Question 1

According to the text, about what percent of the adult population either maintains a stable level of intellectual performance or increases their performance well into their 70s?
A) about 40-45%
B) about 60-70%
C) about 80-85%
D) nearly 100%

Accepted Answer

The text notes that when we look at how individuals change as they grow older, we find that 45 to 60% of people maintain a stable level of overall intellectual performance-both fluid and crystallized-well into their 70s. An additional 10-15% show increases in performance into their mid-70s.

Question 2

According to the text, adult members of minority populations in the United States are less likely than the White population to suffer from:
A) heart disease
B) cancer
C) diabetes
D) depression

Accepted Answer

According to the text, White Americans are more likely than members of minority groups to suffer from depression.
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Question 3

According to the text, people who live in poverty or who are victims of discrimination enjoy _____ healthy lifestyles, and the impact of these lifestyles becomes _____ apparent as people get older.
A) less; more
B) more; less
C) less; less
D) more; more

Accepted Answer

The text states that people who live in poverty or suffer from discrimination have less healthy lifestyles, and the impact of these lifestyles becomes more apparent as people age.

Question 4

According to earlier cross-sectional studies of age-related changes in intelligence, scores on which of the following tests would be most likely to decline the LEAST with age?
A) vocabulary
B) figural relations
C) overall intelligence
D) inductive reasoning

Accepted Answer

Vocabulary is considered a crystallized intelligence measure, which means that it is based on knowledge and experience accumulated over one's lifespan. As a result, it is less likely to decline with age compared to other measures such as figural relations or inductive reasoning, which rely more heavily on fluid intelligence and processing speed. Additionally, vocabulary is less affected by neurological factors such as brain damage or disease, which can impact other cognitive functions more severely as people age.

Question 5

In earlier cross-sectional studies of age-related changes in intelligence, the typical finding was that crystallized intelligence _________ and fluid intelligence _________ during middle adulthood.
A) remained the same or increased; remained the same or increased
B) declined; declined
C) remained the same or increased; declined
D) declined; remained the same or increased

Accepted Answer

Crystallized intelligence (accumulated knowledge) tends to remain the same or increase during middle adulthood due to the accumulation of experience and education, while fluid intelligence (ability to solve new problems and abstract thinking) tends to decline during this period due to declines in processing speed and working memory.

Question 6

Which of the following provides the best example of declarative knowledge?
A) being able to operate a computer program, such as Word
B) knowing the names of the capitals of the states in the United States
C) hitting a serve in a tennis game
D) driving a car

Accepted Answer

Declarative knowledge is factual knowledge - it is what you know, such as names of the state capitals. The other options all reflect procedural knowledge - knowing how to do something.

Question 7

If you are tested longitudinally for skills involving the use of crystallized intelligence, at which of the following ages would you expect to have the highest score?
A) age 20
B) age 30
C) age 40
D) age 50

Accepted Answer

Crystallized intelligence refers to knowledge and skills acquired through education and experience. As people age, they accumulate more knowledge and life experiences, which typically lead to an increase in crystallized intelligence. Therefore, it would be expected that the score for crystallized intelligence would be the highest at the oldest age given, which is age 50 in this particular scenario.

Question 8

According to the results of the MIDUS survey, it is apparent that ______________ contribute to the health risks of low-income minority populations.
A) low income, but not minority status
B) minority status, but not low income
C) both low income and minority status
D) neither low income nor minority status

Accepted Answer

The MIDUS survey found that both low income and minority status contributed to the health risks of low-income minority populations.

Question 9

According to earlier cross-sectional studies of age-related changes in intelligence, scores on which of the following tests would be most likely to DECREASE most substantially with age?
A) vocabulary
B) general information
C) overall intelligence
D) inductive reasoning

Accepted Answer

Inductive reasoning involves the ability to generate new ideas or solutions based on existing information or patterns. This ability may decline with age due to changes in cognitive processing speed and working memory capacity. In contrast, vocabulary and general information may be relatively stable with age, and overall intelligence is a more complex construct that may not show a clear pattern of decline.

Question 10

Since 1900, the life expectancy at birth in the United States has increased by about:
A) 10 years
B) 18 years
C) 24 years
D) 31 years

Accepted Answer

In 1900, the average life expectancy at birth was 47.3 years; in 1950, it was 68.2 years; in 2000, it was 77.0 years; and by 2020, it is expected to be 79.5 years. Thus, today the difference is about 31 years.

Question 11

If you were going to advise a middle-aged adult on how to best maintain and improve her cognitive abilities into older adulthood, your best advice would be to tell her to:
A) quit working, relax, and watch more TV
B) stay intellectually engaged in complex tasks
C) create a stable routine, in which the tasks she does are done repeatedly so forgetting does not occur
D) make sure she gets enough sleep each night so her brain has a chance to store the new information she learned that day

Accepted Answer

As the text notes, engaging in complex tasks throughout adulthood seems to be a key in maintaining intellectual processes at their highest possible levels.
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Question 12

If you were to choose a few words to describe how an older adult's cognitive processes differ from those of a younger adult, you would be most accurate to conclude that the older adult's mental processes were:
A) less complex and slower
B) less complex but faster
C) more complex but slower
D) more complex and faster

Accepted Answer

If there is a decline in intellectual functioning associated with age, it is most likely to be seen in tasks involving speed, since various psychomotor processes gradually begin to slow down in middle age. Such declines are commonly compensated by increases in efficiency and general knowledge, contributing to more complexity.

