Deck 13: Middle Childhood: Psychosocial Development

Question 1

What are two criticisms of Kohlberg's theory of moral development? Do you think these criticisms are valid? Explain your thinking.

Answer 1

Kohlberg has been criticized for 1) not appreciating cultural or 2) gender differences. For example, loyalty to family overrides any other value in some cultures, so some people might avoid postconventional actions. Also, Kohlberg's 3) original participants were all boys, which may have led him to discount female values. Kohlberg seemed to 4) value abstract principles more than individual needs. Furthermore, Kohlberg did not seem to recognize that 5) although children's morality differs from that of adults, their values may be equally valid. School-age children may be right to question or ignore adult rules that seem unfair, and their questions may actually be postconventional.

Question 2

A key characteristic of resilience is a child's _____ adaptation within the context of significant adversity.

Answer 2

positive

Question 3

Children who overcome severe problems in childhood may be referred to as _____.

Answer 3

resilient

Question 4

Part of the definition of resilience is that the adversity must be _____.

Question 5

Discuss two elements that form the shared environment and any three elements that form the nonshared environments of siblings raised together.

Question 6

One indication of psychosocial _____ between the ages of 6 and 11 is the ability to do more self-care (keeping oneself and one's room clean, making one's own lunch, etc.).

Question 7

Name the five ways in which a functional family nurtures its school-age children. Which area was the strongest in your family? How did your family nurture this area? Which area was the weakest in your family? Why?

Question 8

Emmy's son is being bullied at school, and the problem shows no signs of abating. Based on the research, should Emmy be concerned? Should she get involved? If so, how? If not, why not?

Question 9

Explore the relationships among family income, conflict, and family function. Include a discussion of the family-stress model in predicting the impact of low and high incomes on children.

Question 10

Freud said that school-age children are in the stage of _____.

Question 11

Sierra and her brother George were reared together. Their home environment would be considered a _____ environment.

Question 12

_____ occurs when children try to take care of everyone, including their parents.

Question 13

Define resilience and identify two factors in a child's life that can support resilience.

Question 14

Erikson's fourth psychosocial crisis defines children during their middle childhood years. Name and define this crisis and note how the resolution of the crisis relates to the development of the self.

Question 15

Michelle, a well-liked fourth-grader, accidentally ran into Lisa, an aggressive-rejected fifth-grader, bumping Lisa's backpack off her shoulder. Given what you know about behaviors associated with being well-liked or aggressive-rejected at this age, what do you predict will be the response of each girl to this incident? How will each girl interpret the incident? How do you think it will be resolved?

Question 16

Unrealistically high self-esteem reduces _____, which is one's ability to deliberately modify impulses and emotions.

Question 17

According to Erikson, the developmental crisis that children face in middle childhood is that of _____ versus inferiority.

Question 18

Name and describe the first two levels of Kohlberg's stages of moral reasoning. How does a preschool child's morality differ from that of a school-age child?

Question 19

How is family function connected to family structure? Offer three examples of different family structures.

Question 20

The ability to compare oneself with others is called _____ comparison.

Question 21

Social shunning by a ringleader or spreading a rumor about someone else to destroy peer acceptance are examples of _____ bullying.

Question 22

On average, _____ families function best; children from these types of families tend to achieve better in school and experience fewer psychological problems.

Question 23

Children who are disliked by peers due to their timid, anxious demeanor are _____-rejected.

Question 24

Natasha, a 9-year-old girl, spends many summer afternoons playing with her 6-year-old cousin, teaching her the rules of games, childhood rituals, and values. Natasha is passing down _____ culture to her cousin.

Question 25

Two factors that can interfere with good family function around the world are high conflict and _____.

Question 26

Peers become _____ important in middle childhood.

Question 27

The type of aggression that uses electronic means to harm another is _____, which becomes more common after primary school.

Question 28

Steve, a divorced father of two, and Caroline, a widowed mother of three, got married and created a _____ family of five.

Question 29

Children learn faster as well as feel happier when they have _____.

Question 30

Children who are kind, trustworthy, and cooperative are _____.

Question 31

Family _____ refers to how a family cares for its members.

Question 32

Children in the same family do not share identical classes in school and friends; therefore, these are _____ aspects of their environments.

Question 33

Child culture promotes _____ from adults.

Question 34

Children who are aggressive-rejected often become _____.

Question 35

The country with the highest rates of marriage, divorce, and remarriage is _____.

Question 36

Children who are disliked by peers due to their antagonistic, confrontational behavior are _____-rejected.

Question 37

Family _____ refers to the legal and genetic connections among people living in the same household.

Question 38

According to the _____ model, the crucial question about any risk factor is whether it increases the family members' stress.

Question 39

Tyler threatened to punch Liam every time he didn't hand over his new PlayStation game. Sometimes Liam refused, and Tyler actually punched him. Liam was a victim of _____ bullying.

Question 40

For school-age children, three of the five essential functions of the _____ are providing basic necessities, helping the child to develop self-respect, and nurturing peer relationships.

Question 41

Which scenario is typical of the industry versus inferiority stage?

A) Rudy is having difficulty in learning math, but he continues to practice.
B) Vanessa says, "My parents never let me do anything!"
C) Cliff says that his girlfriend, Claire, doesn't understand him.
D) Theo decides to stop taking piano lessons.

Question 42

Barbara is in the third grade. She spends many hours rehearsing her math skills, reading books, and collecting bugs. According to Erikson, Barbara is developing a healthy sense of _____ through these tasks.

A) industry
B) self-control
C) autonomy
D) egocentrism

Question 43

_____ involves punishing the transgressor (such as grounding him or her or sending the child to bed without dinner, etc.).

Question 44

According to Freud, during the latency stage children _____.

A) develop sexual feelings toward their opposite-sex peers
B) seek to establish their identity
C) work to learn self-control
D) experience temporary antipathy toward the other gender

Question 45

During middle childhood, the shift to conversations about choices and values is most apparent between _____.

A) fathers and sons
B) mothers and daughters
C) fathers and daughters
D) mothers and sons

Question 46

_____ involves returning what was taken or fixing what was broken.

Question 47

What is Erikson's fourth stage of psychosocial development?

A) autonomy versus shame and doubt
B) industry versus inferiority
C) trust versus mistrust
D) integrity versus incompetence

Question 48

More than people of any other age, children between the ages of 6 and 11 are _____.

A) in need of punishment
B) trying to stand out from their peers
C) using electronic media with adult supervision
D) industrious, practicing the skills valued by their culture

Question 49

Children's steady growth, brain maturation, and intellectual advances make middle childhood a time for more _____.

A) conservation
B) peer values
C) independence
D) egocentrism

Question 50

Middle childhood is a prime time for _____ development.

Question 51

The theorist who most clearly described a basic framework for moral development is _____.

Question 52

According to Erikson, if 9-year-old Anna is successful in solving her psychosocial conflict, she should be developing a(n) _____ view of herself.

A) emotionally mature
B) industrious
C) inept
D) latent

Question 53

As children become more self-aware, what do they benefit from more?

A) hearing how smart they are
B) noticing how popular they are
C) being told that "failure is not an option"
D) receiving encouragement for their process rather than their product

Question 54

Who described middle childhood as a time of latency?

A) Freud
B) Erikson
C) Piaget
D) Vygotsky

Question 55

According to Erikson's theory, children in middle childhood tend to judge themselves as either _____.

A) suppressed or superior
B) industrious or inferior
C) competent or awkward
D) intelligent or stupid

Question 56

What is a growth mindset?

A) the belief that we grow into our innate talents
B) the idea that change is possible
C) accepting ourselves as we are
D) focusing on the product of one's effort

Question 57

In Kohlberg's preconventional moral reasoning, avoiding _____ is the primary motivation.

Question 58

Robert has been rehearsing for a dance competition for the past two months. When he wins second place, he is discouraged and wants to give up dance altogether. Robert is displaying _____.

A) egocentrism
B) immaturity
C) concrete operational thinking
D) a growth mindset

Question 59

According to Freud, what will 8-year-old Sven experience?

A) a shift away from sexual interests
B) unconscious sexual conflicts
C) increased emotional drives
D) a new interest in girls

Question 60

Why doesn't a growth mindset come naturally to 6- to 11-year-olds?

A) They are unlikely to compare themselves to others.
B) A growth mindset requires children to avoid failure at all costs.
C) Concrete operational thinking can lead to discouragement and quitting.
D) Children do not understand concepts such as "failure is a learning opportunity."

Question 61

Andrea is a typical 11-year-old whose increasingly realistic self-concept drives her to frequently compare herself with her peers. If Andrea is like most children, such comparisons will _____.

