Deck 14: The Family

Question 1

The mild increase in parent-child conflict that often occurs in early adolescence

A) affects teenagers more strongly than it does parents.
B) is due to adolescents pressing for greater autonomy and parents pressing for more aggressiveness.
C) affects parents more strongly than it does teenagers.
D) usually causes a long-lasting strain in parent-child relationships.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Regina is a low-SES mother whose husband has taken on considerable child-care responsibilities after the birth of their son. Regina is likely to

A) report a higher level of distress due to her husband's actions.
B) engage in high-quality mother-child interactions with her newborn.
C) feel a dependent emotional connection to her spouse.
D) slowly give up larger portions of child-rearing activities in favor of spending more hours at work.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Professor Kinship views the family as a complex set of interacting relationships influenced by the larger social context. Professor Kinship endorses the __________ perspective of family.

A) ethological
B) dynamic systems
C) social systems
D) behaviorist

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Research shows that a husband's affection, expression of "we-ness," and awareness of his wife's daily life predict __________ childbirth.

A) a better adjustment for mothers who had active careers before
B) a drop in mother's satisfaction with parenting after
C) a sharp decrease in marital satisfaction after
D) stable or increasing marital satisfaction after

Question 5

Ricardo's parents are often angry at each other and fail to resolve their conflicts successfully. Ricardo is likely to

A) blame himself and display aggression.
B) avoid his parents and join after-school activities.
C) concentrate more on his schoolwork than his family life.
D) blame others for his problems and engage in self-harm.

Question 6

Compared with other species, human children

A) develop faster.
B) are more attached to their family.
C) are more independent.
D) develop slowly.

Question 7

Mr. Garcia is often impatient and uses harsh discipline with his 4-year-old son, Liam. Liam, in turn, is aggressive and rebellious. This example illustrates a(n) __________ influence on development.

A) direct
B) indirect
C) third-party
D) temporal

Question 8

Crystal is chronically exposed to her parents' angry, unresolved conflict. Which of the following is Crystal likely to experience?

A) a decrease in her performance at school
B) a close secure relationship with one parent, but not with the other
C) problems related to emotional self-regulation
D) her parents' overprotective hovering and obsessive monitoring of her activities

Question 9

Which function of the family unit of our evolutionary ancestors was responsible for training the young to become competent, participating group members?

A) reproduction
B) socialization
C) economic services
D) social order

Question 10

Why have the functions of the family changed over time?

A) Most household functions were replaced with technology when both parents began working outside of the home.
B) As societies became more complex, the demands placed on the family became too much for it to sustain alone, so other institutions developed to assist with certain functions.
C) As family size decreased, children had to take on more adult responsibility.
D) The discovery of electricity allowed families more time together in the evening, which increased the need for family communication and emotional understanding.

Question 11

Valencia's neighbor, Anna, is a single parent who works two jobs to make ends meet. Valencia often stops by Anna's house, listening to her concerns. Valencia is providing

A) direct assistance with child rearing.
B) social support that leads to parental self-worth.
C) access to valuable information and services for Anna.
D) a crutch for Anna, which will compromise her child-rearing skills.

Question 12

Don and Flo have a tense, hostile marriage. They are likely to deal with their children

A) with general indifference, regardless of their children's behavior.
B) by ignoring positive behaviors and blaming negative behaviors on the other parent.
C) by seeking outside assistance from a mental health agency.
D) with criticism, anger, and punishment.

Question 13

Societal order responsibilities that were once a function of the family are now assumed by

A) schools.
B) political and legal institutions.
C) farms and stores.
D) churches.

Question 14

To provide protection against starvation at times when game was scarce, the human family pattern of our evolutionary past

A) developed into a female-dominated subculture whose sole purpose was continued existence of the species.
B) purposely limited the number of children within each family unit in order to make food supplies last as long as possible.
C) enhanced survival by ensuring a relatively even balance of male hunters and female gatherers within a social group.
D) developed expanded kinship groups that were willing to sacrifice themselves for individual members.

Question 15

From an evolutionary perspective, an extended relationship between a man and a woman increased male certainty that her baby was actually his offspring, which

A) motivated him to care and provide for mother and child.
B) ensured consistent sexual activity, which increased chances of survival.
C) proved to the tribal elders that the couple was committed to child rearing.
D) decreased male competition for mates among tribal groups.

Question 16

Which of the following descriptions defines the family in its most common form?

