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1
Paul Ehrlich and Marcus Feldman, who argue that cultural environments are more influential than genes in shaping development, note which of the following problems with what they call "genetic determinism?"
A)Twin studies show no developmental differences between fraternal and identical twins.
B)The human genome project has shown that there are not enough individual genes to explain the complexity of human behavior.
C)Social institutions, such as schools, do not significantly change development.
D)Evolutionary psychology has explained how culture matters less than most people think.
2
Gary Marcus, who asserts that the brain is largely guided by genetic predispositions, talks about the changes to the brain that occur through development as
A)plasticity.
B)a gene shortage.
C)a cascade.
D)if-then contingencies.
3
Judith Rich Harris, who argues that parents matter less for development than most people think, contends that
A)children can largely raise themselves.
B)parents are too passive in raising children.
C)children learn to behave differently in and out of the home.
D)parents shape children to be individualists.
4
Howard Gardner, who criticizes the suggestion that parents don't matter, claims that a major reason research evidence is not clear about how parents influence children is
A)the research does not account for biology.
B)the research uses crude survey categories.
C)the research goes into too much description.
D)modern research relies too heavily on Freudian theory.
5
Stephen Pinker, who asserts that research clearly shows there are small average differences between men and women in the basic cognitive abilities required for certain careers, contends that
A)there are nearly an equal number of women and men scientists.
B)women have been discriminated against, and the feminist movement is important.
C)responses to Harvard president Summers' comments demonstrates quality intellectual discourse.
D)more women score at the extreme ends of the scale on cognitive tests.
6
Elizabeth Spelke, who argues that social factors explain most of the difference between the success of men and women in math and science, shows that
A)there are few meaningful innate sex differences at birth.
B)sex differences stay constant through most of the lifespan.
C)most parents and teachers treat boys and girls identically.
D)it is relatively easy to discern sex differences that are innate and those that are learned.
7
Phyllida Brown, who discusses ways that alcohol exposure can cause harm during pre-natal development, contends that
A)pre-natal alcohol exposure is associated with later life behavioral problems.
B)pre-natal alcohol exposure accelerates the nervous system.
C)pre-natal alcohol exposure is similar to malnutrition.
D)pre-natal alcohol exposure has little influence on physical health.
8
Julia Moskin, who suggests that drinking during pregnancy can be reasonable and the decision should be left to the mother, notes that
A)doctors are unanimous against any drinking during pregnancy.
B)drinking during pregnancy has been a taboo for at least a century.
C)there is little evidence that moderate or occasional drinking is harmful during pregnancy.
D)the public seems to have much trust in pregnant women's decision making.
9
Gwen J. Broude, who contends that research on neuroscience has exaggerated the need for brain stimulation in infancy, claims that
A)infants do not need much brain stimulation.
B)parents often over-stimulate infants.
C)infants only need reasonably normal amounts of stimulation.
D)politicians are best situated to promote appropriate uses of neuroscience research.
10
Zero to Three, who claim that infancy is more crucial for development than most people realize, suggest that
A)promoting a "myth of the first three years" will harm healthy child-rearing.
B)infant brains need as much stimulation as possible.
C)brain stimulation is more important than any other parental duty.
D)researchers know exactly what facilitates infant brain development.
11
Victoria Rideout and colleagues, who suggest that parents find television and electronic media to be a help to family life, find that
A)very few families expose infants to television and electronic media.
B)the majority of infants and young children consume electronic media regularly.
C)parent media use has very little to do with the exposure of infants and young children.
D)most parents think television plays an important educational role for children.
12
Wartella and Robb, who review research suggesting potential problems with exposing very young children to television, find that
A)television clearly retards infant development.
B)most children do not enjoy television.
C)learning from television is likely much harder than learning from live models.
D)television seems to shape infants towards materialistic values.
13
According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, which finds a correlation between media consumption and being overweight, food advertisers often target children because
A)they spend increasing amounts of money on food.
B)they are more likely than adults to develop brand allegiances.
C)they tend to eat more food than adults.
D)they tend to enjoy the advertising more than adults.
14
The Federal Trade Commission asserts that there is no reason to suspect that food-related advertising has any causal relationship to the rise in childhood obesity. In fact, they report that
A)advertising promotes healthy choices.