Question 13

The age-related changes that occur in intellectual skills have been traced to which of the following brain changes?
A) enlargement of the cerebellum, which controls balance and some motor control
B) shrinkage of the prefrontal regions of the brain
C) build up of protein plaques around the axons in the hypothalamus
D) enlargement of the corpus callosum, which connects the left and right hemisphere, thereby making transfer of information slower

Accepted Answer

The shrinkage of the prefrontal regions of the brain is associated with changes in intellectual skills in aging, including declines in working memory, attention, and processing speed.

Question 14

This type of skill is action-oriented, involving how activities are carried out:
A) declarative knowledge
B) procedural knowledge
C) crystallized intelligence
D) fluid intelligence

Accepted Answer

Procedural knowledge includes one's knowledge of how to carry out activities.

Question 15

In comparison to how well a group of young adults performs, a group of older adults would likely perform LEAST well on which of the following tasks?
A) typing quickly and accurately
B) spelling
C) recalling historical facts, such as the names of the first 4 presidents of the U. S.
D) reading for meaning

Accepted Answer

The most noticeable decline in abilities associated with aging involves tasks that require speed. Typing is such a task. Other types of knowledge do not show as much age-related decline, if any decline at all.

Question 16

Since Ed has been a tax attorney for over 25 years, he is now able to analyze clients' problems and draw conclusions from experience-based information and knowledge. Although he does not solve problems as quickly as he did when he was younger, his solutions are more complex and therefore better. The fact that his solutions are more complex best illustrates which of the following concepts?
A) crystallized intelligence
B) fluid intelligence
C) cognitive mechanics
D) inductive reasoning

Accepted Answer

Crystallized intelligence refers to accumulated knowledge and skills based on education and life experiences. It is logical that this accumulation of a variety of knowledge and skills would allow Ed to develop more complex solutions. In fact, research has shown that crystallized intelligence remains high and perhaps even increases throughout middle age.

Question 17

Which of the following terms come closest to meaning the same thing as "factual knowledge" ?
A) declarative knowledge
B) procedural knowledge
C) crystallized intelligence
D) fluid intelligence

Accepted Answer

Declarative knowledge is defined as factual knowledge.

Question 18

Marge has acquired knowledge of the law through her 30 years as a litigator and from her years studying in law school. Her knowledge, accumulated over the years, is called:
A) fluid intelligence
B) mechanical intelligence
C) pragmatic intelligence
D) crystallized intelligence

Accepted Answer

Crystallized intelligence refers to accumulated knowledge and skills based on education and life experiences.

Question 19

According to the results of the MIDUS survey, the words that best describe the respondents of minority status who were economically poor, would be:
A) "they did the best they could"
B) "they gave up too easily"
C) "they wasted their chances"
D) "their resentment made it impossible for them to succeed"

Accepted Answer

The survey generally showed that hard-working, proud, low-income minority adults in their 40s and 50s had usually done the best they could with the cards they were dealt, which included such things as caring for grandchildren, wrestling with chronic disease, and lacking retirement and health care coverage.

Question 20

According to Arline Geronimus, the term "weathering" describes:
A) accumulated stress associated with poverty and discrimination
B) over-exposure to hazardous substances in poorly controlled factory settings
C) the accumulated brain changes that are associated with normal aging
D) the harmful effects associated with too much exposure to ultraviolet radiation

Accepted Answer

Arline Geronimus coined the term "weathering" to describe the cumulative impact of social and economic inequality on the health of marginalized communities, particularly women of color, leading to accelerated biological aging, chronic diseases, and early mortality.

Quiz 14: Middle Adulthood: Physical and Cognitive Development

According to the text, about what percent of the adult population either maintains a stable level of intellectual performance or increases their performance well into their 70s?

According to the text, adult members of minority populations in the United States are less likely than the White population to suffer from:

According to the text, people who live in poverty or who are victims of discrimination enjoy _ healthy lifestyles, and the impact of these lifestyles becomes _ apparent as people get older.

According to earlier cross-sectional studies of age-related changes in intelligence, scores on which of the following tests would be most likely to decline the LEAST with age?

In earlier cross-sectional studies of age-related changes in intelligence, the typical finding was that crystallized intelligence _ and fluid intelligence _ during middle adulthood.

Which of the following provides the best example of declarative knowledge?

If you are tested longitudinally for skills involving the use of crystallized intelligence, at which of the following ages would you expect to have the highest score?

According to the results of the MIDUS survey, it is apparent that ______________ contribute to the health risks of low-income minority populations.

According to earlier cross-sectional studies of age-related changes in intelligence, scores on which of the following tests would be most likely to DECREASE most substantially with age?

Since 1900, the life expectancy at birth in the United States has increased by about:

If you were going to advise a middle-aged adult on how to best maintain and improve her cognitive abilities into older adulthood, your best advice would be to tell her to:

If you were to choose a few words to describe how an older adult's cognitive processes differ from those of a younger adult, you would be most accurate to conclude that the older adult's mental processes were:

The age-related changes that occur in intellectual skills have been traced to which of the following brain changes?

This type of skill is action-oriented, involving how activities are carried out:

In comparison to how well a group of young adults performs, a group of older adults would likely perform LEAST well on which of the following tasks?

Which of the following terms come closest to meaning the same thing as "factual knowledge" ?

Marge has acquired knowledge of the law through her 30 years as a litigator and from her years studying in law school. Her knowledge, accumulated over the years, is called:

According to the results of the MIDUS survey, the words that best describe the respondents of minority status who were economically poor, would be:

According to Arline Geronimus, the term "weathering" describes: