Deck 14: Physical Development and Health in Adolescence

Question 1

While the adolescent brain maintains its basic structures, it also

A) prunes unused neural connections and strengthens others.
B) continues to build new neural connections and decreases the rate of myelination.
C) shows a decrease in synapses between neurons in the brain.
D) shows an overproduction of synapses and stops synaptic pruning.
E) increases the rate of myelination, without building new neural connections.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The explosion of connections among neurons in the brain which occurs for young adolescents, occurs mainly in which area of the brain?

A) The occipital lobe
B) The myelin
C) The white matter
D) The prefrontal cortex
E) The gray matter

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The process of pruning involves

A) retention of synapses that are useful and elimination of those that are not used.
B) rapid formation of synapses between neurons in the brain.
C) a steady decrease of white matter.
D) a steady increase of gray matter.
E) elimination of gray matter in order to retain and increase white matter.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

When the developmental changes in gray matter brain volume are plotted on a graph, the results show an inverted U-shaped pattern. This shape reflects changes in gray matter in what way?

A) The volume, thickness, and synaptic density of gray matter is high in early childhood and gradually decreases over time.
B) The volume, thickness, and synaptic density of gray matter is relatively low in early childhood and increases during adolescence.
C) The volume, thickness, and synaptic density of gray matter is relatively low in early childhood and stays at the same level throughout adolescence.
D) The volume, thickness, and synaptic density of gray matter is relatively low in early childhood, gradually increases during adolescence, then declines.
E) The volume, thickness, and synaptic density of gray matter is relatively high in early childhood, gradually increases during adolescence, then declines.

Question 5

When the developmental changes in white matter brain volume are plotted on a graph, the results show what shape?

A) An inverted U-shape which reflects an increase and then decrease in white matter volume and myelination
B) A U-shape line, which reflects (relatively) high levels at young ages and then further increase in white matter volume and myelination
C) An inverted U-shape which reflects a decrease and then increase in white matter volume and myelination
D) A declining straight line, which reflects (relatively) high levels of white matter volume and myelination at young ages and decreasing levels of white matter across time
E) An inclined straight line, which reflects (relatively) low levels of white matter volume and myelination at young ages and continually increasing levels of white matter across time

Question 6

Which statement most accurately describes myelin?

A) It is a substance that is found in the gray matter in the prefrontal cortex of the brain.
B) It is the fatty sheath that surrounds axons and makes them appear white in images.
C) It is a substance that contributes to less efficient communication between the two hemispheres of the brain.
D) It is the fatty sheath that surrounds the dendrites, leading to an increase in electrical impulses.
E) It is the fatty sheath that surrounds the cell body, making them appear white in images.

Question 7

Mindy's teachers have noticed that she has recently shown improvements in abstract thinking, moral reasoning, decision-making, planning, inhibitory control, language, and problem solving. Regarding the changes in the brain during adolescence, Mindy's improved cognitive skills may be associated with

A) changes in gray matter.
B) a loss of myelin.
C) changes in white matter.
D) decreasing thickness of synapses.
E) increasing thickness of synapses.

Question 8

The hippocampus, amygdala, and cingulate gyrus are all part of the limbic system, which is sometimes referred to as the

A) pubertal brain.
B) incentive center.
C) emotional and social brain.
D) sensation seeking brain.
E) limbic central region.

Question 9

When the parasympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system allows our heart to beat slow and steady, we are likely in what kind of situation?

A) Witnessing the outbreak of a fight
B) Sitting in a chair reading a book
C) Running from a parking lot to a building
D) Watching a thrilling movie
E) Responding to a friend's insult

Question 10

Phillip has started to notice hair growing on his chest and he can reach the top shelf in his closet, whereas he previously had to use a step ladder to reach the shelf. Phillips changes are manifestations of

A) motivation to engage.
B) primary sex characteristics.
C) secondary sex characteristics.
D) spermarche.
E) menarche.

Question 11

Which is the correct statement regarding the development of pubic hair?

A) On average, pubic hair is likely to first begin to grow around age 10 for males.
B) On average, females are likely to see the first appearance of pubic hair in stage 3 of puberty.
C) On average, males are likely to see the first appearance of public hair in stage 3 of puberty.
D) Males typically see the appearance of pubic hair before females experience the appearance of pubic hair.
E) Females typically see the appearance of pubic hair before males experience the appearance of pubic hair.

Question 12

In response to the adolescent growth spurt, some adolescents engage in which activity?

