Deck 1: Understanding Human Development: Approaches and Theories

Question 1

Which example illustrates a history-graded influence on development?

A) community of people who survived Hurricane Sandy
B) group of college students taking a computer class
C) class of fourth graders learning about the American Revolution
D) gathering of an extended family for a reunion

Answer 1

A

Question 2

People who reached adulthood around 2000 are an example of a ______.

A) participant group
B) mesosystem
C) cultural group
D) cohort

Answer 2

D

Question 3

The ways in which people grow, change, and stay the same is known as what type of development?

A) continuous
B) lifespan human
C) normative human
D) contemporary

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Changes in personality, view of oneself, group skills, and interpersonal relationships with family and friends are part of what type of development?

A) physical
B) cognitive
C) socioemotional
D) lifespan

Question 5

Kara is doing research about development in Ethiopia of children from birth to age 2. When comparing her results to research findings of children in the U.S., Kara concludes that the Ethiopian children are deficient in motor skill and cognitive development. How might Kara's conclusions be flawed?

A) Research based on narrow age ranges causes insufficient data to be gathered.
B) Communities outside of Western culture have little idea of how to participate in a study.
C) Research based on Western samples can lead to a narrow views of development that may not apply to other cultural contexts.
D) Language barriers can contribute to inaccurate measurements of data across cultures.

Question 6

According to research, which individual will likely show the greatest amount of plasticity following a brain injury?

A) Janessa, who is 6
B) Derick, who is 25
C) Barb, who is 48
D) Abel, who is 70

Question 7

What is the most obvious indicator of development?

A) change
B) stability
C) adulthood
D) thoughts

Question 8

Adam was unable to finish high school because he needed to go to work to help his family financially. What type of influence does this describe?

A) age-graded
B) non-normative
C) cross-cultural
D) history-graded

Question 9

Maturation of thought processes and the tools used to obtain knowledge, become aware of the world, and solve problems are involved in what type of development?

A) physical
B) cognitive
C) psychosocial
D) lifespan

Question 10

As baby Sanjay's physical development improves, he is able to crawl around and explore his environment, advancing his cognitive development. His newfound crawling skills also contribute to changes in Sanjay's psychosocial development. For example, he may experience anger when he picks up a breakable object, only to have one of his parents take it away. In addition, Sanjay experiences happiness when his parents encourage his motor efforts and frustration when they remove him from an unsafe area, such as the stairs. This example shows that these three areas of development are ______.

A) following a downward course
B) stopping and starting
C) following a single course
D) overlapping and interacting

Question 11

Communities, neighborhoods, families, and social settings are examples of ______.

A) plasticity
B) multidimensionalism
C) multidirectionality
D) context

Question 12

Following a stroke that affected his balance and muscle strength, Jose participated in 3 months of physical therapy. Today, Jose feels as strong as he did before the stroke and walks at least ten miles a week for exercise. Jose's ability to overcome his physical limitations after his stroke is an example of ______.

A) normalization
B) plasticity
C) neuroscience
D) specialization

Question 13

Allison is approaching her 60th birthday. She realizes that her eyesight and hearing are not as good as they used to be, and when visiting her daughter in graduate school, climbing the stairs to the fourth floor has become more difficult. However, Allison has also become more patient over the years, is better at solving difficult problems, and has a more confident and favorable view of herself than she had in her 20s and 30s. This example shows that development is ______.

A) multidimensional
B) contextual
C) multidirectional
D) plastic

Question 14

Dr. Yang studies cross-cultural differences in body maturation and growth, including differences in body size, proportion, appearance, health, and perceptual abilities. What type of development is Dr. Yang is interested in?

A) physical
B) cognitive
C) psychosocial
D) interdisciplinary

Question 15

Because development is multidirectional, individuals can compensate for losses at all ages by ______.

A) accepting the inevitability of growing older
B) improving existing skills and cultivating new ones
C) seeking out supportive peer resources
D) decreasing stresses by avoiding talking about them

Question 16

Throughout the lifespan physical, cognitive, and socioemotional change illustrates the notion that development is ______.

A) static
B) multidisciplinary
C) plastic
D) multidimensional

Question 17

Terri lost a leg while serving a tour of duty in Afghanistan. When she returned to the U.S., she followed rehabilitation with joining a gym, then began training to compete in weightlifting in the Paralympic Games. What characteristic is Terri demonstrating?

A) crisis resolution
B) normalization
C) resilience
D) classical conditioning

Question 18

The malleability or changeability of development is called ______.

