Human Behavior

Question 1

What hormone drives the physical changes in puberty for girls?

a. progesterone
b. estrogen
c. testosterone
d. dopamine

Answer 1

b. estrogen

Question 2

Fifteen-year-old Charlie is prone to risky behavior because his dopaminergic system has developed to reward him, but his ______ is still immature.

a. amygdala
b. prefrontal cortex
c. limbic system
d. occipital lobe

Answer 2

b. prefrontal cortex

Question 3

Although older adults experience cognitive decline, they perform just as well as younger adults on tasks that require expert knowledge because:

a. Inhibitory functioning increases with age.
b. Memory does not decline with age.
c. They have practiced the tasks.
d. Their life experience compensates for slower processing speed.

Answer 3

d. Their life experience compensates for slower processing speed.

Question 4

Antonucci’s Convoy Model of Social Relations says that social connections are held together by:

a. available emotional support
b. perceived emotional support
c. longstanding friendships
d. good marriages

Answer 4

b. perceived emotional support

Question 5

Michael is 70 years old and reflects on his accomplishments throughout life. He sees how he achieved his educational goals, attained professional accomplishments, and raised children. Michael has a positive:

a. subjective age
b. self-perception of aging
c. autobiographical narrative
d. self-identity

Answer 5

b. self-perception of aging

Question 6

Emerging adulthood is characterized by possibilities, instability, self-focus, identity exploration, and _______.

a. stability
b. self-assurance
c. feeling in-between
d. marriage

Answer 6

c. feeling in-between

Question 7

Javier is a 25 year-old, unmarried man who is not really sure what he wants to do with his life. In what stage of development is Javier?

a. age of stability
b. adulthood
c. emerging adulthood
d. adolescence

Answer 7

c. emerging adulthood

Question 8

“Age is just a number” and “You are only as old as you feel!” are two common clichés that demonstrate the concept of __________ age.

a. objective
b. chronological
c. subjective
d. biometric

Answer 8

c. subjective

Question 9

Adolescents tend to associate with peers who are similar to themselves. What is the name for this condition?

a. moratorium
b. identity diffusion
c. psychological control
d. homophily

Answer 9

d. homophily

Question 10

What do emerging adults do that, according to Erik Erikson, used to be part of adolescence?

a. get married
b. explore their identity
c. find a full-time job
d. focus on themselves

Answer 10

b. explore their identity

Question 11

People in their 20s in Asian countries may experience conflict between their culture’s collectivism and which aspect of emerging adulthood?

a. multiple possibilities
b. instability
c. self-focus
d. feeling in-between

Answer 11

c. self-focus

Question 12

Sally has had 4 major career changes in the last few years and moved 5 different times. What characteristic of emerging adulthood is Sally experiencing?

a. development
b. feeling in-between
c. instability
d. collectivism

Answer 12

c. instability

Question 13

For adolescents, academic achievement is strongly influenced by parental engagement, intrinsic motivation, and ______.

a. number of friends
b. physical maturity
c. expected graduation date
d. institutional factors

Answer 13

d. institutional factors

Question 14

In non-industrialized nations, what group in society is beginning to see an emerging adulthood life stage occur?

a. urban poor
b. rural poor
c. rural middle class
d. urban middle class

Answer 14

d. urban middle class

Question 15

Beth’s father often invalidates her feelings and pressures her to think in certain ways. What is he demonstrating with these behaviors?

a. physical abuse
b. emotional guidance
c. psychological control
d. distal parenting

Answer 15

c. psychological control

Question 16

Zach accepted a position at a low-wage, part-time job. It wasn’t what he wanted to do for the rest of his life, but he knew that he would achieve his ideal job at some point in his life. What aspect of emerging adulthood is Zach experiencing?

a. multiple possibilities
b. feeling in-between
c. self-focus
d. repeated employment

Answer 16

a. multiple possibilities

Question 17

The ________ of attachment refers to an infant’s confidence that a caregiver will respond in times of need.

a. longevity
b. balance
c. quantity
d. security

Answer 17

d. security

Question 18

As people age there are changes in cognitive function, personality, social relationships, and other areas. ____________ use life milestones, membership in cohorts, and exposure to historical events to understand aging.

a. longitudinal studies
b. retirement theories
c. case studies
d. life course theories

Answer 18

d. life course theories

Question 19

Which research protocol was developed to assess the nature of a child’s attachment with his or her caregiver(s)?

a. the Bobo Doll observation
b. the Strange Situation experiment
c. the Trust Fall paradigm
d. the Visual Cliff protocol

