levels of leadership and career success.

Question 13

Your aunt is an outstanding attorney who has been very successful in the courtroom. She has been very frustrated in not being made a partner in a law firm who has only men as partners. Her frustration is described by what concept?

Accepted Answer

The concept being described is the glass ceiling, which refers to the invisible barrier that prevents women and other marginalized groups from advancing to higher positions in a company or organization. Despite your aunt's success as an attorney, she is being held back from partnership due to her gender. The frustration she feels is a common experience for many women in male-dominated fields.

Question 14

Samantha is the best middle manager the company has. She constantly puts countless hours into her job and is one of the best and brightest around. Samantha has not received a raise or promotion for many years and believes it is because she is a woman experiencing unseen discrimination. It is clear that Samantha is feeling the effects of a ____.

Accepted Answer

Samantha's situation is a clear example of the glass ceiling, which refers to an invisible barrier that prevents women and other minority groups from advancing in the workplace despite their qualifications and achievements. This barrier is often due to systemic discrimination and biases in organizational culture and policies.

Question 15

Which of the following individuals is most likely to experience burnout in their job?

Accepted Answer

Burnout is often associated with individuals who work in high-stress environments with a lack of resources or support. The full-time teacher who works in a poorly funded school with a large class size is likely to experience burnout due to the demands of their job and the challenges they face on a daily basis. The other options listed may have their struggles or challenges, but they don't necessarily indicate a higher likelihood of burnout.

Question 16

In the Seattle Longitudinal Study, fluid intelligence was assessed by means of perceptual speed, whereas prior research studies assessed fluid intelligence by measuring ____.

Accepted Answer

Prior research studies often assessed fluid intelligence by measuring reaction time, as it is a component of cognitive processing speed and problem-solving abilities, which are key aspects of fluid intelligence.

Question 17

You do not like to drive with your 54-year-old uncle. He prides himself on being a great driver, but you think that he gets too close behind other drivers. Relative to your uncle's age, why does this concern you? You think that you might get into an accident because, as a middle adult, ____.

Accepted Answer

As a middle adult, his reaction time may be slower, making it more difficult for him to react quickly in unexpected situations while driving.

Question 18

Which of the following individuals is more likely to win in a videogame that is filled with continuous action and requires rapid reaction times?

Accepted Answer

Individuals in young adulthood generally have faster reaction times and better hand-eye coordination, which would give them an advantage in a videogame that requires rapid reaction times and continuous action.

Question 19

John earned his MBA, has been flexible in his career choices and will change jobs as new and better opportunities are presented to him. This has led to more rewarding work for him. What is this career path called?

Accepted Answer

The career path described in the scenario is called a protean career. This type of career is characterized by flexibility, adaptability, and a focus on individual values and preferences rather than traditional career paths. Protean careerists prioritize personal growth and fulfillment over job security and follow career paths that are constantly evolving and changing based on new opportunities and interests.

Question 20

What is defined as the amount of time it takes an individual to respond to a stimulus?

Accepted Answer

Reaction time is specifically defined as the amount of time it takes an individual to respond to a stimulus. Stimulus discrimination refers to the ability to distinguish between different stimuli. Information processing refers to how information is obtained, interpreted, and acted upon. Target acquisition refers to the ability to locate and track objects or targets.

Quiz 11: Middle Adulthood