Deck 1: Seciton 3: Introduction

Question 1

In the science of human development, "nature" refers to _____.

A) the genes that people inherit
B) environmental influences
C) patterns of development
D) developmental differences

Answer 1

A

Question 2

A hypothesis is a(n) _____.

A) experiment
B) prediction that can be tested
C) conclusion drawn from research
D) replication of a scientific study

Answer 2

B

Question 3

What is a researcher's first step when designing a research study on children's language acquisition?

A) recruit children and their parents as participants in the study
B) develop a hypothesis on the way language is acquired in children
C) pose a research question about language acquisition
D) draw conclusions on the way children acquire language

Answer 3

C

Question 4

After posing a question, a researcher using the scientific method _____.

A) draws conclusions
B) runs an experiment
C) selects a group of participants
D) develops a hypothesis

Question 5

Dr. Seldor does a study in which she finds that alcohol consumption is correlated to an increased risk of diabetes. She publishes her results. Then Dr. Al-Jaher does the same study using different participants in another nation. Dr. Al-Jaher's work is an example of _____.

A) scientific controversy
B) replication
C) empirical evidence
D) a hypothesis

Question 6

Dr. Hernandez predicts that a certain drug will help patients with schizophrenia. Her prediction is called _____.

A) a conclusion
B) empirical evidence
C) a hypothesis
D) a result

Question 7

The first step in the scientific method involves _____.

A) posing a question
B) conducting research
C) supporting or refuting a hypothesis
D) developing a hypothesis

Question 8

Dr. Furth wonders if a specific brain chemical can be suppressed if a patient is given a large dose of vitamin E. Dr. Furth has just demonstrated the _____ step in the scientific method.

A) first
B) second
C) third
D) fourth

Question 9

A researcher designed and conducted an experiment to learn if 350 mg of a certain drug would help patients with bipolar disorder. By designing and conducting this experiment the researcher was able to _____.

A) draw conclusions
B) demonstrate proof
C) test the hypothesis
D) confirm the results

Question 10

Empirical evidence is based on _____.

A) theories and speculation
B) observation, experience, or experiment
C) inferences based on personal biases
D) opinions generated by several groups of people

Question 11

Dr. Kong does a study in which he finds that smoking is correlated to an increased risk of high blood pressure. He publishes his results. Then Dr. Meco does the same study using different participants in another city. Dr. Meco's work is an example of _____.

A) scientific controversy
B) replication
C) ethics
D) observation

Question 12

The term for all the environmental influences that affect development after conception is _____.

A) proteins
B) nurture
C) nature
D) amino acids

Question 13

The second step in the scientific method involves _____.

A) posing a question
B) conducting research
C) developing a hypothesis
D) sharing the results

Question 14

What does the science of human development seek to understand?

A) the meaning of life
B) theories that have not been subjected to scientific testing
C) the works of Freud, Piaget, and Erikson
D) how and why people change over time

Question 15

The fourth step in the scientific method involves _____.

A) posing a question
B) conducting research
C) developing a hypothesis
D) supporting or refuting a hypothesis

Question 16

The third step in the scientific method involves _____.

A) posing a question
B) conducting research
C) sharing the results
D) developing a hypothesis

Question 17

The final step in the five steps of the scientific method is to _____.

A) test a hypothesis
B) pose a question
C) conduct research
D) report the results

Question 18

What is replication of a study?

A) the repetition of a study using different participants
B) the repetition of a study using the same participants
C) designing a new study based on information from a previous study
D) designing a new study using new ideas and information

Question 19

Dr. Henderson is curious to know more about how children develop over time. To gain an understanding of this subject not based on opinion or personal bias, Dr. Henderson should _____.

A) use the scientific method to collect data and establish facts
B) have the children undergo psychoanalysis
C) talk with many children's parents
D) read Dr. Spock's book, Baby and Child Care

Question 20

Parents who spend a great deal of time and money trying to find the best school for their children believe in the importance of _____ as it relates to development.

A) nurture
B) replication
C) nature
D) classical conditioning

Question 21

Which example best illustrates a sensitive period?

A) a child being born blind
B) an egg being fertilized
C) a fetus developing fingers and toes
D) a child learning to speak a second language

Question 22

Dorothy was born during the Great Depression. Within the context of the ecological-systems approach, knowing this fact allows one to know about her _____.

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

Question 23

Most developmental psychologists believe that development is the result of _____.

A) nature and nurture acting separately
B) primarily nature
C) nature and nurture acting together
D) primarily nurture

Question 24

The concept of multidirectional development suggests that when change is gradual, as when a tortoise grows larger over its 150-year lifespan, it is an example of _____.

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

Question 25

Dwayne was born to a single mother living in Chicago. Within the context of the ecological-systems approach, knowing this fact allows one to know something about his _____.

A) chronosystem
B) exosystem
C) microsystem
D) macrosystem

Question 26

Between 1957 and 1961, many pregnant women took thalidomide to alleviate morning sickness; this drug disrupted a(n) _____ period of prenatal development.

A) sensitive
B) critical
C) early
D) late

Question 27

Which example best illustrates a critical period?

