Deck 2: Studying Child Development

Question 1

The method of collecting data in which observations of naturally occurring behaviors are observed in real-life settings is called

A) pseudo-experimental observation.
B) naturalistic observation.
C) preservatory observation.
D) setting-dependent observation.

Answer 1

B

Question 2

If a test has high ________ reliability,it should yield similar results on two testing occasions;if a test has high ________ reliability,two or more observers should agree about what they are seeing.

A) test;retest
B) test-retest;intra-rater
C) test-retest;inter-rater
D) operational;functional

Answer 2

C

Question 3

The scientific method dictates that theories must be revised or elaborated as new observations confirm or refute them.This means that

A) theories should be modified directly after obtaining one set of disconfirming data.
B) theories are modified only as the researchers who implement them go on to other research areas.
C) theories should be modified after a good amount of evidence calls for different predictions than those provided by the original theory.
D) theories are not useful for fueling new research efforts.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

________ is a type of study that allows for the recording of behaviors as they occur within a situation constructed by the experimenter.

A) Structured observation
B) Structured interview
C) Constructed observation
D) Fabricated observation

Question 5

Whitney decided to observe Mrs.Henshaw's third-grade class to determine how the subject matter was related to children's participation in class discussions.However,the first couple of times Whitney sat in on Mrs.Henshaw's class,the children were unusually quiet and reluctant to answer Mrs.Henshaw's questions.This is an example of ________,a notable problem with naturalistic observation.

A) observer interference
B) observer bias
C) participant reactivity
D) experimenter bias

Question 6

The use of objective,measurable,and repeatable techniques to gather information is called

A) research.
B) the scientific method.
C) research design.
D) operational validity.

Question 7

In a naturalistic observation,the researcher tries to

A) record instances of specific behaviors in situations constructed by the researcher.
B) obtain physiological measures in response to changes in stimuli.
C) determine the effects of manipulated variables on a behavior of interest.
D) observe and record behaviors of interest from a natural series of events in the real world.

Question 8

Angela administered the same personality test on two separate occasions to the same person,but she got very different results the second time.It is likely that Angela's test

A) does not have high validity.
B) does not have high test-retest reliability.
C) has high inter-rater reliability.
D) has no operationally defined variables.

Question 9

The specification of a variable in terms of measurable properties is called

A) the validating assumption.
B) the reliable assumption.
C) the operational definition.
D) variable fixation.

Question 10

Dr.Gupta has performed an experiment based on his theory that children cannot see in color for the first four months of their lives.Using a discrimination task,Gupta finds that children are able to distinguish between two colors that appear to be the same when photographed in black and white.Based on his evidence and the dictates of the scientific method,Dr.Gupta must

A) completely disregard his original theory.
B) completely ignore his new findings because he knows his theory is correct.
C) consider that his original theory may be erroneous,try to replicate his current findings,and revise his theory accordingly.
D) call all of his colleagues who share his view on the theory and inform them that they too are mistaken.

Question 11

In Clara's honors research project on the effect of video games on aggression in children,the measure of aggression was the number of times physical contact occurred among the children being observed.Clara's measure of aggression is an example of

A) the operational definition of a variable.
B) the validity of a measure.
C) the reliability of a measure.
D) a control variable.

Question 12

The tendency of individuals who know they are under observation to alter their natural behavior is termed

A) participant reactivity.
B) observer bias.
C) observer reactivity.
D) participant bias.

Question 13

Which of the following is a limitation of the naturalistic observation method of data collection?

A) Behavior cannot be adequately measured in a natural setting.
B) The unusual setting often leads to artificial behavior.
C) A multitude of methods are more appropriate for observing the behaviors of children.
D) A lack of experimental control makes the results difficult to interpret.

Question 14

What is the key purpose of operationally defining a variable?

A) A variable must be defined before one can determine if it is an independent variable or a dependent variable.
B) A variable cannot provide correlational information until it is operationally defined.
C) A variable must be defined in terms of unique measurement procedures that lend themselves to only one statistical test.
D) A variable must be defined in terms of precise measurement procedures that other researchers can use if they wish to repeat the study.

