AD The Social World of Adolescence
Brendt has finished 6th grade in his elementary school, and is beginning 7th grade at a junior high school. According to research on school transitions, what is most likely to be true for Brendt? A)His transition to 7th grade at a different school is likely to be accompanied by improvements in his academic achievement. B)His academic achievement in 7th grade would probably be better if the transition from elementary school began after 8th grade. C)His academic achievement should be about the same as it would have been if he had attended 7th grade in his elementary school. D)His achievement will be benefited if his parents take a hands-off approach and let him figure out how to handle the academic demands of the new school.
B
Experimentation with deviant or risky behaviors drug use, vandalism, sex, truancy, etc.)in adolescence is A)not typical of this age group and can be considered a clear sign of mental health problems. B)typical of this age group and can be considered statistically normative. C)equally likely for boys and for girls today. D)clearly on the decline in today's culture.
B
For an adolescent engaging in risky behavior A)provide factual lectures on the risks of alcohol use. B)interview the teen about his or her own current beliefs and expectations. C)establish a reward system for good behavior. D)determine the extent of deviant behavior the adolescent has engaged in. E)g., alcohol use),one strategy that counselors can use is to introduce dissonance into the discussion. Before a counselor can do so effectively, she must
B
In a study of American Indian families who moved out of poverty the "ex-poor"),what were the effects on children's behavior? A)The improvement in income had no discernable effects on children's behavior. B)There was a significant decline in conduct disorder and oppositional defiant behavior. C)There was a significant increase in depressive symptoms. D)There was a significant increase in conduct disorder and oppositional defiant behavior.
B
Roberto, at 15,is finding that he loves to take chances. He enjoys the sensation of being on the edge of danger, whether he is trying a new drug, or riding in a car at top speed with his friends. He frequently looks to his friends before he tries something new, reasoning that if his friends aren't worried about the consequences, then he need not worry either. His reasoning reflects A)life-course persistent anti-social behavior. B)collective egocentrism. C)positive self-esteem. D)communalism.
B
Some parents of adolescents are going through their own "perilous transition." What proportion of American parents report strong feelings of powerlessness, rejection, and personal regret when their children become adolescents? A)Less than 5 %. B)About 40%. C)More than 60%. D)Almost 90%.
B
The parents of Abe, age 14,are concerned that he is watching violent movies and playing violent video games with his friends. You can advise them that A)media portrayals of violence are not related to teenage aggressive behavior. B)exposure to media portrayals of violence are related to teenage aggressive behavior. C)exposure to media portrayals of violence seem to teach teenagers to favor nonviolence. D)viewing violent movies is related to aggression, but playing violent video games is not.
B
When peers and parents both support academics, adolescents tend to be successful students. When peers and parents are at odds on the importance or value of academics, which of the following is most often true according to research? A)Parents' attitudes will always have the most influence on their adolescent child's academic performance. B)Peers' attitudes are likely to have the most influence on the adolescent's academic performance. C)There is no systematic relationship, sometimes peers are more influential, sometimes parents. D)Parents' attitudes have more influence only when parents are warm and permissive.
B
Which of the following characteristics are typical of "popular" crowds in American high schools? A)Heavy drug use and delinquent behavior. B)Some drug use or other illicit behavior. C)High academic achievement. D)Strong ties with teachers.
B
Which of the following describes a type of influence that parents can have on whether or not their adolescent becomes a member of a particular crowd? A)Parents have no influence on their children's crowd membership. B)Parents can affect their children's initial characteristics, which then affect crowd selection. C)Parents can demand that children select a specific crowd. D)Parents can use reverse psychology by acting as if undesirable peers are cool.
B
Which of the following descriptions characterizes the changes in American society's attitudes toward adolescent risky behavior from the 1920s to today? A)In the 1920s it was not seen as a serious problem, whereas today risky behavior is seen as a serious problem. B)In the 1920s risky behavior was seen as a problem that could be addressed by social programs, like community activities for adolescents, whereas today we tend to see the problem as within the individual. C)In the 1920s risky behavior was seen as a problem of the individual who needs treatment, whereas today we tend to see the problem as one that can be addressed by social programs. D)In the 1920s there was greater concern about risky behavior than there is today, because risky behavior is much rarer now.
B
In America, Black and White middle-class communities are similar in many respects but tend to differ in other respects. Which of the following characterizes the differences most accurately? A)Black middle-class neighborhoods have fewer community organizations and activities for youngsters. B)White middle-class neighborhoods have fewer community organizations and activities for youngsters. C)Black middle-class neighborhoods are more likely to be adjacent to low income and dangerous neighborhoods. D)White middle-class neighborhoods are more likely to be adjacent to low income and dangerous neighborhoods.
C
Jacob, age 13,gets a laugh from the whole school orchestra when he imitates the music teacher, who is out of the room. The next day, Jacob's friend Brad boasts at lunch that "Jacob and I really got a laugh out of the orchestra at practice yesterday." Brad is identifying with Jacob and appropriating Jacob's accomplishment as his own. This example illustrates one kind of A)social comparison. B)emotional autonomy. C)attribute substitution. D)normative crisis management.
C
On the basis of research on parenting, what advice should counselors give parents about how much to be involved in their adolescents' school life? A)Parents should not be involved in school-related activities, like monitoring homework, so that their adolescents will learn to handle their own problems with class work and teachers. B)Parents should become more involved when there are behavior problems in school, but adolescents should handle all of their own academic problems. C)Adolescents' academic achievement is likely to benefit when parents remain actively involved in school-related activities like monitoring homework and serving as partners in school decision making. D)Reduced parental involvement in school-related activities promoted positive growth in autonomy and peer relations
C
Participation in after-school activities sponsored by school or community organizations is A)unrelated to academic achievement. B)detrimental to academic achievement. C)positively related to academic achievement. D)positively related to social competence but detrimental to academic achievement.
C
Research indicates that children's feelings of autonomy from peers are likely to be at their lowest point for which of the following age groups? A)5th grade B)6th grade C)8th grade D)Autonomy from peers does not change from 5th through 8th grades.
C
Roberto, at 15,is finding that he loves to take chances. He enjoys the sensation of being on the edge of danger, whether he is trying a new drug, or riding in a car at top speed with his friends. Roberto was well-behaved, outgoing, and happy as a younger child. If you were his counselor, what would you tell his parents about his current experimentation with deviant behavior? A)Deviant behavior is likely to be increasing Roberto's peer rejection. B)Roberto's risk-taking is unlikely to decline in young adulthood. C)Closer parental monitoring can help reduce the deviant behavior and protect Roberto from harm. D)Roberto's risk-taking poses no serious risks of harm, because it is considered normative.
C
Sabrina and Bethany are both members of the same crowd in high school, which means that A)They spend a great deal of time together. B)They are best friends. C)They share interests, attitudes, behaviors, and appearance characteristics. D)They will not be able to make friends outside of their own crowd.
C
The dimension of parenting style called parental responsiveness can usefully be broken down into two characteristics: acceptance affection, involvement, concern)and A)monitoring. B)authority. C)democracy. D)skepticism.
C
To understand parent-teen conflicts, it can be helpful for the counselor to understand the parents' and teen's views of parental control. For example, teens often consider some aspects of parental control legitimate but not others. Which of the following kinds of rules governing behavior are teens most likely to feel that parents should not control? A)Moral rules. B)Conventional rules. C)Personal rules. D)Legal rules.
C
What is the "two-pronged approach" to helping adolescents with their behavioral, social, or academic problems? A)A focus on both peers and the school environment. B)A focus on both parents and the individual. C)A focus on reducing risk factors while also enhancing protective factors. D)The use both medication and individual therapy.
C
Counselors need to be aware of social and cultural trends in adolescent behavior. For example, surveys of 8th to 12th graders in 2009-2011 showed that A)teens' use of alcohol increased slightly. B)teens' awareness of the risks of alcohol use has increased dramatically. C)teens' use of alcohol has decreased dramatically. D)alcohol and tobacco use by teens have both decreased.
D
High levels of parental monitoring and control are associated with which of the following outcomes regardless of ethnicity or social class? A)More drug use but less involvement in other criminal activity among adolescents. B)More deviant behavior and drug use among adolescents. C)More gang membership among adolescents. D)Less deviant behavior and drug use among adolescents.
D
Jasmine, age 16,has just begun an after-school and weekend job at which she expects to work about 20-25 hours a week. She plans to use her earnings to buy clothes, gas for her car, and to fund outings with friends. Based on research, which of the following is the most likely outcome of Jasmine's part-time employment? A)Her grades will improve. B)She will be more reliable and less likely to engage in delinquent behavior. C)She will leave high school with substantial savings. D)Her greater work time will negatively affect her school achievement.
D
What kind of peer intervention is least likely to be helpful to troubled teens? A)Peer mediation and peer counseling. B)Bringing peers into therapy with the client. C)Encouraging school-wide programs that break down barriers between groups. D)Moving troubled teens to a new school so that they are separated from at-risk peers.
D
When Marla, age 14,decides that she is a good writer because she gets better grades than her friend Jenna on stories she writes for English, she is demonstrating the use of ____________ as part of identity formation. A)attribute substitution with peers B)normative crisis management with peers C)emotional autonomy from peers D)social comparison with peers
D
Many large scale interventions have been designed to reduce problem behaviors in adolescence such as drinking, drug use, smoking, etc.)or to increase positive behaviors. Discuss some of the typical characteristics of the least effective and the most effective of these programs to date, based on available research. Use examples where possible.
Large scale intervention programs support two key prevention strategies- building resilience while addressing risks to adolescents. In the past, many problem-reduction interventions relied upon fear-based attempts to reduce these behaviors by providing information alone. However, the scare tactic approach to decreasing adolescent risk taking was not successful. Such intervention programs designed to scare young people were based on short-term activities that only provide factual information, and primarily targeted self-esteem. Most often they segregated at-risk students for special treatment.T hey ineffectively "talked at" adolescents and they did not recognize the importance of developmentally sensitive interventions or the necessity of broad-based contextualized support. The latest trend has been to support positive youth development by recognizing the importance of providing resources at all levels of the system. One of the major efforts has been with work of The Search Institute that has identified useful lists of personal, family, and community assets that can serve as benchmarks for healthy adolescent development Benson,1997).Although positive youth development has been described in a variety of ways, some essential elements exist: the presence of caring adults and mentors on a regular basis, schools that build academic competence and offer vocational preparation, an atmosphere of hope, encouragement of positive values, and high but achievable expectations. Our text highlights the Midwestern Prevention Project as a good example of a comprehensive, theoretically driven program that was developed to reduce or prevent adolescent use of gateway drugs. The first component of the program is the school-based program, begun during the transition to high school either Grade 6 or 7).School interventions include interactive classroom lessons that provide drug resistance training, initiation of peer counseling, and school-wide efforts to make nonuse of drugs the social norm. During the 2nd year, parents are included in the program through parent education groups and opportunities for participation in leadership and mentoring activities. Community, religious, and political leaders are brought on board in years 3 through 5 to develop resources, plan, and implement initiatives that support adolescent health in the community as a whole. Mass media outlets are used throughout the entire 5-year period to introduce the program, promote the prevention message, and spotlight program successes. Overall, follow-up studies show significant reductions in use of cigarettes, marijuana, and alcohol for those involved in the project. We can see that the prevention program targets multiple levels of the system family, peers, schools, and neighborhoods)in an effort to reduce antisocial behavior in at-risk populations.
