Deck 10: Developmental Psychology: Exploring Intellectual Issues, Twin Studies, Research Designs, and Developmental Milestones

Question 1

Recall the discussion of ongoing controversies in Chapter 1 of your text, as well as the opening discussion of developmental psychology in Chapter 10. Which of the following intellectual issues would seem MOST relevant to developmental psychology?

A) nature vs. nurture
B) determinism vs. free will
C) individual differences vs. universal principles
D) internal mind vs. observable behaviour

Answer 1

nature vs. nurture

Question 2

Ava and Bella are identical twins. They were adopted at birth by different families and raised in different environments. How are any similarities between Ava and Bella informative for developmental psychology, if indeed they are?

A) Their similarities reflect the influence of "nature" on development.
B) Their similarities reflect the influence of "nurture" on development.
C) Their similarities reflect the influence of a complex interaction between "nature" and "nurture" on development.
D) Their similarities are not especially informative for developmental psychology.

Answer 2

Their similarities reflect the influence of "nature" on development.

Question 3

Dr. Irwin is testing the same individuals repeatedly over time as part of a research study. Dr. Irwin is using a _________ research design.

A) cross-sectional
B) longitudinal
C) simultaneous
D) sequential

Answer 3

longitudinal

Question 4

Dr. Jenner is comparing the performance of different people of various ages at the same time. Dr. Jenner is using a ________ design.

A) cross-sectional
B) longitudinal
C) simultaneous
D) sequential

Question 5

Which period of prenatal development is/are CORRECTLY matched with a description or milestone?

A) germinal; the organism grows from one to over a hundred cells
B) embryonic; facial features become similar to those that the child will display at birth
C) fetal; rudimentary organs develop
D) All these are correctly matched.

Question 6

The presence of an extra chromosome results in the developmental disorder called:

A) Down syndrome
B) sickle-cell anemia
C) Tay-Sachs disease
D) phenylketonuria (PKU)

Question 7

Which infant reflex is INCORRECTLY matched with its description?

A) Babinski reflex: an infant flings out the arms and arches its back in response to a sudden noise.
B) startle reflex: an infant's toes fan out when the edge of the sole of the foot is stroked.
C) both of these options are incorrectly matched
D) neither of these options are incorrectly matched.

Question 8

Pamela is 2 days old. She is likely to display:

A) a preference for patterns with edges over patterns with less distinct patterns.
B) the ability to tell one facial expression of emotion from another.
C) the ability to imitate an adult's facial expression.
D) All these behaviours

Question 9

By the end of the 1st week of life, infants display which of the following auditory abilities?

A) understanding spoken language.
B) hearing very quiet sounds.
C) distinguishing the language of their parents from another language.
D) recognizing their own mothers' voices.

Question 10

Which of the following phrases best captures how children's play changes through toddlerhood?

A) from pretend to realistic
B) from physical to verbal
C) from ritualistic to improvisational
D) from parallel to interactive

Question 11

In investigations of the influence of culture on children's play, it appears that:

A) Korean children engage in proportionately more parallel play than do Caucasian children.
B) Korean children engage in proportionately less "pretend" play than do Caucasian children.
C) both of these options are true
D) neither of these options are true

Question 12

Which of the following is a benefit of children's social interaction?

A) It helps children interpret the meaning of others' behaviour.
B) It helps children develop the capacity to respond appropriately to others' behaviour.
C) It helps children learn physical and emotional self-control.
D) All these are benefits.

Question 13

Hailey's parents demand her strict obedience; "backtalk" is not tolerated. In Baumrind's terms, Hailey's parents are

A) authoritarian.
B) authoritative.
C) permissive.
D) indifferent.

Question 14

Isabella's parents are firm but are likely to reason with her and explain the consequences of her behaviour. In Baumrind's terms, Isabella's parents are:

A) authoritarian.
B) authoritative.
C) permissive.
D) indifferent.

Question 15

Jack, a middle-schooler, is somewhat immature; he is "clingy" and sometimes lacks self-control. It is possible that his parents were too:

A) authoritarian.
B) authoritative.
C) permissive.
D) uninvolved.

Question 16

The study of attachment style is associated with

A) Baumrind.
B) Ainsworth.
C) Erikson.
D) Freud.

Question 17

The study of parenting style is associated with:

A) Baumrind.
B) Ainsworth.
C) Erikson.
D) Freud.

Question 18

In Ainsworth's studies on infant attachment, the __________ infants rarely cried when left alone with a stranger.

A) ambivalent
B) independent
C) avoidant
D) securely attached

Question 19

Which of the following constructs primarily reflects "nature"?

A) attachment style
B) temperament
C) parenting style
D) None of these

Question 20

Recall the Eriksonian stages of personality development that occur during childhood. Which is/are correctly matched with the appropriate ages below?

