Question 1

Today in the United States, the life expectancy for adults who live to age 45 is about 70 years.

Accepted Answer

Life expectancy for those living to age 45 is about 80 years in the U. S. today.

Question 2

Prolonged stress appears to take its toll on health primarily by causing heart capacity to decline.

Accepted Answer

Prolonged stress affects most physiological functions, but its primary effect seems to be on the immune system. It also can affect how well people are able to care for themselves, so health habits may suffer in stressful times also.

Question 3

In the United States today, death rates for men typically equal the death rates for women throughout the adult years.

Accepted Answer

Women typically have lower death rates than men throughout adulthood.

Question 4

If you were to advise a young adult about the best way to live longer, the four things you should say would be to get regular physical exercise, quit smoking, don't drink too much alcohol, and control your weight.

Accepted Answer

These are generally accepted as four important habits for living a longer and healthier life. Regular physical exercise can improve cardiovascular health and decrease the risk of chronic conditions. Quitting smoking can help reduce the risk of cancer and respiratory diseases. Drinking alcohol in moderation can have some health benefits, but excessive drinking can lead to liver damage and other health problems. Controlling weight can help prevent obesity-related conditions such as diabetes and heart disease.

Question 5

Brain damage is more likely to affect fluid intelligence than crystallized intelligence.

Accepted Answer

Fluid intelligence refers to abilities related to reasoning, problem-solving, and abstract thinking, while crystallized intelligence refers to knowledge and skills acquired through education and experience. Brain damage is more likely to affect the areas of the brain responsible for fluid intelligence, such as the prefrontal cortex, which can result in deficits in these abilities. In contrast, damage to areas of the brain responsible for crystallized intelligence, such as the temporal lobes, might impair specific types of knowledge or skills but might not affect overall intelligence as much.

Question 6

Between the ages of 45-54 and 55-65, the percent of people dying of cancer and heart disease increases.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that the percent of people dying from cancer and heart disease increases within the age range of 45-54 and 55-65, making option A true. This can be attributed to factors such as lifestyle choices and age-related health issues.

Question 7

According to stress scales used to evaluate the degree of stress associated with particular life events, the stress linked to retirement is about the same as that linked to the death of a spouse.

Accepted Answer

The stress associated with the death of a spouse is generally considered to be much higher than that associated with retirement according to most stress scales, such as the Holmes and Rahe Stress Scale.

Question 8

The text reports that in the U. S. today, Black and Hispanic Americans are much less likely to seek health care at hospital emergency rooms because the costs are simply above their ability to pay.

Accepted Answer

The text states that the highest rate of emergency room treatment is by Hispanic Americans, since hospitals cannot turn away sick or injured people, regardless of their ability to pay.
Cognitive Continuity and Change

Question 9

Death in middle adulthood is better characterized as the result of the development of chronic diseases that develop prematurely in high-risk individuals, whereas death in later adulthood is better described as resulting from age-related processes that are common to almost all people.

Accepted Answer

Middle adulthood is typically considered to be the period between ages 40-65, during which chronic diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes become more prevalent. In contrast, later adulthood is typically the period after age 65, during which age-related declines in physical and cognitive functioning increase the risk of death.

Question 10

The ability that typically experiences the most decline in middle adulthood is memory.

Accepted Answer

Memory remains largely intact in middle adulthood, but speed does show some noticeable decline.

Question 11

In the United States, education is related to life expectancy for both men and women, and those with more education are likely to live longer.

Accepted Answer

Studies have consistently shown a positive correlation between education level and life expectancy in the United States. Those with higher levels of education tend to have better access to healthcare, greater knowledge of healthy behaviors and habits, and may also have better job opportunities and higher incomes which can lead to a healthier lifestyle. However, it's important to note that there are other factors beyond education that can impact life expectancy, such as genetics and socioeconomic status.

Question 12

Young adults can generally outperform adults in middle age on tasks requiring high-order cognitive processing.

Accepted Answer

According to the text, middle adulthood is a time of maximum performance of many higher-order cognitive abilities, especially in areas related to work and daily living.

Question 13

In the U. S. today, the three leading causes of preventable death are smoking-related illnesses, followed by being overweight, followed by alcohol-related illnesses.

Accepted Answer

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), smoking-related illnesses, being overweight, and alcohol-related illnesses are currently the three leading causes of preventable death in the United States.

Question 14

Although cross-sectional studies typically show that mental abilities decline with age, when longitudinal studies are used, these age-related declines typically are seen to be nonexistent or much smaller.

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal studies can track changes in individuals over time, while cross-sectional studies only compare different age groups at one point in time. Longitudinal studies have consistently shown that cognitive abilities remain relatively stable or even improve in some areas with age.

Question 15

According to the text, the stress of life events is additive, meaning that when stressful events occur at about the same time, their effects are cumulative.

Accepted Answer

The text states that the stress of life events is additive and their effects are cumulative when they occur at about the same time.

Question 16

Although cognitive abilities typically decline in middle and older adulthood, thinking usually becomes more efficient and therefore faster, so performance usually remains steady until about age 70.

Accepted Answer

Just the opposite is true: Cognitive abilities remain largely intact, but speed declines. Because older adults are more knowledgeable, they can usually compensate for diminished speed through their better knowledge base.

Question 17

In the U. S. today, the most common cause of limited activity in middle adulthood is arthritis.

Accepted Answer

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States, and it is more common in older adults. Therefore, it is the most common cause of limited activity in middle and later adulthood.

Question 18

In the 45- to 64-year-old age group, the death rate for Black Americans is nearly twice as high as for White Americans.

Accepted Answer

This statement is true. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the age-adjusted death rate for Black Americans in the 45- to 64-year-old age group was 581.2 per 100,000 population in 2018, while for White Americans it was 338.9 per 100,000 population. This represents a disparity of almost 72%.

Question 19

Knowing how to start a car is a good example of declarative knowledge.

Accepted Answer

Starting a car involves understanding a set of procedures, rather than facts, so it is a much better example of procedural knowledge than declarative knowledge.

Question 20

The death rate due to accidents declines sharply when adults move from early adulthood into middle adulthood.

Accepted Answer

According to statistical data, the death rate due to accidents declines significantly when adults move from their early adulthood stage (ages 20-39) into middle adulthood (ages 40-64). This is primarily attributed to factors such as increased maturity, reduced risk-taking behavior, and improved decision-making skills that come with age and experience. Therefore, the statement is true.

Quiz 14: Middle Adulthood: Physical and Cognitive Development