Deck 6: Physical Development: the Brain, Body, Motor Skills, and the Beginnings of Sexual Development

Question 1

Elaine is 12 months old, and her brother Peter is 4 years old.Their mother, Tara, was recently divorced from their father, and although she continues to take care of her children's basic needs, she has become depressed, unaffectionate, and withdrawn.If Tara's pattern of behaviour continues for an extended period, what is the likely outcome for the children?

A)Elaine will develop signs of deprivation dwarfism, whereas Peter will develop nonorganic failure to thrive.
B)Both children will develop signs of deprivation dwarfism.
C)Both children will develop nonorganic failure to thrive.
D)Elaine will develop nonorganic failure to thrive, whereas Peter will develop signs of deprivation dwarfism.

Answer 1

Elaine will develop nonorganic failure to thrive, whereas Peter will develop signs of deprivation dwarfism.

Question 2

Stacey is a neonate who was born three weeks prior to her expected due date.Her parents are concerned about the size of her head, so they measure its length relative to the length of her body.They find that although Stacey is only 53 centimetres long, her head is 12 centimetres long.Is Stacey's head-to-body proportion unusual?

A)It is not unusual for her stage of development.
B)It is unusual and indicative of a problem with skeletal growth.
C)It is unusual and is indicative of fluid accumulation in the brain.
D)It is not unusual because Stacey was born prematurely.

Answer 2

It is not unusual for her stage of development.

Question 3

What process underlies the development of the skeleton?

A)the quantitative growth of cartilage
B)the gradual myelinization of bone
C)the gradual ossification of soft cartilage tissue into bone
D)the qualitative growth of myelin

Answer 3

the gradual ossification of soft cartilage tissue into bone

Question 4

Based on research regarding the role of practice on locomotor development cross-culturally, which statement best summarizes the conclusions regarding the role of maturation?

A)It is important but not sufficient.
B)It is not only important but also sufficient.
C)It plays little role in locomotor development.
D)It is the only factor that influences locomotor development.

Question 5

Which of the following patterns of the timing of pubertal onset is most closely associated with increased self-esteem?

A)"on time" sexual maturation in both males and females
B)"on time" sexual maturation in males and early sexual maturation in females
C)early sexual maturation in males and "on time" sexual maturation in females
D)early sexual maturation in both males and females

Question 6

Astrocytes play a more important role in brain function than initially believed.What are astrocytes?

A)a type of glial cell
B)a type of corticospinal cell
C)a type of neuron
D)a type of oligodendrocyte

Question 7

Is early sexual maturation often initially a social advantage for boys and girls?

A)It is a short-term social advantage to males.
B)It is a long-term social disadvantage to females.
C)It is a short-term social advantage to females.
D)It is a long-term social disadvantage to males.

Question 8

How is the infant's growth rate most accurately described?

A)as quantitatively regulated
B)as occurring in erratic spurts
C)as steadily continuous
D)as quantitatively dependent

Question 9

Which part(s) of the body are dependent on adequate levels of thyroxine for normal growth?

A)the gonads, especially in boys
B)the extremities of the head, such as nose, ears, and lips
C)the internal organs, such as the kidneys and liver
D)the nervous system

Question 10

Which statement below most accurately associates age with proficiency?

A)By the end of the second year, young children can draw within the lines of their colouring books.
B)By the end of the second year, young children can cut food with a utensil.
C)By the end of the second year, young children can copy a simple horizontal or vertical line.
D)By the end of the second year, young children can catch and throw a ball.

Question 11

What is the developmental outcome of short-term malnutrition in childhood?

A)intellectual disabilities, even after nutrition improves
B)smaller stature for his or her age, even after nutrition improves
C)catch-up growth when nutrition improves
D)marasmus when nutrition improves

Question 12

Nine-year-old Nerine was a girl of small stature who had shown no change in her rate of growth for two years.Nerine's mother was often away from home with friends, and Nerine was left alone for long periods of time.When home, Nerine's mother was critical and shaming of Nerine or would ignore her entirely.She provided Nerine with clothing and food but very little affection or attention.What would Nerine most likely be diagnosed with?

A)marasmus
B)kwashiorkor
C)deprivation dwarfism
D)nonorganic failure to thrive

Question 13

Although Edward could stand alone, he did not walk until the age of 14 months.Is Edward's behaviour typical?

