Question 1

As a child, Tanya was forced to witness her father beating up her brother. This form of psychological abuse would best be considered as an example of:

Accepted Answer

Terrorization is a form of psychological child maltreatment in which a child is forced to witness the abuse of a loved one or is threatened with personal abuse.

Question 2

Rejection, degradation, and terrorization are examples of which of the following types of child maltreatment?

Accepted Answer

Rejection, degradation, and terrorization are all forms of psychological abuse, which involves emotional harm, threats, and manipulation of a child's feelings and behaviors. It can have serious long-term effects on a child's mental health and well-being. Physical abuse involves the use of physical force or violence, sexual abuse includes any sexual activity with a child, and child neglect involves a failure to provide for a child's basic needs such as food, shelter, and medical care.

Question 3

What relationship appears to exist between strong public support for child care and the impact that large families have on IQ?

Accepted Answer

When there is strong support for child care, children growing up in large families are more likely to have access to quality early childhood education and care, which can lessen the negative impact of having fewer resources and less attention from parents. Therefore, choice A is the best answer.

Question 4

According to research presented in the text, when children who were abused in their first 5 years were followed to age 21, they were more likely than nonabused children to experience all of the following EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The research presented in the text found that children who were abused in their first 5 years were more likely than nonabused children to experience juvenile delinquency, school dropout, and job problems, but they were not found to marry later or have fewer children of their own.

Question 5

Suppose you are studying the relationship between IQ and being a first born child. If you looked at two different groups - children born to middle-class families in the suburbs of Chicago and children raised in a communal setting in South America - which of the following differences would you expect to find?

Accepted Answer

Any effects in intellectual ability or achievement associated with being a firstborn child are most likely associated with the child's role in the family. Simply put, the firstborn child benefits from all of the parent's attention, whereas subsequent children must share. This explanation is supported by cross-cultural research (Murray, et al., 2008). The firstborn child in a U.S. family usually is at least temporarily the only child in the home and has his or her own room and possessions, with liberal access to parents for conversation and games. In contrast, firstborn children in agriculture-based cultures, such as those studied in Kenya (LeVine, 1990), often involve communal living quarters, with the child living with older children from other families who function much like older siblings. As a result, the benefits associated with being firstborn are markedly less.

Question 6

When Stacey asked her mother, "What's 2 plus 2?" her mother replied, "Four, you dummy!" This is an example of what form of psychological abuse?

Accepted Answer

Degradation is a form of psychological child maltreatment that involves humiliating children in public or calling them names like "Dummy." As a result, children's self-esteem is lowered by frequent assaults on their dignity or intelligence.

Question 7

When Charlie and his brother started arguing in a grocery store, their father shouted at them, "If you don't behave, I'll break every bone in your body!" This is best considered to be an example of what form of psychological abuse?

Accepted Answer

Terrorization is a form of psychological child maltreatment in which a child is forced to witness the abuse of a loved one or is threatened with personal abuse.

Question 8

According to research presented in the text, the more children there are in the family, the ____ their IQs tend to be and the _____ are their chances from graduating from high school.

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that in larger families, children tend to have lower IQs and lower chances of graduating from high school.

Question 9

Statistically, _______ children are more likely to be abused and _______ children are likely to sustain more serious injuries when abuse does occur.

Accepted Answer

Younger children are more likely to be abused and also likely to sustain more serious injuries when abuse occurs. This is because they are more vulnerable, less able to protect themselves, and less likely to seek or obtain help.

Question 10

Janet's parents have clear expectations for all family members that dinner will be eaten in the dining room, with no TV on, and it will begin with a prayer. Everyone in the family understands how dinners will occur, and everyone seems to enjoy this routine. Therefore, it would best be considered an example of the concept of:

Accepted Answer

Shared goals involve a common understanding of how family interactions will be conducted and what their outcomes will be. The result is a harmonious atmosphere in which decisions are reached without much struggle for control.

Question 11

In general, which of the following groups is the most likely to maltreat children?

Accepted Answer

Research has consistently shown that mothers are more likely to be the perpetrators of child maltreatment than fathers or other family members. This may be because mothers typically have more hands-on involvement in the day-to-day care of children, which can increase the likelihood of stressful situations and conflicts arising. Additionally, societal expectations may place a greater burden on mothers to be the primary caregivers, which can increase the risk of maltreatment when they feel overwhelmed or unsupported. However, it is important to note that the majority of mothers do not maltreat their children and that fathers, brothers, and non-family members can also perpetrate abuse or neglect.

Question 12

According to data presented in the text, which form of child maltreatment is most common in the United States?

Accepted Answer

According to the text, child neglect is the most common form of maltreatment in the United States.

Question 13

Suppose that Frank was abused as a small child. Generalizing from research presented in the text, you would expect that consequently he would be:

Accepted Answer

When followed to age 21, children who were physically abused in their first 5 years were at greater risk for arrest, juvenile delinquency, and dropping out of school and were more likely to become a teenage parent and have difficulty holding a job (Lansford et al., 2007). These findings pertain to both abused boys and abused girls.

Question 14

Statistically speaking, the sexual abuse of a girl is most likely to be committed by the girl's:

Accepted Answer

Statistically, stepfathers are more likely to be perpetrators of sexual abuse against girls compared to other family members listed.

Question 15

According to data collected by the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, about what percent of all cases of child maltreatment involved abuse by the child's parent or parents?

Accepted Answer

According to data collected by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, about 81% of all cases of child maltreatment involve abuse by the child's parent or parents. This includes physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect.

Question 16

Suppose that 6-year-old Samantha (a girl) is sexually abused. Generalizing from statistics, which of the following people would be most likely to have committed this abuse?

Accepted Answer

Although research shows that 95% of sexual abuse is committed by men, when little girls are involved, the child's biological father usually does not commit the abuse. Stepfathers are 5 times more likely to abuse female children than are biological fathers.

Question 17

According to the text, if a family does not have a set of shared goals, which of the following is likely to result?

Accepted Answer

Without shared goals, every decision must be negotiated as there is no common understanding or framework to guide decision-making, leading to potential conflicts and inefficiencies.

Question 18

In families where there are several children, the typical finding is that the personalities of the various children are ___________ and environmental effects on children are _________________.

Accepted Answer

The personalities of children within families are typically different from each other (e.g. one child may be outgoing while another is introverted). Additionally, the environmental effects on children can vary greatly within a family based on factors such as birth order, parental treatment, and life events. Therefore, option D – where personalities are quite different and environmental effects are very different for each child – is the most accurate answer.

Question 19

Which of the following statements regarding the effects of birth order on children is generally true?

Accepted Answer

Numerous studies have found that oldest children tend to have higher IQs compared to their younger siblings.

Question 20

Suppose that 5-year-old Randy tries to be affectionate with his mother, but she responds with coldness and she ignores him. If the mother's behavior is serious enough to be considered child maltreatment, what type of psychological abuse is this?

Accepted Answer

Denial of emotional responsiveness is a form of psychological child maltreatment in which there is a passive withholding of affection that involves behaviors such as coldness or failing to respond to the child's attempts to communicate.

Quiz 7: Early Childhood: Personality and Sociocultural Development