Deck 1: The Study of Human Development

Question 1

Lindi is listening to a lecture in which her professor states, 'Genetic and cultural factors are important, but they alone cannot explain the development of human beings.' Lindi's professor seems to be supporting the

A)biopsychosocial framework.
B)position that development is continuous.
C)notion of universality.
D)concept of discontinuity.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Because Dr Tshabalala is interested in researching how people of different ages are affected by events, it would be most accurate to say that Dr Tshabalala is most interested in studying ____ forces.

A)psychological
B)biological
C)life-cycle
D)sociocultural

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Dineo and Rose are identical twins who were separated at birth. Dineo was raised in South Africa, whereas Rose spent her childhood in Austria. Which force would likely explain most of the differences between their behaviours as teens?

A)psychological
B)nature-based
C)biological
D)sociocultural

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Lekeshia has been promoted and is moving her family to a new city in a different part of the country. Though four-year-old Roscoe is very happy and makes the transition easily, 12-year-old Josh is unhappy and has a very difficult time adjusting to the move. Both children generally adapt well to change. Which single set of factors best explains the different responses of Roscoe and Josh to the move?

A)biological factors
B)sociocultural factors
C)personality factors
D)life-cycle factors

Question 5

Julia is interested in studying how family relationships affect development. Julia is probably most interested in studying ____ influences.

A)psychological
B)sociocultural
C)non-normative
D)biological

Question 6

Which item does not constitute a 'psychological force'?

A)perception
B)intelligence
C)personality
D)heredity

Question 7

When Pinky says, 'It doesn't matter if they are South African, Ethiopian, or Chinese, kids are kids', she is promoting a ____ position concerning human development.

A)discontinuous
B)universal
C)nurture
D)context-specific

Question 8

Which term does not belong in this group?

A)experiential
B)nurture
C)environmental
D)hereditary

Question 9

Neo is interested in studying the effects of various biological forces on human development. Which topic is probably of least interest to him?

A)cognition
B)brain maturation
C)menopause
D)exercise

Question 10

The field of ____ gives us information about how the four developmental forces interact with each other.

A)biology
B)neuroscience
C)anthropology
D)sociology

Question 11

Your friend David has decided to start studying human development because he hates studying biology. According to your text, will David find happiness in his new area of interest?

A)Yes, because he can focus on psychological factors and ignore sociocultural and biological factors.
B)Yes, but only if he enjoys studying sociocultural factors.
C)No, because studying biological influences is a necessary component in understanding development.
D)No, because normative age-graded influences are all biological.

Question 12

Dr Ndlovu is attempting to determine whether adult criminals were rule-breakers throughout their childhood or whether they suddenly turned to a life of crime. Her research is most concerned with which issue of human development?

A)nature versus nurture
B)universal versus context-specific development
C)biological versus sociocultural forces
D)continuity versus discontinuity

Question 13

Ameena is interested in determining whether children develop virtually the same way in South Africa as they do in other parts of the world. Ameena's research deals primarily with the ____ issue of human development.

A)psychological versus biological forces
B)universal versus context-specific development
C)nature versus nurture
D)continuity versus discontinuity

Question 14

What is a problem encountered by researchers assessing the effects of sociocultural forces?

A)the lack of genetic distinction between individuals from different racial backgrounds
B)culture appears to have little impact on cognitive development
C)changing ethnic labels (for example, African to black South African)
D)the inability to apply results to the population being studied

Question 15

Musandiwe, a principal of a day care, names the classes 'Level 1', 'Level 2', and 'Level 3'. These ideas are most compatible with a ____ view.

A)context-specificity
B)hereditary
C)continuity
D)discontinuity

Question 16

Dr Sithole takes a strong nature position with regard to the origins of intellectual disabilities. Therefore, she would most likely hypothesise that her son's intellectual disability is due to

A)her parenting style.
B)his genes.
C)his exposure to a toxic chemical prior to birth.
D)his exposure to measles prior to birth.

Question 17

Keitumetsi thinks that children seem to mature socially much faster in Johannesburg than in Tzaneen. She is most likely to support a ____ position regarding human development.

A)nature
B)discontinuous
C)context-specific
D)continuous

Question 18

When asked why her sister Precious ended up in jail, Portia says, 'She was always a mean, aggressive person. She really liked hurting people.' Portia is relying on ____ forces to explain Precious's development.

A)sociocultural
B)normative age-graded
C)normative history-graded
D)psychological

Question 19

The scientific study of human development can best be described as

A)multidisciplinary.
B)focused on groups rather than individuals.
C)non-theoretical.
D)emphasising stability over change.