B)children in 2004 saw fewer ads than children in 1977.
C)there are many factors contributing to childhood obesity, but television isn't one of them.
D)children do not watch advertisements.
15
The U.S. Government, which asserts that Head Start programs are not doing enough to close achievement gaps between children from different social class and ethnic groups, contends that
A)very young children need more time for play and social interaction.
B)very young children need better relationships with adults.
C)very young children need to work harder.
D)very young children need more exposure to academic skills.
16
C. Cybele Raver and Edward F. Zigler, who argue that Head Start should maintain an emphasis on comprehensive services to young children, contend that
A)cognitive development cannot be separated from other aspects of early childhood.
B)young children need more time with their parents.
C)Head Start does not need any changes.
D)testing is the only way to ensure accountability.
17
Michael Fumento, who asserts that ADHD is a serious condition that requires medical intervention, argues that
A)people are too quick to dismiss the reality of ADHD.
B)drug treatments do not work well enough.
C)poor parenting causes ADHD.
D)ADHD is equally present in boys and girls.
18
Rogers H. Wright, who claims that ADHD is over-diagnosed as a way of explaining challenging behavior, contends that
A)ADHD is a common brain disease.
B)ADHD medication does more harm than good.
C)ADHD affects adults more than children.
D)ADHD is a gender specific disorder.
19
Mahoney, Harris, and Eccles, who argue that the "over-scheduling hypothesis" is a myth, find that
A)most youth participate in very few structured activities.
B)most youth feel pressure from parents to participate in more activities.
C)most youth succeed in competitive activities.
D)certain types of activities do tend to reduce well-being.
20
Rosenfeld, who contends that over-scheduling is a significant problem for families and youth, contends that
A)youth who participate in no activities are often more healthy than other youth.
B)the research by Mahoney, Harris, and Eccles is limited because it is the only available study on this issue.
C)offerings of structured activities should be cut for all groups of youth.
D)the stress of over-scheduling influences family life as much as it influences individual youths.
21
Laurence Steinberg, who suggests that new brain science helps explain adolescent risk taking, contends that
A)risk taking seems to be housed in the amygdala.
B)risk taking seems to be housed in the corpus collosum.
C)risk taking seems to be a product of competition between socioemotional and cognitive-control networks.
D)risk taking seems to be a product of competition between the id and the superego.
22
Michael Males, who argues that interpretations of brain science are too deterministic, finds that __________________ differences are more relevant to risk taking than brain differences.
A)socio-economic
B)ethnic
C)geographic
D)genetic
23
Jean M. Twenge and Joshua D. Foster, who believe there is a contemporary 'narcissism epidemic' among young adults, emphasize that
A)American college students' scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory have gone up dramatically over nearly 25 years.
B)all Americans' scores, regardless of age, on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory have gone up dramatically over nearly 25 years.
C)American college students' scores on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory have changed little over nearly 25 years.
D)all Americans' scores, regardless of age, on the Narcissistic Personality Inventory have changed little over nearly 25 years.
24
M. Brent Donnellan, Kali H. Trzesniewski, and Richard W. Robins, who claim that fears of a 'narcissism epidemic' are exaggerated, note that
A)research finds narcissism is actually decreasing.
B)research finds that any increases in narcissism are quite small.
C)research finds narcissism is extremely dangerous.
D)research finds narcissism is far higher in countries other than the US.
25
Mel Levine, who suggests that today's college graduates are not ready for adult life, states that
A)most employers are unhappy with this generation of workers.
B)most parents are unhappy with this generation of children.
C)most teachers are unhappy with this generation of students.
D)most college students are unhappy with their peers.
26
Frank F. Furstenberg, et al., who suggest that today's youth simply take longer to prepare for adulthood, claim that
A)less students today are going to college than in past generations.
B)more students are going into the military than in past generations.
C)adult responsibilities come later in life than in past generations.
D)most of today's youth are eager for adult responsibilities.
27
Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, who argues that "emerging adulthood" is a useful concept for understanding lifespan development, asserts that
A)adolescence now overlaps with full adulthood.
