Question 1

Although Carol and Estelle are good friends, they have very different ideas about how to deal with their children's sleep problems. Carol believes that her son is fearful of the dark and spends time comforting him and making sure he gets the extra night time attention he needs. Estelle believes that if she allows her daughter to delay bedtime, noncompliance will be encouraged. She tends to ignore her daughter's pleas for attention at this time. What is the best explanation for why these caring mothers behave so differently?

Accepted Answer

The best explanation for the differing behaviors of Carol and Estelle in dealing with their children's sleep problems is that they subscribe to different child-rearing theories. Carol's approach is more nurturing and focused on addressing fears, while Estelle's approach is more about setting boundaries and discouraging noncompliance.

Question 2

One of the first modern theories about children's development was proposed by ______.

Accepted Answer

Sigmund Freud proposed one of the first modern theories about children's development, known as the psychosexual stages of development.

Question 3

According to Freud, the sequence of development through discrete stages follows this sequence after birth: ______.

Accepted Answer

Freud's theory of psychosexual development posits that individuals pass through five stages in this order: oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages. Each stage is characterized by the erogenous zone that is the focus of the libido's satisfaction at that time.

Question 4

Freud believed that all children experience ______ associated with particular parts of their bodies.

Accepted Answer

Freud believed that all children experience sexual energy associated with particular parts of their bodies, a concept central to his stages of psychosexual development.

Question 5

Bowlby's and Ainsworth's ______ focuses on the establishment, maintenance, and consequences of affectionate bonds between caregivers and children.

Accepted Answer

Bowlby's and Ainsworth's Attachment theory focuses on how children develop attachment to their caregivers, emphasizing the importance of these emotional bonds for a child's social, emotional, and cognitive development.

Question 6

George is a securely attached 10-month-old infant. According to the concept of the "secure base," he is likely to ______ when placed in a room full of novel toys. If something makes him feel anxious, he will ______.

Accepted Answer

Securely attached infants use their caregivers as a secure base from which to explore their environment. When they feel anxious or threatened, they seek comfort by moving closer to their caregiver.

Question 7

Certain "novelty seeking" and "proximity seeking" behaviors are displays of ______.

Accepted Answer

Novelty seeking and proximity seeking behaviors are indicators of attachment, as they reflect the ways in which individuals seek closeness or new experiences in relation to their attachment figures.

Question 8

During the Strange Situation laboratory procedure, 12-month-old Joshua explores and plays with the novel toys. When his mother leaves and returns to the room, he ignores her. His attachment classification would likely be described as ______.

Accepted Answer

Joshua's behavior of ignoring his mother upon her return suggests an anxious-avoidant attachment style. In this pattern, children tend to avoid or ignore the caregiver, showing little emotional response when the caregiver leaves or returns, as they have learned to suppress their need for comfort.

Question 9

According to Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection theory, children who are rejected by their parents are more likely to be ______ than children who are accepted by their parents.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Interpersonal Acceptance-Rejection theory, children who...

Question 10

Anna has trouble keeping a boyfriend. She never believes that they truly care for her and is often intensely jealous of anyone who shares their time. An interpersonal acceptance-rejection theorist would say that Anna was likely ______.

Accepted Answer

Interpersonal acceptance-rejection theory suggests that individuals who feel rejected, especially by primary caregivers such as parents, may develop issues with trust and intimacy in adult relationships. Anna's difficulty in believing in her partners' affection and her intense jealousy can be indicative of feelings of rejection she might have experienced, possibly from her mother, affecting her ability to form secure attachments.

Question 11

The idea that children are little more than small classical conditioning machines fueled by learning was proposed by ______.

Accepted Answer

John B. Watson is known for his work in behaviorism, particularly for his view that human behavior could be understood in terms of conditioning and learning processes, without the need for introspection or understanding of the mind. He believed that children's behavior is largely shaped by their environment through conditioning.

Question 12

If the consequence of a response increases the likelihood that the behavior will be repeated, it has a ______ effect.

Accepted Answer

Reinforcement is the process of increasing the likelihood of a behavior by providing a positive consequence.

Question 13

Ruth loves candy and her mother often uses it as a consequence for Ruth's behavior. When her mother takes away Ruth's candy because she has acted badly, her mother is providing a ______.

Accepted Answer

Taking away Ruth's candy for bad behavior is an example of negative punishment. This involves removing a desirable stimulus to decrease a behavior.

Question 14

Willie and Harry ate all their vegetables at dinner. Their mum, Diana, was so happy with their behavior that she promised to read an extra favorite book to them before bedtime. Reading the book to them represents a ______.

Accepted Answer

Positive reinforcement occurs when a behavior (eating all their vegetables) is followed by a reward (reading an extra favorite book), which makes the behavior more likely to happen again.

Question 15

Not all individuals have the same chances for survival in a particular environment. Those better adapted to their environments will likely leave behind more offspring than those who are less well suited. This statement best describes ______.

Accepted Answer

This statement best describes natural selection, a fundamental concept in evolutionary biology that explains how species evolve over time due to variations in traits that affect an individual's survival and reproductive success.

Question 16

When Sarah looks at her infant daughter's tiny nose and round baby cheeks, she is filled with a desire to cuddle and care for her. Evolutionary psychologists believe that the connection between infant characteristics and caregiving behavior is ______.

Accepted Answer

Evolutionary psychologists argue that certain infant characteristics, such as a tiny nose and round cheeks, act as evolved psychological triggers that encourage caregiving behaviors in adults. This promotes the survival of the species by ensuring that infants, who are completely dependent on adults for survival, receive the care and protection they need.

Question 17

According to evolutionary psychology researchers Daly and Wilson, which of the following young men is more at-risk to be killed at home?

Accepted Answer

Daly and Wilson's research in evolutionary psychology suggests that children living with one biological parent and one stepparent, particularly stepfathers, are at a higher risk of experiencing violence and harm, including fatal outcomes, compared to those living with both biological parents or with a single biological parent.

Question 18

According to Parental Investment theory, which of the following characteristics is NOT likely to influence the amount of time and energy a parent invests in a child?

Accepted Answer

Parental Investment theory primarily focuses on the biological and evolutionary factors that influence parental behavior, such as the genetic relationship to the offspring, the offspring's survival prospects, and their future reproductive potential. The likelihood of financial success is more of a socio-economic factor and not directly related to the evolutionary perspectives emphasized in Parental Investment theory.

Question 19

Evolutionary theorists believe our ancestral past provided a bias toward reacting to environmental cues in particular ways. According to your text, it is important to remember that ______.

Accepted Answer

Having an inclination toward a behavior due to evolutionary history does not mean that the behavior is inevitable; humans have the capacity for choice and can act against these inclinations.

Question 20

Gesell's "nativist" theory of human development is most closely associated with current ______.

Accepted Answer

Gesell's "nativist" theory emphasizes that development is primarily driven by biological processes and genetic factors, which aligns closely with the principles of Behavioral Genetics theory. This theory focuses on the role of genetic and biological factors in shaping human behavior and development.

Quiz 2: Theoretical Perspectives on Parenting