Deck 12: Extrafamilial Influences I: Television, Computers and Schooling

Question 1

The presence of a television in the home

A) means that parents are apt to spend less time playing games with their children or taking them on family outings
B) makes children less interested in playing with peers
C) both of these
D) none of these

Answer 1

A

Question 2

The developmental effects of children's exposure to television depend most heavily on

A) how much TV they watch
B) what children are watching
C) the time of day that viewing occurs
D) whether they are watching cable TV or network programming

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Children younger than 8 or 9 may be particularly influenced by behaviors they see portrayed on television because

A) they focus more heavily on overt behaviors than on the motives, intentions, or situations that shaped these behaviors
B) they believe that TV programs represent an accurate portrayal of everyday events
C) both of these
D) none of these

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Aside from its potential for instigating aggression may also

A) increase children's sensitivity to violence, thus making them less tolerant of real world aggression
B) lead children to view the world as more violent than it really is
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 5

The strong results obtained from longitudinal studies of exposure to violent television programming and aggression in viewers

A) provide definitive evidence that viewing TV violence causes people to become aggressive
B) indicates that aggressive children develop a strong preference for violent TV programming as adults
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 6

The positive correlation that has been observed between exposure to TV violence and children's aggression in naturalistic settings

A) is limited to preschool and grade school children
B) is a reliable finding across many different cultures
C) holds for boys but not for girls
D) all of these

Question 7

Laboratory studies of the impacts of unedited violent TV programs designed for children (for example, Power Rangers) reveal that these programs _____ .

A) can promote children's aggressive behavior in naturalistic contexts
B) are a problem only for children who are already highly aggressive
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 8

Johnny watches a lot of violent television programs with cousin Freddie. Johnny identifies with the Power Rangers and views them as heroes. Freddie recognizes that the Power Rangers are a TV creation but feels that their tactics reflect real life and are the way to deal with terrorists. We should expect that

A) both boys will likely be influenced by TV viewing to become more aggressive
B) Johnny should become more aggressive than Freddie
C) Freddie should become more aggressive than Johnny
D) both boys will likely be influenced by TV viewing to become more aggressive and Johnny should become more aggressive than Freddie
E) both boys will likely be influenced by TV viewing to become more aggressive and Freddie should become more aggressive than Johnny

Question 9

Field experiments on the effects of televised violence suggest that a steady diet of violent television programming

A) increases the aggressive inclinations of children and adolescents, especially those who are initially high in aggression
B) increases the aggressive inclinations of children and adolescents, especially those who are initially low in aggression
C) increases the aggressive inclinations of preschool and grade school children but has little if any effect on the behavior of adolescents
D) decreases the aggressive inclinations of children and adolescents

Question 10

Social learning theorists (for example, Bandura) believe that heavy exposure to media violence should _____ children's aggressive antisocial inclinations because _____ .

A) enhance; actors portraying violence are serving as aggressive models and will reduce children's inhibitions about aggressing
B) have no effect on; children easily distinguish fantasy aggression from reality
C) reduce; children's exposure to televised violence drains away their aggressive impulses
D) have little effect on; violence is quite uncommon in the programming children watch

Question 11

Longitudinal surveys of TV viewing habits and children's aggression suggest that

A) earlier preferences for televised violence predicts subsequent aggression for males but not for females
B) earlier preferences for televised violence predicts subsequent aggression for both males and females
C) aggressive children are much more likely than nonaggressive children to prefer violent television programming later as adults
D) earlier preferences for televised violence predicts subsequent aggression for males but not for females and aggressive children are much more likely than nonaggressive children to prefer violent television programming later as adults
E) none of these

Question 12

Laboratory experiments on the effects of televised violence

A) show that violent programming can instigate aggression
B) may overestimate the impact of violent programming that children watch at home
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 13

Aside from sleeping, the average American child spends the most time in which of the following activities:

A) going to school
B) socializing with friends
C) watching TV
D) playing computer games

Question 14

Longitudinal studies imply that children who are more inclined to become aggressive from their heavy exposure to televised violence are those who

A) strongly identify with same-sex perpetrators of aggression
B) view violence as an accurate depiction of everyday life
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 15

Time spent watching TV

A) decreases once children enter public school
B) gradually increases until about age 11
C) increases from the preschool period through young adulthood
D) declines to less than an hour of viewing time per day during adolescence

Question 16

Given the age trends in TV viewing, _____ is likely to spend the most time watching TV.

