Deck 2: Theories of Development

Question 1

A set of interrelated statements that provides an explanation for a class of events is called a:

A) conjecture
B) observation
C) empirical set
D) theory

Answer 1

theory

Question 2

All of the following are true about a theory EXCEPT:

A) it allows us to organize our observations
B) it allows us to see relationships among facts
C) it proves that events occur for the reasons stated
D) it stimulates inquiry as we search for knowledge

Answer 2

it proves that events occur for the reasons stated

Question 3

The theory most closely related to the view that personality is fashioned progressively as the individual passes through various psychosexual stages is:

A) psychoanalytic theory
B) sexual stage theory
C) fixation theory
D) growth theory

Answer 3

psychoanalytic theory

Question 4

The theory that human behavior arises out of a struggle between societal prohibitions and the instinctual drives associated with sex and aggression is attributed to:

A) B. F. Skinner
B) Sigmund Freud
C) Erik Erikson
D) Urie Bronfenbrenner

Question 5

Marietta is unable to sustain a lasting, meaningful romantic relationship. Seeking help, she visits a psychologist who probes her to elaborate on her childhood experiences. The psychologist is using an approach based upon:

A) psychosocial theory
B) ecological theory
C) psychoanalytic theory
D) talk therapy

Question 6

The theory that stresses the role of unconscious motivation on behavior is most closely associated with:

A) Piaget's learning theory
B) Freud's psychosexual theory
C) B. F. Skinner's learning theory
D) Bandura's social learning theory

Question 7

According to Freud, the phase when children suppress most of their sexual feelings and are more interested in play and same-sex friendships is called:

A) oral
B) anal
C) phallic
D) latency

Question 8

According to Freudian theory, the tendency to stay at a particular stage is called:

A) latency
B) fixation
C) lingering
D) repression

Question 9

Freud's theories have been critiqued on the basis of:

A) an underdeveloped explanation for human behavior
B) dismissing the importance of childhood experience
C) the lack of definite stages
D) explanations that are based solely on adult patients

Question 10

The correct chronological sequence of psychosexual stages is:

A) oral, phallic, genital, latency, anal
B) oral, phallic, anal, latency, genital
C) oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
D) oral, anal, genital, latency, phallic

Question 11

Which theory is Erik Erikson most associated with?

A) learning theory
B) ecological theory
C) psychosexual theory
D) psychosocial theory

Question 12

Erikson's theory differs from Freud's because it:

A) states that personality develops over the life span
B) is not a stage theory
C) dismisses the importance of sexual influences
D) emphasizes the importance of adulthood over childhood

Question 13

Erikson's developmental tasks are referred to as:

A) psychomotor stages
B) psychosexual stages
C) psychosocial stages
D) social-behavioral stages

Question 14

Erikson himself referred to the developmental tasks in his model as:

A) critical stages
B) opportunities
C) crises
D) turning points

Question 15

Erikson believed that each part of the personality has a particular time in the life span when it must develop (if it is to develop at all). If a particular stage of development is not completed the stages that should follow it will be hindered. This is based on the:

A) epigenetic principle
B) compliance principle
C) dependency theory
D) resolution theory

Question 16

According to Erikson's theory, a person first establishes a sense of trust during which stage?

A) infancy
B) late childhood
C) adolescence
D) early childhood

Question 17

Sherry is 4 ½ years old and loves to play with the remote controls for the TV and DVD player as well as with her toys. Her kindergarten teacher reports that Sherry always follows the teacher's directions and often helps to explain to her classmates why they are engaging in activities like lining up for lunch time. According to Erikson's theory, Sherry is successfully going through which stage of development?

A) trust vs. Mistrust
B) autonomy vs. shame and doubt
C) initiative vs. Guilt
D) industry vs. Inferiority

Question 18

10-year-old Robert is curious about how cars work. Whenever his father makes repairs to the family car Robert is on hand to be the "assistant mechanic." According to Erikson's theory, Robert is in the stage of:

A) trust vs. mistrust
B) autonomy vs. shame and doubt
C) initiative vs. guilt
D) industry vs. Inferiority

Question 19

Connie has just completed college and has found a position as an elementary school teacher. She and her boyfriend Mark are talking about getting married in a few years. According to Erikson's theory, Connie is in which stage of development?