Question 15

One advantage of naturalistic observation is that

A) this type of research never violates ethical guidelines.
B) researchers can see the events and behaviors that precede the target behaviors they are recording.
C) researchers can directly manipulate variables of interest.
D) the researcher can determine cause-and-effect relationships between variables of interest.

Question 16

________ is the degree to which an assessment procedure actually measures the variable under consideration.

A) Independence
B) Dependence
C) Validity
D) Reliability

Question 17

Alisha and John conducted a study to determine how children pay attention to different television programs.After scoring the videos separately,Alisha's scores were very different from John's scores,indicating

A) low test-retest reliability.
B) high test-retest validity.
C) low inter-rater reliability.
D) high inter-rater validity.

Question 18

________ is the degree to which a measure will yield the same results if administered repeatedly.

A) Validity
B) Reliability
C) Independence
D) Dependence

Question 19

Jamal wants to study children's everyday interactions with their peers at school without directly asking them any questions or being involved in their activities.Jamal will be conducting a(n)

A) structured observation.
B) unstructured observation.
C) naturalistic observation.
D) intrusive observation.

Question 20

If a self-report measure and a trained observer measure of the same behavior differ from one another,one test might not be as ________ a measure of that behavior as the other test.

A) valid
B) reliable
C) sensitive
D) scientific

Question 21

Regression analysis is a correlation-based statistical technique that allows researchers to make predictions about ________ variables based on one or more ________ variables.

A) negative;positive
B) positive;negative
C) outcome;predictor
D) predictor;outcome

Question 22

A study that assesses whether changes in one variable are accompanied by systematic changes in another variable is called a

A) relational study.
B) correlational study.
C) joint occurrence investigation.
D) bimodal investigation.

Question 23

A set of standardized questions administered to participants in written form that requires written responses is called a

A) questionnaire.
B) concrete interview.
C) structured interview.
D) paper-and-pencil test.

Question 24

The major advantage to structured observation is the fact that

A) researchers can devise a controlled setting for the purpose of eliciting the behavior(s)of interest.
B) researchers can observe child behavior in its most pristine form.
C) researchers are guaranteed the ability to draw causal conclusions.
D) researchers can draw only correlational inferences.

Question 25

When ________ are conducted in the laboratory,it is possible to record physiological measures,such as heart rate and brain waves,which can be very useful in studying ________ because their range of overt responses is more limited.

A) naturalistic observations;infants
B) naturalistic observations;adults
C) structured observations;infants
D) structured observations;adults

Question 26

One disadvantage of structured observations is that

A) the researcher has little or no control over the variable of interest.
B) only a limited number of behaviors can be investigated.
C) a wide range of variables may be influencing the behavior under study.
D) children may not react in the laboratory as they would in real life.

Question 27

A ________ is a relationship in which changes in one variable are accompanied by systematic changes in another variable in the same direction.

A) correlation
B) positive correlation
C) negative correlation
D) causal correlation

Question 28

Instead of manipulating variables,in a ________ the investigator obtains measures of two or more characteristics of the participants and determines whether changes in one variable are accompanied by changes in the other.

A) naturalistic observation
B) structured observation
C) correlational study
D) meta-analysis

Question 29

The ________ is the statistic used to describe the strength of the relationship between two variables and its value ranges between ________.

A) quasi-correlation;-1.00 and 0
B) quasi-correlation;-1.00 and 1.00
C) correlation coefficient;-1.00 and 1.00
D) correlation coefficient;1.00 and -1.00

Question 30

Sometimes children do not behave naturally in a laboratory.The best solution to this problem is to confirm the results

A) of laboratory studies with other structured setting results.
B) by conducting similar studies in children's natural environments.
C) using a questionnaire that participant's parents complete.
D) by running the same experiment in the same laboratory setting repeatedly and using the same subjects.

Question 31

The statistical examination of a large body of existing research results with the goal of assessing the effect of the common central variable is called a

A) correlational study.
B) weighted analysis.
C) grouped examination.
D) meta-analysis.

