Deck 3: Physical and Cognitive Development in Infancy

Question 1

Jerome weighed in at 4.5 pounds when he was born. Compared to other newborns in North America, his weight is:

A) less than the average.
B) average.
C) about average.
D) higher than the average.

Answer 1

less than the average.

Question 2

Your ability to process language in the left hemisphere and spatial thinking in the right hemisphere is due to _____.

A) linearity
B) mastery
C) lateralization
D) learning

Answer 2

lateralization

Question 3

The _____ includes the cerebral cortex and several structures beneath it.

A) forebrain
B) hindbrain
C) midbrain
D) topbrain

Answer 3

forebrain

Question 4

The _____ pattern of growth is the sequence in which growth starts at the center of the body and moves toward the extremities.

A) proximodistal
B) proximocaudal
C) cephalocaudal
D) cephalodistal

Question 5

The cephalocaudal pattern is the sequence in which the earliest growth always occurs at the:

A) center of the body and then moves toward the extremities
B) spinal cord and then expands out to the limbs and head
C) top-the head-with physical growth and differentiation of features gradually working their way down from top to bottom
D) bottom-the feet-with physical growth and differentiation of features gradually working their way up till the head

Question 6

The portion farthest from the spinal cord is known as the _____.

A) hindbrain
B) forebrain
C) midbrain
D) topbrain

Question 7

In the first several days of life, most newborns lose _____ percent of their body weight before they adjust to feeding by sucking, swallowing, and digesting.

A) 5 to 7
B) 15 to 20
C) 1 to 2
D) 35 to 40

Question 8

Infants usually double their birth weight by the age of:

A) one month.
B) one year.
C) four months.
D) eight months.

Question 9

Shaken baby syndrome may cause several symptoms including:

A) brain swelling and hemorrhaging.
B) brain tumors.
C) cardiac arrest.
D) swelling of the arms and legs.

Question 10

Infants control the muscles of their trunk and arms before they control their hands and fingers, and they use their whole hands before they can control several fingers. This indicates a _____ pattern of growth.

A) proximodistal
B) cephalocaudal
C) proximocaudal
D) cephalodistal

Question 11

Infants can see objects before they can control their torso, and they can use their hands long before they can crawl or walk. This would indicate that they have a _____ pattern of growth.

A) proximodistal
B) proximocaudal
C) cephalodistal
D) cephalocaudal

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true about brain development?

A) The brain grows exponentially from conception to birth causing the brain to be completely developed at birth.
B) The process of brain development continues through the first year after birth and then stops.
C) Extensive brain development continues after birth, through infancy and later.
D) Brain development continues after birth only among premature babies.

Question 13

The fiber that carries signals away from the neuron's cell body is called a(n):

A) axon.
B) dendrite.
C) neurotransmitter.
D) synapse.

Question 14

The fiber that carries signals toward the neuron's cell body is called a(n):

A) axon.
B) dendrite.
C) neurotransmitter.
D) synapse.

Question 15

At birth, the newborn's brain is about _____ percent of its adult weight.

A) 10
B) 25
C) 50
D) 75

Question 16

Infants would nearly have tripled their birth weight by the age of:

A) two years.
B) one year.
C) four months.
D) six months

Question 17

By the second birthday, a toddler's brain is about _____ percent of its adult weight.

A) 25
B) 50
C) 75
D) 95

Question 18

The cerebral cortex has two _____, each of which is further divided into four _____.

A) neurons; divisions
B) divisions; neurons
C) hemispheres; lobes
D) lobes; systems

Question 19

Which of the following statements is true about specialization of function in a hemisphere of the cerebral cortex?

A) Complex thinking is mostly carried out by the right hemisphere while the left hemisphere typically deals with motor control.
B) Logical thinkers are usually "left-brained."
C) Creative thinkers are usually "right-brained."
D) Complex thinking in normal people is the outcome of communication between both hemispheres of the brain.

Question 20

By two years of age, children have reached about _____ of their adult weight and about _____ of their adult height.

A) one-half; one-fourth
B) one-fifth; one-half
C) one-third; two-third
D) one-fourth; one-fourth

Question 21

Who is at the highest risk of SIDS?

A) Malachi who is between birth and four weeks
B) Tyrell who is between four and six weeks
C) Chaz who is between two and four months
D) Isaiah who is between eight and ten months

Question 22

Which of the following statements about infants and REM sleep is true?

