Question 1

Results from studies conducted on children in orphanages suggest that infancy is a critical period for the development of healthy attachment.

Accepted Answer

False

Question 2

Erik Erikson's psychosocial model implies that personality is not necessarily a stable construct across a life span.

Accepted Answer

Erikson's psychosocial model suggests that personality develops through a series of stages, each characterized by a specific conflict that must be resolved. This implies that personality can evolve and change across the lifespan as individuals encounter and resolve new conflicts.

Question 3

One of the limitations of Jean Piaget's theory is that recent evidence indicates that children develop several key cognitive abilities later than Piaget originally thought.

Accepted Answer

Recent evidence actually suggests that children develop several key cognitive abilities earlier than Piaget originally proposed, indicating that his stages of cognitive development may not fully account for the early competencies observed in children.

Question 4

A child who makes moral decisions based on the desire to gain people's approval is most likely in Lawrence Kohlberg's preconventional level of moral reasoning.

Accepted Answer

In Kohlberg's theory, making moral decisions based on the desire to gain approval is characteristic of the conventional level, not the preconventional level.

Question 5

Syphilis and the HIV virus are both examples of teratogens that can cause abnormal prenatal development.

Accepted Answer

Both syphilis and the HIV virus can cross the placenta and infect the fetus, potentially causing a range of developmental issues, thus classifying them as teratogens.

Question 6

The phenomenon of imprinting is an excellent example of a set of behaviours that is governed by a sensitive period.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The phenomenon of imprinting is an excellent...

Question 7

According to John Bowlby, the first attachment phase that a newborn infant goes through is the indiscriminate attachment behaviour phase.

Accepted Answer

According to John Bowlby's attachment theory, the first phase of attachment development in infants is the "indiscriminate attachment phase," where infants show no particular preference for any one caregiver and are equally comfortable with familiar and unfamiliar adults.

Question 8

The zone of proximal development is a concept reflecting the difference between what a child can do independently with what she can do with assistance.

Accepted Answer

The zone of proximal development, a concept introduced by psychologist Lev Vygotsky, indeed reflects the difference between what a child can do without help and what they can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner.

Question 9

Studies indicate that newborn infants are not capable of learning through modelling until they are at least 4- to 5-months old.

Accepted Answer

Newborn infants can learn through observation and imitation much earlier than 4-5 months old. Research has shown that infants can imitate facial expressions and gestures within the first few days of life, indicating an early capacity for learning through modeling.

Question 10

Cross-sectional research designs involve comparing children from different age groups to one another.

Accepted Answer

Cross-sectional research designs compare participants from different age groups at a single point in time to identify differences and similarities among them.

Question 11

Cross-cultural studies suggest that both stranger and separation anxiety show highly similar patterns in different cultures.

Accepted Answer

Cross-cultural studies have found that both stranger anxiety and separation anxiety are common across different cultures, suggesting that these responses are universal aspects of human development rather than culturally specific behaviors.

Question 12

During the germinal stage of development, the fertilized egg is called an embryo.

Accepted Answer

During the germinal stage of development, the fertilized egg is called a zygote; it is referred to as an embryo after implantation into the uterine wall.

Question 13

Research has demonstrated that while the learning mechanisms of habituation and classical conditioning are operating at birth, the mechanism of operant conditioning is a later development in human infants.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that operant conditioning can occur in very young infants, indicating that like habituation and classical conditioning, it is also operational from birth. Infants are capable of learning through operant conditioning by associating their behaviors with consequences, such as learning that crying may lead to attention from caregivers.

Question 14

Even though children in the concrete operational stage have a well-established concept of object permanence, they still tend to struggle a great deal with problems involving conservation of volume and number.

Accepted Answer

Children in the concrete operational stage (ages 7-11) have developed the ability to understand conservation of volume and number, which is a key characteristic of this stage.

Question 15

Contrary to Piaget's theory, the cognitive abilities in his four stages appear to occur in the same order across a wide variety of cultures.

Accepted Answer

Piaget's theory suggests that cognitive development stages occur in a fixed order universally, but research has shown that cultural factors can influence the rate and manner in which these stages are reached.

Question 16

Research has found that while classification of temperament traits can be relatively stable over age, classification can vary depending on context and observers.

Accepted Answer

Temperament traits, while showing some stability over time, can indeed vary based on the context in which behavior is observed and the perspectives of different observers. This variability highlights the complexity of temperament and the influence of environmental factors and subjective interpretations.

Question 17

Jean Piaget's concept of assimilation specifically refers to the ways in which new experiences are incorporated with pre-existing schemas.

Accepted Answer

Assimilation, according to Jean Piaget, is the process by which individuals integrate new information into their existing cognitive structures or schemas, allowing them to make sense of the world without altering their current understanding.

Question 18

By three to four months of age, infant pattern perception is already organized according to Gestalt principles.

Accepted Answer

By three to four months, infants demonstrate the ability to perceive patterns in an organized manner, consistent with Gestalt principles, such as similarity, proximity, and continuity, indicating early development of visual perception skills.

Question 19

Infants show a visual preference for solid colours over patterns.

Accepted Answer

Infants actually show a visual preference for patterns, especially those with high contrast, over solid colors because patterns help stimulate their visual development.

Question 20

Even police and custom officers can have difficulty detecting simple lies told by children.

Accepted Answer

Children's lies can be challenging to detect because they may not exhibit the typical signs of deception that adults do, making it difficult even for trained professionals like police and customs officers to discern their truthfulness.

Quiz 12: Development Over the Lifespan