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?
