Chapter 08 Human Development
Multiple Choice Questions
1. _____ are differences between individuals that stem not necessarily from their ages but from the historical period and society in which they were born and developed.
A. Butterfly effects
B. Longitudinal effects
C. Cohort effects
D. Hawthorne effects
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Define developmental psychology.
Topic: Developmental Research Techniques
Feedback: Exploring Human Development, 279
2. In a cross-sectional study related to developmental psychology,
A. the same people are retested over a period of years.
B. a number of people are assessed at one point in time.
C. different characteristics of an individual are assessed simultaneously.
D. the behavior of an individual is assessed by different researchers.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains.
Bloom's: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: Define developmental psychology.
Topic: Developmental Research Techniques
Feedback: Exploring Human Development, 279
3. Which of the following is a difference between cross-sectional and longitudinal studies?
A. Unlike cross-sectional studies, longitudinal studies are affected by cohort effects.
B. Cross-sectional studies deal with people of the same age, whereas longitudinal studies deal with people belonging to different age groups.
C. Cross-sectional studies assess people at one point in time, whereas longitudinal studies assess people over a long period of time.
D. Cross-sectional studies assess participants multiple times, whereas longitudinal studies assess participants only once.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains.
Bloom's: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: Define developmental psychology.
Topic: Developmental Research Techniques
Feedback: Exploring Human Development, 279
4. Developmental psychologists use the term _____ to refer to a person's genes or biological inheritance.
A. accommodation
B. nurture
C. assimilation
D. nature
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Define developmental psychology.
Topic: Nature and Nurture
Feedback: Exploring Human Development, 280
5. In the context of human development, _____ refers to the individual's environmental and social experiences.
A. nature
B. nurture
C. genetics
D. genealogy
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Define developmental psychology.
Topic: Nature and Nurture
Feedback: Exploring Human Development, 280
6. Which of the following is most closely associated with the nurture side of the nature versus nurture debate?
A. biological inheritances
B. range of phenotypes
C. genotypic characteristics
D. social experiences
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains.
Bloom's: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: Define developmental psychology.
Topic: Nature and Nurture
Feedback: Exploring Human Development, 280
7. Which of the following is true with regard to development?
A. Development requires that we take into account the contributions of a person's biological inheritance without considering the environment.
B. Development is the product of nature, nurture, and the complex interaction of the two.
C. All development involves growth, not decline.
D. Understanding development requires that we take into account the contributions of the environment alone.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
APA Learning Outcome: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains.
Bloom's: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: Define developmental psychology.
Topic: Nature and Nurture
Feedback: Exploring Human Development, 280
8. _____ refers to a person's ability to recover from or adapt to difficult times.
A. Rigidity
B. Assimilation
C. Resilience
D. Innatism
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Define developmental psychology.
Topic: Nature and Nurture
Feedback: Exploring Human Development, 281
9. Which of the following situations indicates resilience that characterizes development in adulthood?
A. Jonathan, who did not get good grades in middle school, studies hard in high school and gets a scholarship at an Ivy League university.
B. Joshua gets low SAT scores after his parents file for a divorce.
C. Ryle, whose parents fund his university education to Cornell, fails in his end-term examinations.
D. Cathy is not allowed to write the examinations because she misses school to take care of her mother, who is not well.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
APA Learning Outcome: 1.3 Describe applications of psychology.
Bloom's: Apply
Difficulty: High
Learning Objective: Define developmental psychology.
Topic: Nature and Nurture
Feedback: Exploring Human Development, 281
10. Leonard, a 30 year-old PrincetonUniversity graduate, gives up his corporate job to teach children and seniors of Lubango village. He has decided that all his future endeavors will be focused on eradication of illiteracy in Lubango. In his efforts to experience life in optimal ways, Leonard has developed
A. a socioemotional process.
B. assimilation.
C. resilience.
D. a life theme.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.3 Describe applications of psychology.
Bloom's: Apply
Difficulty: High
Learning Objective: Define developmental psychology.
Topic: Nature and Nurture
Feedback: Exploring Human Development, 281
11. Which of the following is an example of a cognitive process?
A. Amy, an 11 year-old girl, whose height and weight increase during adolescence.
B. Cindy, a 20 year-old student, who imagines herself as the governor of Florida.
C. Kevin, an infant, who smiles in response to his mother's touch.
D. Jacob, a 22 year-old athlete, who is aggressive while playing any sport.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.3 Describe applications of psychology.
