Q&A Hero

Q: A group of individuals who are born during a particular time period (e.g., the baby boomers) is known as what? A. a generation X B. a cohort C. an age-graded society D. a census group

Q: Following the end of World War II, many parents wanted to have children as soon as possible, creating what has come to be called the postwar: A. baby boom. B. depression. C. infantile fixation. D. cohort effect.

Q: During the first half of the 21st century, the adolescent population is expected to: A. decrease. B. increase. C. remain constant. D. unable to predict.

Q: As a social scientist who works with advocacy groups, it is most likely that Professor Sandburg would be interested in tracking the size of the adolescent population over a period of time for all of the following reasons, except: A. he wants to see how funds are allocated for such things as social services, education, and health care. B. he wants to understand the behavior of different cohorts. C. he wants to see how these groups are influenced by the mass media. D. he wants to see the degree of political or social influence that given cohorts have.

Q: According to some commentators, teenagers have become separate from adult society to such an extent that they have established their own society, which undermines parents' authority and emphasizes peer deviance. This society is called: A. the Woodstock generation. B. the dead poet's society. C. the lost boys. D. the youth culture.

Q: Which of the following writers has been the most vocal proponent of the idea that there is a separate and troublesome "youth culture"? A. Margaret Mead B. Eleanor Maccoby C. Brad Brown D. James Coleman

Q: In The Adolescent Society, Coleman expressed concern over the finding that adolescents: A. showed high rates of drug and alcohol abuse. B. reported frequent periods of loneliness. C. placed a greater emphasis on good looks, wealth, and athletic ability than academic success. D. spent more time with their parents than with their peers.

Q: When researchers evaluated the social climate of today's schools to see just how much had changed since the Adolescent Society was published, what did they find? A. The researchers replicated the findings of the Adolescent Society. B. In contrast to the findings presented in the Adolescent Society, researchers found that academic achievement was strongly valued among today's adolescents. C. The researchers concluded that there were both similarities and differences between the climate of today's "adolescent society" and the society described 60 years ago. D. In contrast to the society described 60 years ago, today's adolescents placed a greater emphasis on attractiveness, wealth, and athletic ability.

Q: A separate youth culture is said to promote all of the following, except: A. academics. B. sports. C. dating. D. partying.

Q: Some commentators have proposed that today's youth are so age segregated that problems such as youth unemployment, teenage suicide, juvenile delinquency, and drug and alcohol use have resulted because adolescents: A. have become alienated from and unfamiliar with the values of adults. B. have developed a great deal of anger toward adults. C. look at their country's leaders and see what a low standard has been set in terms of education, so they follow these role models. D. are not challenged by today's educational curriculum.

Q: Henry believes that the rise of adolescent peer groups has contributed to the rise of adolescent crime and drug use. Which of the following statements refutes this belief? A. Even though society has continued to become increasingly age segregated, the rates of many adolescent problem behaviors have fluctuated considerably over the past few decades. B. Contemporary adolescents spend more time in peer groups than adolescents did in past eras. C. Today's adolescents are more susceptible to the influence of their friends than adolescents were in past eras. D. Peers indeed have a universally bad influence on each other.

Q: Natalie's mom believes that peers influence each other to use drugs and spend time partying rather than studying. Given what you know about adolescent peer relationships, is this true? A. Natalie's mom is wrongan adolescent's decision to engage in or abstain from illegal drug use is based on her relationship and conversations with her parents, not peers. B. Natalie's mom is rightpeers are overwhelmingly more likely to exert a negative influence, such as encouraging drug use, than a positive influence, such as valuing academic achievement. C. Natalie's mom is wrongpeers are likely to exert positive, but not negative, influences on each other. D. Natalie's mom is sort of rightadolescents exert both positive and negative influences on each other.

Q: Why is there an ethnic separation in adolescents' peer groups? Discuss ways in which society can break this cycle of separation.

Q: The head of the local high school PTA has asked you about the different types of crowds the students may cluster into. She also wants to know whether (and why) rejected/unpopular adolescents are at risk for behavioral and emotional problems. Finally, she wants to know if anything can be done to help unpopular adolescents. What would you tell her?

Q: Describe the ways that adolescents are bullied by peers (be sure to include the prevalence for each type). What are the consequences of experiencing victimization by peers? Are the consequences different for online bullying versus in person bullying? How do adolescents typically respond to bullying? What is the best way to get a bully to stop?

