Deck 10: Human Development Across the Life Span

Question 1

A student is using flashcards to help prepare for a test. On one side of each card, she lists a stage in life span development and on the other side she lists the appropriate age period of the stage. Unfortunately, she has written one incorrectly. Which of the following should she change?

A) prenatal / conception to birth
B) early childhood / about 6 to 11 years old
C) adolescence / about 11 to 20 years old
D) middle adulthood / about 40 to 65 years old

Answer 1

early childhood / about 6 to 11 years old

Question 2

Which of the following is most likely to be a finding from a normative investigation?

A) Shyness is a personality trait that is relatively stable over time.
B) Children must have a rudimentary understanding of symbolism before they can learn to read.
C) The average child can build a tower of three blocks at the age of 18 months.
D) Attempts at toilet training are futile until the child has voluntary control of the necessary muscles.

Answer 2

The average child can build a tower of three blocks at the age of 18 months.

Question 3

One of your professors tells you that she did a developmental study using a cross-sectional design. You can infer that she compared participants of ________ at ________.

A) the same age; the same time
B) different ages; the same time
C) the same age; different times
D) different ages; different times

Answer 3

different ages; the same time

Question 4

Imagine that you are using a cross-sectional design to conduct a study on attitudes toward gender equity in the work place. You find that 40-year-old participants are much more resistant to gender equity than are 20-year-old participants. One potential problem that might arise in interpreting the data is that

A) results may be confounded by differences in the experiences of different birth cohorts.
B) all of the participants were tested for their attitudes at about the same time.
C) substantial data may be lost due to participant attrition.
D) results may be due to the fact that attitudinal differences are related to differences in age.

Question 5

In pregnant women, cocaine restricts placental blood flow and oxygen supply to the fetus. Research suggests that the brain systems most damaged by cocaine are those responsible for

A) motor development.
B) speech.
C) controlling attention.
D) vision.

Question 6

Researchers investigating the auditory abilities of the fetus have found that

A) 4-month-old infants show preference for listening to their fathers' voices over other voices.
B) infants cannot hear while in the womb.
C) infants demonstrate a consistent preference for hearing novel voices.
D) infants prefer to listen to their mothers' voices rather than other voices.

Question 7

Pioneering researcher Robert Fantz and others have observed babies as young as 4 months old to determine whether they prefer plain objects or objects with contours, complex or simple objects, viewing whole faces or those in disarray, and human faces or other similar visual stimuli. These studies have found that infants prefer

A) objects with contours, simple objects, whole faces, and non-human visual stimuli.
B) objects with contours, complex objects, whole faces, and human faces.
C) plain objects, simple objects, faces in disarray, and non-human visual stimuli.
D) plain objects, simple objects, whole faces, and human faces.

Question 8

Studies of the perceptual capabilities of infants using the visual cliff have determined that children

A) are reluctant to crawl across either the shallow or deep ends of the apparatus.
B) are equally likely to crawl across the shallow and deep ends of the apparatus.
C) will only venture out on the deep end if they can crawl.
D) will avoid the deep end if they have experienced crawling.

Question 9

Which area of the brain undergoes the greatest movement toward maturity from adolescence into young adulthood?

A) the frontal lobes
B) the hippocampus
C) the left hemisphere
D) the visual cortex

Question 10

As a man ages, it is likely that his voice will tend to get ________ in pitch, and his ability to hear will deteriorate most for sounds that are ________ in pitch.

A) higher; high
B) higher; low
C) lower; high
D) lower; low

Question 11

According to Piaget, ________ modifies new environmental information to fit into what is already known, and ________ restructures existing schemes so that new information is accounted for more completely.

A) assimilation; accommodation
B) accommodation; assimilation
C) centration; egocentrism
D) egocentrism; centration

Question 12

The egocentrism that Piaget believed to be characteristic of the preoperational stage of cognitive development explains why a child might

A) tell her grandmother that her teddy bear likes to take a bath.
B) believe that rain comes from holes in the clouds.
C) not understand why his father is too tired to play tag.
D) decide that she likes chocolate chip cookies but does not like peanut butter cookies.

Question 13

A child is 4 years old. At this stage in her cognitive development, Piaget would expect that she should be able to

A) take the perspective of another person.
B) distinguish the mental world from the physical world.
C) ignore perceptually striking features of objects.
D) mentally represent objects that are not physically present.