A) 11-year-old Ike
B) 3-year-old Keegan
C) 6-year-old Caryn
D) 17-year-old Nicole

Question 17

Recent reviews of the literature imply that exposure to television in moderate doses

A) is sufficient to deaden young minds
B) will undermine children's academic achievement
C) makes children less competent as playmates and less interested in peers
D) none of these

Question 18

Analyses of commercial TV shows designed for children reveal that this programming

A) fails to capture the attention of the average child
B) contains more violence than adult programming
C) may reduce aggression by diverting children from play episodes in which they would fight over toys
D) contains more violence than adult programming and may reduce aggression by diverting children from play episodes in which they would fight over toys
E) all of these

Question 19

According to the catharsis hypothesis

A) exposure to televised violence should instigate aggression
B) children low in aggression become less aggressive after watching televised violence, whereas children high in aggression are unlikely to be affected by this programming
C) exposure to televised violence should reduce children's aggressive inclinations
D) none of these

Question 20

Children who are not television literate

A) are not inclined to watch anything other than children's shows
B) are often incapable of processing program content to construct a story line
C) are rarely influenced by what they see on television
D) all of these

Question 21

Research on the effects of computer assisted instruction in the schools indicates that this practice _____ .

A) can foster academic achievement when it focuses on simulations and applications
B) may undermine academic achievement if limited to drill exercises
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 22

Recent research implies that exposure to commercial television programming may have a negative impact on _____ self-esteem by _____ .

A) girls'; promoting a thin ideal and dissatisfaction with one's appearance
B) boys'; promoting a macho ideal that few men could ever attain
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 23

Heavy TV viewing has been linked to children's obesity, a relationship that may reflect _____ .

A) the fact that TV viewing is a sedentary activity
B) the snacking that many children do while watching
C) the preferences that develop for the high-fat, high calorie foods often advertised on television
D) the fact that TV viewing is a sedentary activity and the snacking that many children do while watching
E) all of these

Question 24

Longitudinal studies indicate that heavy preschool viewing of Sesame Street is associated with

A) better academic performances in high school
B) higher childhood IQs
C) lower levels of creativity in high school
D) better academic performances in high school and higher childhood IQs
E) all of these

Question 25

Large-scale reviews of both the survey and the experimental literatures on TV violence and children's aggression have concluded that exposure to TV violence

A) can cultivate aggressive habits and antisocial behavior among heavy viewers
B) has its largest effect on children's aggression when the violence is portrayed as justified
C) is, by far, the primary contributor to children's hostile, antisocial, conduct
D) can cultivate aggressive habits and antisocial behavior among heavy viewers and has its largest effect on children's aggression when the violence is portrayed as justified
E) all of these

Question 26

Evaluations of Sesame Street suggest that this program

A) has widened the intellectual gap between advantaged and disadvantaged preschoolers
B) benefits children from all social strata
C) transmits information that readies children for school but undermines creativity
D) has widened the intellectual gap between advantaged and disadvantaged preschoolers and benefits children from all social strata
E) benefits children from all social strata and transmits information that readies children for school but undermines creativity

Question 27

Gender-role stereotypes on commercial television

A) no longer exist
B) have largely been replaced by negative stereotypes about minority groups
C) have little if any effect on children's views of males and females since they merely reflect the prevailing culture
D) have largely been replaced by negative stereotypes about minority groups and have little if any effect on children's views of males and females since they merely reflect the prevailing culture
E) none of these

Question 28

One factor that seriously limits the use of computers as instructional aids to promote academic achievement is that _____ .

