Question 1

Kgosi's developmental psychology teacher believes human development is best conceptualised as progressing discontinuously through several qualitatively different stages of thinking. His lecturer is probably a(n)

Accepted Answer

The belief that human development progresses through qualitatively different stages of thinking is a central tenet of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development.

Question 2

Dr Mokoena is a developmental psychologist who is interested in Vygotsky's theory. What sort of forces are probably of most interest to Dr Mokoena?

Accepted Answer

Dr Mokoena's interest in Vygotsky's theory suggests that sociocultural forces, such as cultural norms and social interactions, would be of most interest to him. Vygotsky's theory emphasizes the importance of these sociocultural factors in shaping cognitive development.

Question 3

According to ecological theory, the people closest to a developing child represent his or her

Accepted Answer

According to ecological theory, the microsystem refers to the immediate environment that a child experiences, including their family, peers, and school. These are the people who have the most direct and frequent interactions with the child and who can have the greatest impact on their development.

Question 4

Johan believes that, rather than progressing through a sequence of stages, mental processes gradually get more complex and efficient. Johan is most probably a proponent of

Accepted Answer

Johan's belief that mental processes gradually get more complex and efficient aligns with the information-processing theory, which suggests that cognitive development is a gradual and continuous process rather than occurring in distinct stages like Piaget's theory. Kohlberg's theory pertains to moral development, and Erikson's theory focuses on psychosocial development, so they are not relevant to Johan's beliefs about cognitive development.

Question 5

Boipelo believes he can win a high jump contest. Most likely Boipelo has

Accepted Answer

High self-efficacy refers to a person's belief in their ability to successfully accomplish a specific task or goal. Boipelo's belief that he can win a high jump contest suggests he has high self-efficacy in this area. The other options do not necessarily relate to Boipelo's confidence in his ability to win the contest.

Question 6

Dr Khumalo says, 'Sure, reinforcement and punishment are important, but how people interpret reinforcement and punishment is even more important.' Given this statement, Dr Khumalo's view is most likely to agree with

Accepted Answer

Dr Khumalo's statement suggests a focus on how people perceive and interpret external stimuli, which aligns with social cognitive theory's emphasis on the importance of cognitive processes in learning and behavior. This statement does not support the principles of operant conditioning, psychosocial theory, or psychodynamic theory as strongly.

Question 7

Louis discovers that the experiences he has in his developmental psychology class help him to deal with the children he works with at a day care centre. This relationship is best described by Bronfenbrenner's notion of a(n)

Accepted Answer

The mesosystem refers to the interconnections between different microsystems, such as the relationship between Louis's class experiences and his work at the daycare.

Question 8

Whose theory of development is best exemplified by the idea that children construct their own knowledge and that this constructed knowledge changes with age/experience?

Accepted Answer

This is the theory of development put forth by Jean Piaget, a prominent developmental psychologist. He believed that children actively construct their own knowledge and understanding of the world around them, and that this knowledge changes as they grow and gain new experiences. This theory is referred to as constructivism or cognitive constructivism.

Question 9

Mary has only one child, three-year-old Stella, and she has stayed home for most of Stella's life. From an ecological perspective, Mary is best thought of as part of Stella's

Accepted Answer

Mary is part of Stella's microsystem, which includes the immediate people and environments that directly influence Stella's development, such as her family and daycare providers.

Question 10

The biggest difference between Vygotsky's approach to development and that of Piaget and the information-processing approach is that Vygotsky placed more emphasis on

Accepted Answer

Vygotsky believed that culture played a significant role in development, especially in the way it shapes children's thinking and learning. He believed that children learn through social interactions with more knowledgeable individuals and cultural tools, such as language and symbols. In contrast, Piaget emphasized that the child's own active exploration and experience with the environment drives development, while the information-processing approach is focused more on the cognitive processes involved in thinking and problem-solving.

Question 11

Who would most likely explain a child's maladaptive behaviour by saying, 'They probably saw some TV character do that'?

Accepted Answer

A social learning theorist would be most likely to attribute maladaptive behavior to the influence of media, such as TV characters, as they believe that behavior is learned through observation and imitation.

Question 12

Social cognitive theory and operant conditioning are similar in that they both

Accepted Answer

Both social cognitive theory and operant conditioning emphasize the role of experience in shaping behavior, highlighting the importance of environmental influences and learning from interactions.

Question 13

When Dr Mkhize is asked to explain troubled adolescents, she says, 'The only way to explain the problems of adolescents is to study them in relation to their parents and the culture that surrounds them.' Dr Mkhize is most probably a proponent of ____ theory.

Accepted Answer

Dr Mkhize's statement suggests an ecological perspective which emphasizes the importance of studying the individual's environment, including family and cultural influences, in understanding their behaviors and development. This perspective is used in ecological theory.

Question 14

When describing the development of his son Roger, Roscoe says, 'The best way to describe it is in terms of a slow computer with a small memory getting a faster processor and more storage space.' This type of description would suggest that Roscoe adheres to a(n) ____ approach to development.

Accepted Answer

The language used in the description suggests that Roscoe is using a computer analogy to describe his son's development, which is a hallmark of the information-processing approach to development.

Question 15

What type of theorist would most likely describe human cognitive development using the analogy of 'mental software'?

Accepted Answer

An information-processing theorist would most likely describe human cognitive development using the analogy of 'mental software'. This analogy refers to the way that information is processed and organized in the mind, much like how software programs operate on a computer. Information-processing theorists focus on how the mind processes and stores information, and how this process changes and develops over time.

Question 16

Who would have the least amount of interest in children's thinking?

Accepted Answer

Skinnerian theorists prioritize behavior over internal mental processes and do not consider children's thinking to the same extent as other theories.

Question 17

What is the correct order of Piaget's stages of development?

Accepted Answer

Piaget's stages of development are sensorimotor (birth to 2 years), preoperational (2 to 7 years), concrete operational (7 to 11 years), and formal operational (11 years and up). The correct order is therefore sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational, as shown in choice C.

Question 18

Sadie is doing a study in which netball players are interviewed about their role on the team and perceived capabilities for playing in Saturday's game. Sadie seems to be assessing the ____ of the netball players.

Accepted Answer

Sadie is assessing the netball players' self-efficacy, which refers to an individual's belief in their ability to succeed in a specific situation or task. By interviewing the players about their perceived capabilities for playing in Saturday's game, she is assessing their level of self-efficacy in regards to their role on the team.

Question 19

Dr Rasool tries to help his students learn how to be independent learners by having them watch how other students can be successful by researching answers to possible test questions on their smartphones. Dr Rasool is using principles of ____ to help his students.

Accepted Answer

Dr Rasool is helping his students learn through observing and imitating the behaviors of their peers, which is a key principle of social learning theory.

Question 20

Which theorist is most associated with an ecological approach to human development?

Accepted Answer

Bronfenbrenner is most closely associated with an ecological approach to human development, which emphasizes the importance of examining the multiple levels of influence that interact with an individual's development, including microsystems (immediate environment), mesosystems (interactions between microsystems), exosystems (indirect environment), and macrosystems (cultural and societal influences). Freud, Piaget, and Erikson all proposed different theories of human development, but they did not focus on the ecological perspective.

Quiz 1: The Study of Human Development