Question 14

The tendency of preoperational children to be captivated by a single aspect of a given situation to the exclusion of other relevant details exemplifies Piaget's concept of

A) centration.
B) assimilation.
C) accommodation.
D) object permanence.

Question 15

A boy can give you directions on how to get to the neighborhood store and, if you ask him, he can also tell you how to get back. To be able to do this reflects an understanding of

A) conservation.
B) egocentrism.
C) reversibility.
D) problem solving.

Question 16

In a study that is described in the textbook, researcher Renée Baillargeon showed that when 3-month-old infants are faced with a possible physical event and an impossible physical event, they

A) show surprise when witnessing both types of events.
B) show more surprise when witnessing the impossible event.
C) show more surprise when witnessing the possible event.
D) cannot understand the difference between a possible and an impossible event.

Question 17

Which of the following has NOT been identified as a possible explanation for the differences in cognitive performance found among people from diverse cultures when working on Piagetian tasks?

A) The tasks that Piaget developed to assess cognitive development reflected his own opinions about what is and is not a valuable and/or appropriate cognitive activity.
B) Biological and genetic differences among different cultural groups account for any differences in cognitive abilities.
C) Schooling seems to be related to how children perform on Piagetian tasks.
D) The types of cognitive abilities that develop in different cultures are related to what is valued in that culture.

Question 18

A group of adults is asked to learn a new set of zip codes for different areas of the country within a limited period of time. This type of learning requires ________ and is ________ likely to show a decline with age than is the facet of intelligence that involves knowledge previously acquired and the ability to access it.

A) wisdom; less
B) crystallized intelligence; less
C) fluid intelligence; more
D) crystallized intelligence; more

Question 19

Some people feel that the increased usage of computers is resulting in a reduction of cognitive abilities in people of various ages. According to a research study noted in your chapter, what is the relationship between computer usage and cognitive skill in people whose ages ranged from 32 to 84 years?

A) There was a positive correlation between computer usage and cognitive ability across all participants.
B) There was a negative correlation between computer usage and cognitive ability across all participants.
C) There was a positive correlation between computer usage and cognitive ability, but only in older participants who had already started to experience some age-related cognitive declines.
D) There was a positive correlation between computer usage and cognitive ability, but only in participants who started with superior intellectual skills.

Question 20

A child is most likely to be just past the middle of the "naming explosion" phase of language acquisition when he or she is between 18 months and ________ years old; during this period, words are acquired at an average rate of ________ words per day.

A) 2; nine
B) 6; nine
C) 6; three
D) 8; three

Question 21

With respect to how children learn word meanings, the textbook suggests that

A) the process is not really as difficult or as complex as it may seem.
B) the absence of errors in children's use of language facilitates the process of acquisition of word meanings.
C) children act like scientists, developing hypotheses about what each new word might mean.
D) word meanings are transmitted genetically to children.

Question 22

Dan Slobin has defined a set of operating principles that together constitute children's language-making capacity. These principles are

A) more difficult for adults to acquire than they are for children to acquire.
B) more difficult for children to acquire than they are for adults to acquire.
C) written in simplified form, so that children can easily understand them.
D) in the form of directives to the child.

Question 23

One reason that overregularization is an interesting error is because

A) adults make comparable errors when they are excited or in a hurry.
B) it suggests that language does not have a consistent structure or grammar.
C) it suggests that children have failed to internalize the extension operating principle.
D) it usually appears after children have learned and used the correct forms of verbs and nouns.

Question 24

Jesse and Stephanie are getting ready to have their first son, and they are interested in teaching him both of their native languages (Spanish and English) from his earliest years. They are concerned, however, that if they teach both languages that the child will confuse the two and will not be able to distinguish between them as he gets older. What does research noted in your text have to say about bilingualism in children?

A) Research has found that bilingualism is not truly possible in children before they hit their adolescent years, so the parents would be best advised to choose one language to teach their son.
B) Because of different brain areas that control language development in boys and girls, the parents' concerns would only be valid if they were having a daughter.
C) Children who are raised with only one language develop much better fluency in that language than children who are raised with two or more languages, so the parents' concerns are very valid.
D) Children who are bilingual seem to be able to keep two or more vocabularies separate, so the parents' concerns are not an issue.

Question 25

All you know about a girl is that she is 14 years old. According to Erikson's theory of life span development, she is probably facing the crisis of

A) competence vs. inferiority.
B) intimacy vs. isolation.
C) identity vs. role confusion.
D) autonomy vs. self-doubt.

Question 26

Developmental psychologists use the term "attachment" to refer to the

A) child's need for a favorite toy or object, usually a stuffed animal or blanket.
B) reflexive grasping an infant exhibits when an object, such as a finger, is put in the infant's hand.
C) intense, enduring, social-emotional relationship that develops between child and caregiver.
D) tendency of all living creatures to follow the first moving object that is seen or heard.

Question 27

While riding through the countryside one day, you happen to come upon a curious sight -- a chick following a group of ducklings and a mother duck. What could have happened to produce this strange sight?

A) It is probably just an accident.
B) The mother duck was the first moving object the chick saw after being hatched.
C) The chick is probably a genetic accident in which instinctual tendencies are modified.
D) The mother hen rejected her chick.

Question 28

According to John Bowlby, an influential theorist on human attachment, infants and adults will form attachments

A) to everyone in their social environment.
B) due to biological predispositions.
C) despite biological predispositions to remain independent.
D) based on a one-directional process of conveying emotion from infant to caregiver.

Question 29

In the Strange Situation Test, a securely-attached child will ________ when the parent leaves the room and ________ when the parent returns.

A) seem aloof; actively avoid and ignore the parent
B) show some distress; seek proximity, comfort, and contact
C) become quite upset and anxious; show anger
D) act pleased; act dazed and confused

Question 30

In the Strange Situation Test, a 15-month-old child is upset and anxious when her mother leaves the room. When her mother returns, she cannot be comforted and shows anger, but also a desire for contact with her mother. The child is most likely to be categorized as

A) insecurely attached-avoidant.
B) insecurely attached-anxious/ambivalent.
C) insecurely attached-disorganized.
D) securely attached.

Question 31

A husband and wife are expecting their first child and they want to be perfect parents, so they have been getting a lot of information about parenting. At a lecture on parenting styles, they learn that the style that is most likely to produce an effective parent-child bond is one that

A) places primary emphasis on the importance of discipline and the setting of limits.
B) makes demands on a child, but also keeps channels of communication open.
C) encourages a child to control and modify his or her own behavior, with little parental intervention.
D) encourages a child to view parental interactions as a model for future behavior.

Question 32

With respect to parenting styles, parents who apply discipline with little concern for their child's autonomy are classified as ________, whereas parents whose style fails to help children learn about the structure of social rules under which they must live are referred to as ________.

A) authoritarian; indulgent
B) abusive; submissive
C) disciplinarians; child-centered
D) rigid; flexible

Question 33

Suppose you are watching a monkey in Harry Harlow's research on attachment. When presented with a fear stimulus, such as a toy that makes loud noises, you should expect the monkey to

A) run to the wire mother for protection.
B) venture out to explore the fear stimulus and then return to the terry cloth mother before exploring further.
C) be just as likely to run to a cloth mother as it is to run to a wire mother.
D) run to the cloth mother.

Question 34

The monkeys that became attached to a "cloth mother" in Harlow's research showed deficits in adulthood in their ability to

A) perform simple tasks.
B) defend themselves.
C) form normal social and sexual relationships.
D) retain information about the environment.

Question 35

In a recent study, it was reported that as compared to children who had been raised by their biological parents, the children who spent their earliest days in orphanages or other institutions

A) failed to show a normal pattern of brain response.
B) failed to show any enthusiasm.
C) failed to recognize their caregivers.
D) became attached to strangers.

Question 36

Over the years, many studies have explored the complex issues of childhood abuse and intervention. One finding that is supported by research is that

A) nearly all adults have experienced some type of abuse.
B) children are almost always happy to be removed from their abusive homes.
C) a very low percentage of those who have been abused as children will actually develop psychiatric disorders.
D) children who are removed from abusive environments may want to return to these environments.

Question 37

In an older book on adolescence, you read about how adolescence is a period full of problems and stress. After reading more recent research conducted with adolescents in different societies, you can conclude that

A) feelings of a lack of control are nearly universal among adolescents.
B) few adolescents report enjoying life or feeling happy most of the time.
C) adolescence is clearly a time of storm and stress for young people.
D) the experience of adolescents differs greatly across cultures.

Question 38

Research shows some of the relationship costs that arise when adolescents strive for independence. Still, adolescents' conflicts with their parents often do not lead to harmful consequences. Smetana et al. (2006) report that most adolescents

A) are able to use their parents as ready sources of practical and emotional support.
B) do not use their parents as ready sources of practical and emotional support.
C) feel that their parents are indifferent to them.
D) feel that their parents simply do not understand them.

