Deck 13: Social Cognition and Moral Development

Question 1

Bubba is a football linebacker attempting to guess what play the opposing quarterback will call. He thinks to himself, "I know that QB really likes to pass the ball to score because when he does, the newspapers always write articles about him. Thus, I bet he'll pass the ball on the next play." Bubba's thoughts indicate that he possesses

A) postconventional moral thought.
B) a morality of justice.
C) joint attention.
D) a theory of mind.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Zola puts her toys away in the toy chest and goes to eat dinner. Her brother, unbeknownst to her, decides to take all of her toys and put them under his bed. As a child who has a theory of mind, when Zola returns after dinner, she will

A) look for her toys in the toy chest.
B) look for her toys where her brother has hidden them.
C) not remember anything about her toys.
D) try to think of where her brother likes to hide things.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Someone with a belief-desire psychology understands that

A) people do not always hold accurate beliefs, but these beliefs still influence behavior.
B) beliefs accurately reflect what we desire.
C) desires shape our behavior.
D) people develop accurate beliefs based on interactions with others.

Answer 3

A

Question 4

In a study using the false belief task with four-year-olds of average intelligence, four-year-olds with Down syndrome, and slightly older children with autism, Baron-Cohen found that

A) only the average intelligence children passed the task.
B) both the average intelligence children and the children with Down syndrome passed the task.
C) both the average intelligence children and the children with autism passed the task.
D) all three groups of children passed the task.

Question 5

Pedro has just come to realize that while his dad, Carlos, believes that the Mets are the best professional baseball team, his uncle Alex believes just as strongly that the Yankees are the best team. The realization that two people can have different beliefs indicates that Pedro possesses

A) belief-psychology.
B) preconventional morality.
C) power assertion.
D) a morality of justice.

Question 6

John Gibbs, author of Moral Development and Reality, experienced a significant moral dilemma as a child at

A) home, where he saw his mother abused by his father.
B) camp, where he saw a mildly intellectually disabled man tormented by campers.
C) school, where he was pressured into picking on an overweight classmate.
D) church, where he struggled to understand how good church-going people could say mean things about others.

Question 7

The "false belief" task is used to assess

A) the difference between a sensorimotor and a preoperational thinker.
B) the understanding that people may hold incorrect personal beliefs that influence their behaviors.
C) a person's level of religiosity.
D) how a person would reason about a moral.

Question 8

Little Debbie, who is two years old, loves cupcakes and hates fruit pie. She has observed that her mother hates cupcakes and loves fruit pies. If Debbie were handed a plate with a piece of pie and a different plate with a cupcake, and was asked to give one to her mother, Debbie would most likely

A) hand mom the pie.
B) hand mom the cupcake.
C) hand mom both plates.
D) keep both plates for herself.

Question 9

The ability to explain one's behavior as being driven by what one wants is the basis of _____ psychology.

A) classical conditioning
B) physiological
C) operant conditioning
D) desire 

Question 10

Sarah tries to wipe up the juice that she spilled all over the living room floor so that her dad doesn't see that she disobeyed him by taking juice out of the kitchen. This suggests that Sarah

A) is capable of love withdrawal.
B) has developed a morality based on rules and authority.
C) can engage in deceitful behavior, and is capable of planting a false belief in others.
D) cannot be trusted to make appropriate moral decisions.

Question 11

Why do autistic children have difficulty passing the false belief task?

A) They lack the general intelligence.
B) They lack the linguistic skills.
C) They lack a theory of mind.
D) They engage in too many stereotyped movements.

Question 12

Having a theory of mind indicates that an individual

A) understands the physiological workings of the brain.
B) can draw inferences.
C) understands that mental states exist and guide behavior.
D) can reason about abstract concepts.

Question 13

How many of the following (understanding that others people have intentions, engaging in pretend play, imitating others) are skills underlying having a theory of mind?

A) 0
B) 1
C) 2
D) 3

Question 14

At or before nine months of age, most children begin to _____. This activity is one of the earliest milestones in developing a theory of mind.