Bloom's: Apply
Difficulty: High
Learning Objective: Define developmental psychology.
Topic: Cognitive Development
Feedback: Exploring Human Development, 282
12. In the _____ week of prenatal physical development, the neural tube, which eventually becomes the spinal cord, starts to take shape.
A. first
B. third
C. sixth
D. ninth
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Outline the stages of prenatal development.
Topic: Prenatal Development
Feedback: Physical Development, 283
13. In the course of prenatal development, by the end of the _____ period, the heart begins to beat, the arms and legs become more differentiated, the face starts to form, and the intestinal tract appears in human beings.
A. germinal
B. fetal
C. conception
D. embryonic
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Outline the stages of prenatal development.
Topic: Prenatal Development
Feedback: Physical Development, 283
14. Which of the following is the correct sequence of the stages of prenatal development?
A. conception, zygote, embryonic period, fetal period
B. conception, embryonic period, zygote, fetal period
C. conception, fetal period, embryonic period, zygote
D. conception, fetal period, zygote, embryonic period
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Outline the stages of prenatal development.
Topic: Prenatal Development
Feedback: Physical Development, 283
15. Which of the following statements is true of prenatal development in humans?
A. The beginnings of organs appear during the embryonic period.
B. The rate of cell differentiation decreases during the embryonic period.
C. The intestinal tract first appears in the fetal period of prenatal development.
D. The fetal period refers to the first and second week of conception.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains.
Bloom's: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: Outline the stages of prenatal development.
Topic: Prenatal Development
Feedback: Physical Development, 283
16. A(n) _____ is any agent that causes a birth defect.
A. androgen
B. teratogen
C. progestogen
D. estrogen
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Outline the stages of prenatal development.
Topic: Prenatal Development
Feedback: Physical Development, 284
17. Which of the following statements is true of teratogens?
A. They exclude substances ingested by mother, such as nicotine or alcohol.
B. The effects of chemical teratogens depend on the timing of exposure.
C. They refer to the birth defect caused by radiation.
D. The development of a fetus is typically enhanced by teratogens.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
APA Learning Outcome: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains.
Bloom's: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: Outline the stages of prenatal development.
Topic: Prenatal Development
Feedback: Physical Development, 284
18. What is the biggest challenge faced by psychologists who study infant perception?
A. Infants are already studied by pediatricians, so it isn't considered appropriate for psychologists to also study them.
B. Infant perception is a topic that is of little theoretical interest to psychologists.
C. Since infants can't speak, psychologists may not know whether infants can see or hear certain things.
D. Infants spend too much time eating and sleeping to be good research subjects.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains.
Bloom's: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: Discuss physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during infancy and childhood.
Topic: Infancy
Feedback: Physical Development, 286
19. What infant-perception research technique involves giving an infant a choice of what object to look at and then looking for a reliable preference for one stimulus over the other?
A. habituation
B. preferential looking
C. aphasia
D. object permanence
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Discuss physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during infancy and childhood.
Topic: Infancy
Feedback: Physical Development, 286
20. Four-month-old baby Oscar is a participant in a preferential-looking experiment. Researchers show Oscar two photos, one of which is of his mother's face, and the other which is of a female stranger's face. The photos are presented repeatedly in differing locations, and the amount of time Oscar spends looking at the photos is recorded. What will
researchers conclude if Oscar shows a reliable preference for his mother's face over the stranger's face?
A. Oscar can discriminate his mother's face from a stranger's face.
B. Oscar is afraid of strangers.
C. Oscar likes strangers as much as his mothers.
D. Oscar can't see very well.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.3 Describe applications of psychology.
Bloom's: Apply
Difficulty: High
Learning Objective: Discuss physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during infancy and childhood.
Topic: Infancy
Feedback: Physical Development, 287
21. Nathan is a happy and healthy three-month-old baby. Based on preferential-looking and habituation research, what can you predict about Nathan's perceptual abilities?
A. Nathan will not be able to distinguish between scrambled faces and real faces.
B. Nathan will prefer a stranger's face to his mother's face.
C. Nathan will prefer real faces to scrambled faces and he will also prefer his mother's face to a stranger's face.
D. Nathan will prefer real to scrambled faces but will not be able to distinguish his mother's face from a stranger's face.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.3 Describe applications of psychology.
