Deck 9: Life Span Development I

Question 1

Differences in age groups that reflect factors unique to a specific age group, rather than being due to developmental changes, are called _____ effects.

A) generational
B) social environmental
C) operational
D) cohort

Answer 1

cohort

Question 2

Which of the following behaviors is NOT influenced by culture?

A) Fifteen-year-old Chou is cooperative and respectful toward his grandparents.
B) Five-year-old Kim believes that her father is just showing his love and concern when he beats her with a switch for not completing her chores.
C) Sixteen-year-old Brant enjoys lively debates with his history teacher.
D) Seventeen-month-old Zahra tried to climb the stairs and fell off the first step.

Answer 2

Seventeen-month-old Zahra tried to climb the stairs and fell off the first step.

Question 3

_____ studies are the most time efficient method, whereas _____ studies provide the most in-depth information per participant.

A) Correlational; experimental
B) Fast-track; follow-up
C) Cross-sectional; longitudinal
D) Cohort-sequential; cohort-intensive

Answer 3

Cross-sectional; longitudinal

Question 4

_____ studies provide more in-depth developmental information.

A) Experimental
B) Follow-up
C) Longitudinal
D) Cohort-intensive

Question 5

Developmental psychology _____.

A) examines growth, maturation, early experiences, and various stages of cognitive, social, and physical development
B) uses a learning theory approach that suggests nature is more important in development than nurture
C) avoids controversial issues by focusing only on what can be proven through research
D) all of these options

Question 6

Today, most psychologists take _____ approach to human development.

A) a nativist
B) an empiricist
C) a dualist
D) an interactionist

Question 7

If a psychologist wanted to compare a group of six-year-old children to a group of ten-year-old children at the same time on recognition memory performance, the psychologist would use the _____ method of data collection.

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

Question 8

The _____ method of developmental data collection follows one person (or a single group of people) over time, and provides information about _____.

A) longitudinal; age changes
B) cross-sectional; age changes
C) cohort; age differences
D) longitudinal; age differences

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a limitation of longitudinal studies?

A) Time and money
B) "Generalizability"
C) Self-selected sample bias
D) Cohort effects

Question 10

Dr. Johan tends to believe in the _____ model of development, which says that changes occur at a relatively uniform pace. Dr. Ziback tends to believe in the _____ model, which says that there are periods of rapid and abrupt change that are separated by periods of very little change.

A) nurturing; natural
B) uniform; stop-start
C) continuity; stage
D) none of these options

Question 11

The study of age-related changes in behavior and mental processes throughout the lifespan is called _____.

A) thanatology
B) neo-gerontology
C) developmental psychology
D) longitudinal psychology

Question 12

"Generalizability" can be a problem in what kind(s) of study/studies?

A) Cross-sectional
B) Longitudinal
C) a nor b
D) a and b

Question 13

The results of a cross-sectional marketing study to determine how age affects people's beliefs about family purchases and financial planning were criticized on the ground that the data was influenced by cohort effects. This means that _____.

A) some of the subjects belonged to ethnic minorities
B) the subjects were self-selected by their friends and neighbors
C) the older groups of subjects lived during the Depression
D) only 63% of the questionnaires were returned

Question 14

If a psychologist was interested in studying the stability of IQ scores over time, she should use the _____ method of data collection.

A) Test-retest
B) Longitudinal
C) Case history
D) Cross-sectional

Question 15

This is a period of special sensitivity to specific types of learning. It also shapes the capacity for future development.

A) Sensitivity period
B) Critical period
C) Specificity stage
D) Tabula rasa stage

Question 16

Which refers to development governed by automatic, genetically predetermined signals?

A) Elaboration
B) Natural progression
C) Maturation
D) Tabula rasa

Question 17

_____ effects are a major problem found in cross-sectional research.

A) Subjective
B) Cohort
C) Objective
D) Longitudinal

Question 18

Assad and Juana believe in stimulating their new baby's senses by playing and singing to her. They also believe it is important to reinforce her curiosity and her attempts to interact with them verbally. It is MOST likely that Assad and Juana believe that _____ is the major contributor to their child's development.

