Question 1

_____ refers to where and when a person develops.

Accepted Answer

A)  Plasticity 
B)  Exosystem 
C)  Microsystem 
D)  Context

Question 2

An important strength of naturalistic observation is that it allows researchers to:

Accepted Answer

A)  implement their own coding system. 
B)  draw conclusions about behavior without analyzing data. 
C)  observe behaviors in real-world settings. 
D)  exercise control over the environment.

Question 3

Regarding the nature-nurture issue, today's developmental scientists agree that _______.

Accepted Answer

A)  nature is more influential than nurture 
B)  nurture is more influential than nature 
C)  both nature and nurture are important 
D)  neither nature nor nurture are significant

Question 4

According to Piaget, children and adults learn by interacting with their environments and organizing what they learn into _________.

Accepted Answer

A)  stages 
B)  conceptual webs 
C)  cognitive schemas 
D)  categorical dimensions

Question 5

The ways in which people grow, change, and stay the same throughout their lives, from birth to death, is known as _________ development.

Accepted Answer

A)  child 
B)  lifespan human 
C)  normative human 
D)  contemporary

Question 6

In contrast to Freud's theory, Erikson focused on the role of ___________ in shaping development.

Accepted Answer

A)  the nuclear and extended family 
B)  the social world, society, and culture 
C)  unconscious motivations and drives 
D)  gender and sexuality

Question 7

The timing of important life events-such as marriage, birth of a child, starting a career, and retirement-fall within the ______.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 8

In contrast to information processing theory, Piaget believed that the mind works in ways similar to a computer.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 9

Ethological theory is the scientific study of the evolutionary basis of behavior and its survival value.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Sequential research designs combine the best features of _______ and ______ research.

Accepted Answer

A)  correlational; experimental 
B)  observational; laboratory 
C)  naturalistic observation; experimental 
D)  cross-sectional; longitudinal

Question 11

Each time Isabella sits down to feed her baby a bottle, she gently strokes the baby's head. One day, Isabella began stroking her daughter's head and noticed that the baby started sucking, even though it wasn't feeding time. The baby's association between having her head stroked and the presentation of food is an example of _______.

Accepted Answer

A)  operant conditioning 
B)  classical conditioning 
C)  reinforcement 
D)  social learning

Question 12

_______ theory is regarded as one of the first lifespan views of development.

Accepted Answer

A)  Freud's 
B)  Erikson's 
C)  Skinner's 
D)  Vygotsky's

Question 13

The _______ consists of relations and interactions among microsystems.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 14

Each time 3-year-old Maddy uses her potty chair, her father puts a sticker on a chart. After earning five stickers, Maddy gets to pick out a small toy at the store. Maddy's father is using ______ to increase the likelihood that Maddy will continue to use the potty chair.

Accepted Answer

A)  bribery 
B)  classical conditioning 
C)  reinforcement 
D)  social learning

Question 15

According to ________ theory, development results from the ongoing interactions among biological, cognitive, and psychological changes within the individual and his or her changing context.

Accepted Answer

A)  Piaget's cognitive-developmental 
B)  Bronfenbrenner's bioecological 
C)  information processing 
D)  evolutionary developmental

Question 16

Unlike Piaget, Vygotsky believed that children are active in their development by engaging with the world around them.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 17

Research illustrates that development consists of both gains and losses, as well as growth and decline, throughout the lifespan. This means that development is _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  multidimensional 
B)  plastic 
C)  multidisciplinary 
D)  multidirectional

Question 18

One of the most important criticisms of Freud's theory is that it:

Accepted Answer

A)  overlooks the importance of the early parent-child relationship. 
B)  emphasizes nature over nurture. 
C)  focuses primarily on early child development. 
D)  cannot be directly tested.

Question 19

Throughout the lifespan, we change physically, cognitively, and psychosocially. This illustrates the notion that development is _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  static 
B)  multidisciplinary 
C)  plastic 
D)  multidimensional

Question 20

Researchers have found that reading to infants and toddlers leads to gains in language development, as well as enhanced school readiness skills. The relationship between reading to infants and toddlers and favorable developmental outcomes is:

Accepted Answer

A)  correlational. 
B)  causal. 
C)  experimental. 
D)  observational.

Exam 1: Understanding Human Development: Approaches and Theories

_____ refers to where and when a person develops.

An important strength of naturalistic observation is that it allows researchers to:

Regarding the nature-nurture issue, today's developmental scientists agree that _______.

According to Piaget, children and adults learn by interacting with their environments and organizing what they learn into _________.

The ways in which people grow, change, and stay the same throughout their lives, from birth to death, is known as _________ development.

In contrast to Freud's theory, Erikson focused on the role of ___________ in shaping development.

The timing of important life events-such as marriage, birth of a child, starting a career, and retirement-fall within the ______.

In contrast to information processing theory, Piaget believed that the mind works in ways similar to a computer.

Ethological theory is the scientific study of the evolutionary basis of behavior and its survival value.

Sequential research designs combine the best features of _ and research.

_______ theory is regarded as one of the first lifespan views of development.

The _______ consists of relations and interactions among microsystems.

Each time 3-year-old Maddy uses her potty chair, her father puts a sticker on a chart. After earning five stickers, Maddy gets to pick out a small toy at the store. Maddy's father is using ______ to increase the likelihood that Maddy will continue to use the potty chair.

According to ________ theory, development results from the ongoing interactions among biological, cognitive, and psychological changes within the individual and his or her changing context.

Unlike Piaget, Vygotsky believed that children are active in their development by engaging with the world around them.

Research illustrates that development consists of both gains and losses, as well as growth and decline, throughout the lifespan. This means that development is _____.

One of the most important criticisms of Freud's theory is that it:

Throughout the lifespan, we change physically, cognitively, and psychosocially. This illustrates the notion that development is _____.

Researchers have found that reading to infants and toddlers leads to gains in language development, as well as enhanced school readiness skills. The relationship between reading to infants and toddlers and favorable developmental outcomes is: