Deck 9: Lifespan Development I

Question 1

Which of the following is not a major debate in developmental psychology?

A) nature versus nurture
B) stability versus change
C) young versus old
D) continuity versus stages

Answer 1

young versus old

Question 2

_________ is a period of special sensitivity to specific types of learning that shape the capacity for future development.

A) Maturation
B) A critical period
C) The specificity stage
D) The tabula rasa stage

Answer 2

A critical period

Question 3

Imprinting is an example of ______________.

A) maturation
B) a critical period
C) tabula rasa
D) nature

Answer 3

a critical period

Question 4

The _____ believe that Tiger Woods's achievements are primarily due to his innate athletic abilities.

A) developmentalists
B) naturists
C) nurturists
D) fundamentalists

Question 5

With regard to personal characteristics, _____.

A) they are nearly all stable over a person's lifespan
B) they vary considerably over a person's lifespan
C) some vary considerably and some remain stable in most individuals
D) for some people they are nearly all quite stable, and for other people they vary considerably

Question 6

Regarding language development, the "Wild Child" Genie, featured in the text, could only develop sentences such as ________

A) "I want food."
B) "Genie go."
C) "Food, please."
D) "I go home."

Question 7

The "Wild Child" Genie's story stresses the fact that there is (are) _____________ in language development.

A) maturation
B) critical periods
C) stages
D) continuity

Question 8

With regard to intelligence and age, researchers have found that _____.

A) intelligence shows a marked decline around age 60 in cross-sectional studies
B) intelligence peaks in early adulthood, then gradually declines in longitudinal studies
C) reasoning and intelligence reach their peak in early adolescence and then gradually decline in cross-sectional studies
D) reasoning and intelligence reach their peak in early adulthood and then gradually decline in cross-sectional studies

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a limitation of longitudinal studies?

A) more expensive
B) restricted generalizability
C) time consuming
D) cohort effects

Question 10

All of the following are advantages of the longitudinal study EXCEPT:

A) provides quick information about age differences
B) provides information about age changes
C) offers more in-depth information per participant
D) increases confidence in results

Question 11

The major body organs and systems develop during this period of pregnancy, from implantation through the eighth week.

A) embryonic
B) fetal
C) zygotic
D) germinal

Question 12

During the embryonic stage, growth is proximodistal, which means that the _________.

A) legs develop before the head
B) arms develop before the hands
C) head develops before the arms
D) placenta develops before the head

Question 13

Jeremy was born with facial abnormalities and stunted growth, and is showing signs of delayed motor development and lowered intelligence. Jeremy is most likely suffering from _____.

A) DNA syndrome
B) genetic abnormalities
C) fetal alcohol syndrome
D) prenatal exposure to nicotine

Question 14

_________ in 100 children are born with fetal alcohol syndrome.

A) 10
B) 1
C) 20
D) 5

Question 15

Evidence supporting the role of maturation in motor development is provided by _____.

A) the cultural variability in the progression from crawling to walking
B) the ability of Hopi Indian children to walk at one year even though they've been carried in a cradleboard until then
C) the inability of Hopi Indian children to walk until after they have crawled
D) none of these options

Question 16

The average child starts to sit up on his or her own at _________ months.

A) 10
B) 5.5
C) 2
D) 17.5

Question 17

The average child starts walking unassisted at _________ months.

A) 10
B) 5.5
C) 12
D) 17.5

Question 18

Studies indicate that ____ is well developed at birth.

A) vision
B) hearing
C) verbal abilities
D) fine motor control

Question 19

Studies on fetal learning have demonstrated all of the following with the exception of infants:

A) preferring their mother's voice over a stranger's voice
B) showing preferences for stories read to them while in their mother's womb
C) who listen to music while in their mother's womb scoring higher in IQ
D) hearing sounds outside the mother's body while still in the womb

Question 20

This has been used as a dependent variable in infant sensory-perceptual research.

A) length of parental contact
B) breathing rate changes
C) movement changes
D) heart rate changes

Question 21

The depression and anxiety that may result during menopause is primarily the result of _________.

A) hormonal changes
B) cultural standards of beauty
C) both a and b
D) genetic changes

Question 22

Some employers are reluctant to hire 50- to 60-year-old workers because of a generalized belief that they are sickly and will take too much time off. This is an example of _____.

A) sexism
B) social norms
C) ageism
D) independent hiring practices

Question 23

Most problems with information processing at older ages are a result of problems with ______.

A) encoding
B) storage
C) retrieval
D) both a and c

Question 24

Eric dies of cancer at the age of 65. This was mostly a result of ________.

A) primary aging
B) secondary aging
C) programmed theory
D) damage theory

Question 25

According to the programmed theory of primary aging, ___________.

A) after doubling about 50 times, cells begin to die
B) death is genetically preprogrammed
C) damage to cells and organs over the years causes death
D) both a and b

Question 26

The maximum human lifespan is _________ years.

A) 85
B) 90
C) 100
D) 110-120

Question 27

According to the programmed theory, aging i_____.

A) is environmentally controlled
B) is genetically controlled
C) is accelerated by the accumulation of damaged cells
D) refers to gradual and inevitable changes in physical and mental processes

Question 28

Notable achievements such as _____ have been performed by elderly people.

A) winning a Nobel Prize
B) wining an Oscar Award
C) winning an Emmy Award
D) both a and b

Question 29

A child believes that any object that flies is a bird. This would be an example of _________.

A) accommodation
B) assimilation
C) schemas
D) concepts

Question 30

_____ refers to a young child's inability to experience anyone else's point of view.

A) Preoperational egocentrism
B) Social egoism
C) Preoperational ethnocentrism
D) Preoperational ego fantasy

Question 31

_____ is the ability to understand that it is possible to undo any change in appearance of an object that results from moving, turning, and the like.

A) An abstraction
B) A formal operation
C) Reversibility
D) Variability

Question 32

The last type of conservation to develop during the concrete operational stage is that for _________.

A) volume
B) length
C) area
D) substance

Question 33

Each of the following is a criticism of Piaget's theory EXCEPT:

A) Very young infants have a concept of how objects move.
B) Nonegocentric responses, such as empathy and imitation of facial expressions, are seen in very young infants.
C) Preschoolers adapt their speech when talking to younger children.
D) Children 7-10 years of age are able to reason hypothetically about the world around them.

Question 34

Define developmental psychology, then describe and illustrate the ongoing debates regarding nature-nurture, continuity stages, and stability change in this field, and end with a description of how interactionism helps resolve these issues.

Question 35

Contrast cross-sectional and longitudinal research on intelligence. Include a description of the potential impact of cohort effects. Highlight the advantages and disadvantages of each method.

Question 36

List and describe the physical changes that occur in the three stages of prenatal development, and describe the major hazards to a developing fetus discussed in your textbook.

Question 37

Briefly describe early childhood changes in the brain, motor abilities, and sensory/perceptual development.

Question 38

Contrast the terms puberty and adolescence, and list the major physical changes that occur during puberty, middle age, and later adulthood.

Question 39

Contrast primary and secondary aging, and describe the programmed and damage theories for primary aging.

Question 40

Discuss some of the physical issues that are confronted during middle age and late adulthood and their implications for psychological well-being.

Question 41

Define and illustrate the concepts of schema, assimilation, and accommodation.

Question 42

List and describe the characteristics in each of Piaget's four stages of cognitive development. Illustrate a child's abilities and limits at each level of development.

Question 43

Discuss the limitations and criticisms of Piaget's theory of cognitive development.