Deck 15: Cognitive Development in Adolescence

Question 1

Seven-year-old Xavier is given the following pair of statements: "All of the balls in the tub are either red or blue. My ball is also in the tub." When asked, "What color is my ball?" he is able to answer correctly, "red or blue." A Piagetian researcher would say that Xavier is

A) incapable of abstract thinking.
B) capable of propositional thinking.
C) incapable of formal operational thinking.
D) capable of hypothetical-deductive reasoning.
E) capable of metacognition.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

When an experimenter asks Anisa, "What would happen if horses walked around on two legs?" she refuses to answer the question and adamantly states, "But, horses can't walk on two legs!" A Piagetian researcher seeing this would likely say that Anisa is

A) capable of hypothetical-deductive reasoning.
B) not yet capable of imaginative play.
C) capable of abstract thinking.
D) not yet capable of suspended belief.
E) not yet capable of abstract thinking.

Answer 2

E

Question 3

Armand finds that the TV does not turn on when he pushes the ON button of the remote control. Armand first checks if the TV is plugged in and then checks the batteries of the remote control. This is an example of Armand

A) employing a trial-and-error approach.
B) demonstrating goal-directed action.
C) employing hypothetical-deductive reasoning.
D) employing intuitive reasoning.
E) flexibly shifting attention.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

According to Piagetian theory, which is not a characteristic of the formal operational stage as compared to the concrete operational stage of cognitive development?

A) Abstract thinking
B) Consideration of multiple variables
C) Hypothetical thinking
D) Reality-based reasoning
E) Systematic problem solving

Question 5

Which is the most correct regarding the current discussion on Piaget's concept of the formal operational stage.

A) There is broad agreement that all individuals achieve formal operational thought, but the age at which this occurs varies.
B) Some researchers argue that the definition of formal operational thought should include intuitive reasoning and personal experience.
C) Some researchers suggest that personal experience is more useful than formal operational thinking.
D) Researchers question whether formal operational thought is universally achieved.
E) There is widespread agreement that Piaget was correct.

Question 6

A child who has difficulty on a flanker task may be

A) having difficulty flexibly switching their attention.
B) having difficulty looking at multiple variables.
C) focusing too much on salient stimuli.
D) overutilizing their executive function.
E) having difficulty ignoring irrelevant stimuli.

Question 7

How do automatic processes help improve processing speed?

A) They increase working memory span.
B) They improve working memory.
C) They reduce cognitive load.
D) They increase reliance on long-term memory.
E) They increase working memory capacity.

Question 8

Which would be a good way to test working memory span?

A) Present a child with seven numbers and test to see if the child remembers the seven items after 30 minutes.
B) Have a child memorize a set of objects in a certain order and test to see if they can recall them in the opposite order after they succeed.
C) Have a child memorize different types of objects (e.g., animals, vehicles, or fruit) and test to see how the child chunks the items in memory.
D) Show a child sets of five objects for 20 seconds and test if they can recall all the objects.
E) Read off a list of objects and test to determine the largest set of objects the child can recall correctly.

Question 9

Thirteen-year-old Ryder is asked to memorize a group of nine objects. Before attempting to memorize them, he decides to organize the objects into categories to aid his memory. Ryder's behavior indicates skill at

A) selective attention.
B) metacognition.
C) a deep memory strategy.
D) memory rehearsal.
E) a shallow memory strategy.

Question 10

When asked to memorize a list of seven words in order, Cameron repeats the words over and over. Cameron is applying a(n)

A) deep memory strategy.
B) memory chunking strategy.
C) associative memory strategy.
D) shallow memory strategy.
E) metacognitive strategy.

Question 11

In a point-of-view task, 12-year-old Amira takes much longer answering third-person questions ("What do you think someone else would think if…?") compared to first-person questions ("What would you think if…?"). Joey, who is 18, also takes longer with third-person questions compared to first-person questions, but the gap between the two is not as great as it is for Amira. A researcher might conclude that Amira

A) is incapable of considering someone else's perspective.
B) has greater difficulty understanding other people's perspectives than does Joey.
C) is exhibiting adolescent egocentrism, whereas Joey is not.
D) has developed cognitive theory of mind but not affective theory of mind, but Joey is well developed in both.
E) not yet capable of abstract thinking, whereas Joey is.

Question 12

A researcher would say that an adolescent who is able to understand the emotions of others has developed a(n) _______ theory of mind.

A) analytical
B) emotional
C) cognitive
D) social
E) affective

Question 13

Adolescents' feelings that their experiences are vastly different from and more significant than those of others is referred to as

A) personal fable.
B) introspection.
C) egocentrism.
D) self-absorption.
E) distorted perception.

Question 14

Fourteen-year-old Siobhan is constantly concerned that others are looking at her and judging her hairstyle. Such thinking has been referred to as

A) narcissism.
B) self-absorption.
C) imaginary audience.
D) introspection.
E) personal fable.

Question 15

Which statement indicates a higher level of morality as classified in Kohlberg's moral development theory?

A) "I shouldn't lie because I may get caught."
B) "I shouldn't cheat because cheating is against the rules."
C) "I shouldn't lie because lying is not good."
D) "I shouldn't steal because my mother said it's wrong to steal."
E) "I shouldn't cheat because I should honestly show what I have learned."

Question 16

Which most accurately describes findings on adolescents' moral development?

A) All adolescents progress through pre-conventional and conventional stages to reach the post-conventional stage by early adulthood.
B) Adolescents' moral development tends to parallel gains in cognitive development.
C) Most adolescents progress either through the pre-conventional stage or the conventional stage but not both.
D) Individuals who exhibit low moral reasoning in early adolescence tend to continue to exhibit low moral reasoning as they age.
E) Individuals go through all three stages (pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional), but not necessarily in that order.

Question 17

Adolescents' behaviors in moral situations are _______ with their moral reasoning.

A) always consistent
B) always inconsistent
C) never consistent
D) sometimes inconsistent
E) rarely inconsistent

Question 18

In many advanced countries, elementary school students learn multiplication table songs. Cognitive development researchers would consider such songs to be

A) deep memory strategies.
B) hypothetical-deductive reasoning tools.
C) cultural tools.
D) cultural narratives.
E) cultural artifacts.

Question 19

Adolescents brought up in cultures that require a lot of schooling tend to develop and rely more on _______ thinking skills while those brought up in cultures that require little schooling tend to rely on _______.

A) logical and deductive reasoning; practical experience
B) logical reasoning; deductive reasoning
C) practical experience; hypothetical reasoning
D) practical experience; logical and deductive reasoning
E) hypothetical reasoning; deductive reasoning

Question 20

Aranya, a 13-year-old girl living in a remote village in Thailand who has not had much formal education tends to strongly rely on personal experience rather than abstract reasoning. A Piagetian researcher would say that she

A) has achieved the formal operations stage.
B) has not yet achieved the concrete operational stage.
C) is capable of abstract thinking but not propositional thinking.
D) has not yet achieved the formal operations stage.
E) is incapable of logical thinking.

Question 21

Use of _______ is an example of students developing proficiency in advanced grammar.

A) prepositional phrases
B) sophisticated words
C) academic vocabulary
D) long sentences
E) embedded clauses

Question 22

Which is a way that academic writing differs from typical conversational language?

A) Academic writing uses more complex vocabulary.
B) Academic writing covers topics that do not appear in everyday conversation.
C) Academic writing uses more complex sentence structures.
D) Academic writing is logically structured.
E) All of the above

Question 23

Studies have revealed consistent gender differences in verbal proficiency and mathematical proficiency over time and across countries. What is NOT suggested as a possible explanation for these differences?

A) Boys tend to spend more time playing video games, which may support development of spatial-attention skills.
B) Parents tend to spend more time reading to girls than boys, which may encourage girls' reading.
C) Girls tend to spend more time playing with toys that encourage social interaction and people skills.
D) Boys tend to spend less time reading and, thus, do not develop executive functioning abilities.
E) Cultural and gender biases influence the number of men and women entering certain fields.

Question 24

_______ engagement is the term used by researchers to refer to a student's approach to learning, including the use of effective strategies to support learning of school material.

A) Behavioral
B) Cognitive
C) Academic
D) Strategic
E) Emotional

Question 25

Fifteen-year-old Tanisha is one of the top-performing students in her class in terms of homework and tests. She loves school and being involved in school activities. However, in class, she is often distracted, socializing with her friends, and inattentive. A developmental psychologist would say that she is

A) emotionally and cognitively engaged but not behaviorally engaged.
B) emotionally and behaviorally engaged but not cognitively engaged.
C) cognitively engaged but not emotionally or behaviorally engaged.
D) behaviorally and cognitively engaged but not emotionally engaged.
E) not engaged behaviorally, emotionally, or cognitively.

