Deck 9: Life-Span Development

Question 1

A method of studying developmental changes by reconstructing subjects' pasts, through interviews and investigating the effects of events that occurred in the past on current behaviors is called a ________ study.

A) cross-sectional
B) naturalistic observation
C) longitudinal
D) retrospective

Answer 1

retrospective

Question 2

A research study finds that 40-year-olds are better able to solve math problems than 80-year-olds. It is suspected that the differences in problem-solving ability result from the fact that 80-year-olds had fewer opportunities to study math and did not have access to calculators or computers. If true, the study has revealed ________.

A) experimenter bias
B) a placebo effect
C) age-related differences
D) cohort differences

Answer 2

cohort differences

Question 3

George was born in 1925 and grew up in the years of the Great Depression. His values and ideas were largely shaped by the poverty of the Depression and its effects on him and his family. Martha was born in 1953 and grew up in the relative affluence of 1950s "baby boom" America. To the extent that their ideas about life are tied to their time and culture of birth, the differences that exist between George's and Martha's attitudes and values can be largely attributed to ________ differences.

A) age
B) reference group
C) idiosyncratic
D) cohort

Answer 3

cohort

Question 4

A problem with cross-sectional studies is that they ________.

A) don't distinguish age differences from cohort differences
B) are less trustworthy than either biographical or longitudinal studies
C) don't distinguish differences among age groups
D) take longer to run than longitudinal studies

Question 5

A researcher who selects a sample of people of varying ages and studies them at one point in time is, by definition, using the ________ method.

A) biographical study
B) correlational
C) longitudinal
D) cross-sectional

Question 6

A group of people born during the same period in historical time is a(n) ________.

A) cohort
B) peer group
C) developmental group
D) age group

Question 7

A developmental psychologist believes that increased TV watching by young children is responsible for a decline in reading stories when these children enter school. To explore her hypothesis, she records the TV viewing habits of toddlers in a suburban community. She examines these habits again when the children enter kindergarten and again every year until the kids enter the sixth grade. This is the ________ method.

A) experimental
B) cross-sectional
C) biographical
D) longitudinal

Question 8

A problem with longitudinal studies is that they ________.

A) don't distinguish age differences from differences that arise from improved assessment or measurement tools
B) don't distinguish age differences from cohort differences
C) don't track long-term changes among individuals in the study
D) are less trustworthy than either biographical or longitudinal studies

Question 9

A method for studying developmental studies by reconstructing people's pasts through interviews and inferring the effects of past events on current behaviors is a ________ study.

A) longitudinal
B) reference
C) biographical
D) strain

Question 10

A researcher decides to study cognitive changes in children by tracking a group of 3-year-olds until they reach the age of 18. This researcher is conducting a ________ study.

A) longitudinal
B) biographical
C) cross-sectional
D) strain

Question 11

A researcher decides to study cognitive changes in children by simultaneously studying groups of 3-year-olds, 6-year-olds, 9-year-olds, and 12-year-olds. This researcher is conducting a ________ study.

A) cross-sectional
B) strain
C) biographical
D) longitudinal

Question 12

A psychologist spends her entire career studying how and why changes occur in people as they get older. This psychologist is most likely a(n) ________ psychologist.

A) personality
B) developmental
C) health
D) evolutionary

Question 13

A researcher who studies a fixed group of people over a long period of time is, by definition, using the ________ method.

A) biographical study
B) longitudinal
C) cross-sectional
D) correlational

Question 14

The major problem with biographical studies is that they ________.

A) don't track long-term changes among individuals in the study
B) don't distinguish age differences from cohort differences
C) are less trustworthy than either cross-sectional or longitudinal studies
D) take longer to run than longitudinal studies

Question 15

It has been reported that average scores on national exams, such as the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT), have declined in recent years. Researchers interested in exploring this intensively interview students who have just taken the exam, those who will take it next year, and those who took it five years ago. This method is ________.

A) longitudinal
B) experimental
C) biographical
D) cross-sectional

Question 16

The study of the changes from birth through old age is called ________ psychology.

A) physiological
B) evolutionary
C) developmental
D) personality

Question 17

A method of studying developmental changes by evaluating the same people at different points in their lives is a ________ study.