A) talk
B) show prosocial behavior
C) engage in joint attention
D) demonstrate the ability to recognize themselves in a mirror

Question 15

While watching her friend Veronica picking out a dress, Betty thinks to herself, "I know that Veronica really likes to look nice and impress the boys. I bet she will pick out a very sexy outfit." Betty's thoughts indicate that she possesses

A) postconventional moral thought.
B) a morality of justice.
C) joint attention.
D) a theory of mind.

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT necessary for attaining a theory of mind?

A) Some language skills
B) Symbolic thinking skills
C) Experience interacting with other people
D) Being human

Question 17

One-year-old Andy notices a rag doll sitting in the corner. He is very excited and begins to point at the doll in the hopes that his mother, Ann, will notice. Suddenly, Ann notices the doll and the two look at the rag doll together. At this point, this mutual experience represents

A) joint attention.
B) sympathy.
C) classical conditioning.
D) prosocial behavior.

Question 18

Social cognition is best defined as

A) memories for interesting life events.
B) knowing who gets along with whom.
C) thinking about the thoughts, feelings, motives, and behaviors of one's self and others.
D) being aware of current "codes" for dressing and dating.

Question 19

Which linguistic skills provide solid evidence that a child is developing a theory of mind?

A) Producing a first word
B) Cooing
C) Producing a first grammatically correct sentence
D) Saying, "I whistle because I am happy"

Question 20

Understanding belief-desire psychology means understanding

A) that most people are driven to obey laws.
B) that some beliefs that influence behavior are not accurate.
C) that wants and desires are a poor motivation for a behavior.
D) the pain others feel when they make tough decisions.

Question 21

Studies on perspective-taking indicate that it is not until a child attains concrete operational thinking that he or she is able to

A) form a theory of mind.
B) attain a belief-desire psychology.
C) mentally "juggle" several perspectives of others.
D) appreciate that two people can have different points of view, even with access to the same information.

Question 22

In order to engage in role-taking, children must outgrow what Piaget called _____ thought.

A) egocentric
B) reversible
C) abstract
D) hypothetical-deductive

Question 23

The best description of the development of social cognitive skills during adulthood is,

A) "if you use it, you will lose it."
B) "a time of steady decline."
C) "more gains than losses."
D) "a dramatic shift from postconventional to conventional."

Question 24

Which provides the best example of a social perspective-taking skill?

A) Understanding that the person across the table has beliefs in direct opposition to yours.
B) Believing that your position on an issue is the most accurate.
C) Realizing that an object hidden in one place may have been moved to another place.
D) Deciding that the most moral decisions are ones in which you personally benefit.

Question 25

What important advance in social cognition generally occurs at age 11 or 12?

A) Children begin to describe others in terms of the activities they engage in.
B) Children begin to describe others in terms of inner psychological traits and characteristics.
C) Children begin to attempt to explain why people do what they do.
D) Children begin to focus heavily on others' physical appearance in their descriptions of them.

Question 26

Studies on perspective-taking indicate that it is not until a child attains formal operational thinking that he or she is able to

A) form a theory of mind.
B) attain a belief-desire psychology.
C) mentally "juggle" several perspectives of others.
D) appreciate that two people can have different points of view, even with access to the same information.

Question 27

Difference in mirror neuron activity in the right temporoparietal area of the brain may explain the lack of theory of mind that characterizes children with

A) ADHD.
B) Down syndrome.
C) PKU.
D) autism.

Question 28

Samoan children who live in a culture in which adults rarely talk about thoughts and beliefs

A) have difficulty understanding that a belief can be false.
B) acquire language at an earlier age.
C) show higher levels of intentional lying.
D) master the theory of mind at a younger age.

Question 29

How would a typical four-year-old most likely describe his sister?

A) "She is kind of is moody."
B) "She eats corn flakes."
C) "She is a good friend."
D) "Everyone says she's smart."

Question 30

Which neurological component has been implicated in the development of a theory of mind?

A) Mirror neurons
B) Glial cells
C) Tympanic membrane cells
D) Substantia nigra cells

Question 31

Which is the LEAST developmentally advanced description of a friend?

