Deck 13: Life-Span Development

Question 1

Changes in the way children understand reality and cultural beliefs are a central focus of:

A) developmental psychology
B) maturational psychology
C) transformational psychology
D) longitudinal psychology

Answer 1

developmental psychology

Question 2

A friend of mine is absolutely amazed at how we change both physically and mentally throughout our lifetime. My friend should become a _____ psychologist.

A) developmental
B) maturational
C) transformational
D) Piagetian

Answer 2

developmental

Question 3

I am interested in development, but I want to study the changes in functioning that occur over the entire life cycle. I should study

A) gerontological psychology
B) the life-span developmental perspective
C) Piagetian development
D) neurological psychology

Answer 3

the life-span developmental perspective

Question 4

The life-span developmental perspective arose:

A) as a result of political correctness
B) from the need to include changes that occur beyond adolescence
C) as a result of the heavy influence that philosophy made on psychology
D) so as to focus exclusively on how we physically change from the time of birth through adolescence

Question 5

The idea that changes in behavior and body occur as a result of biologically based changes that follow an orderly sequence is referred to as:

A) development
B) veridical transformation
C) maturation
D) the Piagetian theory of development

Question 6

I, personally, think that the primary reason we change over time is due to bodily changes. In order to be able to stand, my legs must have sufficient strength to hold up my body. I am arguing for:

A) development
B) veridical transformation
C) maturation
D) the Piagetian theory of development

Question 7

Most psychologists believe that development, like intelligence or personality, reflects the action and mutual influence of genes and environment. The most important question concerning nature and nurture is:

A) How much does each contribute?
B) How do nature and nurture interact
C) How can environmental factors be maximized?
D) Which is more important, nature or nurture?

Question 8

I find something interesting. I find that when genes are considered in isolation, they are thought to contribute a certain percentage to a particular behavior. When the environment is considered alone, it too is thought to contribute a certain percentage to behavior. Interestingly, when the contributions of gene and environment are taken together, at once, the percentage is greater than if genes and environment were considered separately. This is commonly referred to as gene-environment:

A) correlation
B) transaction
C) mutuality
D) interaction

Question 9

The effect of having both genetic and environmental vulnerabilities is different from that which would be predicted by simply adding up their independent effects. Such a notion is called gene-environment:

A) correlation
B) transaction
C) mutuality
D) interaction

Question 10

If you think about it, the genes that we have could determine which environment we choose to live in. Maybe because of the particular genetic disposition I have, I prefer to be in warmer climates. Such a notion is called gene-environment:

A) correlation
B) transaction
C) mutuality
D) interaction

Question 11

Periods of development characterized by special sensitivity to specific types of learning that shape the capacity for future development are referred to as:

A) windows of opportunity
B) learning portals
C) critical periods
D) stages

Question 12

At an early point in their lives, it has been argued that Siamese cats will attach themselves to one person and hate all others. While they may tolerate others, there is only one person they will truly like. It is also believed that there is a time frame during which the cat will become attached to that special someone. Thus, it appears that there exists a _____ in Siamese cats.

A) sensitive period
B) critical period
C) development constraint
D) behavioral invariance

Question 13

Based on the case of the "Wild Boy of Aveyron," it appears that there is a critical period for _____ .

A) social compliance
B) mood expression
C) language production
D) personal hygiene

Question 14

Your textbook mentions a famous case involving a girl named Genie who was locked in a closet and deprived of contact from approximately age one to age thirteen. Genie,

A) like the "Wild Boy of Aveyron," was never able to learn language
B) unlike the "Wild Boy of Aveyron," was never able to learn language
C) like the "Wild Boy of Aveyron," was subsequently able to learn only some language
D) unlike the "Wild Boy of Aveyron," was subsequently able to learn all aspects of language

Question 15

In one study, children who spent their first 19 months of life in an overcrowded and understaffed orphanage experienced major increases in IQ after being moved to an environment that provided individual care. Findings such as these:

A) raise questions concerning the existence of critical periods in human development
B) suggest that physical and psychological gains can be complementary
C) indicate that intellectual development may not be hormonally based
D) suggest that the notion of critical periods in human development only applies to social development

Question 16

Support for the notion that critical periods do not truly exist comes from:

A) the case of Genie
B) children from overcrowded orphanages
C) children from Romanian orphanages
D) all of the above

Question 17

Your book described a study of severely deprived children from Romanian orphanages who were adopted before age two into homes in the United Kingdom. The children were able to make substantial improvements, but the longer they experienced the deprived environment the more severe their cognitive impairments remained four to six years later. These data suggest

A) the value of longitudinal studies for demonstrative cognitive skills
B) the existence of critical periods for human development
C) that humans have sensitive periods for intellectual development
D) the importance of moral reasoning skills for cognitive development