Answer 19

b. the Strange Situation experiment

Question 20

Hector is a strict father who demands and expects obedience from his children. What is his style of parenting known as?

a. authoritarian
b. rejecting-neglecting
c. authoritative
d. permissive

Answer 20

a. authoritarian

Question 21

In adolescence, parental monitoring becomes more ______.

a. controlling
b. regulated
c. proximal
d. distal

Answer 21

d. distal

Question 22

_________ studies are useful to developmental researchers interested in aging as they are not as confounded with cohort, time of study, or historical effects as are other methods.

a. Cross-sectional
b. Life-course
c. Longitudinal
d. Experimental

Answer 22

a. Cross-sectional

Question 23

Charles does not believe in imposing strict rules for his children and generally allows them to do what they like. What style of parenting does Frank possess?

a. permissive
b. rejecting-neglecting
c. authoritative
d. authoritarian

Answer 23

a. permissive

Question 24

Ana has explored different identities and has committed to one. She is showing what type of identity status, according to Marcia (1966)?

a. identity diffusion
b. identity moratorium
c. identity achievement
d. identity foreclosure

Answer 24

c. identity achievement

Question 25

Jane is just learning to ride a tricycle, while riding on the sidewalk the surface changes from smooth concrete to bumpy brick. Jane is unsure if she should continue and looks at her mother who is smiling and urging her forward. This is an example of:

a. social referencing
b. scaffolding
c. theory of mind
d. encouragement

Answer 25

a. social referencing

Question 26

Young children are always observing the actions of people around them. If a child observes a mistake, but understands the intent of the action the child has developed:

a. social referencing
b. problem solving skill
c. theory of mind
d. understanding of needs and wants

Answer 26

c. theory of mind

Question 27

Which of the following is a major problem with arriving at a conclusive scientific answer to the nature-nurture debate?

a. Researchers cannot agree on definitions for “nature” and for “nurture.”
b. It is unethical to study the genetic influences on behavior.
c. It is unethical to study the genetic influences on behavior.
d. Humans cannot easily be randomly assigned to different genetic and environmental conditions.

Answer 27

d. Humans cannot easily be randomly assigned to different genetic and environmental conditions.

Question 28

Last year, Johnny was an athlete at school. This year, he has tried fitting in with the theater kids. He can’t decide what identity feels right to him and is experiencing ______.

a. identity foreclosure
b. identity achievement
c. identity diffusion
d. identity moratorium

Answer 28

d. identity moratorium

Question 29

Quantitative genetics looks at similarities among individuals, analyzing how biologically related they are. These studies are often done on all of the following EXCEPT which?

a. cousins
b. siblings
c. unrelated strangers
d. twins raised separately

Answer 29

c. unrelated strangers

Question 30

One major cognitive change in adolescence is a shift toward ______thinking.

a. developmental
b. abstract
c. concrete
d. formative

Answer 30

b. abstract

Question 31

A heritability coefficient is:

a. a test doctors use to determine if siblings are twins
b. a test to determine an individual’s genetic code
c. a measure of attitudes about the reliability of genetic testing
d. strength of the relationship between individual differences in a given trait

Answer 31

d. strength of the relationship between individual differences in a given trait

Question 32

What kind of development is the search for identity during adolescence?

a. Emotional
b. Social
c. Cognitive
d. Physical

Answer 32

a. Emotional

Question 33

Infants develop a confidence regarding the sensitivity and responsiveness of their caregivers. This security of attachment has been recognized as a cornerstone of social and personality development for which of the following reasons?

a. Knowing a child’s attachment predicts his/her emotional intelligence, strength of friendships, and positivity of one’s self-concept.
b. Assessing attachment relationships gives insight into understanding individual differences related to social status relationships.
c. Knowing a child’s attachment predicts his/her future interaction patterns with siblings, academic intelligence, and stability of self-esteem.
d. Assessing attachment relationships gives insight into strengths of marriages and parental guidance.

Answer 33

a. Knowing a child’s attachment predicts his/her emotional intelligence, strength of friendships, and positivity of one’s self-concept.

Question 34

One element that shapes personality is temperament, which is related to self-regulation and is:

a. biological factors
b. environment factors
c. parenting style
d. emotional aspects

Answer 34

a. biological factors

Question 35

In adolescence, friendship groups often become larger and ______.

a. mixed-sex
b. more resilient
c. more supportive
d. less supportive

Answer 35

a. mixed-sex