Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

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Santrock’s Essentials of Life-Span Development

Instructor’s Manual

Chapter 12: Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Learning Objectives
Learning Objective 1: Describe stability and change from childhood to adulthood.

Learning Objective 2: Identify key aspects of intimate relationships and love.

A. Discuss intimacy.
B. Summarize the role of friendship.
C. Identify the types of love: romantic love and affectionate love.
D. Discuss consummate love.

Learning Objective 3: Characterize marital and nonmarital lifestyles.

A. Describe the life of a single adult.

B. Explain outcomes associated with cohabitating.
C. Discuss the married life style.
D. Describe the life style of divorced adults.
E. Discuss issues faced by remarried adults.
F. Summarize the life style of gay male and lesbian adults.

Learning Objective 4: Discuss making marriages work, parenting, and divorce.

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

A. Explain strategies for making a marriage work.

B. Describe becoming a parent.
C. Discuss strategies for coping with divorce.

Learning Objective 5: Summarize the role of gender and communication in relationships.

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Overview of Resources
Chapter Outline Resources You Can Use
Stability and Change From Childhood to Learning Objective 1: Describe stability and
Adulthood change from childhood to adulthood.
Personal Application 1: The More Things
Change, the More They Stay the Same
Personal Application 2: Take a Self-Test of
Adult Personality
Love and Close Relationships Learning Objective 2: Identify key aspects of
intimate relationships and love.
Intimacy  Lecture Suggestion 1: Who is the Lucky One?
 Lecture Suggestion 2: I deal Standards in Close
Friendship Relationships
 Lecture Suggestion 3: Sternberg’s Triarchic
Romantic and Affectionate Love Theory of Love Review
 Classroom Activity 1: Mate Selection
Consummate love  Classroom Activity 2: Ideal Standards for
Romantic Partners and Relationships
 Classroom Activity 3: Online Dating Sites
Personal Application 3: Then Things I Like
About You
Adult Lifestyles Learning Objective 3: Characterize marital and
nonmarital lifestyles.
Single Adults  Classroom Activity 4: Pressure to Pair Up

Cohabitating Adults

Married Adults

Divorced Adults

Remarried Adults

Gay and Lesbian Adults

Challenges in Marriage, Parenting, and Divorce Learning Objective 4: Discuss making

marriages work, parenting, and divorce.
Making Marriage Work  Lecture Suggestion 4: Gottman’s Four
Horsemen of the Apocalypse
Becoming a Parent  Lecture Suggestion 5: Paternity, Child Support,
and Paternity Fraud: Balancing the Rights of Non-
Dealing with Divorce Fathers and Children
 Classroom Activity 5: Sign on the Dotted Line?
Prenuptial Contracts
 Research Project 1: Discussions with Parents of
Teens
 Research Project 2: The Marriage Quiz

Gender, Communication, and Relationships Learning Objective 5: Summarize the role of

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

gender and communication in relationships

Classroom Activity 6: Gender Face-Off
 Personal Application 4: Understanding Me
 Research Project 3: Gender and Age Roles in
Magazine Advertisements

Review Classroom Activity 7: Critical-Thinking

Multiple-Choice Questions and Suggested Answers
Classroom Activity 8: Critical-Thinking Essay
Questions and Suggestions for Helping Students
Answer the Essays

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Resources
Lecture Suggestions
Lecture Suggestion 1: Who Is the Lucky One?
Learning Objective 2: Identify key aspects of intimate relationships and love.

The purpose of this lecture is to extend Santrock’s brief discussion of mate selection (also see Classroom
Activity 1, “Mate Selection”). Students are usually fascinated by Udry’s filter theory of mate selection.
Given that most young adults in the United States do not participate in arranged marriages, most of your
students will engage in the process of trying to find a partner to enter into a marriage or a marriage-like
relationship. Udry’s (1971) theory is based on the notion that potential partners must pass through a series
of “filters” in the process of mate selection. These filters screen out unacceptable partners at various
stages of the intimate relationship. The filters are presented below:

Propinquity
All possible dating partners are first screened by geographical location.

Attractiveness
This “accessible” individual attribute can be observed early in the process and is used to screen out
undesirable individuals. Cross-culturally, males value physical attractiveness more than females, whereas
females value economic earning power more.

Social Background
Similarity is the key in this filter. People tend to marry individuals who are similar in religion, political
affiliation, education, occupation, and social class. Education and occupation have become more
important, while religion has become less important in mate selection.

Consensus
This filter involves similarity in specific attitudes and values; thus, it goes a step further than the broad
social background filter.

Complementarity
Does this individual complement me or complete me? Individuals seek partners that fit well with them.

Readiness for Marriage

Are both partners ready to get married or commit to a marriage-like relationship? Discrepancies in this
filter can terminate a relationship, despite the success of the previous filters.

Recently, attraction has not only taken place in person but also over the Internet (Bateson & others, 2012).
More than 16 million individuals in the United States and 14 million in China have tried online
matchmaking (Masters, 2008).

Psychologists have determined that men and women differ on the importance of good looks when they
seek an intimate partner. Women tend to rate as most important such traits as considerateness, honesty,
dependability, kindness, understanding, and earning prospects; men prefer good looks, cooking skills, and
frugality (Buss & Barnes, 1986; Eastwick & Finkel, 2008).

Source:
Udry, J. R. (1971). The social context of marriage (2nd ed.). New York: Lippincott.

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Lecture Suggestion 2: Ideal Standards in Close Relationships

Learning Objective 2: Identify key aspects of intimate relationships and love.

This lecture provides an opportunity to examine Simpson, Fletcher, and Campbell’s (2000) Ideal
Standards Model (ISM). Students are typically very interested in the development of intimate
relationships, as many of them are currently dealing with this in their own lives. How do you know if you
are in a good or bad relationship? How do you know if you should proceed and become more involved
with a particular person? The researchers proposed that the answers to these questions are determined by
the consistency between ideal standards and perceptions of the current partner or relationship.

Ideals guide and regulate interpersonal interactions. The ISM assumes that partner and relationship ideals
predate and influence decision-making in relationships. Ideals comprise three interlocking components:
perceptions of the self, the partner, and the relationship. The ideals will guide who to date and what to
expect in a relationship. Simpson et al. (2000) stated that partner and relationship ideals are based around
three evaluative dimensions: (1) warmth, commitment, and intimacy; (2) health, passion, and
attractiveness; and, (3) status and resources.

There are several reasons why people do not strive to “have it all” by seeking incredibly attractive, rich,
and warm partners. First, few people actually fit that description; thus, the pool is relatively small.
Second, few people could attract such a person. Third, most people, even if they could attract such a
person, would have difficulty keeping them. In other words, most people make trade-offs regarding these
attributes when deciding whom to date and marry.