Bloom's: Apply
Difficulty: High
Learning Objective: Discuss physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during infancy and childhood.
Topic: Infancy
Feedback: Physical Development, 287
22. Which of the following statements is true of the development of the brain in humans?
A. The synaptic connections decrease drastically during childhood.
B. The connection between neurons is the highest at birth.
C. The process of myelination begins prenatally.
D. The process of myelination stops at adolescence.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains.
Bloom's: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: Discuss physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during infancy and childhood.
Topic: Brain Development
Feedback: Physical Development, 287
23. Which of the following statements about brain development is FALSE?
A. At birth, the infant brain has about 100 billion neurons, but only minimal neural connections.
B. During the first two years of life, the dendrites of the neurons branch out and the neurons become far more interconnected.
C. Aside from growing larger, the brain does not undergo any anatomical change after birth.
D. Synaptic connections increase dramatically during childhood; connections that are made become stronger and will survive.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains.
Bloom's: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: Discuss physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during infancy and childhood.
Topic: Brain Development
Feedback: Physical Development,287
24. Which of the following refers to a period of rapid skeletal and sexual maturation that occurs mainly in early adolescence?
A. sensorimotor stage
B. preoperational stage
C. puberty
D. menopause
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Define adolescence and list the physiological, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during this stage of development.
Topic: Puberty
Feedback: Physical Development, 288
25. Which of the following characterizes pubertal change in adolescents?
A. Hormones are solely responsible for adolescent behavior.
B. Estradiol, an estrogen, is associated in boys with the development of genitals, an increase in height, and voice change.
C. There is no dramatic change in the concentration of certain hormones because they decrease gradually during puberty.
D. The peak of pubertal change occurs at an average age of 11½ for girls and 13½ for boys.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains.
Bloom's: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: Define adolescence and list the physiological, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during this stage of development.
Topic: Puberty
Feedback: Physical Development, 288
26. Adolescents often have difficulty controlling their emotions and making sound decisions about risky behavior. Brain research suggests that this is due to the fact that during adolescence
A. the amygdala is developed earlier than the prefrontal cortex.
B. the prefrontal cortex is developed earlier than the amygdala.
C. growth in the hippocampus is halted.
D. the corpus callosum becomes severed.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains.
Bloom's: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: Define adolescence and list the physiological, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during this stage of development.
Topic: Adolescence
Feedback: Physical Development, 289
27. Which of the following statements is true of the adolescent brain?
A. Because of the quick development of the prefrontal cortex, adolescents display stronger cognitive skills to control their impulses.
B. Adolescents display fewer emotions due to the slow growth of the amygdala.
C. The prefrontal cortex continues to mature into early adulthood.
D. The developmental disjunction in the brain accounts for reduced risk-taking behavior of adolescents.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
APA Learning Outcome: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains.
Bloom's: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: Define adolescence and list the physiological, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during this stage of development.
Topic: Adolescence
Feedback: Physical Development, 289
28. Most adults reach their peak physical development during their
A. 20s.
B. 30s.
C. 40s.
D. 50s.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Discuss adult development and the dimensions of aging.
Topic: Adulthood
Feedback: Physical Development, 290
29. According to _____, as we age our cells become less capable of dividing.
A. hormonal stress theory
B. free-radical theory
C. cellular-clock theory
D. Erikson's theory of socioemotional development
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Discuss adult development and the dimensions of aging.
Topic: Theories of Aging
Feedback: Physical Development, 291
30. The free-radical theory states that aging is caused by
A. damage to DNA.
B. the body's lowered resistance to stress and disease.
C. biological constraints on cell division.
D. nutritional deficiencies.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains.
Bloom's: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: Discuss adult development and the dimensions of aging.
Topic: Theories of Aging
Feedback: Physical Development, 291
31. Which theory of aging has focused on the role of chronic stress in reducing immune-system functioning?
A. Erikson's theory of socioemotional development
B. free-radical theory
C. cellular-clock theory
D. hormonal stress theory
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Discuss adult development and the dimensions of aging.
Topic: Theories of Aging
Feedback: Physical Development, 291
32. _____ is the specialization of function in one hemisphere of the brain or the other.
