EXAM 1
Chapter 1: Introduction
1. Describe how the
traditional approach to development differs from the life-span approach.
2. The case study
featuring Alice Walker - Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and social activist -
state that when Walker was 8, her brother accidentally shot her in the eye with
a BB gun, blinding and disfiguring her.
Life-span developmentalists would hold that this incident would have
significantly influenced Walker’s development.
Which type of contextual influence would this incident constitute? Why?
3. In addition to
chronological age, list and briefly describe the three other ways that “age”
has been conceptualized. Your opinion…are we becoming an age irrelevant
society? Yes or no…why?
4. Describe the
relationship between a theory and a hypothesis and give an example of each.
5. What are the
major differences between Erikson, Bandura, and Piaget’s theories? One sentence
each please…
6. What
theoretical theory makes the most sense to you and why? One sentence please…
7. Explain eclectic theoretical orientation. What is the merit in using such an
orientation?
8. Name one advantage and one disadvantage of using surveys
as a way to collect data. Ditto for the experimental design. Ditto for a cross
sectional study.
9. If, as a
developmental researcher, you wished to study in-depth the life and mind of Ted
Kaczynski - the notorious Unabomber - who is featured at the beginning of this
chapter, which method of data collection would you adopt? Why?
10. Briefly explain
the independent variable and the dependent variable in an experiment. Describe the relationship between them.
11. In your opinion, what was the most interesting
correlation study posted at the discussion board for chapters 1 and 2 and why?
Chapter 2: Biological Beginnings
1. Give examples of
four genetic principals.
2. List and explain
three sex-linked chromosomal abnormalities.
3. Name and
describe three prenatal diagnostic tests.
4. List three
possible causes of infertility in women and in men.
5. Chapter 1
mentions how John Bowlby illustrated an important application of ethological
theory to human development by stressing that attachment to a caregiver over
the first year of life has important consequences throughout the life
span. How would you connect this
ethological concept to the differences in outcomes for adopted and non-adopted
children?
6. Identify and
describe the two common studies used by behavior geneticists to investigate the
influence of heredity on behavior.
7. What are the
three ways that heredity and environment are correlated as described by
behavior geneticist Sandra Scarr?
8. Define shared
and non-shared environmental experiences and give an example of each.
9. Assume that in
the case study of the Jim and Jim twins, it is found that their similar
development trajectories were a result of their similar characteristics which
caused them to seek out similar environments compatible and stimulating to
them. Which heredity-environment
correlation is reflected in this scenario?
Chapter 3: Prenatal Development and Birth
1. Describe the
three main periods of prenatal development.
2. Define and give
an example of a teratogen. Reflect back on the thalidomide tragedy. What did
you learn from that media selection?
3. Describe the
effect of alcohol on prenatal development.
4. Jonathan is now
18 years old. He has always been curious about some of the problems that he has
in term of academics. He was placed in special education courses from K-12th
grade. He has difficulty with tasks that involve memory, specifically using his
working memory system. He also has problems with memory retrieval. Which
teratogen mentioned in our text might Jonathan have been exposed to prenatally?
Explain why you have selected this specific teratogen. It is not alcohol…
5. Describe the
effect of AIDS on pregnancy and childbirth.
6. Midwives or
doulas, which one would you rather be and why?
7. Name and give an
example of three different types of drugs that are used for labor.
8. Explain two
non-medicated techniques used in childbirth to reduce stress and pain/discomfort.
9. Describe the
risks and benefits of cesarean delivery.
10. Describe the
major symptoms, possible causes and treatment for postpartum depression.
Chapter 4: Physical Development in Infancy
1. Briefly explain
and give examples of the cephalocaudal and proximodistal patterns of
development.
2. Despite advances
in brain-imaging technology, the electroencephalogram is used most to study
brain development. Explain why this is
the case, and identify what the electroencephalogram measures.
3. Name the
function of each of the four lobes of the brain and then explain the different
types of neurons and their function. Explain what lateralization means.
4. Explain the
synapse and the mentioned neurotransmitters and their function.
5. List five risk
factors that are associated with the likelihood of an infant dying from sudden
infant death syndrome (SIDS). Use chapter 3, Biology of behavior and explain
the brain involvement with SIDS
6. Ginny just had a
baby and is considering bottle feeding her as she plans to return to work very
soon. She is worried though that she
will be unable to form a strong attachment with her baby if she doesn’t breast
feed her. Based on recent research, what
would you tell her?
