Adult Development and Aging Quiz

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Questions and Answers

What characterizes primary aging?

Ability to adjust focus to varying distances

Specific illnesses that only arise with age

Universal and irreversible physical changes (correct)

Increased sensitivity to high frequencies

Which of the following changes is associated with hearing during middle adulthood?

Improved reaction time

Enhanced auditory memory capacity

Increased ability to hear high frequencies

Initial decline in sensitivity to high frequencies (correct)

What is a result of decreased brain size in middle adulthood?

Harder working memory tasks (correct)

Improved processing speed

Faster multitasking abilities

Enhanced neural repair

Which of the following describes presbyopia?

Difficulty adjusting focus to varying distances Signup and view all the answers

What change occurs to every organ, system, and cell during middle adulthood?

Decreased efficiency and strength Signup and view all the answers

What primary role does a kinkeeper serve in a family?

Maintains communication and gathers family together Signup and view all the answers

What best describes the term 'Sandwich Generation'?

Adults overwhelmed by the needs of younger and older family members Signup and view all the answers

How does employment contribute to generativity in adults?

By allowing the development and use of personal skills Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following consequences is associated with unemployment?

Higher rates of social problems like depression and alcohol use disorder Signup and view all the answers

What is a key aspect of finding balance in adult life?

Expressing personality through choices in mates, locations, and vocations Signup and view all the answers

What is a common cause of skin changes such as wrinkles and sagging?

Decline in water content in cells Signup and view all the answers

What demographic change is associated with middle age regarding outward appearance?

Gradual muscle declines Signup and view all the answers

What happens to bones as a person ages?

They broaden but become more porous Signup and view all the answers

What is the term for the transition in which fertility declines in females?

Climacteric Signup and view all the answers

In middle age, what is a leading cause of death related to heart health?

Cardiovascular disease Signup and view all the answers

What behavioral pattern is linked to an increased risk of heart disease?

Type A behavior pattern Signup and view all the answers

How does sexual activity change among married couples in middle age?

It drops in frequency but remains stable Signup and view all the answers

What percentage of midlife deaths in the United States is attributed to cancer?

One-third Signup and view all the answers

What is the recommended weekly goal for adults in terms of exercise?

150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of intensive exercise Signup and view all the answers

Which three characteristics define hardiness as a personality trait?

Control, Commitment, Challenge Signup and view all the answers

Which statement best describes fluid intelligence?

It declines and is related to basic information-processing skills. Signup and view all the answers

What does the selective optimization with compensation theory propose?

People maintain balance in their lives as they age. Signup and view all the answers

What describes the changes in creativity as individuals age?

Becomes more deliberate and integrates ideas. Signup and view all the answers

According to Vaillant’s view of midlife, what is a primary focus for individuals during this stage?

Longer-term, less-personal goals Signup and view all the answers

What accurately describes expert thought?

Intuitive, automatic, strategic, and flexible Signup and view all the answers

What is a common misconception about the relationship between age and expertise?

Experience can sometimes overcome the effects of age. Signup and view all the answers

What task involves acknowledging past hurtful acts and attempting to leave a legacy for future generations?

Destruction-Creation Signup and view all the answers

Which of the following is NOT a manifestation of generativity in middle adulthood?

Being self-absorbed and self-indulgent Signup and view all the answers

Which task is focused on balancing engagement with and separateness from the external world?

Engagement-Separateness Signup and view all the answers

What is a key aspect of sibling relationships in middle adulthood?

Closer bonds in response to life events Signup and view all the answers

In Erikson’s theory, which of the following describes stagnation?

Being self-centered and self-absorbed Signup and view all the answers

What characterizes the friendships formed during middle adulthood?

Friends are relied on for practical help rather than emotional support. Signup and view all the answers

How do possible selves relate to one's sense of self over time?

They evolve based on personal experiences and hopes. Signup and view all the answers

What is a primary benefit of a satisfying marriage in middle adulthood?

Enhanced health, wealth, and happiness. Signup and view all the answers

What trend has been observed regarding divorce rates among individuals aged 50 to 65 in the U.S.?

The rates have doubled in the past two decades. Signup and view all the answers

What aspect of communication is particularly emphasized in intimate relationships during middle adulthood?