A) a child learning to walk
B) a child learning a second language before age 4
C) a fetus developing fingers and toes between 28 and 54 days in utero
D) a child learning to ride a bike between 5 and 6 years of age

Question 28

What term did Bronfenbrenner use to describe the impact of the specific time in history on a person's development?

A) macrosystem
B) exosystem
C) microsystem
D) chronosystem

Question 29

Dr. Towne believes that heredity is primarily responsible for personality traits. Dr. West believes that environmental influences are primarily responsible for personality traits. They are on different sides of the _____ debate.

A) nature versus nurture
B) intelligent design versus evolution
C) genes versus development
D) traits versus conditioning

Question 30

Which term is NOT associated with Urie Bronfenbrenner's ecological-systems approach?

A) mastosystems
B) microsystems
C) exosystems
D) macrosystems

Question 31

With respect to the concept of multidirectional development, when change is rapid and dramatic, such as when a larva becomes a mosquito, it is an example of _____.

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

Question 32

In Bronfenbrenner's ecological-systems approach, the _____ refers to the interactions among systems.

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

Question 33

Bobby did not learn to read until he was an adolescent. When he did learn to read it was much harder for him to learn and it took him longer to learn to read. If Bobby had learned to read during the early childhood years into the middle childhood years he would have had an easier time learning to read. Bobby had a hard time learning to read because he did not learn to do so during the _____ period.

A) critical
B) early
C) late
D) sensitive

Question 34

The life-span perspective takes into account development from _____.

A) birth to death
B) childhood to middle age
C) the last decade of life
D) conception to death

Question 35

The human fetus develops fingers and toes between 28 and 54 days after conception but cannot develop fingers and toes before or after that time. This is an example of _____.

A) a sensitive period
B) a critical period
C) discontinuity
D) continuity

Question 36

Which is an example of the influence of nature?

A) having a mother who smoked during pregnancy
B) having the gene for epilepsy
C) eating a healthy diet
D) living in a loud neighborhood

Question 37

A woman in Honduras worked in a field treated with pesticides during her pregnancy. When her son was born, she was horrified to find that he had no limbs. Her pesticide exposure must have occurred during a(n) _____ period of prenatal development.

A) critical
B) early
C) late
D) sensitive

Question 38

Susie, who is 5 years old, is the tallest person in her kindergarten class. When her teacher asked her how she thought she got so tall she said proudly, "My mom and dad are tall and I eat good food!" Susie's statement reflects that she understands that human development comes from _____.

A) heredity
B) the environment
C) learning
D) environment and heredity combined

Question 39

In the science of human development, "nurture" refers to _____.

A) universal traits
B) biological traits
C) environmental influences
D) unique traits

Question 40

The last developmental stage of the life span is _____.

A) infancy
B) emerging adulthood
C) adulthood
D) late adulthood

Question 41

Dr. Kilbey is studying the impact of exosystems on human development. Which of these would she be MOST interested in examining?

A) cultural values and economic processes
B) family and peer groups
C) medical centers and religious institutions
D) the development of the skeletal structure in children

Question 42

An example of the "difference-equals-deficit" is _____.

A) assuming that children who are hearing impaired cannot communicate as well as children who can hear
B) failing to compare typical and atypical behavior
C) ignoring inconsistencies in a child's language development
D) the identification of flaws within the application of the scientific method

Question 43

An individual's socioeconomic status includes, among other things, his or her _____.

A) ethnicity
B) education level
C) political beliefs
D) religion

Question 44

One historical example of the "different-equals-deficit error" is _____.

A) men perceiving women as intellectually inferior
B) European immigrants crossing the ocean to settle in America
C) how people's IQ scores have been steadily rising for more than 100 years
D) women taking factory jobs during World War II

Question 45

The Johnson family always eats dinner together as they really value family time. The Smith family, however, never eats dinner together as they all value their independence. The fact that the families have different values is due to _____. This has affected how the Johnson and Smith families act.

A) status
B) education
C) social construction
D) physical characteristics

Question 46

An individual's socioeconomic status includes, among other things, his or her _____.

A) occupation
B) political beliefs
C) race
D) religion

Question 47

Within Bronfenbrenner's ecological-systems approach, he called the historical context that affects other systems the _____.

A) ecosystem
B) chronosystem
C) mesosystem
D) macrosystem

Question 48

The ecological-systems approach was proposed by _____.

A) Maslow
B) Baltes and Baltes
C) Bronfenbrenner
D) Skinner

Question 49

In Bronfenbrenner's ecological-systems model, family and peers are part of a person's _____.

A) microsystem
B) exosystem
C) macrosystem
D) social system

Question 50

An individual's socioeconomic status includes, among other things, his or her _____.

A) ethnicity
B) political beliefs
C) neighborhood
D) religion

Question 51

In Bronfenbrenner's ecological-systems model, a hospital in the community is an example of which system?

A) the ecosystem
B) the microsystem
C) the health-care system
D) the exosystem

Question 52

The people in which group are DEFINITELY members of the same cohort?

A) women who are pilots
B) men with learning disabilities
C) citizens of the United States
D) current middle school students

Question 53

A person's macrosystem includes _____.

A) political processes
B) the peer group
C) school and church
D) historical setting

Question 54

Socioeconomic status refers to an individual's _____.

A) culture
B) ethnicity
C) social class
D) race

Question 55

Bettie belongs to one cohort; Zahara belongs to another. The only DEFINITE difference between these two women is _____.

A) membership in community groups
B) socioeconomic status
C) age
D) ethnic or racial group

Question 56

The general term for a concept that is created by society is _____.

A) culture
B) a cohort
C) a social construction
D) SES

Question 57

High school classmates are part of the same _____.

A) social construction
B) network
C) socioeconomic status
D) cohort

Question 58

A system of shared beliefs, conventions, norms, behaviors, expectations, and symbolic representations is the definition of _____.

A) a cohort
B) culture
C) nature
D) nurture

Question 59

Which developmentalist was the first to describe the interaction between culture and education?

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

Question 60

Jameel has a college degree, lives in a nice neighborhood, and earns more than $50,000 a year. This information defines his _____.

A) economic potential
B) socioeconomic status
C) cohort
D) microsystem

Question 61

Which of these is the BEST example of plasticity?

A) a man who consistently drives his car too fast
B) a teenager who spends a summer in Chile and learns to speak Spanish
C) a woman who leaves her job to stay home with her newborn
D) a person who is in a coma

Question 62

What is an independent variable?

A) It is the measured variable that may change depending upon manipulation of an independent variable.
B) It is any unmeasured variable that is uncontrolled within the context of the experiment.
C) It is the variable that is intentionally manipulated by the researcher.
D) It is an external variable that cannot be controlled by the researcher.

Question 63

Which statement about scientific observation is true?

A) It requires a large number of participants.
B) It requires specialized equipment such as video recorders.
C) It involves recording behavior systematically and objectively.
D) It must take place in a lab setting.

Question 64

Experiments allow researchers to _____.

A) study the natural environment
B) study the complexity of an individual
C) use the scientific method in a cost-effective way
D) determine a cause-and-effect relationship

Question 65

The idea that human development is an ongoing, ever-changing interaction between the body, mind, and every aspect of the environment is known as the _____.

A) dynamic-systems approach
B) theory of evolution
C) concept of universality
D) domino effect

Question 66

When a researcher wants to determine the cause of a particular behavior, the appropriate research method to use is a(n) _____.

A) case study
B) scientific observation
C) experiment
D) survey

Question 67

What is a dependent variable?

A) It is the measured variable that may change depending on manipulation of an independent variable.
B) It is any unmeasured variable that is uncontrolled within the context of the experiment.
C) It is the variable that is intentionally manipulated by the researcher.
D) It is an external variable that cannot be controlled by the researcher.

Question 68

Which of the following has NOT been linked to depression?

A) low exposure to daylight
B) a life crisis
C) high levels of serotonin
D) poverty

Question 69

Social scientists are convinced, based on genetic analysis, that race is a(n) _____.

A) biological difference
B) culture
C) social construction
D) ethnicity

Question 70

What is plasticity?

A) a time in development when it is optimum to develop certain traits or abilities
B) the amount of flexibility a human possesses at birth
C) the idea that human traits may change or stay the same over time
D) the idea that human traits are mostly inborn

Question 71

Plasticity refers to the _____.

A) fact that many academic fields contribute data to the science of development
B) universals and specifics of human development in many cultural settings
C) vast array of contexts in which development occurs
D) potential for human traits to be modeled during development but also to remain durable

Question 72

People whose ancestors were born in the same region and who usually share the same language and religion are called a(n) _____.

A) race
B) ethnic group
C) SES group
D) exosystem

Question 73

What is epigenetics?

A) the study of defective human genes
B) the study of how the environment affects which genes are expressed
C) a theory that states that nature matters more than nurture
D) a theory that explains how motivation can change one's biology

Question 74

All of the following are categories that are associated with potential causes of depression EXCEPT for _____.

A) genes
B) neurology
C) development
D) ethnicity

Question 75

Differential sensitivity means that certain people have genes that _____.

A) make them more vulnerable to particular experiences
B) contribute similarly to a specific developmental outcome
C) do not impact development within the context of particular experiences
D) have an unknown impact on individuals

Question 76

If a researcher watches 1-week-old babies and records how many times they open and close their eyes while lying in their cribs, he is most likely using _____.

A) the case-study method
B) a controlled experiment
C) cross-sectional research
D) scientific observation

Question 77

Some social scientists believe that _____ terms exaggerate minor differences between people.

A) color
B) diversity
C) genetic analysis
D) culture

Question 78

Scientific observation allows for the _____.

A) study of individuals' behaviors in a systematic and objective manner
B) determination of cause-and-effect relationships
C) precise control of the environment so that a cause-and-effect relationship can be assessed
D) systematic manipulation of variables

Question 79

According to the text, race is _____.

A) part of the microsystem
B) a social construction
C) defined by heritage
D) multidirectional

Question 80

Genes alone do not determine development, but rather environmental forces also shape development, which has led to the understanding that many human characteristics are _____.

A) plastic
B) epigenetic
C) static
D) diverse