Question 18

Times that are more important to subsequent human development than others, although not the absolute gatekeepers of psychological growth, are referred to as:

A) developmental stages
B) critical periods
C) growth spurts
D) sensitive periods

Question 19

I believe that one's capability to feel love is greatly based on the experiences a person has growing up, particularly from 4-6 years of age. I also think that there are experiences subsequent in time that can affect the development of the feeling of love. Those experiences, however, are not nearly as powerful as the 4-6 age range. I am arguing for:

A) sensitive periods
B) critical periods
C) development constraints
D) behavioral invariance

Question 20

Discrete steps through which everyone progresses in the same sequence are known as:

A) maturation
B) development
C) stages
D) development constraints

Question 21

Watching my nine nieces and nephews grow up, I notice that they changed dramatically in the way they think and act. Obviously, I have noticed that they have changed physically as well; e.g., she has gotten taller. Watching them grow up has made me be able to guess what my youngest niece is going to be like at different ages. This observation of mine supports the notion of:

A) maturation
B) development
C) stages
D) development constraints

Question 22

The notion of stages assumes that, as development occurs, the person changes:

A) quantitatively
B) qualitatively
C) predictably
D) both a and b

Question 23

My niece is just learning to read. She started by learning her letter sounds, then she sounded out words. Now, she has memorized some simple words and is adding to her list of words that she knows. According to developmental psychologists, my niece's learning to read reflects

A) a quantitatively critical phase of development
B) stages of reading development
C) a genetic developmental change
D) a continuous developmental change

Question 24

An example of continuous development is:

A) sexual preference
B) physical growth
C) sexual desire
D) all of the above

Question 25

Research suggests that development during childhood appears to be more _____ than it is in adulthood.

A) stagelike
B) continuous
C) flexible
D) discontinuous

Question 26

The changes in interpersonal thought, feeling and behavior that occur throughout the life span refer to:

A) the cognitive-social approach
B) social development
C) the behavioral-cognitive approach
D) metacognition

Question 27

The notion of attachment first came from:

A) laboratory investigations of parent-offspring bonding
B) case studies of feral children
C) comments by parents pertaining to the manner with which children react to the parents' coming and going
D) children reared in institutional homes

Question 28

The enduring affectional ties that children form with their primary caregivers and that become the basis for later love relationships would be known as:

A) relational needs
B) social development
C) imprinting
D) attachment

Question 29

Attachment includes which one of the following?

A) The desire for proximity to an attachment figure
B) A sense of security derived from the parent's presence
C) Feelings of distress when the person is absent
D) All of the above

Question 30

The idea that the origins of attachment are not tied to feeding was due to the research of:

A) Konrad Lorenz
B) Walter Mischel
C) Harry Harlow
D) John Bowlby

Question 31

According to Harlow, the crucial element to forming attachments is:

A) evolutionary adaptation
B) pheromones
C) contact comfort
D) feeding, food, and hunger

Question 32

Harlow raised infant monkeys in cages with either a cloth or wire "mother". Which of the following was one of Harlow's discoveries that led him to be called "the most influential comparative psychologist of the second half of the 20th century"?

A) infant monkeys deprived of their mother's love would not survive
B) monkeys typically cling to themselves, cry, and rock back and forth in response to stressful situations
C) monkeys derived comfort from feeding and would overeat in response to stressful stimuli
D) perceived security from a cloth surrogate was essential for infants to soothe themselves in response to stress

Question 33

Which of the following conclusions can be drawn from the research done by Harlow?

A) At least in monkeys, there is a critical period for attachment formation.
B) Infant monkeys use their cloth mothers as a secure home base from which to explore their surroundings.
C) Mothers fulfill the need for affection.
D) All of the above.

Question 34

In Harlow's studies of infant monkeys, contact comfort referred to

A) perceived security from a soft object leading to attachment
B) skin-to-skin contact that was necessary for appropriate social development
C) the ability to self-soothe by rocking and grasping oneself
D) contact with a food-bearing surrogate leading to attachment

Question 35

Your textbook describes "kangaroo care", which refers to a practice of carrying premature infants around in slings throughout the day. This practice, which is very successful in reducing mortality rates among premature infants, makes use of the phenomenon of

A) sensory deprivation
B) contact comfort
C) automatic processing
D) Harlowian nurturing

Question 36

John Bowlby linked Harlow's findings to the _____ literature.

A) social cognitive
B) psychodynamic
C) information processing
D) behaviorism

Question 37

For John Bowlby, attachment behaviors are:

A) prewired
B) learned, primarily through classical conditioning
C) primarily a function of culture
D) a result of childhood experiences

Question 38

According to John Bowlby, attachment behavior is prewired in humans to:

A) allow them to function successfully within a particular culture.
B) ensure their ability to interact with others of their species.
C) keep offspring close to their parents.
D) maintain social order.

