Q&A Hero

Q: The erroneous belief that one's thoughts, feelings, and experiences are unique is called: A. an imaginary audience. B. a personal fable. C. propositional logic. D. metacognition.

Q: Dave knows that kids who drink and drive sometimes get killed, but he believes that he is somehow immune to having such a terrible thing happen to him. Dave's belief is an example of: A. the imaginary audience. B. a personal fable. C. social cognition. D. metacognition.

Q: John is a junior in high school. Although he is sociable, he feels very self-conscious. He feels as if everyone is evaluating him. David Elkind refers to this loss of perspective in adolescence as: A. self-reflection. B. personal fable. C. imaginary audience. D. impression formation.

Q: Who coined the term adolescent egocentrism? A. Piaget B. Elkind C. Binet D. Sternberg

Q: Research testing Elkind's theory of adolescent egocentrism has found that certain aspects: A. peak at age 12 and then drastically decline. B. may remain present throughout the adolescent and adult years. C. are virtually a nonexistent phenomenon in adolescence or adulthood. D. are less prevalent among college students.

Q: The text suggests that _________ are not a good explanation of adolescent egocentrism. A. cognitive deficiencies B. emotional reasons C. social reasons D. the impact of other people's opinions

Q: Who of the following is probably a child (and not an adolescent)? A. Jeanette, someone who can easily describe her thought process B. Christine, someone who tends to think about things one aspect at a time C. Bryan, who tends to question everything, just for the sake of argument D. Brandon, someone who entertains many possibilities before making the final decision

Q: Which of the following terms applies more to adolescent thought than to childhood thought? A. conservation, reversibility, structure B. assimilation, accommodation, complexity C. preoperational, egocentric, concrete D. flexible, speculative, abstract

Q: The ability to see beyond what is directly observable and reason in terms of what might be possible is called: A. theory of mind. B. hypothetical thinking. C. imaginary audience. D. formal operations.

Q: Mai can understand the metaphor, "My heart is an open book," because she is able to focus on the: A. concrete and familiar associations. B. semantic structure of the sentence. C. abstract and conceptual relations. D. observable features of the objects.

Q: Renee, a 6-year-old, is unable to answer the question, "How are a motorcycle and a bicycle alike?" Mohammed, a 17-year-old, answers the same question by saying, "They are both types of transportation." What statement about Renee and Mohammed is most true? A. Renee's inability to answer the question is very unusual for a child her age. B. Mohammed has demonstrated the ability to think concretely. C. Mohammed has demonstrated the ability to think abstractly. D. According to Piaget's theory, Renee and Mohammed are both developmentally delayed.

Q: Javier spends a great deal of time talking about relationships, politics, philosophy, religion, and morality with his friends, demonstrating his ability to think: A. abstractly. B. preoperationally. C. concretely. D. deductively.

Q: Adolescents develop the ability to think about social issues, a concept more generally referred to as: A. socialization. B. social cognition. C. abstract reasoning. D. metacognition.

Q: The ability to think about one's own thoughts is called: A. hypothetical think. B. egocentric logic. C. metacognition. D. social cognition.

Q: Who of the following is probably an adolescent (and not a child)? A. Maryann, who believes that people have complete control over their thoughts B. Matthew, who believes that it is very possible to go for a long period of time without thinking about anything C. Tamara, whose thinking is bound to observable events D. Frank, who appraises his reading comprehension before starting the next chapter

Q: Fifteen-year-old Maya's parents are worried about her. Maya seems to be sleepy all the time. She sometimes falls asleep at the kitchen table when she gets home from school, but stays up late at night, past 11 p.m., when her parents go to sleep. Maya also seems to be irritable a lot of the time. On weekends, Maya usually sleeps until noon, even though her parents have asked her to get up earlier to help with chores. Maya's parents insist that she never had any problems like this when she was younger. How would you explain the changes in Maya's behavior (particularly her sleep changes) to her parents?

Q: Which of the following is not one of the five chief changes in cognition during adolescence? A. multidimensional thought B. metacognition C. abstract reasoning D. increased imagination

Q: Dan, an adolescent, has more developed cognitive skills than his 6-year-old brother Timmy because Timmy's thinking is: A. in general, bound to what he can directly observe. B. moving easily between specific and abstract ideas. C. systematically generating alternative possibilities and explanations. D. comparing what he actually observes with what he believes is possible.

Q: Bickering and squabbling between teenagers and their parents is largely caused by: A. the generation gap. B. hormonal changes in adolescents. C. adolescents' ability to formulate counterarguments. D. adolescents' antisocial tendencies.

