Question 1

Carrie is a 19-year-old single mother. She often feels overwhelmed and depressed about her situation and frequently neglects her eight-month-old son and his needs. On several occasions, she has slapped his hand when he reaches for her cell phone. Carrie's baby is most likely to develop a(n) ________ toward her.

Accepted Answer

Carrie's neglect and inconsistent behavior, such as slapping her baby's hand, can lead to an insecure disorganized attachment, where the child may feel confused or apprehensive about the caregiver's behavior.

Question 2

Which of the following is a good example of scaffolding?

Accepted Answer

Peek-a-boo is a good example of scaffolding as it involves an adult guiding a child through a predictable interaction, helping them learn about object permanence and social cues.

Question 3

Which of the following is the best description of scaffolding?

Accepted Answer

Scaffolding refers to the educational approach of providing temporary support to learners to help them achieve a task or understand a concept, which they would not be able to do independently. While the given choices do not directly describe educational contexts, choice A) about parents timing interactions for turn-taking most closely aligns with the concept of scaffolding. It involves guiding the child through an interaction, which is a form of support aimed at helping the child develop communication skills. The other options describe different aspects of child-caregiver interaction but do not directly relate to the concept of scaffolding as understood in educational or developmental contexts.

Question 4

Recent studies found that a disorganized attachment style developed in infancy only when infants had the short version of the serotonin transporter gene, 5-HTTLPR. This gene-environment interaction only occurred when

Accepted Answer

The disorganized attachment style developed in infancy only when mothers showed a low level of responsiveness toward their infants, which indicates a poor environment for developing attachment. This gene-environment interaction was specifically linked to the short version of the serotonin transporter gene, 5-HTTLPR. The other options (A, C, and D) are not directly related to this gene-environment interaction.

Question 5

A mother hands her baby a rattle, saying, "Here you are." She then gently takes the rattle away, smiling and saying, "Thank you." She does this repeatedly, letting the baby keep the rattle for several seconds each time and encouraging the baby to offer the rattle. Eventually, the baby takes the rattle, holds it for a few seconds, and then holds it out to her mother and smiles. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of scaffolding, which is a process where a more knowledgeable person provides support to a less knowledgeable person to help them learn a task. The mother is providing support for the baby to learn how to take turns and engage in reciprocal socialization. By repeatedly giving and taking back the rattle, the mother is modeling the behavior she wants the baby to imitate. Eventually, the baby is able to hold onto the rattle and offer it to the mother, showing that it has learned the behavior through scaffolding.

Question 6

When a mother plays peek-a-boo with her baby, she moves from covering the baby and saying "peek-a-boo" to covering her own eyes and saying it. This illustrates

Accepted Answer

This is an example of scaffolding, as the mother is adjusting her behavior to meet the developmental needs of the baby. By starting by covering the baby and then gradually shifting to covering her own eyes, she is providing support and guidance for the baby's understanding and participation in the game.

Question 7

According to Mary Ainsworth, a(n) ________ infant avoids the mother or is ambivalent toward her, fears strangers, and is upset by minor, everyday separations.

Accepted Answer

Mary Ainsworth's research on attachment styles in infants identified a category of insecurely attached infants who displayed avoidant or ambivalent behavior toward their mother, fear of strangers, and distress during everyday separations. This is distinct from securely attached infants who seek comfort from their mother, are able to explore their environment, and show appropriate reactions to separations and reunions. Therefore, B is the best choice because it accurately describes the insecure attachment style identified by Ainsworth.

Question 8

Jerome Kagan and other developmentalists stress that ________ play a more important role in a child's social competence than the attachment theorists, such as Bowlby and Ainsworth, are willing to acknowledge.

Accepted Answer

Jerome Kagan and other developmentalists argue that a child's genetic characteristics and temperament play a significant role in their social competence, which attachment theorists like Bowlby and Ainsworth do not give as much importance to.

Question 9

________, a mammalian hormone that also acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain, is released during breast feeding and by contact and warmth.

Accepted Answer

Oxytocin is released during breastfeeding and is responsible for the letdown of milk. It is also released during skin-to-skin contact and promotes bonding between individuals. It is a mammalian hormone that also acts as a neurotransmitter in the brain, regulating social interaction and sexual reproduction. Adrenaline and vasopressin are not typically associated with breastfeeding or contact and warmth. Estrogen does play a role in lactation, but it is not primarily associated with the release of milk during breastfeeding.

Question 10

Which of the following is a characteristic of reciprocal socialization?

Accepted Answer

Reciprocal socialization is characterized by a bidirectional interaction between parent and child, where both parties influence and respond to each other's behavior and emotions. Asynchronous and nontransactional interactions do not fit the definition of reciprocal socialization. It is not inherently harmful to infants, although the quality of reciprocal interactions can impact a child's development.

Question 11

When people become parents through pregnancy, adoption, or step-parenting, they face ________ and must adapt.

Accepted Answer

When people become parents, they experience a significant change in their lives, which disturbs the equilibrium they previously had. This state of not having balance or stability is called disequilibrium. As a result, they must adapt to their new roles and responsibilities as parents. Therefore, option C is the correct answer.

Question 12

The ________ model involves connections across domains over time that influence developmental pathways and outcomes.

Accepted Answer

The developmental cascade model suggests that connections across different domains (e.g. biological, cognitive, social, etc.) over time can lead to developmental pathways and outcomes. It emphasizes the idea that changes in one domain can have cascading effects on other domains, and that development is a dynamic and complex process influenced by multiple factors. The internal working model refers to an individual's mental representation of attachment relationships, the external working model refers to the ability to modulate processing of external, felt stimuli. The Strange Situation is a laboratory procedure used to assess attachment, not a model.

Question 13

Blanca rarely holds Joey, her baby, and tends to respond to his needs in an angry, irritable fashion. It is most likely that Joey will develop a(n) ________ with his mother.

Accepted Answer

Blanca's tendency to respond to Joey's needs in an angry and irritable fashion suggests a lack of warmth and sensitivity in her caregiving, which is characteristic of insecure avoidant attachment. Children with this type of attachment tend to avoid or ignore their mother's attempts to comfort them and may not seek her out when distressed.

Question 14

Shoko responds positively to being picked up by others, and when put back down, freely moves away to play. She would most likely be classified as being

Accepted Answer

Shoko's positive response to being picked up by others and freely moving away to play indicates a secure attachment style.

Question 15

The ________ refers to a collection of neurons in the forebrain that are involved in pleasure.

Accepted Answer

The nucleus accumbens is a collection of neurons located in the forebrain that is involved in pleasure, reward, and addiction. The corpus callosum is a structure in the brain that connects the left and right hemispheres. The hippocampus is involved in memory formation and spatial navigation. The amygdala plays a key role in the processing of emotions and emotional memories.

Question 16

Mary often plays the game peek-a-boo with her baby. Initially, Mary covers her baby and then removes the cover, registering "surprise" at the baby's reappearance. After a time, her baby does the covering and uncovering. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

Mary is providing support and guidance for her baby to develop the skills necessary to play peek-a-boo. This is an example of scaffolding, which is a teaching strategy in which a more knowledgeable person provides support to help a less knowledgeable person learn.

Question 17

Bella is making a presentation about social neuroscience and infant attachment. She explains to the audience the role of oxytocin in the formation of the parent-infant bond. Which of the following statements, if true, would she focus on during her presentation?

Accepted Answer

Bella is discussing the role of oxytocin in the formation of the parent-infant bond, so she would focus on the behaviors that increase oxytocin levels in mothers, such as gazing at their babies, expressing positive affect, and touching them. Option B is incorrect because it incorrectly suggests that males cannot form a bond with infants, which is not true. Option C is incorrect because it suggests that administering oxytocin to fathers does not affect their parenting behavior, which is not relevant to the formation of the parent-infant bond. Option D is incorrect because it discusses the use of oxytocin as a pain reliever after childbirth, which is not directly related to the formation of the parent-infant bond.

Question 18

Which of the following statements is true about the transition to parenthood?

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that couples have differing opinions on the impact of a baby on their relationship. Some couples report feeling closer, while others report feeling more distant. Option A is incorrect as not all mothers are satisfied with their partners' parenting efforts. Option B is incorrect as research shows that women do more than an hour of additional work during the transition to parenthood, in comparison to men who do about 40 minutes of additional work. Option D is incorrect as research shows that marital satisfaction tends to decrease after the baby is born, with some couples experiencing long-term declines.

Question 19

Carla and Mike are discussing secure attachment in infancy. Carla believes that secure attachment in an infant's life provides an important foundation for psychological development that occurs later in life. She strongly feels that there is enough evidence to support this. However, Mike rejects her view. Which of the following statements, if true, supports Mike's view?

Accepted Answer

Biologically based factors such as genes and temperament may play a significant role in an infant's development, suggesting that secure attachment is not the sole or primary influence on later psychological development.

Question 20

________ can include connections between a wide range of biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes, and also can involve social contexts such as families, peers, schools, and culture.

Accepted Answer

Developmental cascades refer to how a change or disruption in one domain of development can have ripple effects on other domains, resulting in a cascade of events that affect overall development. This can involve biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes, as well as social contexts such as families, peers, schools, and culture. Reciprocal socializations (A) refer to how children and parents influence each other's behavior and development, while secure attachments (C) refer to the emotional bond between a child and caregiver. Scaffolding (D) refers specifically to a caregiver's support or guidance during a child's learning or problem-solving.

Quiz 6: Socioemotional Development in Infancy