EXAM #1

Question 1

nature

Answer 1

our biological endowment; the
genes we receive from our parents

Question 2

nurture

Answer 2

the environments, both
physical and social, that influence our
development

Question 3

genome

Answer 3

each person’s complete set of hereditary information

Question 4

epigenetics

Answer 4

the study of stable
changes in gene expression that are mediated by the environment

Question 5

methylation

Answer 5

A biochemical process
that influences behavior by suppressing
gene activity and expression

Question 6

continuous development

Answer 6

the idea
that changes with age occur gradually, in
small increments, like that of a pine tree
growing taller and taller

Question 7

discontinuous development

Answer 7

the idea that changes with age include occasional large shifts, like the transition from caterpillar to cocoon to butterfly

Question 8

stage theories

Answer 8

approaches that pro-
pose that development involves a series of
discontinuous, age-related phases

Question 9

cognitive development

Answer 9

The development of thinking and reasoning

Question 10

neurotransmitters

Answer 10

chemicals involved in communication among brain
cells

Question 11

sociocultural context

Answer 11

the physical, social, cultural, economic, and historical circumstances that make up any child’s
environment

Question 12

socioeconomic status (SES)

Answer 12

a measure of social class based on income and
education

Question 13

scientific method

Answer 13

an approach to testing beliefs that involves choosing a question, formulating a hypothesis,
testing the hypothesis, and drawing a conclusion

Question 14

hypotheses

Answer 14

educated guesses

Question 15

reliability

Answer 15

the degree to which independent measurements of a given
behavior are consistent

Question 16

interrater reliability

Answer 16

the amount of
agreement in the observations of different
raters who witness the same behavior

Question 17

test–retest reliability

Answer 17

the degree of
similarity of a child’s performance on two
or more occasions

Question 18

validity

Answer 18

the degree to which a test
measures what it is intended to measure

Question 19

internal validity

Answer 19

the degree to which
effects observed within experiments can be attributed to the factor that the researcher is testing

Question 20

external validity

Answer 20

the degree to which
results can be generalized beyond the
particulars of the research

Question 21

structured interview

Answer 21

a research procedure in which all participants are asked to answer the same questions

Question 22

clinical interview

Answer 22

a procedure in
which questions are adjusted in accord
with the answers the interviewee provides

Question 23

naturalistic observation

Answer 23

examination of ongoing behavior in an environment not controlled by the researcher

Question 24

structured observation

Answer 24

a method
that involves presenting an identical situation to each child and recording the
child’s behavior

Question 25

variables

Answer 25

attributes that vary across individuals and situations, such as age, sex, and popularity

Question 26

correlational designs

Answer 26

studies intended to indicate how two variables are related to each other

Question 27

correlation

Answer 27

the association between two variables

Question 28

direction-of-causation problem

Answer 28

the concept that a correlation between two variables does not indicate which, if either, variable is the cause of the other

Question 29

Third-variable problem

Answer 29

the concept that a correlation between two variables may stem from both being influenced by some third variable

Question 30

experimental designs

Answer 30

a group of approaches that allow inferences about causes and effects to be drawn

Question 31

random assignment

Answer 31

a procedure in which each child has an equal chance of being assigned to each group within an experiment

Question 32

experimental control

Answer 32

the ability of researchers to determine the specific experiences that children have during the course of an experiment

Question 33

experimental group

Answer 33

a group of children in an experimental design who are presented the experience of interest

Question 34

control group

Answer 34

the group of children in an experimental design who are not presented the experience of interest but in other ways are treated similarly

Question 35

independent variable

Answer 35

the experience that children in the experimental group receive and that children in the control group do not receive

Question 36

dependent variable

Answer 36

a behavior that is measured to determine whether it is affected by exposure to the independent variable

Question 37

cross-sectional design

Answer 37

a research method in which children of different ages are compared on a given behavior or characteristic over a short period

Question 38

longitudinal design

Answer 38

a method of study in which the same children are studied twice or more over a substantial length of time

Question 39

micro genetic design

Answer 39

a method of study in which the same children are studied repeatedly over a short period