A) confirm her self-concept
B) not affect her self-esteem
C) decrease her self-esteem
D) increase her self-esteem

Question 62

Alisha's family is experiencing multiple problems, including her mother's illness, her father's loss of employment, and two relatives moving into their home. Despite the stress of home life, Alisha has stable routines, and her parents and relatives provide plenty of affection. Overall, Alisha seems to be doing fairly well despite her hectic home life. Alisha may be _____.

A) indifferent to her family's problems
B) relying on egocentric tendencies
C) buffered by family protective factors
D) hoping to go to college after high school

Question 63

Jenny was the only student in her class to get all of the questions right on the math test. She announced to the class, "I am perfect! I am better than everyone!" Given this display, which country is Jenny most likely from?

A) Australia
B) Japan
C) China
D) the United States

Question 64

In childhood, the most important factor in whether a child will respond to a serious stressor with increased pathology and decreased academic achievement is_____.

A) what the stressor is
B) accumulated stresses
C) whether the stress is economic
D) whether the stressor affects other siblings, too

Question 65

One important factor with respect to children coping with adversity is a child's _____.

A) interpretation of the events
B) age
C) gender
D) cooperation with others

Question 66

A longitudinal study of self-concept revealed that the strongest factor affecting 10-year-olds' self-concept was _____.

A) their relationship with other children
B) their level of egocentrism
C) their relationship with their parents
D) availability of heroes who are similar to them

Question 67

When one assesses one's abilities, achievements, social status, and other attributes by measuring them against one's peers, one is engaging in _____.

A) peer evaluation
B) cultural normalization
C) social comparison
D) parental assessment

Question 68

Nine-year-old Alisha announces to her mother, "I am not very good at soccer, but I am so good at painting that one day I am going to sell lots of pictures." Alisha is demonstrating _____.

A) industry
B) egocentrism
C) latency
D) self-concept

Question 69

When children act as parents and try to take care of everyone, it is called _____.

A) resilience
B) parentification
C) emerging adulthood
D) an extended family

Question 70

Since schoolchildren judge their own talents and limitations more realistically than preschoolers, _____.

A) they should decide which reading and math groups they wish to join
B) their self-esteem may suffer as they compare themselves with others
C) following a failure, they are less pessimistic about future failure
D) they are less likely to concede that they're not good at something

Question 71

An unrealistically _____ may reduce effortful control, leading to lower achievement and increased aggression.

A) optimistic self-concept
B) pessimistic self-concept
C) high or low self-esteem
D) mature self-confidence

Question 72

Many parents believe that they mold their children's personalities. However, research has found that _____.

A) half of all personality traits may be genetic
B) half of all personality traits may be environmental
C) genes and the nonshared environment have the most impact on personality
D) temperament defines personality

Question 73

During the school years, self-esteem typically _____ as social comparison increases.

A) increases
B) decreases
C) stays the same
D) fluctuates up and down

Question 74

Children's understanding of who they are and what they can do forms their _____.

A) industry
B) egocentrism
C) latency
D) self-concept

Question 75

Marissa and Jessica, sisters born two years apart, grew up in an impoverished, violent neighborhood. As adults, Marissa is chronically jobless and is addicted to drugs, while Jessica is a professor of economics at a community college. What might explain their different life outcomes?

A) differential susceptibility
B) shared environmental influences
C) cohort differences
D) parental influence

Question 76

Academic and social competence are aided by realistic self-perception. What effect does unrealistically high self-esteem have on effortful control and achievement?

A) It reduces effortful control and lowers achievement.
B) It reduces effortful control and increases achievement.
C) It increases effortful control and lowers achievement.
D) It increases effortful control and increases achievement.

Question 77

The child who weathers severe family problems, even abuse, and yet emerges from those experiences unscathed is said to be _____.

A) buoyant
B) resilient
C) parasympathetic
D) reliable

Question 78

Since Carter's mother suffers from depression and his father from alcohol use disorder, Carter is often neglected; but he has a supportive group of friends. Despite his family circumstances, he maintains a positive outlook. What may be helping Carter to maintain his positive attitude?

A) low intelligence
B) his adult support system
C) low problem-solving ability
D) a high cortisol level

Question 79

Alan's math skills are far better than those of his siblings. This provides evidence that _____.

A) shared familial influences play a stronger role than was previously believed
B) genes may have a stronger effect than familial environment on intellectual characteristics
C) few environmental effects on personality come from outside the family
D) Alan's own initiative to excel is greater than that of the rest of his family

Question 80

The quality of resilience is dynamic, which means that it _____.

A) is always present in the same way
B) may change over time
C) can be either a positive or negative adaptation
D) reflects successful coping with minor adversities