Psych 21A Final Review
In 1960, the average age of marriage for women was _____; today it is _____.
20; 27
According to the textbook, approximately _____ of American children will experience their parents' divorce.
40%
According to Vygotsky, adolescents learn best when:
All of the above.
Which of the following characteristics is not typically associated with being an early-maturing girl?
Being less popular, especially with boys
Who of the following is probably a child (and not an adolescent)?
Christine, someone who tends to think about things one aspect at a time
______ theorists believe that changes in cognitive abilities appearing during adolescence are qualitative, whereas ______ theorists believe they are quantitative.
Cognitive-developmental; information-processing
Which of the following statements about the production of hormones at puberty is false?
The body begins to produce several hormones that have not been present in the body up until this time.
The erroneous belief that one's thoughts, feelings, and experiences are unique is called:
a personal fable
Studies show that adolescent mood swings are most closely related to changes in:
activities
Among those who study adolescence, an inventionist is one who:
argues that adolescence as a period in the life cycle is mainly a social invention.
A research design in which subjects of different ages are assessed simultaneously is called a:
cross-sectional study.
While studying for her biology exam, Jennifer watches her favorite show on TV. This is an example of:
divided attention
Which of the following is not one of the five chief changes in cognition during adolescence?
increased imagination
The status of adolescents as full-time students arose as a result of:
the Industrial Revolution.
All of the following are themes that have emerged from research studies that investigate different aspects of social cognition during adolescence except:
with age, all adolescents increasingly reject the authority of adults by challenging and dismissing the morals established by their parents.
According to the textbook, today, about _____ of American adolescents are from ethnic minority groups; and, by the end of this century, it is estimated that nearly _____ of American adolescent will be non-White.
45%; 2/3
Adolescent thinking can be distinguished from the thinking of children in several aspects. All of these differences stem from improvement(s) in _________ during adolescence.
Abstract logical reasoning
Which of the following statements is most true of minority families and parenting styles?
Because ethnic minorities are more likely to live in dangerous areas, parental control may actually be beneficial for these adolescents.
Based on research addressing ethnic differences in the timing and rate of pubertal maturation, which American girl would be expected to be the earliest to mature?
Brandy, a middle-income Black adolescent
Who of the following individuals is likely to believe that it is always wrong to exclude others?
Gwendolyn, who is trying to decide who to invite to her 9th birthday party
Which of the following statements about adolescent mood swings is false?
Hormones play a greater role in the development of depression than do stressful life events.
Which statement regarding increases in cognitive abilities is false?
Increases in cognitive abilities are due to growth in the size of the brain
When evaluating the three different forms of intelligence described in his triarchic theory of intelligence, Sternberg would disagree with which statement?
Individuals with high componential intelligence are more intelligent than individuals with either experiential or contextual intelligence
Which of the following individuals is most likely to be a child (and not an adolescent)?
Jesse, who finds it hard to believe that other people may have beliefs, intentions, and knowledge that may be different from his own
Which of the following girls will experience the greatest menstrual discomfort?
Loryn, who has a negative attitude toward menarche.
Renee, a 6year old, is unable to answer the question, "How are a motorcycle and a bicycle alike?". Mohammed, a 17year old, answers the same question by saying, "They are both types of transportation." What statement about Renee and Mohammed is most true?`
Mohammed has demonstrated the ability to think abstractly.
In general, according to the textbook, is "Americanization" a positive and desirable experience for immigrant adolescents?
No, Americanization appears to be associated with worse, not better, outcomes.
Based on Grisso and colleague's competency study, should we assume a 15-year-old is definitely more competent than a mentally ill adult who has been found not competent to stand trial? What about a 13-year-old?
No, about 1/5 of 14- to 15-year-olds and about 1/3 of 13 and younger children are likely to be found to be as impaired in their abilities to stand trial as mentally ill adults who have been determined to be not competent to stand trial.
Joyce believes that scores on intelligence tests are relatively stable in adolescence, and as a result of this stability, believes that scores are fixed. Do you agree with Joyce's logic?
No, intelligence scores are stable; however, they are not fixed
Compared to when adults are interrogated by the police, juveniles are:
None of the above is true.
Which of the following statements about puberty's impact on family relationships is true?
Puberty appears to increase distance between parents and children.
