Deck 1: The Study of Human Development

Question 1

Dr. Kim takes a strong nature position with regard to the origins of intellectual disabilities. Therefore, she would most likely hypothesize that her son's intellectual disability (formally known as mental retardation)is due to

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

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Dr. Arantes uses a biopsychosocial framework for understanding human development. Which position is she most likely to endorse on the nature versus nurture issue?

A)Nature is most important.
B)Nurture is most important.
C)Nature and nurture both play important roles in human development.
D)Neither nature nor nurture is important in the study of human development.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Which question best captures the spirit of most individuals who study human development with a nature/nurture focus?

A)How do genes and environmental factors interact in the development of memory processes? ​
B)Which human behaviors are determined genetically, and which are determined by environmental factors?
C)At what age do environmental factors surpass genetic factors as most important in human development?
D)Which genes are responsible for childhood behavior, and which genes are responsible for adult behavior?

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Which item does not constitute a "psychological force?"

A)Perception
B)Intelligence
C)Personality
D)Heredity

Question 5

When Kayla says "It doesn't matter if they are French, Swedish, or Chinese, kids are kids," she is espousing a ____ position concerning human development.

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

Question 6

Yacef is interested in determining whether children develop virtually the same way in Algeria as they do in other parts of the world. Yacef'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 7

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

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

Question 8

Sophia notices that children seem to mature socially much faster in Argentina than in the United States. Sophia is most likely to support a ____ position regarding human development.

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

Question 9

When discussing child development, Olaf uses terms like the "terrible 2s" and the "tranquil 3s." These ideas are most compatible with a ____ view.

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

Question 10

Sara believes that memory processes develop the same way in all children. Sara is most likely to support a ____ position regarding human development.

A)universal
B)nurture
C)discontinuous
D)non-normative

Question 11

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

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

Question 12

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

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

Question 13

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 14

If you were going to study only psychological influences of human development, you would not research

A)self-esteem.
B)the effects of television on development.
C)the effects of depression on development.
D)cognitive processes.

Question 15

Dr. Fletcher 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 16

Who is most likely interested in the study of human development?

A)Dr. Harvey, who studies the brain cells of infants
B)Dr. Hatfield, who studies eating disorders
C)Dr. Deal, who studies how political attitudes change with age
D)Dr. Hersh, who studies elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease

Question 17

Lotte 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." Lotte's professor seems to be supporting the

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

Question 18

The nature of the scientific study of human development can best be described as

A)multidisciplinary.
B)focused on groups rather than individuals.
C)nontheoretical.
D)emphasis on stability over change.

Question 19

Which term does not belong in this group?

A)Experiential
B)Nurture
C)Environmental
D)Hereditary

Question 20

Benoit 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 21

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

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

Question 22

When asked to explain why children sometimes act violently, Dr. Zylar 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. Zylar would be a proponent of ____ theory.

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

Question 23

Who is best associated with psychosocial theory?

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

Question 24

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 25

Mick's biggest challenge in life is to think of his life as satisfactory and that it is worth living (i.e., that he needs to get some satisfaction). According to psychosocial theory, Mick is probably in the ____ stage of life.

A)young adulthood
B)adolescence
C)late life
D)birth to 1 year

Question 26

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

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

Question 27

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

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

Question 28

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

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

Question 29

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 to understanding development.
D)No, because normative age-graded influences are all biological.

Question 30

The fact that hope is important in early childhood, that development of identity is most important in adolescence, and that wisdom is most important in late life is an example of

A)external societal demands.
B)the epigenetic principle.
C)naturalistic observation.
D)identity versus identity confusion.

Question 31

​​ Which best describes the relationship between biological, psychological, and sociocultural forces in human development?

A)Unimportant
B)Interactive
C)Independent
D)Non-normative

Question 32

The epigenetic principle is a key component of ____ theory.

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

Question 33

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

A)Psychological
B)Nature-based
C)Biological
D)Sociocultural

Question 34

Marcelia has been promoted and is moving her family to a new city in a different part of the country. Though four-year-old Fernando is very happy and makes the transition easily, 12-year-old Jorge 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 Fernando and Jorge to the move?

