Q&A Hero

Q: Larson's study that used the experience sampling method investigated whether adolescents' moods varied as a function of whom they were with and whether the connection between mood and companionship changed with age. What were the primary results of the study? A. In general, adolescents' moods are generally most positive when they are with their friends, least positive when they are alone, and somewhere in between when they are with their family. B. Between grades 5 and 9, adolescents' moods while with friends become more positive, whereas their moods while with their family follow a curvilinear pattern. C. Both of these statements are true. D. Neither of these statements is true.

Q: Emma is dancing to her favorite song on the radio when her electronic pager goes off. Emma proceeds to pull out a notebook and record her current emotional state. This type of data collection is called: A. ethnography. B. participant observation. C. Experience Sampling Method. D. demography.

Q: Pam smokes marijuana every weekend. Based on the options below and according to the textbook, which scenario is most likely? A. Pam is unemployed. B. Pam works long hours. C. Pam is spending too much time with her supervisor. D. Pam's job is not very stressful.

Q: Approximately ____ of teens are out of school, unemployed, and looking for full-time work. A. 3% B. 15% C. 25% D. 40%

Q: Which of the following statements about unemployed youth is false? A. Today, the unemployment rate among recent high school graduates who have not continued their education is similar to the unemployment rate among high school dropouts. B. The majority of unemployed youth are individuals who have not gone very far in school. C. Today, the unemployment rate among dropouts is twice as high as it is among recent high school graduates who have not enrolled in college. D. Five years ago, the unemployment rate among dropouts was twice as high as it was among recent high school graduates who were not in college.

Q: According to research by Wayne Osgood and colleagues, the combination of several factors encourages delinquency and other problem behaviors among adolescents. This view is called the routine activity theory, and all but which of the following are thought to be major contributing factors to this combination? A. a lack of structure B. lower-than-average intelligence C. socializing with peers D. the absence of adult supervision

Q: Which of the following is an adolescent the least likely to spend their job earnings on? A. drugs and alcohol B. designer clothing C. higher education D. stereo equipment

Q: What makes adolescents attractive targets for a variety of businesses? A. the size of the adolescent population B. the prevalence of student employment C. the fact that adolescents save less than any other age group D. All of the above.

Q: As discussed in the textbook, adolescents who work more than 20 hours weekly are more likely than their peers to: A. be absent from school. B. graduate from high school. C. spend more time on their homework. D. be less cynical about the workplace.

Q: Which of the following is not associated with adolescents who work? A. greater absences from school B. greater enjoyment of school C. less time spent on homework D. earn lower grades

Q: Much of adolescents' money is spent on discretionary purchases related to leisure activities. Additionally, many adolescents spend money on ____, which accounts for one-sixth of the amount of dollars spent each year on _____. A. alcohol and cigarettes; alcohol B. computer software; computer software C. drugs such as marijuana and cocaine; illegal drugs D. health-related injuries; emergency visits

Q: Which of the following has not been found to be a characteristic of adolescents who work more than 20 hours per week? A. lowered school achievement B. copying homework from friends or other forms of cheating C. more involvement in extracurricular activities D. taking less demanding classes

Q: How are nonworking students affected when large numbers of students in their school work? A. They become jealous of their working peers' affluence. B. The quality of their education suffers because many teachers lower classroom expectations and assign less homework. C. They develop similar problem behaviors, such as cheating and losing interest in school. D. They are not generally affected.

Q: Abner works long hours on weekends and after school. Research suggests that Abner: A. is likely to develop a strong sense of responsibility. B. is less likely to engage in delinquent activities than his nonworking peers. C. may have a higher likelihood of engaging in minor delinquency than his peers. D. likely to report his fellow workers for their delinquent behavior.

Q: Cory works long hours. According to the research presented in the textbook, Cory might increase in which of the following? A. aggression B. school misconduct C. minor delinquency D. All of the above.

Q: Generally speaking, why are part-time jobs less common in European countries? A. As the school day lasts well into the late afternoon, the scheduling of part-time jobs in most European countries is not well suited to the daily routines of students. B. Many low-class parents feel that it is inappropriate for their children to have jobs while attending school. C. There are not as many opportunities for part-time employment in European countries as there are in the United States. D. There are laws in many European countries that prevent schoolchildren from working.