Honesty and transparency as key components. Signup and view all the answers

Study Notes

Middle Adulthood Overview

Ages 30 to 65
Senescence is the process of aging, where the body becomes less strong and efficient.

Physical Development

Internal System Changes:
- Every organ, system, and cell slows down.
- Blood pressure increases.
- Maximum breathing function decreases.
Brain Changes:
- Adult neurogenesis: neurons are generated from neural stem cells.
- Neurons fire more slowly.
- Reaction time lengthens.
- Brain size decreases.
- Multitasking gets harder.
- Processing takes longer.
- Working memory tasks are harder.
Vision Changes:
- Presbyopia: "old eyes" - inability to adjust focus to varying distances.
- Pupil shrinks, lenses yellow, vitreous changes.
- Increased glaucoma risk.
Hearing Changes:
- Presbycusis: "old hearing" - initially, a decline in sensitivity to high frequencies.
- Differences by sex.
- Hearing aids, modifications to the listening environment, and communication strategies can help.
Skin Changes:
- Caused by cells in both the epidermis and dermis declining in water content.
- Wrinkles.
- Sagging skin.
- Age spots.
Outward Appearance Changes:
- Middle-age spread common.
- Very gradual muscle declines.
- Changes in hair color and hair follicles.
Skeletal Changes:
- Bones broaden but become more porous.
- Loss in bone strength.
- Falls resulting in bone fractures and death nearly double from early to middle adulthood.
- A healthy lifestyle can slow bone loss.

Changes to the Sexual-Reproductive System

Males:
- Decline in testosterone.
- Andropause.
Females:
- Drop in estrogen.
- Menopause.

Health

Sexual Activity:
- Slight drop in frequency among married and long-term partner couples.
- Stability of sexual activity is typical.
- Best predictor is marital/relationship happiness.
- Intensity of response declines; slower arousal due to climacteric.
Health in Middle Age:
- 85% rate health as excellent or good, a decline from early adulthood.
- More chronic diseases than in early adulthood.
Leading Causes of Death in Midlife in the United States:
- Data presented as a bar graph showing the number of deaths per 100,000 annually for both men and women. Shows significant causes of death.
Cancer:
- One-third of U.S. midlife deaths.
- Results from mutations.
- A complex interaction of heredity and environmental conditions.
Cardiovascular Disease:
- One-fourth of U.S. midlife deaths.
- Possible symptoms (e.g., sweating, pain in chest).
- Sex differences.

Hostility and Health

Type A behavior pattern: Angry, impatient, and competitive.
Prone to heart disease and other health problems.
Link between hostility and cardiovascular disease.

Adapting

More than half of U.S. adults meet the weekly goal of 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of intensive exercise.
Exercise helps every condition at every age.
Importance of regular exercise.
Emphasis on body fitness.

Hardiness

Personality trait that serves as a buffer.
Characterized by:
- Control.
- Commitment.
- Challenge.

Coping Improvements

Effective coping strategies:
- Identifying positives.
- Postponing action while evaluating alternatives.
Personality changes that support coping:
- Complex, integrated, coherent self-descriptions.
- Blending strengths and weaknesses.
- Gains in emotional stability and confidence.

Cognitive Development

Fluid & Crystallized Intelligence:
- Fluid intelligence declines (depending on basic information-processing skills, detecting relationships, speed of analyzing information, working memory).
- Crystallized intelligence stabilizes or increases (skills that depend on accumulated knowledge, experience, good judgment, mastery of social conventions.
Cognitive Abilities:
- Data presented as a graph illustrating the mean standardized score of different cognitive abilities (e.g., verbal ability, inductive reasoning, verbal memory) across lifespan (ages 25 to 88) as per Seattle Longitudinal Study.
Selective Gains and Losses:
- Selective optimization with compensation theory.
- Proposes that with age people maintain a balance in their lives.
Expert Cognition:
- Expertise: Specialized skills and knowledge developed around particular activities or an area of special interest.
- Expert thought:
  - Intuitive.
  - Automatic.
  - Strategic.
  - Flexible.
Expertise, Age, and Experience:
- Essential requirement of expertise is time.
- Expertise sometimes overcomes the effects of age.
- Experienced adults often use selective optimization with compensation.

