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Experiencing the Lifespan Fourth Canadian Edition Test Bank

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    Page 1 1. List three normative and three non - normative influences in your life. 2. Estimate the amount of time you spend on social media during a typical week. Then, as a thought experiment, imagine your Internet goes on the fritz, and you are forced to spend time on other activities. What specifically would you choose to do? Do you think social media sites are a negative or positive influence in your life? 3. Monitor your texting activities during a particular day. How often do you text? Do you feel you text too much (or too little)? What are the advantages and disadvantages of using this communication mode? 4. Describe (and speculate) on the ways an 80 - year - old and a 30 - year - old might view the Great Recession of 2008 and the social media revolution. 5. Joey and Cyril are born on the same day, but Joey lives in Canada and Cyril was born and is growing up in Haiti. Statistically speaking, what differences between Joey and Cyril might you predict as they travel through life? 6. Explain how you might teach table manners to a 4 - year - old, using operant conditioning. 7. Brandi, a college sophomore, seeks help from the counseling center for her extreme shyness, and is offered a choice of treatments. She can have sessions with a behavioral therapist, work with a psychoanalyst, or get therapy from a person who follows the developmental systems perspective. Explain in a sentence how each treatment would differ from the others. 8. Dr. Ragan, a behaviorist, is the new director of an organization that prepares people to return to college after they have dropped out. Dr. Ragan's mission is to design a program to assist clients in their efforts to successfully reenter school. Using the principles of traditional behaviorism, modeling, and self - efficacy, spell out some strategies that Dr. Regan might employ. 9. Spell out the main similarity and difference between John Bowlby's attachment theory and traditional psychoanalytic theory.

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    Page 2 10. A psychologist wants to determine the heritability (or genetic contribution) to political attitudes. Describe how the psychologist might design this study. What findings would suggest that political attitudes are highly genetic? 11. Give an example each of evocative and active genetic/environment forces and how they have shaped the person you are. Then give an example of either an optimum or poor person - environment fit that you have experienced this semester. 12. Compare and contrast Erikson's and Freud's ideas. 13. Explain Piaget's concepts of assimilation and accommodation, and give a concrete example of those processes. 14. A developmentalist is studying the relationship between parenting practices and children's sociability. Her plan is to watch each family's interactions at home, and then observe each child's relationships with peers at school. Name the type of measurement she uses, and spell out its advantage and disadvantages. 15. Melissa and Ramon want to conduct a study to determine if exercise promotes health. Melissa plans to test this question using a correlational approach, while Ramon decides to conduct an experiment. Describe what each student's research might look like and discuss the respective pluses and minuses of each plan. 16. After researchers conducts a cross - sectional study, they find that older people are more satisfied with their family relationships than are younger people. How should the researchers interpret this finding? 17. List the pluses and minuses of conducting longitudinal research. 18. Take a specific concept, term, or theory in this chapter and discuss how it applies to your own life.

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    Page 3 Answer Key 1. Here, while answers will vary, normative influences would center on predictable culturally and biologically shared events, such as going to kindergarten, reaching puberty, having children, dying, and so forth. In cataloguing non - normative influences, students should refer to any major unexpected event in their lives. 2. Here the answers are up to the student, but positive social media influences might include the ability to keep in touch with a wide array of people, more feelings of support and connectedness, and so on. Negative influences might involve feeling compelled to spend too much time “relating,” robbing the person of time to devote to more productive pursuits. 3. While here the answers are also up to the individual, the advantage of texting is being able to get a message conveyed quickly and in a more permanent form. While leaving a verbal message can be unreliable; with a text, your message is really there. But this in itself is a disadvantage, as texting leaves a permanent record of any thought you might have second thoughts about transmitting! Moreover, texting lacks the nuances people can only get from face - to - face encounters. Texting also encourages people to act out verbally, as sending a message is far easier than confronting a person with negative thoughts. In addition, texting can actually work to keep shy people from actively venturing into the world. 4. Students' answers could legitimately vary, but I'd suspect that for the 80 - year - old, social media might be an incredible surprise. Today's 30 - somethings would view these “new developments in relating” as just part of normal life. In contrast, the opposite might be true of the financial crisis and the Great Recession of 2008: a shock for young people, but all too familiar for people who were born during or soon after the Great Depression of the 1930s. 5. Cyril would be far more likely to die during childhood than Joey. Joey would also live longer, be far more well educated, and much more affluent. 6. Answers will center on reinforcing the child for sitting still, using a fork, saying, “please pass the peas, and so on, as well as ignoring the child when he or she shows inappropriate behavior. Time out also may be used when the child misbehaves. 7. The behaviorist might focus on getting Brandi in positively reinforcing social situations to try to extinguish her shyness. The psychoanalyst would encourage Brandi to talk about her early life experiences and get insight into the unconscious roots of her shyness. A developmental systems proponent would attack the problem on several fronts: trying out medications and different types of therapy; exploring how everything from cultural and family values to genetic predispositions might be causing Brandi's symp toms. 8. From traditional behaviorism: Reinforce clients step by step for making applications, going for interviews, either individually or as a group. From modeling: Specifically, bring in people, who have successfully returned to college years after they dropped out, to talk to clients; have clients model each other in filling out applications, and so forth, in group sessions. Self - efficacy interventions: Continually bring home the message, “You can succeed,” directly and also via using the other techniques mentio ned previously. 9. Bowlby agreed with the Freudians that our early experiences with caregivers shape our

