Question 1

Marcia is 80 years old and is learning how to speak French and play the guitar for the first time. This new skill development is a good example of
A) multiple causation
B) historical context
C) plasticity
D) multidirectionality

Accepted Answer

Plasticity refers to the ability of the human brain to change and adapt, learning new skills or adapting to new situations at any age, including learning a new language or instrument in old age, as in Marcia's case.

Question 2

The selective optimization with compensation model is primarily associated with the ____ perspective.
A) cognitive-developmental
B) ecological
C) psychodynamic
D) life-span

Accepted Answer

The selective optimization with compensation model is primarily associated with the life-span perspective. This model suggests that as individuals age, they selectively optimize and compensate in various areas of their lives to adapt to changes and maintain functionality.

Question 3

Police shootings have dramatically influenced race relations in the early 21st century. From an ecological perspective, this influence is best thought of as part of the culture's
A) mesosystem
B) exosystem
C) macrosystem
D) microsystem

Accepted Answer

The macrosystem encompasses the cultural environment in which a person lives and all those things that influence societal views, such as laws, resources, customs, and ideologies. Police shootings and their impact on race relations are part of the broader societal and cultural context, making them elements of the macrosystem.

Question 4

Orlaith is interested in studying the impact of growing up during the Great Recession on the saving and spending habits of individuals. Orlaith's perspective is best described as a ____ perspective.
A) life-course
B) life-span
C) social cognitive
D) psychosocial

Accepted Answer

The life-course perspective focuses on how historical and social contexts influence individuals throughout their lives, including how major events (like the Great Recession) impact behaviors and attitudes such as saving and spending habits.

Question 5

Whose theory is best associated with a life-span perspective emphasizing research on adult development?
A) Bandura
B) Baltes
C) Bronfenbrenner
D) Piaget

Accepted Answer

Baltes is best known for his theoretical work regarding the life-span perspective on human development, which emphasizes the importance of understanding development across the entire lifespan, including adulthood.

Question 6

Lisa is getting ready to apply for graduate school. To focus on this goal, she is resigning from her posts as editor of the campus newspaper and president of her sorority. These changes in Lisa's life are examples of
A) compensation
B) elective selection
C) loss-based selection
D) self-efficacy

Accepted Answer

Elective selection refers to the process of prioritizing and choosing certain goals or activities over others, which is what Lisa is doing by resigning from her posts to focus on applying for graduate school.

Question 7

Eddie's knowledge of guitar playing has grown over the years, while at the same time his ability to play guitar has deteriorated. Eddie's experience best exemplifies
A) multiple causation
B) historical context
C) plasticity
D) multidirectionality

Accepted Answer

Eddie's experience exemplifies multidirectionality because it shows that development can proceed in multiple directions (growth in knowledge and decline in ability) within the same domain over time.

Question 8

Which research method must always occur in a real-life setting?
A) experiment
B) structured observation
C) naturalistic observation
D) systematic observation

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation requires researchers to observe subjects in their natural environment without intervening or altering the environment in any way. This method is designed to ensure that the behavior observed is as true to real life as possible.

Question 9

Harry wonders if the Cubs winning the World Series in 2016 will impact the career goals of individuals who were adolescents at the time of the Cubs victory. This kind of question is one that best reflects a(n) ____ perspective.
A) cognitive-developmental
B) life-course
C) social cognitive
D) operant conditioning

Accepted Answer

The question Harry is pondering reflects a life-course perspective, which examines how significant events, transitions, and historical contexts influence individuals' development and life trajectories, including their career goals. The Cubs winning the World Series in 2016 is considered a significant historical event that could impact the aspirations and motivations of adolescents witnessing it.

Question 10

Patti studies the behavior of preschool children by watching them play at a local daycare center. While doing this, she is careful to find a spot where she will be completely unnoticed by the individuals she is observing. Patti is most likely using a ____ approach to studying the children.
A) structured observation
B) correlational
C) self-report
D) naturalistic observation

Accepted Answer

Patti is using a naturalistic observation approach, which involves observing subjects in their natural environment without any manipulation or interference. By choosing a spot where she will be unnoticed, she ensures that her presence does not affect the children's behavior, which is a key aspect of naturalistic observation.

Question 11

Carrie is most interested in studying adolescent behavior occurring at a high school prom. Which method is most likely to help her accomplish this goal?
A) structured observation
B) naturalistic observation
C) self-report
D) experiment

Accepted Answer

Naturalistic observation is the most suitable method for studying adolescent behavior in a real-world setting like a high school prom, as it allows the researcher to observe behaviors as they naturally occur without any manipulation or interference.

Question 12

The fact that 45-year-old George is worried about how the election of the new U.S. president will impact his current job status is best associated with
A) individual timing of life events in relation to external historical events
B) the synchronization of individual transitions with collective familial ones
C) the impact of earlier life events on current conditions
D) history determining the outcome of life

Accepted Answer

George's concern about the impact of the U.S. presidential election on his job status is an example of how individual life events (in this case, his employment status) can be influenced by external historical events (the election of a new president). This reflects the concept of individual timing of life events in relation to external historical events, as it shows how broader societal or historical changes can directly affect personal circumstances.

Question 13

Which research study would you most expect to see from a researcher with a life-course perspective?
A) the effect of smoking on neurotransmitter systems and memory
B) how memory processes change from infancy to old age
C) growing up in the 1960s and its influence on political activism in middle adulthood
D) sex differences in marital satisfaction

Accepted Answer

A life-course perspective focuses on how historical and social contexts influence individuals' lives over time, making the study of growing up in the 1960s and its influence on political activism in middle adulthood a fitting example.

