458
TB_16_56_Job Performance_LO 16.9_APA LO 1.1
What is the term Baltes & Baltes gave to the idea that workers deliberately try to keep crucial abilities sharp by
taking additional training or periodically “brushing up”?
A) Optimization
B) Selection
C) Oversight
D) Compensation
TB_16_57_Job Performance_LO 16.9_APA LO 1.1
Micah, age 55, used to write great opinion pieces for his newspaper. Now he chooses the topic and lays out the main
theme, but he assigns the actual copywriting to a younger staff reporter. He then proofs the work, makes a few
changes, and lets it go to print under his by-line. Baltes & Baltes would suggest that Micah is using which strategy?
A) Optimization
B) Selection
C) Oversight
D) Compensation
TB_16_58_Job Performance_LO 16.9_APA LO 1.1
Orland, age 50, has always been the top seller in her real estate company. In spite of this, she never rests on her
laurels. Three times a year, she attends workshops on salesmanship, closing, and real estate law. Baltes & Baltes
would suggest that Orland is using which strategy?
A) Management
B) Selection
C) Optimization
D) Compensation
459
TB_16_59_Unemployment and Career Transitions_LO 16.10_APA LO 1.1
Many potential employers believe that middle-aged workers are less able to learn new computer skills than their
young-adult counterparts. This is an example of which of the following?
A) Reality
B) Compensation
C) Selective optimization
D) Ageism
TB_16_60_Unemployment and Career Transitions_LO 16.10_APA LO 1.1
According to the classification system of voluntary and involuntary career changers, an involuntary career changer
is in transition for what type of reasons?
A) Ambiguous
B) External
C) Internal
D) Normative
TB_16_61_Unemployment and Career Transitions_LO 16.10_APA LO 1.1
Based upon the classification system of voluntary and involuntary career changers, which of the following is a
reason for an involuntary career change?
A) To leave a job that does not pay enough.
B) To have a job that is more meaningful or fulfilling.
C) To leave a job because of a planned retirement.
D) Organizational restructuring that results in elimination of the job.
TB_16_62_Unemployment and Career Transitions_LO 16.10_APA LO 1.1
Lauren used to work as a telephone operator. Recently, the phone company for which she worked decided to go to
an automated system. Lauren was laid off, making her what your text would call
A) an employment liability.
B) an involuntary career changer.
C) a volunteer career shifter.
D) a career transitioner.
460
TB_16_63_Unemployment and Career Transitions_LO 16.10_APA LO 1.1
For individuals who are involuntary career changers, which of the following is most closely linked to improved
health, emotional stability, and sense of well-being?
A) Transferrable job skills
B) Going to work at a new job
C) Job training
D) Unemployment benefits
TB_16_64_Unemployment and Career Transitions_LO 16.10_APA LO 1.1
Phyllis has worked as an interior decorator for twenty years. Lately she finds little satisfaction in her work and wants
to do something she believes is more meaningful, like counsel troubled youth. If Phyllis walks away from her
interior design business, what would social scientists call her?
A) Job-hopper
B) Voluntary career changer
C) Self-seeker
D) Altruistic employee
TB_16_65_Unemployment and Career Transitions_LO 16.10_APA LO 1.1
Which of the following outcomes would be unusual in terms of the impact of a job loss on a marital relationship?
A) The level of problem-solving communication increases.
B) The ratio of positive to negative interactions decreases.
C) Separation and divorce become more common.
D) The number of hostile or negative interactions increases.
TB_16_66_Unemployment and Career Transitions_LO 16.10_APA LO 1.1
Which of the following is an effect commonly observed among adults who experience involuntary unemployment?
A) Heightened levels of anxiety and depression
B) Evolution of personality traits from conscientiousness and extroversion toward neuroticism
C) Lower risk of physical illness
D) Increases in an internal locus of control
461
TB_16_67_Unemployment and Career Transitions_LO 16.10_APA LO 1.1
Which of the Big Five personality traits contribute to the mental health of an involuntary career changer?
A) Conscientiousness and ambition
B) Agreeableness and openness
C) Neuroticism and openness
D) Neuroticism and compensation
TB_16_68_Unemployment and Career Transitions_LO 16.10_APA LO 1.1
Which of the following is characteristic of a voluntary career changer?
A) Concrete coping skills
B) Lower tolerance for risk-taking
C) Low self-efficacy
D) Genetic predisposition
TB_16_69_Preparing for Retirement_LO 16.11_APA LO 1.1
Your text suggests that it is not uncommon for retirement planning to begin how many year(s) in advance?
