Q&A Hero

Q: Research on environmental influences on gender typing shows that A) girls who frequently engage in "gender-inappropriate" activities are likely to be ignored by other girls even when they engage in "feminine" activities. B) preschoolers often engage in "gender-inappropriate" activities at home but rarely do so in the presence of peers. C) preschoolers play in mixed-gender groups more than they play in same-sex groups. D) boys who frequently engage in "gender-inappropriate" activities are likely to be ignored by other boys even when they engage in "masculine" activities.

Q: The more preschoolers play with same-sex playmates, the A) greater their tolerance for "gender-inappropriate" activities. B) more their behavior becomes gender typed. C) more peers criticize them. D) greater their opportunities for cross-gender play.

Q: Research on environmental influences on gender typing shows that preschool teachers A) tend to negotiate more when boys misbehave, coming up with a joint plan to improve behavior. B) use more disapproval and controlling discipline with girls than with boys. C) seem to expect girls to misbehave more often than boys. D) give girls more encouragement than boys to participate in adult-structured activities.

Q: Adults can combat children's gender stereotyped beliefs by A) expressing gender utterances. B) discussing gender biases in language with children. C) affirming children's stereotypical gender claims. D) calling attention to gender.

Q: In a study involving mother"child conversations about gender typing, A) mothers' directly expressed gender attitudes were stereotypical. B) when children voiced stereotypes, mothers affirmed them only 2 percent of the time. C) mothers rarely explicitly countered a child's stereotype. D) mothers rarely called attention to gender.

Q: Typical parents give their sons toys that emphasize A) cooperation. B) competition. C) nurturance. D) physical attractiveness.

Q: Research on environmental influences on gender typing suggests that parents A) actively reinforce dependence in boys. B) have different expectations of sons than of daughters. C) have similar expectations of sons and daughters. D) give their sons toys that emphasize cooperation.

Q: Research on gender typing reveals that A) as children interact with peers, they choose other-sex partners more often than same-sex partners. B) prenatally administered androgens suppress active play and aggression. C) the presence of male sex hormones leads to a rough, noisy play style in boys. D) in early childhood, girls are more gender-stereotyped than boys.

Q: Which of the following preschoolers is most likely to be shunned by agemates? A) a boy who wears nail polish B) a boy who plays with building blocks C) a girl who wears cowboy boots D) a girl who enjoys art

Q: During early childhood, children's gender-stereotyped beliefs A) emerge slowly, as parents treat boys and girls in similar ways. B) strengthen so much that many children apply them as blanket rules that should not be violated. C) are highly flexible with respect to clothing and hairstyle but less so with respect to types of play. D) are flexible until about age 5, after which they become more rigid.

Q: In Michaela's preschool classroom, the girls spend more time in the housekeeping and art centers, while the boys play with blocks and Legos. This is an example of A) gender typing. B) gender selection. C) role modeling. D) role playing.

Q: Evaluations of Incredible Yearsreveal that the program A) is highly effective at improving parenting and reducing child behavior problems in families with aggressive children. B) initially helps families with aggressive children, but the effects of the parent training component do not endure. C) is somewhat helpful to control groups but does not improve the parenting of children with conduct problems. D) does not have any real lasting impact on children with serious conduct problems.

Q: Which of the following statements about computer use by U.S. children is true? A) Parents cannot control children's Internet access by using filters or programs that monitor website visits. B) Surveys indicate that about 70 percent of preschoolers and school-age children have limits on computer use at home. C) Playing violent video games does not have the same effect on users' thoughts and behavior as watching violent TV programming. D) Some children begin visiting websites without parental supervision as early as age 4.

Q: The V-Chip (or Violence-Chip) A) violates the First Amendment right to free speech. B) remains optional for new television sets in the United States. C) allows parents to block undesired TV programming. D) identifies violent programs and replaces them with educational shows.

Q: In the United States, __________ has hampered efforts to regulate TV content. A) lobbying by the television industry B) the First Amendment right to free speech C) the concept of individualism D) a lack of education

Q: Which of the following statements is supported by research on viewing television violence? A) Violent programming creates short-term increases in aggression, but does not have long-term negative consequences. B) Aggressive children have a greater appetite for violent TV programming than nonaggressive children. C) Older children are more likely than preschool and young school-age children to imitate TV violence. D) Violent television only has a negative effect on children who are already highly aggressive.

Q: A growing number of studies confirm that playing violent video games A) increases the likelihood of aggressive behavior. B) does not spark hostile behavior in nonaggressive children. C) impacts girls more than boys. D) has a greater impact on teens than on preschool and young school-age children.

Q: Reviewers of thousands of studies have concluded that TV violence A) decreases the likelihood of hostile emotions, but increases the likelihood of aggressive behavior in viewers. B) has a negative impact on preschool children, but does not increase aggression in older children. C) is common on nighttime programming, but perpetrators are almost always punished. D) increases the likelihood of hostile thoughts and aggressive behaviors in viewers.

Q: Verbally and relationally aggressive acts are particularly frequent in A) children's television programming. B) police and hospital TV shows. C) reality TV shows D) cartoons.

Q: Highly aggressive children tend to A) be only children. B) seek out deviant peer groups. C) do as well in school as their nonaggressive peers. D) be accepted by peers, but rejected by adults.

Q: Which of the following preschool children is the most likely to be a target of harsh, inconsistent discipline? A) shy Samantha B) active Adam C) cheerful Cheryl D) helpful Helena

Q: Which of the following statements is supported by research on sex differences in aggression? A) Although girls have a reputation for being both more verbally and relationally aggressive than boys, the sex difference is small. B) Contrary to popular belief, girls are more physically aggressive than boys during the preschool years. C) Girls are significantly more likely than boys to engage in verbal and relational aggression. D) Throughout early and middle childhood, girls tend to inflict harm in more variable ways than boys do.

Q: Shelby tells her classmates not to play with Sophia because "she lies." This is an example of __________ aggression. A) direct B) verbal C) instrumental D) relational

Q: Macy spreads a rumor about Tya after Tya is cast as the lead in the school play, the role Macy desired. This is an example of __________ aggression. A) physical B) proactive C) reactive D) verbal

Q: According to cognitive-developmental theorists, preschoolers A) cannot distinguish a moral imperative from a social convention. B) actively make sense of their experiences. C) acquire ready-made standards of good conduct from adults. D) view not sharing as a more serious transgression than breaking a peer's toy.

Q: Four-year-old Ellie is shown two pictures: one depicting a child stealing an apple, and the other showing a child eating ice cream with her fingers. Ellie is most likely to view A) the stealing as worse than the bad table manners. B) both actions as okay as long as they were not witnessed by an adult. C) both actions as equally wrong. D) the bad table manners as worse than the stealing.

Q: Preschoolers distinguish __________, which protect people's rights and welfare, from __________, which do not violate rights and are up to the individual. A) social conventions; moral imperatives B) matters of personal choice; social conventions C) moral imperatives; matters of personal choice D) moral imperatives; social conventions

Q: The __________ perspective regards children as active thinkers about social rules. A) cognitive-developmental B) psychoanalytic C) behaviorist D) social learning

Q: One strategy of positive discipline is A) punishing children only as a last resort. B) reducing opportunities for misbehavior. C) allowing children freedom from family routines and duties. D) using time out when children are obstinate.

Q: Martha and Thomas can increase the effectiveness of their parental discipline by A) telling their children that they are using punishment as a last resort. B) permitting their children to act inappropriately on some occasions. C) designating one parent as the disciplinarian. D) offering reasons for mild punishment.

Q: Mia bit her brother, so her father would not let her watch TV. This technique, known as withdrawal of privileges, A) gives Mia's father a cooling-off period. B) allows Mia's father to avoid harsh techniques that could easily intensify into violence. C) helps Mia relate biting to her father's expectations for her future behavior. D) is not as effective as corporal punishment.

Q: A few minutes in time out can be enough to change behavior and also allows parents A) time to discuss alternative punishments. B) to use positive discipline. C) to use induction. D) time to cool off.

Q: Research on corporal punishment shows that African-American and Caucasian-American parents A) consider physical punishment to be wrong. B) tend to mete out physical punishment differently. C) culturally approve of physical discipline. D) are usually highly agitated when they use physical punishment.