7. Name three
situations where mothers are advised NOT to breast feed their infants.
8. Define gross and
fine motor skills, and give an example of each.
Explain the brain involvement in gross and fine motor skills.
9. To assess an
infant’s attention to sound, researchers often use a method called
high-amplitude sucking. Describe how
this method is used. Also, based on the
section on experimental research in chapter 1, identify the independent and
dependent variables in this experiment.
Chapter 5: Cognitive Development in Infancy
1. List (in order)
Jean Piaget’s six substages of the sensorimotor stage of cognitive development
and give an example of a behavior occurring for each stage.
2. Schemes are
neurons….explain. What are the processes
of accommodation and assimilation? How
are they related to schemes? What are cognitive equilibrium and cognitive
disequilibrium according to Piaget?
3. Jean Piaget
observes that at 1 year, 2 months, his
daughter “Jacqueline holds in her hands an object which is new to her: a round,
flat box which she turns all over, shakes, [and] rubs against the bassinet…She
lets it go and tries to pick it up. But
she only succeeds in touching it with her index finger, without grasping it. She nevertheless makes an attempt and presses
on the edge. The box then tilts up and
falls again.” Jacqueline shows an
interest in this result and studies the fallen box. Which of Piaget’s six substages of
sensorimotor development does this behavior reflect?
4. One recent study
revealed that habituation assessed at 3 or 6 months of age was linked to verbal
skills and intelligence assessed at 32 months of age. How can parents use the concepts of
habituation and dishabituation to better interact with their babies, and maybe,
in the process, boost their verbal skills and intelligence?
5. Distinguish
between explicit memory and implicit memory, and give an example of each.
6. What is
infantile amnesia? What explanation is
given for this phenomenon?
7. How is the Fagan
Test of Infant Intelligence different from both the Gesell Test and the Bayley
Scales of Infant Development?
8. Long before
infants speak recognizable words, they produce a number of vocalizations. Describe some of these vocalizations in the
order that they appear in infants. Discuss the speech centers of the brain.
9. Define receptive
vocabulary and spoken vocabulary. What
is the relationship between the two?
10. What is
child-directed speech? What are some
other strategies adults use to increase infants’ acquisition of language?
Chapter 6: Socioemotional Development in Infancy
1. Distinguish
between the primary emotions and self-conscious or other-conscious
emotions. Give an example of each type
of emotion.
2. The first
communications identified in babies are the cries. Which type of cry gets
parents activated and moving to respond to them, the baby? Explain…
3. The baby smiles
when she is sleeping. What type of smile is that? I am frustrated because my
baby does not smile at me when could I expect a smile reaction to my smile?
4. What is stranger
anxiety, and when does it develop? What
is separation protest, and when does it peak?
5. Describe the
emotional regulation and coping that infants develop over the initial years.
6. What is
temperament? Really, that is what temperament is? Well, my baby is going to
have to tough it out and get used to my schedule because I am not changing my
routine just because I now have a baby. What temperament classification of baby
will fit best with this persons demands, and why?
7. List the three
types of temperament as classified by Alexander Chess and Stella Thomas. Describe the characteristics of babies in
each of the categories.
8. Briefly describe
the four phases of attachment as identified by John Bowlby. Attachment is
possibly the most important topic mentioned in our text. Our attachment people
offer us a foundation, are a support system for us, and build our authentic
confidence throughout the life-span.
9. Describe the
three main types of insecurely attached infants.
10. Describe the
Strange Situation. What is an important
criticism of this method?
11. Explain
reciprocal socialization and scaffolding.
Chapter 7: Physical and Cognitive Development in Early
Childhood
1. Define what
Piaget meant by an operation.
2. Briefly describe
the two stages of preoperational thought.
3. What is the zone
of proximal development (ZPD)? What are
its lower and upper limits?
4. List three ways
that Lev Vygotsky’s theory can be incorporated in classrooms.
5. What are the
criticisms leveled against Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development?
6. Research with
the memory-span task suggests that short-term memory increases during early
childhood. Why does memory span change
with age and what are the brain centers for the brain involved in memory…use
chapter 3 Biology of Behavior.
7. Identify the
factors that can influence the accuracy of a young child’s memory.
8. Connect the
concept of the overextension of words by infants discussed in chapter 5 with
the concept of overgeneralization of morphological rules discussed in this chapter.