A) strain
B) longitudinal
C) biographical
D) cross-sectional

Question 18

A method of studying developmental changes by comparing people of different ages at about the same time is a ________ study.

A) longitudinal
B) biographical
C) cross-sectional
D) strain

Question 19

Which of the following is not one of the three research methods identified in your text as being utilized by developmental psychologists?

A) longitudinal studies
B) cross-sectional studies
C) divergent studies
D) biographical studies

Question 20

Differences between individuals who were born and grew up at different times are known as ________ differences.

A) primary
B) reference group
C) cohort
D) age

Question 21

Times when certain internal and external influences have a major impact on development, whereas at other times those same influences would have little impact, are called ________.

A) critical periods
B) developmental surges
C) latency periods
D) growth stages

Question 22

A developing child is most likely to be severely affected if the mother contracts rubella ________.

A) during the middle three months of the pregnancy
B) at any point during the pregnancy
C) during the first three months of the pregnancy
D) during the last three months of the pregnancy

Question 23

Greta is a heavy drinker. While her newborn baby could be quite healthy, it could also have several health problems related to her drinking. If her baby has health problems, it is most likely to ________.

A) be blind
B) be born prematurely
C) be deaf
D) have cognitive impairments

Question 24

The drug most abused by pregnant women is ________.

A) alcohol
B) cocaine
C) marijuana
D) cigarettes

Question 25

From the second week until the third month after conception, the developing organism is called a(n) ________.

A) embryo
B) zygote
C) fetus
D) neonate

Question 26

From the third month after conception until birth, the developing organism is known as a(n) ________.

A) fetus
B) placenta
C) neonate
D) embryo

Question 27

A researcher tries to reconstruct a person's past by interviewing the person and consulting various other sources that relate to the person's life. This method of conducting research is called the ________ approach.

A) cross-sectional
B) longitudinal
C) biographical
D) convergent

Question 28

The period of development from conception to birth is called the ________ period.

A) prenatal
B) postnatal
C) neonate
D) natal

Question 29

About ________ after conception, the cells of the baby-to-be begin to specialize.

A) two weeks
B) four weeks
C) four days
D) two days

Question 30

A researcher studying life-span development interviews a group of 70-year-olds and explores their lives backwards. Her goal is to see how their current situation has been affected by their past life history. She is using the ________ method.

A) biographical
B) naturalistic observation
C) longitudinal
D) cross-sectional

Question 31

To solve the problems posed by cross-sectional and longitudinal approaches, many researchers turn to the ________ approach.

A) structural
B) functional
C) biographical
D) introspective

Question 32

A condition characterized by facial deformities, heart defects, stunted growth, and cognitive impairments, is called ________ spectrum disorder.

A) Korsakoff's
B) Turner's
C) fetal alcohol
D) Klinefelter's

Question 33

The embryo stage ends ________ after conception.

A) two months
B) four months
C) two weeks
D) three months

Question 34

A researcher tries to reconstruct a person's past by interviewing the person and consulting various other sources that relate to the person's life. This method of conducting research is called the ________ approach.

A) retrospective
B) cross-sectional
C) convergent
D) longitudinal

Question 35

A problem with longitudinal studies is that they ________.

A) take longer to run than cross-sectional studies
B) don't distinguish age differences from cohort differences
C) don't track long-term changes among individuals in the study
D) are less trustworthy than either biographical or longitudinal studies

Question 36

Greta's child, as it has grown, has developed facial deformities, heart defects, cognitive impairments, and stunted growth. If these defects can be traced to drug use by Greta when she was pregnant, which drug was she most likely abusing?

A) nicotine
B) alcohol
C) cocaine
D) marijuana

Question 37

Which of the following is a true statement?

A) Toxic agents that a pregnant woman eats, drinks, or inhales are capable of being transmitted through the placenta.
B) While some substances are allowed to pass through the placenta, viral sized particles, such as the AIDS virus, are effectively blocked.
C) The mother's and the unborn child's blood intermingles in the placenta.
D) The placenta allows only nutritional substances to enter and only waste substances to leave the fetal blood supply.

Question 38

Each of the following is an effect of smoking by a pregnant woman on her developing fetus except it ________.

