Deck 5: Peer Groups

Question 1

If you were going to design a study on the rise of peer groups, which of these topics would it make the most sense for you to investigate?

A) why peer groups of different sizes have roughly the same political clout
B) how advertising and marketing may someday make peer groups obsolete
C) the rise and fall of youth culture within affluent societies
D) how industrialization and modernization have changed learning

Answer 1

D

Question 2

During the first half of the 21st century, the adolescent population in the United States is expected to

A) decrease.
B) increase slightly.
C) remain constant.
D) grow explosively.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

What are postfigurative cultures most likely to have in common?

A) traditions that are frequently discarded
B) limited adult supervision of children and teenagers
C) a separate youth culture whose members rarely interact with elders
D) technology that advances slowly

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Which of the following writers suggested that the speed at which society changes affects the socialization of adolescents?

A) Margaret Mead
B) Eleanor Maccoby
C) Brad Brown
D) James Coleman

Question 5

According to the writers who claim a separate youth culture exists, what is its nature?

A) It has strengthened the authority of adults as young people focus on fun.
B) It leads to the development of crews, gangs, and other antisocial behavior.
C) It discourages young people from maturing because of the stress on youth.
D) Those who belong to it have different attitudes and beliefs than adults do.

Question 6

Following the end of World War II, many parents wanted to have children as soon as possible, creating what has come to be called the postwar

A) baby boom.
B) depression.
C) infantile fixation.
D) cohort effect.

Question 7

You want to design a study that examines friendships between 10-year-olds and 15-year-olds in contemporary American society. Your advisor tells you that these friendships will be difficult to find and track. Why is that?

A) age grading
B) youth culture
C) cyberbullying
D) peer dynamics

Question 8

Which of the following contributed to the rise of age segregation in contemporary society?

A) increasing number of college graduates
B) rise of secondary education
C) decrease in family values
D) prejudice against young people

Question 9

Which of these would you expect to find in a cofigurative society?

A) the elimination of classroom learning in favor of individual, self-guided study
B) farming techniques that are passed down from parent to offspring to grandchildren
C) study groups in which young people and adults work together to learn technology skills
D) career training paths that allow pairs of students to teach each other

Question 10

A more sophisticated understanding of social relationships leads adolescents to group individuals into crowds. This is an example of which adolescent transition?

A) biological
B) cognitive
C) social
D) hereditary

Question 11

Judy and Jessica hang around with people who are their age. A psychologist would most likely describe these people as

A) friends.
B) buddies.
C) peers.
D) chums.

Question 12

Research about contemporary adolescents is clear that these adolescents ________ than adolescents in previous times.

A) are more susceptible to the influences of their peers
B) are at higher risk for problem behaviors because of peer influence
C) spend more time in peer groups
D) report more positive experiences from their involvement in peer groups

Question 13

A group of individuals who are born during a particular time period (for instance, the baby boomers) is known as what?

A) a generation X
B) a cohort
C) an age-graded society
D) a census group

Question 14

Some experts who believe in the idea of a separate youth culture find the idea alarming. What reason do they give?

A) Members of a separate youth culture are likely to isolate and torment those who are younger than they are.
B) Members of a separate youth culture are likely to reject new forms of technology.
C) Some writers believe that the existence of a separate youth culture has led to more bullying.
D) Some writers believe that members of youth culture have beliefs that are the opposite of adults' beliefs.

Question 15

Compared with teenagers in previous times, teenagers in contemporary societies spend ________ time with their peers ________ with their parents.

A) more; than
B) less; than
C) as much; as
D) little; or

Question 16

Dr. Cruz believes she has found a society that is so technologically advanced that children routinely teach adults instead of the other way around. What would anthropologists such as Margaret Mead call this type of society?

A) cofigurative
B) postfigurative
C) prefigurative
D) antifigurative

Question 17

The local library offers "write your first resume" classes for teens, which are taught by an adult volunteer, and "understand how your phone's camera works" classes for adults, which are taught by teen volunteers. What word would Margaret Mead use to describe this society?

