Deck 1: Introduction to Child Development Basic Concepts and Issues

Question 1

Humans are evolutionarily primed to be attracted to and respond to babies according to which theory of child development?

A) Sociocultural Theory
B) Learning Theory
C) Cognitive Theory
D) Ethological Perspective

Answer 1

Ethological Perspective

Question 2

One strength of longitudinal studies is:

A) the ability to measure developmental change over time.
B) the ability to observe children in their natural environments.
C) the variables are closely controlled by the researcher.
D) allows for an extensive study of one participant.

Answer 2

the ability to measure developmental change over time.

Question 3

Studies show that the more violent TV a child watches the more aggressive behaviors they show in interactions with other kids. This is an example of:

A) strong correlation.
B) positive correlation.
C) weak correlation.
D) negative correlation.

Answer 3

positive correlation.

Question 4

Parents' interactions with children's teachers are part of the system that according to Brofenbrenner's Ecological Model is called the:

A) Microsystem.
B) Mesosystem.
C) Exosystem.
D) Macrosystem.

Question 5

A skill level above a child's current skill level that they can perform with assistance is known as:

A) Accommodation.
B) Assimilation.
C) Zone of Proximal Development.
D) Critical Period.

Question 6

An independent variable is:

A) the variable that changes systematically as the dependent variable is manipulated.
B) the variable that the experimenter manipulates in order to measure its impact on the dependant variable.
C) the type of behavior that is measured by the experimenter.
D) any variable that could impact the dependent variable that has not been considered by the experimenter.

Question 7

Some theorists assert that children learn language by listening to the adults around them; others argue that children are born with an innate language ability. These different arguments are represented which theme in child development?

A) continuity and discontinuity
B) universality and diversity
C) social learning and psychodynamic
D) nature and nurture

Question 8

The term ___________ usually refers to the influence of genetic material passed on at the point of conception.

A) nurture
B) nature
C) continuity
D) discontinuity

Question 9

Those who see development as characterized mainly by ____________ emphasize that development occurs via a slow but continual processes of change.

A) universality
B) diversity
C) continuity
D) discontinuity

Question 10

Theorists who suggest that children develop in "leaps and bounds" such that they develop skills at once with other periods of little development.

A) universality
B) diversity
C) continuity
D) discontinuity

Question 11

In cultures around the world, infants show the same facial expression when feeling distress this demonstrates the theme of:

A) universality.
B) diversity.
C) nature.
D) nurture.

Question 12

Early theorists asserted that at the moment of conception a tiny, fully formed human was implanted in the sperm of egg. This human form was known as a:

A) blank slate
B) innate goodness
C) homunculus
D) apprentice

Question 13

There is some evidence that children were once considered little adults and were given adult responsibilities.

Question 14

Which theorist suggested that children were blank slates whose development is primarily influenced by environmental circumstances?

A) Phillipe Aries
B) John Locke
C) John Watson
D) Charles Darwin

Question 15

Early theorist John Locke was opposed to the use of physical punishment.

Question 16

Rousseau believed that an interest in social relationships begins in:

A) infancy.
B) toddlerhood.
C) middle childhood.
D) adolescence.

Question 17

Rousseau's ideas about child development could be classified as having an emphasis on nurture.

Question 18

Which classroom strategy would Rousseau endorse?

A) teachers lecturing students about subjects
B) an emphasis on structured play and imagination
C) providing activities and materials for children to explore on their own
D) having a supportive adult helping children with activities that are above their current ability

Question 19

Darwin kept an extensive record of his son's development known as a:

A) Developmental Journal.
B) Baby Biography.
C) Memory Books.
D) Infant Schedule.

Question 20

Darwin believed that individual development reflects the changes through species evolution.

Question 21

According to Gesell, maturation:

A) always takes place in the same way, following its own timing and sequence.
B) is influenced by the environment so the sequence can vary for individuals.
C) is faster when parents provide an enriched environment.
D) is only observable in physical development.