A) a group of people, related by blood, who divide responsibilities, such as child rearing, food provision, and protection
B) a commitment between two adults who pledge faithfulness to each other
C) a mother giving birth to her children and providing food and shelter until the age of 18
D) an enduring commitment between a man and woman who feed, shelter, and nurture their children until they reach maturity

Question 17

Veda is an out-of-work parent whose child-care needs must be addressed before she can job hunt. She is in need of

A) parental self-worth.
B) parental access to valuable information and services.
C) child-rearing controls and role models.
D) direct assistance with child rearing.

Question 18

In a study of well-educated mothers, those who had recently given birth to their second child reported

A) less stress than after they had their first child.
B) just as much stress as first-time mothers.
C) more stress than after they had their first child.
D) an increase of postpartum depression.

Question 19

When parents engage in effective coparenting, they tend to have

A) spoiled children who try to pit one parent against the other.
B) children with exceptionally high IQs.
C) secure attachment relationships with their children.
D) large families with four or more children.

Question 20

Which of the following types of neighborhood resources has been shown to improve school performance and family functioning for children in low-income neighborhoods?

A) the National Merit Scholars program, which recognizes academic talent
B) DARE, a police-sponsored program aimed at preventing drug use among children
C) the Better Beginnings, Better Futures Project, which pairs enrichment programs with home visits
D) the Best Buddy program, which pairs inner-city children with children of affluent families for weekend excursions

Question 21

Which of the following features did Baumrind find that consistently differentiated effective child-rearing styles from less effective ones?

A) type of discipline, rewards and punishment, and parental warmth
B) parental age, child age, and parental income
C) parent educational level, parent literacy level, and presence of extended family
D) acceptance and involvement, behavioral control, and autonomy granting

Question 22

Wanda's parents engage in behaviors that intrude on and manipulate her verbal expressions and individuality. Wanda's parents engage in

A) permissive parenting techniques.
B) autonomy granting.
C) coregulation.
D) psychological control.

Question 23

In an effort to gradually shift responsibilities to their teenage daughter, Mr. and Mrs. Yan exercise supervision in the form of general oversight, but let her make moment-by-moment decisions. The Yans are engaging in

A) joint decision making.
B) feigned disinterest.
C) bidirectional autonomy.
D) coregulation.

Question 24

Over time, the relationship between parenting and children's attributes becomes increasingly

A) authoritarian as children require greater oversight and strict parental monitoring.
B) distant as children become more autonomous and parents spend less time providing direct care.
C) bidirectional as each participant modifies the actions of the other.
D) intense as each participant has to renegotiate the parent-child relationship at each stage of development.

Question 25

Researchers who claim that siblings reared in the same family show little resemblance in parent-rated temperament also assert that

A) peers are a more powerful influence on children's behavior than parents.
B) parenting influences cannot be measured easily.
C) parenting has different effects on different children.
D) the effects of parenting overshadow any impact of the child's genetic makeup or the peer culture.

Question 26

At its extreme, uninvolved parenting is

A) beneficial to children, as it forces them to grow up.
B) more harmful to boys' development than girls' development.
C) a form of child maltreatment called neglect.
D) associated with high levels of psychological control.

Question 27

Newell is fearful and inhibited. Newell will benefit most if his parents

A) adopt an authoritarian child-rearing style.
B) take over and help him solve social problems.
C) become overprotective and restrict his activities.
D) provide extra encouragement to be assertive and express his autonomy.

Question 28

Seven-year-old Tim is allowed to eat meals and go to bed whenever he wants, does not participate in any household chores, and makes most of his own decisions. We can anticipate that as an adolescent, Tim will most likely

A) show high levels of self-efficacy in school.
B) be highly competitive in both academics and sports activities.
C) be impulsive, disobedient, and rebellious.
D) be independent and responsible, as he was forced to mature at an early age.

Question 29

Which of the following best describes a parent who uses an uninvolved child-rearing style?

A) rarely listens to the child's point of view
B) is indifferent to the child's decision making
C) is warm but overindulgent or inattentive
D) is cold and rejecting

Question 30

__________ are combinations of __________ that occur over a wide range of situations, creating an enduring child-rearing climate.

A) Child-rearing styles; parenting behaviors
B) Social systems; peer group influences
C) Public policies; government regulations
D) Support groups; educational techniques

Question 31

Sixteen-year-old Bonita strives to develop a sense of herself as a separate, self-governing individual. Bonita is developing

A) maturation.
B) autonomy.
C) coregulation.
D) individuality.