A) antifigurative
B) prefigurative
C) postfigurative
D) cofigurative

Question 18

The process of grouping individuals within social institutions on the basis of chronological age is called

A) mainstreaming.
B) tracking.
C) age grading.
D) reference grouping.

Question 19

Dr. Beckerman argues that a separate youth culture has emerged in the United States and that it is harmful. What findings from recent studies counteract her belief?

A) Youth culture is based on economics rather than social bonds, so its effects will not last long.
B) Adolescents show more signs of positive aggression when they are with peers than when they are with family members.
C) Youth culture will gradually die out as the United States becomes less industrialized.
D) Adolescents tend to be more prosocial when they are with their peers than when they are alone.

Question 20

What is one of the main causes of youth culture, according to those who believe in it?

A) in-person bullying and electronic bullying
B) income inequality
C) age segregation
D) mass media such as television and Internet

Question 21

Mixed-sex cliques start becoming more prevalent during

A) childhood.
B) preadolescence.
C) middle adolescence.
D) late adolescence.

Question 22

Which of these is the basis for membership in a crowd?

A) isolated activity
B) shared activity
C) friendship
D) social bonds

Question 23

Which of the following is an example of a universalistic norm in contemporary American society?

A) being taught the concept of majority rule
B) learning about customs linked to one's ethnic heritage
C) being taught a hobby by a relative
D) learning treasured family recipes

Question 24

Settings for intimate interactions and friendships are called ________, whereas ________ are based on reputation rather than on actual social interaction.

A) cliques; crowds
B) crowds; reference groups
C) reference groups; cliques
D) crowds; cliques

Question 25

What have studies shown to be true of antisocial youth?

A) Antisocial adolescents usually have antisocial friends.
B) Most antisocial adolescents have few or no friends.
C) Groups of antisocial adolescents report more feelings of isolation than do friendless adolescents.
D) Many adolescents who are considered antisocial have lasting friendships with their well-adjusted peers.

Question 26

"Druggies," "jocks," and "nerds" are examples of

A) crowds.
B) cliques.
C) crews.
D) gangs.

Question 27

A large, nationally representative sample of adolescents found that adolescents' friendship groups fell into one of four profiles. Which was the group that consisted of friends who were engaged in school, achieved decent grades, and neither abstained from nor abused alcohol?

A) disengaged
B) engaged
C) high functioning
D) maladjusted

Question 28

Lupe, a 15-year-old, is most likely to learn social skills in a ________ and develop her sense of identity in a ________.

A) crowd; crowd
B) crowd; clique
C) clique; crowd
D) clique; clique

Question 29

A(n) ________ is an individual who has few or no links to others in the social network, and a(n) ________ is an individual who interacts with two or more adolescents who are members of cliques but is not part of a clique.

A) liaison; isolate
B) hopper; loner
C) isolate; liaison
D) isolate; mixer

Question 30

A small, tightly knit group of between two and twelve friends usually of the same age and sex is called a

A) dyad.
B) cohort.
C) clique.
D) crowd.

Question 31

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

A) a crowd.
B) a clique.
C) a reference group.
D) a youth culture.

Question 32

Mitch organizes a party for about 20 of his classmates who are all interested in theater, and they all watch a recording of the musical The Phantom of the Opera. This group of teenagers, who don't always hang out together but share common interests, would most appropriately be labeled

A) a gang.
B) a crew.
C) a crowd.
D) a clique.

Question 33

In early adolescence, ________ friendships are common, but in late adolescence, ________ friendships begin to occur more.

A) same-sex; opposite-sex
B) crowd-based; clique-based
C) opposite-sex; same-sex
D) clique-based; crowd-based

Question 34

According to Brown's (2004) study of crowds in high school, what fraction of adolescents do not fit clearly into any crowd?

A) one-sixth
B) one-third
C) one-half
D) two-thirds

Question 35

Professor Gates is studying large groups of adolescents, such as athletes and artists, to learn about their particular mini-cultures. Professor Gates is most likely studying

A) peer collectives.
B) cliques.
C) crowds.
D) dyads.