Simpson et al. (2000) stated that ideals serve three functions. Discrepancies between one’s ideals and
reality are used to evaluate, explain, and regulate. Individuals need to evaluate the quality of their current
partners and relationships. They need to explain or understand the current status and interactions within
the relationship (explain conflict or satisfaction). Individuals also need to regulate and modify their
relationships (predict and control the relationship).

People often positively enhance or idealize their romantic partners and current relationships. This is
beneficial given that it facilitates and motivates one to maintain the relationship despite the odds that the
relationship will end. ISM assumes that partner and relationship idealization may conflict with the desire
to be accurate. Trying to understand and attribute motives and beliefs to others is adaptive in situations
where you are trying to decide whether or not to maintain a relationship. Enhancement of one’s partner
and relationship and the desire to be accurate in one’s perceptions and predictions are at odds. Simpson et
al. (2000) proposed that these patterns of behaviors operate in different situations. In highly threatening
interactions or in relationships that are stable and comfortable, the enhancement pattern may increase,
whereas in situations that require unbiased accurate judgements (to get married or have a child), the
accuracy pattern should be dominant.

The researchers are currently testing the Ideal Standards Model. Men and women rated student-generated
lists of traits that characterize an ideal romantic partner and relationship. Three ideal-partner factors were
found. Intimacy, warmth, trust, and loyalty were noted for partner characteristics. Personality and
appearance characteristics included attractiveness, energy, and health of partner. The third factor included
partner’s social status and resources. In addition, two ideal-relationship factors were revealed: intimacy,
loyalty, and stability of the relationship and the importance of passion and excitement in the relationship.

Another group of men and women rated their current partners relative to their ideal standards and rated

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

their relationship satisfaction. Individuals who reported smaller discrepancies between their ideal
standards and their perceptions reported greater relationship satisfaction.

To examine possible causal relationships between ideals, perceptions, and satisfaction, the researchers
conducted a longitudinal study of newly formed dating couples. Greater consistency between ideals and
perception of the current partner or relationship predicted increases in relationship satisfaction over time.
However, high initial levels of relationship satisfaction did not predict changes in levels of consistency
between ideals and perceptions. The researchers conclude that cognitive comparisons between ideals and
perceptions of the current partner and relationship influence the initial stages of dating relationships.

These researchers have several interesting questions that they would like to pursue regarding their model.
How do individuals establish and adjust their ideal standards over time? How do ideals function and
change within an intimate relationship? How do similarities in partner and relationship ideals facilitate
relationship functioning and quality?

Classroom Activity 2, “Ideal Standards for Romantic Partners and Relationships,” complements this
lecture suggestion.

Sources:
Fletcher, G. J. O., & Simpson, J. A. (2000). Ideal standards in close relationships: Their structure and function.
Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9, 102–105.
Simpson, J. A., Fletcher, G. J. O., & Campbell, L. J. (2000). The structure and functions of ideal standards in close
relationships. In G. J. O. Fletcher & M. S. Clark (Eds.), Blackwell handbook of social psychology: Interpersonal
processes. London: Blackwell.

Lecture Suggestion 3: Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Love Review

Learning Objective 2: Identify key aspects of intimate relationships and love.

Sternberg proposed the Triarchic Theory of Love that includes three components of love:
Passion is the physical and sexual attraction to another.
Intimacy is the emotional feelings of warmth, closeness, and sharing in a relationship.
Commitment is the cognitive appraisal of the relationship and intent to maintain the relationship.

Within these different components, there are many types of love. Discuss these types, and have the
students generate examples of when these various types of love might occur. Examples are:
Liking Intimacy alone (friendships)
Infatuation Passion alone (sexual attraction, mutual sexual attraction with no other
components)
Romantic Love Intimacy and Passion (often in early stages of a relationship—no commitment)
Companionate Love Intimacy and Commitment (friendship, marriage with young kids)
Fatuous Love Passion and Commitment (no intimacy, also known as stalker love)
Consummate Love Passion, Intimacy, and Commitment (ultimate love)
Empty Love Commitment alone

How might these types of love influence expectations about love and marriage?

Recent decades have seen a dramatic rise in the percentage of single adults. Data from 2009 indicate that
for the first time in history the proportion of individuals 25 to 34 years of age who have never been
married (46 percent) exceeded those who were married (45 percent) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2010). The

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

increasing number of single adults is the result of rising rates of cohabitation and a trend toward
postponing marriage.

In recent years, marriage rates in the United States have declined. From 2007 to 2010, the marriage rate
continued to drop. In 2010, 51 percent of Americans were married, down from 72 percent in 1960 (Pew
Research Center, 2010). More adults are remaining single longer, with 27 percent of U.S. adults currently
having never married (Pew Research Center, 2010). In 2011, the U.S. average age for a first marriage
climbed to 28.7 years for men and 26.5 years for women, higher than at any other point in history (Pew
Research Center, 2011). In 1980, the average age for a first marriage in the United States was 24 years for
men and 21 years for women. In addition, the increase in cohabitation and a slight decline in the
percentage of divorced individuals who remarry contribute to the decline in marriage rates in the United
States (Copen & others, 2012).

Lecture Suggestion 4: Gottman’s Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse

Learning Objective 4: Discuss challenges in marriage, parenting, and divorce.

Marriage expert John Gottman has written extensively about the communication patterns and other
factors that can lead to marital satisfaction (or the lack of it). As part of a decades-long career, Gottman
has studied hundreds of married couples using extensive observational, physiological, and survey
methods. One of his more famous and widely-applicable findings is that there are four particular styles of
communication that partners use during conflict that erode goodwill, prevent progress and resolution, and
destabilize the relationship. Gottman calls these the four horsemen of the apocalypse, and they are as
follows:
• Criticism: Attacking the partner’s personality or character, rather than stating an unmet need and
asking for change.
o EX: “You always ignore me! You’re so self-absorbed” rather than “I feel like we aren’t
spending any time together. Can we go on a date night?”
• Contempt: Comments or behaviors that are meant to hurt the partner and cause abuse.
o EX: “I can’t believe I ended up with someone like you.”
• Defensiveness: Refusing to address the unmet need stated by your partner or to take
responsibility for your role in the conflict. Examples include:
o Denying responsibility; “It’s not MY fault we never spend time together.”
o Making excuses; “I’m too busy with work to make time for date nights.”
o Cross-complaining, or deflecting the attention on to your partner by bringing up a
complaint of your own; “I ignore you? Well, at least I don’t run around spending every
cent we have!”
o Repeating yourself over and over
• Stonewalling: Shutting the conversation down by being unresponsive and refusing to engage.

