Q&A Hero

Q: Which of the following statements about attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is true? A)Boys are diagnosed three to nine times as often as girls. B)Girls are diagnosed twice as often as boys. C)ADHD affects about 15 percent of U.S. school children. D)All children with ADHD are hyperactive.

Q: Mrs. Rosinski gives each of her children, ages 5, 8, and 12, a shopping list of 10 items. Which of the following results can she expect to see? A)Her 5-year-old will probably make a plan before searching for items. B)Her 12-year-old will probably scan the store before searching for items. C)All of the children will immediately start to retrieve items. D)All of the children will probably make a plan before searching for items.

Q: Ten-year-old Gemma is presented with a stream of numbers on a computer screen. She is asked to press a button whenever the two-digit sequence of a "5" followed by a "7" appears. Gemma's __________ attention is being tested. A)adaptive B)selective C)planful D)productive

Q: During middle childhood, attention becomes A)less controlled. B)more rigid. C)less planful. D)more selective.

Q: Which of the following statements about children with very low working-memory scores is true? A)About 30 percent of children have very low working-memory scores. B)They can benefit from direct training with working memory tasks. C)Children from economically advantaged families are likely to score low on working-memory tasks. D)The majority of children with low working-memory scores improve without intervention.

Q: Many studies confirm that children with persistent learning difficulties in reading and math are often A)from advantaged backgrounds. B)deficient in working memory. C)families who don't value education. D)skilled at inhibition.

Q: As the prefrontal cortex develops in middle childhood, executive function undergoes marked improvement and children make gains in A)information-processing speed. B)information-processing capacity. C)strategic thinking. D)rehearsing.

Q: Which of the following best characterizes Piaget's view of cognitive development in middle childhood? A)continuous improvement in logical skills B)discontinuous restructuring of children's thinking C)biological prewiring of processes D)random change in cognitive processes

Q: Daniella loves to listen to and tell stories but rarely draws pictures. Daniella displays __________ advanced central conceptual structures in __________. A)less; storytelling B)no; storytelling C)more; storytelling D)more; drawing

Q: Accordingly to Case, once the schemes of a Piagetian stage are sufficiently automatic and integrated into an improved representation, children acquire __________ that permit them to think more effectively in a wide range of situations. A)abstract ideas B)primary systems C)discontinuous structures D)central conceptual structures

Q: Some Neo-Piagetian theorists argue that the development of operational thinking can best be understood in terms of A)a sudden shift to a new developmental stage. B)a gradual mastery of logical concepts as children age. C)expansion of information-processing capacity. D)children's interaction with adults and more skilled social models.

Q: On the basis of cross-cultural research, some investigators have concluded that the forms of logic required by Piagetian tasks A)emerge earlier in collectivist than individualist cultures. B)emerge spontaneously in children from diverse cultures. C)are heavily influenced by heredity. D)are heavily influenced by training, context, and cultural conditions.

Q: Follow-up research on concrete operational thought shows that when children of the same age are tested, those __________ do better on transitive inference problems. A) with well-developed language skills B) who spend long hours engaged in make-believe play C) with advanced metacognitive skills D) who have been in school longer

Q: Cross-cultural research suggests that A)compared to non-Western societies, comprehension of conservation in Western societies is greatly delayed. B)Non-Western and Western children attain conservation at about the same age. C)taking part in everyday activities helps children master conservation and other Piagetian problems. D)conservation is not a relevant concept in non-Western societies.

Q: Eleven-year-old Nathan first grasped conservation of number, followed by length, liquid, mass, and then weight. This limitation of concrete operational thinking is known as A)transitive inference. B)continuum of acquisition. C)adaptability. D)conservation of thought.

Q: A child in the concrete operational stage will have the most trouble with which of the following? A)abstract ideas B)concrete information C)information she can perceive directly D)dual representation

Q: When Kelli, a researcher, asks school-age children in a small city in India to draw maps of their neighborhoods, Kelli will probably see maps that depict A)main streets. B)key directions. C)people and vehicles. D)formal, extended space.

Q: Mrs. Hartley asked her second graders to draw a map of the school using their memory. The students' cognitive maps will probably A)have an accurate arrangement. B)include landmarks. C)incorporate map symbols and a key. D)depict an organized route of travel.