Which child would be expected to have the most conflict with his parents?
Robert, a 13-year-old
Who most closely resembles the profile of someone who has binge eating disorder?
Sherri, a volleyball player who binges on junk food but does not engage in any other weight loss behaviors
Which of the following statements concerning sibling relationships is false?
Siblings are likely to be closer in families under economic stress than in affluent families.
According to behavioral geneticists, siblings are actually quite different from each other. Which of the following has not been used to explain this difference?
Siblings go through the pubertal transition at different times.
Which of the following statements regarding divorce in America is true?
Social support from relatives has been found to buffer the effects of living in a single-parent household.
Which of the following is not a finding of social scientists regarding the effects of divorce on adolescents?
The adverse consequences of divorce for adolescents are directly linked to living in a single-parent household.
Which of the following statements about prenatal development is not true?
The amount of cortisol exposed to the fetus is directly linked to the timing and tempo of puberty.
Tamika and Theresa both live in single-parent households and survive on welfare. Tamika, however, lives in a better neighborhood than Theresa. According to community researchers, who is more likely to drop out of school or become pregnant?
Theresa
What was one of the results of the Guyer and colleagues' (2009) study, where teenagers were imaged with fMRI equipment
When the adolescents were told that other teenagers were interested in them, areas of their brains known to be sensitive to rewards were activated.
Black, Hispanic, and American Indian youth have more trouble negotiating the transition into adulthood than do their counterparts of which race(s)?
White and Asian youth
Which of the following statements about stepfamilies is false?
Younger children have a harder time adjusting to stepfamilies than older adolescents.
In contemporary America, the process of social definition, which typically begins at age 15 or 16, is something that occurs over:
a relatively long period of time.
Among American adolescents, the most frequently mentioned criterion for being an adult is ________; among Inuit adolescents in the Canadian Arctic, the most important is ________:
accepting responsibility for oneself; the establishment of a marriage-like relationship.
Compared to childhood, reward seeking and sensation seeking during adolescence:
are higher during adolescence than childhood.
The formation of synapses is:
both genetically programmed and formed through experience
The current transition into adult occupations in America is considered a:
discontinuous transition.
Ethnic differences in parenting practices suggest that:
even though authoritative parenting is less commonly used by ethnic minority families, its effects on adolescent development are beneficial in all ethnic groups.
Psychologist Jeffery Arnett has suggested that 18- to 25-year-olds are caught between adolescence and adulthood in "emerging adulthood," which is characterized by all but which of the following?
exploring possible identities before making permanent choices
The first sign of puberty in girls is generally:
growth of breasts
Research has indicated that one source of conflict between teenagers and parents is that they define issues very differently. This finding:
has been replicated across many cultural and ethnic groups.
According to research on behavioral decision theory, adolescents often decide to engage in behavior that seems risky to adults because adolescents:
have different values and priorities than adults.
Which of the following contributed to the invention of the teenager?
industrialization
The Bas Mitzvah, the confirmation, and the quinceanera are all examples of:
initiation ceremonies.
Research testing Elkind's theory of adolescent egocentrism has found that certain aspects:
may remain present throughout the adolescent and adult years.
Black adolescents are _____ likely to experience their parents' divorce and _____ likely to experience their remarriage.
more; less
Over the course of adolescence, relationships among siblings become more egalitarian but _______ distant and _______ emotionally intense.
more; less
The term adolescent became widely used at what time?
since the 19th century
With regard to single-parent families in the United States:
the classification of "single-parent household" often includes other adults, such as the unmarried partner of a child's parent.
What might explain why adolescence has been elongated?
the increased importance of formal education in making a successful transition into adult roles
The messages that contemporary society sends adolescents are:
unclear and inconsistent.
Which of the following is probably true for Ashley, an early-maturing girl who was short and stocky as a child?
After puberty, she will be shorter and heavier than her late-maturing peers.
Mike, an early maturer, is more likely to _______ than Bob, a late maturer.
All of the above
The impact of early maturation on problem behaviors or depression is worse when
All of the above
What is it about adolescent thinking that makes them better problem solvers than children?
All of the above
Why are children who have spent time in the foster care system more at risk for emotional and behavioral problems?
All of the above are reasons that foster care children and adolescents may have more problems than other children and adolescents.
