FINAL EXAM- PSYCH 134

Which of the following is a TRUE statement about research on the influence of the Internet on adolescent development?

Adolescents' use of the Internet has small effects on their development, and these effects are positive and negative.

Changes in social definition for adolescents also bring changes in adolescents': Relatonship with others All of the above Identities Responsibilities

All of the above

By the end of high school, crowds:

Become less important to adolescents.

Which of the following has NOT been found to be a characteristic of adolescents who work more than 20 hours per week?

Better academic achievement

Behavioral genetics research with rats has demonstrated that:

Biological offspring of "non-sensitive" mothers who are raised by "sensitive" mothers are LESS negatively affected by stress than genetically identical rats raised by "non-sensitive" mothers.

How does adolescent behavior make it more likely that parents will be authoritative?

By displaying maturity, leading parents to further encourage development of maturity.

Who is at the greatest risk of developing body dissatisfaction?

Callie, an early-maturing, affluent White girl who compares herself to her friends.

Almost half of all adolescent deaths in the United States are a result of:

Car accidents and other unintentional injuries.

According to many well-designed studies that have looked at the psychological consequences of growing up with same-sex parents:

Children and adolescents with same-sex parents are not psychologically different from those with heterosexual parents.

With respect to internet use and social networking sites, adolescents are most likely to:

Communicate with people they have offline relationships with.

Cultural differences in parenting practice suggest that:

Even though authoritative parenting is less common among racial/ethnic minority families, its effects on adolescent development are beneficial across all cultural groups.

Dr. Malik believes that the rise of adolescent peer groups has contributed to the rise of adolescent crime and drug use. Which of the following statements contradicts this belief?

Even though society has continued to become increasingly age segregated, the rates of many adolescent problem behaviors have declined over the past two decades.

Which of the following statements suggests that rising levels of the protein leptin is an important signal that tells the body it is ready for puberty?

Excessive thinness can delay the onset of puberty.

Dave knows that teens who drink and drive sometimes get killed, but he believes he is somehow immune to having such a terrible thing happen to him. Dave's belief is an example of:

Personal fable

Research has shown that racial/ethnic socialization in having positive attitudes about one's own racial/ethnic group is associated with:

Positive attitudes about other ethnic groups.

The discrepant timing of the development of the _____ (responsible for self-regulation) and the _____ (responsible for emotion processing) may explain why adolescents are more likely to make risky decisions than adults.

Prefrontal cortex; limbic system

A double shift in social status takes place during adolescence, with an increase in both __________ and ________________.

Privileges; responsibilities

Professor Lopez wants to test the stereotype threat effect. What is the most likely scenario in which this effect occurs?

Professor Lopez tells participants in the experimental group that members of their ethnic group perform poorly on the type of task that she is asking them to perform, and these participants perform more poorly than participants in the control group.

Cheryl, a ninth-grader, was mad at Karen for spilling juice on Cheryl's shirt. Cheryl spread a rumor that Karen had gossiped about her friends. Cheryl is using_________ to express her anger toward Karen.

Relational aggression

Compared with adolescents from previous decades, today's American adolescents:

Spend more days per year in school.

What is a scientifically valid concern regarding adolescents' media use?

The amount of time adolescents spend on the Internet, watching TV, and playing video games is negatively linked to the amount of time they spend in physical activity, which can have negative effects on adolescents' physical health.

Compared to adolescents of color with families that have been in the United States for a long time, foreign-born adolescents of color tend to perform:

Worse in school, but are more likely to have emotional and behavioral problems. (double check)

Who of the following is MOST likely to be involved in multiple extracurricular activities?

Adolescents who earn higher grades.

The universal process through which an individual's position or status is changed within society is called:

Social redefinition

Discuss the changes in the way(s) adolescents think about prosocial issues and the changes in their willingness to engage in prosocial behavior. Do adolescents' beliefs about prosocial issues predict the extent to which they engage in prosocial behavior? If so, in what ways? Who is likely to engage in service learning and what are the effects of volunteering? Is "forcing" adolescents to "volunteer" likely to have positive impacts?

...

Which adolescent is most likely to engage in sexual intercourse at the youngest age? Laurence, a Black adolescent Jesse, a Hispanic adolescent. Danny, a European American adolescent Michael, an Asian American adolescent

....

What do the most recent models of the psychological process of achievement during adolescence suggest?

........ (question 13 of exam 3)

Which of the following is TRUE of most adolescents' jobs?

Adolescents' jobs are often stressful and do not provide much independence.

Why should data that are obtained by asking adolescents to self-report on whether they have had sex be interpreted with caution?

Adolescents' response depends on how adolescents interpret what "sex" is.

The determinants of sociometric popularity are:

Social skills, friendliness, and sense of humor.

Today, about ______ of American adolescents are from ethnic minority groups; and by the end of this century, it is estimated that nearly _______ of American adolescents will be non-white.