A)Biological factors
B)Sociocultural factors
C)Personality factors
D)Life-cycle factors

Question 35

What would Erikson say is the stage in life where the biggest challenge involves committing to another in a loving relationship?

A)Childhood
B)Adolescence
C)Young adulthood
D)Old adulthood

Question 36

A ____ is an organized set of ideas that is designed to explain development.

A)theory
B)prediction
C)correlation coefficient
D)structured observation

Question 37

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 (e.g., black American to African American)
D)The inability to apply results to the population being studied

Question 38

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 39

Connie is a second-grade teacher who notices that her students behave differently than the fourth-graders during recess. She comes up with several connected ideas to explain why the two groups behave differently. Connie's ideas would best be described as a(n)____.

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

Question 40

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

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

Question 41

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

A)Ginger, who is a behaviorist
B)Gilligan, who is a social learning theorist
C)Thurston, who is a Freudian theorist
D)Mary Ann, who is a Piagetian theorist

Question 42

Zhang is attempting to alter the behavior of his son by controlling the consequences of his son's actions. Zhang is practicing

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

Question 43

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 behavior.
C)place a greater emphasis on nature than on nurture.
D)stress discontinuity.

Question 44

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

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

Question 45

Even though Brenda was never reinforced directly for doing so, she increased the frequency of her swearing after she saw her friend Elizabeth get a lot of attention after she swore. This is most likely an example of

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

Question 46

Dr. Gauche 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. Gauche's jokes are ____ the students for talking in class.

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

Question 47

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 48

Imitation is most closely related to the concept of

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

Question 49

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

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

Question 50

An effective punishment ​

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

Question 51

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 52

A behavior that is effectively being reinforced will

A)eventually go away.
B)increase in frequency.
C)improve self-esteem.
D)be imitated by others.

Question 53

Mr. Link tries to help his students learn how to be assertive by having them watch how other students can be successful by acting assertively. Mr. Link is using principles of ____ to help his students.

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

Question 54

Alberto believes he can successfully ski down a steep mountain. Bandura would be most likely to say that Alberto has

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

Question 55

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

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

Question 56

Lynne always wants to go visit her grandparents because when she visits they give her a new toy. The grandparents have ____ her visiting behavior.

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

Question 57

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

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

Question 58

Brandon 's developmental psychology teacher believes human development is best conceptualized as progressing discontinuously through several qualitatively different stages of thinking. His instructor is likely a(n)

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

Question 59

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

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

Question 60

Who developed social cognitive theory?

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

Question 61

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

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

Question 62

Matti finds himself unable to adjust to college because he doesn't seem to have the study skills necessary to earn passing grades. Matti'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 63

A researcher who wants to study how state welfare programs influence parenting behaviors would be primarily studying

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

Question 64

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 65

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

A)Biological
B)Psychological
C)Life cycle
D)Sociocultural

Question 66

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

A)An information-processing theorist
B)An Eriksonian
C)An operant conditioning theorist
D)A social learning theorist

Question 67

Tina is given a huge salary increase, and now is able to get things for her children that they have always needed and also 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 68

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

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

Question 69

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

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

Question 70

Jackson's knowledge of economics has grown over the years, while at the same time, his ability to play hockey has deteriorated. Jackson's experience best exemplifies

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

Question 71

Marcia is 80 years old and is learning how to speak French 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 72

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 73

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

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

Question 74

When Dr. Bentley 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. Bentley is most likely a proponent of ____ theory.

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

Question 75

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

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

Question 76

The AIDS epidemic has dramatically influenced dating behavior in the 2000s. 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 77

Who is most likely to support a life-span perspective?

A)Corynne, who believes that childhood is the most important stage of development
B)Claire, who thinks that to understand adults you must consider prior development
C)Simone, who agrees with Piaget
D)Danielle, who agrees with Vygotsky

Question 78

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 79

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

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

Question 80

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

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