Deck 1: History, Theory, and Research Strategies

Question 1

John Locke opposed the use of

A) praise as a reward.
B) negative reinforcement.
C) physical punishment.
D) any form of discipline.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

According to research on resilience, which of the following children has an increased chance of offsetting the impact of a stressful home life?

A) Luke, who is an irritable child
B) Michelle, who is an emotionally reactive child
C) Noah, who is a talented musician
D) Sarah, who associates with rule-breaking peers

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Reid believes that the difference between the immature and the mature being is simply one of amount or complexity. Reid views development as

A) discontinuous.
B) determined by nature.
C) continuous.
D) determined by nurture.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

All contemporary child development theories view children as

A) naturally endowed with a sense of right and wrong.
B) passive and emotionally fragile.
C) adults in training.
D) active, purposeful beings.

Question 5

In stage theories, development is

A) a smooth, continuous process.
B) gradual and ongoing.
C) like climbing a staircase.
D) a gradual addition of the same types of skills.

Question 6

The most consistent asset of resilient children is

A) high self-esteem.
B) access to high-quality child care.
C) a strong bond with a competent, caring adult.
D) being identified as gifted.

Question 7

Which of the following statements regarding the major domains of development is true?

A) The domains of development are separate and distinct.
B) Each period of development is made up of a new set of domains.
C) The physical domain has little influence on the other domains.
D) Development is divided into three broad domains.

Question 8

According to John Locke's view, children begin

A) with a soul tainted by original sin.
B) as nothing at all.
C) as noble savages.
D) as evil and stubborn.

Question 9

Theories are vital tools because they

A) provide organizing frameworks for our observations of children.
B) provide the ultimate truth about child development.
C) do not require scientific verification.
D) are resistant to the influence of cultural values and belief systems.

Question 10

During the Reformation, the Puritans

A) characterized children as innocent and close to angels.
B) regarded children as fully mature by the time they were 7 or 8 years old.
C) recommended permissive child-rearing practices.
D) believed that children were born evil and had to be civilized.

Question 11

Jessica believes that development takes place in stages where children change rapidly as they step up to a new level and then change very little for a while. Jessica views development as

A) discontinuous.
B) determined by nature.
C) continuous.
D) determined by nurture.

Question 12

In medieval times,

A) children dressed and acted like adults.
B) clear awareness existed of children as vulnerable beings.
C) children were viewed as tabula rasas.
D) childhood was not regarded as a distinct developmental period.

Question 13

In what important way do theories differ from mere opinion or belief?

A) They are influenced by cultural values.
B) They depend on scientific verification.
C) They explain all aspects of development.
D) They cannot be tested using research procedures.

Question 14

Theorists who emphasize plasticity believe that

A) early experiences establish a lifelong pattern of behavior.
B) heredity, rather than the environment, influences behavior.
C) children who are high or low in a characteristic will remain so at later ages.
D) development is open to change in response to influential experiences.

Question 15

Theorists who believe that children who are high or low in a characteristic will remain so at later ages typically stress the importance of

A) heredity.
B) stages.
C) nurture.
D) plasticity.

Question 16

Which of the following statements about emerging adulthood is true?

A) It is a period of development that spans from age 15 to 21 years.
B) It is a period of development unique to underdeveloped nations.
C) Although emerging adults have moved beyond adolescence, they have not yet fully assumed adult roles.
D) It is a period of development mostly limited to young people in developing nations.

Question 17

Charlene believes that her daughter's ability to think in complex ways is largely the result of a built-in timetable of growth. Charlene's view emphasizes

A) nurture.
B) nature.
C) plasticity.
D) early experiences.

Question 18

In her research, Dr. Rosenblum explores why shy children develop differently from their outgoing agemates. Dr. Rosenblum most likely emphasizes __________ in her research.

A) the role of distinct contexts
B) the nature-nurture controversy
C) the concept of stage
D) continuous development

Question 19

During which period of development does a sense of morality become evident?