Question 22

Lewis Terman is best known for:

A) creating a test of children's emotional development.
B) translating a French intelligence test.
C) creating age-graded norms of development.
D) keeping a baby biography about his son.

Question 23

Jean Piaget created his theory of cognitive development while observing:

A) children in an orphanage.
B) children in different cultures.
C) his own children.
D) children at day care centers.

Question 24

Freud proposed that 3- to 6-year-old children's pleasure comes to focus on their penis or their lack of a penis; this stage is known as:

A) Oral Stage.
B) Anal Stage.
C) Phallic Stage.
D) Genital Stage.

Question 25

Mary is a smoker and has trouble quitting. How would Freud explain her problem?

A) Her mother potty-trained her too soon in childhood.
B) Her mother spanked her in anger.
C) There was a problem when her mother weaned her.
D) She is under too much stress and needs to learn to relax.

Question 26

According to Freud, what is the repository of wishes and desires?

A) ego
B) id
C) superego
D) Ontogeny

Question 27

Like Freud, Erik Erikson believed that most of human behavior is driven by sexual desire.

Question 28

Why are psychoanalytic theorists such as Freud and Erikson no longer considered mainstream in the science of child development?

Question 29

A theoretical perspective that emphasizes that external conditions can change the way we behave and view the world is:

A) Psychoanalytic.
B) Sociocultural.
C) Cognitive.
D) Learning Theory.

Question 30

Skinner believed that children's behaviors are:

A) simply a response to rewards and punishments.
B) internally motivated.
C) biologically driven.
D) naturally good.

Question 31

Little Albert became frightened of white mice after repeated trials in which mice were paired with loud noises; this is an example of:

A) Operant Conditioning.
B) Classical Conditioning.
C) Modeling.
D) Continuity.

Question 32

Children are less likely to imitate the behavior of a model that is:

A) nurturing.
B) powerful.
C) strong.
D) unlike themselves.

Question 33

According to Bandura, a feeling of effectiveness and a belief that we can succeed through our own efforts is known as:

A) universality.
B) exosystem.
C) self-efficacy.
D) scaffolding.

Question 34

Ella understands the world mostly through her manipulation of objects, by looking at, touching, and putting toys is her mouth. She is in which of Piaget's stages?

A) sensorimotor stage
B) preoperational stage
C) concrete operational stage
D) formal operational stage

Question 35

Juan Pascual-Leone expanded on Piaget's ideas by proposing that children's learning occurs when there are increases in their:

A) vocabulary.
B) exposure to learning materials.
C) appropriate models.
D) working memory.

Question 36

When Piaget was testing children, what did he find most interesting?

A) children who were more advanced than other children
B) children's creative thinking
C) children's wrong answers
D) children who scored lower than other children

Question 37

Theorists who use Piaget's ideas to create new theories are known as:

A) neo-Piagetians.
B) modern developmentalists.
C) sociocultural theorists.
D) social learning theorists.

Question 38

As children learn to read, sounding out words is difficult but it becomes more automatic and easier. Robbie Case would argue that learning occurs because of:

A) help from supportive adults.
B) increases in working memory.
C) increases in mental efficiency.
D) increases in exposure to books.

Question 39

Lev Vygotsky would argue that children learn best when they:

A) are surrounded by stimulating toys.
B) are rewarded for correct answers.
C) are in interactions with supportive adults.
D) create memory strategies.

Question 40

Mary works with her daughter on puzzles that are too hard for her to do by herself. This is an example of:

A) accommodation.
B) assimilation.
C) modeling.
D) scaffolding.

Question 41

Which theory asserts that development is a fundamentally social process in which cultural groups identify certain tasks as important for children?

A) Sociocultural Theory
B) Social Learning Theory
C) Cognitive-Developmental Theory
D) Psychoanalytic Theory

Question 42

Amy can tie her shoes with the help of her friend Zoe. Tying her shoes is an example of a:

A) mesosystem.
B) sensitive period.
C) zone of proximal development.
D) super ego.

Question 43

Which theory suggests that the entire context of children's environment (including family, school systems, and parents' workplaces) are important influences on children's development?