Question 20

The idea that development is best described in terms of a series of abrupt shifts in behaviour best fits with the ____ approach.

A)nature
B)nurture
C)continuity
D)discontinuity

Question 21

Lesedi always wants to visit her grandparents because they give her new toys when she visits. The grandparents have ____ her visiting behaviour.

A)reinforced
B)extinguished
C)punished
D)extinguished

Question 22

The basic premise of ____ is that the consequences of a behaviour determine the likelihood of the behaviour being repeated in the future.

A)the life-span perspective
B)the epigenetic principle
C)universal development
D)operant conditioning

Question 23

In operant conditioning theory, reinforcement is to punishment as

A)increasing is to decreasing
B)giving is to taking
C)unwanted is to wanted
D)good is to bad

Question 24

After he completes his history assignment, Nick is excused from having to wash the dishes, a task he hates. Nick's parents are attempting to use ____ to increase Nico's studying.

A)positive reinforcement
B)punishment
C)extinction
D)negative reinforcement

Question 25

When Ahmed says, 'It would have been tough to be a father at age 21, but being one at age 28 is great, he is noting the important role that ____ factors play in human development.

A)biological
B)life-cycle
C)sociocultural
D)psychological

Question 26

Rethabile finds that whenever she talks to her daughter about her obnoxious behaviour, the obnoxious behaviour increases in frequency. Apparently, Rethabile's talks are ____ her daughter's obnoxious behaviour.

A)punishing
B)reinforcing
C)suppressing
D)having no effect on

Question 27

Psychodynamic theories place the least emphasis on the ____ portion of the biopsychosocial framework.

A)life-cycle
B)psychological
C)sociocultural
D)biological

Question 28

When asked to explain why teenage gang membership is rising, Dr Gabriel responds, 'Generally speaking, these children are driven by conflicts between what they wish to do and what society wishes them to do.' It is most likely that Dr Gabriel would be a proponent of ____ theory.

A)psychodynamic
B)social cognitive
C)ecological
D)cognitive-developmental

Question 29

The argument that each psychosocial strength has its own special age period of specific importance is the cornerstone of ____ theory of development.

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

Question 30

The epigenetic principle is a key component of ____ theory.

A)social cognitive
B)ecological
C)information-processing
D)psychosocial

Question 31

Imitation is most closely related to the concept of

A)positive reinforcement
B)life-cycle forces
C)selective optimisation
D)observational learning

Question 32

How would Erik Erikson respond to the statement, 'A midlife crisis is a normal part of the human life-cycle'?

A)He would agree.
B)He would disagree and point out that there is no 'normal' progression of human development.
C)He would disagree and point out that 'crises' are not a normal part of human development.
D)He would say nothing since he focused on development between birth and adolescence.

Question 33

Mpho is a Grade 2 teacher who notices that his learners behave differently from the Grade 4 learners during break. He comes up with several connected ideas to explain why the two groups behave differently. Mpho's ideas would best be described as a(n) ____

A)experiment.
B)theory.
C)study.
D)mesosystem.

Question 34

Who is most associated with psychosocial theory?

A)Erikson
B)Bandura
C)Watson
D)Freud

Question 35

Which statement best demonstrates the basic premise of life-cycle forces?

A)Biological forces play a small role once a person reaches puberty.
B)Unconscious desires are the basis for most human behaviour.
C)Early experiences may influence behaviour throughout one's development.
D)The forces that influence human behaviour are too complex to identify through empirical research.

Question 36

Siya is attempting to alter the behaviour of his son by controlling the consequences of his son's actions. Siya is practising

A)social learning theory.
B)negative reinforcement.
C)operant conditioning.
D)ecological theory.

Question 37

Lethabo wishes to leave home and begin an adventure that will challenge his skills as a person and lead to a better understanding of himself. According to Erik Erikson, Lethabo is in which stage of psychosocial development?

A)generativity vs. stagnation
B)identity vs. identity confusion
C)autonomy vs. shame
D)basic trust vs. mistrust

Question 38

Dr Dlamini likes to make fun of student comments in class. She finds that every time she does this, students make fewer comments the rest of the class period. Apparently, Dr Dlamini's jokes are ____ the students for talking in class.

A)punishing
B)negatively reinforcing
C)positively reinforcing
D)imitating

Question 39

An effective punishment

A)causes some physical pain.
B)follows a reinforcer.
C)reduces the likelihood that a behaviour will occur in the future.
D)eventually becomes ineffective.

Question 40

Even though Pretty was never reinforced directly for doing so, she increased the frequency of her studying after she saw her friend Bonolo get a lot of attention when she studied. This is most likely an example of

A)observational learning.
B)operant conditioning.
C)punishment.
D)self-efficacy.

