Deck 9: Children and Parents

Question 1

The "typical" adoption in the United States since the 1970s has declined due to

A)the development of the birth control pill.
B)the legalization of abortion.
C)the decline in unplanned births.
D)all of these factors.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Socialization of children is closely correlated with

A)interest of the parents in the children.
B)cultural norms and values.
C)mothers working outside the home.
D)parents' awareness of their children's personality changes.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

In the United States, each class socializes its children to

A)respect conformity.
B)understand the value of obedience.
C)fit the same kinds of job positions they themselves have.
D)have a different religious preference.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

About two-thirds of the children adopted from within America are from

A)racial-ethnic minority groups.
B)economically backward white families.
C)first-generation immigrant families.
D)rural communities.

Question 5

Studies on the effects of unemployment on families have shown that

A)unemployment does not affect families in any ways other than economically.
B)unemployment affects only the out-of-work parent.
C)unemployment places stress on parents who then often act hostile toward their children.
D)unemployment has no effect whatsoever on the children.

Question 6

About half of the disadvantages of living in a single-parent family are due to

A)the sense of relative deprivation these families experience.
B)low income.
C)lack of supervision.
D)the inability to work for pay.

Question 7

Two important aspects of U.S. parents' socialization of their children include

A)provision of physical and emotional support.
B)teaching both dependence on and independence from the family.
C)religious and secular training.
D)provision for emotional support and exercise of control.

Question 8

The considerable amount of childbearing outside of any kind of partnership is a cause for the rise in

A)multipartner fertility.
B)replacement fertility.
C)polygamous fertility.
D)artificial fertility.

Question 9

The changing nature of adoption is reflected in the fact that

A)two-thirds of the children adopted have a disability.
B)a significant portion of adopted children are foreign born.
C)sixty percent of foreign-born children are from Asian countries.
D)all of these are true.

Question 10

An important difference between working-class and middle-class parents with respect to socialization is

A)that working-class parents tend to stress independence and curiosity.
B)that working-class parents tend toward permissive parenting.
C)that middle-class parents are more likely to stress authority and conformity.
D)that working-class parents stress qualities that will allow their children to enter blue-collar jobs and middle-class parents stress qualities that will allow their children to enter white-collar jobs.

Question 11

Which of the following is a factor that some scholars say comes in the way of the application of the three-category classification of parenting styles?

A)sexuality
B)gender
C)ethnicity
D)religion

Question 12

Most people surveyed in 2003 believed what percentage of children lived in poverty?

A)30%
B)10%
C)35%
D)50%

Question 13

Recent research on fathering suggests that

A)father involvement is inconsequential for the healthy development of children.
B)father involvement is correlated with positive development in both sons and daughters.
C)higher involvement reduces the divorce rate.
D)the greater increase in children born outside of marriage is related to the father role.

Question 14

Which of the following is the main cause for the rise in transnational adoptions?

A)the declining number of American children who are placed for adoption at birth
B)the rising number of foreign-born Americans who opt for adoption
C)the predominance of older, well-traveled Americans who opt for adoption
D)the complications associated with adopting American children

Question 15

The few, and admittedly biased, studies of children growing up in gay or lesbian families compared to heterosexual families show that

A)there are substantial differences between the two.
B)there is little significant difference between the two.
C)there are differences for boys but not girls in the homosexual families.
D)there are differences for girls but not boys in the homosexual families.

Question 16

The different manners in which parents treat male and female children can be attributed to ________, which have little to do with true biological differences.

A)class roles
B)religious roles
C)gender roles
D)occupational roles

Question 17

The best parents (that is, those who are most likely to produce children who are socially competent) perform three tasks well: they set clear standards, they enforce standards consistently without harsh punishment, and they __________.

A)spend a lot of money on their children
B)provide substantial emotional support
C)consider the marital relationship second priority the parental relationship for many years
D)reason with their children

Question 18

In studies of white, middle-class families in Iowa who were under economic pressure, Elder and Conger found that fathers in these families

A)were more likely to commit suicide.
B)deserted their wives and children.
C)were irritable and hostile toward their wives and children.
D)served as the strength of the family.

Question 19

The major source of primary socialization for children in the United States is

A)school.
B)church.
C)the family.
D)day care.

Question 20

Of the three types of parenting styles that Baumrind researched, the ________ parenting style seems to produce children who are more socially competent.

A)authoritative
B)permissive
C)authoritarian
D)good-enough

Question 21

Which of the following people are most likely to seek to enhance their children's talents and opinions through concerted cultivation?

A)working-class mothers
B)middle-class mothers
C)working-class fathers
D)lower-income fathers

Question 22

Androgynous behavior is behavior that has the characteristics of both genders.

Question 23

Based on current research, one can safely conclude that children raised in gay and lesbian homes do not exhibit any greater symptoms of mental distress than children raised in heterosexual homes.

Question 24

Based on sociological and psychological research, "sparing the rod" spoils the child.

Question 25

The transformation of the U.S. economy over the past few decades has hurt many parents and made child rearing more difficult.

Question 26

Fathers in families under economic pressure were more likely to lack energy and interest and be depressed than were their wives.

Question 27

Children in America experience more changes to the compositions of their households than do children in any other Western nation.

Question 28

In the United States, there is a distinct class difference in how parents raise their children.

Question 29

Adult gender roles are far more distinctive than any biological differences between the sexes might warrant.

Question 30

Associations between having a single parent and poor child outcomes such as delinquency are stronger in African American families than in white families.

Question 31

Studies show that the way nonresidential fathers behave as parents seems to make more of a difference than how often they see their children.

Question 32

In the United States, parents treat sons and daughters differently.

Question 33

How does being raised by same-sex parents affect children?

Question 34

One of the primary tasks in socialization is to

A)familiarize children with the culture in which they are growing up.
B)familiarize children with foreign cultures.
C)limit children's need for emotional support.
D)encourage children not to limit their natural behavior.

Question 35

The sexual orientation of the mother does not necessarily affect the psychosexual development of children.

Question 36

Conservative Protestant fathers are less likely to spend time hugging or praising and more likely to spend time yelling at their children than are fathers from "mainline" protestant groups.

Question 37

Single parents appear to be less capable of adequate parenting.

Question 38

Children in persistently poor families show surprising resilience and are no more anxious and depressed than other children.

Question 39

In the mid-2000s, a fourth of all adopted children in the United States were born in other countries.

Question 40

How do fathers influence their children's development both in the short term and the long term?

Question 41

To reach a clearer understanding of how a parent's occupation would affect his or her parenting style, describe what you think the typical household of a physician and his or her children would be like compared to the typical household of a textile factory worker and his or her children. In your description, include what you think the number of children would be in each family, where those children would attend school, who might keep preschoolers if the mother works, and how those children might be disciplined and influenced in values, goals, and achievements.

Question 42

How has the transformation of the U.S. economy over the past few decades hurt many parents and made child rearing more difficult?

Question 43

Why might studies of lesbian mothers not be as scientifically accurate as other studies?

Question 44

Do parents whose children are enrolled in daycare generally attempt to compensate for the time they spend apart? If so, do mothers and fathers generally both compensate to the same extent?

Question 45

Describe the three styles of parental behavior analyzed by psychologist Diana Baumrind. Which style do you intend to use if you have children? (Or which style do you use now, if you have children?)

Question 46

What kind of class bias may be guiding Baumrind's analysis of different parenting styles? In other words, who determines what a "socially competent" child is? Who defines "high" self-esteem, and so on?

Question 47

Describe and explain why the adoption system in the United States has changed in the past three or four decades.

Question 48

What distinguishing characteristics does the United States have as a society that would make its citizens less willing to support and foster the well-being of all U.S. children?

Question 49

How has adoption changed in recent decades? Do you feel that these changes reflect the shifting definition of "family" in America?

Question 50

Why has there been a great deal of research on issues of motherhood and very little on fatherhood? Why do you think this has happened? In your opinion, what kind of bias does this indicate?

Question 51

Discuss how mass incarceration has had an effect on African American children.

Question 52

Compare the well-being of U.S. children today with the well-being of U.S. children in the early 1900s.