Q: Which of the following statements is not supported by research with regard to adolescent employment? A. Working builds character, teaches adolescents about the "real world," and helps them prepare for adult responsibilities. B. The benefits of working during adolescence have been overstated. C. Intensive employment during the school year may be detrimental to adolescent development. D. Intensive employment during the school year may be detrimental to adolescents' preparation for adult work.

Q: A U-shaped or inverted-U pattern of results, as seen in studies that have examined how adolescents' moods change over time when with their families, is called what? A. a curvy line pattern B. a linear pattern C. a quadratic pattern D. a curvilinear pattern

Q: Ruben works over 20 hours a week during the school year and Marianne does not work at all. Ruben, compared to Marianne, is more likely to: A. become more socially responsible. B. know how to manage his money better. C. drop out of school. D. not engage in drug and alcohol use.

Q: Lisa earns approximately $300 a month from her part-time job. She is most likely to spend the money on: A. family necessities. B. leisure activities C. household expenses. D. college expenses.

Q: Having more income than one can manage during early adolescence has been called: A. precocious income. B. displacement abundance. C. occupational disparity. D. premature affluence.

Q: Which of the following is not an effect of premature affluence? A. decreased satisfaction with their financial situations as young adults B. increased social belongingness C. increased drug and alcohol use D. having a relatively luxurious standard of living

Q: Stan's parents both work long hours. They are concerned that he doesn't have enough interaction with adults. If they want him to be exposed to positive interactions with adult role models, which of the following activities should they not encourage him to do? A. join the high school baseball team B. run for student council C. get a job at the local music store D. joining the drama team and audition for the school play

Q: Research assessing adolescent work experiences found: A. adolescents have little opportunity to interact with other adolescents on the job. B. adolescents often form close relationships with adults with whom they work. C. high rates of misconduct on the job among adolescent workers (stealing from employers, lying about the number of hours worked). D. adolescents find it easier to talk about their personal problems with adults at work than with their parents.

Q: Which of the following is true of most adolescents' jobs? A. They encourage adolescents to behave independently. B. They require challenging decision making. C. Adolescents are rarely required to use skills taught in school. D. Adolescents receive strict instruction from supervisors.

Q: Overall, teenagers are least likely to comment that their jobs: A. are dreary. B. offer good learning experiences. C. provide opportunities to exercise responsibility. D. pay well.

Q: According to the textbook, all of the following contributed to the rise of the adolescent workplace in the United States, except: A. industrialization. B. the expansion of the service sector. C. the expansion of the retail sector. D. a relatively short school day compared with other countries.

Q: Which of the following characteristics of the retail and restaurant industries contributed to the rise in adolescent employment? A. need for part-time workers B. abundance of low-wage positions C. short shift schedules D. All of the above.

Q: Compared to other times in recent history, how many adolescents have after-school jobs today? A. Fewer adolescents have after-school jobs today than in recent history. B. More adolescents have after-school jobs today than at any time in recent history. C. The proportion of adolescents who have after-school jobs has been relatively stable for the last four or five decades. D. None of these statements is true.

Q: Older students are more likely to hold _____ jobs and working teenagers in rural areas are more likely to be employed in _____ jobs. A. formal; agricultural B. formal; informal C. service jobs; agricultural D. service jobs; informal jobs

Q: What kind of job is an eighth grader most likely to have? A. baby-sitting or childcare B. farm or agricultural job C. store clerk or salesperson D. fast-food-related job

Q: According to the textbook, in general, how does employment affect adolescent development? A. Working helps adolescents develop a sense of responsibility and prepares them for the transition to adulthood. B. Working interferes with other activities, such as school. C. Working promotes the development of undesirable behaviors, such as drug and alcohol use. D. The question of how adolescents are affected by working depends on many factors, including the nature of the job, the number of hours worked each week, and the aspect of development studied.