Gottman emphasizes that even once the four horsemen have appeared, it’s not too late to repair the
damage and to learn new patterns of communicating. While Gottman is no longer an active researcher, he
uses the data and knowledge gleaned from hundreds of couples over many years to develop workshops,
training, and clinical methods for helping couples improve their relationships. Consider having your
students visit www.gottman.com, or show the brief video at http://www.gottman.com/research/the-love-
lab/ to illustrate how he conducted his research.

Sources:
Gottman, J. (1991). Predicting the longitudinal course of marriages. Journal of Marital and Family Therapy, 17, 3-7.
Gottman, J., & Silver, N. What makes marriage work? Published in March 1994 issue of Psychology Today.

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Lecture Suggestion 5: Paternity, Child Support, and Paternity Fraud: Balancing the Rights of Non-
Fathers and Children
Learning Objective 3: Characterize marital and nonmarital lifestyles.
Learning Objective 4: Discuss making marriages work, parenting, and divorce.
Learning Objective 5: Characterize the role of gender and communication in relationships.

The purpose of this lecture is to examine issues regarding payment of child support by a father who is
separated from a child’s mother and finds out that he is not really the child’s biological father.

A New York Times (2001) article described an interesting, yet disturbing case involving nonpaternity and
child support. Morgan Wise sought genetic testing following one of his son’s diagnosis with cystic
fibrosis. The doctor told him that he was not a carrier of cystic fibrosis. This statement in and of itself was
a wake-up call because in order for a child to have this disorder, both biological parents must be carriers
of the recessive allele. Mr. Wise’s doctor told him that he was not the biological father of three of the four
children born during his marriage to Wanda Fryar. Mr. Wise had already divorced his wife before the
paternity determination was discovered. Interestingly, the court that heard his divorce would not consider
the genetic evidence and refused to allow him to stop paying child support for the three boys. Yet, the
court did cut off visitation rights even with his biological daughter.

Under most state laws, children born to married people are presumed to be fathered by the husband,
unless the father proves otherwise by DNA testing of putative father, mother, and child.

But many states require fathers to continue to support their children even after learning they are not the
father. This has to do with the state’s interest in providing for children in spite of a mother’s mistake or
fraud against the man. In 2002, ABC News reported the story of New Jersey resident Patrick McCarthy.
McCarthy found out he was not the biological father of his 15 year-old daughter. Though divorced from
her mother for well over a decade and not intimately involved in her life, McCarthy had paid child
support for the girl. When he petitioned the courts for relief from his financial obligations, he discovered
he had little recourse. As far as the state of New Jersey was concerned, McCarthy still bore financial
obligations to a child who was not his.

Though in some cases mothers might be mistaken about the origins of paternity, all too often the men are
victims of mothers’ paternity fraud. Some states are addressing these issues through laws that allow men
to disavow paternity and cease supporting the children. But how far should these laws go in upsetting an
established father-child relationship?

There are differing views regarding men’s rights. Some argue that men should not try to get out of paying
child support regardless of paternity. Others argue that a man should not have to support a child who is
not his biologically. Yet others argue that it would be acceptable to relieve the nonbiological father of
financial responsibilities if the biological father assumed the responsibility.

But what about the child’s rights to be supported by the person he or she knows as the father? Is it fair to
punish the child for the “sins” of the mother? Should the biological origins of a child whom a man
thought was his own and whom he raised as his own be the sole factor in ordering support to be paid?
Aside from the loss of monetary support, what would be the effect of such rejection by a father based
upon a lie told to the father by the mother?

Have your students consider each of these stated positions and the following questions. What makes a

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

parental relationship? Sperm donors don’t have to support their “children,” but they never raised the
children. If a man raises a child as he own, isn’t he the “true” father, whether or not the child was born of
his sperm? Should he continue to be the “legal” father? Or should he have the right to abandon that child
when he finds out “the truth”? What if that father were the child’s sole support? What if the child lives
with the father? Should the father be able to kick the child out of his home when he finds out he is not the
biological father?

Some women may not know the truth about the paternity of their children. But what about those who do?
What should happen to the mothers who lie?

These questions ought to generate a lively class discussion.

Sources:
Baldas, T. (2006, April 10). Parent trap: Litigation explodes over paternity fraud. National Law Journal. Accessed
July 7, 2006 at http://www.law.com/jsp/article.jsp?id=1144414531354
Lewin, T. (2001, March 11). In genetic testing for paternity, law often lags behind science. The New York Times.
Sealey, G. (2002, October 2). Duped dads: men fight centuries-old paternity laws. ABC News.

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Classroom Activities
Classroom Activity 1: Mate Selection
Learning Objective 2: Identify key aspects of intimate relationships and love.

One of the primary tasks facing young adults is to form intimate relationships. You can begin this activity
by discussing filter theories of mate selection (Udry, 1971). Filter theories suggest that we use a series of
filters to select an appropriate mate. The number of filters varies depending on the theorist. Describe some
of these filters (Lecture Suggestion 1, “Who is the Lucky One?”), and then ask students to get into groups
and discuss the filters. Have your students discuss the validity of this theory. Are there other filters that
could be added (family and friend acceptance filter, sexual compatibility filter, etc.)? Is the order
appropriate? Ask the students if they believe these filters are actually used by people in selecting marriage
partners. How do they think the filters have changed in the last 10, 20, or 30 years?

Logistics:
• Group size: Small group.
• Approximate time: Small group discussion (15 minutes).

Source:
Udry, J. (1971). Marital alternatives and marital disruption. Journal of Marriage and the Family, 43, 889–897.

Classroom Activity 2: Ideal Standards for Romantic Partners and Relationships

Learning Objective 2: Identify key aspects of intimate relationships and love.

The purpose of this activity is to examine potential gender differences in ideal standards for romantic
partners and relationships. This exercise complements Lecture Suggestion 2, “Ideal Standards in Close
Relationships.” Have students generate a list of characteristics and traits for their ideal romantic partner.
Then, have students generate a list of characteristics and traits for their ideal romantic relationship.
Fletcher et al. (1999) found the following factors related to ideal partners and ideal relationships.

Three ideal-partner factors were found. Intimacy, warmth, trust, and loyalty were noted for partner
characteristics. Personality and appearance characteristics included attractiveness, energy, and health of
partner. The third factor included partner’s social status and resources.

Two ideal-relationship factors were revealed: intimacy, loyalty, and stability of the relationship; and, the
importance of passion and excitement in the relationship.

