PSYCH 21A Ch.2

According to the textbook, the main contributor to the increased rate of automobile accidents among teenagers is: A. driving under the influence. B. driving with other teenagers in the car. C. texting while driving. D. talking on the phone, especially having an emotional conversation.

B

Adolescents who score higher than their peers on an IQ test will probably: A. score lower than their peers on their next IQ test. B. continue to score higher than their peers on future IQ tests. C. score the same as their peers on their next IQ test. D. cannot make a prediction based on the instability of intelligence.

B

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? A. triarchic theory of intelligence B. information-processing perspective C. psychometric theory D. Piagetian perspective

B

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 ______. A. dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; orbitofrontal cortex B. dorsolateral prefrontal cortex; ventromedial prefrontal cortex C. ventromedial prefrontal cortex; dorsolateral prefrontal cortex D. orbitofrontal cortex; ventromedial prefrontal cortex

B

Research testing Elkind's theory of adolescent egocentrism has found that certain aspects: A. peak at age 12 and then drastically decline. B. may remain present throughout the adolescent and adult years. C. are virtually a nonexistent phenomenon in adolescence or adulthood. D. are less prevalent among college students.

B

What thought process helps adolescents appreciate the sarcasm and satire of Family Guy and The Simpsons?

multidimensional thinking

According to the textbook, a good deal of adolescents' risk taking takes place in contexts in which: A. they are unsupervised by adults and exposed to peers who encourage risky behaviors. B. older, opposite sex peers are present. C. they are in a new, exciting environment. D. there are at least three peers present.

A

Adolescent thinking can be distinguished from the thinking of children in several respects. All of these differences stem from improvement(s) in _____ during adolescence. A. abstract logical reasoning B. personal life experiences C. synaptic pruning D. autonomy and personal responsibility

A

All of the following are aspects of metacognition, except: A. conserving mental resources B. thinking about thinking C. appraising comprehension D. managing thinking

A

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: A. below average. B. average. C. above average. D. there's no way to predict

A

What was one of the results of the Guyer and colleagues' (2009) study, where teenagers were imaged with fMRI equipment while they thought they were participating in a networking task with other teenagers (in reality, the study was rigged such that they were automatically provided with positive or negative feedback)? A.When the adolescents were told that other teenagers were interested in them, areas of their brains known to be sensitive to rewards were activated. B. When the adolescents were told that other teenagers were interested in them, no areas of their brains were activated. C.When the adolescents were told that other teenagers were interested in them, areas of the brain that are activated during highly stressful events were activated. D. When the adolescents were told that other teenagers were interested in them, the prefrontal cortex was fully activated.

A

When evaluating the three different forms of intelligence described in his triarchic theory of intelligence, Sternberg would disagree with which statement? A. Individuals with high componential intelligence are more intelligent than individuals with either experiential or contextual intelligence. B An individual who scores high on experiential or contextual intelligence may be equally as intelligent as someone who . scores high in componential intelligence. C. Society needs individuals with all three forms of intelligence. D. It is time we should be assessing experiential and contextual intelligence as much as we test componential intelligence.

A

When the teacher asks a question in class, students raise their hands to answer. This example illustrates: A. social conventional behavior. B. a specialized structural system. C. metacognitive behavior. D. dominance theory.

A

Adolescents develop the ability to think about social issues, a concept more generally referred to as:

social cognition

Who of the following individuals is likely to believe that it is always wrong to exclude others? A. Gwendolyn, who is trying to decide who to invite to her 9th birthday party B. Amy, who is a member of a high-status peer group at her high school C. Tina, an adolescent who has a sophisticated understanding of peer group dynamics D. Carl, a senior on the high school football team.

A

While studying for her biology exam, Jennifer watches her favorite show on TV. This is an example of: A. selective attention. B. divided attention. C. short-term memory. D. long-term memory.

B

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

Sternberg'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": A. verbal, mathematical, and spatial. B. componential, experiential, and contextual. C. componential, kinesthetic, and experiential. D. verbal, mathematical, and interpersonal.

B

Which of the following individuals is most likely to be a child (and not an adolescent)? A. Kristine, who thinks about what other people are thinking B. Jesse, who finds it hard to believe that other people may have beliefs, intentions, and knowledge that may be different from his own C. Jo, who can easily interpret the feelings of others D. All of these individuals are likely to be children.

B

Who of the following is probably a child (and not an adolescent)? A. Jeanette, someone who can easily describe her thought process B. Christine, someone who tends to think about things one aspect at a time C. Bryan, who tends to question everything, just for the sake of argument D. Brandon, someone who entertains many possibilities before making the final decision

B

According to Vygotsky, adolescents learn best when: A. their lessons are within their zone of proximal development. B. a more experienced instructor is present. C. the instructor engages in scaffolding. D. All of the above.

D

All of the following are features of hypothetical thinking, except:A. seeing beyond what is directly observable B. applying logical reasoning to anticipate what might be possible C. imagining the logic behind another person's argument D. greater awareness of concrete, observable events.

D

All of the following are indicators of metacognition, except:A. introspection. B. self-consciousness. C. using mental strategies to remember something. D. deductive reasoning

D

All of the following are themes that have emerged from research studies that investigate different aspects of social cognition during adolescence except: A.as individuals move into and through adolescence they become better able to step outside themselves and see things from other vantage points. B. adolescents are better able to see that the social rules we follow are not absolute and are therefore subject to debate and questioning. C. with age, adolescents develop a more differentiated, more nuanced understanding of social norms. D. with age, all adolescents increasingly reject the authority of adults by challenging and dismissing the morals established by their parents.