Question 39

Bowlby noticed that an interesting relationship existed between attachment behavior in humans and _____ in non-humans.

A) sexual selection
B) imprinting
C) parent-offspring
D) separation anxiety

Question 40

Konrad Lorenz found that those goslings who were exposed to him at a certain point in life would follow him around wherever he went. This behavior is referred to as:

A) adaptation
B) fixation
C) imprinting
D) adhesiveness

Question 41

The tendency of young animals of certain species to follow an animal to which they were exposed during a sensitive period early in their lives is known as:

A) a critical period
B) imprinting
C) surrogate mothering
D) behavioral modeling

Question 42

The authors of your textbook state that John Bowlby's theory of attachment relies on:

A) inheritance of acquired characteristics
B) experiences shared by parent and their offspring
C) genetics
D) need to keep immature animals close to their parents

Question 43

Attachment behavior appears to peak during the _____ year of life.

A) second
B) fifth
C) seventh
D) eighth

Question 44

According to the textbook, for infants, the first precursor to attachment is a general preference for:

A) objects in the environment
B) social stimuli
C) soft objects
D) voices

Question 45

According to your textbook, attachment serves to:

A) keep the child close to the parent or caregiver
B) distinguish people of different cultures
C) teach the child about healthy adult relationships
D) exhibit separation anxiety

Question 46

Which one of the following is NOT true of separation anxiety?

A) emerges at different times in different cultures
B) can be seen in blind children
C) occurs about the same time as crawling
D) none; all of the above are true of separation anxiety

Question 47

Bowlby found that when the child becomes separated from the attachment figure, the child initially protests and subsequently becomes _____ if the attachment figure is gone too long.

A) violent
B) depressed
C) fearful
D) detached

Question 48

The experimental procedure referred to as the "Strange Situation" was proposed by:

A) John Bowlby
B) Mary Ainsworth
C) Harry Harlow
D) Eleanor Gibson

Question 49

Which is of the following is the best equivalent to the Ainsworth Strange Situation?

A) a child is accidentally abandoned at a park
B) a child is accidentally left in the unoccupied car of a friend
C) a friend, unfamiliar to the child, joins the two of you for lunch
D) you leave your child alone in a toy store and a kind employee comes up to the child

Question 50

My mother leaves me alone in an unfamiliar setting when I am 9 months old. I freak out and begin to cry. As soon as she comes back in, I crawl to get close to her. I am displaying which type of attachment?

A) secure
B) ambivalent
C) insecure
D) avoidant

Question 51

Children with _____attachments often seem relatively unfazed by their mother's departure.

A) disorganized
B) securely attached
C) ambivalent
D) avoidant

Question 52

I heard the story that when I was about 10 months old, my mother left me alone for a few seconds in a supermarket and I started crying loudly. As soon as she came, I acted like she wasn't even there. I am displaying which type of attachment?

A) disorganized
B) ambivalent
C) insecure
D) avoidant

Question 53

Children with _____ attachments become very upset by their mother's departure.

A) ambivalent
B) avoidant
C) disorganized
D) insecure

Question 54

My mother told me the other day that when I was about 7 months old, my father left me alone in the car while he went to the ATM. She told me that, when he returned, I reacted by trying to be close to him and then when I got close, I started hitting him. I am displaying which type of attachment?

A) disorganized
B) ambivalent
C) insecure
D) avoidant

Question 55

In the Strange Situation experiment, a child with a secure attachment style is most likely to

A) cry when the mother leaves, then ignore the mother when she returns
B) appear angry at the mother for leaving, but still seek closeness to her
C) not be distressed when the mother leaves
D) cry when the mother leaves, and seek closeness to her when she returns

Question 56

Based on the Ainsworth Strange Situation, children can be categorized as having a particular attachment style that reflects the way the child behaves. Which is NOT one of those styles?

A) secure
B) ambivalent
C) insecure
D) avoidant

Question 57

In the Strange Situation experiment, a child with an avoidant attachment style is most likely to

A) ignore the mother when she returns
B) avoid any negative behavior from the mother by hovering close to her
C) try to hide from the mother when she leaves the room
D) cry when the mother leaves, but seek closeness to her when she returns

Question 58

The type of attachment style associated with high-risk individuals is:

A) disorganized
B) ambivalent
C) insecure
D) resistant

Question 59

In the Strange Situation experiment, a child with an ambivalent attachment style is most likely to

A) ignore the mother when she returns
B) be very upset when the mother leaves, and act angry and rejecting while simultaneously indicating a clear desire to be close when she returns
C) not seem to care excessively if the mother is in the room or not
D) cry when the mother leaves, and ignore the mother when she returns

Question 60

Those individuals with a(an) _____ attachment style behave in contradictory ways, indicating helpless efforts to elicit soothing responses from the attachment figure.

