Why Is It Difficult to Determine the Nature of the Relationship

question 31

Multiple Choice

Why is it difficult to determine the nature of the relationship between divorce and the psychological functioning of family members?

• A) Cause and effect cannot be determined as preexisting behavioral abnormalities in either the parents or the children may make divorce more likely.
• B) The findings have been too inconsistent for any conclusions to be drawn.
• C) While the effects of divorce are negative on children, the effects on the spouses are generally positive.
• D) Due to modern acceptance of divorce, there has been an ongoing decrease in the negative effects of divorce. As the impact of divorce has been decreasing, the effect of divorce on family functioning has become impossible to detect.

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Definitions:

Environmental Effects

Consequences or impacts on living organisms resulting from changes or variations in their surrounding environment.

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The capacity for learning, understanding, and applying knowledge, as well as the ability to engage in abstract thinking and problem-solving.

IQ Test

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Biological Mother

A woman who has contributed half of a child's genetic makeup and carried the child in her womb until birth.