A) identity vs. identity confusion
B) intimacy vs. isolation
C) generativity vs. stagnation
D) integrity vs. despair

Question 20

John is retired from a career in the army. He often looks at his medals and photographs from the places he had been stationed. He talks fondly about "the old days" with anyone who will listen. According to Erikson's theory, John is probably in which stage of development?

A) identity vs. identity confusion
B) intimacy vs. isolation
C) generativity vs. stagnation
D) integrity vs. despair

Question 21

Emotions have not been researched with the same vigor as cognition until recently because:

A) Freud did not think emotions were important
B) Descartes believed the body and mind are one
C) emotions are hard to quantify and measure
D) cross-cultural studies revealed that emotions vary too much by culture to study accurately

Question 22

The theory that is concerned with the observable behavior of people-in contrast with introspection-based theory-is called:

A) psychoanalytic
B) cognitive
C) behavioral
D) humanistic

Question 23

The units that behavioral theorists have divided behavior into are called:

A) units of analysis
B) responses
C) reflexes
D) stimuli

Question 24

Behavioral theorists divide the environment into units called:

A) responses
B) units of analysis
C) reflexes
D) stimuli

Question 25

Another name for behavioral theory is:

A) learning theory
B) reaction theory
C) response theory
D) humanistic theory

Question 26

The process of stimulus substitution in which a new, previously neutral stimulus is substituted for the stimulus that naturally elicits a response is called:

A) stimulus response
B) operant conditioning
C) stimulus conditioning
D) classical conditioning

Question 27

Marisol is very bright with a tested IQ of 135. She likes school despite the fact that her first-grade teacher was very strict and punished students who failed tests by denying privileges such as play time. Marisol is a good student, but when she knows that a test will be given at school, she wakes up on those days with a headache and nausea. A behaviorist would argue that Marisol's reaction could be the result of:

A) classical conditioning
B) operant conditioning
C) substitution anxiety
D) test anxiety

Question 28

On a visit to Sea Spectacular, an outdoor aquarium, your nephew notices that each time a dolphin performs a trick it is rewarded with a fish. You have read the brochure that explains that the dolphins are trained this way to ensure that they will continue to perform the tricks for several performances each day. This is an example of:

A) classical conditioning
B) operant conditioning
C) stimulus response
D) response conditioning

Question 29

A real estate company offers cash bonuses to salespeople who exceed the company's monthly quotas for home sales. These bonuses are an example of what behaviorists would call:

A) response rewards
B) coerced stimulation
C) reinforcement
D) response feedback

Question 30

An approach that applies learning theory and experimental psychology to altering maladaptive behavior is called:

A) response feedback
B) behavior modification
C) experimental learning
D) behavior adjustment

Question 31

Behavior modification uses:

A) rewards only
B) punishments only
C) both rewards and punishments
D) neither rewards nor punishments

Question 32

Marisa is trying to break the habit of biting her nails. She buys a product designed to be painted on the nails that has a bitter taste. She uses this product and also bought herself two bottles of nail polish that she liked. Marisa is using what technique to stop biting her nails?

A) adaptive strategies
B) taste training
C) discipline
D) behavior modification

Question 33

An approach in psychology that maintains that humans are different from all other organisms in that they actively intervene in the course of events to control their destinies and shape the world around them is known as:

A) humanistic psychology
B) control psychology
C) destiny psychology
D) naturalistic psychology

Question 34

The term self-actualization means:

A) recognizing the self as all-important
B) realizing one's potential to the fullest
C) being ostracized for selfishness
D) realizing the boundaries between self and others

Question 35

In contrast to psychoanalysis and behavior modification, humanistic psychology is:

A) more pessimistic
B) more self-directed
C) less focused on building self-esteem
D) less focused on improving the human condition

Question 36

Which theory of development focuses on sensation, perception, imagery, retention, recall, problem solving, reasoning, and thinking?