A) disorganized
B) ambivalent
C) insecure
D) avoidant

Question 61

In the Strange Situation experiment, a child with a disorganized attachment style is most likely to

A) try as best they can to elicit soothing behaviors from the mother
B) make a mess by throwing papers and toys around the room
C) cry when the mother leaves, but be soothed by a stranger
D) be angry and rejecting yet still appear to want closeness

Question 62

An infant, approximately 7.5 months old, is placed in a foster home. The child is from a home where the infant was physically abused and often malnourished from neglect. The strange thing is that the child has a stunned look on his face and will often just sit in one place and rock back and forth. The child appears to be displaying which type of attachment style?

A) disorganized
B) ambivalent
C) insecure
D) avoidant

Question 63

The most commonly observed attachment pattern around the world is:

A) disorganized
B) ambivalent
C) insecure
D) secure

Question 64

Research findings suggest that secure attachment affects which area?

A) popularity
B) social competence
C) sensitivity to the needs of peers
D) all of the above

Question 65

Which attachment style is associated with elementary children being categorized as impulsive, disruptive, and aggressive?

A) avoidant
B) ambivalent
C) insecure
D) disorganized

Question 66

The idea that early attachment patterns affect adult life is reflected in the concept of _____ attachment.

A) unresolved
B) adult
C) advanced
D) intimate

Question 67

Adult attachment is investigated using the method of:

A) interviews and questionnaires
B) experiments
C) naturalistic observations
D) all of the above

Question 68

Secure attachment as infants leads to:

A) dependence and poor adjustment in adulthood
B) high self-esteem and sensitivity to the needs of their peers in adulthood
C) arrogance and antisocial behavior as adults
D) anxious reactions when loved ones are not present in adulthood

Question 69

A professor friend of mine and I were talking about our experience when we were children. He mentions that he had a great relationship with his parents but he was never able to provide me with any examples. Interestingly, he then states that it doesn't matter since parental relationships are not that important anyway. My friend can likely be categorized as having which adult attachment style?

A) avoidant
B) ambivalent
C) insecure
D) disorganized

Question 70

Adults who are unable to cope with loss or traumatic experiences from their past are categorized as having an _____ attachment style.

A) avoidant
B) ambivalent
C) insecure
D) unresolved

Question 71

My colleague has a great deal of difficulty speaking about his parents, who both died early in his life. His story of his childhood is very confusing to follow, as he talks about being close but not close to his parents. I worry that his confusion over his parents' love will influence his own relationships with his children. My colleague can likely be classified as having which attachment style?

A) avoidant
B) ambivalent
C) insecure
D) unresolved

Question 72

In terms of adult attachment patterns, approximately _____ percent of adults from the United States are considered to be securely attached, based on self-reports.

A) 90
B) 80
C) 60
D) 30

Question 73

Cross-culturally, approximately _____ percent are considered to be securely attached in relation to their own parents.

A) 90
B) 80
C) 60
D) 30

Question 74

Based on what you read from your textbook, the best and most healthy type of attachment style is:

A) ambivalent
B) organized
C) secure
D) anxious

Question 75

Attachment patterns in adults have been shown to be able to predict which one of the following?

A) whether people want to have children
B) how upset they get at airports when separating from their romantic partner
C) predicting their own children's attachment styles
D) all of the above

Question 76

My sister has three children and our parents were divorced when I was 6 and she was 3. Based on the research involving adult attachment styles, what should be expected of her children in terms of attachment style? They are more likely to be:

A) avoidant
B) disorganized
C) ambivalent
D) insecure

Question 77

Which of the following supports the idea that people can overcome a bad start in childhood or infancy and that attachment style and behavior is only probabilistic?

A) that some of Harlow's monkeys who were raised in isolation were initially social maladapted and subsequently showed marked improvement
B) childhood risk factors can turn securely attached infants into insecurely attached adults
C) a home visitor who offered support and advice can counteract the effects of a depressed, inadequate mother
D) all of the above support the idea that people can overcome a bad start

Question 78

The most widely know theory of lifespan development was formulated by:

A) Erik Erikson
B) Anna Freud
C) Robbie Case
D) Carol Gilligan

Question 79

Erik Erikson's theory of adult development is well considered because it possesses a number of important features. Which is one of those features?

A) It is culturally sensitive
B) It integrates biology, psychological experience, and culture
C) His theory has received empirical support in cross-sectional, longitudinal, and sequential studies
D) All of the above are features of Erikson's theory

Question 80

Erikson's model of adult development is composed of _____ stages - stages in the development of the person as a social being.

A) psychosocial
B) psychosexual
C) social-cognitive
D) cognitive developmental