Exam 2: Theories of Development

Jimmy watches his friend kick a soccer ball into the goal. Later that day, Jimmy finds a soccer ball and proceeds to kick it into the goal. Jimmy most likely engaged in the same behavior as his friend due to _____.

The learning process in which a meaningful stimulus is connected with a neutral stimulus is called "_____."

Lilly's 12-year-old son used to get out of bed easily and early on school days, but lately he has been hard to wake. While reading a parenting book, Lilly came across the theory of "delayed phase of preference," which states that sleep patterns shift when young people start to go through puberty. In this example, a theory helped Lilly _____.

Theories can do all the following EXCEPT _____.

According to Vygotsky, the skills, knowledge, and concepts that the learner is close to acquiring but cannot yet master without help is referred to as "_____."

Antonia has always had a difficult time remembering things. She visited a psychologist and underwent tests that concluded that the way she senses input and then stores the information is interfering with her ability to recall the information. This explanation for Antonia's memory difficulties is consistent with _____ theory.

Sally is helping her mom make a cake. Her mom helps her pick out the right ingredients, measure them, and mix them together. According to Vygotsky, Sally is engaging in _____.

Modern mating patterns have been explained from an evolutionary perspective.

A state of mental balance in which people are not confused because they can use their existing thought processes to understand current experiences and ideas is called "_____."

A norm is an average or usual event or experience.

Freud argued that the goal of a healthy life is to _____.

According to evolutionary theory, every species has two long-standing, biologically based drives: survival and reproduction.

Sanjay has a small dog at home, so he knows about dogs. He is walking down the street and sees an animal walking toward him. The animal is very large; has four legs, fur, and a tail; and is barking. Sanjay knows that these are characteristics of a dog, given his knowledge of dogs. He quickly concludes that this animal is a dog. This example illustrates Piaget's concept of "_____."

List and describe the five theories that have contributed to our understanding of human development.

Vygotsky used the term _____ to describe the method used by parents, teachers, and entire societies to teach novices the skills and habits expected within their culture.

Maggie works is a child-care teacher who works primarily with toddlers. Most of the children that Maggie works with are not yet toilet-trained. Explain the advice a psychoanalyst, behaviorist, cognitive theorist, and a sociocultural theorist would give Maggie regarding her approach to toilet training.

The idea that human development results from the dynamic interaction between developing persons and their surrounding society is the central thesis of _____ theory.

Keta believes that breast-feeding is a personal choice. That is, the woman should be able to choose whether she breast-feeds her infant. Keta's belief is consistent with the _____ perspective.

_____ theories have made us aware of the impact of early-childhood experiences, remembered or not, on development.

Your textbook describes seven techniques used by neuroscientists to understand brain function. List and describe two of these techniques. Despite advancements in brain imaging, why are theories still needed to understand human development?