A) infancy and toddlerhood
B) early childhood
C) middle childhood
D) adolescence

Question 20

The central questions addressed by the field of child development

A) are primarily of scientific interest.
B) have applied, or practical, importance.
C) are based exclusively on research conducted by psychologists.
D) involve all changes a person experiences throughout the lifespan.

Question 21

Charles Darwin's theory of evolution emphasized __________ and __________.

A) the normative approach; survival of the fittest
B) noble savages; physical maturation
C) tabula rasa; natural selection
D) natural selection; survival of the fittest

Question 22

The most recent revision of Albert Bandura's theory places such strong emphasis on how children think about themselves and other people that he calls it a(n) __________ rather than a(n) __________ approach.

A) observational learning; social-cognitive
B) social-cognitive; social learning
C) social learning; social-cognitive
D) social learning; observational learning

Question 23

__________ is generally regarded as the founder of the child-study movement.

A) John Locke
B) Jean-Jacques Rousseau
C) Charles Darwin
D) G. Stanley Hall

Question 24

Consistent with Locke's tabula rasa, John Watson concluded that __________ is the supreme force in development.

A) nature
B) early experience
C) environment
D) cognition

Question 25

Unlike Freud, Erikson

A) viewed children as taking a more active role in their own development.
B) pointed out that normal development must be understood in relation to each culture's life situation.
C) minimized the role of culture in individual development.
D) primarily focused on the importance of early life experiences.

Question 26

Dr. Faulkner believes that directly observable events-stimuli and responses-are the appropriate focus of the study of child development. Which of the following perspectives of child development does Dr. Faulkner probably follow?

A) psychosexual theory
B) psychosocial theory
C) behaviorism
D) cognitive-developmental theory

Question 27

Sigmund Freud's psychosexual theory

A) was developed through careful observations of his own children.
B) emphasizes that how parents manage their child's fears is crucial for healthy sexual development.
C) emphasizes five parts of the personality that become integrated during a sequence of three stages.
D) was developed through having emotionally troubled adults talk freely about painful events of their childhoods.

Question 28

Freud's theory was the first to stress the influence of __________ on development.

A) observational learning
B) rewards and punishment
C) cultural norms
D) the early parent-child relationship

Question 29

Social learning theory

A) emphasizes modeling, also known as imitation or observational learning, as a powerful source of development.
B) maintains that behaviorism offers little or no effective explanation of the development of children's social behavior.
C) is criticized because it places little emphasis on how children are influenced by the behavior of their parents and peers.
D) emphasizes classical over operant conditioning and relies heavily on the concepts of psychoanalytic theory.

Question 30

Arnold Gesell

A) was among the first to make knowledge about child development meaningful to parents.
B) viewed children as noble savages, naturally endowed with a sense of right and wrong.
C) concluded that child development follows the same general plan as human evolution.
D) constructed the first successful intelligence test, together with his colleague, Alfred Binet.

Question 31

According to __________, children move through a series of stages in which they confront conflicts between biological drives and social expectations.

A) the normative approach
B) behaviorism
C) social learning theory
D) the psychoanalytic perspective

Question 32

Ivan Pavlov taught dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell by using

A) operant conditioning.
B) classical conditioning.
C) innate reflexes.
D) modeling.

Question 33

Which of the following is an example of applied behavior analysis?

A) letting children with burn injuries play a virtual reality game while nurses change their bandages
B) modeling quiet reading for children to teach them to sit quietly while they read
C) talking with children about fears in an attempt to uncover the underlying cause of thumb sucking
D) punishing a child by hitting him and then noticing that the child angrily hits a playmate in the same way

Question 34

On a few occasions, Jack's mother gave him candy to keep him quiet when she took him to the doctor's office. Now every time Jack goes to the doctor's office, he asks his mother for candy. This is an example of

A) classical conditioning.
B) operant conditioning.
C) observational learning.
D) modeling.

Question 35

At home, Paul's parents hit him as punishment for misbehavior. At preschool, Paul angrily hits a playmate who takes his toy. According to social learning theory, Paul is displaying

A) classical conditioning.
B) operant conditioning.
C) behavior modification.
D) observational learning.

