Deck 1: An Introduction to Child Development

Question 1

Child development __________.

A) focuses on the period from adolescence through middle adulthood
B) focuses only on the changes that occur in large groups of children
C) is predominantly a philosophical belief system
D) focuses on growth, change, and stability

Answer 1

focuses on growth, change, and stability

Question 2

Child development is divided into which of the following groups of topical areas?

A) prenatal development, cognitive development, and social and personality development
B) prenatal development, cognitive development, and physical development
C) physical development, cognitive development, and social and personality development
D) early childhood, adolescence, and social and personality development

Answer 2

prenatal development, cognitive development, and physical development

Question 3

A developmental psychologist conducting research on language development is focused on __________.

A) physical development
B) cognitive development
C) social development
D) personality development

Answer 3

cognitive development

Question 4

In addition to topical areas, child development is organized by chronological periods based on __________.

A) legal events, such as getting a driver's license
B) arbitrary but designated age ranges
C) biological events, such as digestion and elimination
D) clear and precise age ranges that are consistent for everyone

Question 5

__________ is to social construction as __________ is to cultural factors.

A) Individualism; collectivism
B) Ethnicity; race
C) Race; ethnicity
D) Collectivism; individualism

Question 6

Which of the following is considered to be an age-graded influence?

A) menopause
B) social class
C) ethnicity
D) war

Question 7

A child's ability to think about objects symbolically represents a qualitative change in cognitive development. The achievement of this step is an example of __________.

A) continuous development
B) discontinuous change
C) sensitive development
D) critical development

Question 8

Sandy is pregnant and is concerned about the impact of illness during particular periods of prenatal development. She consults her doctor as to the __________ period during which exposure to certain illnesses would result in irreversible consequences.

A) sensitive
B) critical
C) continuous
D) discontinuous

Question 9

Oscar's room is always a mess. "You must have been raised in a pig pen," said Felix. "No way," responded Oscar, "I was born this way!" The friends are debating the issue of __________.

A) continuous versus. discontinuous development
B) critical versus sensitive periods
C) nature versus nurture
D) cultural versus social development

Question 10

"Every day I read another article with advice about raising my children," says one new parent. "How can I know what is true?" One piece of good advice for this new parent is __________.

A) just do whatever your parents did
B) ask friends for advice
C) maintain a healthy dose of skepticism
D) stop reading conflicting advice

Question 11

Child development is defined as the scientific study of the patterns of growth, change, and stability that occur from __________.

A) conception through adolescence
B) birth through adolescence
C) conception through early childhood
D) conception through death

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true of the discipline?

A) Developmental psychologists apply scientific methods to study developmental change.
B) Child development is a specialized branch of psychology; therefore, only developmental psychologists are trained and can conduct research in this area.
C) Developmental psychologists study only infants and young children.
D) Developmental psychologists focus on questions of practical importance to psychologists.

Question 13

Development involving the body's physical makeup, including the brain, nervous system, muscles, and senses and the need for food, drink, and sleep, is called __________.

A) physical development
B) personality development
C) cognitive development
D) social development

Question 14

Gaby is interested in studying how social relationships of children change over the course of development. Gaby is interested in studying __________.

A) physical development
B) personality development
C) cognitive development
D) social development

Question 15

Dr. Rodriguez is conducting research on the problem-solving capacities of young children. She most likely is interested in studying __________.

A) physical development
B) cognitive development
C) personality development
D) social development

Question 16

Dr. Spratt studies gross motor development in children; specifically, Dr. Spratt is interested in how children's ball throwing changes over the course of development. He is interested in studying __________.

A) physical development
B) cognitive development
C) personality development
D) social development

Question 17

Cheyanna, a child-care provider, often wonders whether the shy children in her program will grow up to be shy adults. Cheyanna is interested in __________.

A) physical development
B) cognitive development
C) personality development
D) social development

Question 18

Patsy, a third-grade teacher, often finds herself commenting on the improvement of fine motor skills of the students in her classroom, especially their handwriting. She has noted that at the beginning of the school year the children's writing tends to be large, requiring a lot of writing space. Toward the end of the school year, their writing tends to be smaller and requires very little writing space. Patsy is referring to what aspect of development?