9. What are the
criticisms of the Montessori approach to early education?
10. In the Reggio
Emilia approach, children are encouraged to learn by investigating and
exploring topics that interest them. A
wide range of stimulating media and materials is available for children to use
as they learn and children often explore topics in a group with two co-teachers
present to serve as guides for children.
Connect this approach to the concept of developmentally appropriate
practice (DAP) in children’s education.
11. Using Chapter 3,
Biology of Behavior, explain the brain areas of the brain involved in
attachment and temperament.
Chapter 8: Socioemotional Development in Early Childhood
1. Explain Erik
Erikson’s stage of initiative versus guilt.
2. Young children’s
self-descriptions are typically unrealistically positive. Why is that?
3. Define
self-conscious emotions and provide two examples. What are the two criteria necessary for
children to experience self-conscious emotions?
4. What are some of
the differences between emotion-coaching and emotion-dismissing parents?
5. Name and briefly
describe the two stages of moral reasoning in children as identified by Jean
Piaget.
6. Name and briefly
describe the three major social theories of gender.
7. Cultures around
the world tend to give mothers and fathers different roles in parenting. Describe the different socializing strategies
that mothers and fathers use in raising their children. Add personal examples
please.
8. In your opinion,
what is a good story to tell children to help them learn solid moral
development so as to fit in to schools in the United States?
9. Should parents
stay in an unhappy or conflicted marriage for the sake of their children?
10. Ellen Galinsky
and Judy David developed a number of guidelines for communicating with children
about divorce. Which one of these
guidelines connects with the concept of emotion-coaching?
Chapter 9: Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle and
Late Childhood
1. Explain height
and weight changes that take place during middle and late childhood and explain
how poverty influences height and weight.
2. Identify and
describe the most common child cancer.
3. Describe the
three types of learning disabilities.
4. What are the
treatment options available for children with attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder (ADHD)? Jonathan Mooney calls ADHD neurodiversity. What do you think
of his idea of neurodiversity?
5. Discuss what the
purpose IDEA.
6. Contrast
convergent thinking with divergent thinking.
7. According to
Robert J. Steinberg, which type of intelligence in students is most likely to
be favored in conventional schooling?
8. What are the
barriers to creating culture-fair tests?
9. Is giftedness a
product of heredity or environment? Explain your position
10. Alfie is learning
how to spell. He spells “read” as “reed”
and “wrong” as “rong” based on how he pronounces those words. Based on this information, which approach to
reading instruction would you say is most likely adopted by Alfie’s teacher?
Chapter 10: Socioemotional Development in Middle and Late
Childhood
1. How does the
development of self-understanding change from middle to late childhood?
2. Distinguish
between self-esteem and self-concept.
3. Define
self-efficacy. How do children with low
self-efficacy for learning differ from children having high self-efficacy for
learning?
4. List the levels
of Lawrence Kohlberg’s theory of moral development.
5. Explain the
concept of androgyny and give an example of a person who is androgynous.
6. Distinguish
between the constructivists and direct instruction approaches to student
learning.
7. List three
possible problems associated with state-mandated testing in the schools.
8. How do schools
in low-income areas compare with those in high-income areas?
9. List the
strategies for improving relations among ethnically diverse students. Realize
that the surface of the iceberg is not what we are hoping for.
10. In analyzing the
performance of American students compared to students in selected Asian
countries, what differences did Stevenson and his colleagues observe between
the Asian and American parents?
Chapter 11: Physical and
Cognitive Development in Adolescence
1. Explore and then explain the link between
hormones and behavior in adolescence.
2. Discuss how early or late maturation
affects males and females.
3. Why is bulimia often more difficult to
detect than anorexia?
4. What does it mean to be, “sexually mature”?
How does this happen? Include brain information
5. Discuss two aspects of adolescent egocentrism
and offer an example of each.
6. Outline formal operational
thought and explain how this new cognitive ability may improve critical
thinking, hypothetical deductive reasoning, executive functioning, and may
assist in college or career preparation.
7. What, based upon your own experiences
and text referencing should be the role that parents play during adolescence?
How much will culture dictate how the role is defined? Please use your own
experience and the text explanations.
8. Outline the recommendations
that you would have to design more effective schools for adolescents.
9. What is service learning? When is it most effective?
Chapter 12: Socioemotional
Development in Adolescence
1. Explain the concept of psychosocial
moratorium.
