Deck 15: Cognitive Development in Adolescence

Question 1

People in the formal operations stage of cognitive development can integrate what they have learned in the past with the challenges of the present and make plans for the future.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

The shift to formal reasoning is attributed to a combination of brain maturation and expanding environmental opportunities.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

Piaget's stages of cognitive development represent universal aspects of human development.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

Personal fable is Elkind's term for the conviction that one is special, unique, and not subject to the rules that govern the rest of the world.

Question 5

Driving a car and being able to use a computer are examples of declarative knowledge.

Question 6

With the advent of abstract thought, adolescents more frequently use such terms as "however," "otherwise," "anyway," "therefore," "really," and "probably" to express logical relationships.

Question 7

The ability to tailor one's speech to another person's knowledge level and point of view is known as social engineering.

Question 8

According to Kohlberg, the level of conventional morality is typically reached before age 10.

Question 9

According to Kohlberg's theory, most people never move beyond the level of preconventional morality even in adulthood.

Question 10

According to Kohlberg, before people can develop a fully principled morality, they must recognize the relativity of moral standards.

Question 11

Generally, adolescents who are more advanced in moral reasoning do tend to be more moral in their behavior than antisocial adolescents.

Question 12

Prosocial moral reasoning is reasoning about moral dilemmas in which one person's needs conflict with those of others in situations in which social rules or norms are unclear or nonexistent.

Question 13

School is a central organizing experience in most adolescents' lives.

Question 14

High schoolers prefer to do their homework with their friends, while middle schoolers prefer to do it alone.

Question 15

Girls have more gray matter than do boys.

Question 16

Compared to boys, girls benefit more from enriched neighborhoods and are hurt more by deprived neighborhoods.

Question 17

Critical thinking and analysis skills have declined as a result of the increased use of computers and video games.

Question 18

Parents' educational level and family income indirectly affect their children's educational attainment.

Question 19

The United States has plenty of coordinated policies to help non-college-bound youth make a successful transition from high school to the labor market.

Question 20

Adolescents develop the capacity for abstract thought around the age of ________ years.

A) 5
B) 7
C) 9
D) 11

Question 21

According to Piaget's cognitive-stage theory, which of the following is true of hypothetical-deductive reasoning?

A) It is characterized by the absence of commitment and lack of serious consideration of alternatives.
B) It is the ability to develop, consider, and systematically test hypotheses.
C) It is a hypothesis that states that there is a carryover of cognitive gains from work to leisure.
D) It is a coherent conception of the self that includes goals, values, and beliefs to which an adolescent is solidly committed.

Question 22

Sophia, a 13-year-old girl, experiments with a balance scale in her physics class. She tries to hang different weights at different points on a crossbar. She wants to understand the factors that affect the balancing of the scale. In the context of Piaget's cognitive-stage theory, Sophia is demonstrating ________ in this scenario.

A) postconventional morality
B) haptic perception
C) hypothetical-deductive reasoning
D) dual representation hypothesis

Question 23

Which of the following is a problem with Piaget's conception of formal operations?

A) It fails to adequately consider the role of metacognition.
B) It underestimates the abilities of older children.
C) It pays too much attention to individual differences between children.
D) It overemphasizes the importance of social and cultural influences.

Question 24

Which of the following statements is true about the evaluation of Piaget's cognitive-stage theory?

A) It does not seem to represent moral reasoning in non-Western cultures as accurately as in the Western culture.
B) It pays attention to individual differences, to variations in the same child's performance on different kinds of tasks, and to social and cultural influences.
C) It demonstrates that children display aspects of scientific thinking at the end of adolescence, and it overestimates some younger children's abilities.
D) It does not adequately consider such cognitive advances as gains in information-processing capacity and accumulation of knowledge and expertise in specific fields.

Question 25

Olivia, a 15-year-old girl, likes to spend time with her friends and likes to go to parties. However, her parents are strictly against such teenage adventures. She tries to convince her parents with her reasoning abilities and tries to build her case. Which of the following aspects of adolescent thinking does Olivia exhibit in this scenario?

