FAD 3343 | FAD3343 Final Exam: Adult
Development Updated and Latest Questions and
Correct Answers with Rationale
1. A 52-year-old high school teacher starts a community garden to teach local youth about
sustainability. According to Erikson’s psychosocial theory, which stage is this teacher most
likely experiencing?
A. Intimacy vs. Isolation
B. Generativity vs. Stagnation
C. Integrity vs. Despair
D. Identity vs. Role Confusion
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Generativity involves the desire to leave a legacy and guide the next
generation. Middle-aged adults often express this through mentoring, parenting, or
community service like gardening. Stagnation occurs when individuals feel they have done
nothing for the next generation. Successful resolution of this stage leads to the virtue of
care. The teacher’s action directly reflects a prosocial focus on youth development.
2. An older adult struggles to remember a new software password but can easily explain the
historical significance of the Civil War. This scenario illustrates the difference between which
two types of intelligence?
A. Practical and Analytical Intelligence
B. Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence
C. Emotional and Social Intelligence
D. Kinesthetic and Spatial Intelligence
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Fluid intelligence refers to basic information processing skills and mental
flexibility which tend to decline with age. Crystallized intelligence involves accumulated
knowledge and experience which often remains stable or increases. Remembering a new
password requires fluid processing while historical facts rely on crystallized stores. This
divergence is a standard finding in longitudinal studies of cognitive aging. The scenario
perfectly captures the age-related trade-off between hardware and software functions of
the mind.
,3. A concert pianist in his 80s decides to play fewer pieces, practices them more frequently,
and uses tempo changes to hide his declining finger speed. This strategy is an example of
which developmental framework?
A. Disengagement Theory
B. Activity Theory
C. Selective Optimization with Compensation (SOC)
D. Continuity Theory
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The SOC model explains how individuals manage aging by narrowing their
focus to specific goals. Selection involves choosing fewer pieces, while optimization
involves practicing those pieces more intensely. Compensation is seen in the tempo
changes used to mask physical limitations. This theory was famously proposed by Paul and
Margaret Baltes to describe successful aging. It emphasizes that development is a process
of managing gains and losses.
4. According to Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SST), as people perceive their remaining
time in life to be limited, they are most likely to:
A. Seek out new social contacts to expand their network
B. Prioritize information-seeking goals over emotional ones
C. Increase their risk-taking behavior to maximize life experiences
D. Prioritize emotionally meaningful relationships and goals
Correct Answer: D
Explanation: SST suggests that the perception of time plays a fundamental role in human
motivation. Younger adults usually focus on acquiring information and expanding social
horizons for the future. Older adults shift their focus toward emotional satisfaction and
depth in current relationships. This shift helps maintain high levels of well-being despite
physical declines. It explains why older adults often have smaller but more intimate social
circles.
5. Which of the following is an example of secondary aging rather than primary aging?
A. Type 2 Diabetes caused by poor diet and lack of exercise
B. Grey hair and skin wrinkling
C. Slowed reaction times due to neurological changes
D. Presbyopia, or the loss of near-vision focus
Correct Answer: A
, Explanation: Primary aging refers to the universal and irreversible physical changes that
occur to all living creatures. Secondary aging involves changes that are caused by illness,
health habits, or environmental factors. While grey hair happens to everyone, Type 2
Diabetes is often preventable and linked to lifestyle. Distinguishing between these two
helps clinicians provide better preventative care for aging populations. Primary aging is
biological, while secondary aging is often pathologically driven.
6. The ‘sandwich generation’ refers to middle-aged adults who find themselves:
A. Balancing two full-time jobs to save for retirement
B. Caring for both their aging parents and their own children
C. Stuck between staying in a career or starting a new one
D. Navigating the transition between marriage and divorce
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The term sandwich generation describes the unique pressure of middle
adulthood caregiving roles. These individuals are squeezed between the needs of younger
and older generations simultaneously. This dual responsibility can lead to significant
physical, emotional, and financial stress. Women are disproportionately represented in this
group compared to men. Understanding this phenomenon is crucial for workplace policy
and social support systems.
7. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the presence of which biological markers in the
brain?
A. Dopamine depletion in the substantia nigra
B. Amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles
C. Excessive serotonin production in the hippocampus
D. Calcification of the prefrontal cortex
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Amyloid plaques are protein deposits that build up between the nerve cells
in the brain. Neurofibrillary tangles are twisted fibers of another protein that build up
inside the cells. Together, these markers disrupt communication between neurons and lead
to cell death. This process usually begins in the hippocampus, which explains early memory
loss symptoms. Definitive diagnosis of these markers traditionally required a post-mortem
autopsy.
8. A daughter feels a strong sense of duty to care for her aging mother because of the support
her mother provided her during childhood. This sense of responsibility is known as:
A. Altruism
B. Social exchange
Development Updated and Latest Questions and
Correct Answers with Rationale
1. A 52-year-old high school teacher starts a community garden to teach local youth about
sustainability. According to Erikson’s psychosocial theory, which stage is this teacher most
likely experiencing?
