Deck 1: The Science of Development

Question 1

The fourth step in the scientific method involves:

A) posing a question.
B) conducting research.
C) developing a hypothesis.
D) drawing conclusions.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The third step in the scientific method involves:

A) posing a question.
B) conducting research.
C) drawing conclusions.
D) developing a hypothesis.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Empirical evidence is based on:

A) theories.
B) observations.
C) inferences.
D) opinions.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

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

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

Question 5

Parents who spend a great deal of time and money trying to find the best school for their children believe in the importance of:

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

Question 6

The study of human development is conducted in a scientific manner because:

A) researchers can develop objective opinions.
B) scientists want to move from opinion to proof.
C) people usually disagree on how children should be raised.
D) researchers want to move from the objective to the subjective.

Question 7

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 8

Dr. Hernandez thinks that a certain drug will help patients with schizophrenia. Her belief is called:

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

Question 9

The second step in the scientific method involves:

A) posing a question.
B) conducting research.
C) developing a hypothesis.
D) asking people to participate.

Question 10

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

Question 11

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 12

Dr. Henderson is curious to know more about how children develop over time. The BEST way to gain an understanding of this subject is to:

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 13

The first step in the scientific method involves:

A) posing a question.
B) conducting research.
C) selecting a group of participants.
D) developing a hypothesis.

Question 14

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 15

The final step in the scientific method is to:

A) test the hypothesis.
B) draw conclusions.
C) conduct research.
D) report the results.

Question 16

Replication is important in scientific research because it:

A) satisfies curiosity.
B) develops a hypothesis.
C) verifies evidence using different participants.
D) frequently refutes prior studies.

Question 17

A hypothesis is a(n):

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

Question 18

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 19

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 20

A researcher wants to find out if 350 mg of a certain drug will help patients with bipolar disorder. He sets up an experiment to find out. This experiment is based on his:

A) conclusion.
B) proof.
C) hypothesis.
D) result.

Question 21

According to most developmental psychologists, the greatest influence on human development comes from:

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

Question 22

The term "SIDS" refers to the death of a seemingly healthy infant, usually between the ages of _____ and 6 months.

A) 8 days
B) 2 weeks
C) 2 months
D) 3 months

Question 23

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 24

When biological 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

Based on research about SIDS, caregivers are advised that babies should be:

A) put to sleep on their backs.
B) put to sleep on their stomachs.
C) kept in a very warm bedroom.
D) fed right before being put to bed.

Question 26

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 27

One risk associated with SIDS is:

A) being born past one's due date.
B) having a mother who drank alcohol during the pregnancy.
C) putting an infant to sleep on his or her back.
D) using a lambskin blanket.

Question 28

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

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

Question 29

When biological change is dramatic, such as when a larva becomes a mosquito, it is an example of:

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

Question 30

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 31

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 32

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 33

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.

Question 34

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 35

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 36

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 37

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) going to an underperforming school

Question 38

In the science of human development, "nurture" refers to:

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

Question 39

Susan Beal hypothesized that _____ played a role in SIDS deaths.

A) birth order
B) ethnicity
C) sleeping position
D) parents' genes

Question 40

The life-span perspective takes into account development from:

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

Question 41

An individual's socioeconomic status includes his or her:

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

Question 42

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

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

Question 43

The ecological-systems approach was proposed by:

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

Question 44

Bronfenbrenner called the historical context that affects other systems in his theory the:

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

Question 45

An individual's socioeconomic status includes his or her:

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

Question 46

Dorothy was born during the Great Depression. Knowing this fact allows one to know about her:

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

Question 47

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 48

High school classmates are part of the same:

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

Question 49

A person's macrosystem includes:

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

Question 50

In Bronfenbrenner's model, family and peers are part of a person's:

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

Question 51

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 52

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

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

Question 53

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) generation.
D) ethnic or racial group.

Question 54

A good example of a sensitive period is a time when:

A) children learn language easily.
B) adolescent males build muscle mass.
C) children's feelings are most easily hurt.
D) children are most resistant to being bullied.

Question 55

In Bronfenbrenner's 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 56

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, friends, and school
C) Internet influences and health care systems
D) the development of the skeletal structure in children

Question 57

An individual's socioeconomic status includes his or her:

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

Question 58

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 59

Socioeconomic status refers to an individual's:

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

Question 60

Dwayne was born to a single mother living in Chicago. Knowing this fact allows one to know something about his:

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

Question 61

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 62

Some social scientists believe that using a term such as _____ exaggerates minor differences between people.

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

Question 63

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 64

Genetic analysis has confirmed that race is a(n):

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

Question 65

What is one danger in asking people to reveal their race?

A) encouraging people to be too proud of their heritage
B) documenting disparities along racial lines
C) identifying which medical problems that are more likely to affect one race than another
D) stereotyping people unlike ourselves

Question 66

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 67

An example of the "difference-equals-deficit" is:

A) assuming that children who are deaf 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 68

Which factor has NOT been linked to depression?

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

Question 69

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) ability of human traits to be molded during development.

Question 70

The realization that genes alone do not determine development and that environmental forces also shape development led to the concept that many human characteristics are:

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

Question 71

Social constructions are ideas created by one's:

A) status.
B) education.
C) society.
D) physical characteristics.

Question 72

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

A) the pioneers viewing American Indians as savages.
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 73

One crucial element of the science of human development is the:

A) focus on all kinds of people.
B) search for the meaning of life.
C) focus on middle-class Americans.
D) use of subjective research methods.

Question 74

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 75

The general term for a concept that is created by society is:

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

Question 76

Differential sensitivity means that certain people have genes that:

A) make it more likely that they may develop specific problems.
B) give a person blond or black hair.
C) have no impact of the likelihood of developing problems.
D) have an unknown impact on individuals.

Question 77

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 personality, abilities, and human characteristics may change over time
D) the idea that personality, abilities, and human characteristics are mostly inborn

Question 78

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

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

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

The causes of depression do NOT include:

A) genes.
B) brain chemicals.
C) development.
D) ethnicity.