Deck 2: Major Theories for Understanding Human Development

Question 1

According to psychoanalytic theory, middle-aged Valerie has two instinctual drives that contribute to her personality development. What are these two instinctual drives?

A) Sexuality and shame
B) Aggression and affiliation
C) Sexuality and aggression
D) Sexuality and inhibition

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Daryl is a human being. From an evolutionary perspective, he depends on the capacity of all of the species' individual members to survive, mate, reproduce, and

A) rear their offspring.
B) have reflexes.
C) use spoken language.
D) express emotion.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Evolutionary theory places the study of individual development in the context of

A) classical conditioning based on learning over time.
B) individual development in the context of the history of the species.
C) habituation with a mother/caregiver figure for survival.
D) biologically-guided genetic growth plans.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Kimberly just began a new job. In her work, she will focus on the unique adaptive behaviors of specific species, such as mating, caregiving, play, and strategies for obtaining resources. In which of the following fields is Kimberly working?

A) Chemistry
B) Paleontology
C) Ethology
D) Teratology

Question 5

The assumptions of any theory may or may not be correct. In other words, assumptions

A) are based on research results from over 50 years ago, so they may not be relevant today.
B) may be influenced by the cultural context of the theorist.
C) predict statistical significance of the current research design only.
D) may be the same as another theory.

Question 6

Psychosocial evolution refers to

A) the survival of humans who progress through various life stages.
B) ways in which knowledge can alter or transform behavior and override genetically guided patterns.
C) the fact that psychosocial development cannot be influenced by individuals' conscious decisions.
D) strategies to achieve a positive resolution during a psychosocial crisis.

Question 7

Which of the following statements best describes how theories help explain observations?

A) They determine correctness for specific contradictory examples.
B) They identify orderly relationships.
C) They are based on random sampling.
D) They bring about change.

Question 8

A __________ is a logical system of concepts that provides a framework for organizing and interpreting observations.

A) theory
B) variable
C) symbol
D) correlation

Question 9

A theory of human development is expected to provide explanations for which of the following?

A) How society and economics change over time
B) How people change and grow over the life span
C) Conflicts between ethnic subcultures
D) Causes of illness and health over the life span

Question 10

Which of the following statements is considered a major implication of evolutionary theory related to the study of human development?

A) The importance of similarities among all humans allows for the scientific study of continuity over time.
B) Factors that influence reproductive success of a group have implications for the survival of the species.
C) The early years of childhood are most critical in shaping the structure of adult personality.
D) The course of human development is shaped by entries into and exits from key life roles.

Question 11

Which statement BEST describes the laws of natural selection?

A) The genetic make-up of most species is remarkably similar.
B) Over time, species are becoming more and more responsive to radiation.
C) Over generations, species gradually change in response to changing environmental conditions.
D) Genetics alone account for species change.

Question 12

What guiding premises underlie the logic of a theory?

A) Its predictions
B) Its assumptions
C) Its variables
D) Its applications

Question 13

Why are theories of human development needed?

A) To help explain behavior at different levels of analysis
B) To assist in uncovering truths about humans and animals
C) To embellish case studies of families
D) To illustrate relationships from the beginning of time

Question 14

Any theory is generally limited to explaining behaviors that fall within that theory's _________.

A) life stage
B) range of applicability
C) placebo effect
D) statistical significance

Question 15

Which of the following statements best illustrates the link between evolutionary theory and psychosocial theory?

A) Through patterns of reinforcement, genetics is linked to individual development during adulthood.
B) Adults strengthen their genetic make-up and influence as they age.
C) The process of cultural survival is considered random in specific generations.
D) Individuals face a continuous struggle to adapt traits and abilities to environmental demands.

Question 16

What is the function of a theory?

A) To dictate an appropriate research design
B) To describe unobservable processes and relate them to observable events
C) To develop hypotheses
D) To create symbols that society can agree upon

Question 17

Evolutionary psychology includes the study of

A) the future development of behavior.
B) the dominance of members of species currently living.
C) the origins of social behavior.
D) the similarity of mammals in various environmental settings.

