Question 1

Define and discuss the term plasticity as it relates to human development. What factors influence plasticity in development? Offer at least one example of plasticity that has operated or is operating in your own life.

Accepted Answer

Plasticity is the molding of human traits while simultaneously maintaining some durability of identity. The idea of plasticity is that human development is an ongoing, ever-changing interaction between the body and mind and between the individual and every aspect of his or her environment. Influences that affect plasticity include culture, upbringing, and genes. The example should relate to some aspect of growth in one's life, such as how a high-functioning person on the autism spectrum can eventually earn a college degree. (The autism remains (durability), but with school and other societal interventions, the person can still achieve traditional milestones.)

Question 2

Define nature and nurture and give an example of each. Also describe the nature-nurture debate.

Accepted Answer

Nature refers to the influence of genes on a person, and nurture refers to environmental influences on a person. Environmental influences include the health and diet of the embryo's mother and continuing lifelong, including family, school, community, and society. An example of nature would be having a gene that predisposes one to addiction. An example of nurture would be having that gene but avoiding addictions as a result of not being exposed to abuse or parental addictions. The debate concerns how much of any person's characteristics, behaviors, or emotions is the result of genes and how much is the result of the person's experiences.

Question 3

List at least six factors that have been linked to depression.

Accepted Answer

Students should list any six of these 12 factors:
- low serotonin level in the brain
- low exposure to sunlight, especially in winter
- being taken care of by a mother with postpartum depression
- malnutrition (low hemoglobin)
- a lack of close friends
- serious diseases such as Parkinson's or AIDS or drugs to treat diseases
- a life crisis (disruptive event)
- death of a mother before age 10
- absence of a father during childhood, especially due to divorce
- siblings with eating disorders
- poverty, especially in places with great disparity between the rich and poor
- low cognitive skills

Question 4

Describe culture and explain why researchers interested in human development study different cultures.

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Question 5

Define cohort, explain its effects, and give an example of one.

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Question 6

Imagine you are interested in the relationship between age and reading ability for children at 8 and 12 years old. Briefly define cross-sectional design and summarize how you could test this relationship using that design.

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Question 7

What practices must be built into a research study to protect participants?

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Question 8

Define correlation and give an example. Can one determine cause and effect from correlations? Explain why or why not.

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Question 9

What are ethics and why are ethical standards so important to scientific research?

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Question 10

List in order and explain each of the five basic steps of the scientific method.

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Question 11

Explain Bronfenbrenner's ecological-systems theory and describe his five systems.

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Question 12

Describe the perspective most modern developmentalists take on the nature-nurture debate and explain epigenetics.

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Question 13

Define a critical period and a sensitive period. Explain the difference between the two periods, and give an example of each.

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Quiz 1: Seciton 1: Introduction