A) nurture
B) sensation training
C) nature
D) maturation

Question 19

If you believe that your personality is developed early and can predict your personality later in life, then you believe in:

A) continuity
B) staging
C) stability
D) nurturing

Question 20

_____ research studies several groups of individuals at various ages, at one point in time, and provides information regarding _____.

A) Longitudinal; age differences
B) Cross-sectional; age differences
C) Longitudinal; age changes
D) Cross-sectional; age changes

Question 21

Using Fantz's "looking chamber," researchers have found that infants prefer _____.

A) complex patterns
B) simple patterns
C) mothers
D) fathers

Question 22

At birth, the sense of ________ is poorly developed.

A) hearing
B) smell
C) touch
D) vision

Question 23

This is the first stage of prenatal development (from conception to implantation), characterized by rapid cell division.

A) Embryonic
B) Fetal stage
C) Critical period
D) Germinal period

Question 24

This refers to biological changes during adolescence that lead to an adult-sized body and sexual maturity.

A) the age of fertility
B) adolescence
C) puberty
D) the adolescent climacteric

Question 25

The first motor movements a newborn exhibits are limited to _____.

A) bowel movements
B) "mewling and puking"
C) fine motor movements
D) reflexes

Question 26

Synaptic pruning refers to the _____ that helps strengthen connection between neurons.

A) decrease in myelinated synapses
B) decrease in the gap between neurons, due to dendrite enlargement
C) reduction of axons
D) natural reduction of unused synapses

Question 27

From implantation through the 8th week, the major body organs and systems develop. This period of pregnancy is called:

A) Embryonic
B) Fetal
C) Zygotic
D) Germinal

Question 28

Jeremy was born with serious heart, face, and finger deformities. He is also showing signs of delayed motor development and lowered intelligence. Jeremy is most likely suffering from _____.

A) DNA syndrome
B) premature birth
C) fetal alcohol syndrome
D) prenatal exposure to nicotine

Question 29

Which of the following is INCORRECTLY matched?

A) Embryonic period: development of major body organs
B) Conception: development of blastocyst
C) Germinal period: ovulation and implantation
D) Fetal period: rapid weight gain and "detailing" of body organs and systems

Question 30

Because myelination of the brain continues until early adulthood, _____ continues to increase as well.

A) neuron generation
B) the speed of neural impulses
C) teratogenesis
D) the blood-brain barrier

Question 31

The germinal period _____.

A) begins with fetal weight gain
B) begins with implantation
C) is the time it takes to germinate your answer to this question
D) begins at fertilization and ends with implantation

Question 32

The use of _____ during pregnancy is most associated with premature birth, low-birth-weight infants, and fetal death.

A) nicotine
B) caffeine
C) aspirin
D) all of these options

Question 33

Which of the following is CORRECT regarding brain development?

A) The weight of an infant's brain is half that of an adult's and it reaches full adult weight by age 16.
B) The number of neurons in the infant brain at birth is about one-eighth the number in the adult brain.
C) Axon and dendrite connections increase.
D) Myelination peaks at age 12.

Question 34

The fetal period lasts from _____.

A) conception to birth
B) implantation to birth
C) implantation to 8 weeks
D) 8 weeks to birth

Question 35

This has been used as an independent variable in infant sensory-perceptual research.

A) Length of visual contact
B) Heart rate changes
C) Sucking rate changes
D) All of these options

Question 36

The first motor movements a newborn exhibits are _____.

A) unimportant for survival
B) innate and voluntary
C) involuntary reflexes elicited by external stimuli
D) all of these options

Question 37

Which of the following sensory systems is MOST poorly developed at birth?

A) Taste
B) Smell
C) Vision
D) Touch

Question 38

Which of the following is NOT true regarding infant sensory and perceptual development?

A) Vision is almost 20/20 at birth.
B) A newborn's sense of pain is highly developed at birth.
C) An infant can recognize, and prefers, its own mother's breast milk by smell.
D) An infant can recognize, and prefers, its own mother's breast milk by taste.

Question 39

Teratogens are _____ that can cause birth defects.

