Question 1

Partly as the result of the AIDS epidemic, young people in the U. S. today are more likely to decrease their sexual activity or use condoms when they do have sexual intercourse.

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that the AIDS epidemic has led to an increase in awareness and use of safer sex practices among young people in the U.S., including a decrease in sexual activity and an increase in condom use.

Question 2

The best performance of 60-year-old marathon runners today approximately matches the best performance of 60-year-old marathon runners of a century ago.

Accepted Answer

The text cites statistics that 60-year-old runners today can match the records set by much younger runners in the Olympics a century ago.

Question 3

According to the work of Dinesh Sharma, the most important social change in contemporary world society is:

Accepted Answer

Dinesh Sharma, a contemporary scholar of rapid social change in India, has been studying the impact of the new technologies on the cognitive development of children, on the functioning of families, and on cultural patterns in a more general sense. Sharma suggests that we are at the cusp of a new digitally connected world, which is giving rise to a radically different interactive culture.

Question 4

According to the text, if you were a volunteer working with an AIDS population in Africa today, you would need to raise about how many dollars to pay for one patient's antiretroviral therapy for a year?

Accepted Answer

According to the text, a year's supply of antiretroviral drugs can now be obtained at the cost of between $80 and $660 per patient.

Question 5

According to statistics presented in the text, which subgroup in the U.S. population currently is being hardest hit by increasing rates of HIV/AIDS infection?

Accepted Answer

According to the statistics presented in the text, African American women are currently being hardest hit by increasing rates of HIV/AIDS infection.

Question 6

Idiosyncratic events often create considerable stress and a need for reorganization in one's life.

Accepted Answer

Idiosyncratic events refer to events that are unique or individual to a person. These events can range from a major change in personal relationships, a job loss, or a health crisis. Such events often disrupt a person's existing structures and routines, leading to stress and a need to reorganize one's life to adapt to the new situation.

Question 7

In which of the following regions of the world is the rate of HIV/AIDS infection currently the highest?

Accepted Answer

Sub-Saharan Africa currently has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection with more than two-thirds of all people living with the virus residing in this region. According to UNAIDS, in 2019, around 25.7 million people were living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa, which accounts for 67% of the global total.

Question 8

Death rates are lower for people in the young adult age group than in any other age group in the U. S. today.

Accepted Answer

According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), death rates are indeed lower for people in the age group of 25-34 compared to other age groups in the U.S. today. However, this is subject to change based on various factors such as health behaviors, diseases, accidents, and other risk factors.

Question 9

The decline in physical strength and biological functions that occurs between the ages of 20 and 40 is significant and is noticeable by all but the most highly trained athletes.

Accepted Answer

Although there is a slight decline in strength and biological functions during this period, the decline is slight enough and gradual enough that most people do not notice any decline at all. The exception would be trained athletes, whose peak performance generally occurs in the early to mid-20s.

Question 10

Professional baseball players usually hit their peak performance at younger ages than professional tennis players.

Accepted Answer

Professional tennis players usually hit their peak performance in their early 20s; baseball players usually hit their peak around age 27-30, although the great players may peak even later than that.

Question 11

Retirement at age 65 would be a good example of a normative event.

Accepted Answer

Retirement at age 65 is considered a socially accepted and expected event, making it a normative event.

Question 12

A woman may have a harder time becoming pregnant after age 38, since her production of ova becomes less regular and the number of ova she produces declines after this age.

Accepted Answer

As women age, their reproductive system undergoes changes that can make it more difficult to become pregnant, including a decline in the regularity and quantity of ova produced. This can begin to happen as early as age 35, and becomes more pronounced after age 38.

Question 13

The events that define the entry and exit of developmental periods during childhood and adolescence are less defined by culture and more defined by maturation than are the developmental periods during adulthood.

Accepted Answer

The entry and exit of developmental periods during childhood and adolescence are mainly defined by biological and cognitive changes, which are less influenced by cultural factors compared to the developmental periods during adulthood.

Question 14

Age clocks let us know whether our development is proceeding too quickly or too slowly.

Accepted Answer

Age clocks allow us to track our development according to expected milestones and compare it to the average development of individuals in the same age range. If we are reaching these milestones too quickly or too slowly, it may indicate that we need further evaluation or support to ensure optimal development.

Question 15

The period of middle adulthood typically extends from age 30 to age 50.

Accepted Answer

Early adulthood extends from age 20-40, and middle adulthood extends from age 40-60 or 65.

Question 16

The law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability is usually called the Civil Rights Act.

Accepted Answer

The law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability is the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is often called the ADA.

Question 17

Although Luke and Connor are both 30 years old, Luke is married, has two children, and is progressing in his career, whereas Connor is still in graduate school, has never had time for a serious romantic relationship, and doesn't yet know what he wants to accomplish in his professional life. The concept that best describes the differences between these men is psychological age.

Accepted Answer

Psychological age refers to an individual's current ability to cope with and adapt to social and environmental demands, which both of these young men appear to be handling, albeit in different ways. The differences between Luke and Connor are better addressed by considering their social ages, which reflects their status as compared with cultural norms.

Question 18

About how many new cases of AIDS were diagnosed in the United States in 2010?

Accepted Answer

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there were approximately 33,000 new cases of HIV/AIDS diagnosed in the United States in 2010.

Question 19

The early adult years are likely to be the time of adulthood in which use of drugs and alcohol is highest.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that individuals in their early adulthood (ages 18-25) have the highest rates of substance use, which includes drug and alcohol use. This may be due to various factors such as peer pressure, stress, and lack of accountability or responsibility.

Question 20

Women are at their peak of fertility at about age 15.

Accepted Answer

Peak fertility for both men and women occurs in late adolescence and early adulthood.

Quiz 12: Young Adulthood: Physical and Cognitive Development