Question 14

Millie finds herself unable to adjust to her new job because she doesn't seem to have the work skills necessary to keep her strict boss happy. Millie's predicament would probably best be explained by
A) psychosocial theory
B) Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory
C) the competence-environmental press theory
D) Kohlberg's theory of moral development

Accepted Answer

The competence-environmental press theory is most relevant to Millie's situation. This theory suggests that individuals experience stress or discomfort when their competencies do not match the demands or "press" of the environment, in this case, her workplace and the expectations of her strict boss.

Question 15

The notion of "balancing" work and home responsibilities is best associated with
A) individual timing of life events in relation to external historical events
B) the synchronization of individual transitions with collective familial ones
C) the impact of earlier life events on current conditions
D) history determining the outcome of life

Accepted Answer

The concept of balancing work and home responsibilities is closely related to the synchronization of individual transitions with collective familial ones, as it involves managing personal career goals alongside family needs and obligations.

Question 16

Tina is given a huge salary increase and is now able to get things for her children that they have always needed and move into a nicer home. Bronfenbrenner would state that this increase in the mother's salary is an example of the impact of the children's
A) exosystem
B) mesosystem
C) macrosystem
D) microsystem

Accepted Answer

The exosystem in Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory refers to the external environments and settings that indirectly influence a child's development, such as a parent's workplace. In this case, the mother's salary increase, which is a change in her work environment, indirectly impacts her children's lives by improving their living conditions and access to necessities, thus exemplifying the exosystem's influence.

Question 17

Professor Linwood always makes a point of learning the names of all the students in her class. She used to be able to do this in her head but has recently found that she needs note cards to help her remember. This change in behavior is best described as
A) loss-based selection
B) elective selection
C) compensation
D) the epigenetic principle

Accepted Answer

Compensation refers to the strategies that individuals employ to offset or make up for a decline in their abilities. In this case, Professor Linwood uses note cards as a compensatory tool to help her remember the names of her students, indicating a decline in her memory capacity.

Question 18

Multidirectionality, plasticity, historical context, and multiple causation are all key features of the ____ perspective.
A) life-span
B) cognitive-developmental
C) psychosocial
D) ecological

Accepted Answer

These features are central to the life-span perspective on development, which emphasizes that development is lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, and influenced by multiple interacting forces.

Question 19

The fact that a teen growing up when Pearl Harbor was attacked will develop in a different manner from a teen growing up when the World Trade Center was attacked is best explained in terms of
A) multidirectionality
B) multiple causation
C) plasticity
D) historical context

Accepted Answer

The differences in development due to the time period or historical events experienced are best explained by historical context. This concept suggests that the era in which a person grows up significantly influences their development, attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors.

Question 20

A researcher who wants to study how state welfare programs influence parenting behaviors would be primarily studying
A) microsystems
B) exosystems
C) mesosystems
D) operant conditioning

Accepted Answer

Exosystems involve the larger social systems that do not directly contain the individual but nonetheless affect their experiences and development. State welfare programs are part of these larger social systems that influence parenting behaviors indirectly, fitting the definition of exosystems.

Quiz 1: The Study of Human Development

Marcia is 80 years old and is learning how to speak French and play the guitar for the first time. This new skill development is a good example of

The selective optimization with compensation model is primarily associated with the ____ perspective.

Police shootings have dramatically influenced race relations in the early 21st century. From an ecological perspective, this influence is best thought of as part of the culture's

Orlaith is interested in studying the impact of growing up during the Great Recession on the saving and spending habits of individuals. Orlaith's perspective is best described as a ____ perspective.

Whose theory is best associated with a life-span perspective emphasizing research on adult development?

Lisa is getting ready to apply for graduate school. To focus on this goal, she is resigning from her posts as editor of the campus newspaper and president of her sorority. These changes in Lisa's life are examples of

Eddie's knowledge of guitar playing has grown over the years, while at the same time his ability to play guitar has deteriorated. Eddie's experience best exemplifies

Which research method must always occur in a real-life setting?

Harry wonders if the Cubs winning the World Series in 2016 will impact the career goals of individuals who were adolescents at the time of the Cubs victory. This kind of question is one that best reflects a(n) ____ perspective.

Patti studies the behavior of preschool children by watching them play at a local daycare center. While doing this, she is careful to find a spot where she will be completely unnoticed by the individuals she is observing. Patti is most likely using a ____ approach to studying the children.

Carrie is most interested in studying adolescent behavior occurring at a high school prom. Which method is most likely to help her accomplish this goal?

The fact that 45-year-old George is worried about how the election of the new U.S. president will impact his current job status is best associated with

Which research study would you most expect to see from a researcher with a life-course perspective?

Millie finds herself unable to adjust to her new job because she doesn't seem to have the work skills necessary to keep her strict boss happy. Millie's predicament would probably best be explained by

The notion of "balancing" work and home responsibilities is best associated with

Tina is given a huge salary increase and is now able to get things for her children that they have always needed and move into a nicer home. Bronfenbrenner would state that this increase in the mother's salary is an example of the impact of the children's

Professor Linwood always makes a point of learning the names of all the students in her class. She used to be able to do this in her head but has recently found that she needs note cards to help her remember. This change in behavior is best described as

Multidirectionality, plasticity, historical context, and multiple causation are all key features of the ____ perspective.

The fact that a teen growing up when Pearl Harbor was attacked will develop in a different manner from a teen growing up when the World Trade Center was attacked is best explained in terms of

A researcher who wants to study how state welfare programs influence parenting behaviors would be primarily studying