Question 1

Which of Scarr's factors is BEST related to the theme of the "active" child?

Accepted Answer

A)  genetic differences 
B)  different choices of environment 
C)  differences in treatment by parents and others 
D)  different reactions to similar experiences

Question 2

Which statement about longitudinal design is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

A)  Loss of participants can threaten external validity. 
B)  Longitudinal design is particularly useful for examining age-related changes in typical performance. 
C)  Longitudinal design is the least time-consuming of the designs for examining development. 
D)  Research questions regarding stability or change over time are not well-suited for longitudinal design.

Question 3

What is a hypothesis?

Accepted Answer

A)  a research question 
B)  a conclusion yielded by research 
C)  a method used to answer a question 
D)  a testable prediction

Question 4

Describe one advantage and one disadvantage of each of these designs: (a) cross-sectional, (b) longitudinal, and (c) microgenetic.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe one advantage and one disadvantage of...

Question 5

Variables U and W have a correlation of -.86. If it is known that Keira has a low score on U, which statement would be the BEST prediction about her score on W?

Accepted Answer

A)  Keira is likely to have a high score on W. 
B)  Keira is likely to have a low score on W. 
C)  Keira's score on W is likely to be higher than her score on U. 
D)  Keira's score on W cannot be predicted from her score on U.

Question 6

One of the earliest examples of research conducted for the benefit of children was:

Accepted Answer

A)  Watson's experiments on the effects of reward and punishment. 
B)  the Earl of Shaftesbury's effort to reform child labor practices. 
C)  Freud's dream analysis. 
D)  Locke's advocacy of early discipline and later freedom.

Question 7

Which child in Canada is MOST likely to live below the poverty line?

Accepted Answer

A)  Brice, who is White and whose parents are currently divorced 
B)  Tracey, who is Asian-Canadian and whose parents have recently remarried 
C)  Suan, who is indigenous and lives on reserve 
D)  Chris, who is indigenous and lives off reserve

Question 8

Structured observation would probably be the method of choice for a researcher interested in which topic?

Accepted Answer

A)  how toddlers respond to their parents' encouragement to touch a dangerous object 
B)  frequency of bullying behaviour among school children 
C)  beliefs of the children in an elementary school class about how smart their classmates are 
D)  a single child's feelings about his friendships

Question 9

A researcher is interested in the impact of a new type of training diaper on the age at which toddlers become potty trained. The researcher plans to split a group of 100 toddlers into two groups. In one group, members will wear the new training diapers until they are potty trained, and in the other, members will wear their usual diapers. Answer these questions about this study: (1) What is the researcher's hypothesis? (2) How should the researcher split the 100 toddlers into two groups? (3) Which group is the experimental group, and which is the control group? (4) What is the independent variable? (5) What is the dependent variable? (6) What results will the researcher need to make a conclusion about the effectiveness of the new training diaper? (7) Will the researcher be able to conclude that there is a cause-and-effect association? Why or why not?

Accepted Answer

The answer of A researcher is interested in the impact...

Question 10

A town committee learns that there is a strong negative correlation between the number of inches of daily rainfall and the number of children who use the neighbourhood playgrounds each day. If the committee were to conclude that high rainfall is caused by children not using the playgrounds, which type of problem would MOST likely be occurring?

Accepted Answer

A)  third-variable 
B)  direction-of-correlation 
C)  direction-of-causation 
D)  insufficient-knowledge

Question 11

Which statement about individuals' contributions to their own development is TRUE?

Accepted Answer

A)  Most individuals rarely actively contribute to their own development. 
B)  Infants are incapable of actively contributing to their own development. 
C)  Individuals' active contributions to their own development strengthen as they age. 
D)  Individuals' active contributions to their own development weaken as they age.

Question 12

Choose two of the following philosophers: Aristotle, Locke, Plato, and Rousseau and describe one similarity and one difference between the two.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Choose two of the following philosophers: Aristotle,...

Question 13

Crib speech is a(n):

Accepted Answer

A)  demonstration of the importance of nature on development. 
B)  early indication of schizophrenia. 
C)  phenomenon Freud observed and used as a partial basis for his theory. 
D)  example of individuals' contributions to their own development.

Question 14

Considering the research on preschoolers' ability to provide accurate testimony about past events, which piece of advice would be the MOST important for an interviewer to be told prior to interviewing a young child?

Accepted Answer

A)  Bring a doll to aid the child in answering your questions. 
B)  Make sure you know the answers to the questions before asking the child. 
C)  If you do not think the child has answered a question accurately, ask the question again. 
D)  Ask questions that will help children to testify accurately.

Question 15

Freud based his theory of child development in large part on:

Accepted Answer

A)  analysis of dreams and childhood memories. 
B)  a systematic daily diary of a single child's growth. 
C)  experiments of the effects of reward and punishment on rats and other animals. 
D)  study of children working in coal mines.

Question 16

A researcher is interested in the development of depression. She interviews children ages 5, 9, and 13 about their depressive symptoms. This is an example of which type of design?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 17

Which expression is MOST likely to represent the correlation between age of child and reading speed among children who are able to read?

Accepted Answer

A)  1.00 
B)  .60 
C)  0 
D)  -.60

Question 18

The extent to which two variables are related is referred to as their:

Accepted Answer

A)  causal direction. 
B)  coefficient. 
C)  relativity. 
D)  correlation.

Question 19

Considering the long history on the issue of playing violent video games and child and adolescent aggression, what advice would you provide to parents?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Considering the long history on the issue...

Question 20

Which item would NOT be considered part of the sociocultural context involved in a Canadian child's language development?

Accepted Answer

A)  number of words in a child's vocabulary 
B)  town budget for speech therapy 
C)  parental knowledge of child development 
D)  modern Canadian value for education

Exam 1: An Introduction to Child Development