A) physical development
B) cognitive development
C) personality development
D) social development

Question 19

Mr. Espinoza, a first-grade teacher, tells his student teacher that when the children begin school they seem very immature; that is, they cannot yet read, write, or do simple calculations, nor can they maintain attention for long periods of time. However, at the end of the school year they seem more mature; that is, they can read, write, and do simple calculations, and they can maintain attention for long periods of time. Mr. Espinoza is referring to what aspect of development?

A) physical development
B) cognitive development
C) personality development
D) social development

Question 20

Dr. Arcia studies the development of emotions. He has observed that children do not develop a sense of guilt until they are in preschool. Dr. Arcia is interested in __________.

A) physical development
B) cognitive development
C) personality development
D) social development

Question 21

Dr. Love studies dating patterns; specifically, how dating has evolved over the course of history. Dr. Love most likely studies __________.

A) physical development
B) cognitive development
C) personality development
D) social development

Question 22

Allissa often goes to the park to observe children at play. She is amazed at how children of different ages interact with each other. Allissa is interested in observing __________.

A) physical development
B) cognitive development
C) personality development
D) social development

Question 23

Ms. Bujanos, a third-grade teacher, finds it fascinating to watch how children's attention spans and their abilities to plan and to problem solve increase over the course of the school year. Ms. Bujanos is observing __________.

A) physical development
B) cognitive development
C) personality development
D) social development

Question 24

Richard, a preschool teacher, believes that children who are aggressive preschoolers will become aggressive adults. Richard is referring to __________.

A) physical development
B) cognitive development
C) personality development
D) social development

Question 25

Erikah, an infant and toddler teacher, loves to watch how babies grasp objects. She has noticed that at first babies attempt to grasp objects using a whole hand, but by the end of the first year they are able to grasp objects with just the forefinger and thumb. Erikah is observing __________.

A) physical development
B) cognitive development
C) personality development
D) social development

Question 26

Professor Maldonado's course covers infant and toddler development. This means that students will be studying which of the following age ranges?

A) ages 6 to 12 years
B) ages 12 to 20 years
C) ages birth to 3 years
D) ages 3 to 6 years

Question 27

Entry into adolescence depends on __________.

A) the personality of the child
B) the cultural traditions
C) the child's decision
D) achievement of sexual maturity

Question 28

Mr. Moorhouse, a social worker, works with troubled adolescents by trying to find ways to keep them in school and off the streets. What age range does Mr. Moorhouse work with?

A) ages 6 to 12 years
B) ages 12 to 20 years
C) ages birth to 3 years
D) ages 3 to 6 years

Question 29

Liza is the director of a preschool. She primarily works with children in what age range?

A) ages 6 to 12 years
B) ages 12 to 20 years
C) ages birth to 3 years
D) ages 3 to 6 years

Question 30

Dr. Chen counsels children in middle childhood. She primarily sees children in which age range?

A) ages 6 to 12 years
B) ages 12 to 20 years
C) ages birth to 3 years
D) ages 3 to 6 years

Question 31

Dr. Jeffrey Arnett argues that adolescence extends into __________, a period beginning in the late teenage years and continuing into the mid-20s.

A) emerging childhood
B) emerging middle childhood
C) emerging adolescence
D) emerging adulthood

Question 32

Ryan, a 22-year-old college graduate, is trying to determine what he wants to do with his life. Ryan is in the middle of __________, an entirely new developmental period.

A) emerging adolescence
B) emerging adulthood
C) emerging early adulthood
D) emerging middle adulthood

Question 33

Children growing up in Asian societies tend to have a(n) __________, focusing on the interdependence among members of society.

A) individualistic orientation
B) cultural orientation
C) collectivist orientation
D) ethnic orientation

Question 34

Societies that tend to have an individualistic orientation focus on __________.

A) the uniqueness of the individual
B) the uniqueness of the culture
C) the interdependence among members of the society
D) the specific subcultures in the society

Question 35

Although __________ originated as a biological concept, today it is thought of as a social construction.

A) race
B) gender
C) ethnicity
D) nationality

Question 36

Sara and her friends reached adolescence at the peak of AIDS awareness, and for that reason they are more aware of how AIDS is transmitted relative to their parents' generation. This is an example of a __________.

A) composite
B) clique
C) cohort
D) gang

Question 37

Sam often characterizes his grandparents' generation as being tightfisted with money. He believes that they have trouble spending money because they grew up during the Depression. The Depression is a common event to this cohort and is known as a __________.

