Deck 9: Lifespan Development

Question 1

Renée Baillargeon has conducted research on the cognitive abilities of very young infants. Baillargeon's research is based on which of the following premises?

A) Infants will turn away from events that they find puzzling or confusing.
B) Infants will notice and pay attention to events which violate their expectations.
C) Infants express their cognitive abilities through their physical actions.
D) Infants' comprehension vocabulary is much larger than their production vocabulary.

Answer 1

Infants will notice and pay attention to events which violate their expectations.

Question 2

After watching some cartoons on TV, young Chantal started to imitate the voices of some of the characters. According to ______theory, when Chantal observes and imitates the cartoon characters she is engaging in a process called _____

A) gender schema; gender identification.
B) social learning; modeling.
C) gender schema; schema formation.
D) social learning; role formation.

Answer 2

social learning; modeling.

Question 3

Which of the following is the correct term for a segment of DNA that encodes the formula for a particular protein molecule?

A) gene
B) genotype
C) chromosome
D) phenotype

Answer 3

gene

Question 4

Erwin read about gender and sexuality in his psychology text. He noted that the text defined _____ as the biological categories of being male or female.

A) gender
B) sex
C) gender identity
D) gender role

Question 5

What changes take place as the human brain matures over the adolescent years into early adulthood?

A) Immature white matter develops into mature gray matter.
B) The amount of gray matter steadily increases in the cerebral cortex and new neurons continue to be developed until about age 30.
C) Unused neurons and neuronal connections are pruned.
D) The brain goes through two critical periods in early adolescence, which are called generativity and induction.

Question 6

Mark and Mathew are identical twins who developed from a single zygote and share identical DNA. Nevertheless, as they develop, differences in physical and psychological characteristics become evident. These differences are due to:

A) each twin's unique genetic blueprint.
B) the pruning of unused neurons in each child's brain.
C) allele variation.
D) epigenetic change.

Question 7

While writing a paper on the development of moral reasoning, Hugh read that there is not much evidence to support Carol Gilligan's idea that men and women have entirely different approaches to moral reasoning. However, he found that there is empirical evidence that:

A) Kohlberg's theory predicts the way humans engage in moral reasoning and also how they behave morally.
B) the best predictor of moral behavior in real-life situations is moral reasoning in response to hypothetical dilemmas.
C) men and women use both the ethic of individual rights and justice and the ethic of care and responsibility.
D) the development of moral reasoning follows a universal sequence of levels and stages suggesting a strong genetic influence.

Question 8

Henry and Heidi are proud new parents. Based on the information in the text, you can predict that Lauren, their new baby, will most likely:

A) walk easily before she is 10 months of age.
B) be able to sit without support before she will be able to roll over.
C) be able to roll over before she will be able to sit without support.
D) begin walking at exactly the same age as her older brother did.

Question 9

Dr. Morelli investigates how gene activity is regulated within a cell, including what signals switch genes on or off. In general, she is interested in the mechanisms that control gene expression and its effect on behavior and health. Her area of research is called:

A) genetic mutation research.
B) epigenetics.
C) stem cell research.
D) the human genome project.

Question 10

According to developmental psychologist Jerome Kagan, there are two broad temperamental patterns, which are:

A) high-reactive and low-reactive.
B) slow-to-warm-up and difficult.
C) secure and insecure.
D) difficult and shy.

Question 11

In general, the greatest vulnerability to teratogens occurs during the ______ period of prenatal development.

A) the last part of the fetal
B) the embryonic
C) the zygotic
D) the germinal

Question 12

According to _____, every baby comes into the world with an innate ability to understand the principles of language organization.

A) Noam Chomsky
B) Jean Piaget
C) Erik Erikson
D) Lev Vygotsky

Question 13

Parents who explain the reasons for insisting that their children behave in a certain way, including the consequences and effects of misbehavior, are using a form of discipline called:

A) the permissive-parenting approach.
B) centration.
C) induction.
D) the authoritarian approach.

Question 14

Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A) Females have an XY combination in the 23rd pair of chromosomes.
B) Each gene in every gene pair contains 23 chromosomes.
C) Each chromosome contains 23 genes.
D) Males have an XY combination in the 23rd pair of chromosomes.

Question 15

In adolescence, negative and stressful family relationships, including absence of the biological father, are associated with:

A) later puberty and delayed physical development in both girls and boys.
B) earlier puberty and accelerated physical development in both girls and boys.
C) later puberty in boys but earlier puberty in girls.
D) premature pruning in the prefrontal cortex.

Question 16

Development during adulthood reflects the increasing importance of:

A) gender differences in moral reasoning.
B) epigenetic influences.
C) psychosocial conflicts.
D) individual variation.

Question 17

Which cultural values are reflected in the U.S. custom of putting infants to sleep in a separate room from their parents?

A) the importance of interdependence
B) the need to be independent and self-reliant
C) the importance of noise-free, low-stress environments, especially sleeping quarters, for both parents and infants
D) the low priority placed on forming secure attachment relationships

Question 18

Researchers Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess:

A) studied the effect of day care on attachment and development.
B) studied the detrimental psychological effects of allowing an infant to sleep in the same room or bed with his or her parents.
C) found that most infants can be classified as having one of three basic temperament patterns.
D) examined the emotional experience of dying and proposed the idea that there are five stages that people progress through as they face death.

