CHAPTER 1
Themes and Theories
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Development is defined as the
a. / period of time between birth and adolescence.b. / period during which a child becomes an adult.
c. / physical and psychological changes in an individual over a lifetime.
d. / physical and psychological changes that occur from conception to adolescence.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: E REF: 4
OBJ: What Is Development? MSC: TYPE: C
2. ______is the discipline concerned with the scientific study of changes in human behaviors and mental activities over time.
a. / Child psychology / c. / Systematic theory researchb. / Behavioral science / d. / Developmental psychology
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: E REF: 5
OBJ: What Is Development? MSC: TYPE: C
3. Dr. Barenboin is a biologist and a researcher interested in children and their development, thus she is part of the field of ______.
a. / developmental psychology / c. / child psychologyb. / developmental science / d. / behavioral science
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: D REF: 5
OBJ: What Is Development? KEY: WWW MSC: TYPE: A
4. A good theory goes beyond the simple explanation of a phenomenon to ______the occurrence of that phenomenon.
a. / describe / c. / changeb. / refute / d. / predict
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 6
OBJ: What Is Development? MSC: TYPE: C
5. A theory that explains and predicts behavior is useful for
a. / translating ideas into applications.b. / translating theories into hypotheses.
c. / turning hypotheses into social policy.
d. / turning research methods into training programs.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: D REF: 6
OBJ: What Is Development? MSC: TYPE: C
6. ______are plans and efforts established by local, regional, or national organizations and agencies designed to achieve a particular purpose with respect to the members of a society.
a. / Social theories / c. / Social hypothesesb. / Social policies / d. / Social gatherings
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: E REF: 6
OBJ: What Is Development? MSC: TYPE: C
7. Which of the following is not an example of the ways in which research can assist in the social policy?
a. / Identifying social problems that limit or interfere with child developmentb. / Designing and carrying out programs to reduce or eliminate factors that hinder children’s psychological health
c. / Lobbying for government involvement in the allocation of funds to child welfare
d. / Shedding light on the cultural and social goals that are most beneficial to children
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 6
OBJ: What Is Development? MSC: TYPE: A
8. A central question in developmental psychology is whether the child’s development is the result of genetic endowment or environmental influences. This question is usually referred to as the
a. / behavior analysis debate. / c. / psychosocial debate.b. / biology-destiny debate. / d. / nature-nurture debate.
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 7
OBJ: What Is Development? MSC: TYPE: C
9. A psychologist who attributes the development of a particular trait to nature is presuming that the trait is a result of
a. / sociocultural influences.b. / genetic endowment.
c. / an imitated set of behaviors.
d. / a learned response to environmental stimuli.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 7
OBJ: How Do Nature and Nurture Interact in Development? KEY: WWW
MSC: TYPE: C
10. As a very curious child, Andrea is constantly asking her parents numerous questions about everything she experiences. Based on these question and answer exchanges, Andrea is constantly learning new things about the world around her. This is an example of
a. / the sociocultural influence on development.b. / the role of resilience in development.
c. / the importance of nurture in development.
d. / the importance of nature in development.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: E REF: 7–8
OBJ: How Does the Sociocultural Context Influence Development?
MSC: TYPE: A
11. If a psychologist believes that the unique customs, values, and beliefs of a larger social community are responsible for the development of a particular trait, to which key theme in development does that psychologist subscribe?
a. / Continuity versus discontinuity / c. / Child’s active roleb. / Sociocultural influence / d. / Nature versus nurture
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 8
OBJ: How Does the Sociocultural Context Influence Development?
MSC: TYPE: C
12. Development can be viewed as a ______process in which new attainments in thinking, language, and social behavior are characterized by gradual, steady, and small quantitative advances.
a. / stagelike / c. / continuousb. / discontinuous / d. / retrograde
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 9
OBJ: Is Development Continuous or Discontinuous? KEY: WWW
MSC: TYPE: C
13. A stage in development is a period of time in which behavior
a. / is not noticeably different from that of another period.b. / is quantitatively different from that of another period.
c. / changes in gradual and continuous increments.
d. / is qualitatively different from that of another period.
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: E REF: 9
OBJ: Is Development Continuous or Discontinuous? MSC: TYPE: C
14. Dr. Marchant views development as a ______process, where quantitative advances are made gradually. Dr. Bowman, on the other hand, views development as a ______process, where advances are characterized by abrupt, qualitative shifts in thinking and behavior.
a. / discontinuous; continuous / c. / cognitive; metacognitiveb. / continuous; discontinuous / d. / metacognitive; cognitive
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 9
OBJ: Is Development Continuous or Discontinuous? MSC: TYPE: A
15. Individual differences in development are
a. / the result of random mutations of genes inherited from parents.b. / most likely a product of a wide range of interacting biological and environmental influences.
c. / primarily the outcome of sociocultural influences.
d. / merely the expression of an individual’s personal experiences.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 10
OBJ: How Do the Various Domains of Development Interact? MSC: TYPE: C
16. Andy is small for his age and is usually picked last when his classmates choose teams for sports. As a result, Andy is very shy and has had a hard time developing good social skills. This example illustrates that
a. / various domains of development interact with one another.b. / school children are unsympathetic toward their shy classmates.
c. / school children are unsympathetic toward their small classmates.
d. / social development does not interact with physical development.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 10
OBJ: How Do the Various Domains of Development Interact? KEY: WWW
MSC: TYPE: A
17. Even though medieval children were incorporated quickly into the adult world, they were
a. / often sold into apprenticeships as teenagers.b. / not allowed to work until they were teenagers.
c. / recognized both as different from adults and as possessing special needs.
d. / considered to be the same as adults but with less physical strength and stature.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 13
OBJ: The Concept of Childhood MSC: TYPE: C
18. John Locke’s view of the newborn mind as a tabula rasa means that the child is
a. / a noble savage incapable of wrongdoing.b. / a noble savage capable of wrongdoing.
c. / a blank slate upon which a genetic program unfolds its plans.
d. / a blank slate upon which experiences are etched.
