Deck 11: Physical and Cognitive Development in Adolescence

Question 1

Contemporary research suggests that the storm-and-stress notion of adolescence is

A) much worse for boys than for girls.
B) understated.
C) much worse for girls than for boys.
D) exaggerated.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Rachel wonders what signs will indicate the onset of puberty in her daughter.You can tell her that her daughter's puberty will probably begin with

A) menarche.
B) the growth of underarm hair.
C) the budding of the breasts and the growth spurt.
D) extreme and unpredictable moodiness.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which of the following is a secondary sexual characteristic?

A) ovaries
B) pubic hair
C) scrotum
D) testes

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Anna Freud viewed the teenage years as a

A) period so turbulent that it resembles the era in which humans evolved from savages into civilized beings.
B) time in which teenagers grasp scientific and mathematical principles and grapple with social and political issues.
C) pleasant time of life in which the social environment is responsible for the range of teenage experiences.
D) biologically based "developmental disturbance."

Question 5

Sleep-deprived adolescents

A) perform better on cognitive tasks in the morning hours.
B) are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression.
C) are less likely to engage in high-risk behaviors.
D) display increases in executive function.

Question 6

The hormonal changes that underlie puberty

A) are underway at birth.
B) occur suddenly.
C) are underway by age 8 or 9.
D) are unimpressive.

Question 7

During puberty,boys'

A) hips broaden relative to the shoulders and waist.
B) legs are shorter in relation to the rest of the body.
C) torsos grow first, followed by their hands, legs, and feet.
D) strength increases as they develop large skeletal muscles, hearts, and lung capacity.

Question 8

Which of the following girls is the most likely to experience puberty at the earliest age?

A) Mary, who eats very little
B) Abbie, who is in a rigorous gymnastics training program
C) Ashley, who is impoverished
D) Chandra, who lives in a conflict-ridden family

Question 9

Which of the following statements about physical activity in adolescence is true?

A) By age 15, about two-thirds of U.S. teenagers meet the government recommendations for daily physical activity.
B) In the United States today, approximately 50 percent of all high school students take a daily physical education class.
C) In U.S. middle and high schools, more girls than boys enroll in physical education classes.
D) Physical activity among U.S. adolescents declines dramatically with age.

Question 10

During male puberty,soon after the testes enlarge,

A) boys experience extreme and unpredictable moodiness.
B) the prostate gland and seminal vesicles enlarge.
C) the scrotum changes in texture and color.
D) the growth spurt reaches its peak.

Question 11

Trey,a late-developing teenage boy,is quickly gaining muscle mass.He is exhibiting aggressive behavior and mood swings.An initial health screening indicates that Trey has acne,excess body hair,and high blood pressure.Trey's symptoms are consistent with

A) anabolic steroid use.
B) excessive exercise.
C) sexual maturation.
D) the onset of puberty.

Question 12

One reason that adolescents go to bed much later than they did as children is that they

A) cannot effectively manage their emotions.
B) may have developed an increased neural sensitivity to evening light.
C) do not need as much sleep as they did in middle childhood.
D) experience a steady increase in impulsivity from ages 12 to 24.

Question 13

Which of the following statements about body growth in adolescence is true?

A) The first outward sign of puberty is menarche for girls and spermarche for boys.
B) On average, the growth spurt is underway in North America around age 8 for girls and age 10 for boys.
C) In early adolescence, the typical girl is shorter and lighter than the typical boy.
D) Growth in body size is complete for most girls by age 16 and for boys by age 17½.

Question 14

During puberty,as neurons become more responsive to excitatory neurotransmitters,adolescents

A) react more strongly to stressful events and experience pleasurable stimuli more intensely.
B) have difficulty storing and retrieving long-term memories.
C) cope better with stressful events and rarely experience negative emotion.
D) become capable of reading and interpreting emotional cues.

Question 15

Today we know that adolescent development is

A) environmentally determined.
B) biologically determined.
C) socially determined.
D) influenced by biological, psychological, and social forces.

Question 16

For boys,voice change usually takes place

A) after adult stature is reached.
B) before spermarche.
C) at the peak of the growth spurt.
D) before any other signs of puberty.