Q: Who is more likely to hold a part-time job during high school? A. Gino, a Canadian adolescent B. Cheri, a Swedish adolescent C. Hope, a Japanese adolescent D. Selena, an American adolescent

Q: Ryan did a survey at his middle school of the most common after-school jobs for the eighth-grade class. What are his results likely to say? A. movie theater usher and nurses' aide B. baby-sitting and lawn work C. fast-food worker and clothing store cashier D. receptionist and paper carrier

Q: Hillary is a high school senior. Which of the following jobs is she most likely to have? A. food server at a restaurant B. baby-sitter C. gardener D. housekeeper

Q: Overall, the greatest number of working high school students are employed in: A. construction and manual labor. B. restaurants and retail establishments. C. offices and other clerical settings. D. factories and manufacturing plants.

Q: Parker, a senior in high school, is looking for a job. What type of job is he least likely to take? A. stock boy in a retail store B. cashier at a minimart C. pizza delivery driver D. baby-sitter

Q: Which of the following statements about the history of the student worker is not true? A. The proportion of American high school students holding part-time jobs rose dramatically during the 1970s. B. The proportion of American high School students holding part-time jobs has decreased in the last 15 years. C. The proportion of American High school students holding part-time jobs increased dramatically during the first decade of the twenty-first century. D. The proportion of American high school students holding part-time jobs declined during the first four decades of the twentieth century.

Q: American high school students spend fewer than _____ hours per week on homework, whereas Japanese, Taiwan, and India high school students average closer to _____. A. 10; 20 hours per week B. 20; 20 hours per week C. 5; 5 hours per day D. 5; 5 hours per week

Q: Which adolescent is least likely to spend leisure time reading? A. Jeanne Marie, who lives in France B. Valheida, who lives in Austria C. Jeannette, who lives in the United States D. Momoko, who lives in Japan

Q: The proportion of American high school students holding part-time jobs has decreased over the past two decades. Which of the following is not an explanation for this? A. Educational reformers began calling for tougher standards in high school. B. Fewer and fewer individuals sought college admission. C. The recession during the first decade of the twenty-first century left many educated and qualified adults without jobs. D. The growth of new technologies during the first part of the twenty-first century expanded leisure opportunities for many teenagers.

Q: Which adolescent is most likely to spend free time with friends? A. Jenny, who lives in the United States B. Genevieve, who lives in France C. Juana, who lives in Span D. Jae, who lives in Korea

Q: Approximately how many of today's high school students will have worked in an after-school job before graduating? A. a handful B. about 1 in 2 C. less than 10% D. the majority

Q: Kate is a new teacher for students of adolescent psychology and she wants to know what she can do to maximize her students' learning and achievement. Based on research discussed in the textbook, what can Kate do to establish a classroom climate most conducive to learning and academic achievement?

Q: Imagine that you (an adolescent development expert!) have been asked to talk to city council members about the No Child Left Behind Act. The council wants to know the history of the act, including a discussion of why it was signed into law, and the intended, as well as unintended, effects. Be sure to discuss the problems with the original NCLB Act, and discuss what the current administration is doing to remedy the problems that had developed during the early years of the policy.

Q: Today's teenagers spend the most hours: A. on schoolwork. B. with members of their families. C. on leisure activities. D. working.

Q: All of the following led to an increase in free time for contemporary adolescents, except: A. organized youth movements. B. compulsory schooling. C. improved economics after World War II. D. adolescents gained more autonomy and became consumers with plenty of discretionary income.

Q: What is the main difference in time-use between 15- to 17-year-olds in the late 1970s and 15- to 17-year-olds in the early 2000s? A. Boys had a significant decline in the proportion of time devoted to paid jobs and girls had a significant increase in time devoted to leisure activities. B. There was a significant decline in time devoted to homework among girls. C. Among boys and girls, there was a significant decline in the proportion of time devoted to paid jobs and leisure activities. D. Among boys and girls, there was a significant decline in the proportion of time devoted to paid jobs and a significant increase in time devoted to leisure activities.