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: E REF: 13
OBJ: The Concept of Childhood MSC: TYPE: C
19. The philosophical theory that environmental experiences shape the individual’s development is known as
a. / tabula rasa. / c. / empiricism.b. / enlightenment. / d. / behaviorism.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 13
OBJ: The Concept of Childhood KEY: WWW MSC: TYPE: C
20. It has been said that Rousseau’s ideas on the nature of education were incorporated into the twentieth-century writings of Jean Piaget. Both Rousseau and Piaget believed that
a. / teachers should capitalize on the natural curiosity of children and allow them to discover and construct their own knowledge.b. / children should be forced to memorize by rote the information that adults in the larger society deem necessary.
c. / children are passive subjects that require great structure in education.
d. / education should not be based upon reason until the teen years.
ANS: A PTS: 1 DIF: D REF: 14
OBJ: The Concept of Childhood, Piaget’s Cognitive-Developmental Theory
MSC: TYPE: C
21. Joseph is maintaining a daily journal of his newborn daughter’s behavior. His written observation is similar to an early form of developmental research called
a. / naturalistic observation. / c. / a baby biography.b. / an experiment. / d. / a cross-sectional study.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 15
OBJ: The Origins of Developmental Psychology MSC: TYPE: A
22. Wilhelm Preyer was the first baby biographer to suggest that observations of children be conducted systematically and scientifically. Which of the following would not be one of his suggestions?
a. / That observations be taken immediatelyb. / That observations be repeated several times a day
c. / That observations be taken unobtrusively
d. / That observation be completed before language develops
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: D REF: 15
OBJ: The Origins of Developmental Psychology MSC: TYPE: C
23. As developer of the first formal assessment scale of intelligence, Alfred Binet is credited with being the pioneer of
a. / cross-cultural studies. / c. / the study of individual differences.b. / intellectual engineering. / d. / the comparison of groups of children.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 15
OBJ: The Origins of Developmental Psychology MSC: TYPE: C
24. Binet and Simon developed a series of tasks to
a. / systematically account for everything that children know.b. / identify patterns in mental capabilities that are unique to each child.
c. / design a computer-learning program for children in elementary school.
d. / identify how much formal knowledge children possess.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 16
OBJ: The Origins of Developmental Psychology MSC: TYPE: A
25. The theory proposed by ______that an individual’s personality originates in early forms of childhood sexuality and that gratification of this sexuality changes throughout various stages of development is called the ______theory of development.
a. / Erikson; psychosocial / c. / Freud; psychosocialb. / Erikson; psychosexual / d. / Freud; psychosexual
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: 8 REF: 16
OBJ: M MSC: TYPE: C
26. Freud identified five stages of psychosexual development, periods during which
a. / the oral id and the anal id compete for mental control.b. / the phallic id and the genital id compete for mental control.
c. / libidinal energy is tied to properties of the opposite sex parent.
d. / libidinal energy is usually associated with a specific area of the body.
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 16
OBJ: The Origins of Developmental Psychology KEY: WWW
MSC: TYPE: C
27. According to Freud, lack of opportunity to have needs sufficiently met or to express them adequately during a critical period is predicted to have
a. / no effect on development because the needs can be expressed as an adult.b. / negative consequences for how the child relates to others and for feelings of self-worth.
c. / positive consequences for how the child relates to others and for feelings of self-worth.
d. / irreversible affects on development that will later manifest as violent psychoses.
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 17
OBJ: The Origins of Developmental Psychology MSC: TYPE: C
28. Because Freud’s theory appears to emphasize occurrences germane to traditional Western societies, the theory of psychosexual development has been extensively criticized as being
a. / too liberal. / c. / culture bound.b. / too vague. / d. / inapplicable.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 17
OBJ: The Origins of Developmental Psychology MSC: TYPE: C
29. Dr. Johanssen is studying the ages at which most children are able to accomplish a certain developmental task, such as sitting or walking, referred to as
a. / milestones. / c. / instincts.b. / habits. / d. / norms.
ANS: D PTS: 1 DIF: E REF: 17
OBJ: The Continued Growth of Developmental Psychology in the Twentieth Century
MSC: TYPE: A
30. During the first part of the twentieth century, developmental psychologists gathered a wealth of descriptive information that eventually led to the establishment of many
a. / breakthroughs in pediatric medicine.b. / social policies regarding education.
c. / norms of development.
d. / government summits on child development.
ANS: C PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 17
OBJ: The Continued Growth of Developmental Psychology in the Twentieth Century
MSC: TYPE: A
31. Which of the following was a central question to Myrtle McGraw’s investigations of child development?
a. / Were Freud’s psychosexual stages of development accurate?b. / Is maturation or experience responsible for the sequence of motor behaviors most children seem to display?
c. / Who is more important to the child’s development of self, the mother or the father?
d. / Is there a difference between the mother’s and the father’s perceptions of the motor behaviors that children display?
ANS: B PTS: 1 DIF: M REF: 17
OBJ: The Continued Growth of Developmental Psychology in the Twentieth Century
KEY: WWW MSC: TYPE: A
32. The relatively permanent change in behavior as a result of experience is called