Question 26

Which statement about school engagement is most correct?

A) Students who excel in one area of school engagement are usually successful in school.
B) Cognitive and emotional engagement are the best predictors of school success.
C) Cognitive engagement is a consequence of behavioral and emotional engagement.
D) Cognitive engagement is more important than emotional engagement to school success.
E) Success in school usually involves multiple components of school engagement.

Question 27

Sixteen-year-old Sebastian is determined to pursue a career in a medical field. However, he is struggling in his biochemistry class and is only earning a C+ grade. Instead of giving up, he continues to study earnestly, asks for extra help from the teacher, and is now looking for a tutor. A developmental psychologist would say that Sebastian

A) has overly high expectations that do not match his ability.
B) lacks motivation.
C) has grit.
D) is underperforming.
E) is emotionally engaged but not cognitively engaged.

Question 28

Fifteen-year-old Ashley is worried that she will not do well on an upcoming exam and is worried about the consequences of not doing well. A developmental psychologist would say that she is experiencing

A) situational anxiety.
B) pressure.
C) test anxiety.
D) self doubt.
E) excessive expectation.

Question 29

Twelve-year-old Rennie believes that effort and practice are the key to academic success. He is more interested in becoming good at new tasks than showing how "smart" he is. A developmental psychologist would say that Rennie has an

A) entity view of intelligence and a performance goal orientation.
B) incremental view of intelligence and a performance goal orientation.
C) entity view of intelligence and a mastery goal orientation.
D) incremental view of intelligence and a challenge aversion orientation.
E) incremental view of intelligence and a mastery goal orientation.

Question 30

Fifteen-year-old Kamaru really likes history class, but he does not see himself studying history in the future and is not sure how knowing history will help him. Consequently, he is not willing to invest a lot of time to do well in his history class. How would a developmental psychologist explain Kamaru's calculation of task value?

A) History has high interest value, attainment value, and utility value but is not worth the cost.
B) History has high attainment value and utility value but low interest value and, therefore, is not worth the cost.
C) History has high interest value and attainment value but low utility value and, therefore, is not worth the cost.
D) History has high interest value but low attainment value and utility value and, therefore, is not worth the cost.
E) History has high interest value, attainment value, and utility value and is worth the cost.

Question 31

Thirteen-year-old Roman's parents are relatively hands-off when it comes to school. Roman likes school but has been struggling and falling behind with his schoolwork over the past year. Consequently, his motivation and interest in school is starting to wane. According to research, how can Roman's parents best support his academic success?

A) Work with him to create a schedule for completing his homework and provide guidance and support as needed.
B) Restrict his extracurricular activities until he gets his grades back up.
C) Impose a schedule for completing his homework and implement a system of penalties if he does not follow the schedule.
D) Monitor his progress with the expectation that his motivation will eventually improve.
E) Sit with him everyday while he does his homework to make sure that it is completed.

Question 32

Sixteen-year-old Malea asks her parents for advice about what classes to take and how she can achieve her academic and career goals. Her parents try to provide guidance where they can. This is an example of parents

A) helping their child develop academic grit.
B) determining the direction of their child's academic trajectory.
C) helping their child maintain emotional engagement.
D) helping their child develop a mastery goal orientation.
E) helping their child navigate the educational process.

Question 33

Sixteen-year-old Janice is one of a few female students in her advanced physics class. She excels on assignments and in-class work but often underperforms on tests. Her teacher, who is male, frequently makes comments about how physics requires "mental toughness" and "fortitude." A developmental psychologist might suspect that Janice is experiencing

A) stereotype threat.
B) self doubt.
C) diminishing motivation.
D) discrimination.
E) inferiority complex.

Question 34

Experiencing or witnessing discrimination in school often causes students to reduce engagement with school. Which has/have been found by research to be a protective or preventative factor against withdrawal?

A) Positive cross-ethnic friendships
B) Having strong role models from same ethnic/racial group
C) Strong connection to own ethnic/racial group
D) Positive ethnic/racial identity
E) All of the above

Question 35

What do experiments such as the 1976 experiment on housing placement under the Chicago Housing Authority demonstrate about the neighborhood effect on academic achievement?

A) Adolescents who move from less-resourced neighborhoods to more-resourced neighborhoods tend to fare the same academically as their peers who remain in low-resource neighborhoods.
B) Adolescents in less-resourced neighborhoods can perform just as well as their peers in more-resourced neighborhoods when parents are advocates for their children.
C) Parental involvement is critical to academic achievement regardless of the neighborhood context.
D) Adolescents who move from less-resourced neighborhoods to more-resourced neighborhoods, tend to perform better academically than their peers who remain in low-resource neighborhoods.
E) Individual or family influences are more important than neighborhood influences.

Question 36

As an adolescent, Raheem did well in high school and, consequently, was engaged and motivated, as evidenced by his participation in various clubs and youth group activities. In college, Raheem was involved in student government. And now, as an adult, he participates in various community events and activities. This is an example of positive cascading effects of

A) cognitive development and academics.
B) neighborhood context.
C) socio-economic context.
D) community support.
E) peer and familial relationships.

Question 37

Which statement about the cascading effects of academic motivation on life trajectories is most correct?

A) Academic motivation in adolescence has little long-term effect.
B) Low academic motivation in adolescence has long-term negative effects, while high academic motivation in adolescence has few long-term effects.
C) Low academic motivation in adolescence has long-term negative effects, while high academic motivation in adolescence has long-term positive effects.
D) The long-term negative effects of poor academic motivation in adolescence are greater than the positive effects of high academic motivation in adolescence.
E) High academic motivation in adolescence has long-term positive effects, while low academic motivation in adolescence has few long-term effects.

Question 38

Which has not been identified as an effect of school dropout?

A) Increased risk of incarceration
B) Increased risk of infertility
C) Increased mortality
D) Decreased labor force participation
E) Increased delinquency

Question 39

Evergreen Highschool has seen a gradual increase in dropout rates over the past few years. According to research, what type of intervention program would be the most effective for reducing the dropout rate?

A) An optional program that is open to all students seeking academic assistance
B) A program targeting at-risk students that seeks to improve study skills
C) A program aimed at improving the attendance rate of at-risk students
D) A mandatory afterschool program that provides additional academic instruction for at-risk students
E) A program targeting at-risk students that provides academic and emotional support while encouraging student engagement

Question 40

Overall, what does research on adolescent cognitive development say about individuals achieving their cognitive potential?

A) All individuals have the same cognitive ability. Whether an individual reaches their potential or not depends on factors such as socio-economic status, neighborhood context, and social networks.
B) Cognitive performance is largely determined by neighborhood context and, therefore, the primary focus of interventions should be on improving neighborhoods.
C) Cognitive performance is determined by a combination of individual and contextual factors.
D) Cognitive performance can be nurtured best through the implementation of standardized educational instruction.
E) Individuals have fixed cognitive ability. Those with higher innate ability will do better in school and will likely exhibit greater cognitive performance as adults.

Question 41

Explain why the pendulum problem requires hypothetical-deductive reasoning.

Question 42

Explain the roles played by attention focus, inhibition, and flexibility in attention and cognitive performance.

Question 43

Give an example of a deep memory strategy. Briefly explain why such strategies may be better for long-term memory than a shallow strategy.

Question 44

Some studies reveal that low-income students perform more poorly than middle- and high-income students on online tests. Provide a possible explanation for these results using the concept of "cultural tools."

Question 45

Explain how understanding of academic vocabulary helps with school success.

Question 46

Some schools have implemented girls-only math and science classes to encourage girls' interest in STEM disciplines. Explain the motivation behind such an approach based using the concept of culture and gender bias.

Question 47

Seventeen-year-old Soo-Young studies hard to maintain an A average in her required classes. However, she is much more passionate about her robotics club activities than any of her academic classes. Taking this example, explain the difference between grit and enjoyment using the concept of choice.

Question 48

Briefly explain a few structural reasons why teacher-student relationships might decline as students progress from elementary school to middle school and high school.

Question 49

Some skeptics argue that low academic performance in low-income neighborhoods is primarily attributable to individual and family factors. How would a proponent of Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory counter this view?

Question 50

List and briefly explain five ways in which neighborhood context can affect adolescents' academic achievement.