A) DNA fragments
B) environmental agents
C) recessive genes
D) dominant genes

Question 40

Which of the following is TRUE about conception?

A) It is the fertilization of the female egg by the male sperm.
B) The new cell is called an embryo.
C) The blastocyst is no larger than the period at the end of this sentence.
D) All of these options are true

Question 41

Which of the following physical changes is NOT associated with late adulthood?

A) Cardiac output decreases
B) Smell sensitivity increases
C) Blood pressure increases
D) Visual and hearing acuity declines

Question 42

Some employers are reluctant to hire 50- to 60-year-old workers because of a generalized belief that they are prone to illness and will take too much time off. This is an example of _____.

A) discrimination
B) prejudice
C) ageism
D) all of these options

Question 43

Assimilation occurs when new information is _____.

A) adjusted
B) modified
C) absorbed into existing schemas
D) all of these options

Question 44

_____ is the psychological development that occurs during the period between childhood and adulthood.

A) Egocentricism
B) Identity
C) Autonomy
D) Adolescence

Question 45

Primary aging _____.

A) refers to gradual and inevitable changes in physical and mental processes
B) is genetically controlled
C) is the same as secondary aging
D) all of these options

Question 46

Mental speed declines with age, and general information processing and much of memory are largely ___________ by the aging process.

A) affected
B) unaffected
C) reduced
D) slowed

Question 47

Which of the following is NOT a secondary sex characteristic?

A) Development of ovaries
B) Growth of pubic hair
C) Development of breasts
D) Deepening of the voice

Question 48

Accommodation occurs when new information _____.

A) is used "as is"
B) fits into an existing schema
C) results in adjusting old or creating new schemas
D) is taken in and used

Question 49

Mikail eats high fat foods, does not exercise, and smokes cigarettes. These behaviors contribute to Mikail's _____ aging process.

A) programmed
B) primary
C) secondary
D) linear

Question 50

_____ aging results from disease, disuse, or neglect.

A) Primary
B) Secondary
C) Tertiary (third)
D) Physical

Question 51

The clearest and most dramatic physical sign of puberty is __________ and significant changes in reproductive structures and sexual characteristics.

A) menarche for females and spermarche for males
B) the growth spurt
C) primary sex characteristics
D) secondary sex characteristics

Question 52

Cognitive structures that consist of a number of organized ideas that grow and differentiate with experience are called _____.

A) data points
B) thoughts
C) schemas
D) concepts

Question 53

Which of the following is INCORRECT regarding the male climacteric?

A) Men experience a decline in testosterone and sperm production as they age.
B) Men may experience a decline in sexual responsiveness as they age.
C) Men may experience unexpected weight gain and loss of muscle strength at this time.
D) all of these options are correct

Question 54

Humans appear to have a maximum possible lifespan of about _____ years.

A) 70-80
B) 80-90
C) 120
D) 130

Question 55

The Hayflick limit refers to the _____.

A) maximum human life span
B) amount of damage the human heart can sustain
C) genetically controlled maximum number of cell divisions
D) maximum number of times a given immune cell can perform its function

Question 56

This is NOT a normal consequence of aging.

A) Widespread death of neurons
B) A decline in the speed of recall and retrieval
C) A decline in visual and auditory acuity
D) A decline in depth perception

Question 57

Which of the following is INCORRECT regarding menopause?

A) It is the cessation of menstruation.
B) It occurs between the ages of 45 and 55.
C) It is the result of decreases in estrogen production.
D) It is strongly associated with severe mood swings, depression, and loss of sexual interest.

Question 58

Pubic hair, breasts, facial hair, and deepening of the voice are called _____.

A) signs of puberty
B) sexual maturation
C) secondary sex characteristics
D) primary sex characteristics

Question 59

_____ is the onset of menstruation in females; _____ is the first ejaculation in males.

A) Premenstrual syndrome; emission
B) Primary menorrhea; expulsion
C) Menses; premature ejaculation
D) Menarche; spermarche

Question 60

_____ was one of the first scientists to prove that a child's cognitive processes are fundamentally different from an adult's.