Question 36

Inspired by Charles Darwin's work, G. Stanley Hall and his student, Arnold Gesell,

A) laid the modern foundations of ethology.
B) developed the concept of sensitive periods in development.
C) devised theories based on evolutionary ideas.
D) constructed the first intelligence test.

Question 37

One reason that the psychoanalytic perspective is no longer in the mainstream of child development research is because

A) many psychoanalytic ideas, such as ego functioning, are too vague to be tested empirically.
B) psychoanalytic theorists accept the clinical method in which age-related averages represent typical development.
C) modern researchers have demonstrated that personality development does not take place in stages.
D) it failed to consider the early parent-child relationship, which is central to modern theories.

Question 38

Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon's intelligence test was developed as a way to

A) identify children with learning problems who needed to be placed in special classes.
B) accurately predict school achievement and vocational success.
C) document developmental improvements in children's intellectual functioning.
D) measure individual differences in development as a function of race, gender, and birth order.

Question 39

According to B. F. Skinner, the frequency of a behavior can be increased by following it with a wide variety of

A) punishments.
B) negative stimuli.
C) stimulus-response associations.
D) reinforcers.

Question 40

Jean-Jacques Rousseau saw children as

A) determining their own destinies.
B) blank slates to be filled by adult instruction.
C) tainted by original sin.
D) passive and highly plastic.

Question 41

According to Vygotsky's theory,

A) today's lifestyles differ so radically from those of our evolutionary ancestors that certain evolved behaviors are no longer adaptive.
B) children shape their own development during both sensitive and critical developmental periods.
C) children revise incorrect ideas in their ongoing efforts to achieve equilibrium between internal structures and every-day information.
D) social interaction is necessary for children to acquire the ways of thinking and behaving that make up a community's culture.

Question 42

Ms. Harper's classroom environment is based on Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Ms. Harper's program probably emphasizes

A) joint problem solving with older children or adults.
B) reinforcing children with tokens that they may exchange for treats.
C) formal mathematics and language drills.
D) discovery learning and direct contact with the environment.

Question 43

The term sensitive period applies better to human development than the strict notion of a critical period because

A) its boundaries are less well-defined than are those of a critical period.
B) the capacity to acquire certain skills cannot occur later than the optimal period.
C) there are more sensitive periods than critical periods in human development.
D) sensitive periods, but not critical periods, have been empirically tested.

Question 44

Dr. Brewer views the human mind as a symbol-manipulating system through which information flows. Dr. Brewer's view is consistent with

A) information processing.
B) ethology.
C) behaviorism.
D) sociocultural theory.

Question 45

Observations of imprinting led to which of the following major concepts in child development?

A) behavior modification
B) observational learning
C) the critical period
D) the chronosystem

Question 46

Dr. McMath is an evolutionary developmental psychologist. Which of the following statements about Dr. McMath is probably true?

A) He is primarily concerned with the genetic and biological bases of development.
B) He wants to understand the entire person-environment system.
C) He is primarily concerned with environmental influences on development.
D) He focuses on how culture is transmitted to the next generation.

Question 47

In a research study, 10-year-old Joe was given a pile of blocks varying in size, shape, and weight and was asked to build a bridge over a "river" (painted on a floor map) that was too wide for any single block to span. The researcher carefully tracked Joe's efforts using a flowchart. The researcher was probably applying which recent theoretical perspective?

A) ecological systems theory
B) evolutionary developmental psychology
C) information processing
D) sociocultural theory

Question 48

According to Piaget, __________ is the balance between internal structures and information that children encounter in their everyday worlds.

A) imitation
B) adaptation
C) cognition
D) equilibrium

Question 49

Both Piaget's theory and the information-processing approach

A) regard children as active beings who modify their own thinking in response to environmental demands.
B) focus on the development of imagination and creativity.
C) regard perception, memory, and problem solving as similar at all ages.
D) emphasize the importance of equilibration in producing higher levels of thinking.

