Deck 1: Basic Concepts and Methods

Question 1

"Ethnography" is a term that describes a system of meanings and customs shared by an identifiable group and transmitted across generations.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

G. Stanley Hall opposed Darwin's concept of developmental milestones related to age.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Modern developmental psychology practices a multidisciplinary approach known as the "lifespan perspective."

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Studying one woman over a two-year period to obtain information regarding her physical health and habits is a great example of survey research.

Question 5

Examples of atypical development consist of developmental delay, mental illness, aggressiveness, and the like.

Question 6

The term "nature-nurture controversy" is used to describe the debate about the relative contributions of biological processes and experience to individual development.

Question 7

In Canada, the belief that adults should retire at age 65 is defined by the social clock.

Question 8

Beginning to walk or beginning to menstruate are examples of development based upon maturation.

Question 9

The Canadian Psychological Association was founded in 1939.

Question 10

The concept of inborn biases holds that children are innately determined to undergo physical developments, such as walking, talking, or puberty, independent of social or environmental triggers.

Question 11

Darwin's baby biographies were the first scientific studies of child development.

Question 12

The concept of the critical period would explain why many kindergartners are distressed during the first week of their kindergarten experience.

Question 13

The original sin doctrine holds that a child is born with an innately good and competent nature.

Question 14

A developmental psychologist who ascribes to the concept of internal models of experience would study a child's family, neighbourhood, and school in order to understand the child's development.

Question 15

Piaget's description of the cognitive stages of development and the theory he proposed to explain them became the foundation of modern developmental psychology.

Question 16

Charles Darwin and other evolutionists believed they could understand the developing human by keeping baby biographies.

Question 17

The term "development" now encompasses the entire lifespan rather than just childhood and adolescence.

Question 18

Prior to World War II, there was no formal organization of practicing psychologists in Canada.

Question 19

The concept of developmental stages came from Darwin's theory of evolution.

Question 20

Stanley Hall of Clark University used questionnaires to study large numbers of children. His article "The Contents of Children's Minds on Entering School" represented the first scientific study of child development.

Question 21

If a control group is not used during an experiment, the researcher cannot rule out the possibility that something other than the treatment is creating the observed results.

Question 22

Although some research may be used to improve people's lives, this is not always the case with research involving developmental psychology because many variables may be involved that affect individuals differently, coupled with the fact that there are no concrete answers.

Question 23

Early developmental psychology pioneer G. Stanley Hall believed that developmentalists should identify ________ to further the field's understanding of child development.

A) developmental milestones
B) developmental norms
C) developmental stages
D) maturation processes

Question 24

A developmental psychologist who espouses the ideas of the philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau would suggest that the basis for human development is

A) life experiences and external environmental influences that shape a "blank slate" malleable individual.
B) preprogrammed sequential stages and genetically inherited traits.
C) the struggle between an individual's selfish/sinful nature and redemption.
D) an individual's effort to achieve his or her inborn potential.

Question 25

Piaget's landmark body of work defined our understanding of ________ in children.

A) the importance of play
B) maturation processes
C) attachment
D) cognitive development

Question 26

______ are recognized as the first scientific studies of child development.

A) Darwin's baby biographies
B) Gesell's studies of maturation
C) Hall's questionnaires and interviews
D) Piaget's cognitive theories

Question 27

The belief that humans must seek redemption and lead a disciplined life to reduce the influence of innate tendencies toward acting immorally is associated with the philosophical doctrine of

A) innate goodness.
B) original sin.
C) empiricism.
D) blank slate.

Question 28

Because longitudinal studies require only single tests of subjects, practice effects and loss of subjects are not problematic for researchers who use this research strategy.

Question 29

Which scientist contributed the concept of developmental stages to the scientific study of human development?

A) Charles Darwin
B) John Watson
C) Arnold Gesell
D) G. Stanley Hall

Question 30

A developmental psychologist who espouses the ideas of the English philosopher John Locke would suggest that the basis for human development is

A) the struggle between an individual's selfish/sinful nature and redemption.
B) an individual's effort to achieve his or her inborn potential.
C) preprogrammed sequential stages and genetically inherited traits.
D) environmental influences that shape a "blank slate" malleable individual.

Question 31

A cross-sectional research study follows a group of subjects over a period of time.

Question 32

A researcher measures the impact of different types of activities at child-care programs upon the intellectual, emotional, and social well-being of economically disadvantaged preschool children. The independent variable in this experiment is the type of activity.

Question 33

Developmental psychology is the scientific study of ________ in our bodies, behaviour, thinking, emotions, social relationships, and personalities.