Question 32

________ is a serious consideration when using interview and questionnaire methods with children,who tend to answer according to what they think the right answer should be in order to be seen in a more favorable light.

A) Reliability
B) Validity
C) Rapport
D) Parental consent

Question 33

A researcher who wants to obtain data from a large number of children simultaneously would probably use the

A) clinical method.
B) structured interview method.
C) questionnaire method.
D) correlational design.

Question 34

Which of the following describes a negative correlation?

A) As the number of reinforcers for a child's inappropriate behavior decreases,the frequency of inappropriate behavior decreases.
B) As the time spent playing with a child per day increases,the number of crying episodes per day decreases.
C) The greater the number of hours that have passed since the last meal,the hungrier a child gets.
D) A child's weight increases as her or his height increases.

Question 35

In Dr.Brennan's research,if the value of one variable began to decrease as the value of the other variable began to decrease,this would indicate a ________ correlation.

A) causal
B) reliable
C) negative
D) positive

Question 36

The ________ of the correlation coefficient indicates the direction of the relationship,and the ________ of the correlation coefficient indicates the strength of the relationship.

A) sign;number value
B) number value;lag
C) skew;size
D) size;lag

Question 37

When performing a meta-analysis,Dr.Ford

A) can be sure that the central variable was defined identically in each study.
B) cannot be sure that the central variable was defined identically in each study.
C) can perform adequate computations from select studies in that particular area.
D) does not need to transcribe the original sets of statistical figures.

Question 38

Dr.Liu was interested in studying children's reactions to an adult stealing candy from another adult's desk.To ensure that the same scenario would occur for all subjects,Dr.Liu hired two research assistants to act and she set up a faux reception area next to a play area in her laboratory so she could conduct a(n)

A) structured observation.
B) unstructured observation.
C) naturalistic observation.
D) intrusive observation.

Question 39

In meta-analyses,studies that do not present their data in the form necessary for analysis

A) may have to be eliminated from the pool of studies.
B) are always included in tables at the end of the paper.
C) are readily converted so as to be included in the analyses.
D) should not prevent the experimenter from continuing as planned.

Question 40

A limitation of the questionnaire as a method of gathering information on children's knowledge is that

A) its interpretation is likely to be influenced by the biases of the researcher who is scoring the responses.
B) difficulties with understanding the questions may cause the children to answer them inaccurately.
C) a long period of time is needed to collect enough data to make the interpretation of the results meaningful.
D) it requires a considerable amount of time to score.

Question 41

Researchers must be careful about making statements of cause and effect with respect to correlational studies because

A) correlational studies cannot be tested for significance.
B) correlational designs do not follow the scientific method.
C) correlation coefficients are not recognized as real statistics.
D) correlational studies do not allow the active manipulation of variables.

Question 42

For her dissertation,Emily is interested in examining the effects of maternal alcohol consumption on the behavior of newborn infants.For ethical reasons,Emily cannot manipulate the amount of alcohol consumed by pregnant mothers;therefore,she should

A) conduct an experiment with randomly selected mothers and their infants.
B) abandon this research topic and choose some other topic to investigate.
C) conduct a correlational study with alcoholic mothers and their infants.
D) conduct a single-subject study with one volunteer mother and her infant.

Question 43

Dr.Kelly was interested in examining the effects of high and low quality after-school programs on children's social competence.Since the children were already attending their respective programs when the project began,Dr.Kelly had to take advantage of the natural separation of the participants into different groups and conduct a

A) quasi-experiment.
B) meta-analysis.
C) naturalistic observation.
D) structured observation.

Question 44

In the experimental design,the ________ variable is suspected of causing a change in the ________ variable.

A) dependent;independent
B) independent;dependent
C) independent;control
D) dependent;control

Question 45

A study in which the experimental manipulations are carried out in a natural setting is called a

A) naturalistic observation.
B) field experiment.
C) structured observation.
D) meta-analysis.

Question 46

The use of the principles of chance to assign participants to treatment and control groups for the purpose of avoiding systematic bias is called

A) randomization.
B) random assignment.
C) random dispersion.
D) random variability.

Question 47

The research method in which one or more independent variables are manipulated to determine the effects on other dependent variables is called

A) experimental design.
B) scientific method.
C) correlational design.
D) variable design.

Question 48

A(n)________ follows only one or a few participants over a period of time,with an emphasis on the systematic collection of data.

A) correlational study
B) interview
C) single-case design
D) case study

Question 49

A ________ is a study in which the assignment of participants to experimental groups is determined by their natural experiences.

A) field experiment
B) meta-analysis
C) quasi-experiment
D) structured observation

Question 50

The ________ variable is manipulated by the experimenter and is suspected of causing a change in another variable.

A) control
B) random
C) dependent
D) independent

Question 51

When a researcher conducts a quasi-experiment,he or she must be careful how the results are interpreted because

A) participants are not randomly assigned to conditions.
B) participant reactivity is a problem in quasi-experimental designs.
C) there are very few statistical tests to accommodate the data from quasi-experimental designs.
D) the researcher has too much freedom to manipulate the independent variable(s).

Question 52

"Clean" answers about the cause of development can be obtained by studies employing the experimental design because

A) the results are more easily applied to real life.
B) it provides a broad portrait of child development.
C) the experiments are less likely to violate ethical guidelines.
D) cause-and-effect relationships between the variables can be identified.

Question 53

One problem often noted about the experimental method is that

A) the behavior of the child in the laboratory may not reflect real-world behavior.
B) it is difficult to assign participants to conditions randomly.
C) cause-and-effect relationships cannot be determined.
D) the independent variable often cannot be manipulated.

Question 54

A(n)________ is an in-depth description of psychological characteristics and behaviors of an individual,often in the form of a narrative.

A) correlational study
B) interview
C) single-case design
D) case study

Question 55

Researchers who conduct ________ must be very concerned with ruling out alternative explanations for their findings,due to the natural separation between groups.

A) experimental studies
B) causal studies
C) quasi-experiments
D) qualitative studies

Question 56

Dr.Peters conducted a study to examine the effects of family income on the types of attachments that infants form with their primary caregivers.Because the participants were not randomly assigned to groups,Dr.Peters

A) cannot conduct any informative statistical analyses.
B) must redo the study with randomly assigned groups.
C) cannot conduct a quasi-experiment.
D) must be cautious when interpreting the results of his study.

Question 57

Field experiments are conducted when the researcher is concerned with

A) the likelihood of recruiting enough subjects to come to the laboratory to participate in an experiment.
B) the need to determine the causes of the behavior of interest.
C) the length of time it would take to complete an experiment.
D) the child's ability to respond normally to a manipulation in an artificial laboratory situation.

Question 58

When two or more groups are present in an experimental design,and in order to help avoid any systematic variation other than that caused by the independent variable on the behavior of interest,the researcher

A) randomly assigns participants to groups.
B) provides a different independent variable for each group.
C) measures a different dependent variable for each group.
D) assigns the same subjects to all groups.

Question 59

In random assignment,the group that receives no treatment is called the ________ group.

A) dependent variable
B) experimental
C) causal
D) control

Question 60

Professor Brown conducted an experiment to determine if high-carbohydrate diets influence preschool children's activity levels.In this experiment,the children's diets are the ________ variable and the children's activity levels are the ________ variable.

A) dependent;independent
B) independent;dependent
C) random;control
D) continuous;discontinuous

Question 61

The research approach that includes observations of behavior within the natural environment and interviews with individuals about values and practices within their culture refers to which of the following types of research?

A) Case studies
B) Field experiments
C) Clinical interview
D) Ethnography

Question 62

Which of the following is not a method that is utilized specifically for assessing developmental change over time?

A) Cross-cultural
B) Cross-sectional
C) Longitudinal
D) Sequential

Question 63

Developmental psychologists who make use of the sequential study for assessing developmental change hope to

A) combine the advantages of longitudinal and cross-sectional designs.
B) eliminate the possibility of a cohort effect.
C) eliminate the possibility of an age-history confound.
D) conduct a study in the shortest possible time.

