Deck 1: Introduction to Child Development

Question 1

Psychosocial development is defined as the pattern of change in mental abilities, such as learning, attention, memory, and creativity.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Maturation refers to differences among children in characteristics, influences, or developmental outcomes.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Ethnic minorities are those ethnic groups that have national or cultural traditions different from the majority of the population.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

The composition of a neighborhood affects the way children develop.

Question 5

Normative influences are unusual events that have a major impact on individual lives because they disturb the expected sequence of the life cycle.

Question 6

According to Konrad Lorenz, imprinting is automatic and irreversible.

Question 7

A sensitive period is a period when a developing person is especially responsive to certain kinds of experiences.

Question 8

A baby who can say 3 words at 12 months and then 20 words at 15 months experiences a qualitative change.

Question 9

Qualitative change is viewed as continuous development.

Question 10

The change from a nonverbal child to one who understands words and can communicate verbally is a qualitative change.

Question 11

Newborns are governed by the superego.

Question 12

Erik Erikson argued that the entire life span is marked by change and development.

Question 13

Reciprocal determinism is Albert Bandura's term for bidirectional forces that affect development.

Question 14

Ethologists suggest that for each species, certain innate behaviors, such as squirrels burying nuts in the fall and spiders spinning webs, have evolved to increase the odds of survival.

Question 15

An ethnographic study uses a combination of methods, including informal, unstructured interviewing and participant observation.

Question 16

Two inversely correlated variables increase or decrease together.

Question 17

Field experiments are controlled studies conducted in an everyday setting, such as the home or school.

Question 18

The sequential study is a complex strategy designed to overcome the drawbacks of longitudinal and cross-sectional research.

Question 19

Division of the life span into periods of development is a social construction. This indicates that

A) it remains constant across all cultures and societies.
B) it is a concept invented by a particular culture.
C) it is nonnormative.
D) it is biologically determined.

Question 20

Which of the following characterizes infants and toddlers?

A) The abilities to learn and remember are absent.
B) The use of symbols develops by the end of the second year.
C) Handedness appears.
D) Play becomes imaginative, elaborate, and social.

Question 21

Which of the following is a characteristic of early childhood?

A) Basic body structures and organs begin to form.
B) Children begin to think logically but concretely.
C) Handedness appears, and fine and gross motor skills improve.
D) Peers assume greater importance than family.

Question 22

During ________, thinking is somewhat egocentric but understanding of other people's perspectives grows.

A) toddlerhood
B) early childhood
C) the prenatal period
D) adolescence

Question 23

Health is generally better than at any other time in the life span during

A) toddlerhood.
B) early childhood.
C) middle childhood.
D) adolescence.

Question 24

Reproductive maturity occurs during

A) toddlerhood.
B) early childhood.
C) middle childhood.
D) adolescence.

Question 25

Which of the following describes psychosocial development occurring during the adolescent stage of development?

A) The shift from dependence to autonomy begins.
B) Physical growth and other changes become very slow.
C) The search for identity becomes central.
D) Handedness appears.

Question 26

Cognitive development primarily refers to

A) the growth of sensory capacities and motor skills.
B) the pattern of change in mental abilities.
C) the pattern of change in emotions.
D) the development of social relationships.

Question 27

________ is defined as the pattern of change in emotions, personality, and relationships.

A) Physical development
B) Cognitive development
C) Psychosocial development
D) Normative development

Question 28

Dr. Ortiz, a child psychologist, is conducting research on peer interactions among middle school children. His aim is to understand the impact of peer interactions on emotional development. Dr. Ortiz is focusing on

A) cognitive development.
B) normative development.
C) physical development.
D) psychosocial development.

Question 29

In the context of the three major domains of development, which of the following is an aspect of psychosocial development?

A) Attachment
B) Culture
C) Fidelity
D) Personality

Question 30

Variations among children in characteristics, influences, or developmental outcomes are referred to as

A) individual differences.
B) internalizing behaviors.
C) identity schemas.
D) representational mappings.

Question 31

Donna's family consists of her biological parents and her younger sibling, Sam. Their family also has a pet dog. Given the information, Donna's family is most likely to be categorized as a(n)

A) extended family.
B) nuclear family.
C) stepfamily.
D) blended family.