A) maturity and stability
B) age-related changes
C) social and cultural norms
D) genetic and biological influences

Question 34

Which of the following best describes Arnold Gesell's thoughts on maturation?

A) Infants are taught how to walk.
B) Infants do not have to be taught how to walk.
C) Infants are taught how to use their fine motor skills.
D) Infants model their parents in learning gross motor skills.

Question 35

Genetically programmed patterns of change, such as the changes associated with puberty, exemplify the developmental process known as

A) milestone attainment.
B) maturation.
C) developmental stages.
D) individuation.

Question 36

________ is the term used to describe the average age at which children reach developmental milestones.

A) "Norms"
B) "Maturation stage"
C) "Psycho-social developmental stage"
D) "Phenomenon"

Question 37

Arnold Gesell suggested the term ________ to describe genetically programmed sequential patterns of change such as puberty or menopause.

A) "stages"
B) "maturation"
C) "norms"
D) "milestones"

Question 38

Based on the work of Jean Piaget, which of the following developmental achievements does not belong in a description of children's cognitive development?

A) Children learn through observation of role models and their environment.
B) Children use their senses and motor abilities to explore the world and develop basic concepts of space and time.
C) Children begin to use symbols, such as language, to think and communicate.
D) Children use their logical thinking skills to solve problems in the everyday world.

Question 39

"Older adults make more memory errors than young and middle-aged adults do." This statement is an example of "prediction," one of the goals of psychology.

Question 40

Research ethics exist to protect humans but are sorely lacking for the protection of animals used in research.

Question 41

Today's developmental theorists have adopted a model that considers human development to be the result of complex reciprocal interaction between

A) cultural biases and parenting.
B) multiple personal and environmental factors.
C) plasticity and maturational patterns.
D) social factors and individual development.

Question 42

What is the term developmentalist Paul Baltes used to describe one's adaptive capacity for positive change in response to the environmental demands that are possible in one's lifespan?

A) goal directed
B) plasticity
C) maximizing gain
D) compensating strategies

Question 43

Which of the following developmental outcomes would be most consistent with the vulnerability/resilience interactionist model of development?

A) Positive developmental outcome is possible only for children with few vulnerabilities and many protective factors.
B) Very low IQ scores are most common among children who were born with a very low birth weight and who are reared in highly stressed, uninvolved families.
C) Normal birth weight infants born into upper socioeconomic status families invariably have superior levels of intelligence.
D) Children born into caring, facilitative families have sufficient protective factors to overcome or offset any vulnerabilities that might potentially affect their development.

Question 44

The three broad categories used by developmentalists to classify developmental changes include physical, social, and _______ domains.

A) biological
B) psychological
C) cognitive
D) maturational

Question 45

The theory that considers human development to be a complex reciprocal interaction between multiple personal and environmental factors is

A) the inbornist model.
B) the interactionist model.
C) internalist model.
D) the ecologicalist model.

Question 46

The _____ issue seeks to find out if age-related change is determined more by qualitative or quantitative factors.

A) nature-nurture
B) universal-individual
C) continuity-discontinuity
D) atypical-typical

Question 47

The notion that job performance declines in older adults, leading to denied opportunities to work, is referred to as

A) "the social clock."
B) "cohort effects."
C) "ageism."
D) "group specific changes."

Question 48

Which of the following most clearly represents a core belief of the lifespan perspective of developmental psychology?

A) Due to aging population trends, older adulthood must become the primary focus of developmental psychology.
B) Culture ultimately influences development more than any other factor.
C) The capacity for plasticity in response to environmental demands is the most important force in determining developmental outcomes.
D) All stages of development must be understood in terms of the culture and context in which they occur.

Question 49

Canadian psychologists were very active during World War II, performing numerous consultation and training functions for the British government and the war effort that included all of the following EXCEPT

A) personnel selection
B) recruitment
C) public opinion management
D) discipline strategies

Question 50

The concepts of vulnerability and resilience coupled with environmental factors are key features of the ______ model of development.

A) nature-nurture
B) lifespan
C) continuity-discontinuity
D) interactionist

Question 51

Which of the following is not an illustration of the interactionist model of experience?

A) Juanita has always found it easy and enjoyable to meet new people and make new friends. Her friends say, "Juanita has never met a stranger!"
B) When one-year-old Roberto pinched his fingers in a closing door, he screamed and cried and could not be soothed for 10 minutes.
C) Sally's family has always teased her about being so clumsy and "klutzy" that she falls over her own feet. So Sally avoids sports or activities such as dancing or tennis because she knows she would look foolish.
D) Dimitri's family and co-workers have to be careful in their interactions with him. It seems he is always hearing criticism or hostility when none is intended.

