Self Test #18 - Adolescence & Adulthood
Note: These questions are part of a larger data base of questions on Module 18 & are selected to represent the
type of question you should expect on unit exam five. You can, in fact, expect to see many of these very same questions
on that exam. Exam questions, however, may deal with topics not covered in the self tests or in lectures but are disucssed
in your textbook. You are responsible for the content of your text book plus the content of lectures, interactive activities, &
material on the web site.
Use these sample questions to test yourself & to practice for the test.
1. Experts now believe that adolescence is not a period of:
• great psychological turmoil
• searching for personal identity
• considerable biological, cognitive, & social changes
• dramatic positive or negative changes in self-esteem
2. Puberty refers to:
conventional moral development during adolescence
the biological changes that happen during adolescence
the onset of formal operational thinking in adolescence
chronically low self-esteem which occurs in adolescence
3. Which of the following is not characteristic of early maturing girls?
more shyness
more popularity
rate lower on social skills
try cigarettes & alcohol earlier
4. According to the BioPsychoSocial model, sexuality:
- is purely biological.
- among teenagers is decreasing since more is known about AIDS.
- in adolescents is decreasing because of the number of messages stressing
abstinence.
- must be discussed in the context of the cognitive, personality, & emotional
changes of the adolescent.
5. The percentage of adolescents becoming sexually active has changed from
_____ in the early 1990s to ____ to the early 2000s.
12%; 21%
45%; 52%
53%; 45%
72%; 90%
6. The stage of Piaget's theory of cognitive development that starts in adolescence
and goes through adulthood is:
accommodation
preconventional
postconventional
formal operations
7. Formal operational thought is characterized by:
conservation abilities
feelings of high self-esteem
postconventional moral reasoning
the ability to solve abstract problems
8. The prefrontal cortex acts as a(n):
estimator of risk
executive manager
initiator of emotion
relay switch for sensory messages
9. A major difference between stage 1 & stage 2 of Kohlberg ‘s moral
development is that stage 2 focuses on:
reward
punishment
making a good deal
avoiding being caught
10. Which of the following is true of Kohlberg’s theory of moral reasoning?
Four distinct levels of moral reasoning are identified.
The conventional level is the highest level of moral reasoning.
Not all people reach the higher levels of moral development.
Different people progress through the levels in different orders.
11. Impersonal moral decisions is to memory as personal moral decisions is to
care
justice
emotion
retrieval
12. Which of the following is not among the styles of parenting.
congenial
permissive
authoritative
authoritarian
13. ______ is the rate at which information is encoded & retrieved from memory.
Sorting speed
Reaction speed
Processing speed
Cognitive manipulation
14. The self-esteem of boys is typically based upon __________; girls’ self- esteem
is dependent upon _______.
athletic ability; a care orientation
physical aspects; ability to relate well to others
ability to relate to others; managing anxiety in public
managing anxiety in public; ability to relate well to others
15. According to Erikson, an adolescent individual who successfully resolves the
identity versus role confusion conflict will achieve a sense of:
intimacy
integrity
confidence
generativity
16. In order to achieve integrity during late adulthood, Erikson argues that one must:
raise children
feel content about past accomplishments
find intimacy in caring relationships
continue to be industrious & refuse to retire from work
17. The main advantage of Erikson’s stage theory of development is that it:
- identifies transitions in life
- alerts you to major crises that arise across your entire life span
- offers workable advice for dealing with life’s development crises
- analyzes development by placing major life developments in an
indisputable order
18. Gender roles refer to
one’s biological sex
the belief that one is male or female
preference for desired traits in opposite-sex partners
behaving in expected ways because one is male or female
19. Robert Sternberg’s triangular theory of love divides love into three components:
infatuation, attraction, and arousal
passion, intimacy, and commitment
companionship, romance, and fidelity
masculine, feminine, and androgynous
20. Research has indicated that in marriages that fail, most couples deal with
marital conflict by:
venting their anger & frustration
confronting disagreements in an open way
being straightforward about their problems
criticism, defensiveness, contempt & stonewalling
21. Ed stole a bar of chocolate from a 7-11 store when he was very hungry. He doesn’t think he did anything wrong
since no one noticed him stealing. Ed is probably in which of Kohlberg’s stages of moral development?
• Preconventional level
• Conventional level
• Postconventional level
• Formal level
22. The suicide rate for teenagers & young adults (ages 15-24 - CDC 2006) is approximately ___ per 100,000, making
it the third leading cause of death for this age group.
• 6
• 10
• 14
• 16
Study Questions
1. If you heard an adolescent discussing politics with her grandfather, what cognitive differences between them would
you notice?
2. If you are beginning a long-term relationship, what two things should you and your partner do to ensure sucess?
3. What is different about the interactions of couples who are happy from those of couples who are unhappy?
4. What are the advantages and disadvantages of having parents arrange marriages for their children.?
5. Of two people who are both 65, why might one seem much older and the other much younger?
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Topics in Psychology
Robert C. Gates