A) Using performance-enhancing substances to improve muscle mass
B) Wearing clothing which hides body shape and mass
C) Wearing clothing which defines body shape and mass
D) Using aggression to react to minor situations in an exaggerated way
E) Ignoring or trivializing the side effects of mood swings

Question 13

The physical changes related puberty help explain why adolescent athletes are at special risk from

A) concussions.
B) declining athletic performance.
C) musculoskeletal injuries.
D) dehydration.
E) heat-related illness.

Question 14

For girls, the process by which the brain begins to release hormones related to puberty occurs in which pattern?

A) leptin signals the pituitary gland which triggers the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland also secretes gonadotropin hormones which stimulate activity in the gonads.
B) Leptin signals the hypothalamus which triggers the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland then secretes gonadotropin hormones which stimulate activity in the gonads.
C) Leptin signals the pituitary gland which triggers the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus then secretes gonadotropin hormones which stimulate activity in the gonads.
D) Leptin signals the pituitary gland which triggers the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland also secretes leptin which stimulates activity in the gonads.
E) Gonadotropin hormones signals the pituitary gland which triggers the hypothalamus. The pituitary gland also secretes gonadotropin hormones which stimulate activity in the gonads.

Question 15

Regarding types and levels of hormones present in males and females, which best describes changes from childhood to adolescence?

A) Boys maintain a higher level of estrogens than do girls from childhood through adolescence.
B) Boys and girls maintain similar levels of estrogens and androgens from childhood through adolescence.
C) Estrogens are not present in a boys during childhood, but increase in adolescence.
D) Estrogens are not present in girls during childhood but increase in adolescence.
E) Estrogens and androgens shift in their relative amounts in girls and boys from childhood to adolescence.

Question 16

A secular trend in pubertal development refers to the

A) difference between boys and girls as to when they enter puberty.
B) changes in physical maturation over age that adolescents experience.
C) nongenetic changes in onset that occur over extended time across history.
D) genetic changes that occur and influence the growth spurt and pubertal changes.
E) consistencies in the age of pubertal onset across generations and countries.

Question 17

An assessment that is commonly used to assess adolescent's pubertal development is the

A) pubertal timing and adjustment scale.
B) British adolescent scale of development.
C) Whitehouse scale.
D) Tanner scale.
E) Blakemore scale.

Question 18

Anastasia is experiencing pubertal development much earlier than her peers. According to research, Anastasia is likely to

A) feel more mature than peers and good about her physical changes.
B) feel less mature than peers and good about her physical changes.
C) be more susceptible to depression and behavior problems than peers.
D) be less susceptible to depression and behavior problems than peers.
E) seek out information about the topic of puberty.

Question 19

A theory which says that early puberty may instigate problem behaviors because of the influence of spending time with people who are older is called the

A) peer-influence hypothesis.
B) maturational deviance hypothesis.
C) readiness hypothesis.
D) contextual amplification hypothesis.
E) problem behavior hypothesis.

Question 20

Girls with absent fathers and the TT genotype

A) are more likely to be resistant to sexual relationships at an early age than other girls.
B) are less likely to be self-conscious about their bodies than other girls.
C) show no differences in pubertal development when compared with other girls.
D) are more likely to experience later menarche onset than other girls.
E) are more likely to experience earlier menarche onset than other girls.

Question 21

Diet factors that have been shown to influence an earlier onset of puberty include

A) being from an affluent household and consuming a high-fat diet.
B) being from a poor household and consuming a low-fat diet.
C) having a low intake of animal proteins.
D) having a high intake of animal proteins.
E) having a high intake of vegetables.

Question 22

Male !Ku Bushmen adolescents receive a painful scar at a ceremony to teach them responsibility as a part of a(n)

A) ceremony which symbolizes the passing of ancestors before them.
B) educational milestone marking the passage from one grade to the next.
C) ceremony which marks the entrance into a new family.
D) pubertal rite ceremony that prepares them for their new roles.
E) ceremony which indicates that a male !Ku is prepared to work in coal mines.

Question 23

Which statement about the cultural context of puberty is true?

A) Attitudes of adolescents toward the experience of puberty vary widely depending on cultural attitudes about the transition.
B) Most cultures regard adolescents as occupying a place somewhere in between childhood and full-fledged adulthood.
C) Most cultures do not formally recognize the passage from childhood to adulthood around the time of puberty.
D) Historically, when young people were often expected to take on adult responsibilities such as work and child-bearing early in life, the concept of adolescence did not exist.
E) Rites acknowledging the arrival of puberty have largely been abandoned in cultures around the world.

Question 24

Acceptance of sex before marriage has occurred at the same time as changes in

A) how schools addressed sex education.
B) the average age that adolescents could obtain jobs.
C) how adolescents acquire information about sexuality.
D) the average age of puberty onset.
E) how parents addressed sex education.

Question 25

Michael's school has a course which focuses on sexual rights and topics to enhance understanding of sexuality. This educational approach is centered on

A) sexual health.
B) sexual abstinence.
C) a religious foundation.
D) the differences between males and females.
E) the similarities between males and females.

Question 26

The tendency to form strong social connections with people who are similar in sexual activities is called

A) friendship nominations.
B) sexual homophily.
C) cultural sexuality.
D) peer-nominated sexual norms.
E) cultural sex norms.

Question 27

Research demonstrates that male adolescents show a greater increase than female adolescents in the number of friendship nominations they receive from peers after engaging in sexual intercourse. This finding suggests

A) greater acceptance of male adolescents having had sex than females.
B) greater tendency of male adolescents to confide their sexual activity to friends than female adolescents.
C) female adolescents experiencing greater regret after engaging in sexual activity relative to males.
D) female adolescents experiencing high peer rejection after having had sex.
E) similar rates of popularity for male and female adolescents after having had sex.

Question 28

Which is an example of how culture influences adolescent propensities to engage in sexual activities?

A) Early puberty combined with a community tolerant of sexual activity leads to sexual intercourse at a young age.
B) Late puberty combined with a community tolerant of sexual activity leads to sexual intercourse at a young age.
C) Early puberty combined with a community intolerance of sexual activity leads to sexual intercourse at a young age.
D) Late puberty combined with a community tolerance of sexual activity leads to sexual intercourse at a young age.
E) Late puberty combined with a community tolerant of sexual activity leads to sexual intercourse at an older age.

Question 29

Micah believes that by only engaging in oral sex, he can avoid sexually transmitted infections. Research indicates that this belief is

A) correct; oral sex cannot lead to sexually transmitted infections.
B) partially correct; oral sex can only lead to sexually transmitted infections for females.
C) partially correct; oral sex can only lead to sexually transmitted infections for males.
D) incorrect; oral sex can lead to sexually transmitted infections.
E) incorrect; oral sex can lead to sexually transmitted infections, but only for males.

Question 30

The most commonly sexually transmitted infections that can result in painful urination, discharge from the vagina or penis, painful sexual intercourse in adolescent girls, and testicular pain in adolescent boys is called

A) trichinosis.
B) gonorrhea.
C) human papillomavirus.
D) chlamydia.
E) HIV.

Question 31

Precautions that have resulted in declining rates of adolescent pregnancy in the United States include a(n)

A) increase in school education programs that target topics of adolescent pregnancy.
B) increase in abstinence and contraceptive use among adolescents.
C) decrease in acceptance of non-marital sexual intercourse among adolescents.
D) increase in knowledge about adolescent pregnancy among parents of adolescents.
E) increase in media coverage of adolescent pregnancies.

Question 32

Tammy has a pathological fear of gaining weight. She is constantly depriving herself of food and has experienced excessive and unhealthy weight loss. Tammy is likely suffering from

A) weight restriction beliefs.
B) behavior modifications of eating disorders.
C) anorexia nervosa.
D) bulimia nervosa.
E) purging disorder.

Question 33

The term _______ applies to a person who falls between the 85^th and 94^th percentile for their body mass index.

A) overweight
B) obese
C) weight status
D) BMI
E) weight-neutral

Question 34

The idea that early hunter-gatherers had to rely on hunting animals to feed family members and eat a lot during food availability in case a hunt was unsuccessful supports the hypothesis that

A) human genetics may confer advantages for a tendency toward being underweight.
B) human genetics may confer advantages for a tendency toward being overweight.
C) human culture may confer advantages for a tendency toward being overweight.
D) human culture may confer advantages for a tendency toward being underweight.
E) there is no advantage throughout history for being overweight.

Question 35

Jamie feels most alert between 9:00 pm and 1:00 am, and then falls asleep until 9 a.m. This is a pattern that is consistent from day to day. It can be described as Jamie's

A) melatonin level.
B) sleep-alert cycle.
C) level of insomnia.
D) circadian rhythm.
E) sleep-wake level.