Question 32

Shari is a 9-year-old girl who lives in California. She lives with her parents, her younger sister, and her grandparents. Her maternal uncle, who recently emigrated from India to the United States, also lives with them. Shari's family is most likely to be categorized as a(n)

A) conjugal family.
B) nuclear family.
C) extended family.
D) blended family.

Question 33

Which of the following is true of poverty in the United States?

A) Currently, approximately 20 percent of children under the age of 18 live in poverty.
B) Hispanic children are less likely to live in poverty than their white counterparts.
C) In total, about 10 million children in the United States live in poverty.
D) Asian and Pacific Islanders are the least likely of all ethnic groups to live in poverty.

Question 34

In the context of influences on development, risk factors refer to

A) conditions that increase the likelihood of a negative developmental outcome.
B) environmental factors that influence the impact of heredity on an individual.
C) conditions that have no impact on developmental outcomes.
D) social factors that are likely to impact a society's way of life.

Question 35

In the context of influences on development, normative influences are

A) events that affect many or most people in a society in similar ways.
B) information that shapes the accumulated perceptions of the self.
C) acquired interpretive perceptions stored in long-term memory.
D) temporary support provided to help a child master a task.

Question 36

In the context of influences on development, nonnormative influences are

A) acquired interpretive perceptions stored in long-term memory.
B) events that touch only certain individuals.
C) inborn traits or characteristics inherited from a child's biological parents.
D) temporary support provided to help a child master a task.

Question 37

Which of the following is an example of a normative history-graded influence?

A) Rachel experiences menopause at the age of 45.
B) Caroline, who is part of the baby boomer generation, is independent and self-assured like the other members of her generation.
C) Jessica lost her husband to cancer at the age of 27.
D) Emily, a software developer, decides to quit her job and join an art school to learn painting at the age of 55.

Question 38

All the individuals who were middle school students in New York City during the collapse of the World Trade Center shared a common experience at a formative time in their lives. This group of individuals is referred to as a(n)

A) ethnic group.
B) historical generation.
C) conjugal group.
D) kinship network.

Question 39

________ is a specific time during development when a given event, or its absence, has the greatest impact.

A) A behavioral cusp
B) A nonnormative period
C) A critical period
D) The zone of proximal development

Question 40

The concept of critical periods in humans is controversial because

A) human development is primarily influenced by heredity.
B) human development is primarily passive.
C) the aspects of human development are subject to only normative influences.
D) many aspects of human development have been found to show plasticity.

Question 41

Modifiability of performance is also referred to as

A) plasticity.
B) fidelity.
C) generativity.
D) resiliency.

Question 42

________ is defined as inborn traits or characteristics inherited from a child's biological parents.

A) Heredity
B) Heritability
C) Eugenics
D) Ethnicity

Question 43

Totality of nonhereditary, or experiential, influences on development is referred to as

A) the mesosystem.
B) the scaffold.
C) the environment.
D) the microsystem.

Question 44

Identify a true statement about the mechanistic model of development.

A) This model holds that children do not just react; they initiate events.
B) This model views development as passive.
C) This model endorses discontinuous change.
D) This model holds that the driving force for change is internal.

Question 45

Psychologists who agree with the organismic model of development are most likely to believe that

A) children's behaviors result from the operation of biological parts in response to external or internal stimuli.
B) a child is like a hungry sponge, eagerly soaking up and responding to the world.
C) all aspects of children's learning and development are shaped by environmental influences.
D) children are active, growing organisms that are the architects of their own development.

Question 46

Identify a fundamental point of child development that developmental theorists agree on.

A) As long as people live, they have the potential to change in both positive and negative directions.
B) Influences on development are unidirectional.
C) Environmental influences do not cause human development, though they can speed or slow it.
D) Normal development typically occurs in distinct stages.

Question 47

The ________ perspective on human development focuses on the lasting effects of childhood experiences and unconscious drives and motivations.

A) psychoanalytic
B) evolutionary
C) learning
D) cognitive

Question 48

According to Sigmund Freud, which of the following is true of the id?

A) It is absent in newborns.
B) It represents reason.
C) It includes the conscience.
D) It seeks immediate satisfaction of needs.

Question 49

According to Sigmund Freud, the ________ represents reason and operates under the reality principle.

A) id
B) ego
C) superego
D) conscience

Question 50

The ________ includes the conscience and incorporates socially approved "shoulds" and "should nots" into a child's own value system.

