Question 1

Changes in the way children understand reality and cultural beliefs are a central focus of:

Accepted Answer

Developmental psychology focuses on how children grow and change over time, including their understanding of reality and cultural beliefs.

Question 2

A friend of mine is absolutely amazed at how we change both physically and mentally throughout our lifetime. My friend should become a _____ psychologist.

Accepted Answer

Developmental psychology is the field that studies the changes in human beings over the course of their life, both physically and mentally.

Question 3

I am interested in development, but I want to study the changes in functioning that occur over the entire life cycle. I should study

Accepted Answer

The life-span developmental perspective is the study of changes in functioning that occur over the entire life cycle.

Question 4

The life-span developmental perspective arose:

Accepted Answer

The life-span developmental perspective emerged to address the need to study and understand changes that occur throughout the entire life span, not just during childhood and adolescence.

Question 5

The idea that changes in behavior and body occur as a result of biologically based changes that follow an orderly sequence is referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Maturation refers to the process by which development occurs in a biologically programmed, orderly sequence, independent of environmental influences.

Question 6

I, personally, think that the primary reason we change over time is due to bodily changes. In order to be able to stand, my legs must have sufficient strength to hold up my body. I am arguing for:

Accepted Answer

Maturation refers to the biological growth processes that enable orderly changes in behavior, relatively uninfluenced by experience, which aligns with the idea of bodily changes affecting development.

Question 7

Most psychologists believe that development, like intelligence or personality, reflects the action and mutual influence of genes and environment. The most important question concerning nature and nurture is:

Accepted Answer

How do nature and nurture interact is the most important question concerning nature and nurture.

Question 8

I find something interesting. I find that when genes are considered in isolation, they are thought to contribute a certain percentage to a particular behavior. When the environment is considered alone, it too is thought to contribute a certain percentage to behavior. Interestingly, when the contributions of gene and environment are taken together, at once, the percentage is greater than if genes and environment were considered separately. This is commonly referred to as gene-environment:

Accepted Answer

Gene-environment interaction refers to the phenomenon where the effect of genes on behavior can depend on the environment and vice versa, leading to a combined effect that is greater than the sum of their separate effects.

Question 9

The effect of having both genetic and environmental vulnerabilities is different from that which would be predicted by simply adding up their independent effects. Such a notion is called gene-environment:

Accepted Answer

Gene-environment interaction refers to the phenomenon where the effect of exposure to an environmental factor on a trait or condition is dependent on an individual's genotype, meaning the combined effect is different from the sum of their independent effects.

Question 10

If you think about it, the genes that we have could determine which environment we choose to live in. Maybe because of the particular genetic disposition I have, I prefer to be in warmer climates. Such a notion is called gene-environment:

Accepted Answer

Gene-environment correlation refers to the idea that an individual's genetic makeup can influence the environment they choose or are exposed to, such as preferring warmer climates due to genetic predispositions.

Question 11

Periods of development characterized by special sensitivity to specific types of learning that shape the capacity for future development are referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Critical periods are specific times in development when an organism is particularly sensitive to certain environmental stimuli, which can significantly shape future development.

Question 12

At an early point in their lives, it has been argued that Siamese cats will attach themselves to one person and hate all others. While they may tolerate others, there is only one person they will truly like. It is also believed that there is a time frame during which the cat will become attached to that special someone. Thus, it appears that there exists a _____ in Siamese cats.

Accepted Answer

The answer of At an early point in their lives,...

Question 13

Based on the case of the "Wild Boy of Aveyron," it appears that there is a critical period for _____ .

Accepted Answer

The case of the "Wild Boy of Aveyron" suggests that there is a critical period for language production, as he struggled to acquire language skills after missing early exposure.

Question 14

Your textbook mentions a famous case involving a girl named Genie who was locked in a closet and deprived of contact from approximately age one to age thirteen. Genie,

Accepted Answer

Genie, like the "Wild Boy of Aveyron," was able to learn some aspects of language but never fully acquired normal language skills, highlighting the critical period for language development.

Question 15

In one study, children who spent their first 19 months of life in an overcrowded and understaffed orphanage experienced major increases in IQ after being moved to an environment that provided individual care. Findings such as these:

Accepted Answer

The findings raise questions about critical periods in human development, as they show that significant improvements in IQ can occur even after early adverse conditions, suggesting flexibility in developmental timing.

Question 16

Support for the notion that critical periods do not truly exist comes from:

Accepted Answer

All of the above cases provide evidence that development can occur outside of traditional critical periods, as individuals in these situations have shown varying degrees of recovery and development despite early deprivation.

Question 17

Your book described a study of severely deprived children from Romanian orphanages who were adopted before age two into homes in the United Kingdom. The children were able to make substantial improvements, but the longer they experienced the deprived environment the more severe their cognitive impairments remained four to six years later. These data suggest

Accepted Answer

The answer of Your book described a study of severely...

Question 18

Times that are more important to subsequent human development than others, although not the absolute gatekeepers of psychological growth, are referred to as:

Accepted Answer

Sensitive periods are times when individuals are more receptive to certain types of learning and development, but they are not the only times when development can occur.

Question 19

I believe that one's capability to feel love is greatly based on the experiences a person has growing up, particularly from 4-6 years of age. I also think that there are experiences subsequent in time that can affect the development of the feeling of love. Those experiences, however, are not nearly as powerful as the 4-6 age range. I am arguing for:

Accepted Answer

Sensitive periods refer to times in development when an individual is more responsive to certain experiences, suggesting that experiences during the 4-6 age range are particularly influential for developing the capacity to feel love.

Question 20

Discrete steps through which everyone progresses in the same sequence are known as:

Accepted Answer

Stages refer to distinct phases or steps in a process where everyone progresses in the same sequence, often used in developmental theories.

Quiz 13: Life-Span Development