A) When infants are 3 months old, the amount of time they spend in REM sleep begins to increase.
B) Most infants spend about 70 percent of their sleeping time in REM sleep.
C) REM sleep might promote the brain's development in infancy.
D) Older adults are the only group that spends more time in REM sleep than infants.

Question 23

Which of the following conditions is the highest cause of infant death in the United States with nearly 3,000 infant deaths annually attributed to it?

A) Shaken baby syndrome
B) Sudden infant death syndrome
C) Down syndrome
D) Marasmus

Question 24

_____ refers to the process of encasing axons with fat cells.

A) Myelination
B) Lateralization
C) Habituation
D) Transmission

Question 25

The _____ is the area of the brain where higher-level thinking and self-regulation occur.

A) visual cortex
B) myelin sheath
C) prefrontal cortex
D) neural tube

Question 26

If we were concerned with speed of electronic signals, which of the following would help information travel faster?

A) Perception
B) Lateralization
C) Myelination
D) Habituation

Question 27

When babies engage in physical activity or use language, some synaptic connections will be strengthened, while the unused ones are replaced by other pathways or disappear. A neuroscientist would identify this process as "_____."

A) pruning
B) myelination
C) paring
D) trimming

Question 28

Which of the following statements is true of how neurons change in the first years of life?

A) Synaptic connections begin to develop only after birth.
B) Myelination begins prenatally and stops at birth.
C) The synaptic connections that are used become strengthened and survive, while the unused ones are replaced by other pathways or disappear.
D) The human brain actually needs more than twice of the neural connections made in the first years of life.

Question 29

Since 1992, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has recommended that _____ to reduce the risk of SIDS.

A) parents practice shared sleeping with their infants
B) infants be placed to sleep on their backs
C) babies be fed on demand instead of on schedule
D) all fans in the room be turned off while putting a baby down to sleep

Question 30

The _____ view emphasizes the importance of interactions between experience and gene expression in the brain's development.

A) neuroconstructivist
B) dynamic systems
C) genetic
D) ecological

Question 31

For years, debate has focused on whether breast-feeding is better for the infant than bottle-feeding. The growing consensus is that:

A) breast feeding is better for the baby's health.
B) bottle feeding is better for the baby's health.
C) breast feeding is better for bonding between mother and infant, whereas bottle feeding is better for the baby's health.
D) there are no differences in health outcomes for babies who are breast fed and babies who are bottle fed.

Question 32

In which of the following circumstances is it recommended that a mother NOT breast-feed?

A) If the mother plans to return to full-time work soon
B) If the mother has active tuberculosis
C) If the mother is 40 or older
D) If the baby is overweight

Question 33

The peak of synaptic overproduction in the _____ takes place at around one year of age.

A) prefrontal cortex
B) spinal cord
C) visual cortex
D) neural tube

Question 34

Chemical interactions between ____ connect axons and dendrites, allowing information to pass from neuron to neuron.

A) nephrons
B) synapses
C) neurotransmitters
D) myelin sheaths

Question 35

At the end of the axon are terminal buttons, which release chemicals called _____ into synapses.

A) myelin
B) dendrites
C) neurotransmitters
D) neurons

Question 36

A(n) _____ is a layer of fat cells that encases and insulates many axons and helps electrical signals travel faster down the axon.

A) myelin sheath
B) astrocyte
C) dendrite
D) nociceptor

Question 37

Amira is concerned about putting her baby on his stomach to sleep because of the risk that he might stop breathing, usually during the night, and die suddenly without an apparent cause. In other words, she is concerned about _____.

A) shaken baby syndrome
B) sudden infant death syndrome
C) Down syndrome
D) marasmus

Question 38

_____ are tiny gaps, or junctions, between neurons' fibers.

A) Neurilemma
B) Myelin sheaths
C) Neurotransmitters
D) Synapses

Question 39

The peak of synaptic overproduction in the _____ occurs at about the fourth postnatal month.

A) spinal cord
B) prefrontal cortex
C) visual cortex
D) parietal lobe

Question 40

Of the following infants, who is MOST at risk for SIDS?

A) Mimi; her mother smokes
B) Grace; she was born weighing more than most babies
C) Megumi; she uses a pacifier when she goes to sleep
D) Sylvia; she sleeps in firm bedding

Question 41

Kyle and Amy want their baby to walk early, so they take the baby's favorite toy and place it where the child cannot reach it from a crawling position. Kyle and Amy believe that this will motivate the baby to stand upright to retrieve the toy and will thus result in him walking sooner. Their belief is most consistent with the _____ systems view of development.