Question 32

Five-year-old Fabiano is allowed to stay up late watching television, has poor manners, and is overly demanding with his parents. Fabiano displays characteristics of a child raised by __________ parents.

A) permissive
B) uninvolved
C) authoritative
D) authoritarian

Question 33

In __________, the amount of time children spend with parents __________.

A) early childhood; declines steadily
B) middle childhood; declines dramatically
C) adolescence; fluctuates
D) middle childhood; rises dramatically

Question 34

When Aiden needs to make a decision, he carefully weighs his own judgment and the suggestions of others to arrive at a well-reasoned course of action. This is the __________ component of autonomy.

A) behavioral
B) emotional
C) identity
D) idealized

Question 35

Longitudinal evidence indicates that among children of diverse temperaments, authoritative child rearing in the preschool years predicts __________ a decade later in adolescence, whereas authoritarian child rearing predicts __________.

A) maturity; adjustment difficulties
B) immaturity; high self-esteem
C) high self-esteem; low self-esteem
D) adjustment; poor academic achievement

Question 36

Gina is dependent, lacks interest in exploration, and is overwhelmed by challenging tasks. She is exhibiting characteristics consistent with girls raised by __________ parents.

A) authoritative
B) authoritarian
C) permissive
D) uninvolved

Question 37

Parents start to socialize their children in earnest during

A) the first year, when babies can interact socially.
B) the second year, when toddlers are first able to comply with their directives.
C) the preschool years, when children start formal schooling.
D) early adolescence, when peer pressure is strongest.

Question 38

Nikhil and Simon exhibit high self-esteem, social maturity, task persistence, and are usually in an upbeat mood. What type of child-rearing style does their parents most likely use?

A) authoritative
B) authoritarian
C) permissive
D) uninvolved

Question 39

Research shows that child rearing becomes __________ in middle childhood for those parents who established a(n) __________ style during the early years.

A) easier; permissive
B) harder; authoritative
C) easier; authoritative
D) harder; uninvolved

Question 40

The Smiths tend to overindulge their children, allowing the children to make many decisions before they are ready. The Smiths are using a(n) __________ child-rearing style.

A) authoritative
B) authoritarian
C) permissive
D) uninvolved

Question 41

Effective parenting of adolescents strikes a balance between __________ and __________.

A) discipline; psychological control
B) connection; separation
C) friendship; discipline
D) autonomy; acceptance

Question 42

Compared to low- or middle-SES parents, affluent parents

A) are nearly as physically and emotionally unavailable to their children as parents coping with serious financial strain.
B) make very few educational demands of their children.
C) are better at preventing substance abuse in their teenagers.
D) are more likely to provide after-school supervision and emotional support to their teenagers.

Question 43

In the case study of Zinnia Mae, being cut off from family and community ties and being overwhelmed by financial strain and feelings of helplessness resulted in

A) her preoccupation with finding her children's father.
B) the abandonment of her children at a local church.
C) a depleted home learning environment for her children.
D) her eventual suicide at age 25.

Question 44

The mild conflict that typically arises in the parent-child relationship

A) often escalates once the young adult moves out of the family home.
B) facilitates adolescent identity and autonomy by helping family members learn to express and tolerate disagreement.
C) escalates as adolescents begin spending more time away from home and often leads to a breakdown in communication.
D) can be reduced if parents maintain strict guidelines, implemented in an authoritarian atmosphere.

Question 45

Mr. Hernandez is a lawyer and Mrs. Hernandez is an accountant. Which of the following traits are they likely to desire in their children?

A) obedience, politeness, neatness, and cleanliness
B) autonomy, assertiveness, a strong work ethic, and ethnic pride
C) curiosity, happiness, self-direction, and cognitive and social maturity
D) assertiveness, insight, stubbornness, and strong leadership skills

Question 46

Which of the following statements is true about teenagers who live in risky neighborhoods?

A) They adjust more favorably when their parents allow them greater autonomy.
B) They tend to have more trusting relationships with parents.
C) They seem to interpret more measured granting of autonomy as a sign of parental control.
D) They tend to have more strained relationships with parents.

Question 47

Which of the following teenagers is more likely to use cigarettes, alcohol, hard drugs, or marijuana to self-medicate for anxiety and depression?