All of the following statements about structural and functional change involving the prefrontal cortex during adolescence are true except:
All of the above are true
Changes in social definition also bring changes in:
All of the above.
Growing up, Jessica's parents had a lot of marital conflict. At times Jessica was even exposed to some domestic violence. Jessica is likely to develop which of the following problems?
All of the above.
Who of the following is likely to gain excess weight during adolescence?
All of these adolescents are likely to gain excessive weight during puberty
The biological changes that take place during puberty can cause changes in adolescents' behavior in all of the following ways, except:
All of these are ways in which biological changes occurring in puberty can cause changes in adolescents' behavior.
Which adolescent is at highest risk for suicide?
American Indian/ Alaskan Native males
Which of the following statements about family conflict is true?
Among those teenagers and parents who report having problems, the great majority had problematic relationships during childhood.
Which of the following research findings supports the hypothesis that, "under conditions of low collective efficacy, social problems are contagious"?
Both statements A and B support the hypothesis.
Studies of immigrant families suggest that the least amount of conflict exists in households in which:
adolescents and their parents communicate in their native language.
Luis and Carla Hernandez are getting a divorce. It is likely that the family will go through a period of _________ before it can adjust to this challenge.
disequilibrium
The transition into adulthood 50 or 60 years ago was characterized by _____ prior preparation for family roles and _____ prior preparation for work roles.
more; more
What thought process helps adolescents appreciate the sarcasm and satire of Family Guy and The Simpsons?
multidimensional thinking
Research described in the textbook indicates all of the following except:
nearly all juveniles under 15 years old are competent to stand trial in a criminal proceeding.
New technologies and social innovations have:
not changed the fact that adolescents continue to need the love, support and guidance of adults who care about them.
Tammy's father has absolute standards and expects Tammy to conform to them without exception. If she disobeys he generally punishes her, and sees no reason why he should explain his rules to Tammy. Instead, his response is, "I'm the father and I love you. I know what's best for you." Her father is best described as having what kind of parenting style?
authoritarian
Don's teacher is concerned about him because he is passive and indifferent to new experiences, and shows little intellectual curiosity. He also shows signs of developing low self-esteem. Based on Baumrind's classification of parenting styles, the best guess is that Don's parents are:
authoritarian.
Optimal development during adolescence appears to be facilitated by the ________ style of parenting.
authoritative
What may explain the results from the studies that have relocated adolescents from poor neighborhoods to more advantaged neighborhoods?
Adolescents may encounter more discrimination in the new neighborhood.
Which of the following statements about the way in which teenagers relate to mothers and fathers is false?
Adolescents perceive fathers as more controlling than their mothers.
Which of the following research findings best describes the phenomenon known as generational dissonance?
Recent studies of Mexican-American families have found that stress and conflict are higher in Latino families in which adolescents are relatively more acculturated than parents.
Theresa has been known to go on eating binges and then purge immediately afterward. Theresa is probably suffering from
bulimia
Through which of the following behaviors does an adolescent help shape authoritative parenting?
by displaying psychosocial maturity, leading parents to encourage further development of maturity
Ten-year-old Luna's budding feelings of sexual attraction are most likely explained:
by maturation of the adrenal glands through the process called adrenarche
Which of the following is not associated with the "new morbidity and mortality" of adolescence?
cancer
Almost half of all teenage deaths in the US are a result of:
car accidents and other unintentional injuries
The Boy Scouts is an example of an organization that grew out of the _____ school of thought.
child protectionist
The most virulent threats to adolescent health come from all of the following, except:
chronic disabilities, such as cancer
Typically, the social redefinition of young people occurs in groups of peers who are approximately the same age, known as:
cohorts
Stemberg's "triarchic theory of intelligence" proposes that to assess an individual's intellectual capabilities, it is necessary to look at three distinct, but interrelated, types of "intelligence":
componential, experiential, and contextual
Which of the following is not one of the areas of fundamental change in adolescence?
conceptual
All of the following are aspects of metacognition, except:
conserving mental resources
Adolescents who score higher than their peers on an IQ test will probably:
continue to score higher than their peers on future IQ tests
Since Mark was 5 years old, he has been helping his father maintain the family farm. Now, 30 years later, Mark owns the farm and is teaching his own son how to manage it. Based on your knowledge about the continuity of adolescence, how would you describe Mark's transition?
continuous
One discrepancy in the way that society treats adolescence is that courts have ruled that teenagers have the right to obtain ________; however, the courts have also upheld laws forbidding adolescents to obtain _____.
contraceptives; cigarettes or vulgar magazines
Jesse has just married a woman who has two adolescent daughters. These children will adjust best if Jesse establishes all of the following types of discipline, except:
controlling
After midlife, parents are more likely to think about the future in terms of:
how much time they have left to live themselves.
