Deck 14: Adolescence: Cognitive Development

Question 1

In formal operational thought, adolescents become aware that situations can have different outcomes.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Inhelder and Piaget (1959) used a pendulum to explore adolescent moral reasoning.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Formal operational children can intuitively understand what is meant by "x."

Answer 3

True

Question 4

According to Kohlberg's theory of moral development, a stage 5 reason for stealing the drug might be that it is the right thing to do, even though it is illegal.

Question 5

Cultural background is a powerful shaper of moral reasoning.

Question 6

According to C. Gilligan, boys are socialized to make decisions based upon logic, whereas girls are socialized to take into account the feelings of others.

Question 7

The transition to junior high school is accompanied by an increase in self-esteem and grades.

Question 8

"Bridge programs" help adolescents adjust to working in part-time jobs.

Question 9

Adolescents who take on adult roles early, such as marrying at a young age or becoming a parent, are more likely to drop out of school.

Question 10

Excessive school absence and reading below grade level are two of the earliest and strongest predictors of dropping out of school.

Question 11

Most intervention programs to reduce school dropout rates are introduced in early childhood.

Question 12

Self-efficacy expectations are perceptions of whether one will be able to handle the tasks of a given career.

Question 13

Holland examined personality characteristics and career types.

Question 14

Three-fourths of high school seniors have jobs during the school year.

Question 15

Students who work more than 11 to 13 hours per week report lower grades and higher rates of delinquent behavior and substance abuse.

Question 16

Hayden can come up with many reasons to join the Republican Party and many reasons to join the Democratic Party without believing in the philosophy of either group. What can we assume about Hayden?

A) He is in the stage of concrete operations.
B) He is likely to be at least 17 or 18 years old.
C) He is able to use abstract and hypothetical ideas.
D) His parents are very political.

Question 17

In Piaget's theory, the highest level of cognitive functioning is

A) sensorimotor thought.
B) preoperational thought
C) concrete operations.
D) formal operations.

Question 18

Which of the following is TRUE regarding formal operational thought?

A) The concept was proposed by Vygotsky.
B) Most people reach this stage by age 7 or 8.
C) Some people never reach this stage.
D) It is a type of thinking only used in academic settings.

Question 19

Adolescents who think in a formal operational way are able to

A) think in an egocentric manner.
B) use convergent thinking.
C) use deductive reasoning.
D) make decisions based on their perception of what others think is right and wrong.

Question 20

In formal operational thought, adolescents discover the concept of

A) "what is."
B) "what was."
C) "what might be."
D) "what was"

Question 21

Which of the following is most linked to utopian thinking?

A) Egocentric thinking
B) Concrete thinking
C) Hypothetical thinking
D) Inductive thinking

Question 22

All of the following are achieved during the period of formal operational thought EXCEPT

A) the development of conservation skills.
B) the use of symbols to represent other symbols.
C) deductive reasoning.
D) hypothetical thinking.

Question 23

Concrete operational thinking involves "what is," whereas hypothetical thinking involves

A) who
B) what might be.
C) where.
D) why.

Question 24

Sophia is trying to decide whether to take a class in business or biology. She's able to systematically think about the positives and negatives of each. This ability is related to

A) less monitoring of individual behavior.
B) hypothetical thinking.
C) a higher level of egocentrism.
D) a greater number of cognitive mistakes.

Question 25

Gina dreams of an ideal society in which there is no war, hunger, or economic hardship. This type of thinking is referred to as

A) utopian.
B) catastrophic.
C) preconventional.
D) a personal fable.

Question 26

Hypothetical thinking can also be referred to as

A) "what should we do" thinking.
B) "how did this happen" thinking.
C) "what might be" thinking.
D) "why did it happen" thinking.

Question 27

In terms of career decisions, why might hypothetical thinking lead to anxiety for some adolescents?

A) They can imagine failure.
B) They fear success.
C) They may experience a sense of loss over only being able to choose one option.
D) Hypothetical thinking is almost always negative.

Question 28

Which of the following is a feature of hypothetical thinking?

