Question 1

Tam is good at drawing conclusions from given information. Thus, Tam is good at _________ reasoning.

Accepted Answer

A)  hypothetical 
B)  deductive 
C)  abstract 
D)  relative

Question 2

Who of the following is probably a child (and not an adolescent)?

Accepted Answer

A)  Jeanette, someone who can easily describe her thought process 
B)  Christine, someone who tends to think about things one aspect at a time 
C)  Bryan, who tends to question everything, just for the sake of argument 
D)  Brandon, someone who entertains many possibilities before making the final decision

Question 3

Chris and his parents had an argument because they did not want him to go to a New Year's Eve party across town. A few days after the argument, Chris's anger subsided because he realized his parents were worried about his safety. Which cognitive process did Chris most likely use to reach this conclusion?

Accepted Answer

A)  implicit personality theory 
B)  deductive reasoning 
C)  response inhibition 
D)  theory of mind

Question 4

Changes in the limbic system during adolescence may cause all of the following, except:

Accepted Answer

A)  increased emotionality. 
B)  increased responsiveness to stress. 
C)  decreased risk-taking. 
D)  decreased responsiveness to rewards.

Question 5

Compared to childhood, reward seeking and sensation seeking during adolescence:

Accepted Answer

A)  are equally as high during childhood and adolescence. 
B)  are lower during adolescence than childhood. 
C)  are caused by biological forces during adolescence while it is typically caused by environmental forces in childhood. 
D)  are higher during adolescence than childhood.

Question 6

Joey enjoys playing the devil's advocate and is always stirring up discussions with his contrary positions. This ability is one aspect of:

Accepted Answer

A)  hypothetical thinking. 
B)  social cognition. 
C)  mutual perspective-taking. 
D)  impression formation.

Question 7

Piaget theorists believe that the use of _____ is the chief feature of adolescent thinking that differentiates it from the type of thinking employed by children.

Accepted Answer

A)  egocentric reasoning 
B)  abstract logical reasoning 
C)  multidimensional reasoning 
D)  systematic reasoning

Question 8

According to research on behavioral decision theory, adolescents often decide to engage in behavior that seems risky to adults because adolescents:

Accepted Answer

A)  cannot consider as many consequences for their actions as do adults. 
B)  have thinking processes that are still predominantly preoperational. 
C)  have different values and priorities than adults. 
D)  wish to assert their independence from adults in every possible way.

Question 9

According to Piaget, the period of cognitive development that is based on theoretical, abstract principles of logic is called:

Accepted Answer

A)  sensorimotor. 
B)  preoperational. 
C)  concrete operations. 
D)  formal operations.

Question 10

Dan, an adolescent, has more developed cognitive skills than his 6-year-old brother Timmy because Timmy's thinking is:

Accepted Answer

A)  in general, bound to what he can directly observe. 
B)  moving easily between specific and abstract ideas. 
C)  systematically generating alternative possibilities and explanations. 
D)  comparing what he actually observes with what he believes is possible.

Question 11

Which of the following individuals is most likely to be a child (and not an adolescent)?

Accepted Answer

A)  Kristine, who thinks about what other people are thinking 
B)  Jesse, who finds it hard to believe that other people may have beliefs, intentions, and knowledge that may be different from his own 
C)  Jo, who can easily interpret the feelings of others 
D)  All of these individuals are likely to be children.

Question 12

Which term below allows individuals to suspend their beliefs about something in order to argue in the abstract?

Accepted Answer

A)  hypothetical thinking. 
B)  social cognition. 
C)  mutual perspective-taking. 
D)  impression formation.

Question 13

Are adults, or adolescents, more likely to think of themselves as invulnerable?

Accepted Answer

A)  adults 
B)  adolescents 
C)  both are likely 
D)  Neither group thinks of themselves as invulnerable.

Question 14

Which of the following terms applies more to adolescent thought than to childhood thought?

Accepted Answer

A)  conservation, reversibility, structure 
B)  assimilation, accommodation, complexity 
C)  preoperational, egocentric, concrete 
D)  flexible, speculative, abstract

Question 15

Steve gets all As in his course work but has a hard time relating to the real world. Jessica has been failing her courses but is an exceptional artist. The guidance counselor, Miss Willingham, has stated that Steve is "smarter" than Jessica. Do you agree or disagree with Miss Willingham's conclusion? Support your answer.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Steve gets all As in his course...

Question 16

Renee, a 6-year-old, is unable to answer the question, "How are a motorcycle and a bicycle alike?" Mohammed, a 17-year-old, answers the same question by saying, "They are both types of transportation." What statement about Renee and Mohammed is most true?

Accepted Answer

A)  Renee's inability to answer the question is very unusual for a child her age. 
B)  Mohammed has demonstrated the ability to think concretely. 
C)  Mohammed has demonstrated the ability to think abstractly. 
D)  According to Piaget's theory, Renee and Mohammed are both developmentally delayed.

Question 17

Fifteen-year-old Hermione is able to write a much more complex answer than 10-year-old Ginger to the question, "Compare the advantages and disadvantages of using simple spells for self-protection." This is because, as an adolescent, Hermione is able to think:

Accepted Answer

A)  egocentrically. 
B)  deductively. 
C)  in metacognitive ways. 
D)  in multiple dimensions.

Question 18

Which theory helps researchers understand adolescent risk taking?

Accepted Answer

A)  behavioral decision theory 
B)  alternative choices theory 
C)  desirability theory 
D)  cognitive development theory

Question 19

Which of the following does not support adolescents' improved ability to use deductive reasoning, as described by the text?

Accepted Answer

A)  the ability to inhibit a prepotent response 
B)  the ability to stop oneself from acting automatically 
C)  the ability to make an inference based on accumulated evidence 
D)  the ability to recognize when a question cannot be answered with certainty

Question 20

Dr. Brown argues that adolescents can solve problems better than younger children because they can store more information in memory and because they have more effective strategies. Dr. Brown's view is most consistent with which of the following perspectives?

Accepted Answer

A)  triarchic theory of intelligence 
B)  information-processing perspective 
C)  psychometric theory 
D)  Piagetian perspective

Exam 2: Cognitive Transitions