Question 17

__________ viewed the social environment as entirely responsible for the range of teenage experiences,from erratic and agitated to calm and stress-free.

A) Jean Piaget
B) G. Stanley Hall
C) Anna Freud
D) Margaret Mead

Question 18

In industrialized societies,adolescence is __________ in tribal societies.

A) much longer than
B) the same length as
C) briefer but less intense than
D) briefer but more intense than

Question 19

During puberty,

A) the cephalocaudal growth trend of infancy and childhood reverses.
B) the torso accelerates first, followed by the hands, legs, and feet.
C) the average child gains 20 to 35 pounds.
D) girls' shoulders broaden relative to the hips.

Question 20

In the United States and a few European countries,__________ are responsible for a modest,continuing trend toward earlier menarche.

A) increased rates of infectious disease
B) soaring rates of overweight and obesity
C) eating disorders, such as anorexia and bulimia,
D) lack of standardized health care and high poverty rates

Question 21

Which of the following girls is the most likely to have internalized the cultural ideal of female attractiveness and have body-image issues?

A) Ruby, a late-maturing Hispanic
B) Abby, an early-maturing African American
C) Liz, a late-maturing Caucasian
D) Klarice, an early-maturing Caucasian

Question 22

Of all age groups,adolescents are most likely to

A) eat breakfast.
B) eat on the run.
C) make healthy food choices.
D) eat meals with the family.

Question 23

Both adults and peers view Michaela as physically attractive,lively,and sociable.She is a leader at her school.Her brother,Daniel,however,is viewed as anxious and moody.He is either stressed or depressed.Which of the following statements is probably true?

A) Michaela and Daniel are both late-maturing teenagers.
B) Michaela and Daniel are both early-maturing teenagers.
C) Daniel is an early-maturing boy, and Michaela is a late-maturing girl.
D) Daniel is a late-maturing boy, and Michaela is an early-maturing girl.

Question 24

Which of the following statements about individuals with bulimia nervosa is true?

A) Bulimics usually feel depressed and guilty about their abnormal eating habits.
B) Bulimics typically deny or minimize the seriousness of their disorder.
C) It is usually harder to treat young people with bulimia than those with anorexia.
D) Bulimics are usually excellent students who are responsible and well-behaved.

Question 25

Follow-ups reveal that __________ are especially prone to lasting difficulties.

A) early-maturing boys
B) late-maturing girls
C) late-maturing boys
D) early-maturing girls

Question 26

Parent?-adolescent disagreements focus largely on __________,such as __________.

A) important family values; a belief in a higher power
B) everyday matters; driving, dating partners, and curfews
C) school issues; the importance of education
D) moral issues; lying, stealing, and cheating

Question 27

Early-maturing girls are viewed as

A) relaxed, independent, and self-confident.
B) popular with agemates, but often in conflict with authority figures.
C) unpopular, withdrawn, and lacking in self-confidence.
D) physically attractive, sociable, and leaders at school.

Question 28

Which of the following girls is the most likely to be satisfied with her size and shape?

A) Kim, who is Asian American
B) Phoebe, who is African American
C) Priscilla, who is Hispanic
D) Kaylie, who is Caucasian

Question 29

Which of the following marks a significant change in an adolescent's social status in the larger society?

A) a quinceañera
B) a tribal initiation ceremony
C) a bar mitzvah
D) a bat mitzvah

Question 30

Bulimia nervosa

A) is less common than anorexia nervosa.
B) typically first appears in middle childhood.
C) is influenced by heredity.
D) affects about 20 percent of teenage girls.

Question 31

Which of the following statements about anorexia nervosa is true?

A) Anorexia nervosa is equally common in all SES groups.
B) Although being anorexic is unhealthy, it is rarely fatal.
C) About 10 percent of North American and Western European teenagers are affected.
D) Boys account for less than 1 percent of anorexia cases.

Question 32

Which of the following statements about reactions to pubertal changes is true?

A) Almost all girls get their information about physical changes from reading material or websites.
B) Girls are more likely than boys to benefit from opportunities to ask a health professional questions about puberty.
C) Almost all boys tell a friend about spermarche, whereas far fewer girls tell anyone that they are menstruating.
D) Overall, boys get less social support than girls for the physical changes of puberty.