A)No, he is neurologically impaired.
B)No, he must have been born prematurely.
C)Yes, it's typical if he has developed in an impoverished environment.
D)Yes, he is still well within the normal range.

Question 14

Which pattern of physical development of would be most consistent with the cephalocaudal trend?

A)the feet before the hands
B)the trunk before the arms
C)the head before the legs
D)the arms before the trunk

Question 15

Riso experienced a lack of growth hormone as a child.Now that Riso is an adult, how did he likely develop?

A)He has normal adult body proportions but an extremely short stature.
B)He has cognitive and emotional problems as a result of his hormone deficiency.
C)He is of normal height but has childlike body proportions.
D)He has developed a physique similar to that typically seen in females.

Question 16

According to Goldfield, crawling requires an external goal to motivate the infant to combine and reorganize earlier motor schemes into new motor responses.This finding offers the most support for which theory of motor skill development?

A)maturational
B)experiential
C)locomotory systems
D)dynamical systems

Question 17

Is late sexual maturation often initially a social advantage for boys and girls?

A)It is a social advantage for boys and a social disadvantage for girls.
B)It is a social advantage for both boys and girls.
C)It is a social disadvantage for boys and a social advantage for girls.
D)It is a social disadvantage for both boys and girls.

Question 18

Infants and children typically show earlier motor and muscular control of activities involving the neck and upper extremities than those involving the legs.Which of the following is responsible for this developmental trend?

A)plasticity
B)lateralization
C)proximodistal
D)cephalocaudal

Question 19

Which body part grows to 75 percent of its adult weight by the age of 2 years?

A)the kidneys
B)the ears and eyes
C)the brain
D)the hips and thighs

Question 20

Which statement best summarizes the research findings with respect to the sequence of physical maturation?

A)All children go through roughly the same sequence.
B)The sequence of physical development varies from culture to culture.
C)The sequence of physical development varies from individual to individual.
D)Although sequence varies between individual children, the rate of development is universal.

Question 21

With a few exceptions, all neurons are formed early in development.When does this milestone occur?

A)at the beginning of the embryonic period
B)at the end of the second trimester of pregnancy
C)at 4 years of age
D)at 6 years of age

Question 22

Physical development is a very uneven process in which different body systems grow at different rates.Which of the following examples is an accurate description of this process?

A)The head and brain grow quickly, reaching adult proportions faster than the rest of the body.
B)The lymph system grows more slowly in children than in adults.
C)The reproductive organs grow rapidly through childhood and slow in adolescence.
D)The maturation of muscle tissue accelerates over childhood, slowing only in adolescence.

Question 23

By what month of age are 90 percent of typical infants able to roll over?

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

Question 24

What is the term for cells that nourish neurons and encase them within insulating sheets of myelin?

A)corticospinal cells
B)myelin sheath
C)Betz cells
D)glial cells

Question 25

How do children's growth rates change as they move from infancy into the preschool years?

A)Growth increases sharply.
B)Growth slows down.
C)Growth remains unchanged.
D)Growth increases for height and decreases for weight.

Question 26

The emergence of which motor skill lies behind the increasingly skillful manipulation of dials, knobs, and small objects such as raisins, which occurs near the end of the first year?

A)the ulnar grasp
B)visually guided reaching
C)the pincer grasp
D)proprioceptive reaching

Question 27

What conclusion regarding the role of maturation in motor development is supported by Dennis's classic studies of Iranian orphans?

A)It is necessary but not sufficient.
B)It is both necessary and sufficient.
C)It is not necessary; practice is sufficient.
D)It is not necessary; adequate nutrition is sufficient.

Question 28

Which statement best summarizes the research findings of Kolb and colleagues with respect to the effects of experience on brain development?

A)Both enrichment and deprivation affected the size and structure of the brain.
B)Deprivation adversely affected the brain size and structure, but enrichment did not affect size or structure.
C)Only the brains of young animals showed effects of enrichment or deprivation.
D)Only the brains of adult animals showed effects of enrichment or deprivation.

Question 29

Of the following parts of the body, which would be the last to come under voluntary control?

A)the hips
B)the shoulders
C)the arms
D)the fingers

Question 30

Which endocrine gland plays a signalling role to some endocrine glands, thus serving as a "master gland"?

A)thyroid
B)hypothalamus
C)adrenal
D)pituitary

Question 31

During which phase of development do children experience the slowest rate of growth?

