Question 1

While out shopping, Mrs. Salveson becomes upset with her teenage daughter's sarcastic responses to her questions. Understanding the concept of the imaginary audience, how would you advise Mrs. Salveson to react to her daughter's behavior?
A) Address the problem immediately when it happens to avoid the likelihood of it recurring.
B) Wait until she can speak to her daughter alone, and address the problem then.
C) Ignore the behavior and hope that it will disappear as she matures.
D) Have another respected adult, like a teacher or counselor, deal with the behavior.

Accepted Answer

The concept of imaginary audience refers to the belief that adolescents feel like they are the center of attention and are being constantly observed and judged by others. Therefore, addressing the problem in public could potentially humiliate the teenager and make the situation worse. Waiting until Mrs. Salveson can speak to her daughter alone will allow for a more effective conversation and a better chance for successful communication.

Question 2

Information-processing findings confirm that scientific reasoning
A) results from abrupt, stagewise change.
B) develops gradually.
C) is fully developed by age 12.
D) is more advanced in boys than girls.

Accepted Answer

Information-processing findings suggest that scientific reasoning develops gradually over time, as individuals become better able to think abstractly, reason logically, and attend to multiple variables simultaneously. There is no evidence to suggest that it results from abrupt, stagewise change, is fully developed by age 12, or is more advanced in boys than girls.

Question 3

Charquinta is trying to solve a scientific problem and applies logic more effectively to the theory that she doubts than to the theory that she favors. Charquinta
A) is lacking in scientific reasoning skills.
B) has acquired scientific reasoning skills.
C) has developed the metacognitive capacity to evaluate her own objectivity.
D) has developed a flexible, open-minded approach to cognitive problem-solving.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Charquinta is trying to solve a scientific...

Question 4

The heart of scientific reasoning is
A) coordinating theories with evidence.
B) designing experiments.
C) developing hypotheses.
D) conducting statistical analyses of data.

Accepted Answer

Coordinating theories with evidence is the heart of scientific reasoning. This involves examining evidence to see if it supports or contradicts a theory or hypothesis, and making adjustments or revisions accordingly. Experimental design, hypothesis development, and statistical analysis are all important components of scientific reasoning, but they are dependent on the coordination of theories with evidence.

Question 5

Why should parents refrain from finding fault with their teenagers in public?
A) Teens already tend to believe that they are the focus of everyone else's attention and concern, so critical remarks in public can be mortifying.
B) Parents tend to judge teen behavior incorrectly, so they run a higher risk of being critical without a legitimate reason.
C) The best way to ride out the storminess of adolescence is to appease teens as much as possible; being critical will only create more problems.
D) Recent research has found that adolescents who suffer such public criticism engage in higher levels of delinquency than their peers.

Accepted Answer

Public criticism can be extremely embarrassing for teenagers, who often feel like everyone is watching and judging them. This can damage their self-esteem and create unnecessary conflict between them and their parents. It is important for parents to find a private space to discuss issues and avoid making their teen feel humiliated or ashamed.

Question 6

Researchers regard ________ as central to the development of abstract thought.
A) processing capacity
B) application of memory strategies
C) metacognition
D) attentional self-regulation

Accepted Answer

Metacognition refers to the ability to think about one's own thinking processes. It is considered to be central to the development of abstract thought because it allows individuals to reflect on and analyze their own thoughts and thought processes. This, in turn, enables them to form more complex, abstract concepts and ideas. Processing capacity, memory strategies, and attentional self-regulation, while important cognitive functions, are not as directly linked to the development of abstract thought.

Question 7

________________ helps explain the long hours adolescents spend inspecting every detail of their appearance and why they are so sensitive to public criticism.
A) Egocentrism
B) Concrete thinking
C) The imaginary audience
D) Metacognition

Accepted Answer

The imaginary audience is a term used to describe the belief that adolescents have that everyone is constantly watching and judging them. This belief contributes to their heightened self-consciousness and sensitivity to criticism. Egocentrism is a broader concept that includes difficulty understanding others' perspectives, concrete thinking refers to the tendency to think in concrete, literal terms rather than abstractly, and metacognition refers to the ability to think about one's own thinking processes.

Question 8

_________________ lead(s) adolescents to think more about themselves.
A) Overly permissive child rearing and a lack of structure
B) The ability to reflect on their thoughts, combined with physical and psychological changes,
C) Individualistic values and a disregard for others' feelings
D) Selfishness and poor problem-solving skills

Accepted Answer

Adolescents' physical and psychological changes, combined with their growing ability to reflect on their thoughts, lead them to think more about themselves. This is a normal and developmentally appropriate aspect of adolescence. However, overly permissive child rearing and a lack of structure may lead to entitlement and selfishness, as well as poor problem-solving skills. Individualistic values and a disregard for others' feelings may also contribute to self-focused thinking.

Question 9

Piaget acknowledged that
A) formal operational thinking is culturally transmitted from parents or more expert peers to children.
B) achievement of the formal operational stage probably occurs as a result of new information-processing abilities.
C) very few adults are capable of formal operational thinking.
D) people in some societies may not demonstrate formal operations as a result of lack of experience with hypothetical problems.

Accepted Answer

Piaget believed that the acquisition of formal operational thinking was influenced by cultural and experiential factors. Therefore, people in some societies may not demonstrate formal operations as a result of a lack of experience with hypothetical problems.

Question 10

Young teenagers are convinced that they are the object of everyone else's attention and concern. This feature of adolescent thought is called
A) propositional reasoning.
B) the imaginary audience.
C) the personal fable.
D) rule assessment.

Accepted Answer

The imaginary audience is the feature of adolescent thought where young teenagers are convinced that they are the object of everyone else's attention and concern. This can result in self-consciousness and a desire to conform to perceived social norms.

Question 11

According to Piaget, the new form of egocentrism that appears at adolescence involves an inability to distinguish
A) the self from the surrounding world.
B) another person's view of an object from one's own view.
C) subjective and objective aspects of experience.
D) perspectives of self and others.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Piaget, the new form of...

Question 12

As teenagers become sure that others are observing and thinking about them, they start to feel special and unique. This feature of adolescent thought is called
A) propositional reasoning.
B) the imaginary audience.
C) the personal fable.
D) rule assessment.

Accepted Answer

The personal fable is a feature of adolescent thought where teenagers believe they are special and unique, often feeling that no one else can understand their experiences.

Question 13

According to Kuhn, young children faced with the sports ball problem
A) are skilled at coordinating theory with evidence but fail to apply strategies consistently.
B) use logical rules to examine the relationship between multiple variables.
C) often reason much like adolescents and young adults.
D) often ignore conflicting evidence or distort it in ways consistent with their own theories.

Accepted Answer

According to Kuhn, young children faced with the sports ball problem often ignore conflicting evidence or distort it in ways consistent with their own theories.

Question 14

Since Sheila has become a teenager, she tends to be idealistic, more critical of her parents, and generally indecisive. Which of the following statements regarding Sheila is true?
A) She is showing signs of a possible learning disability.
B) She is displaying characteristics of adolescence that will probably benefit her in the long run.
C) She probably has severe psychological problems and bends easily to peer pressure.
D) She probably has a history of attachment insecurity with one or both parents.

Accepted Answer

Sheila is displaying typical characteristics of adolescence. Idealism is common during this stage as teens often have strong beliefs about the world and how it should be. Criticism of parents is also common as teens start to form their own identities and may question their parents' values and beliefs. Indecisiveness is also common as teens navigate their changing roles and responsibilities. None of the other options provided are supported by the given information.

Question 15

Mr. Conwell's son is expressing an exaggerated sense of personal uniqueness. What would be the best way for Mr. Conwell to handle this situation?
A) acknowledge his son's unique qualities, but also look for moments to point out that he, too, felt similarly as a teenager
B) be sensitive but firm in telling his son that he is not really unique at all; that human beings are all much more similar than different
C) cater to his son's sense of self until about the age of 18 when his son should be ready to hear a more balanced perspective
D) completely ignore his son's sense of self; most adolescents resolve these issues on their own

Accepted Answer

Acknowledging his son's unique qualities will validate his feelings and help build a positive relationship. However, by also pointing out that he felt similarly as a teenager, the father can help his son see that his feelings are not entirely unique and that others have experienced similar emotions. This can help his son feel less alone and develop a more balanced perspective.

Question 16

Cristina feels that she is a fairly objective person, but she also knows there are times when her opinions are completely biased and fail to take into account factual evidence. In all likelihood, Cristina
A) has difficulty solving abstract problems.
B) tends to be more fair-minded rather than self-serving.
C) is generally disliked by her peers for being selfish.
D) is still a concrete thinker.

Accepted Answer

Cristina's self-awareness about her biases suggests that she tries to be fair-minded rather than solely self-serving. This indicates that she is able to recognize her own subjective tendencies and strives to consider objective evidence.

Question 17

A high-school science teacher, Mr. Reidy, wants to increase his students' skills at coordinating theory with evidence. He wonders if he should provide them with traditional scientific tasks, or allow them to engage in informal reasoning. What should you tell him?
A) Scientific reasoning is influenced by years of schooling that can involve either of the two methods.
B) Neither of the methods has been proven effective for increasing scientific reasoning.
C) Traditional scientific tasks are the only problems that improve scientific reasoning.
D) Informal reasoning tasks are the only problems that improve scientific reasoning.

