Chapter 1: Studying Growth and Change Across the Life Span

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. From a developmental perspective, we are each ______.

A. a collection of different systems

B. a single, integrated unit

C. at risk for cognitive impairment

D. a product of our environment

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Development Is Multidimensional and Multiply Caused

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. Individuals who experienced the Great Depression might have had a greater impact on the future of children during that time compared to adults. This is an example of how the ______.

A. frequency of biological factors shifts over the life span

B. importance of biological factors shifts over the life span

C. importance of cultural factors shifts over the life span

D. importance of biological and cultural factors shifts over the life span

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: The Importance and Frequency of Biological and Cultural Factors Shift Over Time

Difficulty Level: Hard

3. Age-normative influences are related to ______.

A. developmental age

B. chronological age

C. events in one’s life

D. nonuniversal processes

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Development Is Influenced by Historical Period and Culture

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Paul Baltes is recognized as a pioneer in the field of aging and one of his major contributions was the ______.

A. principles of life span development

B. principles of lifelong acculturation

C. developmental milestones

D. principles of environmental scaffolding

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Principles of Life Span Development

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. Which of the following generations was born between 1981 and 1996?

A. Gen Z

B. the Silent Generation

C. the Greatest Generation

D. Millennials

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Generational Cohorts

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Which generation might experience concerns related to Social Security and Immigration?

A. Gen Z

B. Millennials

C. Gen X

D. Baby Boomers

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Generational Cohorts

Difficulty Level: Hard

7. Which of the following factors does not influence the numbers and proportions of older adults in a society?

A. births

B. deaths

C. immigration/emigration

D. employment rate

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Generational Cohorts

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. Non-normative influences might include ______.

A. early illness

B. the 9/11 terrorist attacks

C. experiencing the Great Depression

D. puberty

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Development Is Influenced by Historical Period and Culture

Difficulty Level: Hard

9. Age-normative influences might include ______.

A. winning the lottery

B. the 2001 terrorist attacks

C. experiencing a religious conversion

D. becoming a grandmother around age 47

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Development Is Influenced by Historical Period and Culture

Difficulty Level: Hard

10. Which cohort is slower to enter the workforce when compared to other generational cohorts?

A. Gen X

B. Gen Z

C. Millennials

D. Baby Boomers

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Generational Cohorts

Difficulty Level: Easy

11. The Gen X cohort has an estimated ______ million births in the United States.

A. 84

B. 47

C. 76

D. 55

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Generational Cohorts

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. Baby Boomers are a generational cohort that experienced ______.

A. Vietnam War

B. the Great Depression

C. worldwide media

D. increased school-related violence

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Generational Cohorts

Difficulty Level: Easy

13. They study of gerontology began in the ______.

A. early 1700s

B. mid-1700s

C. 1920s

D. 1940s

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Principles of Life Span Development

Difficulty Level: Easy

14. Stereotypes and attitudes develop from inaccurate information and ______.

A. educational experiences

B. professional experiences

C. personal experiences

D. genetics

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Box 1.1: Age Stereotypes

Difficulty Level: Easy

15. Later life is mared by heterogeneity. This means that ______.

A. older adults are different than younger adults

B. younger adults are more different than each other

C. older adults are more different from each other than from those in earlier ages

D. those in earlier ages are vastly different than those in middle age

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Box 1.1: Age Stereotypes

Difficulty Level: Medium

16. The cultural and age-normative expections that one faces refers to ______.

A. psychological, biological, and social age

B. biological, social, and professional age

C. biological, social, and educational age

D. psychological, social, and educational age

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Multidimensional Nature of Age

Difficulty Level: Easy

17. Cross-sectional studies ______.

A. compare average interindividual differences

B. do not allow for comparison of different ages at a single point in time

C. compare change in one group over time

D. have the strongest statistical analysis design

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Developmental Research Methods: Disentangling Chronological Age, Historical Period, and Generational Cohort

Difficulty Level: Easy

18. A researcher who wants to study changes over time would conduct a(n) ______.

A. cross-sectional study

B. longitudinal study

C. correlational study

D. archival study

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Age, Cohort, and Time of Measurement (Table 1.2)

Difficulty Level: Hard

19. The socioemotional selectivity theory (SST) proposes ______.

A. humans are not unique in our ability to ponder time and our own limited life span

B. we cannot prioritize different goals at different points in our lives

C. our time horizon influences with whom we spend our time

D. individuals need to socialize with selected individuals

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Theoretical Frameworks

Difficulty Level: Easy

20. The majority of factors that influence disparties observed between older racial, ethnic, and other members of underrepresented groups are ______.