A) the machines are used too often for simulations and academic games rather than for drill exercises
B) teachers are not trained to use computers effectively
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 29

Heavy viewers of Sesame Street

A) tend to be from the lower SES families
B) later find the slow pace of the elementary school classroom to be less interesting than do children who rarely watch this program
C) post larger cognitive gains than age mates who watch Sesame Street less often
D) all of these

Question 30

Prosocial television programming such as Sesame Street and Mister Roger's Neighborhood

A) invariably promote the prosocial behavior of children who watch it
B) have few if any lasting effects on children's prosocial conduct unless adults encourage children to enact the prosocial lesions they have seen
C) must be observed at school rather than at home to promote children's prosocial conduct
D) promote compassion and comfort-giving but not sharing

Question 31

Young children who watch Sesame Street on a regular basis are likely to

A) show meaningful gains in a number of cognitive skills
B) endorse fewer stereotypes about ethnic and minority groups
C) become accustomed to fast-paced action of the type that makes the slower pace of the grammar school classroom seem boring
D) show meaningful gains in a number of cognitive skills and endorse fewer stereotypes about ethnic and minority groups
E) show meaningful gains in a number of cognitive skills and become accustomed to fast-paced action of the type that makes the slower pace of the grammar school classroom seem boring

Question 32

Watching Sesame Street

A) makes low-income children better prepared for school
B) benefits middle-class children much more than lower SES children
C) results in little or no cognitive gain unless children watch with an adult
D) all of these

Question 33

Adults can help to minimize the potentially harmful effects of TV violence on young viewers by

A) regulating what children watch while encouraging their interest in less violent programming
B) disapproving of a violent perpetrator's motives and conduct while suggesting to children how the perpetrator might have approached his problem more constructively
C) encouraging children to watch programs, such as "Power Rangers" that open with inappropriate violence and ultimately end with the perpetrator being punished for his actions.
D) regulating what children watch while encouraging their interest in less violent programming and disapproving of a violent perpetrator's motives and conduct while suggesting to children how the perpetrator might have approached his problem more constructively
E) all of these

Question 34

Reviews of the impacts of prosocial television programming on young children reveal that

A) long-term increases in children's prosocial conduct are more likely if adults have watched the prosocial programming and have encouraged children to act on the lessons they have learned.
B) prosocial programming is more likely to promote prosocial behavior than violent programming is to promote aggression.
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 35

In terms of its impact as an agent of socialization, television

A) is a potent agent of socialization
B) has the potential to do good or harm
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 36

One legitimate criticism of the educational program Sesame Streetis that it

A) is enormously expensive in terms of cost per viewer
B) fosters academic achievement while undermining creativity
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 37

Jim watches lots of violent television while John much prefers to watch situation comedies. As they walk to school one day, they witness one of their classmates being attacked by an older child. According to research on desensitization effects,

A) Jim should become more emotionally aroused by this event than will John
B) John should become more emotionally aroused by this even than will Jim
C) Jim should be quicker than John to intervene or otherwise seek some assistance for the victim
D) Jim should become more emotionally aroused by this event than will John and Jim should be quicker than John to intervene or otherwise seek some assistance for the victim
E) none of these

Question 38

Heavy TV viewing has been cited as a risk factor for

A) perpetuating ethnic stereotypes
B) obesity
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 39

Compared to children to watch little or no television, those who watch a large number of television commercials are likely to

A) display less stereotyped views of ethnic and minority groups
B) become more passive and less aggressive with peers
C) place more value on advertised products
D) become extremely unpopular with peers

Question 40

Children younger than 8 years of age are apt to think of television commercials as

A) public service ads that are intended to be helpful and informative
B) messages designed to persuade and sell products
C) truthful and informative only if a celebrity is the product spokesman
D) every bit as sleazy as the negative political ads they've seen on television

Question 41

Frequent adolescent communications online have been found to

A) promote shakier, less secure friendships
B) foster sexual identity explorations
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 42

Adolescents who frequently communicate with others online tend to feel _____ their friends than those who communicate online less often, probably because _____.