A)early infancy
B)toddlerhood
C)preschool years
D)elementary school years

Question 32

What does cerebral lateralization refer to?

A)the fact that the two halves of the brain specialize to control different functions
B)the differentiation of the central and peripheral nervous systems
C)an impairment in the control of different sides of the body
D)the fibres that connect the two halves of the brain

Question 33

Which of the following best characterizes the term puberty?

A)the entire physical process of becoming sexually mature
B)the attainment of reproductive capacity
C)the adolescent growth spurt
D)the change in physique that occurs in early adolescence

Question 34

Which of the following best summarizes the research findings regarding predictive factors of future obesity in children?

A)the amount of time spent watching television
B)lack of involvement in hobbies
C)lack of social stimulation from appropriate peer interactions in preschool
D)early development of secondary sex characteristics

Question 35

Which principle of development does the disproportionately large size of the neonate's head relative to his or her trunk and legs reflect?

A)proximodistal
B)cephalodistal
C)cephalocaudal
D)proximocaudal

Question 36

In which direction does cephalocaudal development proceed?

A)from the bottom of the body upward
B)from the extremities toward the centre of the body
C)from the top of the body downward
D)from the centre of the body to the extremities

Question 37

During which phase of development do children experience the most rapid rate of growth?

A)early infancy and the preschool years
B)early infancy and early adolescence
C)the preschool and elementary school years
D)the preschool years and late adolescence

Question 38

What property of the brain accounts for the finding that young children often show more rapid and complete recovery of function after brain injury than do adults?

A)reserve capacity and plasticity
B)incomplete myelinization
C)incomplete ossification
D)reserved laterality

Question 39

Which of the following statements accurately describes individual variations in physical growth and development?

A)Individual rates of development contribute to differences in areas such as cognition.
B)Rates of physical growth and development are universal.
C)There are few if any meaningful cultural and subcultural variations in physical growth and development.
D)Individual variation in physical growth and development is controlled solely by hereditary factors.

Question 40

Which motor behaviour is exhibited by 90 percent of typically developing infants by 15 months of age?

A)playing pat-a-cake
B)standing alone
C)walking well
D)building a tower of two blocks

Question 41

Fifteen-month-old Adelia is experiencing slow growth, performs poorly on tests of motor skill and intellectual development, and is inattentive and listless.Adelia has a loving mother, but her mother struggles to feed her children the foods that contain the substances that promote normal growth.What is most likely lacking in Adelia's diet?

A)iron
B)calories
C)protein
D)estrogen

Question 42

Which theory of motor development portrays the infant as an active explorer who chooses actions and applies motor skills to achieve his or her goals?

A)experiential
B)dynamical systems
C)locomotory systems
D)maturational

Question 43

What is the typical order of the emergence of motor skills during infancy?

A)rolling over, followed by sitting, followed by crawling
B)sitting, followed by crawling, followed by rolling over
C)sitting, followed by rolling over, followed by crawling
D)rolling over, followed by crawling, followed by sitting

Question 44

Baby Maede can skillfully control the movements of her trunk and shoulders but not of her hands and fingers.Which trend best characterizes Maede's motor skills?

A)cephalocaudal
B)proximodistal
C)cephalomotor
D)distal motor passage

Question 45

Sigge was a happy, chubby infant.Then his mother died when he was 12 months old.Sigge's father was rejecting of Sigge.He was cold and impatient with Sigge's need for love and attention.Despite being offered nutritious foods to eat, Sigge began to lose weight, and by the time he was 18 months old Sigge was well behind his age-mates in physical growth and motor development.What would Sigge most likely be diagnosed with?

A)marasmus
B)kwashiorkor
C)deprivation dwarfism
D)nonorganic failure to thrive

Question 46

Which of the following is a definition of "early" puberty?

A)Age-inappropriate knowledge of puberty is learned prior to physical changes in girls or boys.
B)The physical changes of puberty occur prior to the psychological changes for girls, but not for boys.
C)Puberty begins before 8 years of age for girls and before 9 years of age for boys.
D)Puberty begins prior to 10 years of age for either girls or boys.

Question 47

What causes sexual maturation in males?

A)increases in the levels of estrogen
B)increases in the levels of testosterone
C)decreases in the levels of estrogen
D)increases in the levels of cortisol

Question 48

During which developmental period do the most rapid gains in body height occur?