A. Habituation
B. Lateralization
C. Assimilation
D. Accommodation
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Discuss adult development and the dimensions of aging.
Topic: Theories of Aging
Feedback: Cognitive Development, 293
33. According to Piaget, accommodation occurs when individuals
A. adjust their schemas to new information.
B. incorporate new information into existing schemas.
C. are deprived of parental warmth and sensitivity.
D. are insecurely attached to their caregivers.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Define adolescence and list the physiological, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during this stage of development.
Topic: Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory
Feedback: Cognitive Development, 294
34. Baby Janice knows that when she is put in the highchair, it is time to eat. So when her father puts her in the highchair and hands her a book, Janice puts the corner of the book in her mouth. According to Piaget, Janice’s behavior can be best explained by
A. schematic thinking.
B. the assimilation process.
C. the accommodation process.
D. deferred imitation.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.3 Describe applications of psychology.
Bloom's: Apply
Difficulty: High
Learning Objective: Discuss physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during infancy and childhood.
Topic: Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory
Feedback: Cognitive Development, 294
35. According to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, the first stage of cognitive development that lasts from birth to about two years of age is the _____ stage.
A. preoperational
B. concrete operational
C. sensorimotor
D. formal operational
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Discuss physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during infancy and childhood.
Topic: Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory
Feedback: Cognitive Development, 295
36. If a child is in Piaget’s preoperational stage of development, which of the following tasks is the child most likely to perform?
A. solve mathematical problems
B. represent the world with words and images
C. reverse mental operations
D. give logical reasons for knowing something
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains.
Bloom's: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: Discuss physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during infancy and childhood.
Topic: Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory
Feedback: Cognitive Development, 295
37. You tried to play peek-a-boo with your six-month-old nephew, but whenever you hid your face, he would cry. You try it again three months later, and now he laughs and enjoys the game, trying to uncover your face with his hands. Your nephew has begun to develop
A. egocentrism.
B. object permanence.
C. hindsight bias.
D. conservation.
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APA Learning Outcome: 1.3 Describe applications of psychology.
Bloom's: Apply
Difficulty: High
Learning Objective: Discuss physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during infancy and childhood.
Topic: Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory
Feedback: Cognitive Development, 295
38. "Out of sight, out of mind" can describe the behavior of a child who lacks the concept of
A. conservation.
B. separation anxiety.
C. attachment.
D. object permanence.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Discuss physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during infancy and childhood.
Topic: Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory
Feedback: Cognitive Development, 295
39. Which of the following represents the correct chronological sequence of Piaget's stages of cognitive development?
A. sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational
B. sensorimotor, concrete operational, preoperational, formal operational
C. preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational, sensorimotor
D. concrete operational, formal operational, sensorimotor, preoperational
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
APA Learning Outcome: 1.1 Describe key concepts, principles, and overarching themes in psychology.
Bloom's: Remember
Difficulty: Low
Learning Objective: Discuss physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during infancy and childhood.
Topic: Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory
Feedback: Cognitive Development, 295
40. Which of the following statements is true of Piaget’s preoperational stage?
A. Preoperational thought is less symbolic than sensorimotor thought.
B. The child in this stage understands the concept of conservation.
C. The symbolic thinking of children in this stage is limited.
D. It lasts from about 7 to 11 years of age.
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
APA Learning Outcome: 1.2 Develop a working knowledge of psychology’s content domains.
Bloom's: Understand
Difficulty: Medium
Learning Objective: Discuss physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during infancy and childhood.
Topic: Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory
Feedback: Cognitive Development, 295
41. You arrange two rows of pennies so they are equal in length. A child views the rows and states that s/he has the same amount of pennies. You spread out the pennies in the bottom row so it is longer than the top row. The child now states that the bottom row has more pennies. This child is in which of Piaget's stages?
A. sensorimotor
B. preoperational
C. formal operational
D. concrete operational
Accessibility: Keyboard Navigation
APA Learning Outcome: 1.3 Describe applications of psychology.
Bloom's: Apply
Difficulty: High
Learning Objective: Discuss physical, cognitive, and socioemotional changes that occur during infancy and childhood.
Topic: Piaget's Cognitive Development Theory
Feedback: Cognitive Development, 296
42. If children cannot grasp the concept of conservation, they are unable to