Use in the Classroom: Separate the males and females. Have the males and females compile their
characteristics and traits for both their ideal partner and ideal relationship. Then, have the males and
females independently rank their top five characteristics for an ideal partner and an ideal relationship. As
a class, list on the board the top five rankings for both the ideal partner and ideal relationship. Are they
similar or different? Why? How do they compare to the findings by Fletcher et al.?

Logistics:
• Group size: Individual. Two groups based on gender. Full-class discussion.
• Approximate time: Individual (10 minutes). Gender groups (25 minutes). Full class (20 minutes).

Source:
Fletcher, G. J. O., Simpson, J. A., Thomas, G., & Giles, L. (1999). Ideals in intimate relationships. Journal of

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Personality and Social Psychology, 76, 72–89.

Classroom Activity 3: Online Dating Sites

Learning Objective 2: Identify key aspects of intimate relationships and love.

Ask students if they have used the services of any online dating sites such as harmony.com,
chemistry.com, match.com, etc. and what did they think about them. For students who have not
used online dating services, ask them why they chose not to use their services.

Logistics:
• Group size: Individual, then full class.
• Approximate time: Individual (10 minutes), full-class discussion of any questions (30 minutes).

Classroom Activity 4: Pressure to Pair Up

Learning Objective 3: Characterize marital and nonmarital lifestyles.
Learning Objective 4: Discuss making marriages work, parenting, and divorce.
Learning Objective 5: Summarize the role of gender and communication in relationships.

Have students complete Handout 1. Collect the data, and run a quick correlation to see if there is a
significant relationship between pressure to marry and the number of years students expect it to take to
find a long-term partner. If there are enough married students, do two analyses.

Discuss the results, and have students offer explanations for the findings. During the discussion, you may
want to highlight some of the advantages and disadvantages of being single that were mentioned in the
text.

Logistics:
• Materials: Handout 1 (Pressure to Pair Up).
• Group size: Full class.
• Approximate time: Full-class discussion (30 minutes).

Classroom Activity 5: Sign on the Dotted Line? Prenuptial Contracts

Learning Objective 4: Discuss making marriages work, parenting, and divorce.

The purpose of this exercise is to afford students an opportunity to examine the issue of premarital
contracts. Premarital contracts explicitly state how property and finances are to be divided up in the case
of marital dissolution. Have your students discuss relevant psychosocial issues in early adulthood. What
is the nature and/or function of premarital contracts? Students should generate a list of pros and cons for
premarital contracts.

Use in the Classroom: As a class, compile the list of pros and cons. Is there a group consensus? Are there
gender differences regarding the utility of premarital contracts? Is there a consensus among single,
married, and divorced students?

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Logistics:
• Group size: Small group and full class.
• Approximate time: Small group discussion (20 minutes) and full-class discussion (20 minutes).

Classroom Activity 6: Gender Face-Off

Learning Objective 5: Summarize the role of gender and communication in relationships.

Before class, have students e-mail to you three to five questions they have for (or about) the opposite sex
related to friendship, intimacy, romantic love, and affectionate love. Assure them that after you have
recorded their participation, their names will not be connected to the questions they submitted. Create a
list to pose to the men and to the women. During the next class period, have the men sit on one side of the
room and the women sit on the other side of the room. As the moderator, you will simply pose the
questions to each gender group, and let them answer. Encourage all students to participate and contribute
their opinions, perceptions, and beliefs. Have each group pay close attention to what the other gender has
to say, and point out that in some cases, not all men and not all women think alike when it comes to
relationships.

Logistics:
• Group size: Individual and full class.
• Approximate time: Individual (10 minutes) and full-class discussion (30 minutes).

Classroom Activity 7: Critical-Thinking Multiple-Choice Questions and Suggested Answers

Learning Objective 1: Describe stability and change from childhood to adulthood.
Learning Objective 2: Identify key aspects of intimate relationships and love.
Learning Objective 3: Characterize marital and nonmarital lifestyles.
Learning Objective 4: Discuss making marriages work, parenting, and divorce.
Learning Objective 5: Summarize the role of gender and communication in relationships.

Discuss the critical-thinking multiple-choice questions in Handout 2. The answers to these questions are
presented in Handout 3.

By this time in the semester, we hope that question 1 is not very taxing for students, and we advise that
you simply remind them to review the relevant material in chapter 1 if they cannot think of good reasons
for accepting/rejecting alternatives. If a class review is desirable, have students review material before
class and report back.

Question 2 requires students to correlate concepts they learn at different points in chapter 12. They will
find the task easier if you have them identify the defining features of each style and level of relationship
separately discussed in the chapter. The match for “a” is not perfect, but glaring contradictions are found
in all the others.

Question 3 tests students’ understanding of marriage. Be sure that students understand that they are not
selecting one correct answer; rather, they are explaining why the statement is either a true or false
statement.

Logistics:

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

• Materials: Handout 2 (Critical-Thinking Multiple-Choice Questions) and Handout 3 (Answers).

• Group size: Small groups to discuss the questions, then a full-class discussion.
• Approximate time: Small groups (15 to 20 minutes), full-class discussion of any questions (15
minutes).

Classroom Activity 8: Critical-Thinking Essay Questions and Suggestions for Helping Students
Answer the Essays
Learning Objective 1: Describe stability and change from childhood to adulthood.
Learning Objective 2: Identify key aspects of intimate relationships and love.
Learning Objective 3: Characterize marital and nonmarital lifestyles.
Learning Objective 4: Discuss making marriages work, parenting, and divorce.
Learning Objective 5: Summarize the role of gender and communication in relationships.

Discuss the critical-thinking essay questions presented in Handout 4. The purpose of this exercise is
threefold. First, answering the essay questions further facilitates students’ understanding of concepts in
chapter 12. Second, this type of essay question affords the students an opportunity to apply the concepts
to their own lives which will facilitate their retention of the material. Third, the essay format also gives
students practice expressing themselves in written form. Ideas to help students answer the critical-
thinking essay questions are provided in Handout 5.

Logistics:
• Materials: Handout 4 (Essay Questions) and Handout 5 (Ideas to Help Answer).
• Group size: Individual, then full class.
• Approximate time: Individual (60 minutes), full-class discussion of any questions (30 minutes).

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Personal Applications
Personal Application 1: The More Things Change, the More They Stay the Same
Learning Objective 1: Describe stability and change from childhood to adulthood.

The purpose of this exercise is to get students to think about the particular continuities of their
development across their life so far. Certainly, we no longer believe that an individual’s personality is
fully in place by age 6 as Freud claimed, yet the research indicates that both temperament and attachment
are two strong influences on adult behavior.