Q: Judy and Jessica hang around people their same age. These people are most accurately described as: A. friends. B. buddies. C. peers. D. chums.

Q: In comparison with teenagers in previous times, teenagers in contemporary societies spend ________ time with their peers ________ with their parents. A. more; than B. less; than C. as much; as D. There is too much conflicting data on this issue to give a definitive answer.

Q: The process of grouping individuals within social institutions on the basis of chronological age is called: A. mainstreaming. B. tracking. C. age grading. D. reference grouping.

Q: All of the following contributed to the rise of age segregation in contemporary society, except: A. tougher child labor laws. B. rise of secondary education. C. decrease in family values. D. increase of extracurricular activities.

Q: Online harassment is ________ in-person harassment. A. as common as B. more common than C. less common than D. not as likely to have negative effects on victims' emotional well-being as

Q: A recent study of more than 2,000 adolescents found that ____ of adolescents had engaged in electronic bullying, as compared with _____ who had physically bullied someone and ____ who had verbally bullied someone. A. 10%; 40%; 70% B. 70%; 40%; 10% C. 85%; 20%; 90% D. 80%; 15%; 40%

Q: What is the most effective way to respond to a bully? A. to fight back B. to do nothing/to walk away C. to get help from an adult D. to use a variety of strategies

Q: Adolescents who use aggression deliberately, known as ________, are much more popular than adolescents who use aggression without planning to, known as __________. A. reactive formation; reactive aggression B. Machiavellian aggression; instrumental aggression C. instrumental aggression; reactive aggression D. relational aggression; instrumental aggression

Q: The main reason that reactive aggression is associated with unpopularity and greater problems with peers is that reactive aggression is characterized by: A. a combination of aggression and poor emotion regulation or lack of social skills. B. a combination of bad karma and well-developed social skills. C. a combination of delinquent behaviors and extreme shyness in social situations. D. a combination of being female and plotting an aggressive response in advance.

Q: Sarah is a popular teenage girl who has just been made captain of the cheerleading squad. She is very socially adept, and notices that Britney, her social rival, is starting to enjoy more attention from their peers than Sarah receives. Jealous, she decides to start a rumor about Britney that she knows will cause many people to stop liking Britney. Sarah's behavior is best described as an example of what? A. reactive aggression B. friendly fire aggression C. relative aggression D. relational aggression

Q: Interventions designed to help unpopular adolescents improve their social skills have employed which of the following techniques? A. explaining to adolescents that they need to develop a thicker psychological skin in order to make friends B. having adolescents wait patiently until another person engages them in conversation C. teaching social skills like self-expression and leadership techniques D. teaching joke-telling skills to improve their likeability among other adolescents

Q: One study of more than 160,000 adolescent from 35 countries found that: A. The prevalence of bullying is higher in schools characterized by greater income inequality. B. Adolescents who come from less affluent families are less likely to be bullied. C. The prevalence of bullying is higher in countries characterized by less income equality. D. Adolescents who come from more affluent families are more likely to be bullied.

Q: In contrast to the role of the peer group in adolescent development, the family is best suited for helping the adolescent with regard to: A. intimacy. B. responsibility. C. social interactions. D. leisure.

Q: According to research from Due and colleagues, which country is likely to have a relatively low prevalence of bullying? A. Sweden B. Russia C. United States D. Germany

Q: Karen, a ninth-grader, was mad at Cheryl for spilling juice on Karen's shirt. Karen spread a rumor that Cheryl had gossiped about her friends. Karen is using _____ to express her aggression toward Cheryl. A. relational aggression B. hostile attributional bias C. aggressive-withdrawal D. bullying

Q: Esther has been rejected by her peers because she is withdrawn and rejected. Esther is most likely to be at risk for: A. conduct problems. B. diminished social competence. C. aggressive behavior in adulthood. D. drug and alcohol abuse.

Q: Who is at the greatest risk of developing psychological problems as a result of peer rejection? A. an aggressive child B. a withdrawn child C. an aggressive-withdrawn child D. a reclusive child

Q: Hostile attributional bias: A. plays a central role in the aggressive behavior of rejected adolescents. B. plays a small role in the aggressive behavior of rejected adolescents. C. helps rejected adolescents gain acceptance. D. is the only factor in determining the behavior of rejected adolescents.