Q: According to a survey conducted in the early 2000s, how do adolescents spend most of their leisure time? A. in passive activities B. on the computer C. in physical activities D. in intellectual activities

Q: Adolescents spend the least amount of time on _____ activities and the most amount of time on _____ activities. A. productive; maintenance B. productive; leisure C. maintenance; productive D. maintenance; leisure

Q: Expanding opportunities for adolescents to get involved in athletics, drama group, or another extracurricular activity would be associated with all but which of the following outcomes? A. enhancing their feelings of self-confidence and self-esteem B. higher school achievement C. increasing their contact with adult role models D. increasing the likelihood that they drop out of school

Q: What is the best way to conceptualize adolescents' free time? A. Adolescents' free time is best thought of as a "zero sum" phenomenon, whereby involvement in one activity displaces involvement in another. B. There appear to be well-rounded adolescents who have substantial time commitments across many different activities and others who do not participate in anything. C. There appear to be two groups of adolescents: those who focus on one type of activity and others who are nonparticipants. D. There appear to be adolescents who have substantial time commitments across many activities, adolescents who focus on one type of activity, and adolescents who do not participate in any activities.

Q: The extent to which students are psychologically committed to learning and mastering the material rather than simply completing the assigned work is called: A. self-fulfilling prophecy. B. student engagement. C. tracking. D. desegregation.

Q: Generalizing from the textbook, who would benefit most from summer school? A. Ron, an adolescent living in a low-SES neighborhood B. Bill, an adolescent living in a high-SES neighborhood C. both Ron and Bill D. neither Ron nor Bill

Q: Today, _____ of high school graduates enroll in college immediately after graduation. A. more than three-fourth B. approximately one-third C. approximately one-half D. more than two-thirds

Q: Based on the textbook, which of the following statements is not an accurate description of most other industrialized nations? A. postsecondary education is likely to be monopolized by monolithic public universities B. individuals are often separated into college- and non-college-bound tracks early in adolescence C. postsecondary education systems are composed of a wide variety of public and private two- and four-year institutions, some emphasizing a liberal arts education and others focusing more on technical, vocational, and pre-professional training D. all high school students are not housed in a comprehensive high school

Q: Of the students who enter college, what percent complete their degrees within six years? A. a little more than 20% B. fewer than 40% C. fewer than 60% D. just about 75%

Q: What is the paradox of dropping out of school? A. Students who drop out are often more successful than students who graduate. B. Students who drop out are typically the ones who are most harmed by doing so. C. There is little correlation between later success in the workplace and finishing high school. D. Students who drop out develop a better sense of what life is all about.

Q: During the school year, the rate of academic progress was equal between students with higher-socioeconomic status and disadvantaged students. During the summer months: A. higher-socioeconomic students' scores declined. B. disadvantaged students' scores declined. C. Both high- and low-income students' scores declined. D. Both high- and low-income students' scores remained the same.

Q: What would Stephanie, a high school student, say is the best part about going to school? A. learning new information B. being with friends C. interacting with the teachers D. participating in extracurricular activities

Q: One of your friends has a daughter who will be entering seventh grade next year at a new middle school. Your friend has heard that in general, students' academic motivation, self-image, and school grades all decrease as they leave elementary school and enter middle school. He wants to know why this might happen, and seeks your advice on what to expect and how to help his daughter through this transition. What do you tell him?

Q: According to a national survey, how many students in American public schools have been victims of violence? A. 1 out of 4 B. 2 out of 4 C. 1 out of 40 D. 2 out of 40

Q: With respect to violence in schools: A. the number of school shootings has been steadily increasing since the 1990s. B. although school shootings that garner public attention generally involve White youth, a disproportionate number of homicides in schools involve non-White youth. C. homicide in schools involves primarily White students. D. school officials are becoming more skilled at identifying which students are most likely to be involved in school shootings.

Q: Which boy is most likely to commit an act of lethal violence? A. Mitchell, who has mental health problems B. Miguel, who has easy access to guns C. Martin, who has recently dropped out of school D. Researchers have not identified a reliable mechanism for identifying which students will commit a lethal crime.