A) argumentativeness
B) the imaginary audience
C) self-consciousness
D) prosocial behavior

Question 26

Adolescents can keep many alternatives in mind at the same time yet may lack effective strategies for choosing among them. In the context of adolescent thinking, this is attributed to

A) idealism.
B) self-consciousness.
C) indecisiveness.
D) apparent hypocrisy.

Question 27

Young adolescents often do not recognize the difference between expressing an ideal and making the sacrifices necessary to live up to it. In the context of adolescent thinking, this often results in

A) invulnerability.
B) self-consciousness.
C) indecisiveness.
D) apparent hypocrisy.

Question 28

Adolescents often assume everyone else is thinking about the same thing they are thinking about: themselves. Elkind refers to this as

A) specialness.
B) apparent hypocrisy.
C) invulnerability.
D) the imaginary audience.

Question 29

Lucas, a 15-year-old boy, takes out his father's sports car without his father's knowledge and drives it recklessly. Lucas believes that he would not get into accidents like other kids as he is invincible. Which of the following aspects of adolescent thinking does Lucas exhibit in this scenario?

A) the personal fable
B) apparent hypocrisy
C) the imaginary audience
D) idealism

Question 30

Emma, a 16-year-old girl, loves bungee jumping from tall structures and cliffs. She is confident that she can do bungee jumping from any height without getting hurt. Which of the following aspects of adolescent thinking does Emma exhibit in this scenario?

A) self-consciousness
B) the personal fable
C) the imaginary audience
D) idealism and criticalness

Question 31

According to Elkind, notions of the imaginary audience and the personal fable are

A) linked with the emergence of the ability to take an outsider's perspective.
B) formally taught because they are necessary to get ahead in life.
C) unrelated to specific social experiences.
D) characteristics of immature thinking that continue into adulthood.

Question 32

Changes in the way adolescents process information reflect the maturation of the brain's ________ and may help explain the cognitive advances Piaget described.

A) parietal lobe
B) corpus callosum
C) frontal lobe
D) hypothalamus

Question 33

Which of the following is a structural change in information processing that takes place during adolescence?

A) an increase in the brain's processing speed
B) a decrease in the capacity of working memory
C) further development of executive functions and self-regulation skills
D) an increase in the amount of knowledge stored in long-term memory

Question 34

________ consists of all the factual knowledge a person has acquired.

A) Conceptual knowledge
B) Declarative knowledge
C) Procedural knowledge
D) Structural knowledge

Question 35

________ consists of all the skills a person has acquired.

A) Conceptual knowledge
B) Declarative knowledge
C) Procedural knowledge
D) Structural knowledge

Question 36

________ refers to acquired interpretive understandings stored in long-term memory.

A) Conceptual knowledge
B) Declarative knowledge
C) Procedural knowledge
D) Structural knowledge

Question 37

Which of the following is an example of conceptual knowledge?

A) being able to recall all U.S. states
B) knowing how to use an iPad
C) knowing how to book flight tickets online
D) knowing the impact of government regulations on business and trade

Question 38

Humans remember the things they learned and what happened to them in their teenage years more clearly than during any other point in the life span-a memory quirk known as

A) recency bias.
B) the reminiscence bump.
C) déjà vu.
D) the availability heuristic.

Question 39

Thomas has started working at Kmart on a part-time basis. His manager often commends him on his ability to understand customers' needs and help them make the right buying decision. This is a result of Thomas's

A) exhaustive vocabulary.
B) social perspective-taking.
C) prosocial moral reasoning.
D) use of puns, irony, and metaphors.

Question 40

Keith, a teenage boy, has a 3-year-old sister. When talking to her, he usually uses short sentences, speaks slowly, and often repeats the important words. He talks to his teachers in a polite and respectful way. In the context of language development in adolescents, the way Keith adapts his speech best illustrates his skills in

A) telegraphic speech.
B) social perspective-taking.
C) cross-modal transfer.
D) code-mixing.