A) Systematic consideration
B) Trial and error approaches
C) Random cognition
D) Actions without consequence

Question 29

Do concrete operational children understand the concept of "x" as an unknown quantity?

A) Yes.
B) No, children cannot grasp this concept until after approximately age 11 or 12.
C) No, people do not understand this concept until early adulthood.
D) It depends upon the type of education they've received.

Question 30

In Inhelder and Piaget's experiment, which determined how fast the pendulum would swing back and forth?

A) The amount of weight
B) The length of the string
C) The height from which the weight was released
D) A combination of various factors

Question 31

Which of the following is a metaphor?

A) Hanging by a thread.
B) Baa Baa Black Sheep. Have you any wool?
C) Running like greased lightning.
D) Making a good impression.

Question 32

Their capacity for what allows adolescents to take broad views of situations?

A) Understanding abstract symbols
B) Metaphor
C) Decentration
D) Convergent thinking

Question 33

One group of researchers (Kelly, et al., 2002) believes that the "imaginary audience" is based less in cognitive development and more in

A) utopian thinking.
B) understanding of metaphors.
C) social anxiety.
D) issues of magnitude of consequences.

Question 34

A global test battery administered to more than 5,000 people between the ages of 10 and 30 found that self-regulation increases into adulthood, peaking between the ages of.

A) 26 and 29.
B) 23 and 26.
C) 20 and 23.
D) 17 and 20.

Question 35

There is strong research support for Piaget's notion that

A) deductive reasoning emerges in adolescence.
B) utopian thinking emerges by age 8 or 9.
C) young children can think hypothetically.
D) sophisticated use of symbols, such as "x," does not occur until middle age.

Question 36

Which of the following is a criticism of Piaget's ideas regarding formal operations?

A) Not all adolescents in the same country appear to develop formal operational thought.
B) It may occur earlier than Piaget thought.
C) It is less likely to develop in adolescents from Western societies than in less-developed nations.
D) It was based entirely on his observation of European adolescent girls.

Question 37

Research supports Piaget's notion that deductive reasoning

A) appears in all adolescents by age 20.
B) does not emerge until adolescence.
C) begins to appear around age 9 or 10.
D) still precludes the ability to think abstractly.

Question 38

Reviews of the literature find that formal operational thought is present in what percentage of first-year college students?

A) 100%
B) 10-20%
C) 40-60%
D) 80%

Question 39

Research shows that individuals are more likely to use formal operational thought

A) in their own academic specialty areas.
B) when the task is new or unfamiliar.
C) when being wrong has little or no consequence.
D) prior to age 18.

Question 40

The imaginary audience and the personal fable are evidence of adolescent

A) egocentrism.
B) utopian thinking.
C) self-efficacy.
D) level of moral development.

Question 41

The imaginary audience peaks sometime during what grade and declines over the remainder of adolescence?

A) Eighth grade
B) Ninth grade
C) Tenth grade
D) Seventh grade for girls and ninth grade for boys

Question 42

Olivia is worried about her choice of clothing for the day and is convinced that all her friends are scrutinizing her clothes as well. Her thinking may represent

A) a personal fable.
B) concrete thinking.
C) the imaginary audience.
D) deductive reasoning.

Question 43

Why might adolescents demonstrate an intense desire for privacy?

A) Because they are not very self-conscious
B) Because they are very unaware of changes in their bodies
C) Because of concern about the imaginary audience
D) Because of their cognitive effort of personalizing situations

Question 44

Dave identifies with the superhero Iron Man. Like a superhero, Dave thinks he is invincible. This thinking is characteristic of

A) concrete operational thought.
B) the personal fable.
C) the imaginary audience.
D) only very young children.

Question 45

Which of the following represents the concept of the personal fable?

A) An enhanced feeling of vulnerability that often accompanies adolescence
B) The belief that one's feelings and ideas are special and unique
C) An increased belief in magic, creatures, and other fantasy concepts during adolescence
D) A feeling that one is onstage and constantly scrutinized

Question 46

Sabrina engages in unprotected sex. She doesn't worry about becoming pregnant because she thinks "it can't happen to me." Sabrina's thinking is an example of

A) a personal fable.
B) low self-esteem.
C) self-uncertainty
D) the imaginary audience.