Q: Heather is lining up crayons in order from shortest to longest. This skill is known as A)continuum of acquisition. B)decentration. C)conservation of length. D)seriation.

Q: Which of the following children shows awareness of classification hierarchies? A)Nick, who enjoys lining all of his action figures up and arranging them from shortest to tallest B)Paige, who draws a map of her neighborhood, complete with landmarks and streets C)Isabel, who spends hours sorting and resorting her collection of bracelets, grouping them first by color, then by size, and finally by shape D)Jorge, who pretends he is king and that his little brothers are the commoners who must do his will

Q: Nine-year-old Ryan thinks through a series of steps and then mentally reverses direction, returning to the starting point. Ryan is capable of A)conservation. B)reversibility. C)decentration. D)seriation.

Q: Eight-year-old Daniel focuses on several aspects of a problem and relates them, rather than centering on just one. Daniel is capable of A)decentration. B)conservation. C)reversibility. D)seriation.

Q: In Piaget's concrete operational stage, A)thought is more logical, flexible, and organized than it was during early childhood. B)the focus is on coordination of sensation and action through reflexive behaviors. C)the child learns to use and represent objects by images, words, and drawings. D)individuals move beyond concrete experiences and begin to think abstractly.

Q: School children around the world engage in an enormous variety of informally organized games. How do these activities contribute to social and emotional development?

Q: Describe advances and contributing factors in gross- and fine-motor development over middle childhood.

Q: List some interventions for chronically ill children that foster positive family relationships, help parents and children cope with the disease, and improve adjustment.

Q: List and describe common factors associated with childhood obesity.

Q: Describe some of the major changes in brain development in middle childhood and the effects these changes have on cognition.

Q: Describe the secular trends in physical growth over the past 150 years, including factors that may be responsible for changing trends.

Q: Many experts believe that schools should A)offer more physical education classes that emphasize training in competitive sports. B)offer more frequent physical education classes and change the content of these programs. C)eradicate recesses in favor of an earlier end to the school day. D)eradicate recesses to allow for longer lunch periods to ensure proper nutrition.

Q: Which of the following statements about physical activity in U.S. schools is true? A)Only six U.S. states require 45 minutes of physical education per day through the high school years. B)More than two-thirds of school-age children do not attend any physical education classes during a typical school week. C)Most U.S. states require some physical education in every grade. D)Only one state mandates at least 30 minutes of physical education per day in elementary school.

Q: Research shows that children are more physically active during __________ than __________. A)gym class; recess B)field trips; gym class C)classroom time; recess D)recess; gym class

Q: Which of the following statements is supported by research on school recess? A)Distributing cognitively demanding tasks over a longer time by introducing regular breaks enhances attention and performance. B)Extra time for academics translates into achievement gains in children as young as age 6. C)Recess benefits children the most when adult supervisors organize and direct play activities. D)Teacher ratings of classroom disruptive behavior increase for children who have more than 15 minutes of recess a day.

Q: Unlike children, teenage rough-and-tumble players A)establish a dominance hierarchy. B)rarely cheat. C)continue interacting after an episode. D)hurt their opponents.

Q: Once school-age children establish a dominance hierarchy, A)aggression increases. B)rough-and-tumble play decreases. C)hostility is rare. D)cheating is common.

Q: Rough-and-tumble play helps children form A)a dominance hierarchy. B)cliques. C)a stable gender identity. D)a stable self-concept.

Q: Rough-and-tumble play A)is more common among girls than among boys. B)is completely unique to humans. C)peaks in the preschool years, then declines during adolescence. D)seems to originate in parents' physical play with babies.

Q: Adam and Philip occasionally wrestle, roll, hit, and run after one another, alternating roles while smiling and laughing. Adam and Philip are engaged in __________ play. A)rough-and-tumble B)parallel C)nonsocial D)constructive

Q: When parents and coaches emphasize __________, young athletes enjoy sports more and perceive themselves as more competent at their chosen sport. A)awards B)competition C)scores D)effort

Q: Who is most likely to influence children's athletic attitudes and capabilities? A)peers B)parents C)coaches D)teachers

Q: Justine, whose mother is a fitness buff, joined a gymnastics club at the age of 2. Which of the following is a likely outcome for Justine? A)She will acquire gross-motor skills earlier than her peers. B)She will soon lose interest in gymnastics. C)She will be more influenced by her coach than by her mother. D)She will be a lifelong sports enthusiast.