The ability to see beyond what is directly observable and reason in terms of what might be possible is called:
hypothetical thinking
John is a junior in high school. Although he is sociable, he feels very self-conscious. He feels as if everyone is evaluating him. David Elkins refers to this loss of perspective in adolescence as:
imaginary audience
Fifteen-year-old Hermione is able to write a much more complex answer than 10 year old Ginger to the question, "Compare the advantages and disadvantages of using simple spells for self-protection." This is because, as an adolescent, Hermione is able to think
in multiple dimensions
Which of the following did not contribute to the redefinition of the term youth?
increased materialism among college students
All of the following are reasons that males have greater gains in strength than females during adolescence, except
increased production of androgens among females
According to the textbook, puberty involves all of the following except
increases in intellectual functioning
The improvements in organizational strategies seen in adolescence include all but:
increasing speed of information processing
Which of the following statements is consistent with Piaget's cognitive development theory?
individuals progress through stages based on biological readiness in addition to increasing environmental demands
Max tells his friends that his mother is a "real marshmallow" who does whatever he wants and who never enforces the rules she tries to set. If Max's statement is true, his mother is best characterized as:
indulgent.
Dr. Brown argues that adolescents can solve problems better than younger children because they can store more information in memory and because they have more effective strategies. Dr. Brown's view is most consistent with which of the following perspectives?
information-processing perspective
Dr. Jones argues that adolescence is primarily a social invention rather than a biological or cognitive phenomenon. Her view that the broader environment influences our conception of adolescence is most in line with the:
inventionist perspective.
Recent research on psychological well-being in emerging adulthood suggests:
it is a time of positive and improving mental health for most people.
Adolescents who are convicted of crimes become part of the _________ justice system, whereas adults convicted of the same crimes are part of the ________ justice system.
juvenile; criminal
Notable contributing factors to the elongation of adolescence compared to previous eras include all except which of the following:
later development of emotional maturity.
The rapid increase in body fat that adolescent girls experience:
leads to a majority of adolescent girls dieting unnecessarily
Follow-up studies of Swedish women who had been early maturers found that as adults they were:
less likely to continue their education beyond high school
According to Baumrind, children of indulgent parents tend to be:
less mature and more conforming to their peers.
Late 19th-century adolescents spend _____ time working with their parents and _____ with their peers, being educated or prepping for the future.
less, more
Which of the following brain systems is responsible for processing emotions, social information, and rewards?
limbic system
Compared to the situation 50 or 60 years ago, today's transition to adulthood is:
long and disorderly.
The popular notion of a "generation gap" has only been supported in differences between parents and children with regard to:
personal taste.
According to Smetana, adolescents often judge keeping one's room clean and style of dress as _____, whereas parents tend to judge these issues as _____.
personal; conventional
Of all the developments that take place during the second decade of life, the only one that is truly inevitable is:
physical maturation
Juan is 4.5 years old. His language skills are excellent, but his thinking skills demonstrate limitations such as egocentrism. What Piagetian stage of thought would you suspect he is in?
preoperational
The physical transformation from child to adult is called
puberty
Which of the following female sex characteristics is usually the last to develop?
regular ovulation
When the teacher asks a question in class, students raise their hands to answer. This example illustrates:
social conventional behavior.
The universal process through which an individual's position or status is changed by society is called:
social redefinition.
Which of the following is not associated with transition difficulties in adolescence?
spending a lot of time with peers
All of the following are ways that scientists study brain maturation except:
using fMRI technology to measure event-related potential in response to different stimuli or events
Which of the following conditions is most likely to produce the most favorable and easiest adjustment to menarche?
when the girl knows the facts about the physical changes her body will undergo
Who is at the greatest risk of developing body dissatisfaction?