Question 36

Adolescents require an average of _______ hours of sleep per night, much _______ than what most adolescents or even their parents believe.

A) 10; more
B) 7; more
C) 9; more
D) 8; less
E) 9; less

Question 37

Research on the "sleep debt" indicates that adolescents

A) sleep long hours on weekends, which prevents any harmful consequences of too little sleep during the week.
B) sleep insufficient hours on both weekdays and weekends, which leads to an overall sleep debt.
C) sleep later on weekends than weekdays, but this does not solve problems associated with weekday sleep deprivation.
D) adjust their bedtime hours to go to sleep earlier during the week when they have to wake up early the next day to avoid a sleep debt.
E) oversleep on weekdays after going out late weekends, which causes a sleep debt in school performance.

Question 38

Tran's brother, who shares a room with him, told him that he can hear Tran grinding his teeth a night. The condition that Tran suffers from is called

A) bruxism.
B) insomnia.
C) resting jaw motion disorder.
D) periodontal tightness.
E) muscle tension.

Question 39

Tamika's school start time changed from 8:25 a.m. to 7:20 a.m. Based on adolescent sleep research, Tamika is likely to respond to this change in schedule in what way?

A) She is likely to adjust her bedtime by going to bed earlier.
B) She is likely to adjust her bedtime by going to bed later.
C) She is likely to sleep more and achieve this by going to bed earlier.
D) She is likely to complete her homework earlier in the day rather than save it for late at night.
E) She is likely to sleep less rather than going to bed earlier.

Question 40

Differences in cultural sleep patterns for adolescents across the world are likely reflected in which of the following patterns

A) adolescents from Asia have later bedtimes and earlier wake times than teens from North America.
B) adolescents from North America have later bedtimes and later wake times than teen from Asia.
C) adolescents from Canada wake earlier than U.S. adolescents.
D) adolescents from China wake up later than North American adolescents but go to bed earlier.
E) adolescents from Europe have later bedtimes than do teens from Asia.

Question 41

Concerning the relation between sleep patterns and screen time, screen time interferes with getting in bed and shutting out the lights. Exposure to the bright lights emitted by screens may suppress _______ release and interfere with _______.

A) dopamine; sleep onset
B) bruxism; REM sleep
C) dopamine; circadian rhythms
D) melatonin; circadian rhythms
E) melatonin; recurring bruxism

Question 42

James has been considering participating in an extreme dirt bike race. Many people are often seriously injured in the race. James is aware of the dangers of risky behaviors and of the fact that he could be injured. What is one explanation for why James is still considering participating in the race despite knowledge of the risks?

A) The limbic system of the brain contributes to an increase in urges to pursue exciting activities, while the prefrontal cortex is insufficiently developed to keep this impulse at bay.
B) Gray matter of the brain contributes to an increase in urges to pursue exciting activities, while the prefrontal cortex is insufficiently developed to keep this impulse at bay.
C) The limbic system of the brain contributes to a decrease in urges to pursue exciting activities, while the prefrontal cortex is insufficiently developed to keep this impulse at bay.
D) The limbic system of the brain contributes to an increase in urges to pursue exciting activities, while synaptogenesis is insufficiently developed to keep this impulse at bay.
E) Gray matter of the brain contributes to an increase in urges to pursue exciting activities, while white matter is insufficiently developed to keep this impulse at bay.

Question 43

Research has shown the adolescent limbic system in the brain to be highly active. Why is this system so active?

Question 44

Describe the factors that may contribute to adolescent injury and how these injuries can be avoided.

Question 45

Discuss hypotheses that attempt to explain why pubertal timing may cause behavioral problems and psychological distress in adolescents. Which hypothesis differentiates between males and females? Which hypothesis implicates a social influence?

Question 46

Describe the factors that are related to the high incidence of HIV among adolescents.

Question 47

What consequential differences exist for adolescent girls and boys who become parents?

Question 48

Explain what the text means when it says, "Adolescent pregnancy does not exist in a vacuum."

Question 49

Describe the phases of the family-based therapy approach to adolescent eating disorders.

Question 50

Describe factors of the family context that contribute to the probability of eating disorders and obesity patterns in adolescence.

Question 51

Describe the behaviors and situations that link adolescent device usage to sleep patterns.

Question 52

Describe how an adolescent's experiences contribute to brain development, and how brain development contributes to an adolescent's experiences.

Question 53

Why is the social stigma surrounding obesity difficult to reverse?