A) id
B) ego
C) superego
D) libido

Question 51

Which of the following is true of the theory of psychosexual development proposed by Sigmund Freud?

A) It describes eight stages of development across the life span.
B) It states that sensual pleasure shifts from one body zone to another.
C) It includes four stages, namely sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operations, and formal operations.
D) It states that each stage involves a "crisis" in personality.

Question 52

In the context of the stages of psychosocial development explained by Erik Erikson, who among the following is in the industry versus inferiority stage?

A) Nine-year-old Mandy, who feels incompetent as she is the only student in her class who cannot swim
B) Fourteen-year-old Leah, who feels a strong attraction to another girl in her school
C) Five-month-old Noah, who depends on his single mother to meet all his needs
D) Two-year-old David, who feels a sense of independence when he uses the toilet instead of wetting himself at night

Question 53

Which of the following is true of Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development?

A) It states that if children receive too little or too much gratification in any of the developmental stages, they are at risk of fixation.
B) It states that the critical theme of infancy is initiative versus guilt.
C) It ignores the influence of society on the developing personality of children.
D) It states that each developmental stage requires the balancing of a positive trait and a corresponding negative one.

Question 54

Which of the following is true of the learning perspective on human development?

A) It focuses on the lasting effects of childhood experiences and unconscious drives and motivations.
B) It holds that the mind is a tabula rasa, a blank slate upon which experience could write.
C) It states that people can access cognitive processes, even though they are internal.
D) It holds that an individual is not a separate entity interacting with the environment but an inseparable part of it.

Question 55

Which of the following is a type of associative learning studied by behaviorists?

A) Assimilation
B) Imprinting
C) Operant conditioning
D) Accommodation

Question 56

________ is a type of learning in which a response to a stimulus is elicited after repeated association with a stimulus that normally elicits the response.

A) Classical conditioning
B) Imprinting
C) Social learning
D) Intermittent reinforcement

Question 57

In operant conditioning, ________ is a process that increases the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated.

A) canalization
B) reinforcement
C) adaptation
D) habituation

Question 58

In operant conditioning, ________ is the process by which a behavior is weakened, decreasing the likelihood of repetition.

A) conservation
B) adaptation
C) punishment
D) centration

Question 59

In the context of Skinnerian psychology, identify a true statement about reinforcement.

A) It is used to decrease the likelihood that a behavior will be repeated.
B) It refers to the tendency to seek a balance among cognitive elements.
C) It refers to the creation of categories or systems of knowledge.
D) It is most effective when it immediately follows a behavior.

Question 60

Albert Bandura's social learning theory differs from the behaviorist approach in that his theory

A) states that the impetus for development is bidirectional.
B) states that the environment is the chief impetus for development.
C) focuses on associative learning.
D) focuses on psychosexual development.

Question 61

Identify a true statement about Jean Piaget's cognitive-stage theory.

A) It holds that people learn about the world by reacting to aspects of their environment that they find pleasing.
B) It states that children learn appropriate social behavior chiefly by observing and imitating models.
C) It maintains that children come equipped with a few basic capacities that allow them to begin learning.
D) It proposes that development occurs through interaction between a developing person and the surrounding contextual systems.

Question 62

According to Jean Piaget, people create increasingly complex cognitive structures called ________, or ways of organizing information about the world.

A) schemes
B) scaffolds
C) associations
D) memes

Question 63

In the context of cognitive-stage theory, assimilation is Jean Piaget's term for

A) the act of observing and imitating models.
B) incorporating new information into an existing cognitive structure.
C) changes in a cognitive structure to include new information.
D) the tendency to seek a stable balance among cognitive elements.

Question 64

According to Jean Piaget's cognitive-stage theory, ________ motivates the shift from assimilation to accommodation.

A) adaptation
B) equilibration
C) organization
D) conservation

Question 65

Which of the following is true of Lev Vygotsky's sociocultural theory?

A) Cognitive development occurs in four qualitative stages.
B) Adaptation occurs through assimilation and accommodation.
C) Cognitive growth is a collaborative process.
D) Cognitive development is independent of social and cultural processes.

Question 66

Ten-year-old Justin finds it difficult to solve a simple mathematical problem on his own. When his mother helps him solve the problem, he understands the method and finds it easy. This fills the gap between what he can do alone and what he can do with help. In the context of Lev Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, which of the following concepts is exemplified in this scenario?

