Ch 1 Introduction to Lifespan Development
middle adulthood
A local community center advertises a meet-up for people who are seeking support as part of the "sandwiched generation," sandwiched between caring for young kids and aging parents. This meet-up is geared toward people in which period of human development?
Development is lifelong
A professor tells students, "In order to understand human development, you can't just study infants, children, or teenagers. You need to study people over the course of their entire lives." Which of Baltes' key principles of lifespan development is this professor supporting?
cognitive
A researcher who studies language development and tracks the rate at which toddlers learn new words is interested in which domain of human development?
Early adulthood
An author on a new book tour markets the book with messages such as, "Do you constantly think about your love life and work? Are you deciding if you'll get married and have children? Are you in the process of finishing up your formal education and launching your career? Are you still struggling to feel like an adult? Then this book is for you." This author is marketing to people in which period of human development?
development is plastic
An elderly person is experiencing age-related memory decline. A healthcare provider recommends brain training programs based on research indicating that dimensions of cognitive decline are partially reversible because the brain retains a lifelong capacity to reorganize cortical tissue. This healthcare provider's recommendation is aligned with which of Baltes' key principles of lifespan development?
In a study of children, let's suppose that researchers found a positive correlation (r= .63) between creativity and resilience. How is this finding interpreted?
Children who score higher on measures of creativity also score higher on measures of resilience. (a negitive correlation would occur when the two variables move in opposite directions: higher creativity is associated with lower resilience.
A graduate student research team is giving an oral presentation of their research on resilience in young adults. They note that a downside of their study is that participants were recruited from the university that they attend. What makes this a study limitation?
College students are samples of convenience that are not randomly selected from the wider population and may not represent all young adults in our society.
In a health class for middle schoolers, the instructor discusses puberty, to the embarrassment of the students, and reviews the biological factors involved in how their bodies are changing, the cognitive factors involved in more advanced thinking skills, the emotional factors involved in regulating feelings, and the social factors involved in navigating relationships. This illustrates which of Baltes' key principles of lifespan development?
Development is multidimensional.
development is lifelong
Motivational quotes that inspire people to keep learning and growing, no matter how young or old, are aligned with Baltes' key principles of lifespan development that
In a study of empathy across young adulthood to older adulthood, researchers found a negative correlation (r= -.75) between empathy and age. How is this finding interpreted?
Older adults tended to have lower empathy scores than younger adults.
discontinuous development
Parents exclaim, "One day my baby was crawling around on the floor, and the next day my toddler was wobbling around the house on two feet! It all happened so suddenly." Which approach to describing how developmental changes occur does the parents' statement reflect?
to test whether a relationship exists between 2 or more variables
Petersen uses a correlational study to determine if time spent playing video games is related to obesity. The objective of this research is ________.
socioeconomic status
Researchers are implementing educational intervention programs designed to reduce and eliminate the academic achievement gap across racial/ethnic groups. Many of these programs target the development of academic skills in children from low-income families, given that family education, income, and occupation strongly influence the academic achievement gap. Which contextual influence on development does this best exemplify?
ethnocentrism ; cultural relativity
Someone expressing ________ believes that their cultural practices are the best and right ones, and it is difficult for them to understand the cultural practices of other societies. Someone expressing ________ demonstrates an appreciation for cultural differences and a willingness to consider the perspectives of people in other cultures.
A new graduate student joins a professor's research team. The professor presents the graduate student with a variety of still unanswered questions from her previous research and encourages the student to design their study in such a way that it can answer those questions. Which value of the scientific method does this demonstrate?