A)infancy and toddlerhood
B)early childhood
C)middle childhood
D)adolescence

Question 49

What is the primary cause of nonorganic failure to thrive syndrome?

A)insufficient calories and protein
B)a lack of affection
C)a prenatal hormonal imbalance
D)a genetic predisposition for diabetes

Question 50

What does a boy's first ejaculation signal the start of?

A)sexual maturation
B)spermarche
C)a secular trend
D)marasmus

Question 51

What behavioural outcome is thought to be accounted for by the slow myelinization of the frontal cortex?

A)that some infants do not crawl
B)that attention span increases steadily from elementary school age through adolescence
C)that impulsivity increases steadily from elementary school age through adolescence
D)that some children never learn prereaching behaviours

Question 52

What is the most likely explanation for the decrease in the average age of onset for menarche over the past 100 years?

A)better nutrition and medical care
B)changes to hormone production due to environmental hazards
C)increased acceptance of adolescent sexuality
D)decreased separation of the societal roles of females and males

Question 53

According to recent research, what triggers the adolescent growth spurt?

A)testosterone in males and estrogen in females
B)growth hormone in males and estrogen in females
C)testosterone in males and growth hormone in females
D)growth hormone in both males and females

Question 54

Which of the following best summarizes the results of current research with respect to the cause of nonorganic failure to thrive syndrome?

A)presence of metabolic disorders that interfere with digestion
B)presence of growth-retarding illnesses throughout infancy and early childhood
C)lack of adequate nutrition
D)lack of a close emotional attachment with caretakers

Question 55

Today's children are taller and heavier and reach sexual maturity earlier than previous generations.What do researchers ascribe this trend to?

A)improved medical care and better nutrition
B)changing societal norms of sexuality
C)Darwinian natural selection
D)environmental pollutants producing genetic changes

Question 56

Which body part increases its number of bones during the postnatal period?

A)the elbow
B)the wrist
C)the inner ear
D)the skull

Question 57

Which motor behaviour is exhibited by 90 percent of typically developing infants by 9 months of age?

A)crawling or creeping
B)standing alone
C)walking well
D)building a tower of two blocks

Question 58

Based upon current research, what is the plasticity of the young child's brain attributable to?

A)the rapid increase in the number of neurons during infancy
B)incomplete myelinization early in life
C)an excess of neurons and synapses early in life
D)maturation of neurons in the corpus callosum

Question 59

Which illness is the result of a diet that supplies both insufficient calories and insufficient protein?

A)anemia
B)marasmus
C)kwashiorkor
D)anorexia nervosa

Question 60

According to the research of Goldfield and colleagues, what is an important motivator for the development of crawling?

A)frustration or anger in the child
B)interesting visual stimuli that are out of reach
C)parental coaxing of the child
D)boredom or loneliness

Question 61

Relative to its final adult weight, approximately how much does the brain weigh in a 2-year-old child?

A)10 percent
B)25 percent
C)75 percent
D)99 percent

Question 62

Which of the following statements is accurate regarding environmental factors related to childhood obesity?

A)Bad eating habits that lead to obesity are generally established as early as middle childhood.
B)Obese children often view food as a reward.
C)Intensive family therapy creates additional stressors that work against weight loss.
D)Television viewing or video games can be used as an incentive for eating healthy food.

Question 63

One reason that young infants often fail to grasp objects within their reach is that their eye-hand coordination is poor.What characteristic of their reaching accounts for this behaviour?

A)It is visually guided rather than visually initiated.
B)It is visually initiated rather than visually guided.
C)It is proactive rather than reactive.
D)It is reactive rather than proactive.

Question 64

Heredity plays a role in obesity.Which of the following statements supports this claim?

A)Maternal obesity is unrelated to childhood obesity.
B)Fraternal twins raised apart have similar body weights.
C)Identical twins raised apart have similar body weights.
D)Overweight babies are more likely to be obese children.

Question 65

The emergence of which of the following is an important precursor to the exploration of objects using both hands?

A)prereaching movements using the palmar grasp
B)maturational acquisition of the ulnar grasp
C)the ability to reach inward to the midline of the body
D)the ability to reach outward from the midline of the body

Question 66

During which period of development is myelinization completed?

A)late infancy
B)middle childhood
C)mid-adolescence
D)early adulthood

Question 67

Three-year-old Victoria has just been diagnosed with a thyroid deficiency that doctors suspect was present at birth.What is the most likely long-term outcome for Victoria?