Instructions for Students: Reflect on your life thus far, and discuss how aspects of both your childhood
temperament and your attachment relationship with your parents are manifested in your current behavior
patterns. Talk about areas in which there are discontinuities. Overall, do you see yourself more as a
product of your growing-up years, or are you forging new trails as an adult? To successfully do this
exercise, you need to take a hard, honest look at yourself at all times in your life.

Use in the Classroom: Ask students to share examples of how they can or cannot map their current
behavioral patterns onto aspects of their childhood. Discuss what changes have taken place over their
lives and how these changes have contributed to changes in their behaviors. On the other hand, how have
their behavior patterns withstood the varying influences and circumstances they have encountered? You
may begin the discussion by offering your own examples. Also, explore the varying strengths of
temperament and attachment in influencing adult behavior. Which seems to be more profound and long-
lasting? Which most influences their current behavior? Is there a valid argument for the strength of one of
these influences over another?

Personal Application 2: Take a Self-Test of Adult Personality

From Jarvis and Creasey, “Activities for Lifespan Developmental Psychology Courses”
Learning Objective 1: Describe stability and change from childhood to adulthood.

Students are interested in socioemotional issues facing adults because they are going through this stage of
life themselves. We have found that when covering adulthood issues such as relationships, personality,
and career development, students often try to diagnose themselves. Having students take common
psychological/personality surveys can be a valuable learning experience, particularly if students can score
and profile themselves against normative data. Unfortunately, taking and scoring surveys takes time.
Increasingly, common psychological tests are offered online; see
http://www.healthyplace.com/site/tests/psychological.asp . The site offers a variety of online tests that the
students can take and score. This information should dovetail nicely with class material and bolster
student learning regarding common early adulthood topics.

The Activity:
Students should first be exposed to some lecture/discussion material on this topic before visiting the
website. Then they should take the designated interactive test and be prepared to discuss their impressions
in class. They can also discuss their experiences in a written paper, and highlight similarities and
differences between the course material and the information presented online.

Procedures:
1. Before students conduct this activity, we advise instructors to visit the website. The site offers quite a
few interactive tests, including surveys that assess Type A/B behavior patterns, conflict management

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

skills, coping skills, career burnout, and relationship satisfaction. Most of the surveys are similar to
common psychological/personality inventories and take from 5 to 30 minutes to complete. Students
will be provided a profile of their own behavior or personality.
2. Students should be exposed to some background information on the topic. A discussion of the
common methods to assess the construct in question is also helpful.
3. Instructors should encourage students to take the online test(s) and print out their personal profile.
4. Students should discuss their experiences with the class and/or within the context of a written 5 to 7
page paper. The class discussion and paper should integrate course material. In addition, students
should discuss how well the test actually assesses the construct in question.

Personal Application 3: Ten Things I Like About You

Learning Objective 2: Identify key aspects of intimate relationships and love.

This exercise will get students to think about aspects of interpersonal attraction. Many factors influence
what draws us to another person, and it is an important area explored by psychologists.

Instructions for Students: Before you read or reread this section in your text, make a list of all of the
qualities and characteristics that attract you to someone. Be honest and do not censor yourself. After you
have made your list, read what psychologists have discovered about what attracts people to one another.
How are these things reflected in your list? Did you learn something about why it is you view others the
way you do? Can you illustrate these factors with personal experiences with attraction? Is there any aspect
of attraction that you did not realize influenced you?

Use in the Classroom: Collect everyone’s list (they can make a copy for you without their name, if they
wish to remain anonymous), and create a chart on the board with all the characteristics and the frequency
with which students mentioned them on their lists. Have students discuss and comment on what they and
their classmates listed as important aspects of attraction. For those items listed by only one or two people,
see if they will talk about why those things are important to them—and have the rest of the class comment
on why they did not list them. For the popular items, is there consensus among students as to how they
perceive them, or do students view the same characteristics differently?

Personal Application 4: Understanding Me

Learning Objective 5: Summarize the role of gender and communication in relationships.

Psychologists have found that it is important to explore what goes on in the lives and minds of adults as
they continue to develop, and that there are different issues faced by men and women. Understanding the
issues relevant to both sexes is an important goal and can help adults lead more satisfying lives.

Instructions for Students: Read the section in your text related to the development of your particular
gender. Write about what you learned and how you find it relevant to you at this time in your life. What
issues are you dealing with at this time with regard to your personal growth and understanding? What
issue is the most challenging to you? In what areas do you feel good about how you function and perceive
yourself? What areas do you need to work on the most? Do you have a better idea now about how you
might approach them?

Use in the Classroom: This subject provides another great opportunity for the genders to learn from each
other. After the students have explored themselves with regard to these issues, discuss the important

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

aspects of self-development, and have the men and women enlighten each other on what is important to
their development and functioning.

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Research Project Ideas

Research Project 1: Discussions with Parents of Teens
From Jarvis and Creasey, “Activities for Lifespan Developmental Psychology Courses”
Learning Objective 4: Discuss making marriages work, parenting, and divorce.

Parenting teens has always been a challenge, particularly if parents are also grappling with their own
developmental issues (e.g., midlife). For this activity, students will either interview parents of teens they
know, or join a parenting discussion group on the Internet. Parenting discussion groups and chat rooms
are fairly easy to locate using traditional search engines. This is a good activity for students to conduct as
instructors cover midlife issues, because students can integrate present material with earlier material on
adolescent development.

The Activity:
Students should solicit help from parents who have teenage children or join an Internet parenting
discussion group or chat room. In many ways, the latter assignment is preferred, because students will
interact with parents in a more anonymous fashion, come into contact with more parents, and use
technology to facilitate learning. Students should be encouraged to develop interview questions that tap
into information relevant to this activity. Interview data can be incorporated into a written report (5 to 7
pages) integrating course material.

Materials:
While students are encouraged to develop their own interview questions, suggested questions are listed
below:
1. What are the biggest joys, as well as challenges, in parenting teens?
2. What types of disputes do you experience with your teen?
3. What coping mechanisms do you use to deal with these disputes?
4. What are your feelings about your teen getting into steady romantic relationships?
5. What guidelines or rules will you (or have you) established?
6. What are your feelings about your teen and part-time work?
7. What types of changes have you experienced as a result of parenting a teen?
8. What are your feelings about the friends of your teens? Do you have guidelines or expectancies that
you share with your teen regarding their friends?
9. Do you feel that your teen respects your decisions? Why or why not?
10. Do you feel that being a teen today is more or less stressful than it was in your own teen experience?
11. What words of advice would you give to an individual just starting to parent a teen?

