Developmental Psychology Test

PART 1

 

1) What term is used to describe changes in size, shape and characteristics of the body?

A) Psychological domain

B) Physical domain

C) Cognitive domain

D) Social domain

 

2) What term is used to describe changes in thinking, memory, problem solving and other intellectual skills?

A) Psychological domain

B) Physical domain

C) Cognitive domain

D) Social domain

 

3) What term is used to describe changes in variable that are associated with the relationship of an individual to others?

A) Psychological domain

B) Physical domain

C) Cognitive domain

D) Social domain

 

4) According to your text, when does middle childhood occur?

A) Once a child enters school

B) Once a child begins talking

C) Once a child begins walking

D) Once a child begins puberty

 

5) Which of the following are central to the nature-nurture controversy?

A) Environmental continuity and psychological comfort

B) Change triggered by social processes or change caused by cultural influences

C) Inborn biases and genetic predispositions

D) Biological process and experiential factors

 

6) Developmental psychologists have observed that babies seem to be born predisposed to respond to people in certain ways, such as crying or smiling, in order to elicit attention from a caregiver. Psychologists call these inherent tendencies

A) cultural biases.

B) maturational patterns.

C) inborn biases.

D) nature and nurture tensions.

 

7) If puberty begins for girls with the onset of menstruation, puberty could be considered a matter of

A) discontinuity.

B) continuity.

C) quantitative development.

D) ecological development.

 

8) Which of the following developmental outcomes would be illustrative of the concept of vulnerability?

A) Very low IQ scores are more common among children who were born with a low birth weight and who are reared in highly stressed, uninvolved families.

B) Normal birth weight infants born into upper socioeconomic status families invariably have superior levels of intelligence.

C) Children born into caring, facilitative families rarely have sufficient protective factors to overcome or offset all vulnerabilities that might potentially affect their development.

D) Positive developmental outcome is possible only for children with few vulnerabilities and many protective factors.

 

9) ) A new medicine for headaches is in clinical trials. The patients who are receiving this new drug are members of which group?

A) The placebo group

B) The control group

C) The experimental group

D) The independent group

 

10) Erikson’s dilemma of intimacy vs. isolation is associated with what developmental age?

A) Birth to one year

B) 2-3 years

C) 18 – 30 years

D) 30 years to late adulthood

 

11) Which of the following best defines generativity?

A) A sense of wanting to give back to society and future generations

B) A sense of needing to make up for one’s shortcomings

C) The need to resolve a midlife crisis

D) The need to establish intimate relationships

 

12) Which of the following is credited with introducing the term operant conditioning?

A) Albert Bandura

B) B.F. Skinner

C) Sigmund Freud

D) Erik Erikson

 

13) Niko plans to go to a good college. He seems unconcerned about competitive admissions policies because he believes that if he studies hard, he can get in wherever he wants. Bandura would consider this an example of which of the following?

A) A self-fulfilling prophecy

B) Delayed gratification

C) A positive self image

D) Self-efficacy

 

14) According to the principles of Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, how you act at a party depends upon which of the following to guide and direct your behavior?

A) Scheme

B) Memory

C) Reinforcement

D) Sensorimotor skills

 

15) Three-year-old Tran used to call all flying objects such as airplanes and slowly falling leaves “birds.” Now he correctly labels airplanes, butterflies, birds, and bees. Which Piagetian process has Tran accomplished?

A) Assimilation

B) Concrete operations

C) Accommodation

D) Proximal development

 

16) In terms of usefulness and reliability, which of the following is true of Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory?

A) It is far more useful than information-processing theory because it has more empirical support.

B) It relies too much on empiricism to support its application.

C) There is insufficient evidence at present to either support or contradict most of his theory.

D) It has more empirical and research support than Piaget’s theory.

 

17) Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory of human development places primary emphasis on

A) children’s biological needs.

B) the interactions among the contexts in which children live and develop.

C) genetic or hereditary patterns.

D) environmental stimuli that elicit and reinforce behavior.

 

18) An important trend in the study of human development involves incorporating many theoretical perspectives in order to better explain development. Which of the following describes this approach?

A) Multiculturalism

B) Eclecticism

C) The cross-modal approach

D) The stages of change model

 

19) What is the term for the pattern of inheritance in which many genes influence a trait?

A) Polymorphic inheritance

B) Polygenic inheritance

C) Monomorphic inheritance

D) Monogenic inheritance

 

20) Skylar has brown eyes, thin lips and curly brown hair. Which of these traits is polygenic?

A) Brown eyes

B) Thin lips

C) Curly hair

D) Brown hair

 

21) Which of the following is one of the ideas summarized by Rutter et al. regarding multi-factorial inheritance?

A) People act on their environment but are unable to shape and select their own experiences.

B) There is an interaction between nature and nurture.

C) Individuals react similarly to environmental influences.