Question 52

Scientists who study age-related changes in development use three broad categories called ______ to classify developmental changes.

A) "stages"
B) "spheres"
C) "zones"
D) "domains"

Question 53

Studies of Canadian children have shown that a combination of a highly vulnerable child and a poor or unsupportive environment produces the most negative developmental outcome. However,

A) extensive data exists to support the possibility of a potential positive outcome.
B) either of these two negative conditions alone, a vulnerable child or a poor environment, can be overcome.
C) environment plays a lesser part in outcome because delinquent or highly aggressive behaviour is genetically predetermined.
D) parent-child relationships and child developmental outcomes are independent of, and unaffected by, any factors other than those of the immediate family environment.

Question 54

________ is a term describing a generally negative attitude about aging, typified by the belief that older persons are incompetent or unable to complete required job functions.

A) "Biological clock"
B) "Discontinuity"
C) "Ageism"
D) "Plasticity"

Question 55

According to the "lifespan" perspective, _______ have/has helped psychology greatly enhance its understanding of human development.

A) historical theories
B) interdisciplinary collaboration
C) significant increases in the lifespan
D) advances in biology

Question 56

How did the threat of war in Europe lead directly to the creation of a formal organization of practicing psychologists in Canada?

A) Canadian psychologists were ordered to help with the British war effort.
B) Canadian psychologists wanted to join the war effort.
C) Canadian psychologists were recruited to help children in Britain.
D) The military gave Canadian psychologists funding for child and family related research.

Question 57

The central factors in the nature-nurture controversy are

A) environmental continuity and psychological comfort.
B) inborn biases and genetic predispositions.
C) change triggered by social processes or change caused by cultural influences.
D) biological processes and experiential factors.

Question 58

Maria Ivosevic married for the first time at age 39, and at age 40 she is pregnant for the first time. She is now considering starting college to become a computer systems engineer. When Maria laughingly tells her friends, "I have never done anything when I was supposed to," she is referring to

A) the social clock.
B) the biological clock.
C) the critical period.
D) social norms.

Question 59

Our sense of "the right time" to go to college, marry, have children, or retire is determined by our

A) biological clock.
B) social clock.
C) age norms.
D) gender.

Question 60

Hannah is thrilled that she has been accepted into an architecture program. All of her friends have also received letters of acceptance to their desired school programs; they all feel they are achieving in life what they need to. This is referred to as

A) biological clock.
B) social norms.
C) developmental milestones.
D) social clock.

Question 61

Which of the following is NOT a goal of developmental psychology?

A) to explain
B) to improve
C) to describe
D) to predict

Question 62

Predictions that can be tested in an effort to explain human development are known as

A) influences.
B) theories.
C) variables.
D) hypotheses.

Question 63

The National Longitudinal Study of Children and Youth collects data on children every 2 years (1 cycle) as they grow into adulthood. A new sample of infants is added at the third cycle, and at each subsequent cycle. This is an example of a(n) ________ design.

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

Question 64

Of the following, which is the best example of a naturalistic observation?

A) A serial killer is subjected to a battery of psychological exams and intensive interviews in an effort to determine the factors that influenced his developmental pathway to homicidal behaviour.
B) A researcher interested in the effects of caffeine on learning provides high-caffeine drinks to an experimental group who are being taught a complicated game and caffeine-free drinks to a control group who are being taught the same game.
C) Researchers interested in children's gender-related interactions videotape children while they are playing during recess and while they are engaged in cooperative learning assignments in their classrooms.
D) A researcher is studying the effects of sleep deprivation on 20-year-olds in a sleep lab.

Question 65

Which of the following is the best example of a cross-sectional research study?

A) Each year the five-year-olds of Ontario are given number and letter proficiency exams before they begin kindergarten.
B) Dr. Sanchez assessed the eye-hand coordination of the second, fourth, and sixth graders of Maple Leaf Elementary School in December 2001, 2003, 2005, and 2007.
C) A number of graduate students studied the playground interactions of two classes of fourth graders by secretly videotaping the playground activities from the third-floor window of an adjacent building.
D) Dr. Huang assessed the eye-hand coordination of the second, fourth, and sixth graders of Maple Leaf Elementary School in September 2001.

Question 66

Sets of statements that propose general principles to explain development are known as

A) theories.
B) the research design.
C) research questions.
D) hypotheses.

