Question 1

Recently, Janine has become very curious about her genitals and she has begun asking lots of questions about the "differences" between girls and boys. Generalizing from information presented in the text, your best guess is that Janine is about how old?

Accepted Answer

The text states that fascination with the genital regions usually develops at about age 3 or 4, and that masturbation and curiosity about sex-related topics is common at this age.

Question 2

Bridget is very anxious about being independent from her parents. Although she would like to be with them, instead she pushes them away and behaves with exaggerated independence. What defense mechanism is she using?

Accepted Answer

Reaction formation refers to behaving in ways opposite to your inclinations; when children have thoughts or desires that make them anxious, they may react by behaving in a contradictory way. For example, they might like to cling to their parents, but instead they push them away and behave with exaggerated independence and assertiveness.

Question 3

The primary goal of a defense mechanism is to:

Accepted Answer

As noted in the text, parents should understand that children sometimes rely on defense mechanisms, which are the psychodynamic tricks and behaviors used by individuals to disguise or reduce tensions that lead to fear or anxiety.

Question 4

After Amy's dog died, she pretended that it was still alive and called out for it by name and pretended to play with it outside. What defense mechanism is Amy using?

Accepted Answer

Denial entails refusing to admit that a situation exists or that an event happened; for example, children may react to an upsetting situation such as the death of a pet by pretending that the pet is still living in the house and sleeping with them at night.

Question 5

Generalizing from research cited in the text, if Tom was 12 years old and was still having frequent temper tantrums, as an adult you would expect that he would be at higher than normal risk for:

Accepted Answer

In one longitudinal study, children who were still having temper tantrums at age 10 were tracked into adulthood (Caspi, 1998). The researchers found that these children tended to be unsuccessful as adults as a result of their continuing outbursts of anger. They had difficulty holding jobs, and their marriages often ended in divorce.

Question 6

Five-year-old Jenny told her mother, "Kate doesn't like me," when in actuality, Jenny doesn't like Kate. What defense mechanism is Jenny using?

Accepted Answer

Projection refers to the process of attributing undesirable thoughts or actions to someone else and, in the process, distorting reality; "She did it, not me" is a projective statement. "He wants to hurt me" may seem more acceptable than "I want to hurt him." Projection thus sets the stage for a distorted form of self-defense; for example, "If he wants to hurt me, I'd better do it to him first."

Question 7

According to the text, the emotion regulation of which of the following feelings is especially important during early childhood?

Accepted Answer

Shame and guilt are particularly important emotions for regulation during early childhood because they are complex emotions that relate to self-evaluation and the understanding of social norms and expectations. Learning to manage these feelings is crucial for developing social skills and self-esteem.

Question 8

According to the text, at about what age do children begin to show a fascination with their genital regions of their bodies?

Accepted Answer

According to the text, children begin to show a fascination with their genital regions of their bodies around age 3-4.

Question 9

Suppose that 5-year-old Mike's parents are concerned that he is too fearful. To help him better cope with his fears, Mike's parents would be advised to do all of the following EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

As the textbook notes, often the best way to help children cope with anxiety is to reduce unnecessary stress in their lives. When children show unusually high levels of tension or have frequent temper tantrums, it is often helpful to simplify their lives by maintaining daily routines; specifying clearly what is expected of them; and helping them anticipate special events, such as visits from friends and relatives. Other helpful strategies include reducing their exposure to parental fighting or violent television programs and protecting them from being teased or tormented by siblings or neighborhood bullies or gangs.

Question 10

The process of dealing with emotions in socially acceptable ways is called:

Accepted Answer

Emotion regulation is the process of dealing with emotions in a way that is socially acceptable. Compliance refers to following rules or requests. Self-regulation refers to controlling one's own behavior. Prosocial behavior is behavior that benefits others.

Question 11

If Maria's parents are concerned that her inability to cope with one of her emotions is disrupting her sense of identity, the emotion that is most likely to be involved would be:

Accepted Answer

Shame reflects negatively on one's identity and is associated with the desire to undo aspects of the self. Guilt, on the other hand, is focus on changing behavior, rather than changing oneself. Anxiety and fear do not have a major impact on the person's conception of their self. They might lead to the child's development of shame if the child is embarrassed about being fearful or anxious, but in themselves they do not impact the self concept.

Question 12

Suppose that a 3-year-old begins to ask his mother to check under the bad for wolves every night at bedtime. Generalizing from information presented in the text, the best response from the parent would be:

Accepted Answer

When their fears are mild, children can be gently and sympathetically encouraged to confront and overcome them. Parents can help by demonstrating that there is little to fear.

Question 13

Based on research cited in the text, you would expect that 5-year-old Robby is most likely to fear:

Accepted Answer

A classic study of children's fears (Jersild & Holmes, 1935) found that younger children were most likely to be afraid of specific objects or situations, such as strangers, unfamiliar things, the dark, loud noises, or falling. In contrast, children age 5 or 6 were more likely to fear imaginary or abstract things, such as monsters, robbers, death, being alone, or being ridiculed.