Q: Dan planned a party and invited his whole English class by passing out personal invitations. Dan accidentally forgot to make an invitation for Sam. Sam assumed he intentionally wasn't invited and became irate at Dan for excluding him. This is an example of: A. relational aggression. B. hostile attributional bias. C. aggressive-withdrawal. D. bullying.

Q: Which of the following is a common finding of recent cyberbullying studies? A. Adolescents who engage in traditional bullying often also engage in cyberbullying. B. Victims of physical or verbal harassment are usually very different than victims of cyberbullying. C. As internet use has increased, cyberbullying has become statistically more common than physical and verbal harassment among the adolescent population. D. More than 80 percent of adolescents have engaged in some form of cyberbullying.

Q: According to the textbook, victims of cyberbullying often report all of the following adjustment problems, except: A. low self-esteem. B. academic difficulties. C. parent-child conflict. D. depression.

Q: Which of the following statements regarding internet harassment is false? A. perpetrators of Internet harassment are likely to show problems in social skills. B. perpetrators of Internet harassment also engage in typical bullying. C. many of the same adolescents who report having been victimized also report bullying others and these adolescents have the greatest adjustment problems. D. most cyberbullying is conducted anonymously.

Q: Pepler, Jiang, Craig, and Connolly (2008) studied a sample of 10- to 17-year-old Toronto youths and found that: A. about 40 percent of adolescents have never bullied anyone. B. nearly all adolescents surveyed had engaged in bullying of some form. C. a correlation exists between bully victimization and drug abuse. D. victims of harassment are less likely to engage in bullying of others.

Q: The following is often a trademark of persistent bullies: A. more troubled family relationships. B. more troubled peer relationships. C. greater difficulty controlling aggression. D. all of the above.

Q: All of the following are classifications for unpopular or disliked adolescents, except: A. aggressive. B. withdrawn. C. aggressive-withdrawn. D. offensive-reclusive.

Q: Which adolescent is most likely to be rejected as a result of aggressive behavior? A. Darlene, a male who is highly relationally aggressive B. Robert, a male who is highly relationally aggressive C. Donald, a male who is highly physically aggressive D. Ronald, a male who is moderately physically aggressive

Q: Adam and his family have been living in chronic poverty for the last few years. His mother has asked you (an expert!) whether their family's financial strain will place Adam at risk for psychological difficulties and problem behavior. She also asks you whether there is anything she can do alleviate the effects of poverty. What would you tell her?

Q: Imagine you are a school psychologist at a public high school. Your school has just accepted three new transfer students: Vincent, who has been reared by his adoptive parents; James, who lives with foster parents; and Peter, who has been reared by lesbian parents. The principal has asked you whether any of these adolescents are at risk for behavioral problems or maladjustment. What would you tell him? Who is most at risk? Who is least at risk? Why might this be?

Q: Why is it so hard to teach adolescents to "just say no" to things adults disapprove, such as drinking, smoking, and having risky sex? A. Unfortunately, these behaviors are typically associated with being popular. B. Unfortunately, adolescents are unwilling (or unable) to resist peer influence. C. Neither A nor B is true. D. Both A and B are true.

Q: Even though it was clear that another student, Raul, accidentally pushed Noah, he insisted that the Raul did it on purpose. What phenomenon is this? A. hostile attributional bias B. status bias C. in-group vs. out-group D. iatrogenic effect

Q: Which of the following statements about cliques is false? A. Cliques are typically more emotionally salient for adolescents involved in antisocial behavior. B. Cliques are typically composed of adolescents from the same socioeconomic background. C. Cliques are typically composed of friends with similar interests and attitudes. D. Cliques rarely have members who differ in age.

Q: The chief determinant of popularity in high school is: A. physical attractiveness. B. academic achievement. C. being good at sports. D. social competence.

Q: According to many well-designed studies that have looked at the psychological consequences of growing up with lesbian or gay parents: A. the quality of the parent-child relationships at home is more contentious than in straight families. B. children and adolescents with lesbian or gay parents are not psychologically different from those with straight parents. C. children and adolescents with lesbian or gay parents differ substantially from those with straight parents in the domains of gender identity and sexual orientation. D. children and adolescents with lesbian or gay parents suffer from more emotional turmoil than children and adolescents with straight parents.