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    Page 4 mental health; but he also believed in a nature explanation of behavior, namely, that the attachment response is biologically built - in to promote species survival. 10. Here, the psychologist could conduct a twin study, soliciting a large sample of identical and fraternal twins and comparing the similarity of “identicals” and their attitudes on a test of political attitudes with those of “fraternals.” If the identical twins had much more similar views than the fraternal twins, the conclusion would be that political attitudes are highly genetically determined. Alternatively, the psychologist could select adopted children and compare their political views with their biologic al and adoptive parents' views. If the psychologist found a high correlation between adoptees' attitudes and their birth parents' views, and virtually no similarity between adoptees' attitudes and their adoptive parents' views, the psychologist could make the same conclusion. 11. Answers will vary. Evocative influences, however, will relate to how personality traits — shyness, happiness, kindness, and so forth — naturally affect how other people relate to that student. In describing active forces, students should talk about talents and interests that propelled them to actively select environments where they learned to improve at that skill, such as, “I was good at sports, so I've been playing soccer since the age of 3.” Person/environment fit: “I'm terrible at math, so when I had to tak e statistics, I failed. . . . I really 'get' psychology, so I'm getting all “A”s in my psych classes . . . I'm not a morning person, so why did I take all 8 AM classes?” 12. Freud focused on the crucial importance of early childhood alone. Freud believed that the main life mission for a person is to satisfy sexual feelings (libido), and that during early childhood, people progress from the oral, to the anal, to the phallic stage. Erikson believed that people develop throughout life and that a person's main life mission is to become an independent person and relate to others. Erikson's stages of development are lifelong; they involve how well people have resolved each of eight “ psychosocial tasks” linked to age. 13. Piaget believed that all learning occurs by fitting new information to what people know — assimilation — and, in the process, expanding what they know, or growing mentally. So, assimilation and accommodation ALWAYS take place together. For example, a baby can only suck, so he assimilates all objects to what he knows — sucking — and in the process, he learns about the world of objects. 14. Measurement approach = naturalistic observation Advantage: gives a concrete record of the behavior Disadvantage: very time - intensive; parents in particular may not reveal their true childrearing because they will be on good behavior while she is watching. 15. Melissa would select a sample of adults who naturally vary in their exercise practices and relate these variations to scores on tests of health. On the plus side, this study would be easy to carry out and not pose ethical issues. On the minus side, this research design cannot prove that exercise leads to better health. Ramon would randomly assign people to either regularly exercise or not exercise, and then compare the health of the respective groups at a later date. On the plus side, Ramon's intervention c ould really prove that exercising promotes health. On the minus side, this study would have serious practical problems and may be unethical. 16. The researchers can conclude that yes, older COHORTS may be happier with their families, but that says nothing about whether family satisfaction really rises with age. 17. Minuses: Longitudinal studies are incredibly expensive, take years, and involve the

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    Page 5 hassle of getting people to return. Subject attrition is nonrandom. Therefore, particularly with adults, these studies only sample how “elite” people develop. Pluses: This is the only research method that can chart real age changes, and, more important, reveal individual patterns of development, and how earlier life experiences relate to later behavior. 18. There are multiple possibilities, so students' answers will vary.

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    Page 1 1. The scientific study of aging is called _____. 2. Predictable milestones people encounter during life, such as puberty or beginning high school, are called _____. 3. If Janet is a baby boomer and Jamila is a millennial, then Janet and Jamila are members of different _____. 4. _____ is the term that refers to one's income and level of education. 5. Harmonious family and group relationships are of primary importance in _____, while independence and achievement are highly valued in individualistic cultures. 6. The developmental science term for environmental forces that shape behavior is _____. 7. _____ theories focus on specific changes that occur at particular ages. 8. In traditional operant behaviorist terminology, people learn through _____. 9. In cognitive behavioral terms, a person who has low _____ will be less likely to accept a challenging task than his counterpart. 10. Freud referred to the mass of instincts that drive human behavior “unconsciously” as people's _____. 11. According to John Bowlby, children's early experiences with _____ shape their ability to love. 12. Evolutionary psychologists emphasize the ______ roots of human behavior. 13. The field that explores the biological and environment contribution to human differences is called _____.

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    Page 2 14. A scientist studying how early life events might change the outer cover of human DNA, and so have far reaching consequences throughout life, is working in the new field called _____. 15. For Erikson, each life stage involves a particular developmental challenge, or _____. 16. A researcher who looks at many different influences on behavior advocates the _____ perspective. 17. The disadvantage of correlational studies is that they do not allow a researcher to determine _____. 18. In a(n) _____, the researcher assigns groups to different treatments and looks at the results. 19. Cross - sectional studies tell researchers about differences between or among _____. 20. The volunteers who remain in a longitudinal study for years tend to be a(n) _____ group, much better than average. 21. When researchers sample groups of people, use objective measures such as questionnaires, and rely on “numbers” or statistics to find answers, these scientists are conducting _____.

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    Page 3 Answer Key 1. gerontology 2. normative transitions 3. cohorts 4. Socioeconomic status (or “SES”) 5. collectivist cultures 6. nurture 7. Stage 8. reinforcement 9. self - efficacy 10. id 11. caregivers 12. biological (or “inborn”) 13. behavioral genetics 14. epigenetics Page. 20 15. psychosocial task 16. developmental systems 17. what causes what (or “cause and effect") 18. experiment 19. cohorts 20. elite (or “select”; “ special”; or other synonym of “elite”) 21. quantitative research

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    Page 1 1. Gerontologists study: A) evolution. B) genes. C) diseases of the ancient world. D) aging. 2. What area of the lifespan did scientists study last? A) child development B) adult development C) gerontology D) prenatal development 3. Researchers studying development a century ago MOST likely would focus on which life stage? A) child development B) adult development C) gerontology D) prenatal development 4. A developmental scientist might study all of these topics EXCEPT: A) parenting practices and how they affect normal child development. B) cross - cultural concepts about the right age to toilet train children. C) emotional development during adult life. D) travel and its economic impact on a nation's wealth. 5. A developmentalist might study all of these topics EXCEPT: A) when children reach milestones such as walking or puberty. B) what drugs work best for people with schizophrenia. C) what happens to people after they reach retirement. D) how an individual's personality may change over time. 6. Which is NOT a normative transition? A) Mary begins kindergarten at age 5. B) Sara has a child when she is in her twenties. C) Josephine has a terrible car accident at age 18. D) Manuel retires at age 65.

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    Page 2 7. Which is a normative transition? A) puberty B) divorce C) sleeping in bed with a child D) living through a recession 8. Which person's statement is referring to his or her cohort? A) “ We live in the same area of the country.” B) “We play tennis together every week.” C) “We were born around the same time.” D) “We are of the same ethnic group.” 9. A cohort refers to a: A) group of friends. B) group of people who were born around the same time. C) family group. D) group of people who live in the same neighborhood. 10. When Aracelly tells you she is a baby boomer, Aracelly is referring to her _____. A) society B) cohort C) income D) gender 11. Millennial, Generation X, and Baby Boomer are terms that refer to a person's: A) social class. B) cohort. C) society. D) group of friends. 12. Which person is NOT a baby boomer? A) Cesar, who was in college during the late 1960s B) Callista, who is 65 C) Cami, who is 40 D) Corrine, who is about to retire

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    Page 3 13. Which person MOST likely is a baby boomer? A) Selma, who is about to turn 65 B) Kimiko, who is in her late seventies C) Kevin, who became a grandpa last year D) Tan, who just got his Ph.D. 14. All are true of the baby - boom cohort EXCEPT that they: A) are larger size - wise than other living cohorts. B) were born in the years after World War I. C) changed society as they moved through life. D) are now entering later life. 15. All are true of the baby boomers EXCEPT that they: A) were teenagers during the late 1960s. B) are entering their young - old years. C) are an incredibly large cohort. D) have had little impact on Western society. 16. Today, the baby - boom cohort is: A) in the aging phase of life. B) old - old. C) almost completely dead. D) all in middle age. 17. Which person is NOT a member of the baby - boom cohort? A) David, who was born in 1946 after his dad returned from World War II B) Adrianna, who entered college at age 18, during the late 1960s C) Lynnette who was born during the Great Depression D) Liang, who retired in 2013 at age 63 18. A woman who says she is a baby boomer: A) grew up during World War II. B) grew up during the 1980s. C) reached her teens during the 1960s or 1970s. D) reached her teens in the 1980s.