Question 14

Alex's parents are working very hard to help him learn to manage his feelings so that they don't overwhelm him. In particular, they are helping him cope with the anxiety he feels when he is left alone. The term that best describes what Alex's parents are trying to do is:

Accepted Answer

Emotional development requires that children learn to deal with a wide range of emotions, not just fear and anxiety, in socially acceptable ways-a process called emotion regulation.

Question 15

According to the text, which of the following would NOT be advised as a means of helping a child cope with stress?

Accepted Answer

Discouraging the child from seeking comfort in immature behaviors such as thumb sucking or cuddling a blanket may increase their stress and anxiety. It is important to provide a secure and supportive environment for the child to cope with stress.

Question 16

The text reports the results of studies that track children who were still having temper tantrums at age 10 into adulthood. The major finding of these studies was that children who failed to learn to control their temper:

Accepted Answer

The text states that children who failed to learn to control their temper were more likely to have trouble holding a job, indicating that they may struggle with social and emotional skills that are important in the workplace. A, B, and C are not supported by the information provided in the text.

Question 17

If Betsy is afraid of monsters under her bed at bedtime, what is most likely the best way her parents can help her overcome her fear?

Accepted Answer

When their fears are mild, children can be gently and sympathetically encouraged to confront and overcome them. Parents can help by demonstrating that there is little to fear.

Question 18

Tyler was angry with his baby sister, but he could not hit her, so he went outside and kicked a ball instead. This illustrates the use of the defense mechanism called:

Accepted Answer

Displacement is defined as substituting something or someone else for the real source of anger or fear; for example, a child may be angry with his baby sister, but he cannot hit her. Perhaps he cannot even admit to himself that he wants to hit her, so he torments the family dog or cat instead.

Question 19

Jake was involved in a fight but he cannot remember any of it. This defense mechanism, in which he completely erased the fight from consciousness, is called:

Accepted Answer

Repression is an extreme form of denial in which the person unconsciously erases a frightening event or circumstance from awareness; there is no need to rely on fantasy because the child literally does not consciously remember that the event ever occurred.

Question 20

Seven-year-old Andy reacted to his newborn sister's birth by sucking his thumb, a behavior he had quit long ago. His way of coping with his anxiety is in the form of what defense mechanism?

Accepted Answer

Regression is defined as returning to an earlier or more infantile form of behavior as a way of coping with a stressful situation; for example, a frustrated 8-year-old suddenly reverts to sucking her thumb and carrying around her blanket, regressing to behaviors that were given up years before.

Quiz 7: Early Childhood: Personality and Sociocultural Development

Recently, Janine has become very curious about her genitals and she has begun asking lots of questions about the "differences" between girls and boys. Generalizing from information presented in the text, your best guess is that Janine is about how old?

Bridget is very anxious about being independent from her parents. Although she would like to be with them, instead she pushes them away and behaves with exaggerated independence. What defense mechanism is she using?

The primary goal of a defense mechanism is to:

After Amy's dog died, she pretended that it was still alive and called out for it by name and pretended to play with it outside. What defense mechanism is Amy using?

Generalizing from research cited in the text, if Tom was 12 years old and was still having frequent temper tantrums, as an adult you would expect that he would be at higher than normal risk for:

Five-year-old Jenny told her mother, "Kate doesn't like me," when in actuality, Jenny doesn't like Kate. What defense mechanism is Jenny using?

According to the text, the emotion regulation of which of the following feelings is especially important during early childhood?

According to the text, at about what age do children begin to show a fascination with their genital regions of their bodies?

Suppose that 5-year-old Mike's parents are concerned that he is too fearful. To help him better cope with his fears, Mike's parents would be advised to do all of the following EXCEPT:

The process of dealing with emotions in socially acceptable ways is called:

If Maria's parents are concerned that her inability to cope with one of her emotions is disrupting her sense of identity, the emotion that is most likely to be involved would be:

Suppose that a 3-year-old begins to ask his mother to check under the bad for wolves every night at bedtime. Generalizing from information presented in the text, the best response from the parent would be:

Based on research cited in the text, you would expect that 5-year-old Robby is most likely to fear:

Alex's parents are working very hard to help him learn to manage his feelings so that they don't overwhelm him. In particular, they are helping him cope with the anxiety he feels when he is left alone. The term that best describes what Alex's parents are trying to do is:

According to the text, which of the following would NOT be advised as a means of helping a child cope with stress?

The text reports the results of studies that track children who were still having temper tantrums at age 10 into adulthood. The major finding of these studies was that children who failed to learn to control their temper:

If Betsy is afraid of monsters under her bed at bedtime, what is most likely the best way her parents can help her overcome her fear?

Tyler was angry with his baby sister, but he could not hit her, so he went outside and kicked a ball instead. This illustrates the use of the defense mechanism called:

Jake was involved in a fight but he cannot remember any of it. This defense mechanism, in which he completely erased the fight from consciousness, is called:

Seven-year-old Andy reacted to his newborn sister's birth by sucking his thumb, a behavior he had quit long ago. His way of coping with his anxiety is in the form of what defense mechanism?