Procedures:
1. Before students conduct this activity, it is advisable that students be exposed to course material on
adolescence, parenting, and midlife issues.
2. Next, students should conduct the interviews. If students are joining Internet discussion/chat groups,
it is important for students to read the posted guidelines for membership.
3. Interview data should be incorporated into the report, along with integration of course material and
previous class discussion. We suggest students append interview data at the end of the student report.
4. Instructors should encourage students to discuss their interviews. There are a number of possible
discussion themes. For example, how well did their interview data and observations dovetail with
class material? What were the major issues that seem to face parents? What comparisons can be
drawn between students who interviewed parents they knew vs. students who joined Internet
discussion groups? Why might these data contrast?

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Research Project 2: The Marriage Quiz

Learning Objective 4: Discuss making marriages work, parenting, and divorce.

Jeffrey Larson’s (1988) research includes a marriage quiz to measure people’s ideas about marriage.
Larson demonstrated that college students have relatively unrealistic views of marriage. Provide a copy of
the quiz (Handout6—this is only a selection of the marriage quiz items from Larson’s original article),
and instruct students to find as many college men and women as they can to respond to it. If they can,
they should try to get equal numbers of men and women, and representatives of first- through fourth-year
college students.

Answers to Quiz: 1. T; 2. F; 3. F; 4. F; 5. F; 6. F; 7. F

Students should score respondents’ answers and then determine the mean score. If they know how, they
should also compute a standard deviation for the scores. If they were able to obtain responses from men
and women in some or all college ranks (e.g., first through fourth year), have them compute means (and
standard deviations) for each group. Next, students should prepare a table that displays these means. With
the table as a base, instruct the students to write a brief report in which they indicate whether Larson’s
claims apply to their college or university. Advise students to answer the questions that follow the quiz.

Use in the Classroom: Have students form groups of four to six people, preferably balanced between men
and women. Instruct individuals, in groups, to present their findings to each other with the goal of
identifying both common expectations and unique ones. Make sure someone in each group keeps track of
these for reporting to the class at large. Also, have the groups pool their data in one large table. Aside
from the findings, this will provide a lesson about the effects of sampling variations on research results.

Source:
Excerpted from Larson, J. H. (1988). The marriage quiz: College students’ beliefs in selected myths about marriage.
Family Relations, 37, 3–11.

Research Project 3: Gender and Age Roles in Magazine Advertisements

Learning Objective 5: Summarize the role of gender and communication in relationships.

This project is a good opportunity to make a connection between the stage of life span just covered
(adolescence), the current stage of emphasis (early adulthood), and the two stages to be discussed next
(middle and late adulthood). In this project, students investigate gender and age stereotypes in magazines.
Using Handout 7, instruct students to look at one widely circulated magazine and evaluate how ads
depict males and females of various ages (adolescence and early, middle, and late adulthood). They
should evaluate physical appearance, personality, and behaviors as they are depicted in the magazine ads.
They can use the chart presented in Handout 8 to help them organize their observations. They should
tally the number of persons in each age group and determine the percentage of ads depicting each age
group. You might want to assign specific magazines to students so that you can explore the effects of type
of magazine on gender images (e.g., Sports Illustrated vs. Ladies Home Journal) or age images (e.g.,
Seventeen vs. Modern Maturity). Another variation is to have students evaluate two issues of the same
magazine, a current issue and one more than 20 years old, to explore changes in images over the years.
Following data collection, have students write a brief report addressing the questions listed in the
handout.

Use in the Classroom: Class discussion will be enhanced if you include some examples of actual ads and

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

have students evaluate them. Class members will want to discuss their favorite examples of stereotyping
from the magazines they have examined.

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Feature Films
In this section of the Instructor’s Manual, we suggest films that are widely available on sites like
amazon.com, documentary wire, Hulu, netflix.com, PBS video, etc.

Doing Time on Maple Drive (1992) (TV)

Starring William McNamara, James B. Sikking, Bibi Besch, James Carrey, Lori Loughlin
Directed by Ken Olin

A young man returns from college to introduce his fiancée to his family. The seemingly “perfect family”
is disrupted by an accident while alcoholism, abortion, homosexuality, and other hidden secrets are
brought to light.

Unfaithful (2002)

Starring Diane Lane, Richard Gere, Olivier Martinez

Directed by Adrian Lyne

A woman pursues an adulterous affair that goes dangerously awry with consequences that will define and
change her family forever.

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Website Suggestions
At the time of publication, all sites were current and active; however, please be advised that you may
occasionally encounter a dead link.

Adult Attachment Styles

http://healthland.time.com/2011/02/13/mind-reading-how-the-new-science-of-adult-attachment-can-
improve-your-love-life/

Coparenting After Divorce

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/co-parenting-after-divorce

Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Love

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201308/which-the-7-types-love-relationships-
fits-yours

John Gottman
http://www.gottman.com/

Online Dating
http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/Papers.cfm?abstract_id=895442

Parenting
http://www.parenting.org/

Divorce
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/divorce.html

Resource for Remarriage

http://www.idotaketwo.com/

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Handout 1 (CA 4)

Pressure to Pair Up

Write down the age at which you hope to marry or move into a long-term, exclusive relationship with a
significant other. If you are already married or in a long-term committed relationship, indicate at what age
the relationship started.

Then identify, on a seven-point scale, how much pressure you feel or felt to become involved in a
marriage or a marriage-like relationship from the following sources:

_____ Family
_____ Peers
_____ Society
_____ Desire to have children
_____ Desire to alleviate
_____ Type of activities you enjoy

Total the responses to arrive at a pressure-to-get-married score.

Next, subtract the age you are from the age you think you should be when you establish your intimate
relationship. Married students, respond as you would have before you got married, and subtract the age
that you first thought about getting married from the age you were when you actually got married.

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Handout 2 (CA 6)

Critical-Thinking Multiple-Choice Questions

1. The major focus of chapter 12 is relationships with others, whether it be friendship or love,
companionship or intimacy. Which theoretical perspective indicates that this is an appropriate focus
for the study of socioemotional development in early adulthood? Circle the letter of the best answer,
and explain why it is the best answer and why the other answers are not as good.

a. psychoanalytic
b. behavioral
c. cognitive
d. ecological
e. eclectic

2. Early in chapter 12, Santrock outlines different ways to classify forms of love. Later in the chapter,
he sketches several intimacy styles and levels of relationship maturity. Which of the following pairs
is most logical according to Santrock’s summary of each aspect of relationships? Circle the letter of
the best answer, and explain why it is the best answer and why the other answers are not as good.

a. consummate love; individuated–connected

b. fatuous love; individuated–connected
c. companionate love; role-focused level
d. isolated love; self-focused level
e. infatuated love; role-focused level

3. Santrock discusses marriage in chapter 12. Which of the following are false statements about
marriage, and which of the following are true regarding marriage? Note that there will be more than
one of each. Be sure to explain why the statement is either a true or false statement.

a. Couples must solve their problems in order for the marriage to work.
b. Power-mongering in marriage is more common in females.
c. Many problems that occur in marriage just do not go away.
d. Remarried couples often have unrealistic expectations about the merging of their families.
e. Females most often become more competent and well-adjusted after divorce.