A) plasticity
B) neuroscience
C) normalization
D) specialization

Question 19

An individual's health is an example of which aspect of development?

A) cognitive
B) socioemotional
C) physical
D) continuous

Question 20

Research illustrates that development consists of both gains and losses, as well as growth and decline, throughout the lifespan. This means that development is ______.

A) contextual
B) plastic
C) multidisciplinary
D) multidirectional

Question 21

Which viewpoint states individuals are molded by the physical and social environment in which they are raised?

A) nurture
B) nature
C) continuities
D) discontinuities

Question 22

Sonja is strongly influenced by others, especially her parents and close friends, but she does not have much influence on other individuals. Sonja is ______ in her development.

A) active
B) passive
C) continuous
D) natural

Question 23

Neva believes that most people are mainly products of their environment. For example, if a child grows up in a warm, stimulating home, he or she will become a successful adult. If the same child grows up in poverty and experiences ineffective child-rearing, he or she will likely repeat those patterns in adulthood. Why is Neva's belief incorrect?

A) Few researchers believe that children are passive recipients of their environment and rarely contribute to their own development.
B) Parenting and socioeconomic status play a lesser role in development than children's attempts to engage the world around them.
C) Although people are influenced by the physical and psychosocial contexts in which they live, they also take an active role in shaping who they become.
D) Physical and psychosocial contexts play only a minor role in long-term developmental outcomes.

Question 24

A Katie practices her math problems and her quiz scores get a little better each week. This is an example of which type of developmental change?

A) discontinuous
B) continuous
C) contextual
D) passive

Question 25

Bailey is a graduate student in clinical psychology. As part of her training, Bailey works with children and families affected by autism. Each week, Bailey participates in a team meeting that consists of a school psychologist, social worker, speech and language therapist, and nursing students. This example illustrates what type of approach to understanding how people grow, think, and interact with their world?

A) multidisciplinary
B) contextual
C) cultural
D) multidirectional

Question 26

What viewpoint of development means being shaped by but not influencing the surrounding environment?

A) nature
B) nurture
C) active
D) passive

Question 27

A non-normative influence on development ______

A) is expected to occur over several decades
B) is unique to the person
C) is caused by cohorts
D) happens to most people at a particular time in life

Question 28

______ development is characterized by slow and gradual change, whereas ______ development is characterized by abrupt change.

A) Continuous; discontinuous
B) Discontinuous; continuous
C) Multidimensional; multidirectional
D) Multidirectional; multidimensional

Question 29

Which viewpoint states heredity, maturational processes, and evolution are causes of developmental change?

A) nurture
B) nature
C) continuities
D) discontinuities

Question 30

Today's developmental scientists agree that the changes people make during their development are ______.

A) continuous in childhood and discontinuous in adulthood
B) primarily characterized by discontinuity throughout life
C) primarily characterized by continuity throughout life
D) continuous and discontinuous at various stages in life

Question 31

A criticism of cross-cultural research is that it emphasizes ______.

A) how culture itself can influence growth and change
B) comparing differences across various cultures
C) how culture changes throughout lifespan
D) how species interact

Question 32

At the beginning of her first human development course in college, Vi wondered, "Am I the person I am today because of heredity, or did I become who I am because of my environment?" Vi's question reflects which issue in lifespan development?

A) psychoanalytic-behaviorist
B) active-passive
C) continuities-discontinuities
D) nature-nurture

Question 33

Which example illustrates discontinuous change?

A) learning to read
B) sudden surge in height
C) becoming proficient at writing
D) mastering a musical instrument

Question 34

A young adult who suddenly realizes college is not for her, and abruptly drops out to start a career in woodworking, illustrates ______ career development.?

A) continuous
B) discontinuous
C) contextual
D) passive

Question 35

Baby Li is participating in a research study in which his physical growth is measured once a day. Li's parents were surprised to find out that monthly measurements of height showed gradual increases, but daily measurements revealed growth spurts that sometimes lasted up to 24 hours. This example supports the assertion that physical growth is ______.

A) primarily characterized by continuity
B) primarily characterized by discontinuity
C) both continuous and discontinuous
D) continuous usually followed by discontinuous

Question 36

Which question lies outside of the basic issues in lifespan human development?

A) Do people remain largely the same over time or do they change dramatically?
B) What role do people play in their own growth and change?
C) To what extent do genetic and environmental influences play roles?
D) Which is more influential, early childhood or adulthood?

Question 37

Most developmental scientists believe that people are ______ their own development.

A) active contributors to
B) unaware of
C) often confused by
D) indifferent toward

Question 38

How do today's developmental scientists regard the nature-nurture issue?