A) maturational
B) evolutionary
C) static
D) dynamic

Question 42

What is the foundation needed for gross motor skills to develop?

A) A developed muscular system
B) Cognitive skills
C) Postural control
D) Reflexive behavior

Question 43

Your professor says that our perception brings us into contact with the environment in order to interact with and adapt to it. This indicates that he holds a(n) _____ view on perceptual development.

A) ethological
B) ecological
C) evolutionary
D) genetic

Question 44

The view of development that sees motor skills developing as a solution to an infant's problems is known as _____ systems theory.

A) dynamic
B) maturational
C) static
D) environmental

Question 45

Reaching in four-month-old infants is guided by:

A) keeping their limbs in sight.
B) touch.
C) cues from muscles, tendons, and joints.
D) auditory cues.

Question 46

A national study of more than 3,000 randomly selected 4- to 24-month-olds documented that:

A) many U.S. parents are feeding their babies too many fruits and not enough vegetables.
B) U.S. parents are feeding their babies fruits and vegetables, and very little junk food.
C) by 1 year, bananas were the most common fruit that babies ate.
D) by 15 months, French fries were the most common vegetable that babies ate.

Question 47

Whenever baby Beth hears a loud noise, she responds with a _____ reflex where she arches her back, throws back her head, flings out her arms and legs, and then rapidly closes her arms and legs.

A) Moro
B) rooting
C) grasping
D) fencing

Question 48

_____ motor skills are skills that involve large-muscle activities, such as moving one's arms and walking.

A) Fine
B) Gross
C) Learned
D) Major

Question 49

The theorists who developed the ecological view of perceptual development in infancy are:

A) Arnold Gesell and Jean Piaget.
B) Virginia Satir and Jay Haley.
C) Eleanor and James Gibson.
D) Sigmund Freud and Anna Freud.

Question 50

When Martha wants to feed her newborn son, she gently brushes her nipple against his cheek and, in a _____ reflex, he turns his head toward the side that was touched and immediately latches on to her breast.

A) Moro
B) sucking
C) rooting
D) grasping

Question 51

Nadine's doctor is assessing her fine motor skills, thus they are going to look at her ability to:

A) coordinate large muscle activity like walking.
B) maintain fine balance on a beam.
C) perform finely tuned movements like using a pencil.
D) perform reflexive behavior like stepping.

Question 52

Jake, age 11 months, is able to pick up cereal and bits of fruit off the tray of his high chair by grasping them with his thumb and forefinger. Jake has developed the:

A) palmer grasp.
B) pincer grip.
C) Moro reflex.
D) fencing reflex.

Question 53

In which of the following circumstances should the mother NOT breast feed her baby?

A) If she has AIDS
B) If she is suffering from postpartum depression
C) If the baby has low birth weight
D) If the baby is overweight

Question 54

In the "sticky mittens" research project, it was found that:

A) the infants in the mitten group developed grasping skills earlier.
B) the infants in the group without mittens developed grasping skills faster.
C) both groups developed grasping skills at the same pace.
D) the group without mittens developed better object manipulation skills.

Question 55

When four-year old Melanie ties shoelaces on her own and skillfully uses fork and spoon, she is demonstrating her:

A) rooting reflex.
B) fine motor skills.
C) Moro reflex.
D) gross motor skills.

Question 56

_____ occurs when information interacts with sensory receptors-the eyes, ears, tongue, nostrils, and skin.

A) Sensation
B) Perception
C) Reception
D) Transition

Question 57

Fantz' research method-studying whether infants can distinguish one stimulus from another by measuring the length of time they attend to different stimuli-is referred to as the:

A) habituation and dishabituation method.
B) orienting response and tracking method.
C) visual preference method.
D) high amplitude sucking method.

Question 58

The interpretation of sensory information is called _____.

A) sensation
B) reception
C) perception
D) transition

Question 59

_____ are built-in reactions to stimuli; they govern the newborn's movements, which are automatic and beyond the newborn's control.

A) Instincts
B) Reflexes
C) Impulses
D) Urges

Question 60

Franz believes that we directly perceive information that exists in the world around us and that perception is designed for action. He is most likely holding an _____ perspective.

A) ethological
B) ecological
C) evolutionary
D) genetic

Question 61

Sensitivity to taste:

A) is present even before birth.
B) develops two days after birth.
C) is not seen in newborns.
D) develops a month after birth.

Question 62

Baby Jane, three days old, is shown four drawings: a bright blue square, a white oval, a yellow circle, and a drawing of a face. In view of Fantz' work, which drawing would she probably prefer to look at?