D) Ethology explains the interplay between a person’s genes and their environment.

 

22) Which of the following is an autosomal dominant disorder?

A) Huntington’s disease

B) Phenylketonuria

C) Sickle-cell disease

D) Tay-Sachs disease

 

23) Which of the following individuals has the greatest risk for bearing a child with trisomy 21?

A) Mrs. Jones, who is 18 and has been addicted to drugs

B) Mrs. Black, age 45

C) Mrs. Garcia, age 30, who had in vitro fertilization

D) Mrs. Wallace, age 27, who is having her seventh child

 

24) A blastocyst is floating inside of Daria’s uterus. In what stage is Daria’s pregnancy?

A) Fetal

B) Embryonic

C) Zygotic

D) Germinal

 

25) Mrs. Lincoln is receiving information and advice about prenatal care from her health care team. With regard to alcohol, what advice will they most likely give Mrs. Lincoln?

A) Drink only in moderation.

B) Avoid alcohol entirely.

C) Avoid liquors such as whiskey and bourbon, but beer and wine in moderation are acceptable.

D) Limit drinking to two drinks per week.

 

PART 2

 

1) An infant’s sleep/wake cycle lasts approximately how long?

A) 30 to 45 minutes

B) 4 – 6 hours

C) 2 hours

D) 8 hours

 

2) Which of the following is true regarding colic?

A) Almost all infants develop colic.

B) Colic is a pattern of intense daily periods of crying for one to three hours per day.

C) The cause of colic is usually an allergy to infant formula.

D) Colic typically begins at about two weeks of age and then disappears spontaneously at three or four months of age.

 

3) Moesha and Nick have a newborn. If their baby is an average infant, by his first birthday he will have had which of the following?

A) Measles

B) Several instances of sleep apnea

C) No illnesses whatsoever

D) Seven respiratory illnesses

 

4) What is the leading cause of death in the United States among infants between the ages of one month and one year?

A) Accidents

B) Respiratory infections

C) Micronutrient deficiency

D) Sudden Infant Death Syndrome

 

5) Your daughter is 20 months old. Which of the following statements is most likely true regarding her auditory acuity and skills?

A) While her auditory acuity is as good as an adult’s, she does not yet have the ability to locate sounds.

B) She has the ability to locate sounds but is not yet able to distinguish between pitch and loudness.

C) Both her auditory acuity and ability to locate sound are not likely to full develop for another four months.

D) Her auditory acuity and ability to distinguish location of sound is nearly as good as that of an adult.

 

6) Which of the following is a correct statement regarding the research of Renee Baillargeon?

A) Strategies for learning are innate.

B) Knowledge about objects is present at birth.

C) Knowledge about learning is not innate.

D) Strategies for learning are learned.

 

7) Permanent changes in behavior that result from experience are examples of:

A) procession.

B) learning.

C) molding.

D) conservation.

 

8) Most of us speak in high pitched voices when speaking to a young child. Which of the following terms best describes this type of speaking?

A) Infant directed speech

B) IDA

C) LAD

D) Language encouragement

 

9) Babbling with a rising intonation seems to signal

A) the onset of language reception.

B) a desire for a response.

C) anger.

D) boredom.

 

10) Naming explosion typically occurs around what age?

A) 8 – 10 months

B) 12 – 18 months

C) 11 – 14 months

D) 16 – 24 months

 

11) Callie, age 11 months, went to the circus with her mother. When a clown came bouncing up to Callie’s stroller, Callie was anxious and looked at her mother. When Callie’s mother began to laugh at the clown, Callie joined in the laughter. Callie’s behavior is called:

A) affective regulation.

B) social referencing.

C) stranger anxiety.

D) bonding dependence.

 

12) Which of the following is one of the countries which has the greatest percentage of securely attached children?

A) Great Britain

B) Japan

C) United States

D) Germany

 

13) The emotional and behavioral predispositions present at birth are thought to be the foundation of personality. These predispositions are collectively referred to as

A) foundations.

B) temperament.

C) moods.

D) motivations.

 

14) Which of the following is true regarding the long-term stability of temperament?

A) The research data varies greatly so we can’t draw any reliable conclusions on the longevity of temperament. B) Temperament remains stable through the age of 2 years, but then it becomes unpredictable.

C) Difficult children tend to demonstrate the greatest level of instability in temperament.

D) Most studies have found that the basic temperament of a child stays relatively stable at least through age 12.

 

15) Which of the following groups of children is most likely to experience some negative effects from non-familial day care?

A) African-American children from middle-class homes

B) White children

C) Children from affluent homes

D) Children from lower socio-economic classes

 

16) Which of the following is a suggestion made by pediatricians to help children develop effective bedtime practices?

A) Allow the child to sleep with the parents on occasion.

B) Eliminate transitional objects that have been reserved for bedtime.

C) All children under age 13 should be in bed by 6 pm.