Question 36

Which of these is a reason peer groups change from childhood to adolescence?

A) For most adolescents, social settings become larger and more anonymous.
B) For most adolescents, social settings become smaller and more intimate.
C) Adolescents tend to seek out people who are noticeably different from themselves.
D) Adolescents tend to seek out people who resemble the adolescent's own family members.

Question 37

What is the difference between a gang and a crew?

A) Crew members focus primarily on illegal businesses, while gang members focus primarily on violence.
B) Gang members can be a variety of ages and come from different economic backgrounds, but crew members are usually about the same age and from the same economic background.
C) Gang members may commit crimes such as robbery or murder, while crew members are more likely to commit crimes such as disorderly conduct and vandalism.
D) Crews usually recruit within entire neighborhoods, while gangs usually recruit within individual schools.

Question 38

Nevaeh and Abigail are seventh graders. Neither is in a popular group, and neither is an outcast. The two girls get along well and voluntarily spend time together in and out of school. Neither has frequent interactions with other students. What would a psychologist call this relationship?

A) wannabe
B) liaison
C) clique
D) dyad

Question 39

In contrast to crowds, cliques

A) are settings for adolescents' intimate interactions.
B) help adolescents locate themselves within the broadest social structure of their school.
C) are based on reputation rather than shared social activity.
D) allow some adolescents to belong to several groups at once based on what others believe about them.

Question 40

Which of the following groups of peers is found in American schools but not most European schools?

A) populars
B) druggies
C) brains
D) jocks

Question 41

In middle school and high school, Carlos was involved in many school plays and musicals. A psychologist would most likely say that being part of the drama crowd was important for Carlos in what way?

A) identity development
B) dating opportunities
C) occupying his free time
D) improvement of relationships with parents

Question 42

Compared to jocks, adolescents from which of the following crowds experience more peer pressure to misbehave?

A) "nerds"
B) "populars"
C) "druggies"
D) "normals"

Question 43

According to research, conformity to peer pressure

A) peaks in adolescence and remains high into adulthood.
B) peaks in adolescence relative to childhood and adulthood.
C) shows a linear increase from childhood into adulthood.
D) shows a linear decrease from childhood into adulthood.

Question 44

Which of the following changes typically occurs during adolescence?

A) Peer groups become larger and stronger.
B) Romantic partners become less important.
C) Larger groups are replaced by smaller cliques.
D) Couples become the focus of social activity.

Question 45

Dawn has always enjoyed school and excelled in her classes. In middle school, she has connected with a group of friends who also enjoy school, and her grades have continued to improve. They often spend time studying together. This is an example of

A) sociometric popularity and perceived popularity.
B) postfigurative culture and cofigurative culture.
C) selection and socialization.
D) youth culture and adult culture.

Question 46

By the end of high school, crowds

A) have become a defining influence in the adolescent's life.
B) increasingly gain in importance for an adolescent's identity.
C) become less important to adolescents.
D) peak in their importance to adolescents.

Question 47

Tommy values education and works hard in school, but he also enjoys hanging out with his friends on the weekends. Which peer crowd is Tommy most likely to belong to?

A) "nerds"
B) "populars"
C) "partyers"
D) "toughs"

Question 48

The Anytown town council developed a program to curb delinquent behavior among the town's adolescents. The program had an iatrogenic effect, meaning

A) the program was successful and delinquent behavior was reduced.
B) the program backfired and delinquent behavior increased.
C) there were no effects on delinquent behavior, either positive or negative.
D) some problem behaviors increased and others decreased.

Question 49

Dorion is a jock. Consequently, we would expect him to be involved in

A) his peer culture and in institutions valued by adults.
B) institutions valued by adults, but not his peer culture.
C) his peer culture, but not institutions valued by adults.
D) neither his peer culture nor institutions valued by adults.

Question 50

Dr. Bonaventura wants to conduct in-depth interviews with members of high school crowds to see how they form into cliques. How would psychologists categorize this type of research?

A) survey
B) experiment-based
C) experiential
D) ethnographic

Question 51

Which of the following statements about friendship stability is true?

A) Opposite-sex friendships tend to be more stable than same-sex friendships.
B) Girls' friendships tend to be more stable than boys' friendships.
C) Well-adjusted adolescents tend to have friendships that don't last very long.
D) Only half of all reciprocated best friendships that exist at the beginning of the school year exist at the end.

Question 52

A group against which an individual compares himself or herself is called

A) a clique.
B) a reference group.
C) a crowd.
D) a youth culture.

Question 53

Some researchers have tried to teach adolescents to use nonviolent forms of conflict resolution. Are these programs effective?

A) Yes, these programs are typically very successful.
B) No, such nonviolent behaviors can make adolescents appear weak.
C) These programs have produced conflicting findings.
D) Yes, but they succeed only in urban neighborhoods with a high proportion of Black adolescents.

Question 54

Chuck is a member of a higher-status crowd at his school. Which of the following statements is most likely to be true?

A) Chuck has high self-esteem.
B) Chuck feels a lot of pressure to be "cool."
C) Chuck holds quite a few misconceptions about his peers.
D) Chuck has a diffused identity status.

Question 55

Self-esteem is ________ among students who are identified with peer groups that have relatively high status in their school.

A) lower
B) the same
C) higher
D) variable

Question 56

Principal McGonagall has been watching his students for several years as they move through adolescence. According to research, which groups are most likely to exhibit favorable patterns of psychological adjustment over time?

A) jocks and brains
B) jocks and populars
C) brains and populars
D) populars and normals

Question 57

Tony belongs to a group called "the partyers." We would expect that Tony is very involved with

A) sports.
B) adult institutions.
C) school clubs.
D) the peer culture.

Question 58

Greg is the star quarterback of the football team and hangs out with Larry, who is the star pitcher of the baseball team. Ben also hangs out with Larry and Greg. When classmates refer to Ben, they call him a member of the "jocks." The crowd with which Ben associates serves as

A) a reference group.
B) a clique.
C) a crew.
D) a fraternity.

Question 59

According to research, many youngsters who were "nerds" in middle school

A) were automatically labeled "dweebs" in high school.
B) joined the "popular" group in high school.
C) deliberately transformed into "jocks" in high school.
D) had opportunities to shift status in high school.

Question 60

Justin's parents try extremely hard (almost excessively) to control his choice of friends. What effect is this style of parenting likely to have on Justin?

A) Justin is likely to become a rejected and withdrawn student at school.
B) Justin will gain more respect for his parents.
C) Justin will be less likely to be involved in drug use and delinquent activity.
D) Justin may become closer to the "forbidden" peers.

Question 61

A crowd member who has less social capital and who is a really nice, thoughtful, and funny person is most likely

A) high in sociometric popularity but low in perceived popularity.
B) high in perceived popularity but low in sociometric popularity.
C) high in both perceived and sociometric popularity.
D) low in both perceived and sociometric popularity.

Question 62

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

A) relational aggression
B) hostile attributional bias
C) aggressive withdrawal
D) overt aggression

Question 63

Why is it so hard to teach adolescents to "just say no" to things adults disapprove of, such as drinking, smoking, and having risky sex?

A) These behaviors are typically associated with being popular.
B) Like most adults, adolescents are unwilling (or unable) to resist peer influence.
C) Most adolescents approve of antisocial behaviors.
D) Adolescents are insufficiently educated about the risks of these behaviors.

Question 64

Adolescents who join antisocial peer groups are likely to have

A) been coerced by their peers to join.
B) had problematic parent-child relationships in childhood.
C) extremely high levels of intelligence.
D) siblings who are more conformist than they are.

Question 65

During childhood, boys typically associate with boys, while girls primarily associate with other girls. This separation of boys and girls has been referred to as

A) brother-sister avoidance.
B) sex segregation.
C) youth culture.
D) sex grading.

Question 66

The main reason that reactive aggression is associated with unpopularity and greater problems with peers is that reactive aggression is characterized by a combination of

A) aggression and poor emotion regulation or lack of social skills.
B) poor interpersonal relations despite well-developed social skills.
C) delinquent behaviors and extreme shyness in social situations.
D) being highly intelligent and plotting an aggressive response in advance.

Question 67

During which period are friendships most likely to end?

A) sixth and seventh grades
B) seventh and eighth grades
C) eighth and ninth grades
D) ninth and tenth grades

Question 68

Hostile attributional bias

A) plays a central role in the aggressive behavior of rejected adolescents.
B) plays a small role in the aggressive behavior of rejected adolescents.
C) helps rejected adolescents gain acceptance.
D) is the only significant factor in determining the behavior of rejected adolescents.

Question 69

Sarah is a popular teenage girl who has just been made captain of the cheerleading squad. She is very socially adept and notices that Britney, her social rival, is starting to enjoy more attention from their peers than Sarah receives. Jealous, she decides to start a rumor about Britney that she knows will cause many people to stop liking Britney. Sarah's behavior is best described as

A) reactive aggression.
B) friendly fire aggression.
C) relative aggression.
D) relational aggression.

Question 70

Dan planned a party and invited his whole English class by passing out personal invitations. Dan accidentally forgot to make an invitation for Sam. Sam assumed he intentionally wasn't invited and became angry at Dan for excluding him. This is an example of

A) relational aggression.
B) hostile attributional bias.
C) aggressive-withdrawal reaction.
D) reverse bullying.

Question 71

Which of the following is most characteristic of childhood peer groups, as compared to adolescent peer groups?

A) mixed-sex groups
B) more time with adults
C) a lot of independence
D) the emergence of peer "crowds"

Question 72

Who is most likely to have cross-ethnic friendships?

A) Audrey, who attends a large multiethnic school
B) Brandy, who attends a school where one ethnic group predominates
C) Candice, who is the child of immigrants
D) Deborah, who attends a school that separates students into academic tracks

Question 73

You are a psychologist treating Martina, a middle school student who is popular among classmates despite being a bully. What types of behavior would you expect to see in her?

A) frequent outbursts of temper
B) interest in romantic relationships
C) calculated, pre-planned aggression
D) involvement with many school-sponsored clubs and activities

Question 74

Even though it was clear that another student, Raul, accidentally pushed Noah, Noah insisted that Raul did it on purpose. What phenomenon is this?

A) hostile attributional bias
B) status bias
C) in-group vs. out-group
D) iatrogenic effect

Question 75

The determinants of sociometric popularity are ________, whereas the determinants of perceived popularity are ________.

A) highly variable; things like social skills, friendliness, and sense of humor
B) things like social skills, friendliness, and sense of humor; highly variable
C) good looks and wealth; athletic ability and school achievement
D) athletic ability and school achievement; good looks and wealth

Question 76

Adolescents who use aggression deliberately, known as ________, are much more popular than adolescents who use aggression without planning to, known as ________.

A) reactive formation; reactive aggression
B) mature aggression; instrumental aggression
C) instrumental aggression; reactive aggression
D) relational aggression; instrumental aggression

Question 77

At school, Jamila is perceived as high-status, yet rude and abrupt. A psychologist would say that she

A) has perceived popularity but not sociometric popularity.
B) has sociometric popularity but not perceived popularity.
C) has both perceived and sociometric popularity.
D) is not popular.

Question 78

Esther has been rejected by her peers because she is withdrawn. Esther is most likely to be at risk for

A) antisocial activity.
B) diminished social competence.
C) aggressive behavior in adulthood.
D) drug and alcohol abuse.

Question 79

Jamie is a preadolescent. Her friendship circle is largely comprised of other young girls. Based on this information, what has Jamie's social life been influenced by?

A) adolescent identity
B) sex segregation
C) cliques
D) the baby boom

Question 80

Interventions designed to help unpopular adolescents improve their social skills have employed which of the following techniques?

A) explaining to adolescents that they need to develop a thicker psychological skin in order to make friends
B) having adolescents wait patiently until another person engages them in conversation
C) teaching social skills like self-expression and leadership techniques
D) teaching joke-telling skills to improve their likeability among other adolescents