APSY-UE 1271
Formative Exam Midterm Review: Chapters 1 – 8
1. In chapter 1, your textbook describes some contemporary concerns in the study of development,
including health and well-being, parenting and education, sociocultural contexts and diversity, and
social policy. Which concept below relates best to these contemporary concerns? Circle the letter for
the best answer and explain why it is the best answer and why each of the other answers is not as
good.
a. Cognitive processes
b. Nurture
c. Genetics
d. Discontinuity
e. Change
2. Consider the following quotation by Roger Rosenblatt: “One’s children’s children’s children. Look
back to us as we look to you; we are related by our imaginations. If we are able to touch, it is because
we have imagined each other’s existence, our dreams running back and forth along a cable from age to
age.” Which of the following characteristics of life-span development best relates to this quote? Circle
the letter of the best answer and explain why it is the best answer and why each of the other answers is
not as good.
a. Lifelong
b. Multidimensional
c. Plastic
d. Contextual
e. Studied by a number of disciplines
3. Chapter 1 presents several different schools of thought about the appropriate subject matter and
methods of life-span developmental psychology. If the thought process was based solely on interest in
the objective study of actions, and in the interest in studying animals rather than people, the
developmental psychologist would most likely be a proponent of which of the following perspectives:
a. Cognitive
b. Behavioral
c. Life-span
d. Psychoanalytic
e. Ecological
4. At one time, there were both tall and short giraffes. The short giraffes could only feed from the sides
of the trees since they were unable to reach the tops of the trees. There are no short giraffes today.
What concept described in the text best explains the disappearance of short giraffes? Circle the letter
of the best answer and explain why it is the best answer and why the other answers are not as good.
a. Genetic imprinting
b. Genetic foundations of development
c. Meiosis
d. Natural selection
e. Bidirectional viewAPSY-UE 1271
5. The first half of the course describes several important issues in developmental psychology. Which
of these issues receives the greatest emphasis thus far? Circle the letter of the best answer and
explain why it is the best answer and why the other answers are not as good.
a. Biological, cognitive, and social processes in development i
b. Continuity versus discontinuity
c. Nature versus nurture
d. Stability versus change
e. Periods of development
6. A recurrent and often bitter controversy in the study of intelligence is the issue of how heredity and
environment contribute to intelligence. Arthur Jensen, a leading figure in the debate, has contributed
both data and argument to the “nature” view. Which of the following statements represents an
important assumption, rather than an inference or an observation, of Jensen’s argument? Circle the
letter of the best answer and explain why it is the best answer and why the other answers are not as
good.
a. Identical twins have identical genetic endowments
b. Identical twins should have IQs that are more similar than the IQs of ordinary siblings
c. The correlation between IQs of twins reared together is 0.89
d. Differences between the correlations of IQs for twins reared together versus those of twins reared
apart indicate that environment has only a weak effect on intelligence
e. The environments of twins reared together versus those of twins reared apart are very different
7. Chapter 3 illustrates a number of the issues discussed in chapter 1. Which of the following topics
taken from chapter 3 correctly illustrates the chapter 1 topic paired with it? Circle the letter of the
best answer and explain why it is the best answer and why the other answers are not as good.
a. Germinal, embryonic, and fetal periods do not illustrate the concept of stability.
b. Embryonic development illustrates the concept of maturation..
c. Teratology does not illustrate the concept of biological determinants and influences.
d. Miscarriage/abortion do not illustrate the concept of discontinuity.
e. What to expect when you are expecting does not illustrate the concept of cognitive processes.
8. Teratology is the field that investigates the causes of birth defects. Research has found that certain
agents influence the development of birth defects. Which of the following is not a concern regarding
the research methodology involved in teratology? Circle the letter of the best answer and explain
why it is the best answer and why the other answers are not as good.
a. Exposure to many teratogens
b. Long-term effects
c. Animal research
d. Correlational research
e. Potential effects
9. During the past two decades, parents, researchers, and physicians have reacted against the so-called
standard childbirth, once very widely practiced in American hospitals. Most have begun to favor a
variety of prepared or natural forms of childbirth. Which of the following statements represents a
basic assumption of standard childbirth practice that critics have rejected? Circle the letter of the best
answer and explain why it is the best answer and why the other answers are not as good.
a. Important individuals were excluded from the birth process
b. The mother was separated from her infant in the first minutes and hours after birth
c. Giving birth was like a disease
d. Babies were slapped or spanked
e. Babies were scared by the bright lightsAPSY-UE 1271
10. During the first half of our couse we distinguished between the concepts of sensation and perception,
and then took a tour of the sensory and perceptual capacities of human infants. For which sense do
we appear to know the most about the perceptual capabilities of infants? Circle the letter of the best
answer and explain why it is the best answer and why the other answers are not as good.
a. Vision
b. Hearing
c. Smell
d. Taste
e. Touch
11. Robert Fantz’s pioneering study of visual perception found that infants look at different things for
different lengths of time. Which of the following statements represents an important inference rather
than an assumption or an observation? Circle the letter of the best answer and explain why it is the
best answer and why the other answers are not as good.
a. Infants, as young as 2 days old, prefer to look at patterns—such as faces, printed matter, or bull’s
eyes—longer than colored.
b. Infants, as young as 2 days old, look longer at patterns—such as faces, printed matter, or bull’s
eyes—than they do at colored discs.
c. Pattern perception has an innate basis.
d. Fantz’s “looking chamber” advanced the ability of researchers to investigate infant vision
perception.
e. 2-month-old infants prefer to look at patterns—such as faces, printed matter, or bull’s-eyes—
longer than colored discs.