A) The white oval
B) The face
C) The blue square
D) The yellow circle

Question 63

Amanda is 6 days old. Which of the following statements about Amanda's hearing is true?

A) Amanda is more sensitive to the pitch of sound than an adult.
B) Amanda is more able to hear low-pitched sounds than high-pitched sounds.
C) Amanda is more able to hear high-pitched sounds than low-pitched sounds
D) Amanda cannot determine the general location from where a sound is coming.

Question 64

Which of the following statements about perception in infants is true?

A) Infants are not able to perceive the localization of a sound.
B) Newborns cannot hear soft sounds quite as well as adults can.
C) Infants are very sensitive to the pitch of a sound.
D) Infants are not able to perceive pain.

Question 65

Winnie is considering the use of anesthesia during the circumcision of her newborn son. She wants to know if newborns can feel pain. What would you tell her?

A) Yes; recent research indicates that infants can feel pain.
B) No; infants cannot feel pain.
C) Maybe; research on the matter is inconclusive as of now.
D) Maybe; the level of pain felt depends on the newborn's resilience.

Question 66

Sheena would like to hang a picture above her baby's crib. Which of the following is likely to attract the MOST attention from the infant?

A) A bright red circle
B) A drawing of a normal face
C) A drawing of a scrambled face
D) A white circle

Question 67

Sarah shows her baby a colorful block several times. The baby looks carefully at the block, at first, but then turns her attention to a different toy after seeing the block a few times. The baby is showing _____.

A) memory
B) imitation
C) habituation
D) dishabituation

Question 68

Baby Kendra, who is 6 days old, is presented with two breast pads. One comes from her mother, and the other has not been used. Which one will Kendra probably prefer?

A) Kendra will probably not show any preference.
B) Kendra will prefer her mother's breast pad.
C) Kendra will prefer the clean breast pad.
D) Whether she shows a preference depends on whether she has been fed recently or not.

Question 69

Two-year-old Anita has learned the word "dog" to identify the family pet Rover. Now Anita says the word "dog" when she sees any animal. Anita has _____ these animals into her existing scheme.

A) amalgamated
B) accommodated
C) assimilated
D) applied

Question 70

Schemes are:

A) actions or mental representations that organize knowledge.
B) the incorporation of new information into existing knowledge.
C) groups of behaviors.
D) knowledge that has been adjusted to fit new experiences.

Question 71

Baby Max watches his mother jingle her keys in front of him. After several minutes, he looks away no longer interested. This would indicate that he has habituated as he is showing a _____ to a stimulus after repeated presentations of the stimulus.

A) decreased responsiveness
B) increased familiarity
C) increased interest
D) decreased anxiety

Question 72

The "visual cliff" experiment was used to measure:

A) size constancy.
B) shape constancy.
C) visual acuity.
D) depth perception.

Question 73

Jean Piaget's concept of grouping isolated behaviors into a higher-order system is called _____.

A) assimilation
B) equilibration
C) organization
D) amalgamation

Question 74

Jean Piaget believed that children:

A) actively construct their own cognitive world.
B) passively react to their environments.
C) absorb their knowledge from the environment.
D) gain their view of the world from their parents.

Question 75

The experience of our world as a smooth, unitary episode is made possible by intermodal:

A) reflection.
B) perception.
C) sensation.
D) interpretation.

Question 76

Three-year-old Jesse used to call all moving vehicles "car." He now accurately categorizes moving vehicles into trucks, cars, motorcycles, and buses. Jesse has _____ to fit new information into his existing scheme.

A) accommodated
B) assimilated
C) amalgamated
D) applied

Question 77

_____ occurs when children adjust their schemes to take new information and experiences into account.

A) Adaptation
B) Accommodation
C) Assimilation
D) Application

Question 78

Benji starts calling his father "dad", but he also calls all men that he sees "dad." According to Piaget, this error is due to _____.

A) amalgamation
B) accommodation
C) assimilation
D) application

Question 79

_____ perception involves integrating information from two or more sensory modalities.

A) Extramodal
B) Intermodal
C) Intramodal
D) Multimodal

Question 80

In the visual cliff experiment by Eleanor Gibson and Richard Walk, most babies encouraged to crawl onto the deep side of the visual cliff would:

A) crawl onto the cliff side.
B) not crawl onto the cliff side.
C) crawl onto the cliff side only when their mothers called them.
D) not crawl onto the cliff side but showed significant increases in heart rate indicating anxiety about the situation.