Question 18

Through which of Alice's ages would psychosocial theory focus?

A) Infancy through age 12
B) Her adolescence
C) Her entire life
D) Her late adulthood

Question 19

Which of the following statements is considered a characteristic of a "good" formal theory?

A) It is logical and internally consistent.
B) It is unrelated to previous research.
C) It is focused on a relatively narrow, specific subject area.
D) It includes contradictory statements that can be tested.

Question 20

The comparative study of unique adaptive behaviors is called ethology. This type of study helps clarify            to the long-term survival of the species.

A) the contributions of culture
B) the importance of males
C) the role of gender
D) the contributions of each generation

Question 21

Which of the following statements is considered a difference between psychosocial and psychoanalytic theory?

A) Psychosocial theory does not suggest stages of development.
B) Psychosocial theory is not interested in child-rearing practices.
C) Psychosocial theory suggests directions for development beyond adolescence into adulthood and old age.
D) Psychosocial theory places greater emphasis on infancy and toddlerhood.

Question 22

Which of the following statements is considered an assumption of Freud's psychoanalytic theory?

A) All behavior is a result of cultural conditioning.
B) Children's behavior is rational and thoughtful.
C) All behavior is motivated.
D) Most behavior is a result of random factors that cannot be explained.

Question 23

Charlie is a newborn. According to psychoanalytic theory, the most significant personality developments in Charlie's life took place or will take place during which of the following life stages?

A) His prenatal period
B) The first five or six years of his life
C) His adolescence
D) His early adulthood

Question 24

Which of the following is considered the focus of Freud's psychoanalytic theory?

A) The influence of sexual and aggressive drives to motivate behavior
B) Learned behaviors and habits on moral development
C) Social roles on family uniqueness
D) Goals and expectations on confidence building

Question 25

What is the difference between a scheme and an operation in cognitive developmental theory?

A) An operation is a verbal scheme
B) An operation is a mental manipulation of related schemes
C) A scheme is more complex than an operation
D) A scheme is in equilibrium and an operation is in disequilibrium

Question 26

Which of the following is considered a similarity between psychoanalytic theory and psychosocial theory?

A) Use of a life span approach
B) Description of the functions of the ego system
C) Consideration of middle childhood as a "latent" and quiet life stage
D) Incorporation of importance of schooling on development

Question 27

Pamela strives to achieve a balance of organized structures that provides effective ways of interacting with her environment. This is known as

A) balancing.
B) intelligence.
C) equilibrium.
D) consciousness.

Question 28

__________ is a common defense mechanism used by children and adults in which they claim that a bad experience never happened.

A) Denial
B) Projection
C) Rejection
D) Reality expansion

Question 29

Cognitive developmental theory focuses specifically on how

A) knowing emerges and is transformed into logical, systematic capacities for reasoning.
B) the ego interprets experiences into logical, systematic thought processes.
C) evolution continues throughout the life span of a specific species based on cognition.
D) various systems within a family impact an individual's capacity for thought.

Question 30

In psychoanalytic theory, which of the following terms refers to reality-oriented functions such as perception, learning, memory, and judgment?

A) Superego
B) Ego
C) Id
D) Unconscious

Question 31

According to Freud, many explanations for Blanca's seemingly natural behavior can be found by analyzing her conflicting sexual and aggressive needs, fears, and wishes that are housed in her

A) metaconscious.
B) conscious.
C) ego.
D) unconscious.

Question 32

Daniela is capable of organizing and making meaning of her experiences. Which of the following allows her to do so?

A) Equilibrium
B) Repression
C) Cognition
D) Ethology

Question 33

According to psychoanalytic theory, which structure houses Jonathan's moral and ethical principles?

A) Id
B) Ego
C) Superego
D) Guilt

Question 34

In terms of psychoanalytic theory, which of the following statements about defense mechanisms is most accurate?

A) Children are so honest that they use only coping mechanisms.
B) Only very neurotic people use defense mechanisms.
C) The basic function of defense mechanisms is to protect the person from being overwhelmed by painful thoughts and feelings such as anxiety and guilt.
D) After a long period, defense mechanisms lead to higher levels of functioning.