12. Dr. Harrell’s lecture presents findings about infant cognitive development from the Piagetian,
information-processing, and individual differences perspectives. The Piagetian perspective is the
oldest and most influential of the three; however, both the information-processing and individual
differences perspectives have challenged basic claims of Piaget. Which of the following statements
from either information-processing or individual differences research does NOT contradict one of
Piaget’s observations? Circle the letter of the best answer and explain why it is the best answer and
why the other answers are not as good.
a. Rovee-Collier’s findings described (moving the mobile), which is what Piaget called a secondary
circular reaction. Piaget claimed that this occurred between 4 and 8 months of age. Piaget also
provided no descriptions of memory in infants as young as 10 weeks old, and his theory seems to
suggest that infants that young do not have memories.
b. Meltzoff’s findings observe imitation prior to 4 months, when he saw imitations of baby talk,
babbling, and physical gestures. These examples involved actions the infant already was able to
perform.
c. Rovee-Collier’s finding that 2-year-olds could remember experiences they had up to two years
later, when put in the same context.
d. The finding that an average 6-month-old will search persistently for an object just out of reach.
The infant persists in looking for the object. If the object disappears, the baby will examine the
spot where it vanished.
e. Spelke’s research findings suggest that the basis of intermodal perception, a mental scheme that
integrates information from several senses, exist until before the sensorimotor and the beginning
of the preoperational period of development.APSY-UE 1271
13. The textbook’s treatment of early language development uses many of the organizing concerns and
questions that developmentalists employ to study other aspects of human development. Which one of
the following concepts, issues, or themes receives the LEAST coverage during the textbook’s
discussion of early language development? Circle the letter of the best answer and explain why it is
the best answer and why the other answers are not as good.
a. Development is a product of biological, cognitive, and social processes
b. The nature versus nurture issue
c. The continuity versus discontinuity issue
d. The issue of qualitative versus quantitative change
e. Culture influences development
14. Our text describes many claims about social development during infancy. The quality of the
evidence that supports each claim is quite varied. Which of the following claims is LEAST
supported? Which evidence is LEAST convincing according to scientific criteria? Circle the letter of
the best answer and explain why it is the best answer and why the other answers are not as good.
a. The statement caregivers of disorganized babies often neglect or physically abuse their babies
b. Lamb’s study is an experimental test of the hypothesis that under stress, infants show stronger
attachment to their mothers than their fathers.
c. Extensive day care during the first year of an infant’s life is associated with negative outcomes
later in life
d. During the second year of life, an infant experiences conflict between autonomy versus shame
and doubt.
15. In previous chapters, there has been little opportunity to apply the various theories of development
that were outlined thus far. In class lecture, however, presents research and theorizing motivated by
several of these theories. Dr. Langley directly identifies some of these but does not do so for all
topics. Listed below are topics from previous chapters paired with theoretical perspectives. Decide
which of these pairs is accurate. Circle the letter of the best answer and explain why it is the best
answer and why the other answers are not as good.
a. Reciprocal socialization: psychoanalytic theory
b. Attachment: cognitive theory
c. Temperament: ethological theory
d. The father’s role: behavioral theory
e. Day care: ecological theory
16. Attachment is a major topic in the study of infant social development. Which of the following
statements best represents an assumption by attachment researchers rather than an inference or an
observation? Circle the letter of the best answer and explain why it is the best answer and why the
other answers are not as good.
a. An infant cries when separated from its mother because it is attached to its mother.
b. The most important relationship in an infant’s life involves attachment to a primary caretaker
c. Stressed 12-month-old babies direct their behavior toward their mothers
d. Providing an infant with a comfortable, safe environment creates an attachment bond between an
infant and caretaker
e. Some babies do not look at their mothers or try to be near them in the Strange Situation is seen in
both systematic and casual observations of infants. It is one way that researchers and caregivers
have seen babies behave in the presence of their mothers.APSY-UE 1271
17. Your professor considers many claims about diverse aspects of the cognitive functioning of
preschool children. Although the picture of their cognitive skills is fairly consistently presented in
the text, some of the studies contradict one another. Which of the following statements is
contradicted by information elsewhere in the text? Circle the letter of the best answer and explain
why it is the best answer and why the other answers are not as good. Hint: Cite the specific
finding (or findings) that confirms or contradicts the claim in question.
a. The statement that as indicated by their performance on the three mountains task, young children
cannot take the perspective of others.
