Deck 12: Development Over the Lifespan

Question 1

Results from studies conducted on children in orphanages suggest that infancy is a critical period for the development of healthy attachment.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Erik Erikson's psychosocial model implies that personality is not necessarily a stable construct across a life span.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

One of the limitations of Jean Piaget's theory is that recent evidence indicates that children develop several key cognitive abilities later than Piaget originally thought.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

A child who makes moral decisions based on the desire to gain people's approval is most likely in Lawrence Kohlberg's preconventional level of moral reasoning.

Question 5

Syphilis and the HIV virus are both examples of teratogens that can cause abnormal prenatal development.

Question 6

The phenomenon of imprinting is an excellent example of a set of behaviours that is governed by a sensitive period.

Question 7

According to John Bowlby, the first attachment phase that a newborn infant goes through is the indiscriminate attachment behaviour phase.

Question 8

The zone of proximal development is a concept reflecting the difference between what a child can do independently with what she can do with assistance.

Question 9

Studies indicate that newborn infants are not capable of learning through modelling until they are at least 4- to 5-months old.

Question 10

Cross-sectional research designs involve comparing children from different age groups to one another.

Question 11

Cross-cultural studies suggest that both stranger and separation anxiety show highly similar patterns in different cultures.

Question 12

During the germinal stage of development, the fertilized egg is called an embryo.

Question 13

Research has demonstrated that while the learning mechanisms of habituation and classical conditioning are operating at birth, the mechanism of operant conditioning is a later development in human infants.

Question 14

Even though children in the concrete operational stage have a well-established concept of object permanence, they still tend to struggle a great deal with problems involving conservation of volume and number.

Question 15

Contrary to Piaget's theory, the cognitive abilities in his four stages appear to occur in the same order across a wide variety of cultures.

Question 16

Research has found that while classification of temperament traits can be relatively stable over age, classification can vary depending on context and observers.

Question 17

Jean Piaget's concept of assimilation specifically refers to the ways in which new experiences are incorporated with pre-existing schemas.

Question 18

By three to four months of age, infant pattern perception is already organized according to Gestalt principles.

Question 19

Infants show a visual preference for solid colours over patterns.

Question 20

Even police and custom officers can have difficulty detecting simple lies told by children.

Question 21

A cross-sectional design is to a longitudinal design as a(n)

A)correlational design is to an experimental design
B)experimental design is to a correlational design
C)between groups design is to a within groups design
D)within groups design is to a between groups design

Question 22

The type of developmental research design that compares different age groups of children to one another is the __________ design.

A)longitudinal
B)double-blind
C)cross-sectional
D)sequential

Question 23

Recall of past personal events tends to decline as we age.

Question 24

Which developmental research design is the most practical to conduct in terms of time and money?

A)Longitudinal design
B)Double-blind design
C)Cross-sectional design
D)Sequential design

Question 25

In the longitudinal research design, the researcher

A)tests the same cohort as it grows older
B)compares individuals of different ages at the same point in time
C)repeatedly tests several cohorts as they grow older
D)follows the same individual, studying the person in depth over time

Question 26

Remaining physically and intellectually active may help to slow down the decline of cognitive functions as we age.

Question 27

A researcher is interested in examining the development and effects of shyness. To do this, she identifies a group of 100 shy children at age 10, and then follows them for the next 10 years, checking in periodically to gather additional information. This design is best described as

A)a longitudinal design
B)a cross-sectional design
C)a placebo design
D)a sequential design

Question 28

Boys who reach puberty early tend to experience more positive outcomes than early-maturing girls do.

Question 29

A researcher is interested in how self-esteem varies across the lifespan and decides to conduct a survey comparing people of different ages to address this issue. He recruits participants to be in one of four different age groups: 20 to 29, 30 to 39, 40 to 49, and 50 to 59. He has them complete a self-esteem survey, and then analyzes the data to see whether any patterns emerge. This study would be considered an example of a

A)longitudinal design
B)double-blind design
C)cross-sectional design
D)sequential design

Question 30

In a sequential research design, there is repeated testing of _______________.

A)several gender cohorts
B)several age cohorts
C)a single gender cohort
D)a single age cohort

Question 31

A researcher is interested in the development of stereotypes in children. He collects data from 5-, 7-, 9-, and 11-year-olds during the fall of one year. He then waits two years and collects data again from the same participants, and then again after another two years. He can then compare children across the different age groups as well as the development of stereotypes within the children themselves across three different time periods. This is an example of what type of design?

A)Longitudinal design
B)Double-blind design
C)Cross-sectional design
D)Sequential design

Question 32

Emotion regulation involves the processes by which we evaluate and modify our emotional reactions.

Question 33

Of Diana Baumrind's four parenting styles, the authoritarian parenting style is associated with the least positive child outcomes.

Question 34

Austin wants to do his honour's thesis in psychology in the area of developmental psychology. He has eight months to decide on a specific topic, design the study, collect the data, analyze the results, and write the thesis. Assuming he is interested in comparing children's performance at different ages, what type of design would be the most practical for him to use?

A)Longitudinal design
B)Double-blind design
C)Cross-sectional design
D)Sequential design

Question 35

In an ideal world, where researchers do not need to worry about the costs of doing research in terms of time or money, the best research design to address questions of developmental change would typically be the

A)longitudinal design
B)double-blind design
C)cross-sectional design
D)sequential design

Question 36

Marital researchers have determined that relationship satisfaction typically decreases in the first few years after getting married.

Question 37

Denial is the first of the five stages experienced by a dying person proposed by Kübler-Ross.

Question 38

In developmental research, cohort effects may confound any changes due to age, contributing to a problem with any research design except _________ designs.

A)cross-sectional
B)sequential
C)qualitative
D)longitudinal

Question 39

Individuals tend to experience a turbulent mid-life transition between the ages of 40 and 45 known as the mid-life crisis.

Question 40

According to developmental psychologist James Marcia, adolescents in the identity diffusion stage are currently dealing with an identity crisis but have not yet successfully resolved it.

Question 41

The teratogen nicotine is associated with which of the following fetal and infant abnormalities?

A)Low birth weight and an increased risk for miscarriage
B)Facial irregularities and hyperactivity
C)Smaller than average brains and drug addiction
D)Mental retardation and attention deficiency

Question 42

If a zygote receives a Y chromosome from its father, this means that the resulting baby

A)will be a female
B)will be a male
C)could be either a male or a female, depending on the contribution of the mother
D)will have the characteristics of both a male and a female

Question 43

Upon enrolling their children in a developmental preschool, parents are asked to participate in a study where they will be contacted every two years for the next ten years and asked to complete a quality of education survey. If they agree, parents will be participating in a _______________ research study.

A)sequential
B)longitudinal
C)cross sectional
D)double-blind experimental

Question 44

During which stage of prenatal development is the age of viability reached?

A)Zygote stage
B)Germinal stage
C)Embryonic stage
D)Fetal stage

Question 45

Genetic researchers have determined that adult males normally carry

A)only the X chromosome
B)only the Y chromosome
C)both the X and the Y chromosome
D)either the X or the Y chromosome, but not both

Question 46

For approximately the first two weeks of development, beginning when a sperm fertilizes an egg, the fertilized egg is called a(n)

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

Question 47

In the germinal stage, the fertilized egg is called a zygote, while in the fetal stage, it is referred to as a(n)

A)embryo
B)fetus
C)chromosome
D)infant

Question 48

An infant is born with facial irregularities and a small, malformed brain. As the child grows up, she shows symptoms of mental retardation and tends to be both irritable and hostile. It is most likely that this infant's abnormalities are a function of her mother's prenatal exposure to

A)HIV
B)untreated syphilis
C)excessive alcohol
D)nicotine

Question 49

Studies examining newborn infants' visual preferences suggest that an infant would be most interested in

A)a white circle
B)a black circle
C)a circle with a simple pattern inside of it
D)a circle with a complex pattern inside of it

Question 50

Sexually transmitted diseases such as syphilis and HIV that can cause abnormalities in fetal development are examples of ___________.

A)toxins
B)teratogens
C)antigens
D)antibodies

Question 51

A wide variety of environmental agents that cause abnormalities in prenatal development are called

A)antigens
B)antibodies
C)toxins
D)teratogens

Question 52

Sally is interested in comparing the effects of video game violence on aggression in several different age groups. Which of the following groups would a cross-sectional design be confounded by the age of the cohorts?

A)14, 15, 16, and 17 year olds
B)2, 3, 4, and 5 year olds
C)10, 12, 14, and 16 year olds
D)5, 15, 30, and 60 year olds

Question 53

Research on newborns' visual acuity indicates that they

A)have 20/20 vision
B)have 20/20 vision but their ability to discriminate colour needs further development
C)are very nearsighted and their ideal viewing distance is the distance from their mother's face while breastfeeding
D)are very far sighted and their ideal viewing distance is to see if an adult is approaching when they cry

Question 54

Which of the following lists the three stages of prenatal development in the proper order (from earliest to latest)?

A)Embryonic, germinal, and fetal
B)Fetal, germinal, and embryonic
C)Germinal, embryonic, and fetal
D)Germinal, fetal, and embryonic

Question 55

Which of the following statements regarding the sex of a child is true?

A)The sex of a child is determined by the father's genetic contribution.
B)The sex of a child is determined by the mother's genetic contribution.
C)The sex of a child is determined by both parents' genetic contributions.
D)The sex of a child is unrelated to the genetic contributions of either parent.

Question 56

Before decorating the nursery for her newborn, Lynne consults a psychologist who advises her that

A)newborns prefer faces over any other pattern
B)newborns do not see colour, but only black and white
C)newborns have no visual preferences
D)newborns prefer simple patterns to complex patterns

Question 57

Which of the following was mentioned as one of the methods used by developmental psychologists to study the sensory capabilities and perceptual preferences of infants?

A)The MRI
B)The EEG
C)Infant IQ tests
D)The preferential looking procedure

Question 58

Which of the below statements about newborn visual preferences is NOT true?

A)Infants prefer patterned to non-patterned stimuli.
B)Infants prefer their mother's face (perhaps based on her hairline) to a stranger's face.
C)Infants prefer simpler patterns to complex patterns.
D)Infants prefer novel to familiar stimuli.

Question 59

Dr. Jones wants to know whether ten-year olds, twelve-year olds, or fourteen-year olds watch more television. Which of the following research designs would be the most appropriate method for Dr. Jones to use?

A)Sequential
B)Cross-sectional
C)Longitudinal
D)Pre- and post-test experimental

Question 60

With respect to the designs typically used in developmental research, which of the following statements is true?

A)The cross-sectional and longitudinal designs are different types of sequential designs.
B)The sequential and longitudinal designs are different types of cross-sectional designs.
C)The longitudinal design represents a combination of the cross-sectional and sequential designs.
D)The sequential design represents a combination of the cross-sectional and longitudinal designs.

Question 61

A young girl driving past a farm sees a cow and says, "doggie!" Her older brother, who used to do the same thing when he was her age, informs her that this isn't a dog but is actually a cow. In fitting the cow into a pre-existing schema, the sister shows that she is using the process of ___________.

A)adaptation
B)adjustment
C)assimilation
D)accommodation

Question 62

One technique for examining infant learning is ____________ where the same stimulus is presented repeatedly until infant looking time declines.

A)preferential looking procedure
B)habituation procedure
C)operant conditioning
D)imitation

Question 63

North American motor-scale norms illustrate that

A)motor development in infancy tends to occur in a discontinuous fashion
B)infants acquire particular motor skills at different ages
C)motor development in infancy tends to follow a regular, stage-like sequence
D)motor development in infancy is influenced by environmental factors

Question 64

With regard to fetal and infant development, the cephalocaudal principle asserts that

A)the head and upper body tend to develop first
B)the lower body tends to develop first
C)the innermost parts of the body tend to develop first
D)the outermost parts of the body tend to develop first

Question 65

Which of the following types of learning have been demonstrated with newborns?

A)Newborns can acquire classically conditioned responses but show no evidence of learning through modelling and operant conditioning.
B)Newborns can acquire classical and operant conditioned responses but show no evidence of learning through modelling.
C)Newborns show no evidence of learning though classical conditioning, operant conditioning, or modelling.
D)Newborns show clear evidence of learning though classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and modelling.

Question 66

Dana's young child sees an older woman at the market and says, "Granny." This woman is not the child's grandmother, and Piaget would say this demonstrates the process of ____________.