A) sociocultural influence
B) common biological influence
C) history-graded influence
D) non-normative life influence

Question 38

Sociocultural-graded influences include __________.

A) ethnicity
B) natural disasters
C) wars
D) puberty

Question 39

Most children in the United States enter into some sort of formal education between the ages of 5 and 7 years. This is referred to as a(n) __________ event.

A) special
B) cohort
C) age-graded
D) history-graded

Question 40

Age-graded influences include __________.

A) puberty
B) poverty
C) social class
D) ethnicity

Question 41

Children who lived in New York City shared both biological and environmental challenges due to the terrorist attack on the World Trade Towers that occurred on September 11, 2001. This is an example of a __________ event.

A) normative sociocultural-graded
B) non-normative life
C) normative age-graded
D) normative history-graded

Question 42

Louise Brown grew up with the knowledge that she was the first person to be conceived using in vitro fertilization. This atypical experience in her life is referred to as a __________ event.

A) normative sociocultural-graded
B) non-normative life
C) normative age-graded
D) normative history-graded

Question 43

The influx of immigrants from Mexico into border communities often requires school districts to find ways to meet the needs of immigrant families. Specifically, many public schools are implementing preschool programs for children with limited English proficiency in an effort to teach these children English, so that they will be better equipped to participate in the classroom. This is an example of a __________ event.

A) sociocultural-graded
B) non-normative life
C) normative age-graded
D) normative history-graded

Question 44

Children in medieval Europe were thought of as __________.

A) wild animals that needed to be tamed
B) miniature, somewhat imperfect adults
C) inconsequential individuals not worth mentioning
D) knowledgeable and enlightened human beings

Question 45

Childhood was not seen as a distinct, qualitatively different stage relative to adulthood during the __________ period.

A) performationism
B) medieval
C) constructivism
D) ideological

Question 46

John Locke thought that a child was a __________, entering the world with no specific characteristics or personality.

A) noble savage
B) nature
C) tabula rasa
D) evolution

Question 47

A psychologist believes that children are born without specific characteristics or knowledge. The psychologist may have been influenced by __________ perspective on children.

A) John Locke's
B) Jean-Jacques Rousseau's
C) Charles Darwin's
D) Alfred Binet's

Question 48

Jean-Jacques Rousseau thought that children were born with an innate sense of right and wrong and referred to children as __________.

A) noble savages
B) natural animals
C) tabula rasa
D) evolved animals

Question 49

A psychologist believes that humans are basically good. Which philosopher likely influenced this psychologist's view?

A) John Locke
B) Jean-Jacques Rousseau
C) Charles Darwin
D) G. Stanley Hall

Question 50

Among the first instances in which children were methodically studied came in the form of __________.

A) baby pictures
B) baby biographies
C) children's literature
D) case studies of babies

Question 51

Who wrote a book recording his own son's development during his first year?

A) G. Stanley Hall
B) Charles Darwin
C) John Locke
D) Alfred Binet

Question 52

An increasing focus on childhood can be attributed in part to __________.

A) an increase in the adult labor pool
B) limited education for children
C) better nutrition for children
D) increased parent-child contact

Question 53

Which one of the following people wrote a book targeting adolescence as a distinct period?

A) G. Stanley Hall
B) Charles Darwin
C) Leta Stetter Hollingworth
D) Alfred Binet

Question 54

Which of the following people focused their efforts on children's intelligence?

A) G. Stanley Hall
B) Charles Darwin
C) Leta Stetter Hollingworth
D) Alfred Binet

Question 55

Which of the following people overcame prejudice against women and was one of the first psychologists to focus on child development?

A) G. Stanley Hall
B) Charles Darwin
C) Leta Stetter Hollingworth
D) Alfred Binet

Question 56

Which of the following people opened a preschool in the early 1900s based on theories of how children learn?

A) Leta Stetter Hollingworth
B) Maria Montessori
C) G. Stanley Hall
D) Alfred Binet

Question 57

Using a normative approach, psychologists studied large numbers of children to determine __________.

A) the nature of normal growth
B) the variance between individual children
C) the correct growth
D) necessary sample sizes for growth

Question 58

__________ is an example of a large-scale, systematic, and ongoing examination of children and their development.

A) Darwin's baby biography
B) The Stanford Studies of Gifted Children
C) The Montessori preschool
D) G. Stanley Hall's Adolescence

Question 59

Researchers who believe development is gradual, with achievements at one level building on those of previous levels, would be characterized as __________ theorists.