Question 41

Which of the following is true of language development in adolescents?

A) Adolescents become less skilled in social perspective-taking as they age, and they deliberately avoid irony, puns, and metaphors.
B) Teenage slang is part of the process of developing an identity similar to that of parents and the adult world.
C) Vocabulary remains universal irrespective of gender, ethnicity, age, geographical region, neighborhood, and type of school.
D) Adolescents often develop their own unique terms, and the changes in words and phrases used by them are striking in their speech.

Question 42

Which of the following is true of the relationship between cognitive development and moral development?

A) Advances in cognitive development make individuals capable of more complex reasoning about moral issues.
B) Advanced cognitive development guarantees advanced moral development.
C) Advanced cognitive development impedes moral development because it suppresses intuitive, emotional responses.
D) Moral development proceeds independently of cognitive development.

Question 43

According to Kohlberg's theory of moral reasoning, people at the level of ________ act under external controls. They obey rules to avoid punishment or reap rewards, or they act out of self-interest.

A) subconscious morality
B) postconventional morality
C) conventional morality
D) preconventional morality

Question 44

In the context of Lawrence Kohlberg's six stages of moral reasoning, children in the first stage of reasoning in the preconventional morality level

A) develop their own ideas of what a good person is.
B) evaluate an act according to motive or the person performing it and take circumstances into account.
C) ignore the motives of an act and focus on its consequences.
D) look at an act in terms of the needs it meets and differentiate this value from the act's physical form and consequences.

Question 45

In the context of Lawrence Kohlberg's six stages of moral reasoning, which of the following statements is true about the second stage of reasoning in the preconventional morality level?

A) Adolescents reach this stage between 11 and 13 years of age.
B) Children look at an act in terms of the needs it meets and differentiate this value from the act's physical form and consequences.
C) Children want to please others, can judge their intentions, and develop their own ideas of what a good person is.
D) People reach this stage during young adulthood.

Question 46

According to Kohlberg, at the level of ________, people have internalized the standards of authority figures.

A) preconventional morality
B) postconventional morality
C) conventional morality
D) subconscious morality

Question 47

Which of the following is true about the morality of conventional role conformity?

A) Children between ages 4 and 10 typically demonstrate this level of moral reasoning.
B) People make judgments on the basis of principles of right, fairness, and justice.
C) People are concerned about pleasing others and maintaining the social order.
D) People generally do not reach this level of moral reasoning until young adulthood.

Question 48

In the context of Lawrence Kohlberg's six stages of moral reasoning, people in the fourth stage of reasoning in the conventional morality level

A) evaluate an act according to its motive or the person performing it and take circumstances into account.
B) think in rational terms and value the welfare of society.
C) are concerned with doing their duty, showing respect for authority, and maintaining the social order.
D) recognize that there are times when human needs and the law conflict and believe that it is better to obey the law.

Question 49

In the context of Lawrence Kohlberg's six stages of moral reasoning, which of the following is a characteristic of the third stage of reasoning in the conventional morality level?

A) morality of contract, of individual rights, and of democratically accepted law
B) orientation toward punishment and obedience
C) morality of universal ethical principles
D) maintaining mutual relations, approval of others, and the golden rule

Question 50

Kohlberg suggested that the majority of adolescents and adults are at the ________ of moral reasoning.

A) preconventional level
B) conventional level
C) postconventional level
D) subconscious level

Question 51

According to Kohlberg, at the level of ________, people recognize conflicts between moral standards and make judgments on the basis of principles of right, fairness, and justice.

A) preconventional morality
B) postconventional morality
C) conventional morality
D) subconscious morality

Question 52

In the context of Lawrence Kohlberg's six stages of moral reasoning, which of the following is true of children in the sixth stage of reasoning in the postconventional morality level?

A) They look at an act in terms of the human needs it meets and differentiate this value from the act's physical form and consequences.
B) They want to please and help others, can judge the intentions of others, and they take circumstances into account.
C) They consider an act always wrong, regardless of motive or circumstances, if it violates a rule and harms others.
D) They act in accordance with internalized standards, knowing that they would condemn themselves if they did not.

Question 53

According to Kohlberg's levels of moral reasoning, what is the distinguishing feature of postconventional morality?

A) thinking of morality in terms of pleasing others or obeying the law
B) internalizing the standards of others
C) making one's own judgments based on principles of fairness and justice
D) acting under external controls and influences

Question 54

On her way back home, Claudia, a young adult, witnesses a road accident. The victim is severely injured and is unconscious. The state law prohibits people from helping road accident victims directly and instead requires them to inform the police. However, Claudia decides to help the victim because she believes that it is the "right" thing to do. In the context of Lawrence Kohlberg's six stages of moral reasoning, Claudia's decision to help the victim best illustrates

A) the first stage of preconventional morality.
B) the second stage of preconventional morality.
C) the second stage of conventional morality.
D) the second stage of postconventional morality.

Question 55

Which of the following is a limitation of Lawrence Kohlberg's theory of moral reasoning?

A) It negates the idea that moral development is a consequence of moral reasoning.
B) It ignores the fact that at the heart of every dilemma is the concept of justice-a universal principle.
C) It ignores the idea that parents and peers play an important role in the moral development of children.
D) It overemphasizes the fact that a person's response to a moral dilemma indicates his or her stage of moral development.

Question 56

Which of the following is true of Kohlberg's theory of moral reasoning?

A) It states that people who have achieved a high level of cognitive development never reach a comparably high level of moral development.
B) It recognizes that moral activity is motivated by emotions such as empathy, guilt, distress, and the internalization of prosocial norms.
C) It does not emphasize the importance of having supportive, authoritarian parents or close friends and their association with moral reasoning.
D) It does not seem to represent moral reasoning in non-Western cultures as accurately as in the Western culture.

Question 57

Carol Gilligan criticized Kohlberg's theory of moral development on the grounds that it

A) did not accurately represent moral reasoning in non-Western cultures.
B) proposed too many stages of development.
C) emphasized cognitive development rather than emotional development.
D) was oriented toward values more important to men than to women.

Question 58

Gilligan claimed women see morality not so much in terms of ________ as in ________.

A) justice and fairness; responsibility to show caring and avoid harm
B) responsibility to others; justice and fairness
C) maintaining friendships; not getting into trouble
D) the standards of authority figures; universal human rights

Question 59

Isabella, a 14-year-old girl, is an average student and happens to fail in three subjects. She convinces her parents that these subjects are too hard and that her school sets the most difficult test in the state. In the context of influences on school achievement, Isabella exhibits ________ in this scenario.

A) high self-actualization
B) low self-realization
C) high self-regulation
D) low self-efficacy

Question 60

Aiden, a 10-year-old boy, fails to qualify for a dance competition. He believes that if he had practiced more, he would have definitely qualified for the competition. He vows to try harder the next time. In the context of influences on school achievement, which of the following is exhibited by Aiden in this scenario?

A) low self-actualization
B) high self-denial
C) high self-efficacy
D) low self-control

Question 61

Beginning in adolescence, girls do better than boys

A) on creative tasks that involve synthesizing information.
B) in activities that involve spatial functions helpful in math.
C) on verbal tasks that involve writing and language usage.
D) in activities that involve visual functions helpful in science.

Question 62

Which of the following skills has improved as a result of the increased use of computers and video games by students?

A) critical thinking skills
B) analysis skills
C) visual skills
D) writing skills

Question 63

Who among the following is most likely to be an authoritarian parent?

A) Simone, who grounds her son for a week because he performs poorly in his math test
B) Rey, who discusses math scores with his daughter and helps her identify the areas of improvement
C) Dan, who sets a target score for his daughter and lets her prepare a plan to achieve the score
D) Jenny, who acts casually even when her son receives the highest score in his end-semester exams

Question 64

________ strike a balance between making demands and being responsive and tend to have teens who do better academically than other teens.

