Question 1

If you were to record the activity of a mirror neuron, you should expect that it would act in the same way when we perform an action - such as picking up an object - as when we:
A) think about performing that action
B) choose to not perform that action
C) read about performing that action
D) observe someone else perform that action

Accepted Answer

Mirror neurons are responsible for our ability to mimic and imitate the actions of others. Therefore, when we observe someone else perform an action, the mirror neurons in our brain are activated and fire in the same way as when we perform that action ourselves. This is because the mirror neurons allow us to understand the intentions and emotions behind the actions of others, and to empathize with them. Mirror neurons are not activated when we simply think about performing an action, choose not to perform it, or read about performing it.

Question 2

Frank argues that early experiences are very important because these "early lessons" shape the way the brain develops. Frank's view that experience influences brain development is the central idea behind the concept of:
A) synaptic transmission
B) neuromodulation
C) habituation
D) brain plasticity

Accepted Answer

Frank's view that experience influences brain development is the central idea behind the concept of brain plasticity, which refers to the brain's ability to change and adapt in response to experiences. While synaptic transmission and neuromodulation are important aspects of brain function, they do not specifically relate to the influence of experience on brain development. Habituation refers to a decrease in responsiveness to a stimulus after repeated exposure, and while it does involve changes in the brain, it is not directly related to the concept of brain plasticity as it pertains to experience.

Question 3

Which of the following activities would an 8-month-old be LEAST likely to be able to do?
A) pick up a quarter with one hand
B) point at a nearby object
C) pick up a stuffed toy
D) clap two hands together

Accepted Answer

An 8-month-old infant would not have developed the fine motor skills required to pick up a small object like a quarter with one hand.

Question 4

Suppose you observe a researcher interacting with an infant by shaking a rattle while the baby is watching, and then placing the rattle underneath a pillow. The researcher then records whether or not the baby can find the rattle under the pillow. The concept this researcher is studying is most likely:
A) assimilation
B) accommodation
C) object permanence
D) deferred imitation
Name _______________________________
Chapter 4 - Infancy and Toddlerhood: Physical, Cognitive, and Language Development -

Accepted Answer

The researcher is studying object permanence, which refers to a child's understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight. The researcher is testing whether the infant is able to search for and retrieve the rattle when it is hidden from view, which is a demonstration of object permanence. Assimilation and accommodation are terms in Piaget's theory of cognitive development, referring to the ways in which individuals incorporate new information into existing schemas or modify existing schemas to fit new information. Deferred imitation refers to a child's ability to imitate a person's actions after a delay, and is not directly related to the scenario described.

Question 5

The type of malnutrition that is caused by an insufficient total quantity of food and in which muscles waste away and stored fat is depleted is:
A) anemia
B) marasmus
C) kwashiorkor
D) stunting

Accepted Answer

Marasmus is the type of malnutrition caused by insufficient total quantity of food, leading to muscle wasting and depletion of stored fat. Anemia is a condition caused by a deficiency in iron, vitamin B12 or folate. Kwashiorkor is caused by a lack of protein in the diet, while stunting is a result of chronic malnutrition leading to impaired growth and development in children.

Question 6

Which of the following abilities is the newborn infant capable of performing as early as the first week of life?
A) making most of the sounds of the language in which he or she has heard prenatally
B) distinguishing the smell of his or her mother from that of other women
C) being able to grasp small objects by using the thumb and forefinger
D) being able to see through closed eyelids how objects move about in this "dim" environment

Accepted Answer

Newborn infants have a well-developed sense of smell and are able to distinguish the smell of their mother from other women as early as the first week of life. They are not able to make most of the sounds of the language or grasp small objects with precision yet. Although they can perceive light and dark through closed eyelids, they cannot see objects and their movements in detail.

Question 7

In adulthood, a typical person's head is about one-tenth of the person's total body length. At birth, the head is about _________ of the newborn's total body length.
A) one-half
B) one-third
C) one-fourth
D) one-sixth

Accepted Answer

The answer of In adulthood, a typical person's head is...