A)accommodation
B)assimilation
C)equilibrium
D)object permanence

Question 67

Andy and Jeff compare the physical development of their sons. The baby boys are the same age. Andy brags that his infant son seems to be maturing at an advanced rate compared to what Jeff is observing in his son. Jeff worries that maybe there is something physically wrong with his son. Jeff consults a developmental book and finds that

A)all children achieve the same physical skills, just at varying times
B)the sequence of acquiring physical skills varies between cultures
C)the sequence of acquiring physical skills varies between individuals
D)not all children achieve the same physical skills in the same order

Question 68

According to Jean Piaget, the process in which new information is incorporated into pre-existing schemas is known as

A)assimilation
B)accommodation
C)adaptation
D)adjustment

Question 69

Which of the following examples best demonstrates the process of accommodation?

A)An infant who is used to sucking on a pacifier learns that she can also suck on toy blocks.
B)A toddler begins to correctly refer to a cat as a "kitty" and not a "doggie."
C)A toddler at dinner attempts to eat the place mat because she thinks it is something to eat.
D)A toddler refers to a giraffe as a "tall kitty."

Question 70

When Amy's infant daughter starts to crawl, she primarily uses her arms to help herself. After she masters this new way of moving around the room, she starts relying on her legs to help herself more in the crawling process. From a developmental standpoint, the way Amy's daughter starts with her arms and then adds the use of her legs follows the ____________ principle.

A)proximodistal
B)cephalocaudal
C)neonatal reflex
D)encephomotor

Question 71

An infant who interprets her world primarily through her physical interactions with objects is most likely in Jean Piaget's ____________ stage, which starts from birth and lasts until age 2.

A)preconventional
B)concrete operational
C)preoperational
D)sensorimotor

Question 72

In terms of our sensory-perceptual processes

A)most improve rapidly in the first five years after birth
B)some appear relatively suddenly several months after birth
C)a few disappear during the first month after birth
D)some continue to develop well into our teenage years

Question 73

Before four-year-old Pat rode a tricycle, Pat believed it was the wind that caused tricycles to move. When Pat rode a tricycle for the first time, Pat discovered it was peddling that moved the tricycle. Pat changed his schema about how tricycles move through the process of ________________.

A)assimilation
B)concrete operations
C)formal operations
D)accommodation

Question 74

With which of the following statements regarding cognitive development would Jean Piaget most likely agree?

A)Cognitive development involves a balance of assimilation and accommodation.
B)Assimilation and accommodation play a minor role in cognitive development.
C)Accommodation is more important than assimilation in cognitive development.
D)Assimilation is more important than accommodation in cognitive development.

Question 75

According to Piaget, the interesting part of testing children is in what kind of errors they make in their thinking. He believed that the errors made by children were the result of

A)their inability to pay attention to adult explanations
B)the limited understanding from their experiences
C)a lack of curiosity in some children
D)a limited attention span

Question 76

The principle of proximodistal development is consistent with all of the following observations EXCEPT

A)an infant can control his leg before he can control his toes
B)an infant can control his shoulder before he can control his arm
C)an infant can control his hand before he can control his arm
D)an infant can control his foot before he can control his toes

Question 77

Studies of infants' auditory pattern perceptions by Werker and colleagues at the University of British Columbia found that

A)six months old infants could not detect changes in language phonemes that their mothers could not detect
B)as infants began to speak words in their native language they lost their ability to discriminate between phonemes that were not in their native language
C)there was a steady decline from birth in infants' abilities to detect phonemic differences regardless of the languages in which the phonemes occur
D)infants gradually learn to discriminate more phonemes over the course of their first year

Question 78

Jean Piaget defined an organized pattern of thought and action that guide children's interactions with the world as a

A)norm
B)schema
C)reflex
D)mental representation

Question 79

Which of the following was mentioned as one of the three conclusions regarding the relative importance of biological and environmental factors in development?

A)The environment sets a limit on biological influences.
B)Though they are present, environmental influences are not very powerful.
C)Environmental factors can impact the rate and sequence in which various skills are learned.
D)Environmental and biological factors interact with one another during development.

Question 80

Suzy primarily attempts to understand things in terms of the physical interaction she has with objects. Almost anything that she can put into her mouth she calls a "pacifier." Just recently, she realized that objects don't "disappear" when they are hidden and so she now continues to look for them when they are under blankets and behind barriers. It is most likely that Suzy is in Jean Piaget's

A)preconventional stage
B)preoperational stage
C)sensorimotor stage
D)concrete operational stage