Psychology of Adolescence
Exam 1 Essay Questions
1)
Provide a historical view of how adolescence has been perceived from the time of early
Greece to the present.
2)
Use at least six different terms or concepts you have learned about in Chapter 1 to analyze
the following scenario. Define all terms and tell where exactly in the story they are
exhibited
Sharon is taking a class in which she has to interview the oldest member of her family and
ask questions about the differences in adolescents today and when her family member was
age 17. Her 72 year old aunt, Marjory, tells her that “kids today are disrespectful and don’t
care about anybody except themselves." She adds that this is not limited to the United
States but “all over the world people are sick of these lazy, self-centered brats”. She
complains that money for a new Senior Center in her town was instead given to an afterschool tutoring program and that older people are struggling to pay their bills. When
Sharon asks her aunt what can be done about some of these disturbing issues, her aunt says,
“Nothing. Once a child is over age 6, forget it; they can’t change their ways.”
3)
Explain what "social policy" is and how "generational inequity" may play a role in
adolescents' development.
4)
Compare and contrast the views of Margaret Mead and G. Stanley Hall
5)
Alex , age 9, lives with his biological father, his stepmother and his half-brother who is 3
years 0ld. He has a fairly good relationship with his stepmother but resents her disciplining
him, often saying, “You’re not my real mother!” His stepmother recently began to care for
two other children in her home to earn extra money. He sees his biological mother
infrequently because of her alcohol and substance abuse issues. His maternal relatives do
not make any effort to see Alex except at Christmas. Alex’s paternal grandparents take the
whole family out to dinner every Wednesday evening and he visits them every other
weekend. They also buy some of his clothes and sports equipment to alleviate the financial
burden on the family. Alex plays soccer and baseball and the whole family attends his
games. He is active in his Sunday School class and has many friends in his neighborhood
and school. Using Bronfenbrenner's ecological, contextual theory, describe what systems
are affecting Alex’s development and in what way they are doing so.
6)
Contrast correlational and experimental research designs. When are they used? What are
the pros and cons for each?
7)
I have developed a hypothesis that participation in martial arts classes increase adolescents’
self-esteem. Design an experiment I could use to test this hypothesis. Be sure to use all the
correct terminology in the description of the steps in your experimental procedure.
8)
Analyze the following scenario, using at least eight different terms (total) from Freud's
psychoanalytic theory and Erikson's psychosocial theory. Explain exactly where and how
the concepts from the theories are exhibited in the story. Also, be sure you tell to which
theory each concept belongs.
Rhonda is 13 years old. Between the ages of 2 and 6, she was often severely spanked for
wetting her bed and for not putting her toys away. Her parents didn't agree on how to
discipline Rhonda, and they often argued loudly. When she was first born, her parents
argued and sometimes neglected Rhonda.
Rhonda is having problems at school. She refuses to participate in any potentially messy
activities, such as science experiments and outdoor sports. She doesn't socialize well with
other kids. Talks with the guidance counselor have revealed that Rhonda has no memory of
her bed-wetting problems and being spanked. She insists that her parents have never
spanked her (even though her parents told the counselor that they did).
After several meetings with the school guidance counselor, Rhonda still refuses to
apologize to her classmates and teachers for her bad behavior. She says that if people don't
like her the way she is, then that's too bad.
9)
Define and give an example of the term “ethnic gloss”
10)
Describe the two main ways in which bias has occurred in research in adolescent
development. Define all terms.
11)
Compare and contrast the three cognitive theories: Piaget's, Vygotsky's, and informationprocessing. How are they alike? In what ways do they differ?
12)
Discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages of early and late maturation.
13)
Briefly explain what the endocrine system is and what role it plays in the physical
changes associated with puberty. Be sure to define all terms.
14)
Describe the three ways in which behavioral geneticist Sandra Scarr believes that
heredity and environment are correlated and give an example of each one.
15)
List at least two physiological changes in adolescent brain development. How do
they influence adolescence?
16)
Compare and contrast Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories of cognitive development.
17)
Discuss the similarities and differences between early formal operational thought and late
formal operational thought.
18)
Compare and contrast emotional intelligence and metacognition.
19)
Define emotional intelligence and give an example.
20)
Describe what is meant by adolescent egocentrism. In your answer be sure to discuss the
two types of social thinking related to egocentrism and provide at least one example of
how they impact adolescent behavior.
21)
Describe how the adolescent’s self-understanding differs from the child’s. Give examples
to illustrate your ideas.
22)
Explain Marcia’s theory of identity statuses and describe what each identity status is. In
addition, what are some criticisms of the identity status approach?
23)
Cooper believes that family atmosphere relates to the adolescent’s identity formation. She
discusses two factors that are especially important, as well as the two dimensions that
make up each factor. Name and thoroughly explain these two factors. Then, tell how they
relate to identity formation.
24)
Use at least eight different terms or concepts you have learned about in Chapter 9 to
analyze the following scenario. Define all terms and tell where exactly in the story they
are exhibited.
Pamela is trying to figure out what to do after high school graduation. She doesn’t really
mind the idea of moving away from her boyfriend, because he just wasn’t making her
happy and had become less interesting to her. Yes, they’d had a great sexual relationship
during the past year, but she was ready to move on. Her parents wanted her to go to
college and then medical school, but she has been exploring art and writing and thinks
she’d like to pursue those.
Marty feels alienated at school and is bored by everything. His mom wants him to either
get a job or go to college, but he doesn’t feel like thinking about those topics because
they both bore him.