Midterm

Question 1

The study of life-span development addresses some provocative questions about ______, how ____, and where ____.

Answer 1

who we are
we come to be this way
our future will take us

Question 2

Define the social cognitive process of perspective taking in middle to late childhood.

Answer 2

Perspective taking is the ability ro assume the perspective of others and understanding of their thoughts and feelings increase.

Question 3

Define an experiment.

Answer 3

A carefully regulated procedure in which one or more of the factors believed to influence the behavior being studied is manipulated and all other factors are held constant. Experimental research permits the determination of cause.

Question 4

Psychology’s newest approach, _____, emphasizes the importance of ____,____,____in shaping behavior.

Answer 4

evolutionary psychology
adaptation, reproduction, and survival of the fittest

Question 5

Define sensation. Define perception.

Answer 5

Sensation occurs when information interacts with sensory receptors: the eyes, ears, tongue, nostrils, and skin.
- sensation of hearing occurs when waves of pulsating air are collected by the outer ear and transmitted through the bones of the inner ear to the auditory nerve
- sensation of vision occurs as rays of light contact the eyes, become focused on the retina, and are transmitted by the optic nerve to the visual centers of the brain
Perception is the interpretation of what is sensed.
- air waves that contact the ears are interpreted as noise ot musical sounds
- the energy transmitted to the retina of the eye might be interpreted as a color, pattern or shape

Question 6

Recent research has documented seven factors that can influence gene expression. Identify the seven factors.

Answer 6

stress
exercise
nutrition
respiration
radiation
temperature
sleep

Question 7

Does maternal depression have adverse effects on birth outcome and children’s development?

Answer 7

Yes, maternal depression has aderse effects on birth outcome and children’s development. Maternal depression is linked to preterm birth and maternal depression duirng pregnancy is founf to be associated with low birth weight in fullterm offspring. Taking antidepressants, however, can be linked to increased risk of autism spectrum disorders in children.

Question 8

Define executive functioning.

Answer 8

Executive functioning involves managing one’s thoughts to engage in goal-directed behvior and exercise self control. It is when preschool children grow into their ability to manage their thoughts and engage in goal-directed behaior. They have increased self-contorl, cognitive flexibility, goal setting, delayed gratification, and deal with novel or difficult circumstances.

Question 9

What three related conditions pose threats to many newborns?

Answer 9

low birth weight –> very low birth weight newborns weigh less than 3 pounds and 4 ounces and extremely low birth weight newborns weigh less than 2 pounds and 3 ounces
preterm birth –> preterm infants are born three weeks or more before the pregnancy has reached its full term, or 35 or fewer weeks after conception
being small for date –> birth weight that is below normal when the length of the pregnancy is considered and weigh less than 90% of babies of the same gestational age

Question 10

List the eight developmental periods of the human life span in order.

Answer 10

prenatal (from conception to birth)
infancy (birth to age 2)
early childhood (2-7)
middle childhood (7-11)
adolescence (11-20)
young adulthood (20s to 40s)
middle childhood (40s to 60s)
late adulthood (60s and onwards)

Question 11

What pattern of growth starts in the center of the body and moves toward the extremities?

Answer 11

Proximodistal pattern of growth starts in the center of the body and moves towards the extremities. Infants control trunk muscles and arms before they control their hands and they use their whole hands before they can control several fingers.

Question 12

Development can be defined as the pattern of change that begins at conception and continues throughout the life span. The pattern is complex because it is the product of what three processes?

Answer 12

The pattern is complex because it is the product of biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes. Biological processes produce changes in an individual’s nature. Cognitive processes refer to changes in an individual’s thinking, intelligence, and language. Socioemotional processes involve changes in an individual’s relationships with other people, changes in emotions, anc changes in personality.

Question 13

Define the term emotions?

Answer 13

Emotions are feelings, or affect, that occurs when a person is the in the state or an interaction, that is important to them, especially to their well-being.
The two important roles emotions serve are communication with others and behavioral organization.

Question 14

Define organogenesis.

Answer 14

Organogenesis is organ formation that takes place during the first two months of prenatal development.

Question 15

Identify the difference between convergent thinking and divergent thinking.

Answer 15

Convergent thinking is the type of thinking that produces one correct answer and is typically assessed by standardized intelligence tests. Divergent thinking is thinking that produces many answers to the same question and is characteristic of creativity.

Question 16

As children move into the middle and late childhood years, parents spend considerably less time with them, but parents continue to play an important role in supporting and stimulating children’s ____ achievement.

Answer 16

academic

Question 17

Define moral development.

Answer 17

Moral development is the development of thoughts, feelings, and behaviors regarding the rules and conventions about what people should do in their interactions with other people.

Question 18

Define bonding.

Answer 18

Bonding is the formation of a connection, especially a physical bond between parents and the newborn in the period shortly after birth.

Question 19

Define reactivity. Define self-regulation.

Answer 19

Reactivity is variations in speed and intensity with which an individual responds to situations with positive or negative emotions. Self regulation is variations in the extent or effectiveness of an individual’s control over emotions.

Question 20

What three periods can pregnancy be divided into?