Question 19

During the embryonic period:

A) the zygote becomes implanted on the mother's uterine wall.
B) the fetus can move its arms, legs, mouth, and head.
C) the mother experiences quickening.
D) all of the organs and the major body systems form.

Question 20

Nine-year-old Faith patiently helped her four-year-old brother, Cole, learn how to fold a piece of paper and cut it to make a paper snowflake. This example illustrates which of the following?

A) Vygotsky's zone of proximal development
B) Baillargeon's event-specific expectations
C) Bem's gender schema theory of gender role development
D) Kohlberg's conventional level of moral reasoning

Question 21

The human genome is the complete set of DNA in the human organism.

Question 22

As people make the transition from one stage of the lifespan to another, they always undergo sudden, age-related changes in physical, mental, and social development.

Question 23

The branch of psychology that studies how people change over the lifespan is called developmental psychology.

Question 24

Although all humans have the same basic set of genes, these genes can come in different versions called alleles.

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT a valid criticism of Piaget's theory of cognitive development?

A) Stages of cognitive development are less universal than Piaget believed.
B) Piaget underestimated the cognitive abilities of infants.
C) Piaget underestimated the impact of cultural influences on cognitive development.
D) Researchers have been unable to replicate most of Piaget's observations or findings.

Question 26

Each chromosome contains exactly 23 pairs of genes.

Question 27

Which of the following statements accurately describes cognitive functioning in healthy adults who are 60 to 70 years old?

A) There is a significant decline in memory abilities but not in other cognitive abilities.
B) There is a sharp decline in several cognitive abilities, including logical reasoning, vocabulary, and memory.
C) Spatial skills increase, while verbal skills decline.
D) There is little or no decline in cognitive ability, especially in adults who are physically and mentally active.

Question 28

Tanisha is a normal infant who learned to walk at age 11 months. She has just celebrated her first birthday. Although she hasn't started talking yet, it's very likely that Tanisha will shortly enter the ______ stage of language development.

A) three-word
B) babbling
C) one-word
D) two-word

Question 29

Universal moral principles are to the ______ level as law and order are to the _____ level in Kohlberg's theory of moral development.

A) postconventional; conventional
B) conventional; postconventional
C) conventional; preconventional
D) preconventional; conventional

Question 30

According to Erik Erikson's theory, the key psychosocial task facing adolescents is:

A) identity versus role confusion.
B) industry versus inferiority.
C) generativity versus stagnation.
D) ego integrity versus despair.

Question 31

Packed in the nucleus of each cell are 23 pairs of chromosomes that represent your unique genotype.

Question 32

The _____ style of parenting is associated with a wide variety of long-term psychological and behavioral benefits in the development of children.

A) permissive-indifferent
B) authoritarian
C) authoritative
D) permissive-indulgent

Question 33

Most developmental psychologists today agree that:

A) no consistent patterns of temperamental qualities can be identified because all infants are unique.
B) the quality of day care is the critical factor that determines whether day care produces beneficial or detrimental effects.
C) it is impossible to accurately determine whether a toddler is securely or insecurely attached.
D) infants are unable to form multiple attachments.

Question 34

Developmental psychologists tend to conceptualize the lifespan in terms of eight basic stages of development.

Question 35

Geraldine is almost 30 years old, has a graduate degree in business administration, and is now considering a number of career options. She is not married or in a long-term committed relationship and enjoys the flexibility that her single life allows. Which of the following statements is most likely to be true of Geraldine?

A) She would be classified as being in the emerging adult stage of lifespan development.
B) She is struggling with the psychosocial conflict of ego integrity versus despair.
C) She has not resolved the primary psychosocial conflict of autonomy versus doubts.
D) She would be classified as being in the middle adulthood stage of lifespan development.

Question 36

On the table were two pieces of string that were identical in length. As Markus watched, one string was rearranged in a circular pattern. Markus then confidently said that the straight piece of string was longer. Markus is:

A) displaying cognitive abilities that are typical of the concrete operational level.
B) in the zone of proximal development.
C) displaying cognitive abilities that are typical of the preoperational level.
D) in the formal operational stage of development.

Question 37

Throughout any given person's lifespan, there is ongoing interaction between hereditary and environmental factors, each influencing the other.

Question 38

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) Compared to 30 years ago, the number of married couples with children has sharply declined.
B) Marital satisfaction tends to decline following the birth of the first child.
C) In the last few decades, the average age at which people first marry has steadily increased.
D) Women who have multiple, satisfying, and positive roles, but are nonetheless juggling career, marriage, and family responsibilities, are almost certain to experience the very highest levels of stress.

Question 39

A gene is a segment on a chromosome containing the DNA instructions for manufacturing a particular protein.

Question 40

The best known, although not the most common, pattern of allele variation is the simple dominant-recessive gene pair.