Q: Tam is good at drawing conclusions from given information. Thus, Tam is good at _________ reasoning. A. hypothetical B. deductive C. abstract D. relative

Q: Which of the following does not support adolescents' improved ability to use deductive reasoning, as described by the text? A. the ability to inhibit a prepotent response B. the ability to stop oneself from acting automatically C. the ability to make an inference based on accumulated evidence D. the ability to recognize when a question cannot be answered with certainty

Q: Which term below allows individuals to suspend their beliefs about something in order to argue in the abstract? A. hypothetical thinking. B. social cognition. C. mutual perspective-taking. D. impression formation.

Q: All of the following are features of hypothetical thinking, except: A. seeing beyond what is directly observable B. applying logical reasoning to anticipate what might be possible C. imagining the logic behind another person's argument D. greater awareness of concrete, observable events.

Q: Joey enjoys playing the devil's advocate and is always stirring up discussions with his contrary positions. This ability is one aspect of: A. hypothetical thinking. B. social cognition. C. mutual perspective-taking. D. impression formation.

Q: All of the following are aspects of metacognition, except: A. conserving mental resources B. thinking about thinking C. appraising comprehension D. managing thinking

Q: Imagine that your friend has told you that she recently heard that scientists can use a person's DNA to determine exactly when that person will go through puberty. Do you agree with her? What evidence supports your decision?

Q: Of the following, the biggest threat to adolescents' health is: A. infectious disease. B. chronic illness. C. cardiovascular disease. D. risky behaviors.

Q: Which of the following is not associated with the "new morbidity and mortality" of adolescence? A. accidents B. suicide C. homicide D. cancer

Q: Which of the following statements about health in adolescence is not true? A. Adolescents have low rates of disabling or chronic illness. B. Adolescents have high rates of accidents, homicide, and suicide. C. The majority of health problems during adolescence are preventable. D. The new approach to adolescent health care is a return to traditional medicine.

Q: The most virulent threats to adolescent health come from all of the following, except: A. unhealthy behaviors, such as drug use. B. chronic disabilities, such as cancer. C. violence inflicted by themselves or by others. D. risky activities, such as unprotected sexual intercourse.

Q: Current efforts aimed at encouraging healthy behaviors among adolescents involve all of the following, except: A. changing the contexts in which adolescents live. B. increasing adolescents' knowledge and understanding of health enhancing behaviors. C. encouraging adolescents to sign contracts promising to abstain from unhealthy behaviors. D. encouraging health care professionals to do more screening for risky health practices.

Q: Which adolescent is at highest risk for suicide? A. Black males B. Hispanic females C. White females D. American Indian/Alaskan Native males

Q: According to the textbook, the prevalence of adolescent smoking is a direct function of: A. the number of retail outlets selling tobacco in their immediate neighborhood. B. the amount of people smoking in the neighborhood. C. whether biological parents smoke. D. being an early-maturing male and living in a single-parent household.

Q: Almost half of all teenage deaths in the United States are a result of: A. car accidents and other unintentional injuries. B. suicide. C. homicide. D. sexually transmitted infections.

Q: Graduated driver-licensing programs were designed to: A. place restrictions on when teenagers can drive. B. place restrictions on with whom teenagers can drive. C. reduce automobile fatalities. D. All of the above.

Q: Based on information presented in the textbook, in the United States today, which of the following strategies would be the least efficient way to promote adolescent health? A. increasing adolescents' knowledge and understanding of health-promoting behaviors B. changing an aspect of the context in which adolescents live C. ensuring that school bathrooms are sanitary D. parental encouragement of adolescent exercise

Q: According to the textbook, what was the most effective way to reduce adolescent smoking? A. school-wide assemblies with presentations from police officers and doctors B. on-campus law enforcement personnel who enforce school rules that prohibit smoking C. advertisements on TV shows relevant to teens, such as MTV D. raising the price of cigarettes

Q: Non-White adolescents are relatively more likely than White adolescents to experience all of the following, except: A. to be murdered. B. to be physically inactive. C. suffer from chronic illness. D. anorexia nervosa.

Q: Who most closely resembles the profile of someone who has binge eating disorder? A. Steve, a wrestler who nearly starves himself so he can stay in his weight bracket B. Carla, a gymnast who binges on junk food but makes herself vomit after each meal C. Howard, a football player who believes he is overweight and exercises twice a day, seven days a week D. Sherri, a volleyball player who binges on junk food but does not engage in any other weight loss behaviors

Q: According to the textbook, in general, the amount of time individuals spend in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity: A. increases from childhood to adolescence. B. decreases from childhood to adolescence. C. remains the same from childhood to adolescence. D. is directly related to socioeconomic status.

Q: Rosy believes that "fat is beautiful" and has a steady diet of fried chicken, French fries, and cheeseburgers. Tanya believes that "thin is in" and uses vomiting and laxatives as a way to keep her weight down. Both girls exhibit what psychologists call: A. disordered eating. B. bulimia. C. anorexia nervosa. D. normal adolescent eating patterns.