A) Social Learning Theory
B) Cognitive Developmental Theory
C) Ecological Systems Theory
D) Psychoanalytic Theory

Question 44

When Sam's mom has a difficult day at work, she has less patience in the evening. The workplace is an example of:

A) Microsystem.
B) Macrosystem.
C) Mesosystem.
D) Exosystem.

Question 45

Parental Leave Laws, which allow parents to take time off of work after the birth of child, are part of a child's:

A) Microsystem.
B) Macrosystem.
C) Mesosystem.
D) Exosystem.

Question 46

Brofenbrenner believed that children's experience may change over time from maturation or from historical events. He called this:

A) Microsystem.
B) Macrosystem.
C) Exosystem.
D) Chronosystem.

Question 47

Which theorist argued that both neighborhoods and biological factors are important to children's development?

A) Piaget
B) Vygotsky
C) Brofenbrenner
D) Hall

Question 48

Konrad Lorenz studied a phenomenon in young geese in which they closely follow whatever object they observe moving shortly after birth. What is the name of this phenomenon?

A) scaffolding
B) imprinting
C) bioecological processes
D) accommodation

Question 49

Which theorist proposed that infants' and parents' behaviors have been shaped by evolution to promote survival?

A) Lorenz
B) Piaget
C) Vygotsky
D) Freud

Question 50

What is the term for an optimal period in development in which learning of specific types may take place?

A) critical period
B) sensitive period
C) imprinting
D) latency period

Question 51

Some research suggests that it is easier for young children to learn a second language than it is for adults. This is an example of:

A) critical period.
B) sensitive period.
C) bioecological processes.
D) microsystems.

Question 52

Which theorist suggested that there may be a sensitive period for developing emotional relationships with parents during an infant's first year?

A) Ainsworth
B) Vygotsky
C) Lorenz
D) Piaget

Question 53

A theory that suggests that there are many pathways to similar and healthy outcomes is:

A) Ethological Theory.
B) Sociocultural Theory.
C) Dynamic Systems Theory.
D) Information Processing Theory.

Question 54

Jamie learned to crawl at 9 months and Janie never crawled but began to scoot on her stomach at 8 months. Both Janie and Jamie walked early in their second year. This example supports which developmental theory?

A) Dynamic Systems Theory
B) Information Processes Theory
C) Social Learning Theory
D) Cognitive Developmental Theory

Question 55

Which of the following is not a historical trend that may affect child development?

A) Children are more likely to live in urban areas.
B) Children are more likely to live with a single parent.
C) Children are more likely to speak a second language.
D) Children are likely to have more siblings.

Question 56

A child developmental researcher has designed a study to test the impact of violent television on children's aggression. She believes that exposure to violent programming is related to increased aggression. This belief is called:

A) a case study.
B) an independent variable.
C) a dependent variable.
D) a hypothesis.

Question 57

When an interviewer uses a specific script of questions when collecting data from children, this is known as:

A) clinical interview.
B) naturalistic observation.
C) structured interview.
D) case study.

Question 58

A researcher asks children about their occupational aspirations. She then asks follow-up questions tailored specifically to each child's aspirations. This is an example of:

A) clinical interview.
B) naturalistic observation.
C) structured interview.
D) case study.

Question 59

A researcher watches children's play at a day care center and codes aggressive behaviors. This is an example of:

A) clinical interview.
B) naturalistic observation.
C) structured interview.
D) case study.

Question 60

The strength of naturalistic observation of children's behaviors is that:

A) researchers can study behaviors that occur rarely.
B) researchers can gain insight into children's motivations and attitudes.
C) researchers can observe children in normal settings without interventions.
D) researchers can pinpoint specific influences on development.

Question 61

Which of the following is not a weakness of interview and self-report methods of data collection?

A) These methods cannot adequately assess people's behaviors.
B) Surveys are expensive and time-consuming.
C) People may not accurately report on themselves.
D) People may respond in a way they think the researcher wants.

Question 62

Which physiological methods record electrical activity in the brain in response to certain events but are not good at localizing brain activity?

A) Electroencephalograms (EEGs)
B) Event-Related Potentials (ERPs)
C) Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
D) Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Question 63

Which physiological methods offer excellent spatial localization but are not as precise in determining temporal resolution?

A) Electroencephalograms (EEGs)
B) Event-Related Potentials (ERPs)
C) Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
D) Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Question 64

What is the term used for the brain-imaging technique that depends on the transparency of biological tissue to light that is near the infrared part of the spectrum?

A) Near Infrared Spectroscopy (NIRS)
B) Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI)
C) Magnetoencephalography (MEG)
D) Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI)

Question 65

The strongest study designs use what type of data collection?

A) self-report
B) observation
C) physiological techniques
D) a combination of several types

Question 66

Every day when I get on my scale it reports the same weight. My scale is:

A) valid.
B) reliable.
C) correlated.
D) variable.

Question 67

Dr. Smith designed a scale to measure children's creative thinking. Children read a story and then wrote an alternate ending. It was found that children with better reading and writing skills scored higher on this scale. This scale has problems with:

A) reliability.
B) validity.
C) test-retest.
D) redundancy.

Question 68

A research design that collects information about participants without making any attempts to alter their circumstances is known as:

A) experimental.
B) cross-sequential.
C) microgenetic.
D) correlational.

Question 69

A researcher is testing the association between parental warmth and school achievement. She measures parents' warmth in everyday interactions with children and the children's grades in school. This design is:

A) experimental.
B) cross-sequential.
C) microgenetic.
D) correlational.

Question 70

The strength of a correlation is measured by the:

A) direction of effects.
B) correlation coefficient.
C) correlation validity.
D) positive correlation.

Question 71

A study with a correlation design found a strong positive association between viewing violent television and preschool aggressive behaviors. The researchers can conclude that:

A) violent television causes aggression in preschoolers.
B) aggressive preschoolers prefer violent television.
C) parents of aggressive preschoolers do not monitor their television viewing.
D) the more violent television preschoolers watch, the more aggressive their behaviors.

Question 72

Researchers found that as the number of minutes per day parents spent reading to their children increased, their children's score on a reading readiness scale increased as well. This is an example of:

A) a positive correlation.
B) a negative correlation.
C) an independent variable.
D) a dependent variable.

Question 73

Researchers found that as parental warmth increases, children's behavior problems decrease. This is an example of:

A) a positive correlation.
B) a negative correlation.
C) an independent variable.
D) a dependent variable.

Question 74

In what type of study design do researchers manipulate one of the variables to test its impact on other variables?

A) correlational
B) longitudinal
C) experimental
D) valid

Question 75

A researcher tested the effect of sleep deprivation on attention. She assigned participants to groups which determined how much sleep they got. She compared these groups' scores on attention tasks. This is an example of what type of study design?

A) correlational
B) experimental
C) longitudinal
D) microgenetic

Question 76

In a study of the effect of preschool on school readiness in a group of children at risk for school failure, whether children attend preschool or not is the:

A) independent variable.
B) dependent variable.
C) correlational group.
D) outcome.

Question 77

In a study of the effect of antidepressants on the behavior problems of children, the number of behavior problems in the research participants is the:

A) independent variable.
B) dependant variable.
C) control variable.
D) manipulated variable.

Question 78

It is essential to the experimental design that a study includes random assignment, which means:

A) that questions are presented to participants in random order.
B) that participants are free to be in any group they choose.
C) that participants are placed in groups in an unbiased fashion.
D) that each participant completes a unique task.

Question 79

A researcher was interested in the effect of a literature curriculum on children's reading abilities. He put the students with high English grades in the group to receive the curriculum and the children with lower grades in the group that will not receive the curriculum. This design has problems with:

A) random sampling.
B) reliability.
C) random assignment.
D) negative correlations.

Question 80

Longitudinal designs are particularly useful for studying child development because of the ability to measure:

A) more than one participant.
B) change over time.
C) attitudes and behaviors.
D) effects of manipulated variables.