Question 64

Variations in aspects of psychological development across cultures imply that

A) there are no biological similarities across cultures.
B) experiential differences play a large role in the development of those psychological attributes.
C) biological differences play a large role in the development of those psychological attributes.
D) the study was not conducted properly by experimenters.

Question 65

In a ____ study,the investigator examines individuals of different ages at the same point in time.

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

Question 66

In cross-cultural studies,if an observer is an outsider to the cultural group being observed,he or she may provoke atypical behaviors.This is similar to the problem of

A) participant reactivity.
B) observer bias.
C) culture confound.
D) universal anxiety.

Question 67

Kambe administered a memory test to a group of two-year-olds,a group of four-year-olds,and a group of six-year-olds in the same week.This is an example of a

A) longitudinal study.
B) quasi-experimental design.
C) sequential study.
D) cross-sectional study.

Question 68

A disadvantage of the single-case design is that

A) researchers are limited in their ability to generalize to a larger group of children.
B) participants cannot be exposed to different treatment conditions.
C) participants must serve as their own control.
D) only one child or a few children can be observed over the course of the experiment.

Question 69

An investigation that tracks groups of children of different ages over a period of time,usually a few years,is called a(n)

A) extended observation.
B) sequential study.
C) longitudinal study.
D) cross-sectional observation.

Question 70

________ are characteristics shared by individuals growing up in a given sociohistorical context that can influence developmental outcomes.

A) Cohort effects
B) Age-history confounds
C) Agemate reliability
D) Socio-linked attributes

Question 71

A(n)________ study compares individuals in different cultural contexts.

A) cross-sectional
B) sociohistorical
C) evolutionary
D) cross-cultural

Question 72

Despite challenges,the ________ approach is increasingly becoming part of the arsenal of methods used to study developmental change.

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

Question 73

In a study of moral development,two groups of children (age three years and age six years)were tested repeatedly for four years.This is an example of a ________ study.

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

Question 74

Which of the following is not a disadvantage of longitudinal studies?

A) Participants may get better at taking the tests over time.
B) There is the possibility of an age-history confound.
C) There is the possibility of a cohort effect.
D) They can be rather costly.

Question 75

Ethnography,a particular type of cross-cultural research,is best used to meet which goal?

A) Comparing the similarities and differences of children from various cultural backgrounds.
B) Proving that the aspects of one's culture cause certain behaviors to develop in children.
C) Understanding behaviors and meaning within the context of that particular culture.
D) Preventing participants from reacting abnormally during the study due to the researcher's presence.

Question 76

One problem with cross-cultural research studies is that they

A) must always conclude that similar behavior found in children of different cultures must be biologically determined.
B) can never conclude that similar behavior found in children of different cultures may be biologically determined.
C) can never be of much benefit to developmental psychologists.
D) must make certain that the tasks given to children from different cultures are equated with respect to language and the type of task used.

Question 77

Jones administered a memory test to a single group of children when they were two and four years old,and she is planning to give the test to the children a third time when they are six years of age.Dr.Jones is conducting a

A) chronological study.
B) sequential study.
C) longitudinal study.
D) cross-sectional study.

Question 78

The ________ is the co-occurrence of historical factors with changes in age that affects the ability to determine the results of a longitudinal study.

A) cohort effect
B) era-specific confound
C) age-history confound
D) cohort-era effect

Question 79

Dr.Abel lived with in a small village in Western Kenya for two years while studying how young children interacted with their peers.He participated in many aspects of village life,including school and family events,and was frequently seen observing children at play.What type of research was Dr.Abel conducting?

A) Ethnographic
B) Experimental
C) Sequential
D) Cross-Sectional

Question 80

In ________ the emphasis is on the systematic collection of data,whereas in ________ the emphasis is placed on providing a detailed narrative.

A) case studies;single-case designs
B) single-case designs;case studies
C) quasi-experiments;field studies
D) field studies;quasi-experiments