A) 1
B) 5
C) 10
D) 15
462
TB_16_70_Preparing for Retirement_LO 16.11_APA LO 1.1
Which statement is true regarding the retirement of the cohort known as Baby Boomers?
A) Baby Boomers view retirement planning as obsolete.
B) Baby Boomers expect that their standard of living during retirement will be greatly reduced in comparison to
their pre-retirement standard of living.
C) Baby Boomers are likely to be in retirement for 20 years—far longer than earlier generations.
D) Baby Boomers expect that retirement will mean a permanent end to their roles as workers or employees.
TB_16_71_Preparing for Retirement_LO 16.11_APA LO 1.1
Which of the following reflects the findings of Ken Dychtwald in a survey of more than 3,000 baby boomers?
A) Most plan to retire in their 40s or 50s.
B) Most are financially prepared for retirement.
C) Baby Boomers have more anxiety about retirement than previous generations.
D) Most plan to work into retirement, but to combine paid work with other pursuits.
TB_16_72_Preparing for Retirement_LO 16.11_APA LO 1.1
Which of the following approaches is unlikely to characterize the non-work pursuits of Baby Boomers in
retirement?
A) Spending most of their time sitting around with minimal activity
B) Finding new ways to make money in their spare time
C) Doing volunteer work and contributing to charities
D) Spend time traveling and taking classes
TB_16_73_Preparing for Retirement_LO 16.11_APA LO 1.1
When I retire I plan to continue teaching one class per semester and spend the rest of my time doing whatever I
please. Dychtwald would classify me as which type of retiree?
A) Anxious idealist
B) Stretched and stressed
C) Leisure lifer
D) Wealth builder
463
TB_16_74_Preparing for Retirement_LO 16.11_APA LO 1.1
Max has not planned well for retirement. He is now 60 years old and is facing mandatory retirement in 5–7 years.
He is deep in debt. According to Dychtwald, what type of retiree will Max likely be?
A) Stretched and stressed
B) Indebted and poor
C) Anxious and idealistic
D) Wealth builder
TB_16_75_Preparing for Retirement_LO 16.11_APA LO 1.1
Which of the following best describes the anxious idealist?
A) A retiree who will manage her family’s investments so that they can live well and give money to charity
B) A retiree who would like to give money to charity but is unable to do so because they barely have enough income
to make ends meet
C) A retiree who will be forced to go back to work after their investments bottom out
D) A retiree who is torn between doing volunteer work and traveling
464
Fill-in-the-Blank Questions
TB_16_76_Erikson’s Generativity versus Stagnation Stage_LO 16.1_APA LO 1.2
______________ wrote about generativity and stagnation concerns that are common to many middle-aged adults.
TB_16_77_Erikson’s Generativity versus Stagnation Stage_LO 16.1_APA LO 1.2
The developmental task of middle adulthood, according to Erikson, is ________.
TB_16_78_Erikson’s Generativity versus Stagnation Stage_LO 16.1_APA LO 1.2
Studies support Erikson in his belief that a sense of ________ contributes to mental well-being in mid-life.
TB_16_79_Mid-Life Crisis: Fact or Fiction?_LO 16.2_APA LO 1.2
Some developmentalists believe that a ________ approach to explaining the unique stresses of middle adulthood is
preferable to the idea of a mid-life crisis.
TB_16_80_Partnerships_LO 16.3_APA LO 1.1
Marital ________, or a sense of control, leads to increased marital satisfaction in mid-life.
465
TB_16_82_Grandparenting_LO 16.5_APA LO 1.1
According to the categories developed by behavioral scientists, grandparents in the ________ category create warm,
pleasurable relationships with their grandchildren, although they do not wish to have day-to-day responsibility of
caring for the children.
TB_16_83_Friends_LO 16.6_APA LO 1.1
The total number of friendships is ___________ in the years of middle adulthood compared to young adulthood.
TB_16_84_The Role of Caregiver_LO 16.4_APA LO 1.1
Caregiver ________ is the term for the cumulative negative effects of caring for an elderly or disabled person.
TB_16_85_Continuity and Change in Personality_LO 16.7_APA LO 1.1
__________ is a Big Five personality trait that represents willingness to try new things.
466
TB_16_86_Continuity and Change in Personality_LO 16.7_APA LO 1.1
In the Big Five traits, extraversion is synonymous with ________.