Question 67

Beginning in 1976, Jane Ledingham and Alex Swartzman began studying children living in inner-city neighbourhoods in Montreal, and they are still studying these same people, now grown adults, today. This is an example of

A) a sequential study.
B) a longitudinal study.
C) a cohort effect.
D) a cross-sectional study.

Question 68

Which of the following are members of the same cohort?

A) an urban child in Europe and a rural child in Canada
B) a woman raising her children during World War II and a woman raising her children during the Vietnam conflict in the 1970s
C) a grandfather, his son, and his four grandsons
D) a high-school student in Alberta and a high-school student in Quebec

Question 69

The idea that there are significant periods in development when an organism is especially sensitive to the presence or absence of particular influences is referred to as

A) critical period.
B) on-time timing.
C) off-time timing.
D) sensitive period.

Question 70

An explanation of the importance of individual differences (or of unique, non-shared events) in development would include all of the following concepts EXCEPT

A) genetically programmed biological maturation processes
B) the sensitive period, when an individual is influenced by the absence of a particular kind of experience
C) deviations from an individual's developmental pathway in the form of behavioural problems or mental illness
D) whether events in an individual's life have occurred "on-time" or "off-time"

Question 71

In a(n) ________ design, subjects of different ages are studied at the same time and the results are compared.

A) ethnographic
B) longitudinal
C) cross-sectional
D) cross-cultural

Question 72

Which of the following is the BEST example of an "off-time" event that could have negative effects upon an individual's development?

A) being divorced at the age of 25
B) the deaths of elderly parents
C) the death of one's spouse at the age of 30
D) experiencing a life-threatening illness at the age of 60

Question 73

The Maple Leaf Elementary School counsellor, psychologist, and social worker and the parents of 8-year-old Jimmy Jackson are working as a cooperative team to determine why Jimmy exhibits a pattern of highly aggressive behaviour toward his peers and teachers. Jimmy's behaviour has been extensively observed, he has been subjected to a battery of psychological tests, and his parents have been interviewed. This in-depth examination of Jimmy Jackson is an example of a(n)

A) correlational study.
B) case study.
C) ethnography.
D) naturalistic observation.

Question 74

Which of the following is an accurate summary of the influences of culture and cohort upon development?

A) The cultural factors that affect individuals in our society today are the same factors that were influential in 1940 or will be influential in 2040.
B) Most of the patterns of cohort development observed in our culture will appear in every other culture.
C) Development is influenced by variations of culture and by the historical experiences of generations within each culture.
D) The individuals within each culture are likely to have age-linked experiences that are similar for all cohorts within that culture.

Question 75

Which of the following illustrates the concepts of critical period or sensitive period?

A) A 3-month-old infant cries when a new babysitter arrives.
B) The period from 6 to 12 months of age is the important time for infants to start eating solid foods.
C) In the months after birth, infants need to experience certain types of stimulation or experiences in order for their nervous systems to develop normally and completely.
D) A 10-month-old infant cries when he is not allowed to throw food on the floor.

Question 76

Developmental psychologists use the term "sensitive period" to mean

A) a span of months or years during which a child may be particularly responsive to specific forms of experience or particularly influenced by their absence.
B) a time of psychological fragility, usually due to some type of loss, such as the death of a spouse, termination of employment, or deterioration due to aging.
C) the period of time during which developmental norms for physical development are reached or achieved.
D) the specific period in development when an organism is especially sensitive to the presence (or absence) of some particular kind of experience.

Question 77

Which of the following statements is the best example of an hypothesis about human development?

A) All the children in the high-scoring group were breast-fed as infants, which explains their higher levels of achievement.
B) If breast milk is a superior supplement for infant brain development, then on psychological tests, children who were breast-fed as infants should perform better than children who were not breast-fed as infants.
C) Human breast milk contains nutrients that are essential for the formation of neurons and synapses in an infant's developing brain.
D) Cross-cultural studies have determined that human breast milk provides the ideal nutrition for infant brain development.

Question 78

Roberta is intelligent, works hard, and is 20 years old. She applies for a job at a bank to help pay for her college education. She does not get the job, because the bank feels she is not old enough. Roberta has experienced

A) the social clock.
B) cohort effects.
C) ageism.
D) discontinuity.

Question 79

A cohort is

A) a sequence of shared cultural experiences.
B) everyone who belongs to a specific culture.
C) a genetically programmed, sequential pattern of change.
D) a group of individuals who are born within a fairly narrow time frame and who share historical experiences.

Question 80

A system of meanings and customs shared by an identifiable group and transmitted across generations comprises the ________ of the group.

A) age norms
B) cohort
C) culture
D) collective identity