Psychology OC MEDA (CMA REVIEW)

According to Albert Bandura's social cognitive theory, the three factors that reciprocally influence development involve: A) behavior, the person, and the environment. B) punishment, reward, and reinforcement. C) memory, problem solving, and reasoning. D) cognition, reward, and observation.

A) behavior, the person, and the environment.

The number of years since a person was born is a key element in the definition of: A) chronological age. B) biological age. C) psychological age. D) developmental age.

A) chronological age.

Which theory believes there are sensitive periods of development? A) ethological theory B) ecological theory C) behavioral theory D) social cognition theory

A) ethological theory

Which research strategy is the BEST for determining cause-and-effect relationships? A) experimental B) correlational C) observational D) standardized test

A) experimental

Which method of collecting information about life-span development is most likely to include a life calendar? A) life-history record B) case study C) sequential approach D) interview

A) life-history record

In many cultures, people retire from their careers in their fifties or sixties. This is an example of a: A) normative age-graded influence. B) normative history-graded influence. C) nonnormative life event. D) nonnormative socioemotional event.

A) normative age-graded influence.

Which statement BEST resolves the nature-nurture controversy? A) Nature is clearly more important in development. B) The interaction between nature and nurture is most important in development. C) Nurture is clearly more important in development. D) Neither plays a particularly strong role in development.

B) The interaction between nature and nurture is most important in development.

Contrary to the view held centuries ago, today we believe that: A) children are miniature adults. B) childhood is a unique and important period in life. C) children ought to be treated as small adults in need of training but little else. D) children are autonomous and may be expected to grow and develop with very little parental support.

B) childhood is a unique and important period in life.

A common caution for correlational research is: A) it is difficult to administer. B) correlation does not equal causation. C) correlations do not tell direction of relationship. D) correlations do not indicate the strength of a relationship.

B) correlation does not equal causation.

Many older persons become wiser with age, yet perform more poorly on cognitive speed tests. This supports the life-span perspective notion that development is: A) multidirectional. B) multidimensional. C) lifelong. D) plastic.

B) multidimensional.

Development is characterized by growth and decline. This statement supports Baltes' assertion that development is: A) contextual. B) multidirectional. C) multidimensional. D) plastic.

B) multidirectional.

Parents adhering to the fundamental premise of Jean-Jacques Rousseau's "innate goodness" argument would: A) reject the need to "teach" language since speech is inherited. B) provide their children with little monitoring and few constraints. C) view their child as intellectually indistinguishable from themselves. D) argue that their newborn's brain is like a "blank slate."

B) provide their children with little monitoring and few constraints.

The expectations society has that a person will act his or her age refers to: A) biological age. B) social age. C) psychological age. D) historical age.

B) social age.

Which philosophical view assumes that the child's mind at birth is a "blank tablet"? A) original sin B) tabula rasa C) determinism D) innate goodness

B) tabula rasa

Experimental designs are superior to correlational approaches when dealing with: A) concepts that have not been studied in any great detail. B) variables that need to be manipulated. C) variables that are unethical to manipulate. D) variables that can be controlled easily.

B) variables that need to be manipulated.

Which view of children is stated in the doctrine of "original sin"? A) Children, although born good, are destined to become evil. B) Evil children are born only to parents who have sinned. C) Children are basically bad, and are born as evil beings. D) Children are born good and remain that way until adulthood.

C) Children are basically bad, and are born as evil beings.

Which period of development is characterized by establishing independence, developing an identity, and thinking more abstractly? A) middle childhood B) late childhood C) adolescence D) early adulthood

C) adolescence

An important part of an observational measure is that it be conducted: A) in a real-world setting rather than a laboratory. B) in a laboratory rather than a real-world setting. C) in a way that is systematic and planned carefully in advance. D) with the consent and prior knowledge of all people being observed.

C) in a way that is systematic and planned carefully in advance.

Development consists of many aspects: biological, cognitive, socioemotional, etc. This statement supports Baltes' assertion that development is: A) contextual. B) multidirectional. C) multidimensional. D) plastic.

C) multidimensional.

Which theory would be BEST to consider if you wanted to understand how and why children copy the behaviors they see in TV cartoons? A) Skinner's behaviorism B) Piaget's cognitive theory C) Erikson's psychosocial stages D) Bandura and Mischel's social cognitive theory

D) Bandura and Mischel's social cognitive theory

Dr. Somberg is using a method of gathering information that gives an in-depth look at one individual. She is using the: A) interview. B) emic approach. C) participant observation. D) case study.

D) case study.

In one study, the reasoning abilities of older adults were improved through retraining. This is an example of how development is: A) contextual. B) multidirectional. C) multidimensional. D) plastic.

D) plastic.

Callie is learning about the psychoanalytic perspective and understands there are three parts to the personality. According to Freud, they are the: A) libido, ego, id. B) unconscious, conscious, superego. C) ego, superego, subego. D) superego, ego, id.

D) superego, ego, id.

The traditional and life-span perspectives are contrasting views of developmental change. According to the life-span perspective, when do developmental changes occur? A) during infancy and early childhood B) during adolescence and early adulthood C) during middle and late adulthood D) throughout the entire life cycle

D) throughout the entire life cycle

In Bronfenbrenner's theory, the microsystem refers to the: A) contexts in which the individual lives and plays an active role. B) b contexts in which the individual lives but does not play an active role. C) cultural context within which an individual is raised. D) changes in one's culture over time.

A) contexts in which the individual lives and plays an active role.