A) increases the risk of the baby being born with a low birth weight
B) restricts oxygen supply to the fetus
C) significantly increases the risk of miscarriage
D) rapidly increases both heartbeat and breathing rate

Question 39

Toxic agents that can cross through the placenta and compromise an unborn child's development are known as ________.

A) teratogens
B) androgens
C) blastocysts
D) antigens

Question 40

Biographical data are ________ trustworthy than longitudinal data and ________ trustworthy than cross-sectional data.

A) more; less
B) more; more
C) less; less
D) less; more

Question 41

Which of the following is not one of the three types of temperament described by Thomas and Chess?

A) slow to warm up
B) difficult
C) average
D) easy

Question 42

Harold is an adaptable child who is good-natured and gets along well in school. Thomas and Chess would say his temperament is ________.

A) slow to warm up
B) difficult
C) quiet
D) easy

Question 43

A newborn baby is called a ________.

A) fetus
B) zygote
C) bionate
D) neonate

Question 44

Which of the following is true of newborns?

A) Most of their physical senses operate very poorly at birth.
B) They hear and understand very little of what is going on around them.
C) They absorb and process information from the outside world almost as soon as, or even before, they enter it.
D) They are passive creatures who eat, sleep, and remain relatively oblivious to their new world.

Question 45

Research on the stability of temperament indicates that it is ________.

A) relatively stable through the first 3 to 4 years of life but begins to vary dramatically once a child reaches school age
B) unstable during childhood but stabilizes during adolescence and remains stable throughout a person's adult life
C) unstable subject to wide variations over the course of a lifetime
D) relatively stable throughout childhood and into adulthood

Question 46

The reflex that causes a newborn to turn its head toward something touching its cheek and grope around with its mouth is the ________ reflex.

A) sucking
B) rooting
C) comfort contact
D) grasping

Question 47

Egbert is an inactive, withdrawn child who reacts very cautiously and deliberately to the world around him. Thomas and Chess would say his temperament is ________.

A) difficult
B) laid back
C) easy
D) slow to warm up

Question 48

The term used by psychologists to describe the characteristic patterns of emotional reactions and emotional self-regulation in the newborn child and young infant is ________.

A) maturity
B) development
C) cognitive capacity
D) temperament

Question 49

Each of the following is true except ________.

A) different babies are likely to display individual differences in temperament
B) regardless of what initially causes a baby's temperament, it often remains quite stable over time
C) some differences in temperament may be due to prenatal influences
D) environmental influences have little or no effect on a child's temperament

Question 50

Research indicates that the amygdala of shy infants ________ when presented with a novel stimulus or situation.

A) underreacts
B) overreacts
C) reacts normally
D) fails to react

Question 51

The tendency of the amygdala of shy infants to overreact to a novel stimulus or situation ________.

A) disappears by late childhood
B) persists into adolescence
C) disappears by early childhood
D) disappears by middle childhood

Question 52

A mother's level of psychological stress is ________ to the health of the newborn, and the way she copes with stress is ________ to the health of the newborn.

A) unrelated; unrelated
B) related; unrelated
C) related; related
D) unrelated; related

Question 53

Kagan and his colleagues found that temperament is ________.

A) unpredictable and subject to wild fluctuations over time
B) largely due to biological factors
C) largely due to cultural and family learning
D) about half learned and half innate

Question 54

Human babies are born with their eyes ________.

A) open, but nonfunctional
B) not open and nonfunctioning
C) open and functioning
D) not open, but functional

Question 55

Isabel is a rambunctious and unruly child who is moody and intense. She often throws temper tantrums, adapts poorly to change, and has powerful, negative reactions to new people and new situations. Thomas and Chess would say her temperament is ________.

A) easy
B) active
C) slow to warm up
D) difficult

Question 56

Andrea has just had a normal, healthy baby. Her newborn is likely to have each of the following reflexes except the ________ reflex.

A) rooting
B) cooing
C) swallowing
D) sucking

Question 57

A reflex crucial to an infant's survival is ________.

A) sucking
B) grasping
C) stepping
D) cooing

Question 58

Anna is timid and inhibited. She is fearful of anything new or strange. Her nervous system tends to react to any stimulus in a hypersensitive manner. Kagan would say that this is a(n) ________ child.