Q: Which of the following is not associated with disordered eating in the United States? A. poor interpersonal relationships B. depression C. alcohol and tobacco use D. All of the following are associated with disordered eating.

Q: Theresa has been known to go on eating binges and then purge immediately afterward. Theresa is probably suffering from: A. anorexia nervosa. B. bulimia. C. binge eating disorder D. obesity.

Q: Karen has been known to exercise excessively, count calories, and diet obsessively. She is currently depriving herself of food even though she is 20 pounds underweight. Karen is probably suffering from: A. anorexia nervosa. B. bulimia. C. binge eating disorder. D. deprivation syndrome.

Q: The potentially fatal disorder in which young women actually starve themselves is called: A. bulimia. B. anorexia nervosa. C. obesity nervosa. D. purging.

Q: Which of the following statements about obesity is not true? A. Adolescent obesity epidemic will cost the United States more than $250 billion. B. Adolescent obesity has been especially dramatic among Black females. C. Adolescent obesity is limited to the United States. D. Obesity is the most serious health problem of American adolescents.

Q: Who of the following is likely to gain excess weight during adolescence? A. Mary, who gets inadequate sleep on school nights but sleeps in on the weekends B. Kevin, who gets insufficient physical inactivity, but lives near recreational facilities C. Tony whose friends are relatively overweight D. All of these adolescents are likely to gain excessive weight during puberty.

Q: Nadia is an early-maturing girl. Compared to her late-maturing peers, which of the following statements is most likely to be true for Nadia? A. Nadia is less likely to suffer from social anxiety. B. Nadia is less likely to be popular with girls. C. Nadia is more likely to be popular with the boys. D. Nadia is less likely to be the victim of rumors and gossip.

Q: The impact of early maturation on problem behaviors or depression is worse when: A. adolescents have many stressful life events. B. have harsh or inconsistent parents. C. live in disadvantaged neighborhoods. D. All of the above.

Q: Generalizing from the textbook, the children who are most likely to think of themselves as being "off schedule" with respect to their physical development are girls who mature _____ and boys who mature _____. A. late; early B. early; late C. late; late D. early; early

Q: Follow-up studies of Swedish women who had been early maturers found that as adults they were: A. unable to develop coping skills. B. less likely to continue their education beyond high school. C. more likely to continue their education beyond high school. D. indistinguishable from those who had been late maturers.

Q: The _____ is the minimal amount of energy one uses when resting. A. basal metabolism rate B. delayed phase preference C. secular trend D. feedback loop

Q: Which of the following statements about the secular trend is true? A. There is currently no evidence that boys have followed the secular trend. B. Evidence for the secular trend in boys can be found in reports from European children's choirs. C. Experts agree that the secular trend (for boys and girls) has indeed continued in recent years. D. Scientists believe that the secular trend is caused by chemicals in the food supply.

Q: Which of the following is true about obesity? A. To be considered obese, a person's body mass index must fall at or above the 95th percentile for their age and gender. B. Forty percent of American adolescents are obese. C. The rate of obesity has quadrupled worldwide since 2005. D. Obesity is solely caused by a low basal metabolic rate.

Q: Which group is most at risk for obesity? A. late-maturing Black girls B. early-maturing Black girls C. early-maturing White boys D. early-maturing White girls

Q: During puberty, individuals who mature early are likely to experience which of the following? A. more intellectual curiosity B. less frequent temper tantrums C. less depression D. more frequent and more intense temper tantrums

Q: Which of the following characteristics is not typically associated with being an early-maturing girl? A. feelings of awkwardness and self-consciousness B. being less popular, especially with boys C. being more likely to become involved in juvenile delinquency D. being less likely to pursue advanced education and a demanding career

Q: In America, early-maturing girls are more likely than their late-maturing peers to: A. be unpopular. B. have a more negative self-image. C. succeed in school. D. perceive themselves as attractive.

Q: Which of the following was not offered by the textbook as an explanation for the sex differences in the impact of early and late maturation? A. the cultural desirability of thin body types B. the developmental readiness hypothesis C. the maturational deviance hypothesis D. genetic makeup

Q: Which of the following statements about puberty's impact on family relationships is true? A. Puberty appears to increase distance between parents and children. B. Other species do not experience distance during the pubertal transition. C. Distancing effect of puberty on adolescent-parent relationships is consistently observed in minority families. D. Puberty does not interfere with family relations.

Q: According to the textbook, when compared to their less mature peers, adolescents who are physically mature are: A. less likely to have problems with their parents. B. more likely to be involved in cross-sex activities such as going out on dates. C. more likely to have platonic relationships with opposite sex peers. D. less likely to be depressed.