A) more distant from; their heavy reliance on online communication prevents them from making many friends
B) more distant from; socially unskilled adolescents prefer online to face-to-face social contacts
C) closer to; online communication fosters intimate self-disclosure
D) closer to; online communication allows adolescents to avoid talking about personal topics that might embarrass them

Question 43

Research by Clements suggests that teaching children to program computers

A) promotes gains in social skills and perspective taking
B) promotes gains in metacognitive knowledge
C) undermines creativity
D) builds self-esteem but has little impact on cognitive development

Question 44

Which of the following would be part of a school's informal curriculum?

A) playing cooperative games
B) computer skills
C) creative writing
D) homemaking classes

Question 45

Adolescent exposure to pornography on the internet

A) is limited owing to requirements that one verify his(her) legal age before entry to porn sites becomes possible
B) can promote tolerance of aggression toward women and permissive attitudes to premarital and extramarital sex
C) is largely responsible for the dramatic increase in teenage pregnancy over the last 20 years
D) can promote tolerance of aggression toward women and permissive attitudes to premarital and extramarital sex and is largely responsible for the dramatic increase in teenage pregnancy over the last 20 years
E) all of these

Question 46

Computer programming

A) is impossible for children younger than 10
B) enhances children's metacognitive knowledge
C) is so captivating that it may undermine children's social skills
D) is impossible for children younger than 10 and enhances children's metacognitive knowledge
E) all of these

Question 47

Studies of the impact of schooling on cognitive development reveal that

A) schooling transmits factual knowledge but promotes little growth in thinking skills
B) schooling may actually inhibit progress toward Piagetian milestones such as conservation
C) schooling promotes cognitive growth and metacognitive knowledge
D) schooling promotes cognitive growth but tends to undermine children's social skills

Question 48

One concern about computer use that may have some merit is that _____ .

A) since disadvantaged students are less likely to have home computers, they may fall even further behind in academic achievement
B) since boys take greater interest in computers than girls, computer use may widen the gender gap in many areas of academic achievement
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 49

Research on adolescent computer use reveals that teens spend most of their "social" time online with

A) friends from offline social networks
B) unfamiliar adolescent chat mates
C) familiar adults (teachers, coaches)
D) unfamiliar adults

Question 50

One legitimate criticism of computer use among elementary school children is _____.

A) that it promotes independent learning rather than collaborative problem solving
B) that it makes children somewhat socially reclusive thereby undermining the development of social skills
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 51

Among the benefits listed for adolescents of computer use and internet exposure is(are) _____.

A) promotion of intimate self-disclosure that fosters close friendships
B) providing a venue for less risky sexual identity explorations
C) providing good sources of information about sexual risks and other health information
D) promotion of intimate self-disclosure that fosters close friendships and providing good sources of information about sexual risks and other health information
E) all of these

Question 52

Clements's research indicates that first- and third-graders who were taught to use Logo to program computers subsequently

A) performed better on academic achievement tests than those who had completed simple computer-assisted drills
B) performed worse on academic achievement tests than those who had completed simple computer-assisted drills
C) scored higher on tests of creativity and metacognition than those who had completed simple computer-assisted drills
D) showed dramatic increases in their ability to program the family VCR

Question 53

Providing internet access at home to economically disadvantaged adolescents has been found to _____ academic achievement, possibly because _____.

