Question 1

In the United States, most individuals begin school around age 5, whereas in Australia they start at 3.This is an illustration of how development is:

Accepted Answer

The difference in starting age for school between the United States and Australia illustrates how development is contextual, meaning it varies according to cultural, social, and environmental contexts.

Question 2

Although the maximum life span of humans has not changed, during the twentieth century life expectancy in the United States has:

Accepted Answer

Life expectancy in the United States has increased by around 30 years during the twentieth century due to advancements in medicine, sanitation, and lifestyle changes. This means that the average person is now expected to live longer than they were in previous generations. The other choices are incorrect, as life expectancy has not decreased for Hispanic individuals or because of the numbers of individuals killed in war, and it has increased for both women and men.

Question 3

Kathy believes that life-span development cannot be studied without considering biological, social, and cognitive aspects.Kathy believes that development is:

Accepted Answer

Kathy's belief that life-span development involves biological, social, and cognitive aspects indicates a view that development is multidimensional, encompassing multiple facets of change and growth.

Question 4

Researchers increasingly study the experiences and psychological orientations of adults at different points in their development.This implies that development is:

Accepted Answer

The fact that researchers are studying the experiences and psychological orientations of adults at different points in their development indicates that development is viewed as a lifelong process that does not end in adolescence or young adulthood.

Question 5

The psychology department is debating what to include in their Human Development course.Some professors want to teach about the life-span approach, whereas others want to deliver a traditional philosophy.They disagree about:

Accepted Answer

The disagreement is specifically about when the most significant changes occur in human development, whether it be from birth to adolescence (which would align more with a traditional philosophy) or well into later phases of life (which would support the life-span approach). The other options, such as the plasticity and multidimensional nature of development or Freud's psychosocial theories, may be relevant to the overall discussion but are not the main point of disagreement.

Question 6

Baltes argues that compared to younger adults, older adults often show:

Accepted Answer

Baltes suggests that older adults may have a reduced capacity for learning new things due to age-related cognitive changes, although they may still have the interest and willingness to learn.

Question 7

Life-span development covers the period from __________ to __________.

Accepted Answer

Life-span development covers the entire life span, from conception to death. Thus, option D is the correct answer. Option A only covers a portion of the life span, option B implies that the life span starts at conception rather than birth, and option C also only covers a portion of the life span.

Question 8

Which of the following gives the BEST description of how life-span psychologists describe "development"?

Accepted Answer

Life-span psychologists describe "development" as encompassing both growth and decline in skills and processes across the entire lifespan, rather than just focusing on the prenatal period, improvement in skills, or growth in muscles.

Question 9

Many older adults become wiser by calling on experiential knowledge, yet they perform poorly on cognitive speed tests.This is an example of how development is:

Accepted Answer

Development is multidirectional, meaning that it involves both gains and losses. In this case, older adults gain wisdom through experiential knowledge but may experience a decline in cognitive speed.

Question 10

Anna attributes her thriftiness to having been raised during the Great Depression.This is an example of a:

Accepted Answer

The Great Depression is a normative history-graded influence, as it was a significant event that affected an entire generation and shaped their values and behaviors. Anna's thriftiness, therefore, is a common characteristic among those who lived through the Great Depression and is a result of this historical context.

Question 11

Baltes describes development as multidirectional.What does this mean?

Accepted Answer

Baltes describes development as multidirectional because it is characterized by both growth and decline. This means that different aspects of development may progress at different rates and some may even decline as a person ages. For example, a person's physical abilities may decline while their cognitive skills continue to develop.

Question 12

The upper boundary of the human lifespan is approximately __________ years.

Accepted Answer

The oldest recorded person on record, Jeanne Calment, lived to be 122 years old. While there have been claims of people living longer, they have not been verified through proper documentation and are often met with skepticism from the scientific community.

Question 13

Diana has returned to college after raising her children.She feels that her human development course overemphasizes the dramatic changes that occur from birth to adolescence and disregards the various developmental issues of adulthood.Which developmental theory might address her concerns?

Accepted Answer

The life-span developmental theory emphasizes that development is a continuous process throughout the lifespan, not just limited to childhood and adolescence. It takes into account the various developmental issues that occur in adulthood, such as career development, marriage, and parenthood, as well as declines in physical and cognitive abilities. Therefore, this theory would address Diana's concerns about the lack of emphasis on adulthood in the human development course.

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT one of Paul Baltes's seven characteristics of the life-span perspective on development?

Accepted Answer

Unidirectional is not one of Paul Baltes's seven characteristics of the life-span perspective on development. The seven characteristics are: multidirectional, multicontextual, multicultural, multidisciplinary, plasticity, historical context, and development as a lifelong process.

Question 15

According to life-span development expert Paul Baltes, which age period dominates development?

Accepted Answer

According to Paul Baltes, development is a lifelong process that involves multiple periods of growth and change. Therefore, no single age group dominates development.

Question 16

Life-span development is the study of human development from conception to death.Historically, however, most of the focus has been on which age group?

Accepted Answer

Historically, most of the focus has been on studying the development of children, specifically infants and toddlers. This is likely because the changes during this stage are rapid and significant, and early childhood experiences can have a lasting impact on future development. However, in more current research, there has been an emphasis on studying development across the entire lifespan, including adolescence, adulthood, and old age.

Question 17

Normative age-graded influences, normative history-graded influences, and nonnormative life events are all ways in which development can be classified as:

Accepted Answer

Normative age-graded influences are typical events or experiences that occur at a certain age and are shared by most people within a culture. Normative history-graded influences are major events or trends that occur around the same time for everyone living in a particular society. These are both examples of contextual influences on development, which recognizes that development is influenced by a variety of environmental contexts. Nonnormative life events are unique and uncommon experiences that may have a significant impact on an individual's development. While these events are not universal, they are still influenced by the larger context in which they occur.

Question 18

The capacity for acquiring second and third languages decreases after early childhood, whereas experiential wisdom increases with age.This is an example of how development is:

Accepted Answer

The statement implies that different aspects of development have different trajectories throughout the lifespan, with language acquisition declining after early childhood and experiential wisdom increasing with age. This suggests that development is multidirectional, with different aspects of development showing both growth and decline over time.

Question 19

Which of the following is an example of how development is contextual?

Accepted Answer

The cultural context in which individuals develop shapes their values and behaviors, including parenting practices. The statement in choice B reflects the contextual influence of culture on child rearing practices.

Question 20

The fact that I use e-mail virtually every day and my mother has never sent or received an e-mail is an example of a difference in:

Accepted Answer

The answer of The fact that I use e-mail virtually...

Quiz 1: Introduction