Callie, an early-maturing, affluent White girl who compares herself to her friends
Why is it so difficult to draw a legal boundary between when someone should be treated like a child and when someone is ready to be treated like an adult?
Development is so rapid and so variable between individuals.
Which of the following statements about the secular trend is true?
Evidence for the secular trend in boys can be found in reports from European children's choirs
Which of the following statements suggest that rising levels of the protein leptin is an important signal that tells the body it is ready for puberty?
Excessive thinness can delay onset of puberty.
Which of the following statements is true about Arnett's concept of emerging adulthood?
Not all people in their mid-20s fit the profile.
Which of the following statements about the timing and tempo of sexual maturation is true?
The duration of puberty varies widely, from 1.5 to 6 years in girls and 2 to 5 years in boys.
Bickering and squabbling between teenagers and their parents is largely caused by
adolescents' ability to formulate counterarguments
Which of the following scenarios would Amy, an older adolescent, be most likely to accept her parents' rules?
all of these situations are scenarios where Amy will feel that her parents' have a legitimate right to make (and enforce) rules.
According to the textbook, all of the following statements about female circumcision are true except:
although the risks are well-known, the prevalence of circumcision in the United States has grown to 18% of female adolescents.
The simultaneous release of growth hormones, thyroid hormones, and __________ stimulates rapid acceleration in height and weight during puberty.
androgens
The potentially fatal disorder in which young women actually starve themselves is called
anorexia nervosa
Suzanne and Greg are the first members of their class to begin the pubertal transition. Based on what you know about early-maturing adolescents, Suzanne and Greg are more likely to:
become involved in illegal activities.
Changes requiring considerable adjustment for families with adolescents typically include all of the following, except:
being the central setting for their adolescent's narrow social world.
Sam took an IQ test in fourth grade and scored below average. Sam's middle school is administering the test again. This time, Sam's score is likely to be:
below average
All of the following are indicators of metacognition, except:
deductive reasoning
Given a choice, Mike would prefer to stay up until 1AM and sleep until 10AM. This pattern is called the
delayed phase preference
Rosy believes that "fat is beautiful" and has a steady diet of fried chicken, French fries, and cheeseburgers. Tanya believes that "thin is in" and uses vomiting and laxatives as a way to keep her weight down. Both girls exhibit what psychologists call:
disordered eating
Jane, an adolescent, can attribute her improved planning skills to developments in her _______ and she can attribute her gut-level, intuitive decision making to her ________.
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; ventromedial prefrontal cortex
According to the textbook, the main contributor to the increased rate of automobile accidents among teenagers is:
driving with other teenagers in the car.
Which group is most at risk for obesity?
early maturing Black girls
Denise's parents have both been laid off from work and are unable to pay the bills. Denise's parents are likely to do all of the following, except:
engage in drug and alcohol abuse.
Charles feels older than most of the other kids in his grade. He is more likely to engage in all of the following activities except:
engage in problem behavior.
Based on information presented in the textbook, in the US today, which of the following strategies would be the least efficient way to promote adolescent health?
ensuring that school bathrooms are sanitary
The _____ may act as a buffer for children growing up in single-parent households and plays an important role in the socialization of Black youth.
extended family
According to research, _________ can be an effective way for enhancing the development of adolescents' reasoning abilities, moral judgment and empathy:
family discussions in which decisions, rules, and expectations are explained.
Which of the following is considered a shared environmental influence for siblings?
family socioeconomic status
Rose solves a chemistry problem by systematically testing several hypotheses. According to Piaget, which stage is Rose functioning at?
formal operations
The adolescent growth spurt:
generally begins two years earlier for girls than for boys
Differences in the timing and rate of puberty among individuals growing up in the same general environment are largely caused by
genetic factors
Which of the following was not offered by the textbook as an explanation for the sex differences in the impact of early and late maturation?
genetic makeup
Avram is considered a late maturing boy. A year after pubertal onset, we would expect Avram to show all of the following advantages over his early maturing peers, except:
greater athletic ability
All of the following are features of hypothetical thinking, except:
greater awareness of concrete, observable events
Luis's family has lived below the poverty level his entire life. Research suggests that Luis is likely to experience all of the following, except:
greater family cohesiveness than other adolescents his age.
