Unit 3 Flashcards
A researcher is interested in examining how children develop problem-solving skills, how adults adapt to changes in cognitive processing with age, and how social relationships influence mental health in older adults. What field of psychology would best support this research across different life stages?
Developmental Psychology
A psychologist wants to compare the memory skills of children, teenagers, and adults to identify age-related differences. To conduct this research efficiently, they plan to collect data from each age group at a single point in time rather than following them over years. What research method would best suit this approach
Cross sectional
A developmental psychologist is interested in understanding how language skills evolve from early childhood to adolescence. They decide to follow the same group of children and assess their language abilities every few years over a decade. What research method is the psychologist using to track changes in language development over time?
Longitudinal studies
A psychologist is investigating whether personality traits like introversion and extroversion remain consistent from childhood into adulthood. To explore this, they examine individuals’ traits at multiple stages of life to see if these characteristics persist or change over time. What concept is the psychologist studying?
Stability or Change
A researcher is studying intelligence in twins, looking at pairs who were raised together and those raised apart. They aim to determine how much of intelligence is influenced by genetics compared to environmental factors. What key debate in developmental psychology does this study address?
Nature vs Nurtue
A developmental psychologist is studying language acquisition in young children and is particularly focused on the ages during which children are most receptive to learning a new language. They believe that children may have a specific window of heightened sensitivity for language development. What concept is the psychologist investigating?
Critical/Sensitive Period
A pediatrician observes that, without specific training, most infants begin to sit, crawl, and walk at roughly similar ages as they grow. This sequence of physical development appears to be influenced more by biological processes than by learning. What concept explains this natural progression?
Maturation
A new parent notices that when they gently touch their newborn’s cheek, the baby turns their head and opens their mouth toward the touch, as if looking for food. What reflex is the newborn demonstrating, which aids in feeding during the early stages of life?
Rooting Reflex
A researcher is exploring why adults have few or no memories of their early childhood years, particularly before the age of three. What concept explains the inability to recall events from this period of life?
Infantile Amnesia
A psychologist is studying the transition from childhood to adulthood, focusing on the physical, emotional, and social changes that occur during this period. What stage of development is the psychologist examining?
Adolescence
A researcher studying motor skills notices that children gradually improve their ability to walk over time, with small, steady advancements in balance and coordination. What type of developmental process does this observation represent?
Continuous Development
A psychologist observes that children move from thinking in concrete terms to being able to understand abstract concepts almost suddenly after reaching a certain age. This shift occurs in distinct stages rather than as a gradual progression. What type of developmental process does this observation represent?
Discontinuous Development
A child is born with developmental delays and physical abnormalities after their mother consumed alcohol during pregnancy. What is the harmful agent, and what condition might result?
Teratogen; Fetal Alchol Syndrome
What is the developmental stage marked by physical and hormonal changes that lead to sexual maturity?
Puberty
A doctor explains that during puberty, the development of the testes in males and ovaries in females enables reproduction. What type of physical development is the doctor describing?
Primary Sex Characteristics
During puberty, a teenager notices changes like deeper voice development in males and breast growth in females. What are these examples of?
Secondary Sex Characteristics
A 50-year-old woman reports irregular menstrual cycles, hot flashes, and mood changes. Her doctor explains that she is transitioning out of her reproductive years. What is this stage of life called?
Menopause
A developmental psychologist who spent his life searching for how the mind grows. He studied children’s cognition and believed that a chiild’s min develops through a series of four stages
Jean Piaget
A 10-month-old baby is exploring objects by putting them in their mouth and shaking them to see what happens. Which stage of cognitive development is the child in?
Sensorimotor
A baby looks confused when a toy is covered with a blanket, not realizing it still exists underneath. What cognitive concept is the baby lacking?
Object Permanence
A child is shown two glasses, one tall and narrow, the other short and wide, and is told both contain the same amount of juice. When the juice is poured from the tall glass into the short one, the child insists that the short glass now holds less juice. What concept are they struggling to understand?
Conservation
A 7-year-old realizes that if a piece of string is bent into a loop, it can be straightened back into its original form without losing any length. What concept are they demonstrating?
Reversibility
A young child talks to their stuffed animal, believing it can feel happy or sad just like a person. What cognitive concept is the child displaying?
Animism
A child is playing hide-and-seek and believes that because they can’t see others, the others can’t see them either. What cognitive concept is the child demonstrating?