Q: When coaches make winning paramount, weaker performers generally experience __________, an affect that is more common in __________. A)adjustment problems; boys B)low self-esteem; girls C)social ostracism; boys D)peer sympathy; girls

Q: Which of the following statements about joining community athletic teams is true? A)For most children, it is associated with increased competition and decreased social skills. B)For most children, it is associated with increased self-esteem and social skills. C)Among shy children, sports participation often contributes to an increase in social anxiety. D)Community sports usually allow children to naturally experiment with rules and strategies.

Q: About 60 percent of U.S. boys and 37 percent of U.S. girls __________ between ages 5 and 18. A)attend physical education classes during a typical school week B)play with other-sex peers during and after school hours C)participate in organized sports outside of school hours at some time D)engage in at least moderate-intensity physical activity for 60 minutes per day

Q: Compared with past generations, children today spend less time A)gathering informally on sidewalks. B)in adult-organized sports. C)watching television. D)playing video games.

Q: Child-invented games usually rely on A)complex physical skills. B)a sizable element of luck. C)social problem-solving skills. D)an element of physical risk-taking.

Q: Gains in __________ permit the transition to rule-oriented games. A)flexibility B)agility C)perspective taking D)fine-motor ability

Q: Which of the following is likely to help increase girls' self-confidence and participation in athletics? A)less emphasis on skill training for girls, as basic skills are already commensurate with those of boys B)educating parents about the minimal differences in school-age boys' and girls' physical capacities C)decreased attention to girls' athletic achievements, to avoid embarrassment or undue pressure D)decreased attention to boys' athletic achievements, because athletics are overemphasized in American culture

Q: Which of the following factors contribute to boys' gross-motor superiority? A)genetic advantage and parental expectations B)media exposure and superior agility C)superior flexibility and girls' lack of interest in athletics D)boys' high self-esteem and girls' low self-esteem

Q: Boys have an edge over girls in A)handwriting. B)kicking. C)hopping. D)skipping.

Q: Girls have an edge over boys in A)running. B)drawing. C)kicking. D)throwing.

Q: Which of the following statements about individual differences in motor skills is true? A)Parents tend to actively discourage girls from participating in athletic activities. B)Family income affects children's access to lessons needed to develop certain abilities. C)Boys are able to understand and process the rules of most athletic events more quickly than girls. D)Many low-SES children are less skilled in motor activities even when they are exposed to formal lessons.

Q: __________ children excel at many motor tasks. A)Shorter B)Less muscular C)Taller D)Heavier

Q: Around 9 to 10 years, _______ is/are clearly evident in children's drawings. A)mastery of humanlike figures B)accurate copies of two-dimensional shapes C)depth cues D)the third dimension

Q: Legibility of writing gradually increases as children A)use larger, more uniform lettering. B)produce more accurate letters with uniform height and spacing. C)learn to make strokes with their entire arm. D)learn to accurately integrate two-dimensional shapes.

Q: Young children's writing is usually large because A)horizontal motions are easier to control. B)vertical motions are easier to control. C)it is easier to maintain uniform height with larger letters. D)they make strokes using the entire arm.

Q: At age 6, Ofelia probably A)can print the alphabet and numbers 1 through 10 with reasonable clarity. B)will learn to write lowercase letters before uppercase letters. C)can learn to write in cursive as easily as printing. D)cannot yet integrate two-dimensional shapes into her drawings.

Q: Because 5- to 7-year-olds' gross-motor skills are not fully developed, which of the following sports would be most appropriate? A)softball B)basketball C)football D)kickball

Q: A 10-year-old's reaction time is __________ a 5-year-old's. A)half as fast as B)about equal to C)twice as fast as D)five times as fast as

Q: __________ and __________ play vital roles in improved motor performance. A)Body growth; more efficient information processing B)Environmental factors; increases in brain function C)Increases in muscle control; parental encouragement D)Heredity; opportunities for athletic training

Q: Between 6 and 12 years of age, gains in __________ lead to quicker and more accurate movements. A)agility B)flexibility C)nimbleness D)pliability

Q: Danica, age 9, executes difficult tumbling routines. Since she started gymnastics at age 4, Danica has become more pliable and elastic. This means that Danica has improved A)agility. B)flexibility. C)balance. D)force.