Question 8

When a child produces a single word, such as bottle, it may mean a variety of things, such as "I want the bottle" or "there's the bottle" or "I like the bottle." This type of usage is referred to as:
A) an adaptation
B) holophrastic speech
C) an overextension
D) telegraphic speech

Accepted Answer

Holophrastic speech refers to the use of a single word to convey multiple meanings. This is commonly observed in young children who have not yet developed the ability to form more complex sentences.

Question 9

Kwashiorkor results when a person's diet contains too little:
A) vitamin A
B) calcium
C) vitamin D
D) protein

Accepted Answer

Kwashiorkor is a form of malnutrition that results from a severe protein deficiency in the diet. Lack of vitamin A can cause night blindness and other visual impairments, but it does not lead to Kwashiorkor. Calcium deficiency can result in weak bones and teeth, while vitamin D deficiency can cause rickets, but neither of these conditions are associated with Kwashiorkor.

Question 10

Suppose you visit a child development laboratory and observe a researcher working with an 8-month-old baby. The baby is sitting on top of a piece of Plexiglas, which rests partly over a table top and then extends out over the end of the table. The apparatus being used in this experiment is typically called a:
A) visual cliff
B) binocular challenge
C) visually guided grid
D) perceptual challenge map

Accepted Answer

The description of the apparatus matches that of a visual cliff, which is a classic experiment used to test depth perception in infants. The Plexiglas creates the illusion of a drop-off and the researcher observes whether the infant will crawl out onto the "cliff" or not.

Question 11

When a child produces a single word, such as "bottle," it may mean a variety of things, such as "I want the bottle" or "there's the bottle" or "I like the bottle." This type of usage is referred to as:
A) an adaptation
B) holophrastic speech
C) an overextension
D) telegraphic speech

Accepted Answer

Holophrastic speech is when a child uses a single word to convey a variety of meanings or even a whole sentence. It is also known as one-word stage of language development.

Question 12

Jake suffered a head injury at the age of 2. In spite of his injury, Jake was able to recover most of the abilities that he had before the injury. Which of the following terms is most directly related to Jake's ability to regain these lost functions?
A) the brain growth spurt
B) neural pruning
C) brain plasticity
D) habituation training

Accepted Answer

Brain plasticity refers to the brain's ability to change and adapt, which allows it to recover lost functions after injury. This is the most directly related term to Jake's ability to recover from his head injury. The brain growth spurt and neural pruning refer to processes that occur during development and are not as directly related to recovering lost functions after an injury. Habituation training is a type of learning that involves becoming used to a specific stimuli and is not related to recovering lost functions after an injury.

Question 13

When 16-month-old Simon was visiting his relatives, he observed his older cousin stomp his foot to the beat of music, something Simon had never seen before. The next day, when Simon heard music on the radio, he stomped his foot to the beat. Simon's "foot stomping" behavior would best be considered an example of:
A) object permanence
B) mirror imaging
C) symbolic representation
D) deferred imitation

Accepted Answer

Simon's behavior of stomping his foot in response to music that he had heard earlier while observing his cousin is an example of deferred imitation. Deferred imitation is the ability to observe and store an action in memory, and then reproduce the same action at a later time. It is an important developmental milestone in the development of symbolic representation, which is the understanding that one object or action can represent or stand for something else.

Question 14

Suppose you see a grandparent at the toy store buying a set of 5 "stacking" blocks, a box of large-size crayons, and a toy telephone. Based on this selection of toys, your best guess is that the child these toys are intended for is about how old?
A) age 6 months
B) age 12 months
C) age 18 months
D) age 24 months

Accepted Answer

Stacking blocks and large-size crayons are appropriate for toddlers who are developing their fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination, which typically happens around 18 months. The toy telephone may also be appropriate for this age group, as they are starting to explore imaginative play and communication. Both options A and B are too young for these types of toys, and option D may be too advanced for this age group.

Question 15

The basic units of sounds in a language are referred to as:
A) semantics
B) morphemes
C) syntax
D) phonemes

Accepted Answer

Phonemes are the basic units of sounds in a language. Semantics refers to the meaning of words, morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language, and syntax refers to the rules for organizing words into sentences.

Question 16

At about what age do most children learn to use the "pincer grasp," which allows them to use their thumb and forefinger to "pinch" a small object to pick it up?
A) 6 months of age
B) 12 months of age
C) 18 months of age
D) 24 months of age

Accepted Answer

Most children learn to use the "pincer grasp" around 12 months of age.

