Exam 2

Question 1

What is the main limitation of concrete operational thinking?

Answer 1

Limited to tangible, real-life examples; difficulty with hypothetical or abstract concepts.

Question 2

What ability reflects formal operational thinking in adolescents?

Answer 2

The ability to think hypothetically and reason about abstract concepts.

Question 3

What memory system holds information you are currently using?

Answer 3

Working memory.

Question 4

Who would emphasize changes in memory efficiency in cognitive development?

Answer 4

An information-processing theorist.

Question 5

What is Gardner’s term for intelligence related to understanding “deep” questions about life?

Answer 5

Existential intelligence.

Question 6

What is the connection between home environment and IQ scores?

Answer 6

Children with higher IQs tend to come from homes with age-appropriate play materials, supporting the theory that environmental factors impact intelligence.

Question 7

What is “stereotype threat”?

Answer 7

A phenomenon where awareness of negative stereotypes about one’s group can affect performance, creating a self-fulfilling prophecy.

Question 8

What is phonological processing?

Answer 8

The conversion of printed letters into sound, essential for reading development. Physical Development in Adolescence

Question 9

What is the typical growth pattern during puberty?

Answer 9

Extremities first (head, hands, feet), then limbs, and trunk last.

Question 10

At age 11, how do heights of females and males typically compare?

Answer 10

Females tend to be slightly taller than males.

Question 11

What is the most likely cause of typical teenage moodiness?

Answer 11

Changes in social settings and activities, rather than hormones.

Question 12

What is the most effective parental strategy to discourage obesity in children?

Answer 12

Teaching children to recognize and respond to their natural hunger/fullness cues.

Question 13

What thought pattern characterizes someone with anorexia nervosa?

Answer 13

Distorted body image where they perceive themselves as fat despite being underweight.

Question 14

What percentage of young athletes are injured and require medical attention?

Answer 14

About 15 percent.

Question 15

What is the “illusion of invulnerability”?

Answer 15

The adolescent perception that risky activities are “dangerous but fun” with a belief that negative consequences won’t happen to them.

Question 16

What are heuristics?

Answer 16

Mental shortcuts in decision-making that are fast but not always accurate or analytical. Moral Development

Question 17

What technique did Kohlberg use to assess moral thinking?

Answer 17

Presenting participants with moral dilemmas.

Question 18

According to Kohlberg, what is more important than the action taken in a moral situation?

Answer 18

The reasoning underlying the moral decision.

Question 19

Who is most associated with the ethics of care and critique of Kohlberg’s theory?

Answer 19

Carol Gilligan.

Question 20

What did research on gender differences in moral reasoning actually find?

Answer 20

Small differences between men and women in some areas, but overall moral reasoning is very similar. Identity Development

Question 21

According to Erikson, what is the key adolescent crisis?

Answer 21

Identity versus role confusion.

Question 22

What mental skill helps teenagers achieve identity, according to Erikson?

Answer 22

Using hypothetical reasoning skills (formal operational thinking).

Question 23

In Marcia’s theory, what is identity foreclosure?

Answer 23

Commitment without exploration (adopting others’ choices without considering alternatives).

Question 24

What is adolescent egocentrism characterized by?

Answer 24

Excessive self-absorption.

Question 25

What is the defining characteristic of adolescent-limited antisocial behavior?

Answer 25

Engaging in minor criminal acts over a short period of time.

Question 26

What biological factors contribute to aggressive behavior?

Answer 26

Temperament, hormones, and neurotransmitters.

Question 27

What is Holland's term for a personality type with excellent verbal and interpersonal skills?

Answer 27

Social personality type.

Question 28

How do most teenagers feel about themselves according to cross-cultural studies?

Answer 28

Most teenagers feel good about themselves. Emerging and Young Adulthood

Question 29

What age range is typically considered "emerging adulthood"?

Answer 29

Ages 18-25.

Question 30

What do all role transitions involve?

Answer 30

The acquisition of new responsibilities.

Question 31

What typically happens to risky behaviors as adolescents get older?

Answer 31

They decrease in frequency.

Question 32

According to Erikson, what is necessary before a person is capable of true intimacy?

Answer 32

A clear sense of identity.

Question 33

At a chemical level, what happens in alcohol addiction?

Answer 33

Chemical changes cause the body to crave alcohol.

Question 34

What is the relationship between HDLs and LDLs?

Answer 34

HDLs ("good" cholesterol) break down LDLs ("bad" cholesterol).

Question 35

What are the two most important social influences on health?

Answer 35

Socioeconomic status and education. Adult Cognitive Development

Question 36

What is the main debate among theories of multidimensional intelligence?

Answer 36

The number of abilities that underlie intelligence.

Question 37

What concept refers to the fact that specific aspects of intelligence can be modified throughout the lifespan?

Answer 37

Plasticity.

Question 38

What demonstrates interindividual variability in intelligence?

Answer 38

When one individual's reasoning skills improve with age while another's decline with age.

Question 39

What is inductive reasoning?

Answer 39

The ability to extrapolate from particular facts to general concepts.

Question 40

What is fluid intelligence?

Answer 40

Abilities that allow for flexible and adaptive thinking, such as reasoning and problem-solving with novel situations.

Question 41

What is crystallized intelligence?

Answer 41

Knowledge and skills acquired across one's life, including vocabulary, information, and expertise.

Question 42

When would crystallized intelligence scores be most significantly greater than fluid intelligence scores?

Answer 42

At retirement age (around 63).

Question 43

What is the parieto-frontal integration theory?

Answer 43

The theory that intelligence comes from a distributed and integrated network of neurons in the parietal and frontal lobes of the brain.

Question 44

How do postformal adult thinkers differ from adolescent formal operational thinkers?

Answer 44

Adults are more likely to consider situational circumstances.

Question 45

What do mature thinkers tend to do in decision-making?

Answer 45

Integrate emotion and logic. Family and Personality

Question 46

What is familism?

Answer 46

The cultural value that family needs are more important than individual needs.

Question 47

According to studies on multiracial children, who plays the largest role in guiding a child's ethnic identity development?

Answer 47

Mothers, even when the child is not of that ethnic group.

Question 48

According to McAdams, what best reflects a person's developing personality?

Answer 48

The emotions conveyed in their life story.

Question 49

How does McAdams describe a person's life story in relation to culture?

Answer 49

Fashioned, refashioned, and influenced by culture.

Question 50

What mental process requires the creation of possible selves?

Answer 50

Projecting yourself into the future.