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    Page 4 19. Childhood got longer because of: A) schooling — the need for more education. B) economic pressures — the need for kids to stay at home. C) biology — children reaching puberty at younger ages. D) family changes — more single - parent moms. 20. When José is explaining some historical facts about childhood, he would MOST likely say that in previous centuries people: A) cared more about nurturing children than people do today. B) cared more about childhood education than people do today. C) were defined as adults right after college. D) engaged in activities viewed today as child abuse. 21. The modern “caring” view of chi ldhood was NOT influenced by: A) the writings Locke and Rousseau, who felt childhood was a special period. B) medical advances which dramatically reduced infant mortality. C) the need for children to receive an education. D) advances in birth control. 22. Over the centuries, childhood has become much: A) longer. B) more difficult C) more stressful. D) simpler. 23. For people born in the eighteenth century, all of the following are true EXCEPT that they would: A) be far more likely to die during early childhood than today. B) be far less likely to go to school than today. C) begin their “adult life” at a far younger age than today. D) have an adolescence. 24. Carlos, in his twenties, is trying to decide on a career. Carlos is in the life stage called: A) emerging adulthood. B) wandering adulthood. C) immaturity. D) post adolescence.

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    Page 5 25. All are true of emerging adulthood EXCEPT that it: A) refers to the time from age 18 through the late twenties. B) is the time when people explore their place in the adult world. C) came into being because people now live for a long time. D) tends to be a very unhappy life stage. 26. If Therese is in her eighties, she is _____. A) old - old B) a new senior citizen C) in early old age D) an emerging adult 27. The age to which people have a fifty - fifty chance of surviving is their _____. A) ultimate life expectancy B) maximum lifespan C) statistical life span D) predictable lifespan; ultimate lifespan 28. All are true of the twentieth century life - expectancy revolution EXCEPT that it: A) was caused by dramatic medical advances in curing infectious disease. B) occurred in the first half of the twentieth century. C) allowed people to live beyond the maximum lifespan. D) allowed most people to live to “the aging phase of life.” 29. The twentieth - century life - expectancy revolution occurred when scientists were able to: A) cure or prevent many infectious diseases. B) slow the progress of many chronic diseases. C) make inroads in curing heart disease. D) allow people to live happier lives. 30. Which age group has benefited MOST from the disease - control advances that produced the twentieth - century life - expectancy revolution? A) young children B) adults in their thirties C) midlife adults D) elderly people

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    Page 6 31. Deaths from heart disease are much more common today than a century ago because people are: A) living much longer. B) not taking good care of their bodies. C) working harder. D) under more stress. 32. Sara is describing some effects of the twentieth - century life - expectancy revolution. Which statement is NOT correct? A) “People today are unlikely to die of infectious diseases.” B) “ People today often live beyond the maximum lifespan.” C) “People today expect to survive beyond youth.” D) “People today are apt to die of heart disease and cancer.” 33. Ali is discussing the young - old. Which statement is NOT correct? A) “ They are in their sixties and seventies.” B) “They are often healthy.” C) “They may say they look and feel middle aged.” D) “They are in their late fifties.” 34. The main difference between the young - old and the old - old is: A) health. B) wisdom. C) discrimination. D) the climate in which they live. 35. If Phillip is describing the young - old, he should say: A) “They are far more likely to be healthy than the old - old.” B) “They are in their fifties.” C) “They were born during the Great Depression.” D) “ They clearly define themselves as senior citizens.” 36. If someone says, “My grandma is old - old,” all of the following are apt to be true of this grandmother EXCEPT that she is: A) in her late seventies or beyond. B) more likely to be frail. C) more likely to live in a nursing home. D) a recent new grandparent.

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    Page 7 37. All are 1960s lifestyle changes in the United States EXCEPT: A) many more divorces. B) men doing much more housework and childcare. C) women fully moving into the workforce. D) more rigid ideas about how adults should behave. 38. The main consequence of the lifestyle revolution of the 1960s is greater: A) freedom in lifestyle choices. B) happiness. C) unhappiness in the 1960s. D) obesity. 39. Which event does NOT relate to the lifestyle revolution of the 1960s? A) deaths shifting from infectious to chronic disease B) the women's movement C) increases in divorce D) increases in unmarried motherhood 40. What phenomenon is NOT related to the social media revolution? A) on - line bullying B) social media C) sexting D) increased longevity 41. Social media transformed U.S. lifestyles around the: A) 1960s. B) 1980s. C) early years of this century. D) last two or three years. 42. Joe is discussing the causes of the Great Recession of 2008. All of the following comments about that event are correct EXCEPT: A) “It began with a bursting of a housing bubble — and a dramatic decline in real estate prices.” B) “It caused strapped consumers to spend less.” C) “It produced widespread layoffs.” D) “Its effects were mainly confined to the northern United States.”

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