Although both sexes experience changes in muscle tissue and body fat, the ratio of muscle to body fat is
greater in boys than girls
The identity crisis of adolescence may interact with the ________ in increasing family conflict.
midlife crisis of adults
Jim and Stacey are the parents of two preteen girls. Throughout the girls' childhood, the family has enjoyed fairly harmonious relationships. The likelihood that they will experience serious problems as the girls go through adolescence is:
not likely.
Which of the following would not be considered an initiation ceremony?
obtaining a driver's license
Adults tend to be ______ when their children are adolescents than the past generation.
older
Mark is a teenager who generally respects his parents. On which of the following issues, however, is Mark most likely to side with his friends and against his parents?
on how to wear his hair
The presence or absence of certain hormones early in life may "program" the brain and the nervous system to develop in certain ways later on. These hormones are considered:
organizational
Peers usually have more influence than parents on matters of:
patterns of leisure activity.
Felicia is very warm and accepting to both of her two children, but she also sets firm rules that the children must follow with very few exceptions. According to Baumrind, the characteristics that best describe her are:
responsive and demanding.
For Sally's 13th birthday, her mother has agreed to let her get her ears pierced. In traditional societies, this type of body ritual may be equated to:
scarification
The delayed phase preference suggests that
school should begin later in the morning
Puberty began for Nancy when she was 9 years old. Her mother began puberty at 11 years. For her grandmother, the onset was at 13 years of age. These changes in the age of onset of puberty overtime are referred to as:
secular trend
Jesse is in the seventh grade at a school that has open classrooms with multiple teachers instructing their classes in one large area. Which of the following cognitive processes will help Jesse focus on his teacher?
selective attention
Which of the following is least likely to be affected by genetic factors?
self-perception of scholastic competence
What emotional characteristic makes an individual more likely to engage in risky behaviors?
sensation seeking
Amalia is most likely to be adversely affected by her parents' divorce if:
she blames herself for her parents' problems.
The term given in the textbook that describes siblings who are deliberately trying to be different from each other is:
sibling deidentification
Sarah is an excellent writer, but her younger sister Jane has always hated writing classes and instead has focused on developing gymnastic abilities. Sarah readily expresses disdain for gymnastics, so the girls feel that they are different enough to avoid direct competition. One explanation for this type of sibling behavior is called:
sibling deidentification.
Although Sarah's parents divorced seven years ago, the counselor at school attributes Sarah's poor school performance and delinquent behavior to the divorce. This counselor is probably referring to the:
sleeper effect of divorce.
Adolescents develop the ability to think about social issues, a concept more generally referred to as:
social cognition
Which of the following does not support adolescents' improved ability to use deductive reasoning, as described by the text?
the ability to make an inference based on accumulated evidence
The Bar Mitzvah and Bas Mitzvah are contemporary examples of traditional society's practice of:
the accentuation of male and female differences.
According to the inventionist theory, adolescence was not considered a distinct transitional period until:
the industrial revolution.
All of the following are true regarding the legal boundary between childhood and adulthood except:
the legal boundary between childhood and adulthood is very clear and consistent.
The fact that most books for parents of teenagers tend to focus on the problems instead of normative development is concerning because:
the more parents believe in the stereotypes, the worse their relationships with their teenagers become.
The textbook states that _________ is the most critical influence on adolescents' adjustment.
the quality of the parent-child relationships at home
Evaluations of mentoring programs have indicated that:
the success of the mentoring program depends on characteristics of the mentor, the mentee, and the relationship between the two.
According to the textbook, Julie, a seventeen-year-old living in a college dormitory, has noticed that her menstrual periods have begun to synchronize with _______, which is compelling evidence that social relationships can affect biological functioning.
the time her female roommate menstruates
Chris and his parents had an argument because they did not want him to go to a New Year's Eve party across town. A few days after the argument, Chris's anger subsided because he realized his parents were worried about his safety. Which cognitive process did Chris most likely use to reach this conclusion?
theory of mind
According to the textbook, a good deal of adolescents' risk taking takes place in contexts in which:
they are unsupervised by adults and exposed to peers who encourage risky behaviors.
Social scientists believe that the transition from adolescence into adulthood in contemporary society is:
too long.