Question 35

Equilibrium is achieved through _________, a process of gradually modifying existing schemes in order to take into account discrepancies between what is known and what is being experienced.

A) natural selection
B) evolution
C) adaptation
D) schematic overload

Question 36

Which of the following statements reflects an important contribution made by psychoanalytic theory to the study of human development?

A) The role of childhood experiences can be used to explain adult behavior.
B) Parenting practices help shape biological sexual urges.
C) The foundation for sexual drives is projected to the next generation.
D) The unconscious is the main contributor to sexual development.

Question 37

Which of the following psychosexual terms is most closely related to the processes of cognition?

A) Unconscious processing
B) Impulse expression
C) Ego functions
D) Projection

Question 38

What was Piaget trying to explain in his cognitive development theory?

A) The process for how the capacity for logical thought develops
B) Reasons why some children are mathematically gifted
C) Individual differences in learning styles
D) The process for how culture influences cognition

Question 39

Harvinder and Jasmine just had their first baby, Nina. According to psychoanalytic theory, what are the psychosexual stages though which Nina will develop?

A) Oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
B) Id, ego, superego
C) Unconscious, preconscious, conscious
D) Reaction formation, projection, denial

Question 40

In psychoanalytic theory, how is the ego related to the id and the superego?

A) The ego is mostly unconscious, pushing the id and superego into awareness.
B) The ego tries to satisfy the id without offending the superego.
C) The superego is the commander-in-chief, the ego is the sergeant, and the id is the private.
D) The ego's moral and ethical principles dictate the actions of the id.

Question 41

Dakota has started to read short biographies of women she believes are important. She makes lists of who is most important in categories like business leader, political leader, and star athlete. Then she starts to read about the number one person in each category. Which of Piaget's stages do you think Dakota is in?

A) Formal operational stage
B) Concrete operational stage
C) Preoperational stage
D) Post formal operational stage

Question 42

In Piaget's theory, which of the following are considered the two complementary processes that account for adaptation?

A) Sensorimotor intelligence and preoperational thought
B) Natural selection and fitness
C) Cultural discontinuity and moral reasoning
D) Assimilation and accommodation

Question 43

In contrast to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, Vygotsky placed greater emphasis on

A) social context.
B) role of exploration and experimentation.
C) biological bases of cognition.
D) evolution.

Question 44

Genevieve is studying cognitive development theories. Today, her professor introduced the central concepts of Vygotsky's theory, explaining that these would be the topics covered in the end-of-the-week quiz. Which of the following should Genevieve study before the end of the week?

A) The Id, ego, and superego
B) Assimilation, accommodation, and schemes
C) Culture, zone of proximal development, and movement from intermental to the intramental
D) Microsystem, exosystem, and mesosystem

Question 45

According to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, which of the following statements is most accurate?

A) Repetition is the most important experience for promoting cognitive growth.
B) Young children and adults approach problems using the same basic principles of logic and reasoning.
C) Encounters with discrepancy promote the growth of logical thinking.
D) Because they cannot use symbols, infants do not have the capacity for problem solving.

Question 46

Which of the following is considered one of Piaget's contributions to understanding infant cognition?

A) Infants are able to create and manipulate symbols.
B) For infants, most thinking is unconscious.
C) Infants have the same capacity for abstract reasoning as adolescents.
D) Infants establish logical connections.

Question 47

Which of the following statements is considered an implication for human development based on Vygotsky's theory?

A) In all cultures, children will approach problem solving in the same way.
B) Social interaction and culture shape an individual's cognitive development.
C) It is better to spend time with people who are a little less skilled than you in order to build self-esteem.
D) The direction of cognitive growth is largely determined by genetic factors.

Question 48

Which of the following statements best describes a characteristic of formal operational thought?

A) Knowing is based primarily on instruction from others.
B) Logic is based on the creation of a system of interrelated rules that can be used for problem solving.
C) Knowing is based primarily on direct experience by the individual within a family context.
D) Logic is based largely on memories of past experiences.