A)abnormally accelerated growth, with Victoria likely reaching an adult height of over 180 centimetres.
B)some cognitive deficiencies and general intellectual disability
C)a general deficiency in sensory development, with eventual blindness and deafness
D)few long-term effects as long as thyroxine treatment is started right away

Question 68

Brain growth during which phase of development is characterized as the "brain growth spurt"?

A)the second trimester of pregnancy
B)the third trimester of pregnancy and infancy
C)the toddler years
D)the middle childhood years

Question 69

What do results from research presented in your text suggest in regard to incorporating activities that promote development of fundamental movement skills and physical activity?

A)Incorporating these activities related to higher object-control skills in children in daycare, even if no training was provided to caregivers.
B)Incorporating these activities related to gains in language and executive function in children 5 years old or younger.
C)Incorporating these activities impacted strength and endurance in children in elementary school, but had no discernable effect on self-regulation or academic achievement.
D)Although important in middle childhood, incorporating these activities is unrelated to activity levels in adolescence or adulthood.

Question 70

Which statement best summarizes the results of research on the role of practice on locomotor development?

A)Locomotor development is inhibited by lack of experience and speeded by practice.
B)Locomotor development proceeds on a preprogrammed schedule irrespective of amount of experience or practice.
C)For locomotor development, practice is less important than experience.
D)Maturation is the only factor that influences locomotor development.

Question 71

Which of the following patterns of the timing of sexual maturation is most likely to confer social disadvantages to the adolescent?

A)early maturation in males
B)early maturation in females
C)late maturation in females
D)normal maturation in males

Question 72

In which direction does proximodistal development proceed?

A)from the bottom of the body upward
B)from the extremities toward the centre of the body
C)from the top of the body downward
D)from the centre of the body toward the extremities

Question 73

Ahmad and his parents are living in a refugee camp because a civil war in their country has displaced them from their land.Their diet consists of rice, corn, milk, and whatever wild vegetation that they can procure.Very occasionally they are able obtain meat by capturing small animals that invade the camp.Based on this description, what disorder would you expect Ahmad to develop?

A)deprivation dwarfism
B)kwashiorkor
C)nonorganic failure to thrive
D)marasmus

Question 74

Rada is excited by the fact she has learned to turn the dial on the dishwasher.Every chance she gets, she turns the knob to hear the noise it makes.Based on this description, how old is Rada?

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

Question 75

Which statement best characterizes physical growth during the elementary school years?

A)It is rapid and steady.
B)It is slow and episodic.
C)It is rapid and episodic.
D)It is slow and steady.

Question 76

What is one reason why older children improve at large-muscle activities such as riding a bicycle?

A)They use more refined and efficient techniques of movement.
B)They become more top heavy.
C)They are less dependent on landmarks.
D)Optic flow no longer distracts them from perceiving objects.

Question 77

What does the term menarche refer to?

A)the maturation of secondary sexual characteristics in both sexes
B)the onset of menstruation in females
C)the onset of sperm production in males
D)genital maturation in both sexes

Question 78

Anna lives in Canada and her pen pal, Mazo, lives in a nonindustrialized developing nation.As these two girls approach adolescence, what is most likely to happen to each with respect to the timing of menarche?

A)Anna will experience menarche later than Mazo.
B)Both girls will experience menarche at the age of 12 or 13.
C)Anna will experience menarche before Mazo.
D)Both girls will experience menarche at the age of 16 or 17.

Question 79

We often joke "use it or lose it." Does carefully controlled research with nonhuman animals support this statement with respect to the development of the human brain?

A)No, although it is true of nonhuman animals such as rodents.
B)Yes, because brain size and structure are modified by experience in both humans and nonhuman animals.
C)Maybe, depending on the age of the person, because this finding is applicable to the period of adolescence
D)Maybe, depending on the age of the person, because this finding is applicable to perinatal period

Question 80

What typically happens to a child after a period of malnutrition or illness that is neither prolonged nor severe?

A)A period of rapid, compensatory growth occurs, bringing the child up to his or her genetically programmed growth trajectory.
B)A period of poor appetite occurs, which keeps his or her growth rate below average.
C)A period of stable growth occurs, but the earlier deficits will not be made up.
D)A period of overeating occurs, and the child becomes obese.