Describe and explain three main reasons that adolescents engage in reckless behavior. Be sure to define your terms.
Many experts believe that adolescent egocentrism supports their belief that risky behavior is exciting but not potentially catastrophic. Arnett claims adolescents' weaknesses in reasoning about probability, a kind of formal operational thinking, as particularly important here. He argues that in every judgment of probability, there is a reference, implicit or explicit, to a system of distributions or frequencies. Adolescents' perceptions of these systems are skewed by their desire for sensation and by the personal fable that convinces them of their immunity from disaster....But even if an adolescent were exceptionally proficient at estimating probabilities, on a given occasion, the likelihood of disaster resulting from drunk driving, or sex without contraception, or illegal drug use, is, in fact, statistically small-even when applied to others, and seen through the lens of sensation seeking and egocentrism, the perceived probability fades even further. Current researchers rely on theories related to the cognitive control system. It appears that some teens put themselves at risk because they are responding to triggers that cue big, short-term rewards; they do not do a cost-benefit analysis. Teens often perceive the relative costs, which are usually low probability, as well worth the potential rewards. Arnett 1992)also suggested that peers provide not only role models for deviancy but also a kind of collective egocentrism. Each adolescent's judgment that "it probably won't happen to me" strengthens that of the other members of the peer group. Peers are definitely implicated in increased risk taking during adolescence, but there may be other reasons for their influence. A third possible contributor to adolescent risk taking behaviors relates to the social world of adolescence and their developing brains. The presence of peers helps to activate reward-seeking behavior, because social information processing and reward are served by some of the same early maturing emotional brain areas. Steinberg 2008)argues that it is the same slowly developing connections between cognitive control systems involving several cortical areas)and the subcortical emotional system that accounts for both the decline of risk taking and of peer influence in later adolescence and early adulthood. Although limited, there is some research evidence to support these claims. In one recent study, brain imaging techniques were used to assess the degree of connectivity between regions of the cortex involved in self-control in a sample of 12- to 18-year-olds.Those participants who scored high on measures of resistance to peer influence showed more structural connectivity controlling for age)than participants who scored low on such measures. Also, there are some preliminary research findings showing a neurological basis for greater risk taking in males during adolescence.
Mr. and Mrs. Brown have consulted you about their 13-year-old daughter, Joanne. She is not doing as well academically as she always did in elementary school. She seems to be involved with a popular crowd that is quickly moving into sexual experimentation and drug use. Describe the options that Mr. and Mrs. Brown have for helping their daughter navigate her early adolescence, based on available research.
We can recommend five key strategies for the Brown's for navigating their daughter's transition into healthy early adolescence. First, the Brown's will want to ask questions and monitor Joanne's risk taking behaviors. Rates of risky behavior have increased over the last one or two decades. Life-course persistent antisocial behavior begins in childhood and continues throughout life, whereas adolescent-limited antisocial behavior develops in adolescence and usually ends shortly thereafter. Risky behavior, ranging from mild to severe, may be characteristic of adolescents for several reasons: the more rapid development of the emotional brain as compared to the slower maturing of cortical areas that support a variety of cognitive functions; the related need for sensation seeking; egocentric beliefs about one's own invulnerability; modeling of deviant behavior by peers; and the exacerbation of illusions of invulnerability by the collective egocentrism of groups of peers. Some low-danger risky behaviors may be considered normal for development and not cause harm. Risky behavior may also provide some advantages in the teen years, making it, in some cases, adaptive. It can sometimes serve as an indicator of individuation and self-determination and as a source of peer acceptance. If Joanne is developing like most adolescents, we can expect her risky behaviors will increases sharply during adolescence, peaking at about age 17.The second strategy for the Brown's is to closely monitor Joanne's peer group and communicated frequently with the other parents about rules, curfews, and behavioral expectations. They will want to limit Joanne's exposure to antisocial models who may be encouraging to take unhealthy risks. Third, the Brown's will want to ensure Joanne is actively involved in well-structured extra-curricular activities. They should look for well-established school, church, or community based programs that offer structured activities with a well-qualified adult staff who have also passed a recent criminal background check).Fourth, the Brown's are encouraged to honestly evaluate their own parenting philosophies and practices. More than ever, they will need to provide a consistent authoritative parenting style with Joanne. They need to spend time with Joanne and be sure to provide the maximum amount of both warmth and demandingness. Steinberg 1994)found that parents of adolescents go through their own perilous transition and that 40% of them experience strong feelings of powerlessness, rejection, and personal regrets when their children become adolescents. Whereas sharing stories of problem behaviors is rather common among parents of younger children, parents of adolescents are often uncomfortable doing so. Although is sounds simple, the best protection the Brown's can provide for Joanne involves spending quality time with her and asking direct questions about her activities. Finally, it would be useful to know the extent to which Joanne perceives her choices as risky. Researcher shows that many young people do not consider the risks and rarely reflect upon the purposes for their choices and behaviors.