Question 41

Most developmental psychologists believe that gene expression is primarily influenced by the fixed master plan, or genetic blueprint, with which people are born.

Question 42

If you inherit a dominant version of the "freckles" gene, you will have the potential to display freckles. But to be freckle free, you would have to inherit two recessive "no freckles" genes, one from each biological parent.

Question 43

Dr. Dillinger investigates how gene activity is regulated within a cell, what signals switch genes on or off, and in particular, what determines whether a given cell will become a skin cell, a nerve cell, or a heart muscle cell. His area of research is called epigenetics.

Question 44

According to the text, studies examining the impact of early stress in humans have shown that childhood stress or adversity can cause distinct epigenetic changes in brain tissue.

Question 45

DNA can be damaged by environmental factors, such as exposure to ultraviolet light, radiation, or chemical toxins, and genes can mutate, or change spontaneously, from one generation to the next.

Question 46

Humans carry all of the genes necessary to develop a tail, but we typically don't develop tails because those genes are never activated.

Question 47

As identical twins develop, differences in their physical and psychological characteristics become evident. These differences are due to each twin's individual and unique genetic blueprint.

Question 48

Two crucial factors in the relationship between genotype and phenotype are interactions among genes and interactions between genotype and environmental influences.

Question 49

The embryonic period is the second period of prenatal development and extends from the third week through the eighth week.

Question 50

The term genotype refers to the underlying genetic makeup of a particular individual.

Question 51

The shortest phase of prenatal development is called the germinal, or zygotic, period.

Question 52

The germinal period of prenatal development is the third and longest period, extending from the ninth week until birth.

Question 53

Epigenetics refers to the study of the mechanisms that control gene expression and the effects of gene expression on behavior and health.

Question 54

An experiment found that newborn rats who were genetically predisposed to be calm and stress-resistant grew up to be nervous, high-strung, and easily stressed adult rats when raised by genetically unrelated, inattentive mothers. This occurred because epigenetic changes had taken place, which changed the rats' brain chemistry and literally reprogrammed their behavior.

Question 55

In general, the greatest vulnerability to teratogens occurs during the fetal period of prenatal development.

Question 56

Females have an XY combination in the 23rd pair of chromosomes, whereas males have an XX combination.

Question 57

Males are more likely than females to display various genetic disorders, such as hemophilia and red-green color blindness.

Question 58

Because of epigenetic influences, newborn rats who were genetically predisposed to be skittish, nervous, and high-strung developed into calm, exploratory, and stress-resistant adult rats when raised by genetically unrelated, attentive mothers.

Question 59

By the end of the two-week germinal period, the single-celled zygote has developed into a cluster of cells called an embryo.

Question 60

Some genes will only be activated if environmental factors trigger them.

Question 61

The neural tube is formed from a sheet of primitive neural cells and is lined with stem cells.

Question 62

During the peak periods of brain development in the prenatal period, new cells are being generated at the rate of 250,000 per minute.

Question 63

Chronic stress, feelings of depression, and anxiety during pregnancy are associated with low birth weight and premature birth.

Question 64

A structure called the neural tube eventually thickens into three bulges that will form the three main regions of the brain: the hindbrain, the midbrain, and the forebrain.

Question 65

During the sixth month of prenatal development, the fetus's brain activity becomes similar to that of a newborn baby, with distinct sleep-wake cycles.

Question 66

Cells that have mutated or spontaneously changed during transmission from one generation to the next are called stem cells.

Question 67

Assuming that a newborn infant is normal, his or her brain will be about one-quarter the size of an adult human brain and will weigh about one pound or less.

Question 68

The fetal period of prenatal development lasts from the ninth week until birth.

Question 69

Helga is in her fifth month of a healthy pregnancy, and sometimes she can feel the fetus moving, a common experience called quickening.

Question 70

Excessive drinking during pregnancy can cause fetal alcohol syndrome, which is characterized by physical and mental problems such as abnormal facial features or learning disabilities.

Question 71

Stem cells are long, threadlike structures composed of twisted parallel strands of deoxyribonucleic acid.

Question 72

A teratogen is a harmful agent or substance that can cause malformations or defects in an embryo or fetus.

Question 73

As the neural tube expands during development, it develops cavities, called ventricles, which are found at the core of the fully developed brain and are filled with cerebrospinal fluid.

Question 74

The newborn infant is equipped with reflexes that enhance survival, such as the rooting reflex and the sucking reflex.

Question 75

Examples of teratogens include alcohol, cocaine, heroin, and industrial chemicals such as PCBs and mercury.

Question 76

By the fourth month of prenatal development, the fetus is capable of reflexive movements and is able to move its arms, legs, and head.

Question 77

Some teratogens, such as cocaine, cigarette smoke, or alcohol, can damage the developing fetus during the germinal period and the fetal period but not during the embryonic period.

Question 78

The fetal brain is constantly changing, forming as many as 2 million synaptic connections per second.

Question 79

Stem cells can divide indefinitely, renew themselves, and give rise to a variety of other types of cells.

Question 80

By the third week after conception, a sheet of primitive neural cells has formed, which curls to form a hollow tube called the neural tube.