Question 39

In a longitudinal study, students who were more susceptible to their close friends' influence at the study's outset were more likely to

A) have problems with drugs and alcohol one year later.
B) be well adjusted one year later.
C) be more dependent one year later.
D) be more independent one year later.

Question 40

Comparisons of the intellectual and social development of children who stay at home and those who attend day care have found that children in day care have

A) more secure attachments than children who do not attend day care.
B) an advantage socially but not intellectually.
C) an advantage both socially and intellectually.
D) an intellectual advantage, but may have social problems.

Question 41

One study described by your authors examined the likelihood of newly licensed drivers of getting into a car accident by measuring crashes and "near crashes." It found that the crash/near crash rate was 96% higher when which of the following factors was present?

A) when there was a friend in the car who would be described as a "risk taker"
B) when the teenager was driving alone
C) when the teenager regular texted or spoke on their cell phone while driving
D) when the teenager was driving at night

Question 42

A happily married modern couple expects to be parents soon. They might be interested to learn that researchers have found that the birth of children

A) is likely to make their marriage even happier.
B) may be a threat to the overall happiness of a marriage.
C) should minimize the number of conflicts that their marriage will face.
D) is likely to move them in the direction of less traditional sex roles.

Question 43

A friend has finished school and is thinking about moving out of the family home. As the youngest child, however, she is concerned about how her parents are likely to react, so she asks what you think. You should tell her that it is most likely that

A) after a few years her parents will ask her to return home to live.
B) her parents are not going to view her departure as a traumatic experience.
C) her mother will react positively, but her father will react negatively.
D) her father will react positively, but her mother will react negatively.

Question 44

An older woman is celebrating her birthday. If she is like most people nearing the end of her life, she will

A) look back at her life with satisfaction.
B) look back over her life with despair.
C) have the same priorities she had as a young adult.
D) no longer consider the future.

Question 45

Much of what people consider to be masculine or feminine characteristics is shaped by one's

A) culture.
B) mental strength.
C) heredity.
D) physical strength.

Question 46

5-to-7 year olds appear much more attuned to gender- appropriate behavior than their older siblings. This could be linked to the fact that they are at an age when they are trying to

A) establish their own likes and dislikes.
B) establish their own space.
C) establish their own gender identity.
D) establish their own skills.

Question 47

By the age of 6, it has been seen that boys prefer ________ whereas girls prefer ________.

A) to interact in groups; one-on-one interactions
B) one-on-one interaction; to interact in groups
C) one-on-one interaction; rough-and-tumble play
D) rough-and-tumble play; hide and seek play

Question 48

Piaget proposed that in the course of cognitive development, the moral judgments of children progress from emphasis on ________ to emphasis on ________.

A) fairness; self-interest
B) rules; principles
C) consequences; intentions
D) parental standards; social standards

Question 49

If you were a participant in Kohlberg's research on moral reasoning, the stage of moral development you were in would have been determined by your

A) ability to explain right and wrong in terms of consequences rather than intentions.
B) answers to such questions as "Do you think it is morally acceptable to cheat on a test?"
C) ability to refute philosophical moral arguments.
D) answers to hypothetical moral dilemmas.

Question 50

A student has skipped class again. He gets the lecture notes from a classmate, but can't quite read her handwriting, so he makes an error in copying information about Kohlberg's stages of moral reasoning. Which of the following statements did he copy incorrectly?

A) An individual can be at more than one stage at a given time.
B) Everyone goes through the stages in a fixed order.
C) Each stage is more comprehensive and complex than the preceding.
D) The same stages occur in every culture.

Question 51

As an alternative to Kohlberg's view of moral reasoning, Carol Gilligan proposed that women's moral development is based on a standard of ________, and that the moral reasoning of men is based on a standard of ________.

A) emotion; intellect
B) caring for others; justice
C) feeling; doing
D) submission; dominance

Question 52

A strategy for successful aging proposed by psychologists Paul Baltes and Margaret Baltes includes all of the following EXCEPT

A) conserving remaining energy resources by relaxing as frequently as possible.
B) scaling down the number and extent of goals people have for themselves.
C) exercising or training in areas that are of highest priority.
D) using alternative ways to deal with losses.

Question 53

The term __________ refers to one's ability to explain and predict other people's behaviors based on an understanding of their mental states.