A) analysis of free associations
B) authoritative parenting
C) classical conditioning
D) zone of proximal development

Question 67

While teaching his son cycling, Mark initially held the bicycle to help his son maintain his balance. Once his son was able to balance himself, Mark gradually let go of the bicycle. In the context of Lev Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, the temporary support Mark provided to his son is known as

A) rote learning.
B) scaffolding.
C) mentoring.
D) active learning.

Question 68

Which of the following is true of Urie Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory?

A) It identifies five levels of environmental influence, ranging from very intimate to very broad.
B) It states that parental guidance is most effective in helping children cross the zone of proximal development.
C) It identifies three hypothetical parts of personality: the id, the ego, and the superego.
D) It states that an individual learns from the consequences of operating on the environment.

Question 69

Melissa, a second-grade student, lives with her parents and her brother. In the context of Urie Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory, which of the following is primarily part of Melissa's microsystem?

A) the relationship between Melissa's father and his colleagues
B) the relationship between Melissa and her parents and her brother
C) the relationship between Melissa's parents and her teachers
D) the relationship between Melissa's brother and his friends

Question 70

Which of the following branches of psychology applies Darwinian principles to the study of human behavior?

A) cognitive psychology
B) behavioral psychology
C) evolutionary psychology
D) cultural psychology

Question 71

Which of the following is true of qualitative research?

A) Qualitative research on human development is primarily based on the scientific method.
B) It deals with objectively measurable numerical data that can answer questions such as "how much?" or "how many?" and that is amenable to statistical analysis.
C) The goal of qualitative research is to generate hypotheses from previous research.
D) It commonly involves verbal or pictorial descriptions of participants' subjective understanding, feelings, or beliefs about their experiences.

Question 72

Self-report measures are said to be reliable when

A) the tests measure the abilities they claim to measure.
B) the results are reasonably consistent from one time to another.
C) the sample size is very large.
D) the researcher who has developed the measure is highly qualified.

Question 73

A team of psychologists collects data for a study by observing preschool teachers' classroom interactions without the knowledge of the teachers. The psychologists do so by observing the teachers through a one-way mirror. In this scenario, which of the following is conducted by the psychologists?

A) laboratory observation
B) a case study
C) naturalistic observation
D) a clinical study

Question 74

An ethnographic study is

A) the study of animal species' distinctive adaptive behaviors.
B) a case study of a culture.
C) an in-depth study of a single individual.
D) the study of the evolution of human behavior.

Question 75

Jeremy is conducting a study on the stressors faced by firefighters. He collects data by joining a team of firefighters and observing them while they are at work. For his research, he is using the

A) case study method.
B) laboratory observation method.
C) self-report method.
D) participant observation method.

Question 76

Which of the following is true of a correlational study?

A) This research design is primarily used to prove cause-and-effect relationships.
B) This research design is best suited for an in-depth study of a single case or individual.
C) This research design is often used by researchers to observe people in their natural environment.
D) This research design is useful for discovering the statistical relationship between two variables.

Question 77

In scientific research, the only way to show with certainty that one variable causes another is through

A) a case study.
B) surveys.
C) a correlational study.
D) experimentation.

Question 78

Amina, a psychology researcher, conducts a study to find out whether having breakfast has an impact on people's performance at work. She chooses a sample of 100 participants and categorizes them into two equal groups: group A and group B. She asks group A to go to work after having breakfast and group B to go to work without having breakfast for 10 days. In the context of research designs, which of the following is true about this study?

A) Group A is the control group, while group B is the experimental group.
B) This study is classified as an ethnographic study.
C) This study is classified as a case study.
D) Group A is the experimental group, while group B is the control group.

Question 79

Kathy is conducting an experiment to test the impact of mindfulness training on adolescents' memory. She divides her research participants into two groups. One group is provided with mindfulness training, while the other group does not receive this training. She measures their performance on memory and attention tests at the beginning and at the end of the training. In this experiment, the group that did not receive the mindfulness training is called the

A) experimental group.
B) control group.
C) independent variable.
D) dependent variable.

Question 80

Which of the following is true of a natural experiment?

A) It is the most effective method for establishing a cause-and-effect relationship.
B) It is conducted in a laboratory.
C) It allows random assignment to treatment groups.
D) It is actually a correlational study.