Question 1

You are in the process of conducting a longitudinal study on lifestyle factors and health problems and notice that many of the women in your study have dropped out, but very few of the men have left. What type of problem are you experiencing with this research design?

Accepted Answer

Selective attrition refers to the problem of participants dropping out of a study, but not randomly. In this case, it seems that women are more likely to drop out of the study than men, which can bias the results and make it difficult to generalize the findings to the entire population. This is especially problematic for longitudinal studies where the same participants are followed over time. Cohort effects refer to differences between groups of people who are born during different time periods. Developmental effects refer to changes in behavior that occur over time as a result of maturation, learning, or other factors. Longitudinal loss is not a recognized term in research design.

Question 2

Professor Sanchez is interested in studying development of motor skills. She collects data from 200 one-year-olds and follows and assesses them for a period of five years. What type of research design is Professor Sanchez using?

Accepted Answer

Professor Sanchez is using a longitudinal research design, as she is following and assessing the same group of individuals over a period of time to study the development of motor skills.

Question 3

__________ refers to heredity and __________ refers to environmental influences.

Accepted Answer

Option A accurately defines nature as heredity and nurture as environmental influences. Option B is incorrect as cognition and emotion both fall under the realm of nurture rather than nature. Option C is partially correct as behavioural genetics falls under the category of nature, not nurture. Option D is also incorrect as cross-sectional and longitudinal are research methods, not concepts related to nature and nurture.

Question 4

Which research method is most suitable for studying how people change over time?

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal research method is most suitable for studying how people change over time as it involves studying the same group of individuals over an extended period of time and tracking the changes that occur over that time period. This method enables researchers to identify patterns and trends in behavior and development, providing a more comprehensive understanding of how people change over time compared to other research methods.

Question 5

Which of the following is a disadvantage of the longitudinal design?

Accepted Answer

One disadvantage of a longitudinal design is that participants may drop out of the study due to various reasons such as moving, loss of interest, or death. This can create biases in the data and limit the generalizability of the findings.

Question 6

A researcher who selects a sample of people of varying ages and studies them at one point in time is, by definition, using the __________ method.

Accepted Answer

The cross-sectional method involves selecting a sample of individuals from different age groups and studying them at one point in time. This method is useful for studying age-related differences in a particular variable, but it does not allow for the examination of how individuals change over time. Longitudinal studies, on the other hand, involve studying individuals over an extended period of time and can provide information about development and change over time. Cohort studies focus on individuals who share a particular characteristic or experience and are followed over time to examine outcomes or effects. Correlational studies examine the relationship between two variables but do not involve manipulation of a variable as in experimental designs.

Question 7

Which of the following is a main disadvantage of the cross-sectional design?

Accepted Answer

In a cross-sectional design, individuals of different ages are compared to one another, which can lead to faulty conclusions about age-related changes. This is because different age groups may have different characteristics, experiences, or circumstances that could affect their behavior or outcomes. For example, younger participants may have more education or technology exposure, while older participants may have more health concerns or financial stability. As a result, any observed differences between age groups may not necessarily reflect true developmental or cohort effects.

Question 8

Dr. Spinella's research focuses on the effects of parenting practices on children's aggression levels. What type of psychologist is Dr. Spinella?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Spinella's research is focused on studying the impact of parenting practices on children's behavior, which falls under the field of developmental psychology. Industrial/organizational psychologists focus on improving the efficiency and productivity of workplaces, physiological psychologists study the biological processes of behavior, and environmental psychologists study the relationship between people and their physical surroundings.

Question 9

The local health department of a small town has hired a research firm to study the development of cancer in residents in the town due to a suspected cancer-causing agent and environmental pollution. The researcher will compare data on the same participants at age 10, 20, 30, 40, 50, 60, 70, and so on, to see if there are increasing rates of cancer in the town. This type of research study is called a

Accepted Answer

A longitudinal design is a research design that follows the same group of people over an extended period, usually with multiple data collection points. In this case, the researcher is comparing data on the same participants at different ages to determine whether there are increasing rates of cancer in the town. Therefore, a longitudinal design is the most appropriate research design for this study. A cross-sectional design is not appropriate in this case since the researcher is not comparing different groups of people at the same point in time. A cohort research design is often used in longitudinal studies to compare different groups of people who share a specific characteristic but would not be appropriate for this specific study. A correlational research design is not appropriate since the researcher is not looking at the relationship between two variables, but rather examining the development of cancer over time.