Question 47

Jerry is 16 years old and drives recklessly. He tells his friends "other people have accidents, not me." This type of thinking represents

A) abstract reasoning.
B) a personal fable.
C) the imaginary audience.
D) utopian thinking.

Question 48

Adolescents' perceptions of invulnerability may come from

A) the surge in hormones that accompanies the onset of puberty.
B) the increased use of alcohol and drugs during adolescence.
C) their tendency toward having personal fables.
D) a tendency for adolescents to overestimate the risks of certain behaviors.

Question 49

Which of the following is TRUE regarding gender and cognitive abilities during adolescence?

A) Females score higher on overall intelligence measures.
B) Males score higher on overall intelligence measures.
C) Males are somewhat superior in visual-spatial ability.
D) Females are somewhat superior in mathematical ability.

Question 50

Why might American girls show more advanced verbal ability than American boys?

A) Parents talk less to infant daughters than they do to infant sons.
B) Girls rely more on verbal skills in interacting with others.
C) Skills, such as reading, are stereotyped as masculine in the United States.
D) Boys in the United States do not begin formal reading instruction until at least one year after girls.

Question 51

Which of the following is TRUE about gender differences in verbal ability?

A) The differences are genetically determined.
B) Boys are superior to girls in verbal ability from an early age.
C) Differences in verbal ability have to do with development of the temporal lobes of the brain.
D) The differences appear to be strongly influenced by cultural factors.

Question 52

In the United States, early verbal tendencies in girls

A) are discouraged.
B) are reinforced.
C) occur more often in lower socioeconomic families.
D) are random and unpredictable.

Question 53

In terms of intelligence, what is the significance of the fact that the brains of males are on average about 10% bigger than the brains of females?

A) Males are more intelligent than females are.
B) Males are better at math and science than females are.
C) The brain grows more in response to male activities than to female activities.
D) There is no significance, as brain size has little to do with intelligence.

Question 54

Girls are to verbal ability as boys are to

A) overall mental ability.
B) aggressive tendencies.
C) mental rotation ability.
D) physical coordination.

Question 55

Which of the following career fields relies on mental rotation ability?

A) Nursing
B) Truck driving
C) Social work
D) Engineering

Question 56

Jessie performs better than average on visual-spatial tasks. What can we assume about Jessie?

A) Jessie is likely to be male.
B) Jessie may have been exposed to high prenatal androgen levels.
C) Jessie might be a female with low estrogen levels.
D) Jessie's ability is related to a sex-linked recessive gene on the X chromosome.

Question 57

If a teacher wanted to encourage visual-spatial skills in his preschool students, which would be a good choice?

A) Dressing dolls
B) Crayons and paper
C) Putting on puppet shows
D) LEGOs and playing sports

Question 58

Charles likes to play with Erector sets and LEGOs. On measures of visual-spatial ability, he outperforms his female classmates. What might this suggest?

A) Nathan, like other boys, is simply better at these tasks.
B) Typical "boy" toys may provide more experience with visual-spatial tasks.
C) Playing with "boy" toys enhances natural abilities.
D) "Boy" toys do not encourage visual-spatial abilities any differently than "girl" toys.

Question 59

According to Hyde (2014), which of the following is TRUE about gender differences in mathematical ability?

A) Girls outperform boys in computational skills in the elementary and middle school years.
B) No consistent gender differences were found.
C) Girls outperform boys on word problems in adolescence and adulthood.
D) Boys outperform girls in all areas of mathematics.

Question 60

Cassielle does not show stereotype vulnerability and routinely outperforms the boys in her class on difficult math problems. What can we assume about Cassielle?

A) She is an exception, because boys outperform girls in math from an early age on.
B) She is from a family that has careers in mathematics or engineering.
C) She is likely to be in high school when girls become more confident and excel in math.
D) She likely has a mother who rejects stereotypes about females in math and science.