Q: Why are children who have spent time in the foster care system more at risk for emotional and behavioral problems? A. The greater risk for emotional and behavioral problems among foster care children could be the product of the abuse or neglect that necessitated their removal from their biological parents' home. B. The greater risk for emotional and behavioral problems among foster care children could be because of the foster care placement itself. C. The greater risk for emotional and behavioral problems among foster care children could be because of the instability in living arrangements. D. All of the above are reasons that foster care children and adolescents may have more problems than other children and adolescents.

Q: Which of the following statements about adolescents who have been adopted or spent time in foster care is true? A. It is hard to generalize about the impact of adoption on adolescent development; however, research with youth in the foster care system consistently indicates that these individuals have more problems than other youth. B. Children and adolescents with foster or adoptive parents have more problems than other individuals. C. Foster care children are more detached and resilient, and consequently, have fewer problems than youth who have been adopted. D. There are no differences between youth who have been adopted or placed in foster care and youth who are reared by biological parents.

Q: New technologies and social innovations have: A. transformed family life, and as a result, parents don't really make a difference. B. not transformed family life; however, these technologies have caused parental influence to be overshadowed by the peer group. C. not changed the fact that adolescents continue to need the love, support and guidance of adults who care about them. D. given teens a new way to rebel against their parents' moral preferences.

Q: The belief that being on welfare has a negative impact on adolescents: A. has been substantiated by the research. B. is incorrect because there are few differences in the behavior, values, and family relationships between adolescents whose families are or are not on welfare. C. is incorrect because the most current research finds that adolescents whose families receive welfare do better in school and later in their professional lives. D. has been neither supported nor rejected.

Q: Luis's family has lived below the poverty level his entire life. Research suggests that Luis is likely to experience all of the following, except: A. greater exposure than other adolescents to violence. B. greater family cohesiveness than other adolescents his age. C. greater alienation from school than other adolescents his age. D. higher levels of stress than other adolescents his age.

Q: Kim lives in a poor neighborhood. As a result, Kim's mother drives her to school each morning and refuses to let her go out after dark. According to the textbook, Kim's mother is: A. suffering from the empty nest syndrome. B. using the promotive strategy. C. using the prohibitive strategy. D. using the restrictive strategy.

Q: The textbook states that _________ is the most critical influence on adolescents' adjustment. A. the quality of the parent-child relationships at home B. attending a good school C. financial security D. living in a safe neighborhood

Q: According to the textbook, approximately _____ of American children will experience their parents' divorce. A. 10% B. 50% C. 40% D. 60%

Q: Current research on the effects of remarriage indicates that: A. younger children have more problems than older children. B. boys and girls show equal distress. C. boys have more problems than girls. D. girls have more problems than boys.

Q: Which of the following statements about stepfamilies is false? A. Adolescents have an easier time adjusting to a stepfather if they have a good relationship with their biological father. B. Younger children have a harder time adjusting to stepfamilies than older adolescents. C. Adolescents growing up in stepfamilies have more problems than adolescents growing up in single-parent families. D. Girls show more difficulty in stepfamilies than boys.

Q: Research assessing the effects of stepfamilies on children's adjustment suggests that over time: A. if the remarriage lasts, gender differences in adjustment disappear. B. boys continue to adjust better than girls to the remarriage. C. girls adjust better than boys to the remarriage. D. girls and boys both experience serious adjustment problems even if the remarriage lasts.

Q: Jesse has just married a woman who has two adolescent daughters. These children will adjust best if Jesse establishes all of the following types of discipline, except: A. consistent. B. supportive. C. controlling. D. authoritative.

Q: When siblings are treated differently by parents, research shows that they are likely to: A. get along worse because they feel competition. B. perceive the discrepancy as being unfair. C. get along better because they feel unique. D. try to be more like one another.

Q: The term given in the textbook that describes siblings who are deliberately trying to be different from each other is: A. differential treatment. B. sibling deidentification. C. sibling rivalry. D. sibling discrepancy.

Q: One potential reason that Mallory and Mikey, a brother and sister growing up in the same family, have completely different personalities may be that: A. they have very different family experiences, both through differential treatment by parents and their own perceptions of similar experiences. B. gender differences in perception show that males are less likely than females to notice differential treatment by parents. C. they are not identical twins and so share only half of their genetic material. D. Mallory's athletic abilities lead Mikey to engage in sibling rivalry with her.