Changes in Creativity

More deliberate, thoughtful.
Less spontaneous, intensely emotional.
Sum up or integrate ideas.
Less focus on new ideas.
Goals more altruistic.
Peaks in the late thirties and early forties and then declines.

Psychosocial Development

Views on Midlife
Vaillant's View of Midlife:
- "Keepers of meaning."
- "Passing the torch."
- Focus on longer-term, less-personal goals.
Is There a Midlife Crisis?:
- Sharp disruptions are uncommon as individuals focus on turning points.
Sense of Self:
- Possible selves: What one hopes to become or fears becoming, changing over time.
- Self-acceptance.
- Feelings of positivity and capability.
- Less concerned with other's evaluations.

Relationships

Friendship during Middle Adulthood:
- Friends are often able to offer practical help and useful advice in times of serious problems.
- Friendships can be created through shared problems.
- Differences in friendship include becoming more selective and trying harder to get along with friends.
- Adults may rely on friends more for pleasure and look to family for support and security.
Family Bonds:
- Family links and influence endure over time.
- Childhood history impacts people across their lifetimes.
- Providing companionship, support, and affection meets intimacy needs for parents and adult children.
Marriage in Middle Adulthood -:
- Worldwide postponement of marriage.
- Satisfying marriage improves health, wealth, and happiness.
Intimacy in Middle Adulthood:
- Cohabitation rates are increasing.
- Living apart together (LAT) rates are increasing.
- Communication is essential.
- Faithfulness and supportiveness increases over time, predictive of emotional well-being.
- Long-term committed partnerships are linked to lifelong health and happiness.
Divorce in Middle Adulthood:
- Rate for 50- to 65-year-olds has doubled.
- Divorce (one-third of U.S. divorces) ending abusive/destructive relationships usually benefits one spouse & the children.
- Individuals in middle adulthood adjust easily.
Sibling Relationships in Middle Adulthood:
- Contact and support decline as demands of diverse roles arise.
- Siblings often feel closer in response to major life events.

Tasks of Middle Adulthood

Levinson's Four Tasks:
- Young-Old: Seek new ways of being both young and old.
- Destruction-Creation: Acknowledge past hurtful acts and try to leave a legacy for future generations.
- Masculinity-Femininity: Balance masculine and feminine parts of self.
- Engagement-Separateness: Balance engagement with and separateness from the external world.
Erikson's Theory: Generativity vs. Stagnation:
- Generativity: Reaching out to others in ways that give to and guide the next generation.
- Stagnation: Self-centered, self-indulgent, self-absorbed.

Generativity & Relationships

Parenting:
- Generativity's chief manifestation is establishing and guiding the next generation.
- Involves meeting a child's physical and psychological needs.
- Every parent is tested and transformed by the dynamic experience of raising children.
Grandparenting:
- Valued elder -- immortality through descendants.
- Reinvolving with their past.
- Opportunity for indulgence.
Other Forms of Caregiving:
- Caregiving includes responding to the emotions of people who need a confidant, cheerleader, counselor, or close friend.
- Kinkeeper: Caregiver who takes on the responsibility of maintaining communication within family, gathers family for holidays, conveys important family news, and fosters generativity in other family members.
Sandwich Generation:
- The generation of middle-aged people who are supposedly "squeezed" by the needs of younger and older members of their families.
- Highly stressful -- may impact caregiver's ability to work and emotional strain, greatest stress for those sharing a household with an ill parent.

Generativity & Employment

Employment:
- Employment is the other major avenue for generativity.
- Adults have many psychosocial needs that employment can fulfill.
- Unemployment is associated with higher rates of child abuse, alcohol use disorder, depression, and many other social problems.
- Work meets generativity needs by allowing people to:
- Develop and use personal skills.
- Express creative energy.
- Aid and advise coworkers.
- Support the education and health of their families.
- Contribute to the community.

Finding the Balance

Adults choose their mates, locations, lifestyles, and vocations to express their personalities.
Every adult benefits from friends, family, caregiving responsibilities, and satisfying work.

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Description

Test your knowledge on the key concepts of adult development and aging. This quiz covers aspects from primary aging to changes in hearing during middle adulthood, as well as the role of generativity and the Sandwich Generation. Prepare to explore various age-related changes and their implications.