A) Authoritative parents
B) Authoritarian parents
C) Permissive parents
D) Neglectful parents

Question 65

Authoritative parents

A) strike a balance between making demands and being responsive.
B) firmly believe that teenagers should be responsible for their own lives.
C) seem indifferent to their child's academic performance.
D) believe that adolescents should not argue with or question adults.

Question 66

________ seem indifferent to grades and have children who show slightly lower achievement.

A) Authoritative parents
B) Authoritarian parents
C) Permissive parents
D) Attachment parents

Question 67

The parents of Jacob, a 10-year-old boy, are indifferent to his academic grades. They do not scold him when he gets low grades nor appreciate him when he scores good grades. Their behavior has negatively affected Jacob's academic performance. Identify the parenting style adopted by Jacob's parents in this scenario.

A) authoritative parenting
B) authoritarian parenting
C) permissive parenting
D) attachment parenting

Question 68

Other factors being equal, if parents want to increase the odds of their children's academic success, which parenting style should they choose?

A) authoritative parenting
B) authoritarian parenting
C) permissive parenting
D) neglectful parenting

Question 69

In the context of the studies conducted by Castro et al. (2015), who among the following parents is most likely to have his or her teen child do well academically?

A) Jemima, who constantly compares her teen son's performance to her own school performance
B) Ryan, who regularly helps his teen daughter complete her homework and assignments
C) Jennifer, who has an indifferent attitude toward her teen son's poor or good academic grades
D) Ralph, who grounds his teen daughter whenever she gets poor grades in school tests

Question 70

Researchers disagree over whether part-time work is beneficial or detrimental to high school students. In the context of the study conducted by Warren and Lee (2003), who among the following high school students is most likely to suffer academically and eventually drop out of school?

A) Katie, who works as a salesgirl for 2 hours a day and actively engages in school activities
B) Joshua, who interns as a nurse as part of a cooperative educational program
C) Amanda, who works as a babysitter for approximately 30 hours every week
D) Samuel, who interns with a design company for approximately 10 hours every week

Question 71

A group of high schoolers in the United States begins to feel that the school curriculum is meaningless and that the instructions do not fulfill their academic needs. They become dissatisfied with their school and get poor grades. In the context of NCES (2017), who among the following group members is least likely to drop out of school?

A) Samuel, who is a Hispanic student
B) Samira, who is an Asian student
C) Natalie, who is a black student
D) Nick, who is a white student

Question 72

Lorenzo, a Latino adolescent, moves from a small junior high school to a bigger high school. He feels that his new school scores extremely low on supportive behavior and personal attention. He also realizes that the school has only a handful of Latino students. In the context of the study conducted by Benner and Graham (2009), which of the following is most likely to happen after 6 months?

A) Lorenzo will drop out of school.
B) Lorenzo will begin to like the school.
C) Lorenzo will show a remarkable improvement in his academic performance.
D) Lorenzo will be forced by the school authorities to drop out of school.

Question 73

Which of the following statements about gender differences in the sciences is true?

A) Boys are more likely than girls to pursue social welfare professions.
B) Girls are more likely than boys to earn college degrees in engineering.
C) Girls are more likely than boys to take teaching courses.
D) Boys are more likely than girls to go into the field of nursing.

Question 74

What is the major shortcoming of vocational counseling in the United States?

A) Vocational counseling is generally oriented toward non-college-bound youth.
B) Vocational counseling helps only those students who seek low-level, entry positions.
C) Vocational training programs tend to be less closely tied to the needs of businesses and industries.
D) Most vocational training programs are not accredited.

Question 75

According to Elkind, immaturity of thinking among adolescents manifests itself in six characteristics. Describe these characteristics.

Question 76

Briefly describe prosocial behavior and volunteer activity among adolescents.