Question 41

Kgosi's developmental psychology teacher believes human development is best conceptualised as progressing discontinuously through several qualitatively different stages of thinking. His lecturer is probably a(n)

A)Piagetian.
B)social learning theorist.
C)ecological theorist.
D)behaviourist.

Question 42

Dr Mokoena is a developmental psychologist who is interested in Vygotsky's theory. What sort of forces are probably of most interest to Dr Mokoena?

A)biological
B)psychological
C)life-cycle
D)sociocultural

Question 43

According to ecological theory, the people closest to a developing child represent his or her

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

Question 44

Johan believes that, rather than progressing through a sequence of stages, mental processes gradually get more complex and efficient. Johan is most probably a proponent of

A)Piaget's theory.
B)Kohlberg's theory.
C)information-processing theory.
D)Erikson's theory.

Question 45

Boipelo believes he can win a high jump contest. Most likely Boipelo has

A)reached formal operations.
B)high self-efficacy.
C)resolved the industry vs. inferiority stage.
D)been negatively reinforced.

Question 46

Dr Khumalo says, 'Sure, reinforcement and punishment are important, but how people interpret reinforcement and punishment is even more important.' Given this statement, Dr Khumalo's view is most likely to agree with

A)operant conditioning.
B)social cognitive theory.
C)psychosocial theory.
D)psychodynamic theory.

Question 47

Louis discovers that the experiences he has in his developmental psychology class help him to deal with the children he works with at a day care centre. This relationship is best described by Bronfenbrenner's notion of a(n)

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

Question 48

Whose theory of development is best exemplified by the idea that children construct their own knowledge and that this constructed knowledge changes with age/experience?

A)Piaget
B)Bronfenbrenner
C)Erikson
D)Skinner

Question 49

Mary has only one child, three-year-old Stella, and she has stayed home for most of Stella's life. From an ecological perspective, Mary is best thought of as part of Stella's

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

Question 50

The biggest difference between Vygotsky's approach to development and that of Piaget and the information-processing approach is that Vygotsky placed more emphasis on

A)the impact of culture.
B)stages of development.
C)thinking.
D)unconscious thoughts.

Question 51

Who would most likely explain a child's maladaptive behaviour by saying, 'They probably saw some TV character do that'?

A)Bonolo, who is a behaviourist
B)Adam, who is a social learning theorist
C)Katleho, who is a Freudian theorist
D)Zola, who is a Piagetian theorist

Question 52

Social cognitive theory and operant conditioning are similar in that they both

A)view the individual as an active processor of information.
B)believe that experience is important in determining behaviour.
C)place a greater emphasis on nature than on nurture.
D)stress discontinuity.

Question 53

When Dr Mkhize is asked to explain troubled adolescents, she says, 'The only way to explain the problems of adolescents is to study them in relation to their parents and the culture that surrounds them.' Dr Mkhize is most probably a proponent of ____ theory.

A)psychodynamic
B)cognitive developmental
C)ecological
D)social cognitive

Question 54

When describing the development of his son Roger, Roscoe says, 'The best way to describe it is in terms of a slow computer with a small memory getting a faster processor and more storage space.' This type of description would suggest that Roscoe adheres to a(n) ____ approach to development.

A)operant conditioning
B)ecological theory
C)Piagetian
D)information-processing

Question 55

What type of theorist would most likely describe human cognitive development using the analogy of 'mental software'?

A)an information-processing theorist
B)a Freudian theorist
C)an operant conditioning theorist
D)a social learning theorist

Question 56

Who would have the least amount of interest in children's thinking?

A)an information-processing theorist
B)a Skinnerian theorist
C)a Vygotskian theorist
D)a Piagetian theorist

Question 57

What is the correct order of Piaget's stages of development?

A)sensorimotor, concrete operational, preoperational, formal operational
B)preoperational, formal operational, concrete operational, sensorimotor
C)sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational
D)preoperational, sensorimotor, formal operational, concrete operational

Question 58

Sadie is doing a study in which netball players are interviewed about their role on the team and perceived capabilities for playing in Saturday's game. Sadie seems to be assessing the ____ of the netball players.

A)life-cycle forces
B)exosystems
C)internal maturational plans
D)self-efficacy

Question 59

Dr Rasool tries to help his students learn how to be independent learners by having them watch how other students can be successful by researching answers to possible test questions on their smartphones. Dr Rasool is using principles of ____ to help his students.

A)social learning theory
B)operant conditioning
C)cognitive-developmental theory
D)psychosocial theory

Question 60

Which theorist is most associated with an ecological approach to human development?