A) Nicole, a middle-SES female who lives in a rural area
B) Natalie, a low-SES female who lives in an inner-city neighborhood
C) Nathan, a low-SES male who lives in an inner-city neighborhood
D) Nick, a high-SES male who lives in the suburbs

Question 48

Chen and Lian, like most other Chinese parents, typically describe their parenting as

A) based on reasoning-oriented discipline, never physical punishment.
B) less warm and more controlling.
C) more open and high in warmth.
D) nurturing and communicative.

Question 49

The reduced time that Western teenagers spend with their families is mostly due to

A) parent-child conflict.
B) rebellion against their parents.
C) the large amount of unstructured time available to them.
D) the large amount of time they spend on cell phones and the Internet.

Question 50

Kris and Kayla are the parents of two teenage boys. Which of the following statements are Kris and Kayla likely to make?

A) "Living with teenagers is stressful."
B) "Living with teenagers is easy."
C) "Boys are easier to raise than girls."
D) "Strict discipline is essential for raising well-adjusted children."

Question 51

The rapid physical and psychological changes of adolescence trigger

A) parents' balanced use of psychological controls.
B) significant agreement within parent-child relationships.
C) conflicting expectations in parent-child relationships.
D) adolescents' reluctance to take on independence and autonomous decision making.

Question 52

What is one simple intervention that both low-SES and high-SES parents can implement to reduce adjustment difficulties in their children?

A) Attend school-sponsored activities together.
B) Eat dinner with their children.
C) Engage in community-sponsored counseling sessions.
D) Work with their children on a volunteer service project.

Question 53

An improved ability to reason about social relationships leads adolescents to __________ their parents.

A) resent
B) admire
C) deidealize
D) seek separation from

Question 54

__________ often become depressed, irritable, and distracted, resulting in an increase in hostile interactions with other family members.

A) High-SES parents with demanding, time-consuming jobs
B) First-generation immigrant parents
C) Single mothers with two or more children
D) Low-SES parents who deal with crises on a daily basis

Question 55

The most powerful evidence that parents matter comes from

A) adoption studies.
B) twin research.
C) intervention experiments.
D) studies of single parenthood.

Question 56

Which of the following personal qualities do higher-SES parents tend to emphasize they desire for their children?

A) obedience, politeness, neatness, and cleanliness
B) autonomy, assertiveness, a strong work ethic, and ethnic pride
C) curiosity, happiness, self-direction, and cognitive and social maturity
D) assertiveness, insight, stubbornness, and strong leadership skills

Question 57

Throughout adolescence, the __________ is the single most consistent predictor of mental health.

A) development of a friendship between parent and child
B) use of coregulation
C) level of autonomy achieved
D) quality of the parent-child relationship

Question 58

When an authoritarian child-rearing style high in psychological or coercive control becomes excessive, the child will

A) display anxiety, depression, and aggressive behavior.
B) show respect only for adults who are in positions of authority.
C) become a socially competent and independent adult, but will have unhappy childhood memories.
D) become a passive, submissive teenager who is unable to make independent decisions.

Question 59

Most research shows that parents

A) are the sole influence in children's development.
B) are less influential in children's development than teachers and siblings.
C) are not the sole influence in children's development, although they exert a profound impact.
D) do not perceive themselves as having much of an impact on their children's development.

Question 60

High levels of stress sparked by economic insecurity contribute to

A) high-SES parents' teaching of independent decision-making skills to their children.
B) low-SES parents' greater use of coercive discipline.
C) middle-SES parents' preference for an uninvolved child-rearing style.
D) low-SES parents' use of a permissive child-rearing style.

Question 61

The African-American extended family

A) can be traced to the African heritage of most black Americans, in which newly married couples live with their family who helps with all aspects of daily life.
B) evolved as a result of slavery, when many families were forced to live together under one roof.
C) emerged from the need to take over the role of absent fathers.
D) emerged due to the high rates of pregnancies in African-American teens.

Question 62

Family A has one child and Family B has four children. Based on findings from the U.S. National Longitudinal Survey of Youth, what can we infer about the IQs of the children in these families?

A) The oldest child in Family B will have the lowest IQ of any of the siblings.
B) The youngest child in Family B will have the lowest IQ of any of the siblings.
C) The child in Family A will have a higher IQ than any of the children in Family B.
D) There is not enough information to make any predictions about IQ in either family.

Question 63

When parents make frequent comparisons between same-sex siblings who are close in age,

A) children strive harder to develop independent personality traits.
B) siblings make gains in perspective-taking skills.
C) sibling rivalry tends to increase, particularly during toddlerhood and the preschool years.
D) it results in more quarreling and antagonism for the children.