A) trust vs. mistrust-ages 0-1.5
B) autonomy vs. doubt-ages 1.5-3
C) initiative vs. guilt-ages 3-6
D) All these are correctly matched.

Question 21

Which of the following accurately reflects a positive aspect of Erikson's stage theory of psychosocial development?

A) Erikson focused equally on the development of males and females.
B) Erikson provided precise mechanisms to account for the transition from one stage to the next.
C) Erikson validated his theory cross-culturally.
D) Erikson's theory encompassed the entire lifespan, not just the childhood years.

Question 22

Megan said "It stopped raining because I wanted to go outside and play." This is an example of

A) conservation.
B) object permanence.
C) egocentric thought.
D) scaffolding.

Question 23

Matt said "It stopped raining because I wanted to go outside and play." This indicates that Matt is in the__________ stage of cognitive development.

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

Question 24

Janelle and Kendra were playing with two balls of clay. Kendra was molding a cake, and Janelle was making a bowl. Janelle then suggested that they get new balls of clay so they could make something different. Kendra informed her that no new clay was necessary, because the clay could be remolded to make different objects. Kendra is teaching the principle of __________ to Janelle.

A) conservation
B) egocentric thought
C) reversibility
D) object permanence

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT a criticism that has been levelled at Piaget's theory of cognitive development?

A) Many people never reach the formal operational stage of thought, which Piaget considered the endpoint
B) Cognitive development may proceed more gradually and in a more ongoing fashion than a stage theory such as Piaget's would suggest.
C) Children are generally less sophisticated in their cognitive development than Piaget proposed; that is, Piaget tended to overestimate children's level of cognitive development.
D) All these criticisms have been directed toward Piaget's theory.

Question 26

Which of the following does NOT accurately reflect a contribution of Piaget's theory of cognitive development?

A)Empirical evidence affirms Piaget's claim that development proceeds in distinct stages, rather than in a continuous fashion.
B) Piaget's theory gives a relatively accurate account of age-related changes in cognitive development.
C) Piaget's theory has been highly influential in education.
D) Piaget's theory is a comprehensive account of cognitive development.

Question 27

Which of the Piagetian stages is associated with the acquisition of abstract thinking?

A) of cognitive development.
B) preoperational
C) concrete operational
D) formal operational

Question 28

Vygotsky's cognitive theory promotes better learning with the assistance of ________

A) conservation.
B) object permanence.
C) egocentric thought.
D) scaffolding.

Question 29

At least in Western, industrialized nations, the age of the onset of puberty has decreased 3-4 years in the last century. This probably reflects:

A) improved medical care and living conditions.
B) changes in the genetic makeup of people.
C) poor diets that are high in junk foods.
D) the emphasis on strenuous daily exercise and sports.

Question 30

According to your text, empirical research suggests that early physical maturation is ________ for males and ________ for females.

A) advantageous; advantageous
B) advantageous; disadvantageous
C) advantageous; both advantageous and disadvantageous
D) both advantageous and disadvantageous; disadvantageous

Question 31

Criticism of Kohlberg's theory of moral development has revolved around:

A) its potential lack of generality across genders and cultures.
B) its focus on moral judgments rather than moral behaviour.
C) both of these options
D) neither of these options

Question 32

Yolanda is 24. Assume that she successfully completes the identity crisis associated with her current Eriksonian stage. Which of the following is her correct developmental outcome?

A) intimacy
B) generativity
C) identity
D) ego integrity

Question 33

Zachary is 44. Assume that he successfully completes the identity crisis associated with his current Eriksonian stage. Which of the following is his correct developmental outcome?

A) intimacy
B) generativity
C) identity
D) ego integrity

Question 34

Andrew is 73. Assume that he successfully completes the identity crisis associated with his current Eriksonian stage. Which of the following is his correct developmental outcome?

A) intimacy
B) generativity
C) identity
D) ego integrity

Question 35

Which of the following has NOT been suggested as a risk factor for adolescent suicide?

A) alcoholism and drug abuse
B) stress and anxiety
C) perfectionism
D) All these have been identified as potential risk factors.

Question 36

Which of the following is NOT a warning sign for suicide?

A) Withdrawal from friends or peers.
B) Listening to heavy metal music.
C) Preoccupation with death.
D) Self-destructive behaviour.

Question 37

Around the world, in most cultures, rites of passage:

A) are focused mostly on the coming of age of young males.
B) have largely disappeared.
C) are focused mostly on the coming of age of young females.
D) are focused equally on the coming of age of young males, and that of young females.

Question 38

Adverse reactions to menopause among middle-aged women: nature or nurture?