Q: Research on the consequences of corporal punishment reveals that in African-American families, A) the more mothers discipline physically in childhood, the less their teenagers display angry, acting out behavior. B) when parents resort to physical punishment, they are often highly agitated and rejecting of the child. C) the more mothers discipline physically in childhood, the more their teenagers display angry, acting out behavior. D) physical punishment is generally considered wrong, as it contributes to poor self-esteem.

Q: Which of the following statements about the effects of harsh punishment is true? A) Harshly treated children are rarely aggressive toward other children. B) Adults whose parents used corporal punishment tend to reject such discipline. C) A punitive adult is likely to punish with greater frequency over time. D) Harsh punishment causes children to be overly sensitive and empathetic.

Q: Parents are most likely to use forceful methods of discipline when A) they want to foster long-term goals. B) very serious transgressions occur. C) immediate obedience is necessary. D) children are verbally aggressive towards others.

Q: Warmth and responsiveness, competence and power, and consistency between assertions and behavior are all characteristics A) that increase a child's willingness to imitate a model's behavior. B) of children's temperament that are necessary for moral development. C) of inductive discipline. D) of authoritarian child rearing.

Q: According to social learning theorists, A) morality does not have a unique course of development. B) prosocial acts often occur spontaneously in early childhood. C) children behave morally because they are capable of effortful control. D) guilt is the only force that compels us to act morally.

Q: Empathy-based guilt reactions A) interfere with moral development. B) are the only force that compels children to act morally. C) are associated with engaging in future prosocial behavior. D) are only influential in early childhood.

Q: Current research indicates that Freud was correct that A) children adopt the moral standards of their same-sex parent. B) guilt is an important motivator of moral action. C) children's fear of punishment leads to the development of moral behavior. D) fear of the loss of parental love motivates conscience formation.

Q: Maureen and Chris, the parents of an impulsive preschooler, can foster conscience development by A) using mild suggestions and offering explanations. B) asserting their power as authority figures. C) applying gentle discipline. D) combining firm correction with induction.

Q: Discipline that relies on __________ makes children so anxious and frightened that they cannot think clearly enough to figure out what they should do. A) induction B) rewards C) withdrawal of love D) time-out

Q: Which of the following statements is an example of induction? A) "I"ll put you in time out if you don"t stop jumping on the couch." B) "You sat there last time. It is your sister's turn." C) "You hit your brother. You know better than that." D) "Your sister is crying because you won"t give back her truck."

Q: Research reveals that inductive discipline A) fails to provide children with information about how to behave in future situations. B) helps children notice others' feelings and points out the effects of children's misbehavior on others. C) discourages the development of empathy and sympathy. D) encourages children to comply with rules in order to avoid the loss of parental love.

Q: According to Freud, children A) listen to the id to avoid shame and doubt. B) behave morally when adults point out the effects of their misbehavior on others. C) obey the ego to avoid feelings of mistrust. D) obey the superego to avoid guilt.

Q: Social learning theory focuses on A) how moral behavior is learned through reinforcement and modeling. B) the emotional side of conscience development. C) children's ability to reason about justice and fairness. D) identification and guilt as motivators of good conduct.

Q: Truly moral individuals A) do the right thing to avoid punishment. B) conform to others' expectations. C) have developed compassionate concerns and principles of good conduct. D) do the right thing for the sake of social conformity.

Q: Most theories of moral development agree that at first, a child's morality is A) regulated by inner standards. B) motivated by a fear of retribution. C) driven by compassionate concern. D) externally controlled by adults.

Q: Roger wants to promote his preschool son's peer interaction skills. Which of the following is a particularly effective technique for Roger to try? A) Roger should encourage his son to make his own play dates. B) Roger should talk to his son about the values associated with friendship. C) Roger should encourage his son to play group sports. D) Roger should engage in parent"child play with his son.

Q: Which of the following is an example of a direct parental influence on children's peer sociability? A) Maxine arranges for her 4-year-old to play with his friend at the park. B) Regina allows her 3-year-old to choose her own playmates. C) Tamie plays house with her 4-year-old. D) David and his 3-year-old play with blocks.