Egocentrism
A 5-year-old realizes that their friend is upset because they lost their toy, even though the child hasn’t lost anything themselves. What cognitive concept is the child demonstrating?
Theory of mind
A 4-year-old child is using a stick as a pretend sword and imagining they’re a knight fighting dragons. Which stage of cognitive development are they in?
Preoperational Stage
A child is able to solve simple math problems, such as addition and subtraction, and can think logically about objects and events. What stage of cognitive development is the child in?
Concrete Operational Stage
A teenager is solving algebraic equations and thinking abstractly about concepts like justice and freedom. What stage of cognitive development are they in?
Formal Operational Stage
A Russian psychologist, studied how children think and learn. His theory emphasized how the child’s mind grows through social interation with the social enviroment
Lev Vygotsky
A teacher helps a student solve a difficult math problem by initially providing hints and gradually reducing help as the student gains confidence and skill. What concept is the teacher using to support the student’s learning?
Scaffolding
A 7-year-old is learning how to read and can sound out simple words by themselves. However, they need help with more difficult words, which a teacher or peer provides. What is the range of tasks they can accomplish with help known as?
ZPD or Zone of Proximal Development
A college professor, with years of expertise in their field, can recall information about literature and offer detailed analysis effortlessly. What type of intelligence are they using?
Crystallized Intelligence
A teenager solves a new puzzle by quickly identifying patterns and coming up with strategies, even though they have never encountered this type of puzzle before. What type of intelligence are they demonstrating?
Fluid Intelligence
A 75-year-old shows signs of memory loss, confusion, and difficulty recognizing familiar faces and places, which have been worsening over time. What condition might they be experiencing?
Demenia
A child is able to distinguish the difference between the sounds of the letters “b” and “d” when they are spoken aloud. What linguistic unit are they recognizing?
Phonemes
A child understands that the word “books” consists of two parts: “book” (the item) and “s” (plural). What are these meaningful parts of the word called?
Morphemes
In a conversation, a person uses the word “bank” to refer to a financial institution, while another uses it to mean the side of a river. What concept explains how the same word can have different meanings in different contexts?
Semantics
A child understands that the sentence “The cat chased the mouse” is grammatically correct, while “Chased the cat the mouse” sounds awkward. What aspect of language is the child understanding?
Syntax
A 6-month-old baby begins making repetitive vowel sounds like “oo” and “ah” when interacting with their caregiver. What stage of language development are they in?
Cooing Stage
A 7-month-old baby starts repeating consonant-vowel combinations like “ba-ba” and “da-da,” even though these sounds do not yet have meaning. What stage of language development is the baby in?
Babbling Stage
A toddler points to a dog and says “dog” as a way to indicate their desire to pet it. What stage of language development is the child demonstrating?
One word Stage
A toddler says “Daddy go work” instead of “Daddy is going to work.” What stage of language development does this reflect?
Telegraphic stage
A young child says “goed” instead of “went” or “mouses” instead of “mice,” applying rules of grammar too broadly. What language development concept is the child demonstrating?
Overgeneralization
A teenager’s behavior is affected by their relationships with peers (microsystem), their school policies (mesosystem), and cultural norms regarding education (macrosystem). What developmental theory best explains this?
Ecological Theory
A teenager’s academic performance is shaped by the support they receive from their close friends and their teacher’s guidance in the classroom. Which layer of the ecological system does this represent?
Microsystems
A child’s academic success improves because their parents regularly communicate with their teacher about schoolwork. Which part of the ecological systems theory describes this connection?
Mesosystem
A child feels anxious at home because their caregiver is worried about a workplace conflict. Which layer of the ecological model explains how external environments indirectly affect the child?
Exosystem
A child’s upbringing is influenced by cultural norms that emphasize the importance of education and academic success. Which level of the ecological systems theory does this represent?
Macrosystem
A child’s development is impacted by the changing dynamics of their family, such as when their parents divorce and later remarry. Which layer of the ecological systems theory explains how these life changes influence development over time?
Chronosystem
A teenager is punished severely for breaking curfew, and the parents show little warmth or emotional support. What parenting style does this scenario reflect?
Authoritarian Parenting style
A teenager is given some freedom to make choices but is also guided by their parents, who offer support and set reasonable boundaries. What parenting style does this represent?
Authoritative
A teenager often stays out past curfew, and their parents rarely enforce any rules or consequences, preferring to be lenient and avoid conflict. What parenting style is reflected in this scenario?
Permissive
A baby shows distress when their caregiver leaves but is easily comforted and calms down when the caregiver returns, demonstrating trust in the caregiver’s availability. What attachment style does this behavior reflect?