45%, 2/3

Steve eats lunch with Hans, Jeff, and Mike every day. After school, they play computer games and talk about girls. This group of boys is called:

A clique.

The main reason that reactive aggression is associated with unpopularity and greater problems with peers is because reactive aggression is characterized by:

A combination of aggression and poor emotion regulation.

Mai can understand the metaphor, "My heart is an open book," because she is able to focus on the:

Abstract and conceptual relations

Children's friendships are based on ________, whereas adolescents' friendships are typically based on ________:

Activities; intimacy.

In regard to the relation between puberty and stress, all of the following are true EXCEPT?

Adolescence is an inherently stressful time.

Which of the following does NOT serve as evidence that emotion regulation is an issue in adolescence?:

Adolescence is the only developmental period during which individuals develop depression.

Which of the following is one of the characteristics that distinguish between adolescents' and children's self-concept? Adolescents' sense of self varies across time and situations All of these characteristics of self-concept are different between children and adolescents Adolescents distinguish among actual, ideal, and feared selves Adolescents tend to view the self as involving more dimensions than do children

All of these characteristics of self-concept are different between children and adolescents

Susannah's school psychologist has recently determined that Susannah has a learning disability. Her parents are concerned about the effects this may have. Which possible effects should the psychologist warn her parents about? She is more likely to have trouble coping with school She is at higher risk of dropping out of school All of these risks. She may have trouble making friends

All of these risks.

Which of the following statements about family conflict is TRUE? You Answered

Among adolescents and parents that report having problems, the vast majority had problematic relationships during childhood.

According to a biological perspective, adolescence begins when

An individual becomes capable of sexual reproduction.

Which of the following types of parenting promotes healthy emotional autonomy in adolescents?

Authoritative

Parental knowledge during adolescence:

Declines as a result of adolescents engaging in less spontaneous disclosure with parents.

Changes in the limbic system during adolescence may cause all of the following, EXCEPT:

Decreased risk-taking.

Depression has which of the following symptoms?

Depression can be manifested by all of these symptoms

As adolescents develop, their self-conceptions become more:

Differentiated.

Mixed-sex cliques start becoming more common during:

Early adolescence.

Decisions about whether to implement tracking (i.e., grouping students in classes based on ability level) are typically quite controversial. Not surprisingly, parents of students of higher academic ability ____________, whereas parents of students of lower academic ability ____________

Favor tracking; oppose it

With regard to adolescent sleep patterns, research has shown that:

Getting inadequate sleep is associated with poorer mental health and lower grades in adolescents.

Identity formation is best seen as a:

Gradual series of interrelated developments.

Scientists now believe that the transition from concrete operational thought to formal operational thought occurs:

Gradually and unevenly across domains of functioning.

Taken together, research studies have determined that growing up in a poor neighborhood:

Has negative effects on adolescent behavior, achievement, and mental health, and these effects are above and beyond those effects attributable to growing up in a poor family.

The tendency to interpret ambiguous interactions with others as deliberately aggressive is called:

Hostile attributional bias

Marji, a 10-year-old preadolescent, is going to enter junior high next year. Based on your knowledge of adolescent development, what can you predict about how Marji's relationships with her friends will change throughout junior high and high school?

I predict that Margi's relationships with friends might be a significant change since going to a new school (larger) will result in meeting new people thus Marji and her friends might separate to go with other students who hold similar interests (creation of a clique). At first, these cliques will involve same-sex individuals but eventually, they will convert into mixed-sex cliques in late adolescence due to intimacy/relationships. (Since Marji is 10 she wouldn't worry about this until the end of high school) In other words, Marji can either expect for and her friends to become a larger group (since cliques vary from 2 to 12) or fit into their own different cliques.

You overhear two of your classmates talking about Mona, another classmate that has been diagnosed with depression. One of your classmates contends that the root of Mona's depression is biological, since her mother is also clinically depressed. However, your other classmate argues that Mona is depressed because her parents are going through a divorce. With whom do you agree? How can research inform this debate? Be sure to include the diathesis-stress model in your answer.

I will best assume that Mona may be currently depressed because of her environment and through her drastic change, since if Mona is depressed due to biological inheritance there should have been signs before her diagnosis. But, both students and researchers can defend both standpoints especially if we take into account the diathesis-stress model. Based on the diathesis-stress model, there are predispositions (such as biological, and cognitive factors) and stressors (such as divorce) that can both equally lead/affect the symptoms of depression, so both classmates have reasonable points.

Changes in social cognition in adolescence are linked with:

Improvements in perspective taking

Dan, an adolescent, has more developed cognitive skills than his 6-year-old brother Timmy because Timmy's thinking is:

In general, bound to what he can directly observe.

Fatima, an eighth-grader, is facing a big dilemma and she needs advice. To whom is Fatima likely to turn for support?