Question 33

Psychological distancing occurs in

A) adolescents at the onset of the hormonal changes that underlie puberty.
B) nonindustrialized cultures following an initiation ceremony at the onset of puberty.
C) nonhuman primates when the young leave the family group about the time of puberty.
D) industrialized nations as a modern substitute for the actual physical departure from the family.

Question 34

Compared to the moods of older adolescents and adults,the moods of younger adolescents are

A) more positive.
B) more stable.
C) strongly related to situational changes.
D) less intense.

Question 35

Which of the following statements about individuals with anorexia nervosa is true?

A) They usually lose between 5 and 25 percent of their body weight.
B) They typically deny or minimize the seriousness of their disorder.
C) In school, they tend to be irresponsible, poorly behaved, or low-achieving.
D) Late-maturing girls are at greatest risk for the disorder.

Question 36

Jennifer,a U.S.adolescent,will be granted partial adult status when she reaches the age for

A) menarche.
B) beginning to date.
C) driving.
D) entering high school.

Question 37

About __________ of anorexic boys are __________.

A) a quarter; early-maturing youths who are anxious and prone to depression
B) half; gay or bisexual youths who are uncomfortable with a strong, muscular appearance
C) half; also afflicted with bulimia nervosa
D) three-quarters; African-American youths who are dissatisfied with their physical characteristics

Question 38

Which of the following statements about sexual attitudes in North America is true?

A) Most North American adolescents freely express their sexuality.
B) Typically, North American parents openly discuss sex with their adolescents.
C) Most North American adults promote sexual excitement and experimentation.
D) Sexual attitudes in North America are relatively restrictive.

Question 39

Compared with their European and Canadian counterparts,U.S.youths

A) become sexually active earlier.
B) become sexually active later.
C) are less likely to have had four or more sexual partners.
D) are less likely to be sexually active.

Question 40

Which of the following teenagers is likely to have the most stable moods?

A) 13-year-old Tya
B) 14-year-old Grace
C) 16-year-old Tyler
D) 19-year-old Jesse

Question 41

Most gay,lesbian,or bisexual youths experience

A) earlier intercourse than their heterosexual agemates.
B) an inner struggle that is intensified by a lack of role models and social support.
C) same-sex physical attraction, on average, between ages 6 and 8.
D) gender confusion and sexual questioning.

Question 42

Research suggests that __________ and __________ are important contributors to homosexuality.

A) social influences; genetic factors
B) genetic factors; prenatal biological influences
C) genetic factors; authoritarian child rearing
D) personal choice; prenatal biological influences

Question 43

Which of the following substances do U.S.adolescents most often experiment with during high school?

A) cigarettes
B) alcohol
C) marijuana
D) cocaine

Question 44

Which of the following statements about contraceptive use in adolescence is true?

A) Adolescent contraceptive use has decreased in recent years.
B) About 20 percent of sexually active U.S. teenagers do not use contraception consistently.
C) Even teenagers who report talking openly with their parents about sex are unlikely to use birth control.
D) School sex education classes prevent teenagers from having unprotected sex.

Question 45

Effective sex education programs

A) teach techniques for handling sexual situations.
B) focus on promoting the value of abstinence.
C) do not encourage the use of contraceptives.
D) last only a few sessions.

Question 46

Compared with adult mothers,adolescent mothers

A) perceive their babies as less difficult.
B) interact more efficiently with their infants.
C) know more about child development.
D) more often engage in child abuse.

Question 47

Which of the following statements about adolescent pregnancy and parenthood is true?

A) The U.S. adolescent pregnancy rate has declined by almost one-half since 1990, making it lower than most other Western nations.
B) Because about one-fourth of U.S. adolescent pregnancies end in abortion, the number of American teenage births is considerably lower than it was 50 years ago.
C) Because more adolescent mothers give their infants up for adoption, teenage parenthood is a much smaller problem today than it was 50 years ago.
D) In the United States today, effective sex education reaches the majority of teenagers, and low-cost contraceptive services are readily available to most teenagers.