B)adolescence now gradually transitions to emerging adulthood.
C)adolescence is completely distinct from emerging adulthood.
D)adolescence no longer exists.
28
Hendry and Kloep, who question the validity of "emerging adulthood" as a lifespan stage, suggest that the transition from adolescence to adulthood is
A)fixed and permanent.
B)age and gender specific.
C)challenging and traumatic.
D)variable and reversible.
29
Sociologist Andrew Cherlin, who observes a deinstitutionalization of marriage, argues that the meaning of marriage has changed because of an increasing emphasis on
A)long-term commitment.
B)kin networks.
C)child rearing.
D)expressive individualism.
30
Frank Furstenberg, who argues that marriage will persist with appropriate policy making, suggests that
A)families need to put renewed emphasis on marriage as an institution.
B)younger generations do not feel enough pressure from parents to get married.
C)the institution of marriage may have changed, but it is still important to society.
D)traditional marriage ceremonies are the ephemera of a bygone age.
31
David G. Myers, who contends that society has become too materialistic, emphasizes that
A)religion and spirituality lead to more altruistic behavior.
B)materialism only leads to happiness when combined with religion and spirituality.
C)politicians tend to oppose religion and faith.
D)religion and faith are never used towards negative ends.
32
Julie Juola Exline, who suggests that being religious causes deep personal challenges, believes that
A)adhering to strict religious rules allows for better mental health.
B)religious people tend to be too agreeable.
C)religious people tend to have more anger than non-religious people.
D)being strongly religious often involves disappointment.
33
Linda Hirshman, who contends that women are continuing to "opt out" of work in favor of family, emphasizes that
A)feminist influence has made no change in women's lives.
B)feminist influence has changed some of women's choices, but not the results of those choices.
C)feminist influence has had a positive effect on family life.
D)feminist influence has had a positive effect on work life.
34
Pamela Stone, who suggests that being women have little choice when deciding between work and family, believes that
A)high-achieving women rarely end up taking care of their children.
B)work places tend to offer women great flexibility for maintaining both careers and family.
C)high-achieving women are often surprised by the pressures of balancing work and family life.
D)public policy tends to pressure women towards staying at work.
35
Sheila R. Zedlewski and Barbara A. Butrica, who promote the benefits of civic engagement among older adults, maintain that
A)older people need a great deal of time to rest and relax.
B)non-profit organizations tend to take advantage of older adults as free labor.
C)older adults are often particular interested in making more money.
D)drawing on engagement by older adults offers economic benefits across society.
36
Marty Martinson, who identifies as a "critical gerontologist," is concerned that promoting civic engagement among older adults
A)has no value.
B)has the potential to accentuate inequalities.
C)would be upsetting to most older adults.
D)would encourage the continued growth of government social programs for older adults.
37
Janice E. Graham and Karen Ritchie, who challenge the relevance of 'Mild Cognitive Impairment' as a medical diagnosis, contend that
A)the symptoms are too variable to be considered one medical problem.
B)there is no difference between 'Mild Cognitive Impairment' and Alzheimer's Disease.
C)there is little evidence that older adults experience cognitive decline.
D)we should trust pharmaceutical companies to decide what qualifies as a medical problem.
38
Ronald C. Petersen, who thinks Mild Cognitive Impairment' is a relevant medical diagnosis, has found that
A)'Mild Cognitive Impairment' always leads to Alzheimer's Disease.
B)the abnormal functioning associated with 'Mild Cognitive Impairment' often leads to more serious problems.
C)'Mild Cognitive Impairment' has a clear genetic origin.
D)'Mild Cognitive Impairment' is often the result of traumatic brain injuries.
39
Richard T. Hull, who supports physician-assisted suicide, notes that the question of "what kind of life is worth living" is
A)a matter of religious authority.
B)a highly personal matter.
C)a matter for ethical philosophy.
D)a matter for government legislation.
40
Margaret Somerville, who argues against physician-assisted suicide, suggests that
A)legalizing euthanasia would violate religious ethics.
B)legalizing euthanasia would harm our genetic legacy.
C)legalizing euthanasia would damage societal values.
D)legalizing euthanasia would allow death to maintain its mystery.







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