A) "He has a big head and blue eyes."
B) "He is pretty good at math."
C) "He is so smart that everyone likes him."
D) "He sometimes is nice and other times is mean."

Question 32

Which of the following is true regarding the development of role-taking skills?

A) It is not until at least age 20 that people are able to include a mental perspective of some "generalized other."
B) By age four years, most children understand that parents may not think the way they do.
C) Concrete-operational thinkers are capable of simultaneously considering several different points of view.
D) The ability to consider a situation from a number of different points of view increases the quality of one's social relationships.

Question 33

Georgia sees her friend Bill running down the street. Without warning, Bill falls flat on his face. While Georgia finds this funny, she does not laugh because she knows that Bill does not find this funny. In not laughing, Georgia is demonstrating

A) egocentrism.
B) role-taking skills.
C) morality of justice.
D) prosocial behavior.

Question 34

Which of the following had NOT been used to explain the fact that social cognitive skills tend to hold up better than non-social cognitive skills in later life?

A) The fact that the brain cortex responsible for social cognition skills ages slower than brain areas supporting non-social cognitive skills
B) The fact that social skills are practiced (exercised) everyday
C) The fact that older adults tend to have more strongly held beliefs about people when making social-cognitive decisions
D) The fact that older adults reject the use of "rules of thumb" in social cognitive decision-making

Question 35

Which best describes the initial perceptions of others made by young children?

A) Psychological and specific
B) Psychological and global
C) Physical and specific
D) Physical and global

Question 36

What is the most effective way a parent can help instill theory of mind skills in his or her child?

A) Utilize coercive discipline.
B) Encourage the child to think about how others may feel.
C) Discourage empathy.
D) Avoid engaging in joint attention.

Question 37

Davis was born deaf to deaf parents who signed to him at an early age. How would this be most likely to affect his acquisition of a theory of mind?

A) He would show slightly slower development than that of a sensory-normal child.
B) He would show a similar development as that of a Down syndrome child.
C) He would show a similar development as that of an autistic child.
D) He would show similar development to that of a sensory-normal child.

Question 38

The key factor in determining whether being born deaf will result in a delay in the acquisition of a theory of mind appears to be

A) how well parents are able to communicate with the child.
B) whether the deafness was the result of fetal alcohol syndrome or rubella.
C) the number of mirror neurons the child has in their cochlea.
D) the use of signing by parents (which almost always results in a delay).

Question 39

Which is the most developmentally advanced description of a friend?

A) "He is a good dancer."
B) "He has a cool car and rides around a lot."
C) "He buys me ice cream because he's generous."
D) "He is big, hairy, and smells like a really rotten egg."

Question 40

Mirror neurons are activated when a person

A) is performing an action and sees someone else performing the same action.
B) says what someone else is thinking.
C) engages in an activity witnessed the previous day.
D) sees and speaks a word at the same time.

Question 41

Freud suggested that females have weaker superegos than males because they

A) lack an id.
B) over identify with their fathers.
C) rely on a morality of care perspective.
D) do not experience any fear of castration.

Question 42

Moral reasoning is best defined as the

A) act of helping or hurting.
B) thought process used to determine if an act is right or wrong.
C) emotion(s) felt following a positive or negative act.
D) unconscious drive to fulfill one's id-driven need.

Question 43

Which of Freud's assertions has been upheld by research?

A) Females have weaker superegos than males.
B) Complete moral maturity is achieved by age six or seven.
C) Emotions play a critical role in moral development.
D) Threatening, punitive parents produce children who are more morally strong than parents who are warm and affectionate.

Question 44

Which theoretical perspective tends to focus the most attention on the development of moral reasoning?

A) Psychoanalytic
B) Social learning
C) Classical conditioning
D) Cognitive developmental

Question 45

The self-statement, "I do not steal because it is wrong," best exemplifies the _____ component of morality.

A) affective
B) behavioral
C) cognitive
D) emotional

Question 46

Prosocial behavior is defined as

A) any act that makes a person feel better.
B) a positive social act reflecting a concern for others.
C) an act intended to do good, but that actually results in harm to the person at whom the act is aimed.
D) the vicarious experiencing of another person's emotions.

