Deck 1: Introduction to developmental psychology

Question 1

Empirical evidence for Freud's psychosexual theory of personality development is difficult to obtain because of:

A) the emphasis on unconscious processes
B) the emphasis on childhood experiences
C) it is difficult to differentiate the id, ego and super ego from each other
D) both A and B are correct

Answer 1

both A and B are correct

Question 2

Which of the following terms is not associated with Vygotsky's sociocultural theory?

A) macrosystem
B) scaffolding
C) intermental level
D) zone of proximal development

Answer 2

macrosystem

Question 3

Modern developmental psychologists who subscribe to the interactionist approach believe that behavioural characteristics are influenced by

A) genetics
B) parenting strategies
C) nurture
D) both inheritance and environmental experiences

Answer 3

both inheritance and environmental experiences

Question 4

Ethology is characterised by four basic concepts.Which of the following is not one of them?

A) learning predispositions
B) using laboratory-only experimentation to determine causes of behaviour
C) an evolutionary perspective
D) species-specific innate behaviour

Question 5

Although there are problems with Gesell's idea of maturation,it has been helpful:

A) in recognising the effect of the environment on development
B) in establishing the non-sequential development of children's characteristics
C) for pediatrics, as it provides the norms against which individuals can be compared
D) as a basis for Psychoanalytic work

Question 6

In operant conditioning,the behaviour response is strengthened by:

A) observing social models perform the desired behaviour
B) a conditioned stimulus
C) immediate reinforcement
D) high levels of repetition

Question 7

A researcher wishes to investigate whether older people have more conservative values than younger people.
i. What type of research design would be the most appropriate?
ii. What would the researcher need to be mindful of when selecting participants?

A) cross-sectional design; participant drop-out
B) longitudinal design; participant drop-out
C) longitudinal design; selection bias
D) cross-sectional design; selection bias

Question 8

Match the following developmental theorists with the most suitable developmental theory below (in order): Bowlby,Bronfenbrenner,Bandura,Vygotsky.

A) Social Cognitive, Socio-Cultural, Ecological, Ethological
B) Socio-Cultural, Ecological, Cognitive, Behavioural
C) Ecological, Socio-Cultural, Behavioural, Cognitive
D) Ethological, Ecological, Social Cognitive, Socio-cultural

Question 9

Experimental research examines the relationship between two types of variables - a dependent variable and an independent variable.What types of variables are these,respectively?

A) a variable that is measured; a variable that is hypothesised to be affected by a manipulated variable
B) an outcome variable; a manipulated variable
C) a manipulated variable; an outcome variable
D) none of these answers is correct

Question 10

Informed consent should involve:

A) providing participants with information on the purpose, methods and possible outcomes of the research
B) a voluntary choice of participation
C) participants who decide to discontinue with the study should provide clear reasons why
D) both A and B are correct

Question 11

Which of the following is not considered a developmental controversy?

A) gender differences vs cultural differences in development
B) continuity vs discontinuity
C) nature vs nurture
D) universal vs culturally influenced paths of development

Question 12

John is nine-months old,has begun crawling and will soon begin walking.He has yet to take steps unassisted.John is a part of a study that is examining in-depth the changes that occur in the development of walking,so he will be observed for the next few months until he has mastered walking.What type of research design is this?

A) longitudinal design
B) cross-sectional design
C) sequential design
D) microgenetic design

Question 13

Bandura proposed a four-step model of observational learning.Which of the following was not a step that the learner must take?

A) remembering what was seen and heard
B) reproducing the memory of the model's behaviour during imitation
C) performing the behaviour in front of others
D) receiving reinforcement for performing the behaviour

Question 14

Freud's concept of the 'id' is best defined as:

A) a structure that operates on the 'reality principle'
B) the sole structure of personality at birth
C) providing the balance between the 'ego' and the 'super ego'
D) the moral agency of personality

Question 15

Developmental psychology includes the study of the following,except:

A) the nature of children's moral understanding
B) the relationship between a father and his child
C) the influence of maternal drug use on prenatal growth
D) none - they all apply to developmental psychology

Question 16

In which situation would a case study be an appropriate research method to utilise?

A) when reliability and validity are important to the researchers
B) when researchers wish to access rich data over a period of time
C) when the researchers wish to directly test exposure to environmental stimuli prior to the case study beginning
D) when research is time constrained

Question 17

The 'tabula rasa' view of development was proposed by:

A) Jean Piaget
B) Jean Jacques Rousseau
C) John Locke
D) Sigmund Freud

Question 18

Erikson's Psychosocial theory of development is based on another theory.
i. Whose theory is it built on?
ii. What theory is it built on?

A) Freud; Psychoanalytic theory
B) Skinner; Learning theory
C) Freud; Psychosexual theory
D) Piaget; Cognitive theory

Question 19

If a research project plans to recruit participants from Year 7 in public or government schools,they are required to:

A) obtain informed consent from the parents of all participants
B) consult the Department of Education and Training in their state
C) financially reimburse the school for allowing them access to their students
D) both A and B are correct

Question 20

Baltes argues that as humans age and biological plasticity decreases,there is an increased need for:

A) social etiquette
B) friendship
C) morality
D) culture

Question 21

Developmental research has tended to focus more on the period of adolescence compared to early childhood.

Question 22

Contemporary developmental theories tend to acknowledge that an individual's development is influenced by many factors compared to the early normative-descriptive approaches to development.

Question 23

Australian law requires that children aged 15 and under have parental consent before participating in research.

Question 24

Piaget and Freud proposed that the most significant phases of growth occur in the first 10 years of life.

Question 25

Developmental psychologists seek to explain changes that individuals go through from conception to death.

Question 26

Experimental research involves the controlled manipulation of variables to assess the impact on particular behaviours.

Question 27

One feature all research designs have in common is that they must all adhere to ethical guidelines.

Question 28

Bronfenbrenner's Ecological model (1989)consists of the following systems that influence a child's development: microsystem,mesosystem,endosystem,macrosystem.

Question 29

The study of the elderly and the processes of aging is called gerontology.

Question 30

Correlational studies allow researchers to investigate causal relationships between variables.

Question 31

There are many controversies within developmental psychology,including the argument of whether or not an individual's development is quantitative or qualitative.

Question 32

The authors of your textbook identify three important areas of controversy in developmental psychology.Identify two of the three controversies and for each one,make an argument supporting one of the sides.

Question 33

Vygostky and Bronfenbrenner's approaches to development are similar in that they both acknowledge the influence of culture.

Question 34

Bandura criticised Watson and Skinner for ignoring the importance of cognitive functioning.

Question 35

In Freud's psychosexual stages,the 'phallic' stage occurs before the 'latency' stage.

Question 36

In research methods,validity refers to the extent to which a given score on a standardised test or questionnaire is consistent and can be produced again.

Question 37

A key feature of Vygotsky's sociolcultural theory is the 'zone of proximal development'.

Question 38

Piaget proposed that children were passive participants in the developmental process.

Question 39

An independent variable is the outcome variable which researchers hypothesise will be affected by the dependent variable.

Question 40

A longitudinal design follows the same participants over time,which is how it differs from a cross-sectional design.

Question 41

Discuss how Bronfenbrenner's (1989)ecological theory would influence the development of an adolescent today and compare this with an adolescent growing up the 1950s.

Question 42

Explain the difference between classical conditioning and operant conditioning.

Question 43

Discuss ways in which researchers can maximise 'research integrity' and minimise harm for participants in developmental studies.

Question 44

Miller (2002)describes Piagetian theory and psychoanalytic theory as 'the giant theories of developmental psychology'.Compare and contrast the similarities and differences between the two theories.