A) undermine; adolescents' time spent researching popular culture or visiting porn sites limits the time they spend studying
B) improve; reading online improves reading skills
C) improve; researching topics online is more fun than reading textbooks
D) b and c
E) none of these

Question 54

Early evidence on the impacts of violent computer games reveals that these materials

A) have a negligible impact because children understand their make-believe character
B) are the one activity for which catharsis and a lessening of aggressive behavior has been observed
C) cultivate aggressive habits in much the same way that television violence does
D) actually promote harmonious, nonconflictual peer interactions

Question 55

One demonstrated outcome of research on adolescent exposure to pornography online is

A) a growing boredom with sexual activities among heavy porn viewers
B) a dramatic rise in female sexual activity stemming from girls' intense interest in pornography
C) cultivation of more accepting attitudes about premarital and extramarital sex
D) a dramatic rise in female sexual activity stemming from girls' intense interest in pornography and cultivation of more accepting attitudes about premarital and extramarital sex
E) all of these

Question 56

One finding which implies that formal schooling promotes cognitive growth is that

A) students in a given grade score higher on many intellectual tests than children of the same age but in a lower grade
B) students on extended-year school calendars outperform same-grade peers on regular calendars at the beginning of the next school year
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 57

_____ provides evidence that schooling fosters cognitive growth.

A) The fact that children progress faster cognitively from October to April than they do from April to October
B) The observation that 7-year-old second graders perform better on Piagetian cognitive tasks than 5-year-old kindergarteners
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 58

One potentially negative influence that the computer revolution may have on children is _____ .

A) to widen the achievement gap between boys (who take great interest in computers) and girls (who do not)
B) to expose children to sexual predators and dangerous cults
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 59

Media researchers have argued that playing violent video games has a _____ potential to instigate aggression that watching violent TV programming because _____ .

A) greater; game players are actively involved in planning aggression to enact
B) greater; game players are reinforced for successful symbolic violence
C) lesser; game players are less inclined than TV viewers to see the violence in games as an accurate portrayal of everyday life
D) a and b
E) none of the above; violent video games and violent TV programs are thought to be equally potent influences on children's aggressive behavior

Question 60

Providing students with home internet access has been shown to _____ the academic achievement of _____.

A) improve; below average students
B) undermine; below average students
C) improve; average and above average students
D) undermine; average and above average students

Question 61

Although Tibetville provides more-than adequate financial support to its public school system, the schools there have been classified by researchers as "ineffective." Which of the following changes would clearly result in the Tibetville schools becoming more effective at accomplishing their objectives?

A) institute ability tracking and hire talented teachers to instruct the high-ability students
B) institute a practice of standardized testing to monitor student achievement
C) reduce average class size from 36 students to 24 students
D) focus heavily on academic goals and provide ample praise to acknowledge good work

Question 62

According to research findings _____ has a significant impact on school effectiveness.

A) high teacher salaries
B) clear expectations of teachers for their pupils
C) use of ability tracking
D) use of standardized tests to monitor student progress

Question 63

Children from collectivist cultures or subcultures (for example, ethnic Hawaiians) tend to perform better at school when they

A) work with classmates accomplishing shared goals
B) are encouraged to compete and to display individual mastery
C) are challenged by intrusive demanding instructors
D) attend middle schools rather than making a sharp transition from elementary school to high school

Question 64

In his study of the effectiveness of high schools in London, England, Rutter (1983) found that _____ .

A) initially poor students entering effective schools achieved more over time than initially good students entering less effective schools
B) school "effectiveness" affected the academic progress of initially poor students but not initially average or good students
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 65

Schooling seems to promote cognitive growth by

A) teaching principles and problem-solving strategies that children can apply to novel tasks
B) teaching facts that children can recite on tests
C) challenging students, thereby accelerating their rate of neural maturation
D) none of these; schooling promotes factual learning but not cognitive development

Question 66

The school system in your community decides to decrease average class size. Research evidence suggests that a change of this type

A) will be beneficial to students in all grades
B) will be most beneficial to adolescent students (grades 7-12)
C) will be most beneficial in the early years (kindergarten through grade 1)
D) will have few beneficial effects at any grade level

Question 67

Tony is an economically disadvantaged student who has not done very well at school. Research on aptitude-treatment interactions reveal that Tony will most likely do better with a teacher who

A) encourages competition among students
B) provides opportunities for working independently
C) is very demanding
D) is warm, encouraging, and provides engaging assignments

Question 68

The "atmosphere" of an effective school is best described as

A) stern but fair
B) comfortable and businesslike
C) relaxed and homey
D) laissez-faire

Question 69

According to the research literature, which of the following is (are) predictive of "effective" schooling?