b. The finding that young children find it difficult to pay attention to more than one feature,
characteristic, or dimension of a task at the same time
c. The statement that an aspect of preoperational thought is that nonliving things are thought to have
the characteristics of living things
d. Memory span increases rapidly between the ages of 2 and 7 years.
e. Around 3 years of age, children are able to talk about things that are not physically present
18. We devotes some effort to describing the nature of cognition in early childhood and to identifying
the experiences presumed to promote cognition; however, we seldom directly show the
relationship between ideas and observations. On the contrary, the job of synthesizing this
information is left to the learner. According to your synthesis of information in the chapter, which
of the following statements makes the most sense? Circle the letter of the best answer and explain
why it is the best answer and why the other answers are not as good.
a. The statement that Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories contradict one another
b. The sentence stating that the Montessori approach is the most effective early education program
c. The statement that the development of language is very different from, and unrelated to, the
development of thought
d. The concept of a child-centered kindergarten is clearly based on Piaget’s theory of cognitive
development
e. The statement that both Piagetian tests and information-processing tasks reveal that the
preschooler’s mind is qualitative
19. Tremendous research has examined physical development in early childhood including research
on height differences, second-hand smoke, and brain development. Which of the following
statements best represents an assumption by researchers, rather than an inference or an
observation? Circle the letter of the best answer and explain why it is the best answer and why the
other answers are not as good.
a. The statement that differences in physical activity, basal metabolism, and efficiency with which
children use energy, help explain the varying energy needs of individual children of the same age,
sex, and size
b. The statement that the two most important contributors to height differences around the world are
ethnic origins and nutrition
c. Exposure to tobacco smoke increases children’s risk for developing a number of medical
problems
d. The statement that children’s brains experience rapid, distinct spurts of growth
e. The statement that myelination is important in the maturation of a number of children’s abilitiesAPSY-UE 1271
20. Child psychologists advocate authoritative parenting because this parenting style is associated
with so many valued developmental outcomes. But because this parenting style is so popular and
well supported, it is easy to overgeneralize its benefits and to conclude that all desirable
developmental outcomes are related to it. Which of the following outcomes associated with early
childhood is LEAST likely to result from authoritative parenting? Circle the letter of the best
answer and explain why it is the best answer and why the other answers are not as good.
a. Competence at cooperative play
b. A relatively positive adjustment to a divorce
c. Development of a pervasive sense of guilt, especially after misbehavior
d. The development of higher levels of moral reasoning
e. The development of perspective taking
21. When considering gender issues discussed in the text 8, the text clearly indicates how a variety of
theoretical perspectives attempt to understand developmental gender phenomena. However, his
treatment of other topics in the text is not so explicitly linked to theoretical perspectives. For this
question, your task is to decide which of the following topics is a reasonable match with the
perspective paired with it. Circle the letter of the best answer and explain why it is the best
answer and why the other answers are not as good.
a. Effects of divorce on children: psychoanalytic theory
b. Effects of television viewing: social cognitive theory
c. Self-understanding: behavioral theory
d. Working-parent solutions: ethological theory
22. The study of gender role development is fraught with assumptions. For example, one popular
belief has been that males are biologically superior to females. Which of the following statements
constitutes an assumption in this treatment of gender rather than an inference or an observation?
Circle the letter of the best answer and explain why it is the best answer and why the other
answers are not as good.
a. The statement that in the first few weeks of gestation, male and female embryos look alike
b. The statement that the development of gender roles results from an intersection of biological and
environmental factors
c. The statement that peers cause boys to be masculine and girls to be feminine
d. The statement that parents’ differential treatment of boys and girls causes boys and girls to
acquire different gender roles
e. The statement that when not required to do otherwise, preschool boys and girls play with children
of their own sex
23. The study of cognitive development and intelligence has provided a model for studying other
aspects of psychological development. For example, researchers have applied the methods and
theories originally devised to study children’s minds to aspects of children’s personality and
social development. This exercise requires you to identify the approach to intelligence that seems
to have been most influential in research on each topic below. Present reasons for each of your
choices, and also indicate which approach appears to have been most widely used in the works on
personality and social development. Note that this exercise differs from previous ones in that you
do not have to identify a best answer; on the contrary, you should develop arguments for each
item.
a. Constructivist approach to education
b. Social cognition
c. Masculinity, femininity, and androgyny
d. Moral developmentAPSY-UE 1271
24. Review the brief description of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of sociocultural influences in
the text. Then, determine which of the following findings is correctly matched with one of the
systems described in the model. Circle the letter of the best answer and explain why it is the best
answer and why the other answers are not as good.
a. Microsystem: Children spend less time with their parents because they are spending more time
with their peers
b. Mesosystem: Children from middle-class families enjoy school more than children from lower
class families
c. Chronosystem: The gender roles that children are encouraged to adopt today are more diverse
than those prevalent a decade ago
d. Macrosystem: Peers influence children’s development by accepting, neglecting, or rejecting each
other
e. Exosystem: Adolescents who have stepparents are more likely to experience problems in close
relationships outside the family