A) radical
B) liberal
C) discontinuous
D) continuous

Question 60

Changes in a child's height as he or she ages is an example of __________ change.

A) qualitative
B) critical period
C) continuous
D) discontinuous

Question 61

Natalie believes that development proceeds gradually, or is the result of __________ change, whereas Mika believes development is stage-like, or the result of __________ change.

A) gradual; qualitative
B) quantitative; qualitative
C) continuous; discontinuous
D) discontinuous; continuous

Question 62

A view that regards development as gradual, with achievements at one level building on those of previous levels, is called __________.

A) radical
B) liberal
C) discontinuous
D) continuous

Question 63

Researchers who describe cognitive development as occurring in a series of qualitatively different stages believe change is __________.

A) gradual
B) quantitative
C) discontinuous
D) continuous

Question 64

For a developmental change to be considered discontinuous, the change must be __________.

A) gradual
B) qualitative
C) quantitative
D) steady

Question 65

The presence or absence of particular environmental influences during the __________ period is likely to produce permanent, irreversible consequences.

A) prenatal
B) critical
C) plasticity
D) sensitive

Question 66

Which of the following may be subject to sensitive periods?

A) language development
B) prenatal development of lungs
C) prenatal development of fingers and toes
D) color blindness

Question 67

A time in development when a particular event has its greatest impact is known as a(n) __________.

A) important period
B) sensitive period
C) critical period
D) definitive period

Question 68

Shirin came down with a case of rubella in the eleventh week of pregnancy. As a result, her child was born blind. On the other hand, Sohair came down with a case of rubella in the thirtieth week of pregnancy. As a result, her child was unaffected. Shirin's child was exposed during a(n) __________ in development.

A) integral period
B) sensitive period
C) critical period
D) definitive period

Question 69

A specific time when organisms are particularly susceptible to certain kinds of stimuli in their environments is referred to as __________.

A) grave
B) critical
C) opportune
D) sensitive

Question 70

The degree to which a developing behavior or physical structure is modifiable is referred to as __________.

A) plasticity
B) critical
C) definitive
D) integral

Question 71

When Olga was a young child, she fell off her bike and suffered a traumatic brain injury. Rather than suffering permanent brain damage, she made a full recovery. This is an example of __________.

A) plasticity
B) critical
C) definitive
D) integral

Question 72

The process of the predetermined unfolding of genetic information is called __________.

A) maturation
B) aging
C) destiny
D) maternity

Question 73

__________ is to genetic factors as __________ is to environmental factors.

A) Nurture; nature
B) Continuous change; discontinuous change
C) Nature; nurture
D) Discontinuous change; continuous change

Question 74

Ultimately, we should consider the two sides of the nature-nurture issue as __________.

A) opposite ends of a continuum
B) no longer being relevant
C) equals
D) no longer being practical

Question 75

Dr. Del Bosque's research on programs designed to assist at-risk children in overcoming poverty's effects on intelligence suggests that these programs are successful and therefore should be expanded. Dr. Del Bosque would most likely take the position that development is largely due to __________.

A) nature
B) destiny
C) critical period exposures
D) nurture

Question 76

Dr. Farahmand believes that development is primarily due to nurture; therefore, he would support which of the following programs?

A) potential parents being genetically screened for traits that might be detrimental
B) prenatal screening for genetic defects
C) preschool programs for all children
D) parents' test scores being used to admit biological children into elite preschools

Question 77

Catarino, an infant and toddler teacher, has developed an intervention program aimed at teaching physically delayed infants and toddlers motor skills. Catarino most likely believes that development is mostly __________.

A) the result of nature
B) the result of genes
C) stable
D) the result of nurture

Question 78

Research that supports the view that children's intelligence is mostly due to the genes that children inherit from their parents implies that this development is primarily the result of __________.

A) nature
B) nurture
C) continuous change
D) discontinuous change

Question 79

When considering the origins of violence, psychologists with a __________ stance suggest that violence is linked to early maltreatment of children; psychologists with a __________ stance look at hormonal influences on violent behavior.

A) nature; nature
B) nurture; nurture
C) nature; nurture
D) nurture; nature

Question 80

Children who are bullied are at risk for __________.

A) weight loss
B) anxiety
C) influenza
D) schizophrenia