Juan, age 15,is Latino. Given his ethnicity, and based on the available research, what would you expect his attitudes to be regarding academic achievement ? A)He is just as likely as other teens to believe that getting a good education is helpful for future success, but is not as likely to believe that failure in school will limit his future job options. B)He is just as likely as other teens to believe that getting a good education is helpful for future success, and also that failure in school will limit his future job options. C)He is unlikely to believe that getting a good education will have any effect on his future job options. D)He is more likely to believe that he will have few job options in the future.
A
Studies of American schools indicate that as children move out of elementary school into middle and junior high schools, instructional practices are characterized more by A)emphasis on discipline and teacher control B)emphasis on cooperative learning rather than competition C)a greater sense of community and caring D)closer contact with teachers and other staff
A
The unique state of instability and anxiety in adolescence, brought on by body changes, emerging sexual needs, hormonal shifts, cognitive changes, and changing maturity demands, is referred to as A)frameworklessness. B)collective egocentrism. C)identity achievement. D)moratorium.
A
What percentage of adolescents typically are part of a "popular" crowd in American high schools? A)20 percent. B)40 percent. C)60 percent. D)Less than 5 percent.
A
Which of the following parenting styles is most closely associated with positive outcomes in psychosocial development and school achievement for adolescents? A)Authoritative. B)Authoritarian. C)Permissive or indulgent. D)Neglecting or dismissive.
A
Brian, age 15,has surprised and dismayed his Catholic parents by insisting that he is converting to Buddhism. It all seemed to start when he became friends with an Asian American boy at school whose family is Buddhist. Explain Brian's behavior based on Seltzer's theory of adolescent identity formation.
According to Seltzer, adolescents experience "frameworklessness" in their development through adolescence and into young adulthood. Frameworklessness is characterized by a state of instability and anxiety and it the result of the many rapid changes experienced during adolescence. Brian's newfound friendship and self-questioning of his religious beliefs are a common aspect of frameworklessness. Seltzer relied on Erikson's notions that peer interactions are important in identity development. The changes during adolescence, including new physical and intellectual capabilities and needs, create a sense of loss in feelings of security. Parents become more peripheral and adolescents begin to separate themselves from them. The frameworks and boundaries of childhood then no longer fit and adolescents will set out to define new ones. It is common for adolescents to borrow and "try on" various behaviors and attributes that they observe in others, because the state of frameworklessness leaves them without clearly defined ways of behaving and thinking. Peers become an important resource for such borrowing. A formerly sjy boy might imitate the extroversion and joking style of a friend. Thus, Brian's exploration of the mysteries of Buddhism espoused by his new friend is not shocking. As noted in the text book, "Stand-in elements" provides relief for the adolescent from the anxiety of being without a stable sense of self. Imitation constitutes a type of experimentation that is necessary and normal for mature identity construction.
