Ch 1 Flashcards
What is empirical research?
scientific studies
What are normative age-graded influences?
changes associated with age
The term _________ is almost synonymous with generation, but it is narrower in scope.
cohort
How do behavior geneticists primarily study the influence of genes on behaviors?
twin studies
What does epigenetic inheritance mean?
Gene expression can be modified by experience
When does age become just a number and not a predictor of a stage or behavior?
older adulthood
Which of the following is the best definition for the life-span developmental psychology approach?
Development occurs over the lifetime and is multidimensional, shaped by many causes
What is the key point of the bioecological model of development?
Development cannot be studied out of context
The _____________ method chooses different groups of subjects who represent a series of different ages and compares their responses.
cross-sectional
Which of the following is a combination of longitudinal and cross-sectional studies?
sequential study
Martha studies the personality traits that are central to a person’s life. For example, she notes that Maggie is introverted and has always loved crafts, such as knitting. These traits are examples of which concept that is central to developmental psychology?
stability
Carly was a teenage mom, who then became a grandmother at 35. Carly also found out that she was pregnant at the same time as her own daughter. This situation is an example of __________ stages.
atypical
Ellie notices her first gray hairs, and Jim is looking forward to retirement at age 65. What do these two events have in common?
they are both normative age-graded influences
Miguel is devastated when his wife of two years passes away from breast cancer at age 31. This situation is an example of a:
nonnormative life event
Jack has the gene for celiac disease, but it does not get turned on until he experiences a traumatic dental visit at age 7. This situation is an example of:
epigenetic considerations
Dr. Cundy, a behavior geneticist, is interested in conducting a twin study to investigate the influence genetics may have on a person’s propensity to be married. What problem is Dr. Cundy likely to face?
ethical considerations
Whitney is excited to finally celebrate her 21st birthday with her friends. They go out to dinner, and she orders a glass of wine. This situation is an example of __________ age.
chronological
Frank, a 38-year-old man, lives at home with his mother because he cannot keep a job longer than a month or two. Frank’s _________ age is lower than many of his peers who live independently with their spouses and children.
social
Tom is a stay-at-home father to his three girls. He is caring and attentive, known for hosting the best tea parties on the block. This situation is an example of which key concept from the life-span developmental approach?
Multidimensional
John’s development has been, on some level, influenced by the economy and political system since those affect which resources are available to him. These are examples of which one of Bronfenbrenner’s systems?
Macrosystem
What is a key difference between interviews and surveys?
Interviews tend to be open-ended, while surveys are structured
Sally conducts a survey and finds that as the age of her sample increases, the more likely people are to vote Republican. This is an example of which type of analysis?
correlational
Christina, who is working on her research design for her senior thesis in her development class, announces she wants to do a true experiment to explore alcoholism and Alzheimer’s. What do you say to her, and why?
True experiments are very difficult to do in development because you cannot have truly random group assignments
Stanley is conducting which type of study when he does longitudinal research on the development of people who were diagnosed with autism as children?
Quasi-experiment