Q: Research on friendships shows that A) preschoolers interact in essentially the same ways with both friends and nonfriends. B) preschoolers give more reinforcement to nonfriends than to friends. C) most friendships during the preschool years are based on mutual trust. D) the ease with which kindergarteners make new friends predicts behaviors linked to gains in achievement.

Q: Frank, a kindergartener, says that Pat is his best friend on days they get along. But when a dispute arises, he reverses himself: "Pat is not my friend!" Frank's parents should A) talk to the teacher about Frank's poor attitude. B) talk to Pat's parents and both children about the true meaning of friendship. C) be aware that first friendships do not have a long-term, enduring quality based on mutual trust. D) be concerned because secure friendships in early childhood should survive conflicts.

Q: Caregivers who view play as mere entertainment are __________ likely to __________. A) more; provide props than those who value its cognitive benefits B) more; have children who have rich imaginations than those who view play as developmentally beneficial C) more; encourage associative play than to encourage parallel play D) less; encourage pretend play than those who value its cognitive and social benefits

Q: Which of the following statements about peer sociability in collectivist versus individualistic societies is true? A) Children in collectivist cultures spend more time in parallel play than children in individualistic cultures. B) Children in collectivist societies are more willing to include a quiet, reserved child in play than children in individualistic cultures. C) Children in individualistic cultures tend to play in larger groups than children in collectivist cultures. D) Children in collectivist cultures spend more time in joint make-believe play than children in individualistic cultures.

Q: Larissa, age 3, often plays alone. Her parents should be concerned if she A) talks to imaginary friends. B) works with art materials by herself. C) only does puzzles or builds with blocks. D) engages in functional play involving repetitive motor action.

Q: Which of the following statements about peer sociability is true? A) Later-appearing forms of play replace earlier ones in the developmental sequence. B) Once a child begins to play cooperatively, she no longer engages in parallel play. C) Nonsocial activity is almost nonexistent among kindergarteners. D) It is the type, not the amount, of solitary and parallel play that changes in early childhood.

Q: Research on peer sociability demonstrates that A) functional play is especially common among older preschoolers. B) preschoolers who spend a lot time playing alone tend to be socially anxious. C) preschoolers move from one type of play to another and back again. D) the amount of solitary and parallel play decreases sharply during the preschool years.

Q: Follow-up research on peer sociability indicates that A) social development always proceeds in a three-step sequence. B) play forms do not emerge in the order suggested by Parten. C) all types of play coexist in early childhood. D) with age, cooperative play replaces nonsocial play.

Q: In associative play, A) a child plays near other children with similar materials, but does not try to influence their behavior. B) a child plays alone or watches other children while they play. C) children engage in separate activities, but exchange toys and comment on one another's behavior. D) children orient toward a common goal, such as acting out a make-believe theme.

Q: Candace and Christina sit side by side playing with their dolls. They do not talk or try to influence each other. They are engaging in __________ play. A) nonsocial B) parallel C) associative D) cooperative

Q: According to Mildred Parten, two forms of true social interaction are __________ and __________ play. A) nonsocial; associative B) parallel; nonsocial C) cooperative; parallel D) associative; cooperative

Q: Four-year-old Harry suffers from physical abuse at home. When his playmates at the child-care center become distressed, Harry probably A) shows sympathy. B) shows empathy. C) reacts with sensitive concern. D) reacts with fear or anger.

Q: Two-year-old D"Arcy has parents who encourage emotional expressiveness and show empathetic concern for her feelings. When another child is unhappy, D"Arcy is likely to respond with A) fear and anger. B) anxiety and distress. C) sympathetic concern. D) frowning and lip biting.

Q: Four-year-old Simka is sociable and good at regulating emotion. She is likely to A) help, share, and comfort others in distress. B) experience personal distress when she sees a peer in distress. C) show a rise in heart rate and lip biting when she sees a peer in distress. D) show a decline in heart rate and respiration when she sees others in distress.

Q: Empathy A) always yields acts of kindness and helpfulness. B) can escalate into personal distress in some children. C) always leads to sympathy. D) is especially well-developed in shy, inhibited children.

