Development across the Life Span 353
Test Yourself
Pick the best answer.
- The thinking and attitudes of many who survived the Depression of
the 1930s changed them for the rest of their lives. This would be
an example of a
a. cohort effect.
b. cultural group.
c. longitudinal group.
d. cross-sequential group.
- If a person has one gene influencing blue eyes but actually has
brown eyes, blue eyes must be a __ trait.
a. dominant
b. recessive
c. sex-linked
d. polygenic
- In __ syndrome, the 23rd pair of chromosomes consists
of an XXY pairing, resulting in reduced masculine characteristics
and excessive height.
a. PKU
b. Down
c. Klinefelter’s
d. Turner’s
- Which of the following represents the fertilization process for mono-
zygotic twins?
a. One egg is fertilized by two different sperm.
b. One egg splits and is then fertilized by two different sperm.
c. One egg is fertilized by one sperm and then splits.
d. Two eggs are fertilized by the same sperm. - What part of an infant’s body is said to stay in an immature state
until needed to produce more cells?
a. uterus
b. stem cells
c. umbilical cord
d. placenta
- Based on today’s science and medicine, when does the age of via-
bility begin?
a. between 8 and 12 weeks
b. between 12 and 18 weeks
c. between 22 and 26 weeks
d. between 28 and 36 weeks
- Dr. Kahn measures how long baby Lydia looks at a particular stim-
ulus. The technique is known as
a. preferential looking.
b. dishabituation.
c. habituation.
d. stimulus discrimination.
- At what age can the typical infant roll over?
a. 2 months
b. 5 weeks
c. 8 months
d. 12 months
- Studies of the infant brain show signs of what scientists call synap-
tic pruning. What occurs during this process?
a. The brain creates additional neural connections by removing
parts of the surrounding bone.
b. Unused synaptic connections and nerve cells are cleared out to
make way for new cells.
c. New cells work to “rewrite” old cells and ultimately change their
functioning.
d. New cells will not develop until the body makes sufficient physi-
cal space within the brain. - In which of Piaget’s stages does the child become capable of
understanding conservation?
a. sensorimotor
b. preoperational
c. formal operations
d. concrete operations
- In which of Piaget’s stages does the child become capable of
abstract reasoning?
a. sensorimotor
b. preoperational
c. formal operations
d. concrete operations
- Which infant temperament is associated with babies who are very
regular in their schedules of sleeping and eating?
a. Slow-to-warm-up
b. Easy
c. Difficult
d. Anxious
- In the Strange Situation, __ babies would cry when their
mother left the room but were happy upon her return.
a. secure
b. avoidant
c. ambivalent
d. disorganized–disoriented
- What is a most likely explanation as to why teenagers and young
adults may engage in risky and dangerous behavior?
a. Such behavior is due to the tremendous pressure applied by
peers.
b. Such behavior is actually hereditary.
c. Such behavior may be due to unbalanced levels of hormones in
the body.
d. Such behavior may be due to the incomplete development of
the prefrontal cortex. - Samantha enters a classroom where two students are talking.
When they stop their discussion, Samantha is certain they must
have been talking about her. Such a belief is an example of
a. the imaginary audience.
b. the personal fable.
c. abstract egocentrism.
d. formal operations.
- What cognitive changes occurring during middle adulthood are the
most noticeable?
a. Changes in memory begin to occur.
b. Problem-solving skills diminish.
c. Hearing begins to decline.
d. Hair begins to turn gray. - Independence and self-reliance in the teenage years are most likely
due to __ parenting.
a. authoritarian
b. authoritative
c. permissive neglectful
d. permissive indulgent
- The crisis of late adulthood, according to Erikson, is
a. identity versus role confusion.
b. generativity versus stagnation.
c. intimacy versus isolation.
d. integrity versus despair. - Which theory of aging states that unstable oxygen molecules tend
to steal electrons as they bounce around, thus causing damage to
surrounding cells?
a. cellular-clock theory
b. wear-and-tear theory
c. free-radical theory
d. activity theory
- Kip is worried that he is losing his mind because he finds himself
angry at a friend who died in an automobile accident. Based on
Kübler-Ross’s research, what might you tell him?
a. Anger of this type is self-destructive and unhealthy.
b. Anger is usually a mask to your true feelings of sadness.
c. Anger toward a deceased individual is simply not normal and
may require psychological counseling.
d. Anger is a normal reaction to death and not a sign of mental
illness.