Accepted Answer

Both traditional scientific tasks and informal reasoning can be effective in increasing scientific reasoning skills, and the choice between the two methods may depend on various factors, such as the level and background of the students, the specific scientific concepts or skills being taught, and the teaching goals and strategies of the teacher. However, research suggests that scientific reasoning skills can be influenced by years of formal schooling and instruction, as well as individual factors such as cognitive abilities and motivation. Therefore, providing a mix of traditional and informal tasks, appropriately scaffolded and contextualized, can promote students' development of scientific reasoning skills.

Question 18

Gina has a bruise on her leg. She turned down an invitation to a swim party, explaining, "I can't possibly wear a swim suit with this ugly bruise. Everyone will notice how ugly I look!" Gina's response reveals that her thinking is characterized by
A) paranoia.
B) argumentativeness.
C) the imaginary audience.
D) the personal fable.

Accepted Answer

Gina's response is an example of the imaginary audience, which is a characteristic of adolescent egocentrism in which individuals believe that their behavior and appearance are constantly being observed and evaluated by others. Gina believes that everyone will notice her bruise and judge her for it, leading her to decline the invitation to the swim party.

Question 19

Research indicates that when solving novel problems (for example, causal-experimental) in various task domains, adolescents
A) master component skills in no particular order.
B) fail to formulate and test the appropriate hypotheses.
C) construct a general model that can be applied to many instances of a given type of problem.
D) formulate appropriate hypotheses but have difficulty applying effective strategies.

Accepted Answer

Research indicates that adolescents construct a general model that can be applied to many instances of a given type of problem. They are able to apply abstract reasoning to identify the underlying rules and principles involved in a problem and create a generalizable solution strategy. This ability to create general models and strategies is a hallmark of advanced problem solving.

Question 20

After getting rejected for a date, Kelsey's father attempts to comfort him. Kelsey responds, "Leave me alone, Dad! You'll never understand what I'm going through!" This common adolescent distortion is known as
A) logical necessity.
B) hypothetico-deductive reasoning.
C) the imaginary audience.
D) the personal fable.

Accepted Answer

The common adolescent distortion where they believe they are unique and no one else can understand their experiences is known as the personal fable. Choice A (logical necessity) and B (hypothetico-deductive reasoning) are not related to this distortion, while choice C (the imaginary audience) is related but not the correct answer.

Quiz 15: Cognitive Development in Adolescence

While out shopping, Mrs. Salveson becomes upset with her teenage daughter's sarcastic responses to her questions. Understanding the concept of the imaginary audience, how would you advise Mrs. Salveson to react to her daughter's behavior?

Information-processing findings confirm that scientific reasoning

Charquinta is trying to solve a scientific problem and applies logic more effectively to the theory that she doubts than to the theory that she favors. Charquinta

The heart of scientific reasoning is

Why should parents refrain from finding fault with their teenagers in public?

Researchers regard ________ as central to the development of abstract thought.

________________ helps explain the long hours adolescents spend inspecting every detail of their appearance and why they are so sensitive to public criticism.

_________________ lead(s) adolescents to think more about themselves.

Piaget acknowledged that

Young teenagers are convinced that they are the object of everyone else's attention and concern. This feature of adolescent thought is called

According to Piaget, the new form of egocentrism that appears at adolescence involves an inability to distinguish

As teenagers become sure that others are observing and thinking about them, they start to feel special and unique. This feature of adolescent thought is called

According to Kuhn, young children faced with the sports ball problem

Since Sheila has become a teenager, she tends to be idealistic, more critical of her parents, and generally indecisive. Which of the following statements regarding Sheila is true?

Mr. Conwell's son is expressing an exaggerated sense of personal uniqueness. What would be the best way for Mr. Conwell to handle this situation?

Cristina feels that she is a fairly objective person, but she also knows there are times when her opinions are completely biased and fail to take into account factual evidence. In all likelihood, Cristina

A high-school science teacher, Mr. Reidy, wants to increase his students' skills at coordinating theory with evidence. He wonders if he should provide them with traditional scientific tasks, or allow them to engage in informal reasoning. What should you tell him?

Gina has a bruise on her leg. She turned down an invitation to a swim party, explaining, "I can't possibly wear a swim suit with this ugly bruise. Everyone will notice how ugly I look!" Gina's response reveals that her thinking is characterized by

Research indicates that when solving novel problems (for example, causal-experimental) in various task domains, adolescents

After getting rejected for a date, Kelsey's father attempts to comfort him. Kelsey responds, "Leave me alone, Dad! You'll never understand what I'm going through!" This common adolescent distortion is known as