Question 49

Which of the following psychosocial theory concepts is most similar to Vygotsky's zone of proximal development?

A) Psychosocial crisis
B) Stages of development
C) Developmental tasks
D) Radius of significant relationships

Question 50

Helena is 6 months old. At what stage in Piaget's cognitive developmental theory is she in?

A) Sensorimotor thought
B) Preoperational thought
C) Concrete operational thought
D) Formal operational thought

Question 51

Vygotsky emphasized the role of a culture's ________ in shaping thought.

A) tools and signs
B) levels of continuity
C) boundaries
D) roles

Question 52

When did Yang's preoperational thought stage occur?

A) When he first became a toddler
B) When, as a child, he learned a language
C) When, as a child, he first understood abstract concepts
D) When he first became an adolescent

Question 53

Kendra has been breastfed. The first time she gets a bottle of apple juice, she uses the same sucking motion she has been accustomed to using during breastfeeding. Juice floods out of the nipple of the bottle. This is an example of

A) defensive behavior.
B) assimilation.
C) adaptive self-organization.
D) vicarious learning.

Question 54

Whereas theories of cognitive development emphasize thinking and reasoning, theories of learning tend to focus on which of the following?

A) Hypothesis testing that occurs in scientific problem solving
B) Relatively permanent changes in behavior that result from experience
C) Language development and written communication
D) The role of genetic factors in guiding adaptive behavior

Question 55

Vygotsky argued that complex mental operations exist first in the social world and are then internalized. He described this as movement from the __________ to the __________.

A) ego; superego
B) intermental; intramental
C) model; child
D) microsystem; mesosystem

Question 56

Which of the following statements is considered an assumption of Piaget's cognitive development theory?

A) All behavior is motivated.
B) Advances in cognitive capacities occur into old age.
C) Personality development ends at age 6.
D) The roots of cognition lie in an infant's biological capacities.

Question 57

By asking children how they know what they know, Piaget introduced the study of

A) intelligence.
B) metacognition.
C) categorization.
D) morality.

Question 58

Ricky wants to play a computer game, but cannot quite figure out how to get the figures to jump and kick. Ricky watches his older sister play the computer game for a few minutes and asks her a few questions. Then Ricky is able to play the game by himself. According to Vygotsky's theory, this is an example of

A) formal operational reasoning.
B) learning in the zone of proximal development.
C) cultural determinism.
D) equilibrium.

Question 59

What is the zone of proximal development?

A) Length of time needed to accommodate
B) Distance between the radius of significant others and development
C) Length of time needed to assimilate
D) Distance between developmental level and level of potential development

Question 60

Accommodation is referred to as the

A) resistance to changing familiar schemes held in place through equilibrium.
B) tendency to interpret new experiences in light of existing schemes.
C) desire to make meaning out of experience.
D) tendency to modify schemes to account for new attributes revealed through experience.

Question 61

Young children are scolded for being selfish but when they are adults they are expected to be assertive and self- reliant. This is an example of

A) cultural conservatism.
B) cultural discontinuity.
C) worldview.
D) cultural continuity.

Question 62

Which of the following statements would be considered an example of cultural continuity?

A) Young children learn skills related to food preparation and remain involved in food preparation as adults.
B) Children are permitted to express emotions up to age 10; after age 10, they have to hide their feelings.
C) Only children who have gone through a rite of passage can enter a certain holy place.
D) Mothers and daughters dress in different colors at a funeral to depict social status.

Question 63

Vicarious reinforcement can best be described as learning __________.

A) through ignoring negative behaviors in a naturalistic setting
B) by observing what happens to someone else who is either rewarded or punished for their actions
C) through trial and error
D) through repeated associations between two stimuli either conditioned or unconditioned

Question 64

Which of the following best describes the difference between cognitive behaviorism and the other theories of learning?

A) Cognitive behaviorists study internal mental activities that influence behavior.
B) Cognitive behaviorists study the stimulus-response relationship to determine behavioral influences.
C) Cognitive behaviorists study reflexes as the biological basis learning.
D) Cognitive behaviorists focus on the relationships among systems to understand learning.