A. inevitable

B. chronic

C. preventable

D. debatable

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Cumulative Dis/Advantage

Difficulty Level: Easy

True/False

1. Adults with dementia can demonstrate growth and adaptation.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Development Is Plastic

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. From a developmental perspective, people are a collection of different systems such as bones and strength, and vision.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Development Is Multidimensional and Multiply Caused

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Age-normative influences are those large, cultural events which may influence a group of people differently.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Development Is Influenced by Historical Period and Culture

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. Although Millennials are currently the most racially and ethnically diverse cohort in U.S. history, Gen X is expected to be even more diverse.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Generational Cohorts

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. Biological age is also known as physiological age.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Multidimensional Nature of Age

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. Self-assessment of how old one feels based on their thoughts and behaviors is sometimes described as social age.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Multidimensional Nature of Age

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. There is strong evidence that being the recipient of others’ negative stereotypes can have negative effects on a person’s health and well-being.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Multidimensional Nature of Age

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. For scholars who are most interested in the ways that younger adults differ from middle-aged and older adults, the simplest research method to use is a longitudinal method.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Developmental Research Methods: Disentangling Chronological Age, Historical Period, and Generational Cohort

Difficulty Level: Hard

9. Double Jeopardy refers to the idea that social structures disadvantage certain groups of people and make adaptation to aging more difficult.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Cumulative Dis/Advantage

Difficulty Level: Easy

10. Cumulative Dis/Advantage suggests that health disparities observed among underrepresented groups are the result of the accumulation of risks and exposures across the life span.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Cumulative Dis/Advantage

Difficulty Level: Easy

Short Answer

1. Explain how the Baby Boomer generation has impacted the United States since the end of World War II.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Generational Cohorts

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Aside from chronological age, what are two other indices might we use to measure age?

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: The Multidimensional Nature of Age

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Explain the difference between perceived age and biological age.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Multidimensional Nature of Age

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. Define gerontology.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Multidimensional Nature of Age

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. What is functional age?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: The Multidimensional Nature of Age

Difficulty Level: Easy

Essay

1. Explain how development involves a change in the allocation of biological resources, and how this impacts different times in the lifespan.

illustrated by the observation that young children recover quickly from the flu or a

broken bone. As we reach midlife, our bodies begin to use more energy for maintenance. There may be even fewer available resources in late life. By the time we are old, most of our biological energy is used for maintenance and relatively little is left

for repair.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Development Involves a Change in the Allocation of Biological Resources

Difficulty Level: Hard

2. Describe three big factors that influence the numbers and proportions of older adults in society and how this relates to Gen Xers, Millennials, and Gen Z cohorts.

Most immigrants to the United States are between the ages of 20 and 54 years, thus they are part of the Gen Y, Millennial, and Gen Z cohorts. When Gen Z children migrate to the United States, they often are accompanied by Millennial and Gen Z cohort parents. Finally, many older immigrants die here, and others return to their native countries. Thus, migrants are contributing to a growth in non-Baby Boomer cohorts.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Generational Cohorts

Difficulty Level: Hard

3. What are the advantages and disadvantages of categorizing people by chronological age?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: The Multidimensional Nature of Age

Difficulty Level: Hard

4. What might those who are trying to create social change based on the Cumulative Dis/Advantage say?

Cognitive Domain: Analysis

Answer Location: Cumulative Dis/Advantage

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Imagine an individual has a life-threatening illness. Apply the Socioemotional Selectivity Theory to how an individual might select a partner, and explain.

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Theoretical Frameworks

Difficulty Level: Hard