Chapter 4

Question 1

As a developmental psychologist, Shira has invested 30 years into studying cognitive changes in the same group of 3,000 Americans from age 10 to age 40. This is an example of a/an ___ study.

Answer 1

longitudinal

Question 2

As a mother, Hannah expects her children to obey her rules without question and without talking back to her. What kind of parenting style does Hannah have?

Answer 2

authoritarian

Question 3

It’s well known that growing up in a poor family can put a child at risk for some problems. What can happen with children who grow up in wealthy families?

Answer 3

They’re at higher risk for different problems than children in poverty

Question 4

___ is defined as the end of a woman’s menstrual cycles and therefore the end of her fertility.

Answer 4

Menopause

Question 5

The scientific name for a fertilized egg is:

Answer 5

zygote

Question 6

Early theories on the development of morality, such as Kohlberg’s, focused primarily on ___; more recent work by Haidt and others emphasizes ___.

Answer 6

reasoning; intuition

brain changes; social factors

Question 7

In early childhood and in certain contexts even in adulthood, we can have problems perceiving things from another person’s point of view. Piaget called this ___.

Answer 7

egocentrism

Question 8

In which of Piaget’s stages of cognitive development are we able to think logically about abstract concepts?

Answer 8

formal operational

Question 9

___ infants (especially premature infants) has long-lasting benefits, including faster neurological development, lower stress levels, and better cognitive development.

Answer 9

Touching

Question 10

In his theory of cognitive development, Piaget stated that we use two processes to handle new information or experiences. What are these two activities called?

Answer 10

assimilation and accommodation

Question 11

For the normal development of some skills, the organism has to be exposed to certain stimuli or experiences within a certain time frame, known as ___.

Answer 11

a critical period.

Question 12

In healthy older people, ___ improves neural connections and the development of new nerve cells in some brain regions.

Answer 12

exercising

Question 13

___ are things such as viruses or drugs that can harm an embryo or fetus.

Answer 13

teratogens

Question 14

Current research suggests that the main source of symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is:

Answer 14

poor parenting.

poor communication among brain regions that usually work together

Question 15

Piaget’s theory of cognitive development centers on conceptual frameworks that organize the information a person gets from the environment. Piaget called this framework a:

Answer 15

schema.

Question 16

In Western cultures, the age range from about 18 to the mid 20s is now known as:

Answer 16

emerging adulthood

Question 17

What is the difference between adolescence and puberty?

Answer 17

Puberty refers specifically to sexual maturation; adolescence is broader.
Adolescence is influenced by culture; puberty is not.
Adolescence ends when a person is an independent adult; puberty ends when a person can reproduce.

All of the above are accurate.

Question 18

One way developmental psychologists have learned so much about what infants can perceive is by monitoring how long an infant pays attention to something, such as an unfamiliar noise or image. When presented with it repeatedly, an infant usually stops responding to it. This is known as ___.

Answer 18

habituation