Q: Compared with preschoolers, school-age children are A)physically less pliable. B)physically more elastic. C)more agile, but less able to balance. D)stronger, but less agile.

Q: As Breanna gets older, how will her batting abilities change? A)Her speed will increase, but her accuracy will stay the same. B)Her speed will stay the same, but her accuracy will improve. C)Batting motions will involve her entire body. D)Batting motions will primarily involve her upper body.

Q: A ball thrown by a(n) __________ travels an average speed of 29 feet per second. A)6-year-old girl B)6-year-old boy C)8-year-old girl D)8-year-old boy

Q: Imparting health information to school-age children is difficult because they A)are far more concerned about schoolwork, friends, and play. B)have time perspectives that relate past, present, and future. C)are typically rebellious and ignore the suggestions of authority figures. D)are skeptical of advertising, which makes a huge effort to promote healthy living.

Q: Which of the following statements about children's understanding of health is true? A)Much health information given to children is reinforced by other sources, such as television advertising. B)Children are able to link engaging in preventive behaviors with later health consequences. C)Health is seldom an important goal for most school-age children, who feel good most of the time. D)Most school-age children are unable to comprehend a wide range of health information.

Q: Most efforts to impart health concepts to school-age children have __________ impact on behavior. A)no B)little C)a moderate D)a significant

Q: Which of the following children is most likely to be a risk-taker? A)Priyanka, whose parents are safety-conscious B)Jesse, whose parents strictly supervise his activities C)Daphne, whose parents consistently enforce rules D)Marcus, whose parents use punitive discipline

Q: __________ leads to a 9 percent reduction in __________ injuries, a leading cause of permanent physical disability and death in school-age children. A)Wearing protective helmets; head B)Proper use of car seats and seat belts; spinal C)Teaching children to use crosswalks; pedestrian D)Improving playgrounds; motor vehicle accident

Q: Parents A)often underestimate children's safety knowledge. B)often underestimate children's physical abilities. C)have little influence on children's safety knowledge. D)must be educated about children's age-related safety capabilities.

Q: Which of the following statements about childhood injuries is true? A)Injury fatalities decrease from middle childhood into adolescence. B)Injury rates for girls are considerably higher than those for boys. C)Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of injury fatalities in middle childhood. D)Sports-related injuries are the second leading cause of injury in middle childhood.

Q: Which of the following statements about chronically ill children is true? A)About 10 percent of U.S. children suffer from severe chronic illnesses. B)Children with chronic illnesses usually outperform agemates on academic progress. C)A strong link exists between good family functioning and child well-being for chronically ill children. D)Most chronically ill children fare well in emotional and social adjustment.

Q: Which of the following is related to asthma? A)obesity B)enuresis C)otitis media D)myopia

Q: Which of the following children is at greatest risk of suffering from asthma? A)Shoshanna, who was born overweight B)Lucy, who is middle-SES C)James, who is African American D)Haruki, whose parents do not smoke

Q: When Elliot engages in intense exercise, particularly in cold weather or during allergy season, his bronchial tubes fill with mucus and contract. This causes him to cough and have serious breathing difficulties. Elliot has A)nocturnal enuresis. B)asthma. C)emphysema. D)bronchitis.

Q: About one-third of U.S. children with chronic illnesses have A)diabetes. B)cystic fibrosis. C)sickle cell anemia. D)asthma.

Q: Children experience a somewhat higher rate of illness during the first two years of elementary school than later, because of A)exposure to sick children and a immune system that is still developing. B)a lack of immunizations required for school entry. C)poor hygiene and a lack of preventative measures in schools. D)increased contact with unfamiliar foods in school lunches.

Q: Mikkah is 8 years old and experiences nocturnal enuresis. His parents have decided against any type of treatment, feeling that he will "outgrow it." His parents should know that A)treatment in middle childhood has immediate, positive psychological consequences. B)enuresis is a lifelong condition and is not something that can be outgrown. C)doing nothing is, in fact, the most effective treatment for enuresis. D)without medical intervention, the condition can worsen and lead to other problems.

Q: The most effective treatment for enuresis is/are A)stimulants. B)a urine alarm. C)anxiety medication. D)punishment.