D) Provide the child with a structured, predictable daytime schedule.

 

17) What does your book suggest about children’s eating habits?

A) If a child shows little appetite, allow him to eat his favorite foods for a while — even if they are sweets.

B) Parents should set a regular pattern for meals and insist the child eat everything on her plate as a way of trying new things.

C) Parents of young children should keep a daily food diary until the child is about 3 years old.

D) Allow the child’s appetite to guide to how much food he eats.

 

18) Which of the following is an example of a socio-cultural influence that could make physical abuse of children more likely?

A) The belief that children have rights

B) Social norms for humane treatment of children

C) The belief that children are property

D) Stressful employment conditions

 

19) Which of the following is a stage in cognitive development from birth to age seven, according to Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development?

A) Expressive stage

B) Conservation stage

C) Altruistic stage

D) Private speech stage

 

20) Which of the following activities would help a child develop phonological awareness?

A) Memorization

B) Listening to an adult speak a foreign language

C) Dialogic reading

D) Speaking a second language

 

21) Georgia feels sad whenever she sees homeless people. She worries that they are cold at night and may not have enough to eat. Hoffman would suggest that Georgia is exhibiting which of the following?

A) Empathy for another’s life condition

B) Global empathy

C) Personal empathy

D) Empathy for another’s feelings

 

22) If Matthew understands gender stability, which of the following will he likely assume?

A) Specific activities and personal characteristics as “for girls” or “for boys”

B) That he will grow up and be a daddy

C) That he prefers to play with boys rather than girls

D) That Mommy will still be a girl even if she wears Daddy’s cap and overalls and does Daddy’s job of changing the oil in the car

 

23) Which of the following terms is used to describe behavior that is not typical of one’s own gender?

A) Homosexual

B) Transgendered

C) Cross-typed

D) Cross-gender

 

24) Which of the following is the best example of the typical pattern of obedience to parents’ wishes for a two-year-old?

A) When his mother said, “Be careful! Don’t spill your juice!” Benjamin angrily threw the glass on the floor.

B) When her father said, “No, you can’t talk to Gramma now,” Elizabeth alternately whined and threw tantrums for thirty minutes.

C) When his father said, “Let’s go, it is beginning to rain,” William said, “No! Won’t go!” and continued to play.

D) When Muhammed’s mother said, “Don’t touch that! It’s hot!” Muhammed pulled away from the stove.

 

25) In a study of how ethnicity and socioeconomic status interact with parenting styles, researchers found that which parenting style was linked to positive outcomes for African American and Asian American adolescents?

A) Authoritative

B) Authoritarian

C) Permissive

D) Uninvolved

 

PART 3

 

1) Of the following events in boys’ puberty, which typically occurs earliest?

A) Growth of the genitals

B) Peak of the growth spurt

C) Growth of a beard

D) Lowering of the voice

 

2) Which of the following statements about sex education programs is correct?

A) All sex education programs are effective.

B) Most sex education programs are effective.

C) Most sex education programs are ineffective.

D) There is no clear consensus on the effectiveness of sex education programs.

 

3) Which of the following terms applies to a person whose psychological gender does not match their physical sex?

A) Homosexual

B) Transgendered

C) Transfixed

D) Cross-typed

 

4) Among teenagers, what is the most commonly used illicit drug?

A) Alcohol

B) Cocaine

C) Marijuana

D) Diet pills

 

5) What percentage of high school students in the U.S. have seriously considered suicide?

A) 1%

B) 5%

C) 15%

D) 25%

 

6) Fourteen-year-old Muhammed won a contest sponsored by the local newspaper to celebrate a championship basketball game. The object of the contest was to determine how many words could be made from the word “score.” Which newly developed ability of formal operational thought would have been most helpful to Muhammed?

A) The ability to reason about objects or situations not previously seen or experienced

B) The ability to search systematically and methodologically for the solutions to a problem

C) The ability to use ethical principles for decision-making

D) The ability to start with a theory and a prediction and arrive at a conclusion

 

7) Which of the following is an accurate statement about adolescents’ development of formal operational thinking?

A) Formal operational reasoning enables adolescents to understand figurative language, such as metaphors.

B) An adolescent’s decision-making can include here-and-now factors but not future possibilities.

C) Nearly all adolescents are engaged in formal operational thinking by the twelfth grade.

D) Higher education is of little use in the development of formal operational thinking.

 

8) Which of the following statements is true regarding teenagers as they progress through adolescence?

A) Their self-concepts become more concrete.

B) Their self-concepts are increasingly tied to their physical characteristics.

C) They increasingly define themselves in terms of enduring traits, beliefs, moral standards or personal philosophies.

D) They are increasingly dependent on their parents for their identity.

 

9) How many levels are there in Kohlberg’s theory of moral development?

A) 6

B) 4

C) 5

D) 3