Answer 20

Germinal (creation of zygote and attachment to uterine wall): 0-2 weeks
embryonic (organs develop): 3-8 weeks
fetal (dramatic growth and development): 9 weeks to birth

Question 21

Identify and define the four attachment styles in babies.

Answer 21

securly attached babies: use the caregiver as a secure base from which to explore the environment
- explore the room and examin toys comfortably
- may protest mildly if caregiver leaves room but will resume playing with the toys in the room
- when caregiver returns, infant reestablishes positive interactions such as smiling or climbing onto caregiver’s lap
insecure avoidant babies: shows insecurity by avoiding caregiver
- not distressed when caregiver leaves room
- does not reestablish contact when caregiver returns
leans or looks awar when caregiver tries to establish conflict
insecure anxious babies: cling to caregiver and then resist by fighting against the closeness
- kicking or pushing away
- cries loudly when caregiver leaves room, and then pushes away if caregiver tries to comfort baby upon return
insecure disorganized babies: disorganzied and disoriented
- may appear dazed, confused or fearful
- babies must show strong patterns of avoidance and resistance or display certain specific behaviors, such as extreme fearfulness around the caregiver
- low self esteem, challenged with emotional regulation

Question 22

The ___program provides federal grants to states for healthy supplemental foods, health-care referrals, and nutrition education for women from ___ families beginning in pregnancy, and to infants and young children up to 5 years of age who are at ___.

Answer 22

WIC (Woman, Infant, and Children)
low income
nutritional risk

Question 23

Define zone of proximal development.

Answer 23

The zone of proximal development is the range of tasks that are too difficult for child to master alone but can be learned with the guidance and assistance of adults or more skilled children. The lower limit of the ZPD is the level of skill reached by the child working independently. The upper limit is the level of additional responsibility the child can accept with the assistance of an able instructure.

Question 24

List the six functions children’s friendships serve.

Answer 24

companionship: spend time together and collaborate on activities
stimulation: provide interesting information and amusement
physical support: resources and assistance
ego support: friendship helps children maintain a impression about themselves as competent, attractive, and worthwhile
social comparison: provides info on where the child stands with others
affection and intimacy: warm, trusting, salf, self disclosure

Question 25

Define private speech.

Answer 25

Private speech is the use of language to self-regulate. Children frist learn to communicate with others before they can focus inward on their own thoughts. After a while, talking to oneself becomes second nature and their inner speech becomes their thoughts.

Question 26

What three important aspects make up Emotional Development?

Answer 26

Expressing emotions, regulating emotions, and understanding emotions make up emotional development. expressing emotions is essential for healthy communicating and well-being. Regulating emotions involves managing and responding to your feelings in a healthy and balanced way. Understanding emotions is key to emotional intelligence and emotional well being.

Question 27

Parents play an important role in children’s____ use. One study found that a higher degree of ____of children’s media use was linked to a number of positive outcomes in children’s lives (more sleep, better school performance, less aggressive behavior, and prosocial behavior).

Answer 27

media use
parental monitoring

Question 27

T or F: Researchers have found few differences between children growing up with lesbian mothers or gay fathers, and child growing up with heterosexual parents.

Answer 27

True, being raised by gay or lesbian parents does not harm the child’s development.

Question 28

Identify the three types of learning disabilities.

Answer 28

dyslexia: severe impairment in ability to read and spell
dysgraphia: difficulty in handwriting, write slowly, writing products may be virtually illegible, and they may make numerous spelling errors because of their inability to match up sounds and letters
dyscalculia: involves difficulty in match computation

Question 29

List three reasons a mother should not breastfeed.

Answer 29

A mother should not breastfeed if she is infected with AIDS or any other infectous diesease that can be transmitted through her milk, has active tuberculosis, or is taking any drug that may not be safe for the infant.

Question 30

Define Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

Answer 30

ADHD is a disbaility in hwihc children consistently show one or more of these characteristics over a period of time: inattention (trouble focusing on any one thing that they may get bored with a task after only a few minutes), hyperactivity (high levels of physical activity), and impulsivity (difficulty curbing their reactions and don’t do a good job of thinking before they act).

Question 31

Recent interests have focused on___as a key factor in autism.

Answer 31

lack of connectivity

Question 32

Identify the four main types of child maltreatment.

Answer 32

physical abuse: inflicton of physical injury as a result of punching, beating, kicking, biting, burning, shaking, or otherwise harming a child
child neglect: failure to provide for the child’s basic needs
sexual abuse: fondling of genitals, intercourse, incest, rape, sodomy, exhibitism and commerical exploitation through prostitution or production or pornographic materials
emotional abuse: acts or omissions by parents or other caregivers that have caused or could cause, serious behavioral, cognitive, or emotional problems

Question 33

Identify the three dimensions of executive functioning that are most important for 4–11-year-old children’s cognitive development and school success.

Answer 33

Executive function in 4-11 year children is linked with math skills, language development, and school readiness. Children who showed delayed development of executive function had lower level of school readiness.

Question 34

Define self-efficacy.

Answer 34

Self efficacy is the belief that one can master a situation and produce favorable outcomes. It is a critical factor in whether or not students achieve. It is the belief that “I can.”