Question 48

__________ youths rank highest in drug taking.

A) African-American
B) Native-American
C) Hispanic
D) Caucasian-American

Question 49

__________ increases the likelihood that teenagers will be sexually active.

A) Living in a high-crime neighborhood
B) Living in an economically privileged home
C) Experiencing later puberty
D) Having higher educational aspirations

Question 50

Girls __________ are more likely to become lesbian or bisexual.

A) who are later in birth order
B) who are "gender-deviant" in dress or behavior
C) exposed prenatally to very high levels of androgens or estrogens
D) who have a higher-than-average number of older brothers

Question 51

Which of the following statements about sexually transmitted diseases (STDs)is true?

A) Most high school students have only a limited understanding of STDs.
B) Males are at far greater risk than females of contracting STDs.
C) In the United States, very few cases of AIDS originate in adolescence.
D) Most adolescents do not know basic facts about AIDS.

Question 52

Which of the following statements about the sexual behavior of U.S.adolescents is true?

A) Boys tend to have their first intercourse earlier than girls.
B) Few young adolescents are sexually active.
C) At the end of high school, boys report higher rates of having had sexual intercourse than girls.
D) About one-quarter of adolescents report having had intercourse.

Question 53

The majority of gay,lesbian,and bisexual individuals accept their sexual identity by the __________ of __________.

A) beginning; middle childhood
B) end; middle childhood
C) beginning; adolescence
D) end; adolescence

Question 54

Children born to teenage mothers

A) often become adolescent parents.
B) have a better chance of graduating high school than children of adult mothers.
C) fare better if the teenage parent drops out of high school.
D) score higher on intelligence tests than children of adult mothers.

Question 55

Which of the following statements about homosexuality is true?

A) Bisexuality is a transient state.
B) Most homosexual adolescents are "gender-deviant" in dress and behavior.
C) About 50 to 60 percent of adolescents who report having engaged in homosexual acts identify as heterosexual.
D) Attraction to members of the same sex is limited to teenagers who identify as lesbian, gay, or bisexual.

Question 56

Research indicates that __________ may predispose males to become homosexual.

A) X-linked heredity
B) overly strict parenting during the early years
C) excessive contact with homosexual adults
D) chemical pollutants found in the atmosphere

Question 57

In Canada and Western Europe,where community- and school-based clinics offer adolescents contraceptives and where universal health insurance helps pay for them,__________ is/are much __________ than in the United States.

A) teenage sexual activity; higher
B) teenage sexual activity; lower
C) pregnancy, childbirth, and abortion rates; higher
D) pregnancy, childbirth, and abortion rates; much lower

Question 58

Which of the following statements about adolescent mothers is true?

A) Many teen mothers perceive their babies as less difficult.
B) Teenage mothers spend more of their parenting years as single parents.
C) Today, about 95 percent of U.S. adolescent mothers graduate from high school.
D) Very few teen mothers experience pregnancy and birth complications.

Question 59

Sixteen-year-old Mark is from Texas and 17-year-old Darryl is from Alberta,Canada.Which of the following statements about the likelihood of each sexually active teen contracting AIDS or another sexually transmitted disease (STD)is true?

A) Mark is less likely than Darryl to contract AIDS, but more likely to contract another STD.
B) Mark is more likely than Darryl to contract AIDS or another STD.
C) Mark is less likely than Darryl to contract AIDS or another STD.
D) Mark is more likely than Darryl to contract AIDS, but less likely to contract another STD.

Question 60

Adolescents who dabble in alcohol,tobacco,or marijuana are best described as

A) psychologically healthy, sociable, and curious.
B) rebellious and defiant.
C) having a high need for sensation seeking.
D) lonely and isolated.

Question 61

Piaget believed that at adolescence,young people first become capable of

A) practical intelligence.
B) hypothetico-deductive reasoning.
C) animistic thinking.
D) transitive inference.

Question 62

Which of the following college students is the most likely to show improvements in propositional thought?

A) Ryan, who took a history course
B) Emily, who took an art course
C) Cali, who took a science course
D) Erica, who took a writing course

Question 63

Adolescents' capacity to think about possibilities leads to __________ thinking,where the world is free of injustice.