It depends on the specific issue (double check)

According to Gardner's theory of multiple intelligences, sports figures like Babe Ruth, Michael Phelps, and Lebron James are all considered above average in:

Kinesthetic intelligence

Although conflict between adolescents and parents is generally _______frequent in ethnic minority than White families, the topics of disagreement are ________ across ethnic groups.

Less; similar

During the school year, the rate of academic progress is equal between students with higher socioeconomic status and disadvantaged students. During the summer months:

Low-income students' scores decline.

Peter's parents caught him drinking alcohol with some friends and now they are worried that his alcohol use might turn into a long-term problem. Which of the following best illustrates the nature of adolescent substance use?

Many adolescents experiment with alcohol in high school without growing into adult alcoholics.

One disturbing finding is that there appears to be a drop in students' _________ as they transition from elementary into secondary school; which could partly be due to the fact that __________.

Mastery motivation; teachers become more performance-oriented during this time.

Which of the following statements about classroom environment is TRUE:

Moderate, rather than strict, control in the classroom promotes positive student behavior.

Which of the following characteristics is typically associated with being an early-maturing boy?

More delinquent behaviors

What thought process helps adolescents appreciate the sarcasm and satire of Last Week Tonight and The Simpsons?

Multidimensional thinking

Fifteen-year-old Randall was a participant in a research study on risk-taking. According to his answers on the survey, Randall understands the dangers of drinking and driving. However, at a party last week, Randall was seen getting into a car with an intoxicated driver. How would you explain the inconsistency in Randall's behavior in terms of what we know about (a) adolescent brain development and (b) adolescent thinking?

My explanation to the inconsistency of Randall's behavior is the time gap between the development of the limbic system and the prefrontal cortex. The limbic system is responsible for emotional processing, social information, and reward/punishment information, and since it starts it's development from the the onset of puberty it leads to adolescents being more vulnerable to sensation seeking or the opinions of their peers. And since Randall is just fifteen his prefrontal cortex (known to not start development until the mid 20's), which is known to better enhance decision-making and self-regulation, is not there yet it leads to Randall still participating in risky behaviors either to find approval from his peers or wanting to feel the sensation of driving with an intoxicated driver.

Externalizing problems are hypothesized to reflect difficulties with impulse control just as internalizing problems are hypothesized to reflect the common underlying factor of:

Negative emotionality

Which of the following is TRUE about the concept of emerging adulthood?

Not all people in their mid-20s fit the profile.

Issues of autonomy:

Occur throughout the lifespan.

All of the following are ways to increase the use of contraceptives among adolescents, EXCEPT:

Offer sex education that teaches the fundamentals of contraceptive use once adolescents are already sexually active.

Margaret has been able to withstand many stressors in her life without showing negative effects. Margaret's behavior would be considered an example of:

Resiliency.

Which has a greater effect on adolescent students' academic achievement: school size or class size?

School size.

Charlie is able to tune out the television so he can focus on his art project, which is due tomorrow. This is an example of:

Selective attention.

Amanda, a 13-year-old Hispanic girl, lives below the poverty line with her mother in an impoverished neighborhood. Based on what you know about the effects of poverty on the transition to adulthood, what would you predict for Amanda? Be sure to include the role of race/ethnicity and neighborhoods in your answer.

Since Amanda is a woman of color and lives in a poor neighborhood she may face some difficulties as she transitions into adulthood. Some of the difficulties are closely related to being a minority such as facing discrimination, unemployment, or being more closely watched by law enforcement despite no affiliation. Additionally, since Amanda is in a poor neighborhood her transition to adulthood might also involve first having difficulties with school, maybe experiencing an unwanted pregnancy, or having fewer resources to support her transition, as well as perhaps having no sense of community since poor neighborhoods have collective efficacy which means that these neighborhoods seem to isolate themselves more or be disorganized.

According to the immigrant paradox, the longer an adolescent from an immigrant family has lived in the United States, the more likely he or she is to:

Smoke cigarettes or binge drink.

Jacob and Stephen just got a project back from their teacher that they had worked on together. They received a D on the project. Jacob said it was because the project was too hard. Stephen said it was because they hadn't worked hard enough on the project. Which adolescent is most likely to try harder on future projects?

Stephen

Relocation studies that have randomly chosen poor families to either stay in the neighborhood they are living or move to a more advantaged neighborhood have found:

That adolescents who move to more advantaged neighborhoods have worse outcomes than their counterparts who stayed in their old neighborhood.

Many researchers have argued that older adolescents should have the right to seek health care services without parental consent because:

The basic cognitive abilities that are most likely necessary to make these kinds of decisions are typically fully developed by this point.

When contrasting life-course persistent offenders with adolescence-limited offenders, researchers agree that:

The causes and consequences of the two are often different.

