Question 1

When explaining an individual's behavior, proponents of ecological theory would say that you have to consider factors outside of the child him- or herself.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

You are doing a study to determine whether smoking nicotine prior to taking a psychology test affects performance on that test. What is the independent variable in your study?

Accepted Answer

A) The psychology test 
B) The participants in your study 
C) Smoking nicotine 
D) It depends on where the study is conducted

Question 3

Marcelia has been promoted and is moving her family to a new city in a different part of the country. Though four-year-old Fernando is very happy and makes the transition easily, 12-year-old Jorge is unhappy and has a very difficult time adjusting to the move. Both children generally adapt well to change. Which single set of factors best explains the different responses of Fernando and Jorge to the move?

Accepted Answer

A) Biological factors 
B) Sociocultural factors 
C) Personality factors 
D) Life-cycle factors

Question 4

Which problem is least associated with longitudinal research?

Accepted Answer

A) It is difficult to generalize results to the larger population. 
B) Participants may improve on the tests by taking them multiple times. 
C) It is expensive to keep collecting data on a large number of participants. 
D) Participants may choose not to continue.

Question 5

Dr. Gauche likes to make fun of student comments in class. She finds that every time she does this, students make fewer comments the rest of the class period. Apparently, Dr. Gauche's jokes are ____ the students for talking in class.

Accepted Answer

A) punishing 
B) negatively reinforcing 
C) positively reinforcing 
D) imitating

Question 6

Which method of measuring behavior is most likely to be used in combination with other behavioral measures?

Accepted Answer

A) Physiological measures 
B) Self-reports 
C) Naturalistic observation 
D) Sampling behavior with tasks

Question 7

The biggest difference between Vygotsky's approach to development and that of Piaget and the information-processing approach is that Vygotsky placed more emphasis on

Accepted Answer

A) the impact of culture. 
B) stages of development. 
C) thinking. 
D) unconscious thoughts.

Question 8

Dr. Kim takes a strong nature position with regard to the origins of intellectual disabilities. Therefore, she would most likely hypothesize that her son's intellectual disability (formally known as mental retardation)is due to

Accepted Answer

A) her parenting style. 
B) his genes. 
C) his exposure to a toxic chemical prior to birth. 
D) random chance.

Question 9

Zsuzsi is conducting a study to determine whether skateboarding causes a reduction in intelligence. In this experiment, skateboarding is the

Accepted Answer

A) control group. 
B) independent variable. 
C) dependent variable. 
D) cohort effect.

Question 10

Which type of variable is manipulated by an experimenter?

Accepted Answer

A) Dependent 
B) Independent 
C) Confounding 
D) Extraneous

Question 11

Population is to sample as

Accepted Answer

A) sm a ll is to large. 
B) reliability is to validity. 
C) micro is to macro. 
D) set is to subset.

Question 12

Piaget's theory emphasizes the manner in which children construct knowledge.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 13

Dr. Lund stages a fire drill at the elementary school in order to study how children respond to potential emergency situations. Dr. Lund's method would best be described as a(n)

Accepted Answer

A) structured observation. 
B) naturalistic observation. 
C) self-report. 
D) experiment.

Question 14

Which statement is always true?

Accepted Answer

A) A population is larger than a sample. 
B) A population consists of a single sample. 
C) A sample is another term for a population. 
D) A sample is a cultural concept while a population is a social concept.

Question 15

Patti studies the behavior of preschool children by watching them play at a local daycare center. While doing this, she is careful to find a spot where she will be completely unnoticed by the individuals she is observing. Patti is most likely using a ____ approach to studying the children.

Accepted Answer

A) structured observation 
B) correlational ​ 
C) self-report 
D) naturalistic observation

Question 16

A behavior that is effectively being reinforced will

Accepted Answer

A) eventually go away. 
B) increase in frequency. 
C) improve self-esteem. 
D) be imitated by others.

Question 17

Who is most likely interested in the study of human development?

Accepted Answer

A) Dr. Harvey, who studies the brain cells of infants 
B) Dr. Hatfield, who studies eating disorders 
C) Dr. Deal, who studies how political attitudes change with age 
D) Dr. Hersh, who studies elderly patients with Alzheimer's disease

Question 18

Melissa is doing a study where volleyball players are interviewed about their role on the team and perceived capabilities for playing in Saturday's game. Melissa seems to be assessing the ____ of the volleyball players.

Accepted Answer

A) life-cycle forces 
B) exosystems 
C) internal maturational plans 
D) self-efficacy

Question 19

_______________ theory describes cognition in terms of mental software and hardware.

Accepted Answer

The answer of _______________ theory describes cognition in terms of...

Question 20

When Kayla says "It doesn't matter if they are French, Swedish, or Chinese, kids are kids," she is espousing a ____ position concerning human development.

Accepted Answer

A) discontinuous 
B) universal 
C) nurture 
D) context-specific

Exam 1: The Study of Human Development