Q: Research has shown that teachers tend to favor high-achieving students by providing extra cues for answers and more positive nonverbal behaviors than for lower-achieving students. Such evidence provides support for the notion that teachers' expectations may contribute to: A. superior performance of lower-achieving students. B. better performance of all students. C. lower performance of all students. D. the self-fulfilling prophecy.

Q: One potential explanation for the finding that gifted students who are integrated into regular classrooms have more positive academic self-conceptions than those in special classes is: A. the standing-on-the-shoulders-of-giants effect. B. the big-fish-little-pond effect. C. the upward-social-comparison effect. D. the bird-in-the-hand effect.

Q: Kerry and Kristie's teacher accidentally got their test scores mixed up and mistakenly thought that Kerry was the more intelligent of the two girls. At the end of the year, her records demonstrated that, indeed, Kerry had gained more and performed at a higher level than Kristie. This is best thought of as an example of: A. goodness-of-fit. B. the self-fulfilling prophecy. C. mainstreaming. D. higher-order thinking.

Q: Which aspect of the school climate is the least important in influencing psychosocial development during adolescence? A. class size B. teacher-student interactions C. use of classroom time D. standards and expectations

Q: Ms. Willingham sets high standards for her students but is very responsive to their needs. What type of teaching style is this characteristic of? A. autocratic B. authoritarian C. authoritative D. permissive

Q: What kind of family environment most closely resembles the optimal classroom environment? A. authoritarian B. authoritative C. indifferent D. autocratic

Q: Which of the following has the least effect on student achievement? A. families B. peer groups C. the classroom D. neighborhoods

Q: Samantha attends a public school that has a great deal of freedom to set its own curriculum. This type of school is referred to as what in your textbook? A. public school B. private school C. parochial school D. charter school

Q: As a follow-up to the Supreme Court rulings in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka (1954, 1955), in which the Court found that it was unconstitutional to maintain separate schools for children on the basis of race, the Supreme Court rule in 2007 that school districts may no longer: A. use race as a factor in deciding how to assign students to schools. B. renew employment contracts with teachers who are written up for racial biasness in the classroom. C. be fully funded if one ethnicity comprises more than 65 percent of the entire student body. D. draw students from different neighborhoods (bus students to school).

Q: Beth attends a multiethnic school. Compared to schools that are less well balanced, Beth is most likely to feel: A. safer. B. less lonely. C. less harassed. D. Beth is likely to feel all of the above.

Q: Kelly's parents are disappointed with the education she is receiving in her public high school, so they have been investigating alternative options. Assuming Kelly's parents are financially strapped but want to send her to a private school, which of the following should they do? A. obtain government-subsidized school vouchers to use for private school tuition B. send her to a less expensive inner-city public school C. refuse to send her to school at all D. tell her to make do with her current school situation

Q: According to the textbook, why do private school students academically outperform students at public schools? A. Private school teachers are better trained and are generally better teachers than public school teachers. B. Teachers at private schools are more committed to the students than the teachers at private schools. C. Because of the characteristics of the students who attend private schools. D. Private schools have more rigorous lesson plans and are in school more days a year than public schools.

Q: Which of the following classroom climates is not related to increased student achievement? A. classroom climates that promote competition between students B. classroom climates that promote cooperation between students C. classrooms that are more orderly and disciplined D. classrooms that combine a moderate degree of structure with high student involvement

Q: The recent, get-tough approach to dealing with violence in schools that has been hotly debated among researchers is known as: A. the total intolerance approach. B. the complete prevention approach. C. the zero-tolerance approach. D. the absolute zero approach.

Q: As discussed in your textbook, the major characteristics of good schools include all but which of the following? A. being integrated into the community (e.g., with local colleges or businesses) B. an emphasis on intellectual activities C. emphasizing rote memorization and passive listening in classrooms D. employing committed teachers and giving them the freedom to plan their curricula

Q: According to the textbook, which of the following explanations support why some researchers believe the availability of private schools in urban areas has contributed to racial segregation? A. many White students who would otherwise attend their neighborhood public school attend private school instead B. many White teachers choose to work at private schools C. There are no regulations prohibiting private schools from using ethnicity in admission decisions. D. Black families have negative stereotypes about private schools.