Q: An important motivator of prosocial behavior is A) sympathy. B) empathy. C) emotional self-regulation. D) fear of punishment.

Q: Among Western children, when guilt occurs in appropriate circumstances and is not accompanied by shame, it is related to A) inflated self-esteem. B) an insecure attachment. C) poor emotional self-regulation. D) good adjustment.

Q: When 4-year-old Katherine throws a beanbag, her dad comments, "You stood still as you were throwing. Now try taking a step toward me as you throw." Assuming Katherine's dad regularly gives this sort of feedback, which of the following statements is most likely true? A) Katherine is likely to show great shame after a failure. B) Katherine is likely to show extreme pride after a success. C) Katherine is likely to experience a low level of pride after a success. D) Katherine is likely to show moderate levels of shame and pride and greater persistence on difficult tasks.

Q: Which of the following is the best advice you might give to a mother to help her son manage fears? A) Expose him to frightening stories in books and on TV until he is able to sort out appearance from reality. B) Teach him to manage a fear of the dark by turning out night lights, hall lights, and electronic screens. C) Teach him to manage a fear of animals by picking him up and moving him to the animal that arouses fear. D) If he fears being at preschool, provide extra support by accompanying the child and gradually lessening the amount of time she is present.

Q: Four-year-old Tristan experiences negative emotion intensely. He is more likely than other children to A) talk to himself to adjust his emotional arousal. B) react with anger or aggression when he is frustrated. C) try to blunt his emotions by restricting sensory input. D) ask for adult help when he becomes frustrated.

Q: Effortful control A) involves judgments we make about our own worth. B) consists of our attributes, abilities, and personal values. C) continues to be vital in managing emotion during early childhood. D) does not emerge until the late elementary school years.

Q: Research on emotional self-regulation demonstrates that A) the frequency of emotional outbursts increases during the preschool years. B) preschoolers know they can blunt emotions by restricting sensory input. C) fears are uncommon during the preschool years because young children have good self-regulatory skills. D) preschoolers cannot verbalize strategies for adjusting their emotional arousal to a more comfortable level.

Q: __________ contributes to preschoolers' improved emotional self-regulation. A) Permissive child rearing B) Authoritarian child rearing C) Language D) Family size

Q: Which of the following statements is supported by research on emotional understanding? A) Preschoolers whose parents negotiate during conflicts with them show delayed emotional understanding. B) Preschoolers who are securely attached to their mothers better understand emotion than preschoolers who are insecurely attached. C) With age, preschoolers engage in less emotion talk with siblings and friends. D) Make-believe play can cause emotional confusion, especially when children play with younger children or siblings.

Q: The more parents __________, the more "emotion words" children use and the better developed their emotional understanding. A) label emotions, explain them, and express warmth and enthusiasm when conversing with preschoolers B) encourage peer sociability and demand that their children share with peers C) label their children's successes and failures and point out when their children make errors D) expect their children to behave like adults

Q: Research on emotional understanding shows that preschoolers A) have an impressive ability to interpret situations that offer conflicting cues about how a person is feeling. B) focus on the most obvious aspect of an emotional situation to the neglect of other relevant information. C) cannot predict what a playmate expressing a certain emotion might do next. D) do not realize that thinking and feeling are interconnected.

Q: Emotional competence A) develops from repeated experiences with failure. B) results in a decline in self-conscious emotions. C) is influenced more by biology than the environment. D) is vital for successful peer relationships and overall mental health.

Q: Adults can avoid promoting self-defeating reactions in children by A) adjusting their expectations to children's capacities. B) only pointing out large mistakes. C) always giving them positive feedback, regardless of actual performance. D) only presenting them with easy tasks.

Q: During the preschool years, high self-esteem A) is self-defeating because children cannot yet adequately complete many tasks. B) is rare because task-failure is common. C) can lead to an exaggerated sense of self-importance in adulthood. D) greatly contributes to children's initiative during a period in which they must master many new skills.

Q: __________ involves the judgments an individual makes about his own worth and the feelings associated with those judgments. A) Self-awareness B) Self-talk C) Self-esteem D) Effortful control