A) Nature is more influential than nurture.
B) Nurture is more influential than nature.
C) Both nature and nurture are important.
D) Neither nature nor nurture are significant.

Question 39

Harry dislikes his job. He decides to go back to school and finish his degree. When he graduates, he begins searching for a new job. What type of development is Harry displaying?

A) active
B) passive
C) discontinuous
D) continuous

Question 40

The study of human development is ______, meaning that it integrates research findings from the fields of medicine, anthropology, and sociology.

A) multidirectional
B) contextual
C) cultural
D) multidisciplinary

Question 41

Which approach to development focuses only on human actions that can be observed and objectively verified?

A) behaviorism
B) cognitive-developmental theory
C) sociocultural theory
D) ethology

Question 42

Many children learn to ride a bicycle without training wheels at 5 years of age. However, children growing up without regular access to safe bicycle paths, such as those living in low-income urban housing, may not learn until age seven or eight. This illustrates which viewpoint of development?

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

Question 43

One of the most important criticisms of Freud's theory is that it ______.

A) overlooks the importance of the early parent-child relationship
B) is more nature than nurture oriented
C) focuses primarily on early child development
D) is unable to be directly tested

Question 44

Behavior is more likely to recur in the future if it is reinforced but less likely to recur if it is punished describes which concept?

A) classical conditioning
B) operant conditioning
C) determinism
D) ethology

Question 45

In contrast to Freud's theory, what did Erikson focus on in shaping development?

A) the nuclear and extended family
B) the social world, society, and culture
C) unconscious motivations and drives
D) gender and sexuality

Question 46

Failure to successfully resolve the conflict in one of Freud's psychosexual stages means the individual may ______.

A) accomplish the task in the next psychosexual stage
B) be more prone to serious mental disorders
C) display behavioral habits related to the psychosexual stage
D) become more dependent on parents

Question 47

William believes that developmental change is primarily caused by maturational processes. How might William explain why most infants say their first words by 18 months of age?

A) Most parents enroll their children into preschool by 18 months of age.
B) Talking is a natural ability that is triggered by 18 months of age.
C) Most humans learn to talk by 18 months of age due to the process of evolution.
D) Learning to talk by 18 months of age is an inborn genetic trait.

Question 48

Tara is a four-year-old girl who is very polite. Ever since she was able to talk, her mother expected her to say please and thank you. When Tara would behave politely, her mother would praise her. Tara's behavior was shaped through ______.

A) operant conditioning
B) classical conditioning
C) nature
D) modeling

Question 49

Which theorist is credited as the father of the psychoanalytic perspective?

A) Lev Vygotsky
B) Erik Erikson
C) Sigmund Freud
D) Jean Piaget

Question 50

Sierra believes that developmental change is primarily influenced by one's environment. How might Sierra explain an individual's propensity for artistic expression?

A) An individual's propensity for artistic expression is hereditary.
B) An individual's propensity for artistic expression is a natural part of aging.
C) An individual's propensity for artistic expression is evolutionary.
D) An individual's propensity for artistic expression is inspired by creative parents.

Question 51

What must an individual resolve in each of Erikson's psychosocial stages?

A) crisis or conflict
B) unconscious obstacle
C) significant life stressor
D) moral dilemma

Question 52

Whose theory is regarded as one of the first lifespan views of development?

A) Freud's
B) Erikson's
C) Skinner's
D) Vygotsky's

Question 53

What is the term for the Freudian periods in which unconscious drives are focused on different parts of the body?

A) emotional conflicts
B) psychosexual stages
C) social crises
D) personal dilemmas

Question 54

Each time Isabella sits down to feed her baby a bottle, she gently strokes the baby's head. One day, Isabella began stroking her daughter's head and noticed that the baby started sucking, even though it was not feeding time. The baby's association between having her head stroked and the presentation of food is an example of ______.

A) operant conditioning
B) classical conditioning
C) reciprocal determinism
D) social learning

Question 55

Jordan is trying to figure out where he fits in the social order at school, and feels frustrated at being an outsider. Which developmental theory does this describe?

A) classical conditioning
B) operant conditioning
C) psychosexual
D) psychosocial

Question 56

How many stages of psychosocial development did Erikson propose?

A) 4
B) 6
C) 8
D) 10

Question 57

Most infants learning to speak at about the same age illustrates which viewpoint of development?

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

Question 58

The approach that views behavior as more or less probable depending on its consequences is ______.

