Practice  test for Adulthood: Cognitive Development

1. The idea that intelligence is a single entity has been

 suggested only recently.
  supported by Gardner & Sternberg.
   contradicted by Spearman's "g" factor.
    implied by tests that result in an overall IQ.

2. There are more than ____ different intellectual abilities that can be measured by currently available tests.

 8
  21
   53
    70

3. Fluid intelligence includes

 the size of one's science vocabulary.
  accumulation of facts about geography.
   ability to recognize and name famous paintings.
    the speed of processing mathematical information.

4. To test fluid intelligence, which would be least likely measured?

 abstract thinking.
  inductive reasoning.
   technical word definition.
    the timed assembly of a puzzle.

5. The ability most likely to involve crystallized intelligence is

 interpreting a chemical formula.
  solving an intellectual puzzle.
   unusual creativity with words.
    understanding relations between concepts.

6. Which characterizes crystallized intelligence?

 It thrives in low levels of stimulation.
 Its structures are overlapping and interconnected.
 losses cannot be compensated.
 decreases are found in people as young as 30.

7. On the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale, verbal IQ ______
     throughout adulthood.

 increase slightly
 decreases dramatically
 remains in an average range
 increase dramatically

8. Analytic intelligence is particularly valued in

 early adulthood.
 early middle age.
 late adulthood.
 late middle age.

9. Creative thinking requires

 adaptive thinking.
 divergent thinking.
 convergent thinking.
 practical thinking.

10. Which of Stenburg's 3 aspects of intelligence could be called "street smarts"?

 general
 creative
 practical
 analytic

11. When adults are evaluated on finding effective solutions, practical intelligence

 is stronger in young adults.
 is stronger in people with low IQs.
 is not related to traditional intelligence.
 increases throughout most of the adult years.

12. Who described eight distinct intelligence, each with its own network
      in the brain?

 Gardner
 Cattel
 Spearman
 Salthouse

13. Of the following intelligence's, which is least valued by middle aged adults?

 self-understanding
 linguistic
 kinesthetic
 spatial

14. Early studies of adult intelligence led to the false conclusion
      that intelligence

 is most significantly affected by experience, such as war trauma.
 is plastic and variable, and may either decrease or increase.
 increases slowly during the 20s & early 30s, and decline thereafter.
 peaks at ~18, remains stable until the mid 20s, and declines thereafter.

15. Research that analyzes the cognitive development of the same individuals over 
the years is called

 longitudinal.
 cross-sectional.
 representative.
 sequential.

16. Schaie's case studies indicated that

 retirement signals a decrease in performance.
 intelligence is stable throughout adulthood.
 women uniformly outperform men.
 intellectual growth is affected by the unique experiences of adult life.

17. For a typical middle-aged adult intelligence increases

 in all areas throughout adulthood.
 in the specific area that reflect his or her interest.
 only in areas associated with work and employment.
 in all areas in which the individual gains experience.

18. In his or her area, an expert is more likely than a novice to

 rely on formal procedures to solve a problem.
 experiment or deviate from the usual way of doing things.
 give conscious attention to all aspects of performance.
 verbalize exactly how results are achieved.

19. The importance of leisure time is that it provides

 a time of rest for a person as they age.
  a means of assessing medical problems.
   a way to fill time after a person retires.
    psychological distance necessary for making effective decisions.

20. In the poem about life in middle age the word triage means

 learning new things.
  keeping up with old friends.
   determining what is important.
    not worrying about your losses.
 
21.  Which of the folowing Stemberg intelligences would be least valued in a culture that does not consider dance & the visual arts to be of value?

•  analytic 
 •  creative 
  •  practical 
   •  naturalistic 
   
22.  Selective optimization with compensation

•  applies to every aspect of life. 
 •  requres seeking to maximize gains & minimize losses. 
  •  means that as we age each person should select aspects of intellignece to optimixe & neglect. 
   •  all of these are applicable to the concept of selective optimization with compensation.
   
                         --------------------------------------
                               Robert C. Gates