Question 50

Dr. Langley is dedicated to uncovering the neurological bases of autism-the disrupted brain structures and networks that lead to the impaired social skills, language delays, and repetitive motor behavior of this disorder. Which of the following areas is Dr. Langley conducting research in?

A) developmental cognitive neuroscience
B) information processing
C) developmental social neuroscience
D) cognitive-developmental theory

Question 51

According to Piaget's theory, in the sensorimotor stage, children

A) can think of all possible outcomes in a scientific problem.
B) organize objects into hierarchies of classes and subclasses.
C) "think" by acting on the world with their eyes, ears, hands, and mouth.
D) can evaluate the logic of verbal statements without referring to real-world circumstances.

Question 52

Which of the following recent theoretical perspectives is concerned with the adaptive, or survival, value of behavior and its evolutionary history?

A) information processing
B) ethology
C) sociocultural theory
D) ecological systems theory

Question 53

According to Jean Piaget's cognitive-developmental theory,

A) development must be understood in relation to each child's culture.
B) children's sense of self-efficacy guides their responses in particular situations.
C) children actively construct knowledge as they manipulate and explore their world.
D) children's learning depends on reinforcers, such as rewards from adults.

Question 54

Unlike Piaget's cognitive-developmental theory, the information-processing approach

A) uses clinical interviews to determine a child's stage of development.
B) does not divide development into stages.
C) characterizes each developmental stage by qualitatively distinct ways of thinking.
D) views development as a discontinuous process.

Question 55

Dr. Singh studies the relationship between changes in the brain and the developing child's cognitive processing and behavior patterns. She is part of a group of researchers from the fields of psychology, biology, neuroscience, and medicine. Dr. Singh would most likely consider herself to be a(n)

A) behaviorist.
B) developmental cognitive neuroscientist.
C) evolutionary developmental psychologist.
D) information-processing researcher.

Question 56

Jamar understands that a certain amount of liquid or clay remains the same even after its appearance changes and can organize objects into hierarchies of classes and subclasses. According to Piaget, Jamar is in the __________ stage of cognitive development.

A) sensorimotor
B) preoperational
C) concrete operational
D) sociocultural

Question 57

The biological concept of __________ is central to Piaget's theory.

A) reinforcement
B) adaptation
C) imitation
D) physical growth

Question 58

Both behaviorism and social learning theory have been criticized for

A) overestimating children's contributions to their own development.
B) presenting ideas that are too vague to test empirically.
C) emphasizing nature over nurture.
D) underestimating children's contributions to their own development.

Question 59

The information-processing approach has little to say about

A) linear cognition.
B) how children think at different ages.
C) logical cognition.
D) imagination and creativity.

Question 60

Research on Piaget's cognitive-developmental theory indicates that

A) he overestimated the competencies of infants and young children.
B) children generally reach their full intellectual potential, regardless of education and experience.
C) children's performance on Piagetian problems can be improved with training.
D) his stagewise account overemphasizes social and cultural influences on development.

Question 61

Dr. Jones believes that a child's mind, body, and physical and social worlds form an integrated system that guides mastery of new skills. The system is constantly in motion. His view is consistent with which recent theoretical perspective?

A) evolutionary developmental psychology
B) sociocultural theory
C) ecological systems theory
D) dynamic systems perspective

Question 62

Dr. Bigelow is interested in studying musical prodigies. Which of the following research methods is best suited for this type of research?

A) naturalistic observation
B) clinical interview
C) the clinical, or case study, method
D) structured interview

Question 63

According to ecological systems theory, a parent's workplace is in the

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

Question 64

Both __________ and __________ stress changes in thinking.

A) behaviorism; social learning theory
B) cognitive-developmental theory; information processing
C) ethology; the psychoanalytic perspective
D) the dynamic systems perspective; ecological systems theory

Question 65

Dr. Newman spent three years in Botswana, participating in the daily life of a community there. She gathered extensive field notes, consisting of a mix of self-reports from members of the community and her own observations. Which of the following research methods did Dr. Newman most likely use in her research?