A) difficult
B) slow-to-warm-up
C) shy
D) easy

Question 59

Kagan and his associates recently identified a type of temperament characterized by being timid, inhibited, fearful of anything new or strange, and a hypersensitive nervous system. Kagan called this type of child a(n) ________ child.

A) slow-to-warm-up
B) shy
C) active
D) difficult

Question 60

Newborns can sleep up to ________ hours per day.

A) 20
B) 12
C) 8
D) 16

Question 61

Human infants are born with approximately ________ billion neurons.

A) 75
B) 50
C) 100
D) 25

Question 62

Studies of children's growth have found that some children can grow by as much as one inch ________.

A) in two weeks
B) overnight
C) in a month
D) in a week

Question 63

Which of the following is true of infants' perceptual development?

A) It is entirely dependent on experience.
B) It is entirely dependent on innate potential.
C) It is entirely dependent on nervous system maturation.
D) It is dependent on both nervous system maturation and experience.

Question 64

During the first two years of life, the number of interconnections between neurons ________.

A) decreases slightly
B) increases slightly
C) decreases dramatically
D) increases dramatically

Question 65

On average, by the first birthday, the average baby's weight has ________.

A) quadrupled
B) increased by 50 percent
C) doubled
D) tripled

Question 66

During the third year of life there is a(n) ________ of synaptic connections in the brain.

A) decrease in the density, but an increase in the number
B) increase in both the number and density
C) decrease in the number, but an increase in the density
D) decrease in both the number and density

Question 67

Newborns see most clearly when faces or objects are about ________ away from them.

A) 8 to 10 feet
B) 2 to 4 inches
C) 2 to 4 feet
D) 8 to 10 inches

Question 68

Research on young children indicates that motor development is the result of ________.

A) almost exclusively environmental factors such as practice
B) almost exclusively maturational factors
C) a combination of maturation and practice
D) neither maturational factors nor practice

Question 69

Research evidence currently supports the notion that infants begin to develop depth perception at about ________ months of age.

A) four
B) eight
C) two
D) six

Question 70

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Newborns have no preference regarding smells.
B) Newborns prefer sweet flavors.
C) Newborns prefer salty flavors.
D) Newborns have no preference regarding tastes.

Question 71

Infants are particularly adept at differentiating ________ sounds.

A) musical
B) speech
C) potentially dangerous
D) animal

Question 72

During the first years of life, the average baby grows about ________ inches in height and ________ pounds in weight.

A) 15; 10
B) 15; 15
C) 10; 15
D) 10; 10

Question 73

As a child increases in age, especially after 2 years of age, it(s) ________.

A) maintains approximately the same proportions as when it was born
B) head becomes proportionately smaller to the rest of the body
C) head becomes proportionately larger to the rest of the body
D) legs become proportionately shorter than the head and torso

Question 74

How many of the 6- to 14-month-old infants tested by Walk and Gibson refused to crawl over the deep side of the visual cliff to their mothers?

A) 25% of them
B) none of them
C) all of them
D) 75% of them

Question 75

Which of the following is likely to be most adept at hearing the difference between very similar speech sounds that are not distinguished in their native language?

A) an older child
B) an adolescent
C) a young infant
D) an adult

Question 76

The visual cliff was developed to measure ________ perception.

A) object
B) depth
C) whole-part
D) distance

Question 77

Studies of children's growth over their first 21 months have found that most children show no growth ________ percent of the time.

A) 30
B) 50
C) 90
D) 70

Question 78

The brain reaches ________ of its adult size by the age of two.

A) one-third
B) three-quarters
C) one-half
D) one-quarter

Question 79

It takes about ________ for a baby's visual system to fully develop.

A) 3 to 4 years
B) 1 to 2 years
C) 1 to 2 months
D) 3 to 4 months

Question 80

Which of the following is a false statement?

A) Babies cannot hear until after they are born.
B) As children grow older, they lose some of their ability to hear the difference between similar speech sounds.
C) In some ways, infants are better at distinguishing speech sounds than adults are.
D) Newborns will turn their head toward a sound source.