Which of the following is a criticism of standardized tests?
- They allow a person's performance to be compared with that of other individuals.
- They assume a person's behavior is consistent and stable.
- They provide information about individual differences among people.
- They are difficult to design.
Standardized Test: A test with uniform procedures for administration and scoring. Many standardized tests allow a person’s performance to be compared with the performance of other individuals.
Cynthia is conducting a survey on the prevalence and patterns of substance abuse in her city. Which of the following problems is she likely to encounter while using this method of data collection?
- the assumption that a person's behavior is consistent and stable
- the inability to sample a large number of people
- the assumption that surveys have to be conducted only in person
- some participants may not tell the truth and instead give socially acceptable answers
Flevy, a marketing researcher, is conducting an extensive market study and has hired a big group of college students to hand out a standard set of questions to shoppers at malls and supermarkets and to seek their responses. Which of the following methods of data collection is Flevy using?
- laboratory research
- surveys
- naturalistic observation
- physiological measures
Which of the following is true of physiological measures used in the study of life-span development?
- They are based on the assumption that a person's behavior is consistent and stable, yet personality can vary with the situation.
- They involve the use of a standard set of questions to obtain people's self-reported beliefs about a particular topic.
- They involve the use of electromagnetic waves to construct images of a person's brain tissue and biochemical activity.
- They provide insights that sometimes cannot be attained in the laboratory and are used at sporting events and child-care centers.
Life Span: The maximum number of years an individual can live. The life span of human beings is about 120 to 125 years of age.
The longitudinal method of research consists of studying
- the same individuals over a long period of time.
- individuals of different ages.
- individuals from around the globe.
- individuals born in the same year.
Longitudinal Approach: A research strategy in which the same individuals are studied over a period of time, usually several years or more.
Lisa is a clinical psychologist. She decides to conduct a study on whether the progression of memory loss in older adults with Alzheimer's disease can be slowed down. According to the scientific method, which of the following describes the sequence Lisa should follow?
- Collect data, conceptualize a process or problem to be studied, analyze data, and draw conclusions.
- Conceptualize a process or problem to be studied, collect data, analyze data, and draw conclusions.
- Collect data, analyze data, conceptualize a process or problem to be studied, and draw conclusions.
- Conceptualize a process or problem to be studied, draw conclusions, collect data, and analyze data.
Scientific Method: An approach that can be used to obtain accurate information. It includes the following steps: (1) conceptualize the problem, (2) collect data, (3) draw conclusions, and (4) revise research conclusions and theory.
Dr. Perkins predicts that children who spend years playing a musical instrument are smarter than children who do not play music. This testable prediction is known as a(n)
- hypothesis.
- classification.
- variable.
- axiom.
Hypotheses: Specific assumptions and predictions that can be tested to determine their accuracy.
Behavioral and social cognitive theories emphasize
- unconscious motives.
- discontinuity in behavior.
- continuity in development.
- that development occurs in stage-like fashion.
Social Cognitive Theory: The view of psychologists who emphasize behavior, environment, and cognition as the key factors in development.
Dr. Nasrin believes that associating behavior with consequence can shape the probability of a behavior occurring. He is arguing that ________ conditioning is important for behavioral modification.
- stimulus
- operant
- classical
- cognitive
Operations: In Piaget’s theory, these are reversible mental actions that allow children to do mentally what they formerly did physically.
Nellie, three, bangs her head against the wall repeatedly throughout the day. How could Skinner's concept of operant conditioning be applied to address this behavior?
- explore experiences from Nellie's early childhood and address them in therapy
- test Nellie to determine her current level of cognitive functioning
- investigate her psychosocial environment and eliminate stressors
- reward Nellie when she does not bang her head and punish the head-banging behavior
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): A disability in which children consistently show one or more of the following characteristics: (1) inattention, (2) hyperactivity, and (3) impulsivity.
B. F. Skinner, a behaviorist, would argue that the most important things that shape development are ________.
- thoughts and feelings
- unconscious motivations
- rewards and punishments
- culture and society
________ processes involve changes in the individual's relationships with other people, changes in emotions, and changes in personality.
- Cognitive
- Biological
- Socioemotional
- Polycentric
Socioemotional Processes: Changes in an individual’s interpersonal relationships, emotions, and personality.
The connection across biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes is most obvious in the two rapidly emerging fields of
- developmental cognitive neuroscience and developmental social neuroscience.
- developmental biological neuroscience and developmental social neuroscience.
- developmental socioemotional pharmacology and developmental biological pharmacology.
- developmental cognitive biology and developmental cognitive biology.
Socioemotional Processes: Changes in an individual’s interpersonal relationships, emotions, and personality.
The question of whether a fun-loving, carefree adolescent is bound to have difficulty holding down a 9-to-5 job as an adult most likely reflects the
- epigenetic view.
- stability-change issue.
- nature-nurture issue.
- continuity-discontinuity issue.
Stability-Change Issue: Debate about whether we become older renditions of our early experience (stability) or whether we develop into someone different from who we were at an earlier point in development (change).
Gina's therapist attributes her delinquent behavior to heredity and to the gross neglect she suffered as a baby at the hands of her alcoholic mother. Gina's therapist appears to be emphasizing the ________ aspect of her development.
- personality
- life-long learning
- discontinuity
- stability
Stability-Change Issue: Debate about whether we become older renditions of our early experience (stability) or whether we develop into someone different from who we were at an earlier point in development (change).
Vygotsky's theory emphasizes how ________ guides cognitive development.
- culture and social interaction
- biology
- the unconscious mind
- genetic makeup
Vygotsky’s Theory: A sociocultural cognitive theory that emphasizes how culture and social interaction guide cognitive development.