A) ethnography
B) structured observation
C) the microgenetic design
D) the clinical, or case study, method

Question 66

Both __________ and __________ emphasize many possible courses of development.

A) the psychoanalytic perspective; ethology
B) ethology; evolutionary developmental psychology
C) cognitive-developmental theory; behaviorism
D) behaviorism; social learning theory

Question 67

Which of the following research methods utilizes participant observation?

A) the clinical, or case study, method
B) naturalistic observation
C) ethnography
D) structured observation

Question 68

__________ can help prevent escalating demands on families that give way to chaos.

A) Ethnographic research
B) Absence of daily structure
C) Compression of family routines
D) High-quality child care that is affordable and reliable

Question 69

Which of the following two major theories emphasize emotional and social development?

A) the psychoanalytic perspective and ethology
B) ethology and Vygotsky's sociocultural theory
C) behaviorism and the dynamic systems perspective
D) ecological systems theory and social learning theory

Question 70

Unlike Piaget, Vygotsky

A) emphasized children's capacity to shape their own development.
B) viewed cognitive development as a socially mediated process.
C) believed that children undergo certain stagewise changes.
D) focused on discontinuous change.

Question 71

Dr. Brown observes behavior in a laboratory, where conditions are the same for all participants. This is an example of

A) the clinical, or case study, method.
B) structured observation.
C) naturalistic observation.
D) ethnography.

Question 72

Dynamic systems theorists emphasize that

A) children are driven mainly by instincts and unconscious motives.
B) different skills vary in maturity within the same child.
C) sensitive periods are key to understanding development.
D) development can be best understood in terms of its adaptive value.

Question 73

Dr. Kempsell combines interviews, observations, and test scores to obtain a full picture of one individual's psychological functioning. This is an example of

A) naturalistic observation.
B) structured observation.
C) a structured interview.
D) the clinical, or case study, method.

Question 74

In Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, the __________ consists of activities and interaction patterns in the child's immediate surroundings.

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

Question 75

Research stimulated by Vygotsky's theory reveals that

A) heredity and brain growth contribute significantly to social development.
B) the stages of cognitive development are universal.
C) children in every culture develop unique strengths.
D) adults begin to encourage culturally valued skills as soon as children begin school.

Question 76

A major limitation of naturalistic observation is that

A) the findings cannot be generalized beyond the participants and settings in which the research was originally conducted.
B) researchers cannot control the conditions under which participants are observed.
C) the research may not yield observations typical of participants' behavior in everyday life.
D) participants may not accurately report their thoughts, feelings, and experiences.

Question 77

A major advantage of structured observation is that it

A) is useful for studying behaviors that investigators rarely have an opportunity to see in everyday life.
B) permits participants to display their thoughts in terms that are as close as possible to the way they think in everyday life.
C) yields richly detailed narratives that offer valuable insight into the many factors that affect development.
D) allows researchers to see the behavior of interest as it occurs in natural settings.

Question 78

Ecological systems theory views the child as

A) a blossoming flower, and it regards development as a maturational process, similar to blooming.
B) developing within a complex system of relationships affected by multiple levels of the surrounding environment.
C) a social being influenced primarily by observational learning, imitation, and adult modeling.
D) a computer-like system that actively codes, transforms, and organizes complex information.

Question 79

Which of the following behaviors is consistent with Vygotsky's theory?

A) When his mother takes him to the grocery store, Tom is well-behaved because he knows that his mother will reward him with candy.
B) When playing on the beach, Kehaulani builds the same sort of sand castle that she observed her younger sister building a few days ago.
C) Yesica, a Brazilian child candy seller with no schooling, develops sophisticated mathematical abilities as a result of her work.
D) When trying to solve a math equation, Otto tries several formulas before he stumbles on the correct one and solves the equation.

Question 80

Family chaos

A) is limited to economically disadvantaged households.
B) does not occur when families engage in joint activities.
C) induces in children feelings of powerlessness.
D) is an unavoidable byproduct of today's busy world.