TB_16_87_Work Satisfaction_LO 16.8_APA LO 1.1
If a woman is dissatisfied with her job, she is most likely to ________ and engage in collective ________ with co-
workers.
TB_16_88_Job Performance_LO 16.9_APA LO 1.1
When a middle-aged worker deliberately exercises crucial abilities, they are engaging in ________.
TB_16_89_Job Performance_LO 16.9_APA LO 1.1
________ is the term Baltes & Baltes use for workers’ adoption of certain strategies to overcome obstacles, such as
getting stronger lenses in their glasses when their vision weakens.
TB_16_90_Preparing for Retirement_LO 16.11_APA LO 1.1
Most economic analysts predict that Baby Boomers will enjoy ________ levels of affluence in retirement than their
parents did.
467
Short Answer Questions
TB_16_91_Erikson’s Generativity versus Stagnation Stage_LO 16.1_APA LO 1.2
What does research say about developmental data during later years?
TB_16_92_Erikson’s Generativity versus Stagnation Stage_LO 16.1_APA LO 1.2
Briefly explain how a person develops a sense of generativity.
TB_16_93_Erikson’s Generativity versus Stagnation Stage_LO 16.1_APA LO 1.2
In the longitudinal studies conducted by Snarey et al., what specifically did the middle-aged men without children
do to gain a healthy sense of generativity?
TB_16_94_Erikson’s Generativity versus Stagnation Stage_LO 16.1_APA LO 1.2
What contributions did George Vaillant make to middle-adult developmental theory?
TB_16_95_Mid-Life Crisis: Fact or Fiction?_LO 16.2_APA LO 1.2
What is meant by the terms role conflict and role strain?
468
TB_16_96_The Role of Caregiver_LO 16.4_APA LO 1.1
Why is middle age sometimes referred to as the sandwich generation?
TB_16_97_Research Report_LO 16.4_APA LO 1.1
List in order, from lowest to highest, the three countries which have young adults living at home with their parents.
TB_16_98_Grandparenting_LO 16.5_APA LO 1.1
What are the three types of relationships that grandparents may have with their grandchildren, according to the
research from Cherlin & Furstenberg?
TB_16_99_Grandparenting_LO 16.5_APA LO 1.1
Charlotte’s grandparents live about 15 miles away. They see each other at least three times a month and Charlotte
spends the occasional weekend at her grandparents’ house. What type of relationship does Charlotte have with her
grandparents?
TB_16_100_The Role of Caregiver_LO 16.4_APA LO 1.1
Define the term caregiver burden.
469
TB_16_101_Friends_LO 16.6_APA LO 1.1
What distinguishes friendships in middle age from friendships in adolescence and young adulthood?
TB_16_102_Continuity and Change in Personality_LO 16.7_APA LO 1.1
In terms of continuity versus stability, what is the nature of personality in the average middle-aged adult?
TB_16_103_Work Satisfaction_LO 16.8_APA LO 1.1
What are the most common factors that contribute to job dissatisfaction in both men and women?
TB_16_104_Unemployment and Career Transitions_LO 16.10_APA LO 1.1
Why might a voluntary career change create as much stress as an involuntary career change?
TB_16_105_Preparing for Retirement_LO 16.10_APA LO 1.1
How do Baby Boomers differ from their parents in terms of retirement age and planning?
470
Essay Questions
TB_16_106_Erikson’s Generativity versus Stagnation Stage_LO 16.1_APA LO 1.2
Summarize Vaillant’s revisions and contributions to Erikson’s theory. Give examples of his two additional stages.
TB_16_107_Mid-Life Crisis: Fact or Fiction?_LO 16.2_APA LO 1.2
Think about the concept of mid-life crisis. Consider what your text says as well as your own experience in observing
people around you. Do you think that mid-life crisis is a reality for most people, just some, or is it total fiction?
TB_16_108_Partnerships_LO 16.3_APA LO 1.1
What typically happens to marital or relationship satisfaction in mid-life?
TB_16_109_Research Report_LO 16.4_APA LO 1.1
What are two of the reasons that more young adults are either remaining at home with their parents or returning to
their parents’ homes after having left?
471
TB_16_110_Grandparenting_LO 16.5_APA LO 1.1
List and give an example of each of the three types of grandparent relationships discussed in your text.
TB_16_111_Job Performance_LO 16.9_APA LO 1.1
Explain the three subprocesses of selective optimization with compensation.