Question 47

Which is NOT part of the text's definition of morality?

A) Distinguishing right from wrong
B) Acting on the distinction between right and wrong
C) Experiencing pride when doing right and shame when doing wrong
D) Knowing what is right and wrong without having to perform the act

Question 48

The actual act of stealing a car provides a good example of the _____ component of morality.

A) affective
B) behavioral
C) cognitive
D) emotional

Question 49

Which of the following is an example of the affective component of morality?

A) Knowing that you made the right decision in a difficult situation
B) Feeling good about giving money to charity
C) Taking some food from the cafeteria without paying for it
D) Jumping up and down in joy after you win the lottery

Question 50

Empathy refers to

A) vicariously experiencing another's feelings.
B) reading minds.
C) being able to resist temptation.
D) knowing that someone holds a false belief.

Question 51

Jessica feels guilty after taking pocket change from her father's dresser drawer. According to Freud, this emotional response best indicates that Jessica

A) is in the oral stage of development.
B) is sexually attracted to her father.
C) has successfully resolved an emotional conflict over her love for her father.
D) has no superego.

Question 52

According to Freud, a moral conscience is formed during the _____ stage, with the emergence of the _____.

A) phallic; superego
B) phallic; ego
C) genital; superego
D) latency; Oedipus complex

Question 53

An example of empathy would be

A) escaping pain.
B) sensing that you are about to get a phone call.
C) being afraid for the hero in a movie who is in danger.
D) looking forward to watching the villain in a movie die.

Question 54

How many of the following (shame, guilt, anxiety, fear of being caught) would be considered emotions related to moral affect?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 55

Michelle wanted a "Beanie Baby" stuffed animal but didn't have the money to buy one. One day she was in a store at the mall, and when she thought no one was looking, she slipped a Beanie Baby into her bag and left without paying for it. Later, when she was playing with it, she found she wasn't enjoying herself very much, and she felt bad that she had stolen the toy. Taking the Beanie Baby from the store represents the _____ component of morality, while the fact that she felt badly represents the _____ component of morality.

A) affective; cognitive
B) behavioral; affective
C) cognitive; affective
D) behavioral; cognitive

Question 56

The affective aspect of morality focuses on what a person

A) thinks.
B) does.
C) knows.
D) feels.

Question 57

Which of the following best exemplifies prosocial behavior?

A) Doing chores to earn allowance
B) Driving no faster than the speed limit
C) Getting homework done on time
D) Stopping to help a stranger change a flat tire

Question 58

Who is experiencing an empathic response?

A) Lily, who is depressed because she lost her job
B) Daisy, who feels bad that she did not give money to a street person
C) Rose, who cries as she watches a news documentary featuring a very distraught mother talking about a son she lost to AIDS
D) Fern, who is excited about going on her first date

Question 59

According to Freud,

A) females are generally less moral than males.
B) young infants are born with an innate understanding of right and wrong.
C) moral development occurs when the id gains control over the superego.
D) a sense of morality first develops during adolescence, as a result of engaging in dialogue and debate with peers.

Question 60

Adults who maintain their social cognitive abilities into old age tend to have all of the following characteristics EXCEPT being

A) in a meaningful relationship (e.g., parent, grandparent).
B) well-educated.
C) in good physical health.
D) socially isolated.

Question 61

According to Piaget, moral reasoning

A) progresses through universal stages.
B) is situationally-determined.
C) is surprisingly unpredictable.
D) is less important than the actions that are taken.

Question 62

Which scenario best exemplifies reciprocity?

A) Caring deeply for an injured friend
B) Two people agreeing that they each give the same amount to a relationship
C) Deciding that the morality of justice is superior to the morality of care
D) When a parent tells a child to clean her room and she does it

Question 63

When both individuals in a relationship engage in an equal amount of give and take while conversing, they are demonstrating

A) power assertion.
B) sympathy.
C) reciprocity.
D) induction.

Question 64

Freud's approach to morality focuses on the _____ component.

A) cognitive
B) behavioral
C) emotional
D) social

Question 65

After paying for his groceries, Linnie went to his car and loaded the bags into his trunk. On the bottom of the grocery cart, Linnie found a case of beer and realized that he hadn't been charged for it. Linnie popped it into his trunk and when he got home, he told his roommate what had happened. Linnie then said, "Oh, well, it's a big store and they can do without the money. It's really not my fault. The cashier should have spotted it and rung it up." Linnie's mental consideration best illustrates the _____ component of morality.

A) psychomotor
B) cognitive
C) behavioral
D) affective

Question 66

According to Piaget, around age 10 or 11, children begin to view rules as

A) moral absolutes.
B) universal.
C) agreements among individuals.
D) more important than intent.

Question 67

Cognitive developmental theorists tend to view moral reasoning as involving

A) the progression through an invariant sequence of ways of thinking.
B) a set of behaviors acquired through observation.
C) a battle between id, ego, and superego.
D) a genetic predisposition toward helping that is based on the evolutionary need to survive.

Question 68

Kohlberg's cognitive developmental theory of moral development claims that

A) regression from a higher to a lower stage of moral reasoning is quite common.
B) through an exploration of moral dilemmas, it is possible to teach someone to skip over the lower stages of moral development.
C) the sequence of stages one goes through may vary from one culture to another.
D) a person's stage of moral development is determined by the person's thoughts, rather than his or her actions.

Question 69

What did Kohlberg use to assess moral reasoning?

A) Reactions to written moral dilemmas
B) Parental descriptions of their children's moral decision-making
C) A modified version of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
D) Naturalistic observation of people in real-life settings

Question 70

Which statement provides the best example of the morality of instrumental hedonism?

A) Doing evil is fun.
B) Wrong is always wrong.
C) I steal for you, you steal for me.
D) The law determines right from wrong.

Question 71

According to Piaget, during the premoral period children,

A) first form their superego.
B) cannot be considered moral beings.
C) believe in an unbreakable set of moral rules.
D) think only about how their actions affect society.

Question 72

At what level of moral development are the rules and standards of society internalized and held as one's own?

A) Preconventional
B) Conventional
C) Postconventional
D) Unconventional

Question 73

An individual who is at Kohlberg's conventional level of moral development is most likely to

A) do anything to avoid being punished.
B) do something nice for someone so that the individual will be rewarded in return.
C) ignore the intent of an act and focus on its impact.
D) behave in ways that earn the approval and avoid the disapproval of others.

Question 74

Mahatma bases all of his moral decisions on a simple rule: "Always follow the rules set by a legitimate authority." Mahatma would best be placed at the _____ level of moral reasoning.

A) unconventional
B) preconventional
C) conventional
D) postconventional

Question 75

Kohlberg's approach to moral reasoning was most directly influenced by the work of

A) Skinner.
B) Freud.
C) Bandura.
D) Piaget.

Question 76

Macy really wants the cool new jacket she has just seen in the store, but she does not have enough money to buy it. For a second, she thinks about stealing the jacket but decides that while stealing is not wrong, she might get punished if she is caught. Macy's moral reasoning appears to be at Kohlberg's _____ level.

A) preconventional
B) conventional
C) postconventional
D) unconventional

Question 77

According to Piaget, the moral reasoning of children ages 6 to 10 emphasizes

A) religious teachings.
B) intentions.
C) parental beliefs.
D) outcomes.

Question 78

As a typical four-year-old, Michael would most likely be at the _____ of moral development.

A) heteronomous morality stage
B) conventional level
C) autonomous morality stage
D) premorality period

Question 79

Piaget's approach to morality focuses on the _____ component.

A) social
B) emotional
C) cognitive
D) behavioral

Question 80

Which of the following would Kohlberg consider the LEAST sophisticated stage of moral thinking?

A) Authority and social order-maintaining morality
B) Morality of contract, individual rights, and democratically accepted law
C) Morality of individual principles of conscience
D) Instrumental hedonism