D

The erroneous belief that one's thoughts, feelings, and experiences are unique is called:

personal fable

Which statement regarding increases in cognitive abilities is false? A. Increases in cognitive abilities are due to growth in the size of the brain. B. Pruning of the synapses leads to increases in cognitive abilities. C. Changes in levels of neurotransmitters reduce sensitivity to reward, leading to an increase in sensation seeking. D. Maturation of the prefrontal cortex allows for complex activities such as planning, decision making, goal setting, and metacognition.

A

__________ theorists believe that changes in cognitive abilities appearing during adolescence are qualitative, whereas __________ theorists believe they are quantitative. A. Cognitive-developmental; information-processing B. Cognitive-developmental; behavioral decision C. Information-processing; cognitive-developmental D. Information-processing; behavioral decision

A

According to research on behavioral decision theory, adolescents often decide to engage in behavior that seems risky to adults because adolescents: A. cannot consider as many consequences for their actions as do adults. B. have thinking processes that are still predominantly preoperational. C. have different values and priorities than adults. D. wish to assert their independence from adults in every possible way.

C

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 Elkind refers to this loss of perspective in adolescence as:A. self-reflection. B. personal fable. C. imaginary audience. D. impression formation.

C

Renee, a 6-year-old, is unable to answer the question, "How are a motorcycle and a bicycle alike?" Mohammed, a 17-year-old, answers the same question by saying, "They are both types of transportation." What statement about Renee and Mohammed is most true? A. Renee's inability to answer the question is very unusual for a child her age. B. Mohammed has demonstrated the ability to think concretely. C. Mohammed has demonstrated the ability to think abstractly. D. According to Piaget's theory, Renee and Mohammed are both developmentally delayed.

C

The formation of synapses is: A. almost entirely genetically programmed. B. almost entirely formed through experience. C. both genetically programmed and formed through experience. D. random.

C

The improvements in organizational strategies seen in adolescence include all but: A. increasing use of mnemonic devices. B. becoming more flexible with strategy use. C. increasing speed of information processing. D. becoming more efficient with strategy use.

C

What emotional characteristic makes an individual more likely to engage in risky behaviors? A. depression B. moodiness C. sensation seeking D. anxiety

C

Which of the following brain systems is responsible for processing emotions, social information, and rewards? A. functional connectivity system B. response inhibition system C. limbic system D. prefrontal cortex system

C

Which of the following does not support adolescents' improved ability to use deductive reasoning, as described by the text? A. the ability to inhibit a prepotent response B. the ability to stop oneself from acting automatically C. the ability to make an inference based on accumulated evidence D. the ability to recognize when a question cannot be answered with certainty

C

Which of the following statements is consistent with Piaget's cognitive development theory? A. Individuals progress through stages based on biological readiness and maturation. B. Individuals progress through stages based on the presence of environmental demands. C. Individuals progress through stages based on biological readiness in addition to increasing environmental demands. D. Hypothetical thought is the foundation of adolescent thought.

C

All of the following are ways that scientists study brain maturation except: A. using DTI technology to see the ways in which various regions of the brain are connected. B. using fMRI equipment to examine patterns of activity in various regions of the brain while individuals are performing a variety of tasks. C. electroencephalography technology to measure event-related potentials in response to different stimuli or events. D. using fMRI technology to measure event-related potential in response to different stimuli or events.

D

All of the following statements about structural and functional change involving the prefrontal cortex during adolescence are true except: A. patterns of activation within the prefrontal cortex generally become more focused B.individuals are more likely to use multiple parts of the brain simultaneously and coordinate activity between prefrontal regions and other areas of the brain C. the full structural maturation of the prefrontal cortex is not complete until the mid-20s D. All of the above are true

D

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? A. implicit personality theory B. deductive reasoning C. response inhibition D. theory of mind

D

Compared to childhood, reward seeking and sensation seeking during adolescence: A. are equally as high during childhood and adolescence. B. are lower during adolescence than childhood. C. are caused by biological forces during adolescence while it is typically caused by environmental forces in childhood. D. are higher during adolescence than childhood.

D

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: A. egocentrically. B. deductively. C. in metacognitive ways. D. in multiple dimensions.

D

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? A. Yes, intelligence scores are inherited. B. No, intelligence scores are not at all stable. C. Yes, intelligence scores are indeed stable and not susceptible to change. D. No, intelligence scores are stable; however, they are not fixed.

D

What is it about adolescent thinking that makes them better problem solvers than children? A. improvements in memory B. improvements in attention C. improvements in processing speed D. All of the above

D

Which of the following is not one of the 5 chief changes in cognition during adolescence?A. multidimensional thought B. metacognition C. abstract reasoning D. increased imagination

D

Rose solves a chemistry problem by systematically testing several hypotheses. According to Piaget, which stage is Rose functioning at?

formal operations

Bickering and squabbling bw teenagers n their parents is largely caused by: adolescent's ability to ___________

formulate counterarguments

The ability to see beyond what is directly observable and reason in terms of what might be possible is called

hypothetical thinking

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