A) Baumrind
B) Beck
C) Piaget
D) Elkind

Question 61

Thomas believes he is uniquely invulnerable to the consequences of drinking and driving. His thinking reflects _____.

A) adolescent idiocy
B) the optimism of ignorance
C) the personal fable
D) adolescent psychopathology

Question 62

Extreme forms of self-consciousness and concerns for physical appearance are common in adolescents, who tend to exhibit the early formal operational characteristic called _____.

A) the personal fable
B) adolescent operations
C) the imaginary audience
D) the egocentric fable

Question 63

_____ occurs when existing schemas are used to interpret new information, whereas _____ involves changes and adaptations of the schemas.

A) Adaptation; accommodation
B) Accommodation; assimilation
C) Egocentrism; post schematization
D) Assimilation; accommodation

Question 64

When five-month-old Jessica learns that mommy continues to exist even when she is quietly resting in another room, Jessica has developed _____.

A) sensory permanence
B) perceptual constancy
C) perceptual permanence
D) object permanence

Question 65

An intense investment in one's own thoughts and feelings, which are believed to be unique, is MOST characteristic of _____.

A) an imaginary audience
B) a personal fable
C) hypothetical thinking
D) adolescent operationalism

Question 66

Which is associated with Piaget's sensorimotor stage?

A) two to seven years of age
B) animistic thinking
C) Egocentrism
D) Object permanence

Question 67

If a child refers to a pig as a "doggie," that child is _____ the pig into an existing cognitive structure.

A) encompassing
B) assimilating
C) operationalizing
D) accommodating

Question 68

When a child learns that a truck is different from a car, even though both have four wheels and a metal body, _____ has occurred.

A) an adaptation
B) accommodation
C) an association
D) assimilation

Question 69

Which is associated with Piaget's preoperational stage?

A) Object permanence
B) Egocentric thinking
C) infancy and toddlerhood
D) formal logic

Question 70

_____ is the ability to understand that certain physical characteristics remain unchanged, even when their outward appearance changes.

A) A sensory operation
B) A formal operation
C) Conservation
D) Stability

Question 71

The four stages of Piaget's cognitive development model are _____.

A) assimilation, accommodation, adaptation, and association
B) sensorimotor, concrete operational, preoperational, and formal
C) sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational
D) sensorimotor, precognitive, operational, and abstract operational

Question 72

Adolescent egocentrism is BEST characterized by _____.

A) a personal fable and an imaginary audience
B) sexual fantasies
C) a belief that they are smarter than all adults
D) a belief that they are the best at everything

Question 73

The personal fable of adolescence is a result of _____ differentiation from others, while the imaginary audience of adolescence is a result of _____ differentiation from others.

A) too much; too little
B) too little; too much
C) overt; covert
D) covert; overt

Question 74

Mitzy said, "The car wants to go to the park." Mitzy's attribution of motivation to the car is called _____.

A) animistic thinking
B) animated egocentrism
C) primitive logic
D) overextension

Question 75

The preoperational belief that all things are alive and have intentions, motivations, and feelings is called _____.

A) fantasy
B) imaginary processing
C) object animation
D) animistic thinking

Question 76

When a typist changes from a conventional typewriter to a word processor, his typing schema will have to _____ in order to incorporate the new techniques needed for the new equipment.

A) assimilate
B) differentiate
C) accommodate
D) recapitulate

Question 77

Once a child can perform mental operations on tangible objects and events, and understand the principles of conservation and reversibility, she has reached Piaget's _____ stage.

A) post-operational
B) operational
C) formal operational
D) concrete operational

Question 78

The ability to think abstractly or hypothetically occurs in Piaget's _____ stage.

A) egocentric
B) post-operational
C) formal operational
D) concrete operational

Question 79

_____ refers to a young child's inability to experience anyone else's point of view.

A) Egocentrism
B) Social egoism
C) Ethnocentrism
D) Ego-fantasy

Question 80

Tesia said, "The rain quit falling because I wanted to go out to play." This is an example of _____, which indicates that Tesia is in the _____ of cognitive development.

A) animism; sensorimotor stage
B) subjective permanence; preoperational
C) egocentrism; preoperational stage
D) conservation; concrete operational stage