Q: Sarah is an excellent writer, but her younger sister Jane has always hated writing classes and instead has focused on developing gymnastic abilities. Sarah readily expresses disdain for gymnastics, so the girls feel that they are different enough to avoid direct competition. One explanation for this type of sibling behavior is called: A. family decision making. B. family contextual transformations. C. sibling rivalry. D. sibling deidentification.

Q: According to Family Systems Model, financial strain increases mothers' and fathers'______, which, in turn, make parents more irritable, which adversely affects the quality of their parenting. A. feelings of depression B. dissatisfaction with their marriages. C. conflicts over money D. All of the above are true.

Q: Denise's parents have both been laid off from work and are unable to pay the bills. Denise's parents are likely to do all of the following, except: A. become less nurturing toward Denise. B. begin using harsher and more inconsistent discipline than they had in the past. C. engage in drug and alcohol abuse. D. feel more depressed.

Q: The factor that seems most important in influencing how well children adjust to divorce over time is: A. the educational level of the parent. B. the degree of conflict between parents. C. the age of the parents. D. the sex of the custodial parent.

Q: Close to ____ of children in the United States grow up either in abject poverty or in low-income families. A. 15% B. 20% C. 30% D. 40%

Q: Which of the following is not a finding of social scientists regarding the effects of divorce on adolescents? A. The quality of an adolescent's relationship with important adults in the adolescent's life is more important than the number of parents in the home. B. It is the process of going through a divorce, not the change in family structure, that most affects the adolescent's mental health. C. The adverse consequences of divorce for adolescents are directly linked to living in a single-parent household. D. Some of the differences in the effects of divorce on adolescents are a result of genetic differences among individual adolescents.

Q: Why is parental divorce during early adolescence particularly stressful for the adolescent? A. Early adolescence is a time during which individuals are particularly sensitive to stress. B. Research has indicated that early adolescents have a strong need for male and female role models. C. Younger adolescents are likely to intentionally rebel against their parents. D. Younger adolescents have expensive "needs" and "wants."

Q: The _____ may act as a buffer for children growing up in single-parent households and plays an important role in the socialization of Black youth. A. extended family B. school guidance counselor C. involvement in religious activities D. peer group

Q: Matthew and Ryan both live in single-parent households. Matthew interacts with his grandparents every day, whereas Ryan has no contact with his extended family members. Who will be more likely to engage in adolescent misbehavior? A. Matthew B. Ryan C. Both will be equally delinquent. D. It depends on whether Matthew has brothers and sisters.

Q: Which of the following statements regarding divorce in America is true? A. The divorce rate has been steadily rising since 1980. B. Black youth are more likely to experience their parents' remarriage than other adolescents. C. The rate of divorce is lower for second marriages than for first marriages. D. Social support from relatives has been found to buffer the effects of living in a single-parent household.

Q: Adolescents from divorced families frequently display all of the following negative effects, except: A. social rejection as a result of stigma. B. lower academic achievement. C. behavior problems. D. poorer psychosocial adjustment.

Q: Amalia is most likely to be adversely affected by her parents' divorce if: A. the conflict between her parents is covert. B. she blames herself for her parents' problems. C. her parents attempt to keep their relationship with her positive. D. her parents keep her out of their arguments.

Q: Although young children may seem unaffected by a divorce at the time, problems may emerge when they are adolescents. This delayed effect is called: A. a sleeper effect. B. a deferred effect. C. sluggish adjustment. D. a generational tendency.

Q: Although Sarah's parents divorced seven years ago, the counselor at school attributes Sarah's poor school performance and delinquent behavior to the divorce. This counselor is probably referring to the: A. deferred effect of divorce. B. sleeper effect of divorce. C. generation gap between adolescents and parents. D. sluggish adjustment of adolescence.

Q: According to the textbook, during adolescence, which are more influential, nonshared or shared environmental influences? A. shared B. nonshared C. shared and nonshared environmental factors are equally influential D. the most important issue is the interaction between the shared and nonshared factors

Q: Which of the following is least likely to be affected by genetic factors? A. self-perception of scholastic competence B. aggression and antisocial behavior C. risk for suicide and depression D. intelligence

Q: All of the following research examples support the notion that the environment often determines whether certain genetic tendencies are actualized, except: A. genetic influences on sexual activity are stronger when adolescents attend schools in which a higher proportion of students are having sex at an early age. B. genetic influences on antisocial behavior are stronger among adolescents who have delinquent peers. C. genetic influences on depression are stronger among adolescents exposed to family conflict. D. All of the above support this notion.