2. Briefly describe the elements identified by
James Maria as determining an individual’s identity status.
3. Which status of identity would be most
closely linked to an authoritarian style of parenting as described by Diana
Baumrind (Chapter 8)?
4. Discuss the issue of ethnic identity in the
third and later generations of immigrants.
5. Researchers have found that adolescents’
disclosure to parents about their whereabouts, activities and friends is linked
to positive adolescent adjustment. Which
style of parenting described in chapter 8 would be most conducive to
encouraging voluntary disclosure by adolescents?
6. How can parents help their adolescents to
develop the ability to attain autonomy, gain control over their behavior and
make mature decision?
7. In which situations are adolescents most
likely to conform to peers?
8. The discretionary time available to U.S.
adolescents is greater than that available to their counterparts in East Asia,
Europe and other industrialized countries.
Analyze if this additional discretionary time is an asset or a liability
for U.S. adolescents.
9. Discuss the special concerns that have
emerged about children’s and adolescents’ access to information in the
Internet.
10. Discuss how some characteristics of lower SES
might promote juvenile delinquency.
Chapter 13: Physical and
Cognitive Development in Early Adulthood
1. List the five key features identified by
Jeffrey Arnet as characterizing emerging adulthood. What do you think of each
of these suggested features?
2. Identify the factors that predict a
positive outcome and recovery from alcoholism. Should we be teaching relapse
prevention?
3. Identify a challenge faced by adult smokers
who are trying to quit.
4. According to psychologist Laura Brown, how
can lesbians and gay males adapt to a world in which they are a minority?
5. List two reasons that death due to HIV/AIDS
has begun to decline in the United States.
6. What is postformal thought like in
practice? Have you ever had to help someone make a Medicare selection? It will
definitely get you into post formal operational thought!!!
7. In interviews with 12- to 22-year-olds,
Damon found that only about 20 percent had a clear vision of where they want to
go in life, what they want to achieve and why.
Slightly more than 20 percent expressed no aspirations and in some
instances said they didn’t see any reason to have aspirations. What identity status would you associate with
these two groups based on the discussion on James Marcia’s concept in chapter
12? Isn’t it okay to not have aspirations between the ages of 12 and 22?
8. Discuss some of the positives and
negatives of working while in college.
Chapter 14: Socioemotional
Development in Early Adulthood
1. What is temperament? What is its connection to adult personality?
2. Describe the three attachment styles and
explain how attachments influence relationships, and careers.
3. Briefly describe the link between the
serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and adult unresolved attachment.
4. Explain consensual validation and the
matching hypothesis. Give an example of each.
5. Compare women’s and male’s friendship
patterns.
6. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of
being single in early adulthood.
7. Does cohabitation influence marital
satisfaction? Discuss the possible
reasons for this.
8. List a few reasons why remarried adults
often find it difficult to stay remarried.
9. Discuss the misconceptions about gay and
lesbian couples. Why do you think that these misconceptions exist?
10. What are some of the advantages of having
children later? What are some advantages of having children earlier? When is
the correct time to have children?
11. Describe the different communication styles
identified by Deborah Tannen and describe the gender differences in its usage.
How might this communication style sabotage relationships?
Chapter 15: Physical and
Cognitive Development in Middle Adulthood
1. Identify three of the physical changes that
take place during middle adulthood for both males and females.
2. Describe the differences between LDL and
HDL and some of the changes one can make in lifestyle to affect cholesterol
levels.
3. What are the leading causes of death in
middle adulthood?
4. Describe hormone replacement therapy and
identify some of its risks.
5. What are the hormonal changes related to
the development in middle-aged men?
6. What are the significant findings regarding
sexual attitudes and behaviors of middle-aged adults?
7. Distinguish between crystallized
intelligence and fluid intelligence, and explain how they may change in middle
adulthood.
8. List four strategies that distinguish an
expert from a novice.
9. Discuss the career challenges faced by
middle-aged workers in the 21st century.
Chapter 16: Socioemotional
Development in Middle Adulthood
1. Identify and discuss the seventh stage of
Erikson’s psychosocial life-span development perspective.
2. Describe the transition to middle adulthood
according to Levinson. Explain why his research is criticized and how
Gilligan’s perspective is different.
3. Explain the contemporary life-events
approach to development.
4. Describe how middle-aged adults perceive
control over what happens to them.