A) psychoanalytic theory
B) learning theory
C) cognitive theory
D) sociocultural theory

Question 37

Piaget put forth the idea that development occurs in sequential periods of growth or maturing of an individual's ability to think. This is called:

A) maturational stages of development
B) thinking stages of development
C) cognitive stages of development
D) perceptual stages of development

Question 38

Which statement does NOT reflect the ideas of Piaget?

A) Children's thoughts are miniature versions of adults' thoughts.
B) As children grow up, the form of their thought changes.
C) A child operates from a different mental framework than an adult.
D) Children adapt by constructing mental frameworks called schemas.

Question 39

In Piaget's theory, cognitive structures that people evolve for dealing with specific kinds of situations in their environments are known as:

A) concepts
B) models
C) schemas
D) cognitive strategies

Question 40

The process of taking in new information and interpreting it so that it conforms to a currently held model of the world is what Piaget termed:

A) confirmation
B) accommodation
C) inference making
D) assimilation

Question 41

The process of changing one's schema to make it match the world of reality better is what Piaget termed:

A) modification
B) accommodation
C) schematization
D) assimilation

Question 42

When the processes of accommodation and assimilation are in balance, it is known as ______________ according to Piaget.

A) equilibrium
B) stasis
C) schema balance
D) disequilibrium

Question 43

When the ball that 9-month-old Reggie was playing with rolls under the bed he begins searching for it in the direction that it rolled. According to Piaget's stages of development, which stage corresponds to Reggie's behavior?

A) sensorimotor
B) preoperational
C) concrete operations
D) formal operations

Question 44

Five-year-old Nora is excited to see that it is starting to snow. She exclaims, "Wow, it's snowing so that I can make a snowman!" This kind of egocentric thinking is related to which of Piaget's stages of development?

A) sensorimotor
B) preoperational
C) concrete operations
D) formal operations

Question 45

Eight-year-old Margie is watching her little brother Harry play with clay. When Harry takes the lump of clay and rolls it into a "snake," he comments, "Look, I made it bigger." Margie replies, "No silly, it's the same amount of clay; you just stretched it." Margie's reasoning reflects which of Piaget's stages of development?

A) sensorimotor
B) preoperational
C) concrete operations
D) formal operations

Question 46

Presented with the following riddle: "Green is stop and red is ___________?" Billy answers, "Go." He is displaying which of Piaget's stages of development?

A) sensorimotor
B) preoperational
C) concrete operations
D) formal operations

Question 47

When a person learns how to respond to something that he or she has not yet encountered from observing someone else's response, this is called:

A) cognitive learning
B) behavioral learning
C) imitative learning
D) response skipping

Question 48

Two-year-old Amina sees a cat for the first time. After watching her mother stroke the cat's back, Amina begins to stroke the cat's back, too. This is an example of:

A) danger avoidance learning
B) enculturation
C) cognitive learning
D) experiential learning

Question 49

The theory developed by Urie Bronfenbrenner that centers on the relationship between the developing individual and the changing environmental systems is known as:

A) environmental theory
B) ecological theory
C) relational theory
D) systems theory

Question 50

All of the following statements are true concerning the ecological theory of development EXCEPT:

A) It relies on clinical settings to get at the roots of individuals' behaviors.
B) It seeks to capture the effects of change over time.
C) It looks at the individual and the environment.
D) Cultural, political, and religious values contribute to an understanding of development.

Question 51

Which research design would be best suited to the ecological approach to understanding human development?

A) experimental
B) cross-sectional
C) social survey
D) longitudinal

Question 52

Millie and her brother are being raised by their grandmother. Millie's grandmother and brother comprise her:

A) mesosystem
B) microsystem
C) macrosystem
D) exosystem

Question 53

The idea that human development has a specifically historical charter-that it is affected by where and when a person grows up-is associated with which theory of development?