A) social learning theory
B) classical conditioning
C) operant conditioning
D) cognitive-developmental theory

Question 59

Which type of theories describe development and behavior that result from the interplay of inner drives, memories, and conflicts of which people are unaware and unable to control?

A) psychoanalytic
B) cognitive
C) social learning
D) information processing

Question 60

Which approach applies to physiological and emotional responses only?

A) classical conditioning
B) operant conditioning
C) ethology
D) reinforcement

Question 61

Ten-month-old Tauji often smiles and laughs, and is rarely cranky unless he is hungry or tired. Due to his easy temperament, Tauji's parents and other adults enjoy interacting with him. He receives frequent hugs and kisses which, in turn, results in more positive interactions. The interaction between Tauji's behavior and the supportive environment in which he is being raised is an example of ______.

A) reciprocal determinism
B) operant conditioning
C) classical conditioning
D) reinforcement

Question 62

Daryl's father works at a company with family-friendly policies. He is able to chaperone all of Daryl's field trips at school because he can rearrange his work schedule. Which system in Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory does this example illustrate?

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

Question 63

Each time 3-year-old Maddy uses her potty chair, her father puts a sticker on a chart. After earning five stickers, Maddy gets to pick out a small toy at the store. Which approach is Maddy's father using to increase the likelihood that Maddy will continue to use the potty chair?

A) bribery
B) classical conditioning
C) reinforcement
D) social learning

Question 64

Critics have argued that Vygotsky's theory places too little emphasis on ______.

A) contextual influences
B) cultural factors
C) biological factors
D) early socialization

Question 65

A criticism of the information processing perspective that ______.

A) it fails to explain age-related changes in thinking
B) it fails to consider maturation of the brain and nervous system
C) computer models are unable to capture the human mind's complexity
D) there is little empirical support for this theory

Question 66

At the center of the bioecological model is the ______.

A) individual
B) family
C) community
D) culture

Question 67

From an information processing perspective, development involves changes in the efficiency and speed of thought, and proceeds in which manner?

A) continuously
B) discontinuously
C) abruptly
D) irregularly

Question 68

With theory involves people actively processing information, with their thoughts and feelings influencing their behavior?

A) psychoanalytic
B) behaviorist
C) evolutionary developmental
D) social learning

Question 69

A criticism of Piaget's cognitive-developmental theory is that it ______.

A) underestimated children's contributions to their own development
B) assumed that all cognitive-developmental stages are universal
C) focused too much on unconscious drives and motivations
D) focused too heavily on emotional and social factors that influence development

Question 70

According to Piaget, children and adults learn by interacting with their environments and organizing what they learn into ______.

A) critical stages
B) conceptual webs
C) cognitive schemas
D) categorical dimensions

Question 71

Observational learning is one of the most powerful ways in which people learn according to which approach?

A) operant conditioning
B) social learning theory
C) bioecological systems
D) evolutionary theory

Question 72

Which theory states that development results from interactions among physiological, mental, and psychological changes within the individual and changing contexts?

A) Piaget's cognitive-developmental
B) Bronfenbrenner's bioecological
C) information processing
D) evolutionary developmental

Question 73

Who founded the cognitive-developmental perspective on child development?

A) Albert Bandura
B) Jean Piaget
C) B.F. Skinner
D) Lev Vygotsky

Question 74

Which theory hypothesizes that the mind works in ways similar to a computer?

A) psychoanalytic
B) sociocultural
C) information processing
D) bioecological

Question 75

Whose theory was the first to consider how infants and children think, as well as their active contributions to their own development?

A) Bandura's
B) Piaget's
C) Vygotsky's
D) Bronfenbrenner's

Question 76

According to Bronfenbrenner's bioecological model, family, peers, and school represent a person's ______.

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

Question 77

Which entity consists of relations and interactions among microsystems?

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

Question 78

At preschool, Jace frequently watches Keagan hit other children and take their toys. Jace notices that each time Keagan engages in this behavior, the teacher makes him give the toy back and sit in a time out. Jace has decided he would rather patiently waits his turn for toys. Jace is demonstrating the concept of ______.

A) observational learning
B) operant conditioning
C) negative reinforcement
D) reciprocal determinism

Question 79

Professor Norris is interested in how children from different cultures acquire the cognitive skills necessary to be productive members of society. His research focuses on how adults and peers communicate culturally relevant knowledge, as well as the emphasis different cultures place on play and work. Professor Norris's research is consistent with which theory?

A) Bronfenbrenner's
B) Bandura's
C) Piaget's
D) Vygotsky's

Question 80

Whose theory focuses on how culture is transmitted from one generation to the next through social interaction?

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