A) Nature-adverse reactions to menopause are universal across cultures.
B) Nature-adverse reactions to menopause vary cross-culturally.
C) Nurture-the likelihood of adverse reactions to menopause is negatively correlated with the value a culture places on old age.
D) Nurture-the likelihood of adverse reactions to menopause is positively correlated with the value a culture places on old age.

Question 39

How many adults experience a midlife crisis?

A) Virtually all do.
B) A substantial majority do.
C) About half do.
D) Only a minority do.

Question 40

Imagine that you are preparing a graph showing the proportion of White, Hispanic, and African-Canadian children living in single-parent families. The ethnic group should appear on the _____-axis; a _______graph would be most appropriate.

A) x; bar
B) y; bar
C) x; line
D) y; line

Question 41

Imagine a line graph showing two lines. Line A displays the mean number of hours per week spent in out-of-home employment by married women over the past several decades. Line B displays the mean number of hours spent on housework each week by married women over the past several decades. Based on your text's discussion, which of the following is probably TRUE?

A) The slope of Line A is positive and the slope of Line B is 0 or negative.
B) The slopes of the two lines are more or less equivalent.
C) The slope of Line A is less than that of Line B .
D) The slopes of both lines are negative.

Question 42

Dr. Ledet finds that on average, the scores of his older adult participants on a standardized intelligence test are lower than those of his young adult participants. Although these results might suggest that intellectual functioning declines in later adulthood, which of the following alternative explanations must be taken into account?

A) The older adults may be less healthy physically than the younger participants.
B) The older adults may have less formal education on average than might their younger counterparts.
C) The standardized test may fail to tap into practical intelligence, an area which might be less susceptible to decline with age.
D) All these alternatives should be considered.

Question 43

Recall the discussion of hypotheses and theories in the research methods chapter of your text. Which of the following is not an operational definition of fluid intelligence?

A) the speed with which numerical calculations are performed
B) a score on a vocabulary test
C) the accuracy with which analogies between abstract diagrams are solved
D) neither of these options are an operational definition of fluid intelligence

Question 44

Age-related declines are more apparent in ______ than in ______.

A) numerical ability; verbal ability
B) inductive reasoning; numerical ability
C) verbal ability; numerical ability
D) crystallized intelligence; fluid intelligence

Question 45

Dr. Stein is a psychologist who takes a "nurture" stance on the nature vs. nurture issue. Which of the following explanations is she most likely to offer to account for age-related memory declines?

A) Older adults are not held in high esteem in our culture, and we expect their cognitive functioning to decline.
B) Older adults no longer face the cognitive challenges encountered at work.
C) She might offer either or both A or B as explanations.
D) She would not offer any of these explanations.

Question 46

Positive self-perceptions of aging are associated with ________

A) disengagement.
B) spatial orientation.
C) longevity.
D) senility.

Question 47

The life review is consistent with Erikson's ___________ stage.

A) generativity vs. stagnation
B) intimacy vs. isolation
C) identity vs. role confusion
D) ego integrity vs. despair

Question 48

Dr. Kim Bartholomew and colleagues looked at parenting role reversal and found which of the following to be true?

A) parenting role reversal was related to growing up in families with more neglect, rejection, and little comfort
B) girls took on the parenting role reversal more than boys
C) children did not have poor adult attachment later in life despite parenting role reversal
D) all of these options

Question 49

Adolescence and puberty are often thought to be the same. However, puberty is more ________ while adolescence is more _______.

A) biological; societal
B) societal; biological
C) biological; behavioural
D) behavioural; societal

Question 50

Suicide rates are _______ times higher among First Nation and Inuit youth than any other youth inCanada.

A) 1 to 3
B) 3 to 5
C) 5 to 7
D) 7 to 9

Question 51

The study of the patterns of growth and change that occur throughout life is referred to as __________psychology.

Question 52

The issue of the degree to which the environment and heredity influence behaviour is known as the__________ issue.

Question 53

Chromosomes contain __________ of genes.

Question 54

The most noteworthy feature of Erikson's theory of psychosocial development is that it suggests that development is a __________.

Question 55

The __________ theory of aging states that aging involves a gradual withdrawal from the world.

Question 56

When a child fits new knowledge into his or her existing schema, he or she is participating in the process of ________.

Question 57

When a child is presented with new information that does not fit his or her existing schemas, he or she must modify or change the existing schema to fit the new information. This process is known as_______.

Question 58

Alzheimer's disease affects approximately ________ people aged 65 or older in Canada.

Question 59

Recall the perspectives in contemporary psychology described in Chapter 1 of your text. Compare and contrast several of the perspectives with respect to their position on the nature vs. nurture issue. For each perspective that you describe, suggest a topic in developmental psychology that might be of particular interest to investigators.