5. Define social clock.
6. Is it true that most stage theories have a
male bias? How differently do women
experience middle age?
7. Based on the findings of the Berkeley
Longitudinal Studies, what is the major criticism against stage theories?
8. Describe the advantages that middle-aged
women in non-industrialized societies may experience.
9. Middle adults are often charged with the
responsibility of caring for aging parents and raising adolescents. How does
this responsibility influence health and social interactions?
Chapter 17: Physical Development
in Late Adulthood
1. What is the difference between life span
and life expectancy?
2. What is the argument presented by the
evolutionary theory of aging?
3. Discuss the cellular clock theory of aging.
4. Discuss the free-radical theory of aging.
5. Discuss the hormonal stress theory of
aging.
6. Describe the shrinking of the brain in the
aging process.
7. List three major findings from the Nun
Study on aging.
8. Describe the major changes in physical
appearance and movement in old age.
9. What are the three major eye diseases that
can impact the vision of older adults?
10. Describe the major changes in sexual
functioning among older males.
11. Define chronic disorders, and briefly
describe major chronic conditions affecting the older population.
12. What is the “invisible epidemic” among older
adults?
Chapter 18: Cognitive Development
in Late Adulthood
1. Contrast cognitive mechanics and cognitive
pragmatics, and give examples of each.
2. Analyze the terms fluid mechanic and
crystallized pragmatics.
3. Discuss the three types of attention.
4. Describe the status of semantic memory as
individual’s age.
5. Do beliefs, expectations and feelings
influence memory? What are the other
non-cognitive factors affecting memory?
6. What is the impact of training on cognitive
skills of older adults? Are the benefits
transferable across domains?
7. What is Denise Park and Patricia
Reuter-Lorenz’s view on the aging and cognition?
8. Describe the status of the language aspect
of discourse in aging.
9. Discuss the factors involved in employment
for older adults. What are the
challenges?
10. What are the important factors influencing
depression in older adults?
11. Define dementia and its warning signs.
12. Briefly describe Alzheimer disease.
Chapter 19: Socioemotional
Development in Late Adulthood
1. Name and briefly discuss Erikson’s final
stage of development.
2. What does activity theory suggest for older
adults?
3. Describe the socioemotional selectivity
theory.
4. What are the two important classes of goals
identified by socioemotional theory? How
do they differ across different age periods?
5. Describe the selective optimization with
compensation model.
6. What does studies on personal life
investments across age groups reveal?
7. What are the Big Five personality factors
that influence mortality of older adults?
8. Why is self-esteem least stable in early
childhood? How stable is self-esteem in
late adulthood?
9. What can be done to manage the negative
effects of aging on self-control? Does
the importance of the strategies differ across age groups?
10. What are the typical effects of ageism?
Explain micro-aggressions and stereo-type threats that may occur.
11. How does generational inequity influence
policymaking?
12. Describe the changes that occur in a
traditional couple during the final stage of the marriage process, and how they
adjust to these changes.
13. What is the role of gender in relationships
involving older adult parents and their children?
14. Do older adults feel less lonely than their
younger counterparts? Why?
15. Describe the influence of ethnicity in older
adulthood.
Chapter 20: Death, Dying and
Grieving
1. Describe the components of the death system
according to Robert Kastenbaum.
2. Discuss the definition of brain death, and
the criteria involved in its determination.
3. Define advance directive.
4. Define euthanasia. Name and describe the two types of
euthanasia.
5. Discuss “good death”.
6. Define hospice and explain its focus.
7. Describe common reactions to death of
younger adults who are dying.
8. Kübler-Ross’ stages of dying were designed
and researched and applied to those who had been diagnosed with a terminal
illness. There is not correct, specific pattern to her stages. In reality you
may go from denial through acceptance within an hour or linger in one stage for
months. The question is….how do these stages influence loved ones who are
watching, caring for, and spending time with a terminally ill person that they
love?
9. As you know, there is no such thing as
closure. You need to learn to live with the death of a loved one, and that
learning to “live with” is very challenging and takes time. Now that you have
read about death and dying in another country, read our text, and perhaps had
some personal experiences with death, what in your opinion would be most
supportive for someone who has experienced the death of a loved one?
10. How does denial impact individuals’
adaption to approaching death?
11. What are some of the advantages of having
dying individuals know that they are dying and that significant others know
they are dying?
12. Define grief and discuss its major
dimensions.