A) prompt administration of discipline by the classroom instructor
B) ability tracking
C) spending large sums of money per pupil
D) prompt administration of discipline by the classroom instructor and ability tracking
E) ability tracking and spending large sums of money per pupil

Question 70

Effective schooling is particularly important to disadvantaged students, promoting _____.

A) better academic achievement
B) fewer psychological disorders
C) lower incidences of deviant peer influences
D) all of these

Question 71

Opponents of ability tracking point to _____ as an argument against instituting this practice across the board in our schools.

A) undermining of self-esteem of students in the lower tracks
B) the practice of assigning the best teachers to lower-track students who are least likely to benefit from talented teachers
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 72

Well-monitored, high-quality preschool programs have been found to provide

A) social benefits for most preschoolers
B) cognitive benefits to preschoolers from middle-class homes
C) cognitive benefits to preschoolers from disadvantaged homes
D) social benefits for most preschoolers and cognitive benefits to preschoolers from middle-class homes
E) social benefits for most preschoolers and cognitive benefits to preschoolers from disadvantaged homes

Question 73

By the end of kindergarten, children who had attended academically-oriented preschools were _____ compared to those who had attended nonacademic preschools.

A) more creative and academically advanced
B) higher in test anxiety
C) more negative in their attitudes toward school
D) higher in test anxiety and more negative in their attitudes toward school
E) none of these

Question 74

Nursery school experiences can be quite beneficial to children if they

A) encourage a social curriculum of free play, communication skills, and respect for rules that will help youngsters adjust to a structured classroom environment
B) emphasize the development of academic skills, thereby providing preschoolers with a head start on academic learning
C) both of these
D) none of these

Question 75

In "effective" schools

A) corporal punishment is the norm when children misbehave
B) teachers avoid extensive praise for good academic work
C) students have regular homework that is corrected and discussed
D) all of these

Question 76

It has been argued that there are advantages to attending a _____ school, and that the primary advantage of this kind of school environment is its promotion of _____.

A) large; extracurricular activities and a sense of "belonging" to peer groups
B) large; more diversified points of view among students in large classes
C) small; better academic achievement in smaller classes
D) small; extracurricular activities and a sense of "belonging" to peer groups

Question 77

Recent research indicates that a major advantage of participation in structured extracurricular activities is to

A) keep less competent students in school
B) reduce levels of alcohol and drug use
C) improve the academic attitudes of students from all ability levels
D) all of these

Question 78

Students from middle-class backgrounds are more likely to perform well at school if their teachers

A) move at a quick pace and demand high standards of performance
B) are somewhat aloof and distant from their students
C) move at a slow pace and reward effort expended
D) are warm, encouraging, and not particularly demanding

Question 79

According to Rutter (1983), schools clearly differ in effectiveness. Clear support for this claim is Rutter's observation that

A) initially good students, in "effective" schools achieve more thaninitially average students in "less effective" schools
B) performance differences among initially good, initially average, and initially poor students are eventually eliminated in "effective" schools
C) initially poor students attending "effective" schools end up achieving as much as initially good students attending "less effective" schools
D) b and c
E) none of these

Question 80

Teachers in "effective" classrooms function much like _____ parents, acting _____.

A) authoritarian; concerned and adopting a stern, no-nonsense approach
B) permissive; warm and accepting and encouraging children to work on projects of their own choosing
C) authoritative; caring and concerned but remaining firm and controlling
D) uninvolved; allowing children to function on their own which encourages creativity