Question 65

Which of the following statements is considered an implication for human development based on social learning theory?

A) All components of social learning theory are considered positive responses to cognitive development.
B) All learning requires direct instruction.
C) Natural selection occurs in one's determination of an appropriate behavioral response.
D) Models are relevant in guiding the behavior of others.

Question 66

According to Walter Mischel's six types of cognitive-affective factors that influence behavior, which of the following best describes self-regulatory plans?

A) A type of emotional reaction associated with a specific situation.
B) The ability to play a variety of roles.
C) The expectations one has for one's behavior.
D) Strategies to achieve one's goals.

Question 67

Elisangela's behavior patterns are the very same behaviors shared by most of her community, and they have been transmitted from one generation to the next. Which of the following does this represent?

A) Discontinuity
B) Culture
C) Plans and goals
D) Cognitive map

Question 68

Which of the following terms best describes a worldview in which social behavior is guided by personal goals, ambitions, and pleasures?

A) Cultural determinism
B) Individualism
C) Collectivism
D) Enculturation

Question 69

is a worldview in which social behavior is guided largely by personal goals and ambitions.

A) Collectivism
B) Individualism
C) Enculturation
D) Ethnic group identity

Question 70

Which of the following is TRUE of social cognition?

A) It is a type of positive stimulus package for infants.
B) It is a facet of social learning theory that emphasizes a cognitive orientation.
C) It is a product of a cognitive map.
D) It is a natural selection process that is a by-product of evolutionary theory.

Question 71

Social learning theory emphasizes the process of learning new behaviors by

A) observing and imitating the behavior of others.
B) being taught by more skillful adults and peers.
C) being reinforced for increasingly close approximations of the desired behavior.
D) developing a cognitive map.

Question 72

According to cultural theory, which of the following would be considered an example of physical culture?

A) Colonial time period artifacts
B) Rites of passage for teenagers
C) A set of values passed down from one generation to the next generation
D) The role of a matriarch

Question 73

According to cultural theory, what determines whether behavior appears to occur in stages?

A) The religions of the society
B) The climate
C) The life span of the individuals
D) The degree of discontinuity in cultural conditioning

Question 74

Through which of the following does Jasper have the power of culture to shape her own experience?

A) Operant conditioning
B) Survival of the fittest
C) Formal operations
D) Cultural determinism

Question 75

Sudha has been driving to school using the same route for two years. Although she has never had time to stop at the Coffee Corner on her way to school, she knows where it is and how to direct a friend there. This is an example of which of the following concepts?

A) Positive reinforcement
B) Cognitive map
C) Expectations
D) Imitative learning

Question 76

Which of the following is an example of cultural determinism?

A) All cultures have some form of spiritual philosophy for dealing with death.
B) Cultures, like species, must adapt to changes in the environment.
C) Family life is a cornerstone of the culture.
D) Some cultures value aggressiveness while others consider it shameful.

Question 77

Which of the following is the most accurate description of the term worldview?

A) Societal expectations influences on individual decision making
B) Social demographics of an ethnic group
C) Way of making meaning of relationships, situations, and objects encountered in daily life
D) Global view of physical culture

Question 78

When Don watches his brother practice the piano, he sees how proud his mother is and how she compliments him for his hard work. This encourages Don to practice his trumpet. According to social learning theory, this is an example of which of the following?

A) Vicarious reinforcement
B) Negative reinforcement
C) Positive reinforcement
D) Punishment

Question 79

Cultural theory provides insight into

A) the cognitive mapping process worldwide.
B) learned systems of meanings and patterns of behavior shared by a group of people.
C) how two group events can occur very close together and produce similar responses.
D) observation and imitation of peer group role models.

Question 80

Gilda's professor has asked her to describe a cognitive map. Which of the following would be the most appropriate response?

A) A map of shapes and adjoining surfaces
B) A combination of the unconscious, preconscious, and conscious
C) An internal representation of the learning environment
D) A set of boundaries between the self and others