A)Freud
B)Piaget
C)Erikson
D)Bronfenbrenner

Question 61

Dumi's knowledge of guitar playing has grown over the years, while at the same time his ability to play guitar has deteriorated. Dumi's experience is an example of

A)multiple causation.
B)historical context.
C)plasticity.
D)Multidirectionality.

Question 62

The fact that a teen growing up under apartheid was attacked will develop in a different manner from a teen growing up under a democratic government was attacked is best explained in terms of

A)multidirectionality.
B)multiple causation.
C)plasticity.
D)historical context.

Question 63

Which research method must always occur in a real-life setting?

A)experiment
B)structured observation
C)naturalistic observation
D)systematic observation

Question 64

Whose theory is best associated with a life-span perspective emphasising research on adult development?

A)Bandura
B)Baltes
C)Bronfenbrenner
D)Piaget

Question 65

The selective optimisation with compensation model is primarily associated with the ____ perspective.

A)cognitive-developmental
B)ecological
C)psychodynamic
D)life-span

Question 66

The fact that 45-year-old Thinus is worried about how national elections will affect his current job status is best associated with

A)individual timing of life events in relation to external historical events.
B)the synchronisation of individual transitions with collective familial ones.
C)the impact of earlier life events on current conditions.
D)history determining the outcome of life.

Question 67

Miriam is interested in studying the impact of growing up during a period of recession on the saving and spending habits of individuals. Miriam's perspective is best described as a ____ perspective.

A)life-course
B)life-span
C)social cognitive
D)psychosocial

Question 68

Zola is most interested in studying adolescent behaviour occurring at a matric dance. Which method is most likely to help her accomplish this goal?

A)structured observation
B)naturalistic observation
C)self-report
D)experiment

Question 69

Hlengiwe is getting ready to apply for a post-graduate degree. To focus on this goal, she is resigning from her posts as editor of the campus newspaper and president of the gymnastics club. These changes in Hlengiwe's life are examples of

A)compensation.
B)elective selection.
C)loss-based selection.
D)self-efficacy.

Question 70

A researcher who wants to study how welfare programmes influence parenting behaviours would be primarily studying

A)microsystems.
B)exosystems.
C)mesosystems.
D)operant conditioning.

Question 71

Dikeledi studies the behaviour of preschool children by watching them play at a local day care centre. While doing this, she is careful to find a spot where she will be completely unnoticed by the individuals she is observing. Dikeledi is most probably using a ____ approach to studying the children.

A)structured observation
B)correlational
C)self-report
D)naturalistic observation

Question 72

Ayanda is 80 years old and is learning how to speak Swahili and play the guitar for the first time. This new skill development is a good example of

A)multiple causation.
B)historical context.
C)plasticity.
D)Multidirectionality.

Question 73

Police shootings have dramatically influenced race relations in the early 21st century. From an ecological perspective, this influence is best thought of as part of the culture's

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

Question 74

Luthando finds herself unable to adjust to her new job because she doesn't seem to have the work skills necessary to keep her strict boss happy. Luthando's predicament would probably best be explained by

A)psychosocial theory.
B)Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory.
C)the competence-environmental press theory.
D)Kohlberg's theory of moral development.

Question 75

Professor Mhlangu always makes a point of learning the names of all the students in her class. She used to be able to do this in her head but has recently found that she needs note cards to help her remember. This change in behaviour is best described as

A)loss-based selection.
B)elective selection.
C)compensation.
D)the epigenetic principle.

Question 76

Which research study would you most expect to see from a researcher with a life-course perspective?

A)the effect of smoking on neurotransmitter systems and memory
B)how memory processes change from infancy to old age
C)growing up in the 1960s and its influence on political activism in middle adulthood
D)sex differences in marital satisfaction

Question 77

Multidirectionality, plasticity, historical context, and multiple causation are all key features of the ____ perspective.

A)life-span
B)cognitive-developmental
C)psychosocial
D)ecological

Question 78

Thembi is given a huge salary increase and is now able to get things for her children that they have always needed and move into a nicer home. Bronfenbrenner would state that this increase in the mother's salary is an example of the impact of the children's

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

Question 79

Blessing wonders if Siya Kolisi becoming the first black captain of the Springboks will affect the career goals of individuals who were adolescents at the time. This kind of question is one that best reflects a(n) ____ perspective.

A)cognitive-developmental
B)life-course
C)social cognitive
D)operant conditioning

Question 80

The notion of 'balancing' work and home responsibilities is best associated with

A)individual timing of life events in relation to external historical events.
B)the synchronisation of individual transitions with collective familial ones.
C)the impact of earlier life events on current conditions.
D)history determining the outcome of life.