Question 1

Using the visual habituation procedure, where the same stimulus is presented repeatedly until infant looking time declines, researchers found that when a novel stimulus was presented, infants usually ___________.

Accepted Answer

Infants typically show increased interest in novel stimuli after habituating to a familiar one, as indicated by longer looking times. This is a fundamental aspect of the visual habituation procedure, demonstrating infants' ability to discriminate between familiar and new stimuli.

Question 2

In young infants, the 'stepping reflex' is a motor skill that ___________ until infants are ready to walk.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In young infants, the 'stepping reflex' is...

Question 3

Within a few days of birth, most infants are able to reproduce the facial expressions of an adult. This behaviour is likely the product of a simple, biologically based form of ___________.

Accepted Answer

Infants reproducing facial expressions of adults is a biologically based mechanism that helps them respond to and bond with their caretakers. This innate ability facilitates early communication and connection, rather than being a learned behavior through conditioning or social learning.

Question 4

Within weeks, newborns display the capability to _________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Within weeks, newborns display the capability to...

Question 5

Maurer and Lewis (2001) summarized the results of their long-term longitudinal study of infants born with congenital cataracts (opaque lens preventing pattern vision) in one or both eyes who therefore suffered some visual deprivation and were then treated. The most devastating impact on later visual processing appears to occur following even short periods of visual deprivation in the first year of life, but the sensitive/critical period for visual deprivation effects extends until about ____________, after that cataracts produce no permanent deficits when vision is restored.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Maurer and Lewis (2001) summarized the results...

Question 6

Which of the following statements regarding newborns and learning is TRUE? Newborns ___________.

Accepted Answer

Newborns are capable of learning through various methods, including classical conditioning (where they learn to associate two stimuli), operant conditioning (where they learn based on the consequences of their actions), and imitation (where they mimic others). Research has shown that even very young infants can learn through these methods, indicating their ability to adapt and learn from their environment from a very early age.

Question 7

At birth, the newborn's brain is far from mature and has reached only about 25 percent of its eventual adult weight. By six months of age, however, the brain reaches __________ of its adult weight.

Accepted Answer

By six months of age, the brain reaches approximately 50 percent of its adult weight, highlighting the rapid growth and development that occurs in the initial months of life.

Question 8

A broad issue that is investigated in developmental research includes examining to what extent our development is the product of heredity or the product of the environment. This broad issue is called ___________.

Accepted Answer

The broad issue of examining to what extent our development is influenced by heredity (nature) or the environment (nurture) is referred to as the "nature and nurture" debate. This debate explores how genetic inheritance (our nature) and external factors (our nurture) shape our behaviors, traits, and abilities.

Question 9

The term "proximodistal" is most consistent with which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The term "proximodistal" refers to the pattern of development in humans (and many other organisms) where growth starts at the central part of the body (innermost) and moves towards the outer parts. This is observed in the way infants gain control over their torso before their limbs.

Question 10

When a baby is capable of standing up alone and easily then roughly what age milestone has been reached.

Accepted Answer

Most babies can stand up alone easily by the time they are around 10 months old, although this can vary widely from one child to another.

Question 11

Jean Piaget used the term __________ to refer to organized patterns of thought and action that guide children's interactions with the world.

Accepted Answer

Piaget's concept of "schema" refers to the cognitive frameworks or patterns that help individuals organize and interpret information. Schemas guide children's understanding and interaction with their environment.

Question 12

Auditory pattern perception is _____________ in young infants, who can detect tiny changes in adult speech sounds that differentiate one word from another (called phonemes) by ___________ of age.

Accepted Answer

Auditory pattern perception is relatively advanced in young infants, allowing them to detect small changes in speech sounds (phonemes) by 1 to 2 months of age.

Question 13

The organ that develops most dramatically during infancy and early childhood is the ___________.

Accepted Answer

The brain develops most dramatically during infancy and early childhood, experiencing rapid growth in size and complexity, including the development of neural connections critical for cognitive and motor skills.

Question 14

A baby can perceive the full range of colours now as the baby's three types of cones and their circuits are functional. What age has this baby reached?

Accepted Answer

By around 3 months of age, a baby's color vision is fully developed, thanks to the maturation of the cones in the retina and the neural circuits that process color.

Question 15

When a baby is capable of walking alone and easily then roughly what age milestone has been reached.

Accepted Answer

Most babies start walking independently at around 12 to 15 months, so 15 months is a common milestone for walking alone easily.

Question 16

The genetically programmed biological process that governs human growth is called ___________.

Accepted Answer

Maturation refers to the genetically programmed biological processes that govern human growth, including physical and cognitive development. It is a natural process that occurs over time, influenced by genetic factors.

Question 17

Which one of the following statements is NOT true?

Accepted Answer

Biology does not set limits on the display of genotypes; rather, it is the interaction between biology and the environment that influences the expression of genotypes.

Question 18

The fact that a baby will suck on a finger that is placed in her mouth best illustrates which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The sucking response in babies when a finger is placed in their mouth is a reflex action, which is an automatic and innate response to a specific stimulus, not learned through conditioning or modeling.

Question 19

Laurel Trainor and colleagues at McMaster University studied music preferences in infants and found that at 2 months of age ___________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Laurel Trainor and colleagues at McMaster University...

Question 20

Overall, most sensory-perceptual processes rapidly improve during the ___________ of life.

Accepted Answer

Most sensory-perceptual processes, such as vision, hearing, taste, and smell, show rapid improvement during the first year of life. This period is critical for sensory development as infants learn to interpret sensory information from their environment.

Quiz 12: Development Over the Lifespan