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Handout 3 (CA 6)

Answers for Critical-Thinking Multiple-Choice Questions

1. The major focus of chapter 12 is relationships with others, whether it be friendship or love,
companionship or intimacy. Which theoretical perspective indicates that this is an appropriate focus
for the study of socioemotional development in early adulthood? Circle the letter of the best answer,
and explain why it is the best answer and why the other answers are not as good.

a. Psychoanalytic is the best answer. Specifically, Erikson’s theory specifies that early adulthood is
a stage of intimacy versus isolation which seems to be the theme of chapter 12.
b. Behavioral is not the best answer. The behavioral approach would probably focus on the nature of
reciprocal responses in social settings that shape adult social behavior or focus on social and
cultural models as guides for adult social behavior.
c. Cognitive is not the best answer. The cognitive theories would stress social cognition, whether of
a Piagetian or an information-processing type, as the basis of social development in early
adulthood.
d. Ecological is not the best answer. Ecological theory would require a more broadly conceived
analysis of the situational, cross-situational, cultural, and temporal factors in early adult social
behavior and social development.
e. Eclectic is not the best answer. An eclectic approach would combine the theories mentioned in
“a” through “d” in an analysis of early adult social behavior.

2. Early in chapter 12, Santrock outlines different ways to classify forms of love. Later in the chapter,
he sketches levels of relationship maturity. Which of the following pairs is most logical according to
Santrock’s summary of each aspect of relationships? Circle the letter of the best answer, and explain
why it is the best answer and why the other answers are not as good.

a. Consummate; individuated–connected is the best answer. Both of these represent the highest level
of love and relationship maturity. They involve understanding of self and partner.
b. Fatuous love; individuated–connected is not the best answer. Fatuous love includes passion and
commitment without intimacy—love at a distance. Individuated–connected maturity represents
understanding self and partner in an intimate relationship.
c. Companionate love; role-focused level is not the best answer. The chief fault is that the role-
focused level of intimacy is weak on commitment, but companionate love is very strong on it.
d. Isolated love; self-focused level is not the best answer. Isolated love is not one of the types of
love discussed. People at a self-focused level in relationships are, by definition, in relationships.
e. Infatuated love; role-focused level is not the best answer. The infatuated love is focused chiefly
on sexual activity, whereas the role-focused level is concerned mainly with defining, if not
enacting, communication, and mutual understanding.

3. Santrock discusses marriage in chapter 12. Which of the following are false statements about
marriage, and which of the following are true regarding marriage? Note that there will be more than
one of each. Be sure to explain why the statement is either a true or false statement.

a. The statement couples must solve their problems in order for the marriage to work is a false
statement. No amount of problem-solving will fix some problems associated with marriage. Both
partners must become comfortable living with the ongoing difference in opinions.
b. The statement power-mongering in marriage is more common in females is a false statement.
While both husbands and wives may be unwilling to share power with the other, this is most
commonly observed in husbands.

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

c. This statement is true. According to Gottman’s research, many problems that occur in marriage
just do not go away. These perpetual problems (whether or not to have children, how often to
have sex, etc…) make up more than two thirds of the problems observed in marriages.
d. This statement is true. Visher & Visher found that remarried couples often have unrealistic
expectations about the merging of their families. They advised couples to allow time for loving
relationships to develop.
e. This statement is true. Hetherington’s research revealed that females most often become more
competent and well-adjusted after divorce. This ability to bounce back from divorce was observed
in approximately 20% of divorced individuals, and most of these individuals were female.

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Handout 4 (CA 7)

Critical-Thinking Essay Questions

Your answers to these kinds of questions demonstrate an ability to comprehend and apply ideas discussed
in this chapter.

1. Describe the continuities and discontinuities from childhood to adulthood.

2. Explain some gender differences in adult friendships.

3. Define and distinguish between romantic love, affectionate love, and friendship.

4. How would you explain Sternberg’s triarchic theory of love to a friend?

5. Compare and contrast the experience and implications of marriage for women and men.

6. Describe the lives of cohabiting adults, and evaluate research that suggests that cohabitation is linked
with later divorce.

7. Characterize the experiences of an individual who goes through a divorce.

8. Describe some strategies for strengthening a marriage.

9. Describe some key differences in how men and women communicate.

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 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Handout 5 (CA 7)

Ideas to Help You Answer Critical-Thinking Essay Questions

1. As you describe the continuities and discontinuities, use examples from your own development to
illustrate the concepts, and to help you understand why this is an important issue considered by
developmentalists.

2. Think about tour own friendships and the friendships you have witnessed among members of the
opposite sex. What do you value in friends? How do you spend your time with friends?

3. Define and distinguish between these three types of relationships by painting a picture of what they
are like. What do the individuals do together? How do they communicate? What do they
communicate about? What challenges do they face? How do individuals perceive their participation
in each relationship? What purpose does each serve in our lives? How do we feel when we are not
engaged in one or more of these relationships?

4. Imagine you are having a conversation about love, and your friend concludes that there is no way to
really define or explain love (“It’s one of those things you just can’t put your finger on,” he or she
says.) This is when you kindly correct your friend and present Sternberg’s theory.

5. Begin by describing the experience and implications of marriage for your own gender. Consider
whether this is how you have perceived it or not. Does this information surprise you? In what ways?
What were your actual expectations? Now address these same questions from your future spouse’s
perspective. Do you think being aware of these differences will help you create a successful
marriage? Why or why not?

6. If you are a cohabiting adult, enhance your description with experiences from your own life. Do you
worry about your cohabitation experience interfering with a long, healthy marriage? Why or why
not?

7. If your parents went through a divorce, use your position as observer to enhance your description. If
your parents are still together, imagine being married and having children as you consider these
experiences. Knowing what you know about this process, what do you make of the incredibly high
incidence of divorce in our society? What are the implications of so many individuals experiencing
divorce? What might it mean for the future of our society and for the children of the next several
generations?

8. There are multiple perspectives on successful marriage described in the text. Describe both specific
things you can do to create a happy marriage, and how you might change your view of marriage itself
in order to facilitate contentment.

9. Focus on both ways of talking and listening, as well as written communication.

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© 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Handout 6 (RP 1)

The Marriage Quiz

Jeffrey Larson’s (1988) research demonstrated that college students have relatively unrealistic views of
marriage. Have as many college men and women as you can respond to Larson’s marriage quiz. (Note:
This is only a selection of the marriage quiz items from Larson’s original article.) Include equal numbers
of males and females, and be sure your sample is representative of first- through fourth-year college
students.

Score respondents’ answers, and then determine the mean score. If you know how, compute a standard
deviation for the scores. If you were able to obtain responses from men and women in some or all college
ranks (e.g., first through fourth year), compute means (and standard deviations) for each group. Next,
prepare a table that displays these means. With the table as a base, write a brief report addressing whether
Larson’s claims apply to your college or university. In addition, answer the questions that follow the quiz.

Answer the following items as true or false:

1. Today most young, single, never-married people will eventually get married.
2. In most marriages, having a child improves marital satisfaction for both spouses.
3. The best single predictor of overall marital satisfaction is the quality of a couple’s sex life.
4. In a marriage in which the wife is employed full-time, the husband usually assumes an equal share of
the housekeeping.
5. Husbands usually make more lifestyle adjustments in marriage than wives do.
6. Couples who cohabited before marriage usually report greater marital satisfaction than couples who
did not.
7. I can change my spouse by pointing out his or her inadequacies, errors, etc.

Questions:
• For the number of correct answers, what was the average? What was the range of low and high scores?
• Does your research show that most students have unrealistic ideas about marriage?
• Did women do better than men?
• Did younger students show more or less understanding of marriage than older students?
• Why do you think people develop unrealistic expectations for marriage?

Source:
Excerpted from Larson, J. (1988). The marriage quiz: College students' beliefs in selected myths about marriage.
Family Relations, 37, 3-11.

Santrock: Essentials of Life-Span Development, 4e IM-12 | 29

© 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Handout 7 (RP 3)

Gender and Age Roles in Magazine Advertisements

In this project, you will investigate gender and age stereotypes in magazines. Look at one widely
circulated magazine, and evaluate how ads depict males and females of various ages (adolescence, and
early, middle, and late adulthood). You should evaluate physical appearance, personality, and behaviors
as they are depicted in the magazine ads. You can use the data sheet provided in Handout 8 to help
organize your impressions. After completing the data collection, write a brief report that answers the
questions that follow.

Questions:

• Are all age groups represented in advertisements?

• Who is underrepresented and overrepresented? Why do you think this is so?

• Compare the various groups in terms of the characteristics used to portray them. What
generalizations about age and gender do these portrayals convey?

• Compare your findings to those obtained by someone who looked at a different magazine. Are your
findings similar or different?

• What do you conclude if they are similar? Different?

• If they are different, do the differences sensibly relate to differences in the apparent purpose or style
of the magazines?

Santrock: Essentials of Life-Span Development, 4e IM-12 | 30

© 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Handout 8 (RP 3)

Data Sheet for Gender and Age Roles in Magazine Advertisements

Magazine Title _____ Issue Date _____ Number of Ads _____

ADOLESCENTS BOYS GIRLS
Physical appearance:
Body message:
Clothes:
Facial expressions:
Personality:
Intelligence:
Activities:
Verbal comments:
Sexuality
Other:

YOUNG ADULTS MEN WOMEN

Physical appearance:
Body message:
Clothes:
Facial expressions:
Personality:
Intelligence:
Activities:
Verbal comments:
Sexuality:
Other:

MIDDLE ADULTS MEN WOMEN

Physical appearance:
Body message:
Clothes:
Facial expressions:
Personality:
Intelligence:
Activities:
Verbal comments:
Sexuality:
Other:

OLD ADULTS MEN WOMEN

Physical appearance:
Body message:
Clothes:
Facial expressions:
Personality:
Intelligence:
Activities:

Santrock: Essentials of Life-Span Development, 4e IM-12 | 31

© 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Verbal comments:
Sexuality:
Other:

Santrock: Essentials of Life-Span Development, 4e IM-12 | 32

© 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
 Chapter 12 Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

A Selection of Resources Available in Connect

Santrock’s Essentials of Life-Span Development, 4e

Chapter 12: Socioemotional Development in Early Adulthood

Title Activity Page # Learning Objective

Type in Text
Attachment Concept Clip 316 12.1: Summarize adult attachment styles.
Early Adulthood Perspectives Milestones: 316 12.1: Summarize adult attachment styles.
on Emotion Transitions
Who I Love at Age 19 Video 319 12.2: Identify key aspects of intimate
relationships and love.
Falling in Love—Heterosexual Video 319 12.2: Identify key aspects of intimate
Couple relationships and love.
Falling in Love—Lesbian Video 319 12.2: Identify key aspects of intimate
Couple relationships and love.
What is Love? (Age 21 Female) Video 319 12.2: Identify key aspects of intimate
relationships and love.
What is Love? (Age 21 Male) Video 319 12.2: Identify key aspects of intimate
relationships and love.
Interracial Relationship Video 319 12.2: Identify key aspects of intimate
relationships and love.
Sternberg’s Triangular Theory Concept Clip 320 12.2: Identify key aspects of intimate
of Love relationships and love.
Transition to Marriage: Lesbian Video 322 12.3: Characterize marital and nonmarital
Couple lifestyles.
Divorce Trends Video 324 12.3: Characterize marital and nonmarital
lifestyles.
Cohabitation Among a Lesbian Video 325 12.3: Characterize marital and nonmarital
Couple lifestyles.
Heterosexism and the Wedding Video 325 12.3: Characterize marital and nonmarital
Ritual lifestyles.
Transition to Parenting: Lesbian Video 327 12.4: Discuss making marriage work,
Couple parenting, and divorce.
Interview with Adoptive Parents Video 327 12.4: Discuss making marriage work,
parenting, and divorce.
Sharing Childcare Video 327 12.4: Discuss making marriage work,
Responsibilities parenting, and divorce.
Children’s Reactions to Video 327 12.4: Discuss making marriage work,
Working Moms parenting, and divorce.
Interview with Stay-at-Home Video 327 12.4: Discuss making marriage work,
Dad parenting, and divorce.
Fathers and the Transition to Video 327 12.4: Discuss making marriage work,
Parenting parenting, and divorce.
Having a Baby After 40 Video 327 12.4: Discuss making marriage work,
parenting, and divorce.

Santrock: Essentials of Life-Span Development, 4e IM-12 | 33

© 2015 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in any
manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.