Differences in families, neighborhoods, cultures, and even time periods affect development. This statement supports Baltes' assertion that development is: A) contextual. B) multidirectional. C) multidimensional. D) plastic.

A) contextual.

A _______ design compares individuals of different ages (e.g., 30-year-olds, 40-year-olds, and 50-year-olds) at one testing time. A) cross-sectional B) longitudinal C) Latin squares D) correlational

A) cross-sectional

A major strength of ecological theory is its framework for explaining: A) environmental influences on development. B) biological influences on development. C) cognitive development. D) affective processes in development.

A) environmental influences on development.

From B.F. Skinner's point of view, behavior is explained through: A) external consequences of that behavior. B) the self-produced consequences of that behavior. C) individuals' cognitive interpretations of their environmental experiences. D) the biological processes that determine maturation.

A) external consequences of that behavior.

One difficulty of conducting research in the laboratory setting is that: A) it is artificial. B) random assignment is impossible. C) extraneous factors are difficult to control. D) participants tend to be unaware that they are in an experiment.

A) it is artificial.

The onset of puberty is an example of: A) normative age-graded influences. B) normative history-graded influences. C) nonnormative life events. D) storm-and-stress events.

A) normative age-graded influences.

Alex believes people are primarily influenced by the environment and learned experiences, so he believes _______ plays a more powerful role in human development. A) nurture B) maturation C) change D) nature

A) nurture

The main advantage of the naturalistic observation technique involves: A) real-world validity. B) great control over extraneous variables. C) the ability to utilize inferential statistics. D) a lack of ethical controls.

A) real-world validity.

As he was studying life-span development, Tyrell had to learn several interrelated, coherent sets of ideas that would help him explain and make predictions about development. Tyrell had to learn: A) theories. B) hypotheses. C) models. D) scientific methods.

A) theories.

Because Dr. Samuels is a cognitive theorist, we know that she stresses the importance of _______ for understanding development. A) thought processes B) repressed memories C) reciprocal interactions D) biologically determined critical periods

A) thought processes

Erik Erikson's theory emphasized: A) repeated resolutions of unconscious conflicts about sexual energy. B) developmental change throughout the human life span. C) changes in children's thinking as they mature. D) the influence of sensitive periods in the various stages of biological maturation.

B) developmental change throughout the human life span.

Allan spends a great deal of time working and trying to establish his career. He also has been thinking about how his personal relationship is going and considering whether it could be long-term and lead to establishing a family. Allan is MOST LIKELY in: A) late adolescence. B) early adulthood. C) middle adulthood. D) late adulthood

B) early adulthood.

The period of development during which school readiness skills are developed and most free time is spent playing with friends is called: A) infancy. B) early childhood. C) middle childhood. D) late childhood.

B) early childhood.

An approach consisting of several different theoretical perspectives is referred to as: A) nondescript. B) eclectic. C) quasi-experimental. D) pseudoscientific.

B) eclectic.

Like many others her age, Velma does not know how to use a computer, but her six-year-old grandson has no problem navigating the Internet and using a word processing program. This is an example of a: A) normative age-graded influence. B) normative history-graded influence. C) nonnormative life event. D) nonnormative socioemotional event.

B) normative history-graded influence.

The AIDS epidemic in the United States would be an example of a: A) normative age-graded influence. B) normative history-graded influence. C) nonnormative life event. D) storm-and-stress event.

B) normative history-graded influence.

When Ben was thirteen when his father was killed in a car accident. This is an example of a: A) normative age-graded influence. B) normative history-graded influence. C) nonnormative life event. D) nonnormative socioemotional event.

C) nonnormative life event.

Which theoretical perspectives describe development as an unconscious process? A) contextual theories B) ecological theories C) psychoanalytical theories D) ethological theories

C) psychoanalytical theories

Which measure allows a researcher to compare one person's score with the scores of a large group of similar people? A) case study B) questionnaire C) standardized test D) naturalistic observation

C) standardized test

Life-span development begins with _______ and ends with _______. A) birth; death B) conception; old age C) infancy; old age D) conception; death

D) conception; death

The traditional approach to development emphasizes: A) little change from birth through old age. B) extensive change from birth to adolescence, adulthood, and old age. C) extensive change from birth to adulthood, then little change for the rest of the life span. D) extensive change from birth to adolescence, little or no change in adulthood, then decline in late old age.

D) extensive change from birth to adolescence, little or no change in adulthood, then decline in late old age.

Most life-span developmentalists recognize that: A) nature, continuity, and stability are the primary determinants of behavior. B) nurture, discontinuity, and change are the primary determinants of behavior. C) while nurture (the environment) is important, nature (heredity) plays the stronger role. D) extreme positions on these issues are unwise.

D) extreme positions on these issues are unwise.

Paul depends almost completely on his parents. He is just learning to recognize things that he wants and how to get them. Paul is in the development period called: A) late childhood. B) middle childhood. C) early childhood. D) infancy.

D) infancy.

In Bronfenbrenner's ecological theory of development, family is to time as _______is to _______. A) macrosystem; mesosystem B) exosystem; microsystem C) exosystem; chronosystem D) microsystem; chronosystem

D) microsystem; chronosystem

The information-processing approach to development emphasizes: A) the quality of thinking among children of different ages. B) overcoming certain age-related problems or crises. C) age-appropriate expressions of sexual energy. D) perception, memory, reasoning ability, and problem solving.

D) perception, memory, reasoning ability, and problem solving.