A) behavioral theory
B) psychoanalytic theory
C) psychosocial theory
D) sociocultural theory

Question 54

The person associated with developing the sociocultural theory of development is:

A) Kurt Lewin
B) Urie Bronfenbrenner
C) Lev Vygotsky
D) Erik Erikson

Question 55

Vygotsky's sociocultural theory states that mental functions are facilitated primarily by ____________, and that those functions are anchored in interpersonal relationships.

A) language
B) emotions
C) activity
D) physical function

Question 56

An approach which allows psychologists to choose from various theories and models is called:

A) organic
B) eclectic
C) mechanistic
D) holistic

Question 57

A model that says development produces smooth, gradual, and incremental change is the _______________ model.

A) organismic
B) organic
C) particle
D) mechanistic

Question 58

A model that focuses on the whole and the ways in which the whole is greater than the sum of its parts is a(n) ______________ model.

A) organismic
B) holistic
C) mechanistic
D) organic

Question 59

The organismic model views a human being as:

A) a physical object, inherently passive
B) a structured whole, inherently active
C) machine-like, but also disorganized
D) disorganized and inherently passive

Question 60

Which view sees development as a smooth, gradual process that produces incremental change?

A) continuity
B) discontinuity
C) eclectic
D) mechanical

Question 61

Which view sees development as similar to metamorphosis, where change is abrupt and constitutes a difference of kind rather than a difference of degree?

A) continuity
B) discontinuity
C) eclectic
D) organic

Question 62

Psychologists who object to the heredity vs. environment debate do so on the basis that:

A) heredity is primary and is responsible for all observable traits
B) environment is primary and is responsible for all observable traits
C) heredity and environment interact to influence observable traits
D) some traits are due to heredity and others are due to environment

Question 63

In seeking to answer the question "How much influence do environment and heredity have on behavior?" a psychologist would choose which of the following scenarios as the most appropriate design?

A) siblings raised together
B) fraternal twins raised apart
C) identical twins raised together
D) identical twins raised apart

Question 64

Anne Anastasi believed that some hereditary contributions such as physical attributes are direct while others such as stereotypes attached to physical characteristics are indirect. This is representative of what she termed the:

A) continuum of indirectness
B) social stereotypifying bias
C) biological determinism
D) hereditary bias

Question 65

A field of study that focuses on individual differences and seeks to answer why individuals within a species exhibit different behaviors is called:

A) genetic behaviorism
B) behavioral genetics
C) differential genetics
D) differential behaviorism

Question 66

Kagan's studies on timidity indicate all of the following EXCEPT:

A) Shyness during childhood can affect the course of adult life.
B) Over 50 percent of all children are predisposed to shyness.
C) Shy biological parents are likely to have shy children.
D) Researchers can detect physical responses in shy subjects to mildly stressful situations.

Question 67

Scientists who study the behavior patterns of organisms from a biological point of view and believe that babies are biologically preadapted with certain behaviors to elicit caring behaviors in adults are known as:

A) human ecologists
B) ethnographers
C) ethologists
D) bio-behaviorists

Question 68

Marie loves her baby niece Fiona because of her tiny fingers, big brown eyes, and cute smile. When Fiona cries Marie always responds by picking her up to soothe her. Fiona's behaviors and characteristics are examples of what ethologists call:

A) the cuteness quotient
B) releasing stimuli
C) infant survival techniques
D) responsive stimuli

Question 69

Konrad Lorenz showed that baby ducks will follow the first moving object they see even if it is not the mother duck. This behavior is so resistant to change that it appears innate. This is called:

A) following
B) critical instinct
C) imprinting
D) bonding period

Question 70

What are the major similarities and differences between Freud's psychoanalytical theory of development and Erikson's theory of development?

Question 71

Explain the differences between behavioral theory and humanistic theory.

Question 72

Briefly describe Piaget's contribution to developmental studies.

Question 73

Briefly describe Vygotsky's contribution to developmental studies.