Question 61

Recent research (Hyde, 2014) examining the mathematical performance of 7 million second- through eleventh-graders on standardized math tests revealed that

A) girls excel at more complex math problems.
B) boys excel at more complex math problems.
C) there were no gender differences found.
D) the child's age and ethnicity were factors in mathematical performance.

Question 62

In all likelihood, gender differences in mathematical ability are

A) the result of brain physiology.
B) entirely fictitious.
C) the result of different expectations regarding female and male math performance.
D) further proof of a genetic difference between females and males.

Question 63

Female adolescents may show reduced performance in math when they are

A) subjected to the stereotype that males are better at math than females.
B) not interested in perfectionism.
C) very relaxed about taking tests.
D) given messages by their mothers that math is a field in which girls can excel.

Question 64

Gender differences in cognitive abilities

A) are small, but the gap is increasing.
B) show that girls outperform boys in math, but not in verbal skills.
C) continue to decline.
D) appear to depend upon the type of task being considered.

Question 65

What can be concluded about group differences between men and women in cognitive abilities?

A) The differences are small in societies that empower women.
B) You can predict the outcome for every member of the group.
C) There are no overall sex differences in the research.
D) The sex differences found in the research are large and consistent across time.

Question 66

With group abilities in cognitive skills, it is often the case that

A) the differences between groups are quite large.
B) the differences between groups are very small.
C) variation on a skill is larger within the group than between the groups.
D) variation is impossible to predict, because individual cases are not examined.

Question 67

According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2013)

A) women receive more degrees in education and psychology.
B) men receive more degrees in education and psychology.
C) women receive more degrees in computer science and physics.
D) men and women are equally divided in the various degree categories.

Question 68

In adolescents who are formal operational thinkers, Kohlberg believed their moral decisions are based upon

A) fear of punishment.
B) the concept of equal exchange.
C) principles of law, justice, and duty.
D) their own moral standards.

Question 69

According to Kohlberg's theory, which would have the strongest influence on moral development?

A) Chronological age
B) Cognitive development
C) Social development
D) Physical development

Question 70

Whereas Piaget focused on what logic children use in making moral judgments, Kohlberg focused on

A) the child's level of social development.
B) the ethical principles the child is using.
C) the concrete decision the child makes.
D) the gender of the child.

Question 71

According to Kohlberg, making moral decisions about someone else's actions require that we

A) think about any potential punishments the individual might experience.
B) internalize the set of societal standards taught to us by our parents.
C) view the situation from the perspective of the other person.
D) have no prior experience with the moral situation so as to view it purely.

Question 72

What word describes Kohlberg's stages of moral development?

A) Fixed
B) Flexible
C) Unpredictable
D) Inconsistent

Question 73

According to Kohlberg, individuals taking moral action

A) have the same goals in mind.
B) may do so for fundamentally different reasons.
C) are at the same level of moral development.
D) are probably of the same sex.

Question 74

According to Kohlberg, how many stages of moral development exist?

A) 6
B) 4
C) 2
D) 8

Question 75

Which of the following options is associated with Kohlberg's stage 6 morality?

A) Contractual and legalistic
B) Obedience
C) Law and order
D) Reciprocity

Question 76

Which of the following options is associated with Kohlberg's stage 5 morality?

A) Contractual and legalistic
B) Obedience
C) Law and order
D) Reciprocity

Question 77

An individual is participating in illegal public demonstrations against fur dealers because he truly believes it is wrong to kill animals for their fur. Which of Kohlberg's stages of morality does this best represent?

A) 3
B) 4
C) 5
D) 6

Question 78

In Kohlberg's sample of American children, what percentage of 16-year-olds demonstrated postconventional moral reasoning?

A) At least 65
B) Nearly 40
C) Around 12-15
D) About 20-25

Question 79

According to Kohlberg, which stages of moral judgment are most common among children ages 7 to 13?

A) Stages 1 and 2.
B) Stages 3 and 4.
C) Stages 5 and 6.
D) There was no consistency across these ages.

Question 80

The statement that most adolescents make moral decisions based upon their own ethical principles is

A) true.
B) false.
C) true for younger adolescents more so than older adolescents.
D) true for girls, but not for boys.