Human Development, 6: Early Adulthood Flashcards
What is the “random events” theory of aging?
That accidental mutations gradually harm the DNA in cells. This leads to less effective cell replacement and repair, and abnormal cells.
What is the telomere theory of aging?
Telomeres are DNA “caps” at the end of chromosomes that protect against mutations. They shorten with each cell division, and when they disappear, the cell can no longer effectively replicate itself.
How does growth hormone affect adults?
Secretions of growth hormone slowly decrease, leading to loss of muscle and bone mass.
When is the upper biological limit of motor capacity attained?
In the beginning stages of early adulthood
What percent of US persons are categorized as maintaining ‘unhealthy’ weight?
67%, which includes both obese and overweight
Which of the following is most effective for weight loss: eliminating fat, eliminating carbs, appetite suppresants, social support?
Social support
In ‘developed’ regions, what is the leading cause of preventable death?
Tobacco smoke
How is alcohol use related to crime, violence, and property damage?
Alcohol is more of a gateway drug than any other; alcohol intoxication is present in 50% of police calls, 90% of violent crimes, and 40% of motor vehicle accidents.
Which is a better predictor of vocational choice: parental vocations, friends’ vocational ideals, or the individual’s childhood fantasies?
Parental vocations. Childhood fantasies are very infrequently predictive of the vocation a person actually chooses.
What choice regarding college is most likely to lead a person towards more complex cognition?
Residence on campus, because it immerses the student in academic and social life of the college. The type of school matters less. Extra effort is needed to improve the effects of college for commuters.
Is having several sexual partners per year common among today’s young adults?
No, most young adults report having one sexual partner in the preceding year.
What is ‘commitment within relativistic thinking’?
A rarely reached stage of cognition in early adulthood, commitment within relativistic thinking progresses past dualistic (authoritarian) thinking, and relativistic ‘there are multiple truths’ thinking, to specifying objective criteria against which multiple truths can be evaluated.
What is the common ‘risk’ of emerging adulthood?
Loneliness is more common among early adults than at other phases of life.
What is the psychosocial conflict of emerging adulthood, according o Erik Erikson?
Intimacy versus Isolation
If a person focuses on raising children during their emerging adulthood, are they likely to reach maturity in their career?
They likely will, but it will occur later, sometime during middle adulthood.
Without the more universal markers of progress such as ‘grade level’ in school and so forth, how do emerging adults plan their lives to ensure they can fully participate in society?
They follow a ‘social clock’, a set of implicit and explicit norms about when to engage in different types of work, marrry, and start a family.
What are the three elements of the triangular theory of love?
Intimacy, Passion, Commitment
Can passionate love last forever?
While affection and attraction can certainly last, passion is currently understood to be a biologically driven process that has a limited duration. Without other elements (especially commitment), a satisfying relationship is unlikely to result. Other peroids of history and cultures have considered passion a form of temporary madness or at least not a basis or requirement for love.
Do parent-child attachment styles affect adult relationships?
Yes, similar feelings and behaviors are likely to recur, so that unresolved insecurities often play out in adult relationships. (See infancy/toddlerhood for a review of styles if you are uncertain of the types).
During the lifespan, loneliness for most persons peaks:
During early adulthood
Why is loneliness thought to be more common in early adulthood?
Greater needs and expectations from intimate partners, due to the burdens of newfound independence.
How will a collectivist orientation affect the loneliness of an immigrant to the US?
Their loneliness will be greater than a native born US resident, and immigrants from individualist societies.
What is the relationship between avoidant attachment and loneliness?
Avoidant attachment is associated with times of intense lonliness.
What can you predict about someone who leaves their parents home at an unusually early age?
Difficulties obtaining satisfactory work, among other undesirable outcomes
What factor is the most reliable predictor of a lasting marriage?
Later ages at marriage
Are males implicated in the majority of domestic violence incidents?
No, in some samples, women were found to actually assault men at a slightly higher rate. This may not be the perception due to the sense that males’ assaults could be more dangerous, and an even greater sense of shame or reluctance for men to report being abused.
How do todays parents rate their confidence in child rearing choices?
They feel less confidence about their choices than previous generations did.
Is childlessness in a couple problematic for their psychological state?
It depends. If the childlessness is involuntary, it predicts some problems. But couples who deliberately choose to be childless generally suffer no adverse consequences.
How have divorce rates changed since the 1980s?
They have remained roughly the same since the 1980s.
How common is it for emerging adults to change employment?
Changing work is a fairly frequent occurrence among emerging adults, occuring once per two years on average.