A) idealistic
B) critical
C) propositional
D) logical

Question 64

The ability to __________ is rarely present before adolescence.

A) sort out evidence that bears on two simple variables
B) think about thinking
C) actively seek disconfirming evidence
D) focus on concrete evidence

Question 65

Which of the following situations is the best example of the imaginary audience?

A) Harry believes that he will never have a car accident because he is a better driver than most people.
B) When her fork falls off her tray in the cafeteria, Hannah is certain that everyone is thinking that she is clumsy.
C) Benny goes to the Friday night football game with a group of friends and cheers as loud as anyone else.
D) When Riley fails to make the volleyball team, she believes that no one has ever felt so disappointed.

Question 66

Adolescents develop scientific reasoning skills

A) through rote memorization.
B) as the result of an abrupt, stagewise change.
C) through direct instruction from adults and more expert peers.
D) through exposure to many experiences that require them to match theories against evidence.

Question 67

Information-processing researchers regard __________ as central to adolescent cognitive development.

A) advanced spatial reasoning
B) verbal ability
C) metacognition
D) emotional self-regulation

Question 68

For adolescents,propositional thought

A) allows them to evaluate the logic of verbal statements without referring to real-world circumstances.
B) allows them to understand the logic of propositions only by considering them against concrete evidence.
C) limits their reasoning to the here and now.
D) enables them to get along better with their peers.

Question 69

Due to __________,many adolescents view themselves as reaching great heights of omnipotence and also sinking to unusual depths of despair.

A) metacognition
B) the personal fable
C) learned helplessness
D) the imaginary audience

Question 70

According to Piaget,around age 11 young people enter the __________ stage.

A) sensorimotor
B) preoperational
C) concrete operational
D) formal operational

Question 71

In one study,sense of __________ predicted favorable self-esteem and overall positive adjustment,whereas sense of __________ was associated with depression and suicidal thinking.

A) idealism; omnipotence
B) omnipotence; idealism
C) omnipotence; personal uniqueness
D) personal uniqueness; omnipotence

Question 72

The ability to distinguish theory from evidence and use logical rules to examine their relationship

A) improves steadily from childhood into adulthood.
B) slowly declines as adolescents move into adulthood.
C) is unrelated to years of formal schooling.
D) develops in early childhood.

Question 73

Fifteen-year-old Ross spends long hours inspecting every detail of his appearance.__________ may be responsible for this behavior.

A) The personal fable
B) The realistic self
C) The imaginary audience
D) Hypothetico-deductive reasoning

Question 74

The ability to use propositional thinking

A) appears at puberty.
B) is found in children as young as 3.
C) occurs gradually from childhood on.
D) does not appear until adulthood.

Question 75

The imaginary audience is adolescents' belief that they are

A) the focus of everyone else's attention and concern.
B) special and unique.
C) boring and ordinary.
D) idealistic and overly critical.

Question 76

Adolescent experimentation with any drug

A) is linked to depression, anxiety, and impulsive behavior.
B) is a normal part of adolescence and, therefore, is not a cause for concern.
C) is much greater among African-American than among Caucasian-American youths.
D) should not be taken lightly because a single heavy dose can lead to permanent injury or death.

Question 77

College courses in __________ promote gains in methodological and statistical reasoning.

A) math and science
B) social sciences
C) art and music
D) literature and writing

Question 78

__________ rarely do well on tasks typically used to assess formal operational reasoning.

A) U.S. high school students
B) Individuals in tribal and village societies
C) College students
D) Well-educated adults

Question 79

Compared with adults making decisions,teenagers

A) more often carefully evaluate alternatives.
B) less often fall back on intuitive judgments.
C) are more effective under "cool," unemotional conditions.
D) perform less well because they must inhibit emotion and impulses in favor of thinking rationally.

Question 80

When 14-year-old Lorie thinks about the future,she is sure that she will be wealthy and well-known,not ordinary like everyone else in her small town.Lorie's feeling that she is special and unique is known as

A) the imaginary audience.
B) metacognition.
C) the personal fable.
D) hypothetico-deductive reasoning.