Research investigating media "effects" on adolescent development has a hard time ruling out the possibility of spurious causation, which means that:

The correlation between two variables is due to the fact that each of them is correlated with a third variable.

Which of the following statements about the impact of hormones on behavior is FALSE?

The direct relation between adolescent moodiness and hormonal changes of puberty is extremely strong.

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.

Former President Obama's administration suggested what to address the problem of the state-dependent standards of the No Child Left Behind Act?

The need to have a set of common standards across all 50 states.

Which of the following is FALSE regarding the effects of divorce on adolescents?

The negative consequences of divorce for adolescence are directly linked to the divorce itself.

Discuss the psychosocial impact of early vs. late pubertal maturation in girls. Then provide two examples of how early vs. late maturing girls differ in their psychosocial development.

The psychosocial impact of both early vs. late pubertal maturation in girls is known for both parties to effect self-esteem, mood and relationship with others. But although both parties are effected in these areas there are still some differences. One example that highlights the difference in early vs. late maturing girls, is that early maturing girls may develop more popularity with boys but they are also more at risk of obesity or an eating disorder compared to a late maturing girl. Another example highlighting the difference is that late-maturing girls are twice as likely to continue/finish their high school education compared to early-maturing girls.

You have been asked to address a group of parents about how they can talk to their adolescents about sexual behavior. The two major concerns are pregnancy and contracting sexually transmitted diseases. They want to know how they can best protect their teens. Discuss three important points you would tell them.

The three important points I would tell parents is that 1). It is important to start the conversation early about contraceptives and sexual activity to ensure children are aware of the risks. 2). Try to make contraceptives more accessible and normalize the topic of adolescents engaging in sexual activity since it is normal and important to be advocated/informed about. 3). Make sure to let children know about the different forms of STDs and do it in a way that doesn't scare the child, just be honest.

Sarah is a middle school student anticipating and preparing for puberty. She wants to know when puberty will start and how long it will take until she looks and is considered an adult. What would you tell her?

The timing of puberty, as well as the rate with which it occurs, is highly variable and is influenced by both genetic and environmental factors.

Tammy's father has absolute standards and expects Tammy to conform to them without exception. If she disobeys, he generally punishes her, and he 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." Kathy's father, on the other hand, sets rules for her, but she feels that when a rule seems unfair, she can discuss it with him. Even if he doesn't agree to change the rule, he listens to her opinions. What style of parenting does Tammy's father most resemble? Kathy's father? Based on what you know about the effects of parenting on adolescence, describe two outcomes you might expect for Tammy and two outcomes you might expect for Kathy.

The type of parenting style that Tammy's father resembles is authoritarian in which he demands Tammy to follow his rules/perspective without letting Tammy communicate her needs. Two outcomes that will come out of Tammy will be to become very dependent and less interested in social activities. The type of parenting Kathy's father resembles is an authoritative style in which the parent understands how Kathy is in a time where she expects more respect/understanding (parent knows of adolescence's increase of autonomy) and thus lets her discuss, it's a warm but firm style. Two outcomes that can be expected of Kathy are that she will be more socially involved in activities and be more creative, and communicative and just overall has a higher chance of having positive outcomes.

Research on adolescent mothers indicates that:

Their infants are at heightened risk for school problems and other behavioral problems in childhood.

Which of the following statements about the timing and tempo of puberty is TRUE?

There is no association between the timing and tempo of puberty.

One environmental reason that Mallory and Mikey, a brother and sister growing up in the same family, have completely different personalities may be that:

They have very different family experiences, both through differential treatment by parents and their own perceptions of similar experiences.

Tracking is an important and controversial issue in today's classrooms. Define this issue and describe two problems with tracking and two benefits of tracking.

Tracking is when students are broken into different academic achieving classrooms based on their performance. So high-academic students are put in one classroom, while poor-achieving academic students are put in another classroom. The two problems with tracking can be that poor-achieving academic students suffer social polarization and receive less quality teaching. The two benefits of tracking can be that teachers can compose finer curricula and that students with high performance can be met with more challenging problems.

Legal decisions have tended to grant adolescents more autonomy when the behavior in question is:

Viewed as having potential benefit (e.g., access to contraception).

When is adolescent delinquency most common?

Weekday afternoons

Using the Experience Sampling Method (ESM), when has research shown that adolescents are usually in the "worst" mood?

When they are alone.

One study using brain imaging techniques to investigate adolescents' neural responses to rejection while playing an online game called "Cyberball" found that:

adolescents high in rejection sensitivity show a different pattern of brain activity in response to exclusion and are more likely to develop symptoms of depression. (double check)

Over the course of adolescence, individuals come to ________ prosocial acts that are done for _______reasons.

devalue; selfish

Research on risk factors for adolescent sexual activity has found all of the following, EXCEPT:

lack of parental support is a risk factor for boys but not for girls.