Question 17

In contrast to how scientists working in earlier decades have conceptualized the neonatal period, scientists today understand that:
A) how the infant "attaches" to its primary caregiver is of limited significance
B) there is much more stress involved in the birth process than previously thought
C) newborns are much more capable than had previously been thought
D) newborn behaviors are controlled to a much greater degree by genetics than was previously thought

Accepted Answer

Scientists today understand that newborns are much more capable than had previously been thought. They are active learners from the very beginning, capable of processing and responding to stimuli in their environment. They are able to recognize their mother's voice, display preferences for certain tastes and smells, and even engage in social interactions such as imitating facial expressions. This understanding has shifted the focus from viewing newborns as passive beings to recognizing their active role in their own development.

Question 18

Which of the following was NOT one of the six arousal states identified in newborns by Peter Wolff?
A) crying
B) thinking
C) regular sleep
D) irregular sleep

Accepted Answer

Peter Wolff's six arousal states in newborns were crying, regular sleep, irregular sleep, drowsiness, quiet alertness, and active alertness. "Thinking" is not an arousal state identified by Wolff.

Question 19

Suppose you show a newborn infant four photographs, one of his mother smiling, one of his mother making a fearful face, one of a stranger smiling, and one of a stranger making a fearful face. Which photograph should you expect the newborn to look at for the longest time?
A) the smiling mother
B) the fearful mother
C) the smiling stranger
D) the fearful stranger

Accepted Answer

Newborns are known to prefer looking at faces over non-face stimuli, and tend to show a preference for their mother's face over others. Additionally, research has shown that infants have a natural preference for happy or smiling faces over fearful or negative expressions, which makes the smiling mother photograph the most likely choice for the newborn to look at for the longest time.

Question 20

The basic sounds in a language are referred to as:
A) semantics
B) morphemes
C) syntax
D) phonemes

Accepted Answer

The basic sounds in a language are called phonemes. Semantics deals with the meaning of words and language, morphemes are the smallest units of meaning in a language, and syntax refers to the rules that govern the structure of sentences.

Quiz 4: Infancy and Toddlerhood: Physical, Cognitive, and Language Development

If you were to record the activity of a mirror neuron, you should expect that it would act in the same way when we perform an action - such as picking up an object - as when we:

Frank argues that early experiences are very important because these "early lessons" shape the way the brain develops. Frank's view that experience influences brain development is the central idea behind the concept of:

Which of the following activities would an 8-month-old be LEAST likely to be able to do?

The type of malnutrition that is caused by an insufficient total quantity of food and in which muscles waste away and stored fat is depleted is:

Which of the following abilities is the newborn infant capable of performing as early as the first week of life?

In adulthood, a typical person's head is about one-tenth of the person's total body length. At birth, the head is about _________ of the newborn's total body length.

When a child produces a single word, such as bottle, it may mean a variety of things, such as "I want the bottle" or "there's the bottle" or "I like the bottle." This type of usage is referred to as:

Kwashiorkor results when a person's diet contains too little:

When a child produces a single word, such as "bottle," it may mean a variety of things, such as "I want the bottle" or "there's the bottle" or "I like the bottle." This type of usage is referred to as:

Jake suffered a head injury at the age of 2. In spite of his injury, Jake was able to recover most of the abilities that he had before the injury. Which of the following terms is most directly related to Jake's ability to regain these lost functions?

Suppose you see a grandparent at the toy store buying a set of 5 "stacking" blocks, a box of large-size crayons, and a toy telephone. Based on this selection of toys, your best guess is that the child these toys are intended for is about how old?

The basic units of sounds in a language are referred to as:

At about what age do most children learn to use the "pincer grasp," which allows them to use their thumb and forefinger to "pinch" a small object to pick it up?

In contrast to how scientists working in earlier decades have conceptualized the neonatal period, scientists today understand that:

Which of the following was NOT one of the six arousal states identified in newborns by Peter Wolff?

Suppose you show a newborn infant four photographs, one of his mother smiling, one of his mother making a fearful face, one of a stranger smiling, and one of a stranger making a fearful face. Which photograph should you expect the newborn to look at for the longest time?

The basic sounds in a language are referred to as: