Question 1

Summarize the impact of environmental factors on prenatal development and describe the importance of prenatal health care.

Accepted Answer

A developing baby and its mother are linked through the placenta, and a mother's behaviors can affect the baby dramatically.
Severe maternal malnutrition is linked to increased risk of birth complications and neurological problems in the newborn. Moderate maternal malnutrition has been shown to have negative effects for many years after birth. Research links maternal malnutrition to vulnerability, schizophrenia, and other psychiatric disorders in adolescence and early adulthood.
Maternal drug use can significantly impact a developing baby, even if the drugs are legal, like alcohol and cigarettes. Many drugs, both prescription and recreational, are linked to birth defects. Problems can even be caused by some over the counter drugs.
Fetal alcohol syndrome, one of the leading causes of mental retardation, is a collection of congenital (inborn) problems associated with excessive alcohol use during pregnancy. Problems include microcephaly, heart defects, irritability, hyperactivity, and delayed mental and motor development. FAS is also related to increased incidence of depression, suicide, and criminal behavior in adulthood.
Maternal illness can also interfere with prenatal development; the nature of the damage depends, in part, on when the mother contracts the illness and the type of illness. Diseases such as measles, rubella, syphilis and chicken pox can all be hazardous to the fetus. The HIV virus can also be transmitted to the offspring through either the placenta or breast feeding or during delivery of the baby.
Prenatal health care begins early in pregnancy, with a focus on guidance from health professionals. Prenatal care is associated with higher survival rates and reduced prematurity, but many women, because of poverty and other problems, do not receive prenatal care.

Question 2

The fact that a child's temperament elicits different reactions from each parent, depending on the parents' personalities and expectations, illustrates which of your text's organizing themes?

Accepted Answer

A)   the evolution of psychology in a sociohistorical context
B)   multiple causes of behavior
C)   interaction of heredity and environment
D)   cultural diversity C

Question 3

Adolescent suicide rates have climbed dramatically in recent decades and this has led researchers to begin to view adolescence as a time of convulsive instability and disturbing inner turmoil.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False  False

Question 4

The local school board in Middletown has decided to introduce standardized assessment tests for all students in the sixth grade. The test has separate sections for Math and English. Based on the research into gender differences in cognitive abilities, you should expect that

Accepted Answer

A)   the male students will score higher than the female students on both sections of the assessment test.
B)   the female students will score higher than the male students on both sections of the assessment test.
C)   the female students will score higher than the male students on the English section of the assessment test.
D)   the female students will score higher than the male students on the Math section of the assessment test.

Question 5

If you were viewing the brain of an individual who had died from Alzheimer's disease, you would expect to see

Accepted Answer

A)   a significant reduction in the levels of serotonin within the brain.
B)   neural abnormalities, including neuritic plaques and neurofibrillary tangles.
C)   enlarged brain ventricles and deep cortical creases.
D)   a significant decrease in the number of neurons in the hypothalamus.

Question 6

Arnett's (2006) term for the new stage of development brought about by lengthier participation in higher education and increased barriers to financial independence is ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Arnett's (2006) term for the new stage...

Question 7

Vygotsky's term for the gap between what a learner can accomplish alone and what a child can achieve with guidance from a more skilled learner was the zone of ____________________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Vygotsky's term for the gap between what...

Question 8

Piaget asserted that the child's experiences in the world, in combination with maturation, together influence the child's cognitive development. This assertion BEST reflects the unifying theme in psychology that

Accepted Answer

A)   psychology evolves in a sociohistorical context.
B)   heredity and environment jointly influence behavior.
C)   psychology is theoretically diverse.
D)   our experience of the world is highly subjective.

Question 9

While Piaget saw the child as the agent of change; Lev Vygotsky claims that children's cognitive development is fueled more by social interaction with adults who provide invaluable guidance.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 10

Assume research shows there is a gender difference on Trait X and males tend to exhibit more of the trait than females. If the gender difference on Trait X is similar to other traits with gender differences, which of the following conclusions would BEST describe performance on Trait X?

Accepted Answer

A)   a few females exhibit very low levels of the trait
B)   a few males exhibit very high levels of the trait
C)   most males exhibit higher levels of the trait than most females
D)   the average male exhibits slightly higher levels of the trait than the average female

Question 11

Typically, individuals concerned with the crisis of trust versus mistrust are in the ____ stage of cognitive development.

Accepted Answer

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

Question 12

Research indicates couples in the empty nest period of married life

Accepted Answer

A)   are more likely to divorce than other couples.
B)   adjust effectively to the transition.
C)   look forward to their children moving back home after finishing college.
D)   experience a significant decrease in marital satisfaction.

Question 13

Which of the following is NOT a current trend regarding marriage?

Accepted Answer

A)   an increase in the average age at first marriage
B)   an increase in the percentage of couples who voluntarily remain childless
C)   an increase in the number of single adults
D)   a decrease in the percentage of couples who cohabit prior to marriage

Question 14

Describe the cultural variations observed in cross-cultural studies of motor development.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the cultural variations observed in cross-cultural...

Question 15

Erikson's period of industry versus inferiority corresponds to the early school years.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

Gender differences in behavior appear to be influenced by observational learning, operant conditioning, socialization in schools, and role models in the media, among other things. These findings illustrate which of your text's unifying themes?

Accepted Answer

A)   Psychology evolves in a sociohistorical context.
B)   Psychology is theoretically diverse.
C)   Behavior is determined by multiple causes.
D)   Our experience of the world is highly subjective.

Question 17

Research concerning personality development in adulthood focuses primarily on examining

Accepted Answer

A)   the search for a sense of identity during adulthood.
B)   gender differences in personality during adulthood.
C)   the midlife crisis.
D)   the stability of personality over the life span.

Question 18

The experience of middle age has been likened by some to the adolescent search for identity. In what ways are these two developmental phenomena similar? How are they different?

Accepted Answer

The answer of The experience of middle age has been...

Question 19

Brock was not sure what he wanted to do while he was in college, so he talked to the career counselors last year. His profile showed a strong interest in both medicine and animals, so he got a part-time job at the local humane society. He also checked the requirements for veterinary school, and he has now completed six of the courses required for the veterinary program. He is convinced that this is the ideal career for him. According to James Marcia, Brock would be considered to be in a state of identity

Accepted Answer

A)   diffusion.
B)   foreclosure.
C)   achievement.
D)   moratorium.

Question 20

____ gender stereotypes accurately reflect gender differences.

Accepted Answer

A)   Most
B)   Relatively many
C)   Relatively few
D)   No

Exam 22: Human Development Across the Life Span Part 2