Question 10

Professor Grant is interested in studying the development of a sense of humour. She collects data from groups of six-year-olds, 16-year-olds, 26-year-olds, and 46-year-olds. What type of research design is Professor Grant using?

Accepted Answer

Professor Grant is using a cross-sectional research design because she is collecting data from different age groups at the same time, rather than following one age group over time (longitudinal) or studying individuals born at the same time (cohort) or studying relationships between variables (correlational).

Question 11

The scientific study of the changes that occur in people as they age from conception to death is called

Accepted Answer

Human development is the scientific study of the changes that occur in people as they age from conception to death. This field encompasses physical, cognitive, and social changes.

Question 12

When attempting to understand developmental transitions that people face throughout their life span, which of the following research designs would be most informative?

Accepted Answer

Longitudinal research allows for the tracking of individuals over an extended period of time, providing insight into the individual developmental transitions they face. Cross-sectional research compares groups of individuals at different points in their lives, but does not allow for the tracking of individual developmental trajectories. Cohort research looks at how a particular generation or cohort experiences certain developmental transitions, but does not provide individual-level data. Correlational research examines the relationship between variables, but does not necessarily provide insight into developmental transitions.

Question 13

Which of the following statements is illustrative of the post hoc fallacy?

Accepted Answer

The post hoc fallacy occurs when someone assumes that one event caused another simply because it preceded it. Believing that weightlifting produces professional athletes is an example of this fallacy because it assumes that just because most professional athletes lift weights, that weightlifting is what made them professional athletes. This ignores the fact that many other factors contributed to their success, such as genetics, training programs, coaching, and natural talent.

Question 14

A researcher has studied a group of patients who have a rare type of cancer and has found that they all were regular cranberry juice drinkers. He concluded that drinking cranberry juice led to the development of the rare cancer. In this case, the researcher has most likely made an error in judgment due to

Accepted Answer

The researcher has made a post hoc fallacy, which means that they are assuming that because two events occurred together (drinking cranberry juice and having the rare cancer), one event caused the other. However, it is possible that there is no causal relationship between the two and that other factors may be responsible for the development of the cancer.

Question 15

Dr. Brady studies parenting practices and childhood dispositions. He has found a relationship between the two variables and concludes that if parents treat their children with warmth and care, then their children will be well-adjusted and emotionally healthy. What problem would be associated with Dr. Brady's conclusion?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Brady's conclusion only considers the relationship between parenting practices and childhood dispositions in one direction, from parents to children. However, bidirectional influences suggest that the relationship between parents and children is reciprocal, meaning that children's dispositions can also influence parenting practices. Therefore, Dr. Brady's conclusion is oversimplified and does not account for bidirectional influences.

Question 16

Which of the following is a myth concerning development?

Accepted Answer

The myth that children often experience irreversible damage when subject to trauma at very early ages has been debunked by research. While early trauma can have negative effects on development, children have the ability to recover and even thrive with proper support and intervention.

Question 17

In a __________design, one group of participants is followed and assessed as the group ages.

Accepted Answer

A longitudinal design follows one group of participants over time and assesses them at multiple intervals. This allows for the study of changes and patterns in development within the same group of individuals, whereas a cohort design involves following different groups of individuals who were born at the same time. Correlational designs examine the relationship between two or more variables, and cross-sectional designs involve assessing different groups of participants at one point in time.

Question 18

Dr. Aragio is a pediatrician and is constantly advising parents to carefully monitor the early experiences their children have (especially within the first three years of life), as these are the most crucial in their psychological and physical development. Which view of development is consistent with Dr. Aragio's advice?

Accepted Answer

Dr. Aragio's advice is consistent with the infant determinism view of development which suggests that early experiences are crucial in shaping a child's development and future outcomes.

Question 19

Dr. Kiwanis is conducting a longitudinal study on the development of empathy in children. He samples children each year as they age but has found that, each year, his sample size is getting smaller because families are dropping out of the study. This is called

Accepted Answer

Attrition refers to the loss of participants or dropouts from a study over time. In this case, families dropping out of the study is an example of attrition, which can be a challenge for longitudinal studies. Terminations, cohort effects, and infant determinism are not relevant to this situation.

Question 20

Dr. Smith believes people who are very aggressive have become so because of their life experiences. Dr. Goldberg believes people are more or less aggressive from birth because of genetic factors. Which of the following terms best describes an issue in human development that is highlighted by their disagreement?

Accepted Answer

The disagreement between Dr. Smith and Dr. Goldberg highlights the issue of nature versus nurture, which is the debate about whether genetics or environment play a more significant role in human development.

Quiz 10: Human Development