Question 64

Low-SES African-American mothers tend to use strict control and expect immediate obedience from their children

A) because they are modeling the behaviors of their peers.
B) to protect them from becoming victims of crime.
C) because they are unaware of other child-rearing techniques.
D) to foster a community-wide approach toward child rearing.

Question 65

Mr. and Mrs. Dismuke live with their two children, Mrs. Dismuke's parents, and Mr. Dismuke's uncle. All of these people make up

A) a stepfamily.
B) a blended family.
C) the nuclear family unit.
D) an extended-family household.

Question 66

In addition to more effective birth control, a major reason for the decline in family size is

A) increasing unemployment rates.
B) reduced access to welfare services.
C) a woman's decision to divide her energies between family and work.
D) increasing infertility rates among older couples.

Question 67

__________ percent of North American and European children grow up with at least one sibling.

A) Twenty
B) Forty
C) Sixty
D) Eighty

Question 68

When preschooler P.J. grabs a book out of his 2-year-old brother's hands, their mother responds with harsh criticism and then leaves them alone while she returns to her housework. Based on this scenario, you can anticipate that P.J. and his brother are likely to

A) be independent and responsible.
B) have an antagonistic sibling relationship.
C) develop a caring relationship based upon trust.
D) avoid each other as much as possible.

Question 69

Today's new parents in the United States will spend about __________ to rear a child from birth to age 18.

A) $150,000
B) $220,000
C) $280,000
D) $370,000

Question 70

As adolescents establish autonomy and independence from the family, they

A) invest less time and energy in their sibling relationships.
B) spend more time and energy with their extended-family members.
C) remain heavily involved with their younger siblings.
D) begin to deidealize their siblings and often resent their constant presence.

Question 71

A history of physical punishment is associated with __________ among African-American adolescents and __________ among Caucasian-American adolescents.

A) a reduction in antisocial behavior; an increase in antisocial behavior
B) an increase in antisocial behavior; greater academic motivation
C) closer ties to parents who combine punishment with warmth; alienation from parents
D) less cognitive and social competence; increased antisocial involvement

Question 72

Compared with agemates who have siblings, Chinese only children feel more emotionally secure because

A) government disapproval promotes tension in families with more than one child.
B) Chinese culture is overly focused on the firstborn child.
C) families with two or more children are often stressed by financial hardship.
D) they do not have to contend with sibling rivalry.

Question 73

__________ is/are an especially common way in which African-American youths acquire a strong sense of their roots.

A) Making family trees
B) Church revivals
C) Family reunions
D) Storytelling

Question 74

Which of the following statements is true regarding only children?

A) They tend to be spoiled and self-centered.
B) They tend to experience high levels of anxiety due to extreme parental pressures to succeed.
C) They tend to be less well-accepted in their peer group, because they have not had opportunities to learn effective conflict-resolution strategies.
D) They tend to have low self-esteem and perform poorly in school.

Question 75

Research indicates that the link between family size and children's IQ can be explained by the

A) Flynn effect.
B) strong trend for mothers lower in intelligence to give birth to more children.
C) strong trend for mothers higher in intelligence to give birth to more children.
D) growing use of birth control techniques.

Question 76

Mr. and Mrs. Baca are Mexican-American parents who have not assimilated to U.S. culture. What child-rearing behaviors will they most likely use?

A) They will expect immediate obedience and use very controlling strategies to enforce their rules.
B) Mrs. Baca will use a combination of parental warmth and loose control, while Mr. Baca will be uninvolved.
C) They will use high parental warmth paired with strict, even somewhat harsh, control.
D) They will use authoritative child rearing with their oldest child, who will then be responsible for raising his or her siblings in a similar fashion.

Question 77

Adoption agencies try to ensure a good fit by

A) placing children in affluent homes.
B) seeking parents of the same ethnic and religious background of the child.
C) allowing the biological parents to select an adoptive family for their child.
D) seeking parents with at least two biological children.

Question 78

Sibling rivalry tends to

A) increase in early childhood.
B) decrease in middle childhood.
C) increase in middle childhood.
D) peak in adolescence.

Question 79

The skills acquired during __________ contribute to the understanding of emotions and other mental states, perspective taking, moral maturity, and competence in relating to other children.

A) story reading with parents
B) parallel play with peers
C) sibling interactions
D) independent reading

Question 80

Since the 1960s, family size in the United States has

A) remained constant.
B) decreased.
C) increased slightly.
D) increased significantly.