A. Intimacy vs. Isolation
B. Generativity vs. Stagnation
C. Integrity vs. Despair
D. Identity vs. Role Confusion
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Generativity involves the desire to leave a legacy and guide the next
generation. Middle-aged adults often express this through mentoring, parenting, or
community service like gardening. Stagnation occurs when individuals feel they have done
nothing for the next generation. Successful resolution of this stage leads to the virtue of
care. The teacher’s action directly reflects a prosocial focus on youth development.
2. An older adult struggles to remember a new software password but can easily explain the
historical significance of the Civil War. This scenario illustrates the difference between which
two types of intelligence?
A. Practical and Analytical Intelligence
B. Fluid and Crystallized Intelligence
C. Emotional and Social Intelligence
D. Kinesthetic and Spatial Intelligence
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Fluid intelligence refers to basic information processing skills and mental
flexibility which tend to decline with age. Crystallized intelligence involves accumulated
knowledge and experience which often remains stable or increases. Remembering a new
password requires fluid processing while historical facts rely on crystallized stores. This
divergence is a standard finding in longitudinal studies of cognitive aging. The scenario
perfectly captures the age-related trade-off between hardware and software functions of
the mind.
,3. A concert pianist in his 80s decides to play fewer pieces, practices them more frequently,
and uses tempo changes to hide his declining finger speed. This strategy is an example of
which developmental framework?
A. Disengagement Theory
B. Activity Theory
C. Selective Optimization with Compensation (SOC)
D. Continuity Theory
Correct Answer: C
Explanation: The SOC model explains how individuals manage aging by narrowing their
focus to specific goals. Selection involves choosing fewer pieces, while optimization
involves practicing those pieces more intensely. Compensation is seen in the tempo
changes used to mask physical limitations. This theory was famously proposed by Paul and
Margaret Baltes to describe successful aging. It emphasizes that development is a process
of managing gains and losses.
4. According to Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (SST), as people perceive their remaining
time in life to be limited, they are most likely to:
A. Seek out new social contacts to expand their network
B. Prioritize information-seeking goals over emotional ones
C. Increase their risk-taking behavior to maximize life experiences
D. Prioritize emotionally meaningful relationships and goals
Correct Answer: D
Explanation: SST suggests that the perception of time plays a fundamental role in human
motivation. Younger adults usually focus on acquiring information and expanding social
horizons for the future. Older adults shift their focus toward emotional satisfaction and
depth in current relationships. This shift helps maintain high levels of well-being despite
physical declines. It explains why older adults often have smaller but more intimate social
circles.
5. Which of the following is an example of secondary aging rather than primary aging?
A. Type 2 Diabetes caused by poor diet and lack of exercise
B. Grey hair and skin wrinkling
C. Slowed reaction times due to neurological changes
D. Presbyopia, or the loss of near-vision focus
Correct Answer: A
, Explanation: Primary aging refers to the universal and irreversible physical changes that
occur to all living creatures. Secondary aging involves changes that are caused by illness,
health habits, or environmental factors. While grey hair happens to everyone, Type 2
Diabetes is often preventable and linked to lifestyle. Distinguishing between these two
helps clinicians provide better preventative care for aging populations. Primary aging is
biological, while secondary aging is often pathologically driven.
6. The ‘sandwich generation’ refers to middle-aged adults who find themselves:
A. Balancing two full-time jobs to save for retirement
B. Caring for both their aging parents and their own children
C. Stuck between staying in a career or starting a new one
D. Navigating the transition between marriage and divorce
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: The term sandwich generation describes the unique pressure of middle
adulthood caregiving roles. These individuals are squeezed between the needs of younger
and older generations simultaneously. This dual responsibility can lead to significant
physical, emotional, and financial stress. Women are disproportionately represented in this
group compared to men. Understanding this phenomenon is crucial for workplace policy
and social support systems.
7. Alzheimer’s disease is characterized by the presence of which biological markers in the
brain?
A. Dopamine depletion in the substantia nigra
B. Amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles
C. Excessive serotonin production in the hippocampus
D. Calcification of the prefrontal cortex
Correct Answer: B
Explanation: Amyloid plaques are protein deposits that build up between the nerve cells
in the brain. Neurofibrillary tangles are twisted fibers of another protein that build up
inside the cells. Together, these markers disrupt communication between neurons and lead
to cell death. This process usually begins in the hippocampus, which explains early memory
loss symptoms. Definitive diagnosis of these markers traditionally required a post-mortem
autopsy.
8. A daughter feels a strong sense of duty to care for her aging mother because of the support
her mother provided her during childhood. This sense of responsibility is known as:
A. Altruism
B. Social exchange