Secure attachment
A child seems indifferent when their caregiver leaves and shows little emotion when they return, avoiding contact or comfort. What type of attachment is the child displaying?
Avoidant Attachment
A child is very distressed when their caregiver leaves the room and remains anxious even after the caregiver returns, not easily calming down and seeking constant reassurance. What attachment style does this child exhibit?
Anxious Attachment
A child appears confused when their caregiver leaves and returns, displaying conflicting behaviors such as seeking comfort while simultaneously backing away from the caregiver. What attachment style is being displayed?
Disorganized attachment
A child raised in a culture that values independence may show a different attachment style compared to a child raised in a culture emphasizing interdependence. What theory explains how these early differences can influence adult attachment patterns?
Attachment theory
In Harry Harlow’s experiment, baby monkeys spent significantly more time with the soft, cloth-covered mother even when the wire mother provided food. What does this behavior suggest about the importance of contact comfort in infant development?
Example Answer: The study suggests that contact comfort, or physical comfort, is a crucial factor in forming emotional bonds and attachment, more so than the satisfaction of basic needs like hunger.
A baby is generally calm, predictable, and adaptable to new situations. What aspect of personality is being described, and what developmental concept does it reflect?
Temperament
A toddler becomes extremely upset and clings to their caregiver when they try to leave the room, even for a short time. What behavior is this child displaying, and what term describes this developmental phase?
Seperation anxiety
Two toddlers play side by side with their own toys but do not interact directly. What type of play is this?
Parallel play
A child uses a stick as a sword and pretends to be a knight fighting dragons. What type of play is the child engaging in?
Pretend play
A teenager feels self-conscious and believes that everyone at school is watching and judging them, even when nothing unusual is happening. What psychological concept is this behavior an example of?
imaginary audience
A teenager believes that no one else can understand their unique struggles and that their experiences are extraordinary and unlike anyone else’s. What psychological concept is this an example of?
Personal Fable
A young adult in their early 20s is exploring various career options, living independently, but is not yet fully committed to a stable career or family life. What developmental stage are they likely experiencing?
Emerging Adulthood
A young adult feels pressure to have achieved certain milestones, like marriage or career success, by their late 20s because of societal expectations. What concept describes this feeling?
Social Clock
An infant feels secure and develops a sense of trust when their caregiver consistently meets their needs for comfort and nourishment. Which stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development does this represent?
Trusts vs Mistrust
A toddler begins to assert their independence by choosing their own clothes or insisting on feeding themselves. Which of Erikson’s psychosocial stages is this an example of?
Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt
A preschool-aged child begins to take on new projects, such as organizing a game or helping with household chores, but feels guilty when their efforts don’t succeed or they are reprimanded. Which stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development does this reflect?
Initiative vs. Guilt
A school-aged child works hard to complete a science project and feels a sense of pride when their teacher praises their effort. Which of Erikson’s psychosocial stages is this an example of?
Competence vs. Inferiority
A teenager experiments with different hobbies, social groups, and career interests as they try to figure out who they are. Which stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development does this behavior reflect?
Identity vs. Role Confusion.
A young adult forms a close, committed relationship with a partner and feels a deep sense of connection and trust. Which stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development does this reflect?
Intimacy vs Isolation
A middle-aged adult mentors younger colleagues, volunteers in their community, and feels a sense of purpose in helping others. Which stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development does this reflect?
Generativity vs. Stagnation
An elderly person reflects on their life with a sense of fulfillment, feeling that they lived meaningfully and are at peace with their choices. Which stage of Erikson’s psychosocial development does this reflect?
Intgretity vs Despair
After exploring different career paths and personal beliefs, a college student decides to pursue a career in environmental science and feels confident in their decision. Which identity status does this reflect?
Identity Achievement
A college student is undecided about their major and is actively exploring options like internships, new classes, and discussions with advisors but hasn’t made a final decision. What identity status does this reflect?
Identity Moratorium
A teenager decides to follow in their parents’ footsteps to become a doctor without exploring other career paths or considering their own interests. What identity status does this reflect?
Identity Foreclose
A teenager feels lost and unsure about their future, not actively exploring any career or personal interests, and has no clear sense of direction. What identity status does this reflect?
Identity Diffusion
A teenager goes through several phases of exploring different career paths, hobbies, and social circles before committing to a path that aligns with their personal values. What psychological process does this reflect?
Identities Development
