Some researchers suggested that Piaget overestimated the presence of formal operational
thinking in adolescents. What evidence would support this contention?
What will be an ideal response?
Adolescents that display formal operational thought tend to show unevenness in such
thinking. For example, adolescents with considerable expertise in an area may show
advanced thinking in this context, but not in contexts they are less experienced with. In
one study, researchers presented younger and older adolescents tasks that were either
relevant (e.g., not being invited to a party) or less relevant (e.g., how to evade a tax
audit). Younger adolescents did not display formal operational thought in either
instance, whereas the older adolescents only displayed advanced thinking in the more
relevant context.
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In the textbook, parenting is described as
a. driven by the child's temperament. b. driven by the parent's personality and goals. c. determined by the particular situation parents and children find themselves in. d. a two-way street.
Which form of learning helps us ignore those things that are repeated but are of no significant consequence?
a. operant conditioning b. classical conditioning c. orienting d. habituation
The authors of your text report a story of a homeless man who spent his only quarter to find out why a couple (whose love letters he'd read) had broken up. This story demonstrates
a. that homeless people make irrational decisions. b. that people tend to be very nosey. c. the idea that people are fascinated with the human condition. d. the need people have for belonging.
What is a reasonable approach to interpreting sex differences in cognition and behavior, according to the textbook?
a. The behavioral and cognitive differences are small, and do not justify differential treatment of individuals based on their sex b. There are small but real differences in some areas, such as strength and possibly aggressiveness c. It is best to use the term other sex rather than opposite sex to reflect the fact that we are more alike than we are different d. All of the above