Q: Which of the following girls will experience the greatest menstrual discomfort? A. Sarita, who is prepared for the physical changes B. Alison, who is a late maturer C. Loryn, who has a negative attitude toward menarche D. Janet, who is unpopular among her classmates

Q: Studies have shown that prepubertal girls who expect menstruation to be uncomfortable report: A. milder menstrual symptoms than their peers. B. more severe menstrual symptoms than their peers. C. about the same level of menstrual symptoms as their peers. D. experiencing menarche sooner than their peers.

Q: Which of the following conditions is most likely to produce the most favorable and easiest adjustment to menarche? A. when the girl's mother prepares her by describing the unpleasant aspects of menarche B. when the girl reaches menarche early C. when menarche occurs before the girl has been told about the physical changes which will occur D. when the girl knows the facts about the physical changes her body will undergo

Q: When adolescents in the United States begin to experience specific pubertal events, which of the following is most likely to occur? A. A girl's mother will be the first person the girl tells that she has begun to menstruate. B. A girl's best friend will be the first person the girl tells that she has begun to menstruate. C. A girl is likely not to tell anyone that she is menstruating for the first several months after she begins. D. A boy will tell his friends about his first ejaculation soon after it occurs.

Q: Suzanne and Greg are the first members of their class to begin the pubertal transition. Based on what you know about early-maturing adolescents, Suzanne and Greg are more likely to: A. become involved in illegal activities. B. do better in school. C. be ostracized by their classmates. D. get along with their parents.

Q: Which of the following characteristics is not associated with being an early-maturing boy? A. fewer problem behaviors B. greater popularity C. a more positive self-concept D. greater confidence in one's self

Q: Mike, an early maturer, is more likely to __________ than Bob, a late maturer. A. experience pseudomaturity B. suffer greater consequences if bullied by peers C. experiment with drugs and alcohol D. All of the above

Q: Early-maturing boys are: A. likely to have low self-esteem. B. often expected to be more mature than they are. C. better prepared to deal with changes of adolescence. D. more childish than their later-maturing peers.

Q: Avram is considered a late-maturing boy. A year after pubertal onset, we would expect Avram to show all of the following advantages over his early-maturing peers, except: A. greater athletic ability. B. more intellectual curiosity. C. greater exploratory behavior. D. higher levels of social initiative.

Q: Researchers have found that, with regard to adolescent sleep patterns: A. adolescents today are getting more sleep than adolescents 30 years ago. B. the reason that high schools begin classes earlier than middle schools or junior high schools is that adolescents are more alert during the morning hours than later in the day. C. getting inadequate sleep is associated with poorer mental health and lower grades for adolescents. D. although most adolescents do not get sufficient sleep during the week, they are able to make up for the deficit by sleeping later on weekends.

Q: The biological changes that take place during puberty can cause changes in adolescents' behavior in all of the following ways, except: A. directly. B. by affecting the adolescent's self-image. C. by affecting the reactions of others to the adolescent. D. All of these are ways in which biological changes occurring in puberty can cause changes in adolescents' behavior.

Q: Dr. Davis is interested in how puberty affects adjustment. He studies a group of 100 junior high school students over the course of three years. He is conducting what kind of study? A. longitudinal B. cross-sectional C. cross-sequential D. secular

Q: A research design in which subjects of different ages are assessed simultaneously is called a: A. longitudinal study. B. cross-sectional study. C. cross-sequential study. D. correlational study.

Q: Which of the following statements about hormonal changes of puberty is true? A. Hormonal changes affect the brain in ways that increase adolescents' desire for sensation-seeking activities. B. Hormonal changes of puberty make adolescent more risk averse. C. Hormonal changes of puberty make adolescents more introverted. D. Hormonal changes affect the brain in ways that decrease adolescents' desire for rewarding activities.

Q: Which of the following statements about adolescent mood swings is false? A. The effect of hormones on adolescent mood swings is strongest early in puberty. B. Adolescents' moods fluctuate during the course of the day more than the moods of adults. C. Adolescent mood swings parallel their changes in activities. D. Hormones play a greater role in the development of depression than do stressful life events.

Q: Which of the following plays the greatest role in the development of depression? A. rapid increases in hormones B. early maturation C. stressful life events D. the delayed phase preference

Q: Studies show that adolescent mood swings are most closely related to changes in: A. hormone levels. B. family relationships. C. nutrition. D. activities.

Q: Which of the following statements about the impact of hormones on behavior is false? A. Adolescents' moods fluctuate more during than day than the moods of adults. B. The direct relation between adolescent moodiness and hormonal changes of puberty is extremely strong. C. The relation between hormonal changes and adolescent mood is strongest during early puberty. D. Rapid increase in hormones may be associated with increased irritability, impulsivity, aggression, and depression.

Q: Given a choice, Mike would prefer to stay up until 1:00 a.m. and sleep until 10:00 a.m. This pattern is called the: A. secular trend. B. delayed phase preference. C. longitudinal design. D. adolescent growth spurt.