The scientific method allows for a knowledge base to be established and for gaps in the literature to be filled.
cohert
a group of people who are born at roughly the same period in a particular society. Cohorts share histories and contexts for living
observational studies
also called naturalistic observation, involves watching and recording the actions of participants
lifespan perspective
an approach to studying development which emphasizes that development is lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, contextual, and multidisciplinary
secondary content analysis
archival research, involves analyzing information that has already been collected or examining documents or media to uncover attitudes, practices or preferences
survey
asking a standard set of questions to a group of subjects
Carlton conducts evaluation research of language enrichment programs for preschool children from low-income families. The objective of this research is to ________.
assess the effectiveness of an academic enrichment program (Explanatory studies are designed to answer questions about "why" something occurs. In this case, the focus is on evaluating a program.)
DeShawn has a hunch that people eat more pizza during football season. He and his friends want to test this theory, so they ask everyone they know about their pizza consumption and determine that, yes, pizza consumption does increase during the fall. DeShawn first wrote down his hypothesis, then surveyed his friends, and drew conclusions. DeShawn's research is
biased because he only asked his friends and family.
normative age-graded influences
biological and environmental factors that have a strong correlation with chronological age
culture
blueprint or guideline shared by a group of people that specifies how to live; passed down from generation to generation; learned from parents and others
Using the scientific method, researchers should
build upon earlier research to enhance understanding of a topic.
A researcher conducted an in-depth study of a child who was raised in isolation and had no contact with same-age peers until age 10. This researcher detailed the child's development in a number of spheres: physical/motor, language/cognitive, social and emotional. What kind of research method is this?
case study
The results of an experiment on the effects of sleep training on sleep quality showed that participants who received eight sessions of sleep enhancement training had longer sleep duration and better sleep quality than participants who did not receive the training. This led the researchers to conclude that an eight-week sleep enhancement training program is effective for improving sleep quality. What advantage of experimental research does this demonstrate?
cause and effect relationships
Parents track the number of new words their toddler learns each day and are surprised by how many new words their child has learned at the end of one month. By charting their child's language development, these parents are showing an interest in the ________ of human development.
cognitive domain (The cognitive domain involves learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and creativity.)
A research team designed a study of parenting style that included three groups: parents in their 30s with preschool-age children (2-5), parents in their 40s with children ages 6-11, and parents in their 50s with adolescents ages 12-18. This design is considered by the researchers to be less-time consuming and expensive than other potential designs, but they acknowledge the limitation of having only one measurement of parenting style for one point in time. As such, they cannot conclude that changes between parent groups indicate changes with age over time. Which research design does this describe?
cross sectional study
Researchers wanted to study alcohol use by teenagers and observe if there were any differences between cohorts over time. They compared three groups of students (grades 6 to 8, grades 9 to 10, and grades 11 to 12) and focused on the frequency and amount of their alcohol use over a five-year period. They collected useful information about age-related changes, changes within the same individuals as they aged, and were able to account for the possibility of cohort and/or time of measurement effects. This is an example of
cross sectional study
Through observation and surveys, Dr. Thompson was able to determine how much time a sample of children spent playing outside. What type of research is this?
descriptive study
In order to minimize attrition in studies with infants and children, researchers are advised to ________.
design the study to be as short as possible
A talk show host likes to interview guests who thought their course in life was set and determined by challenges they experienced as children and teens, but who later encountered situations and opportunities that transformed their lives into something they could not have envisioned earlier in life. This talk show host's approach is aligned with Baltes' key principle of lifespan development that ________.
development is lifelong
While most human development theorists and researchers have focused on infancy and childhood, and some on adolescence, others have explored development over the course of one's entire life, which aligns with Baltes' key principle of lifespan development that ________.
development is lifelong
In a prenatal education class, an instructor informs parents that their child's development will be influenced by many factors, including biological, cognitive, social, and emotional factors. This instructor is addressing which of Baltes' key principles of lifespan development?
development is multidimensional
Brain training programs, which are used to reverse cognitive decline seen in aging, capitalize on the brain's lifelong capacity to reorganize cortical tissue, which aligns with Baltes' key principle of lifespan development that ________.
development is plastic
A group of friends gets together and their conversation revolves around love and work: relationships, planning for future marriage and children, finishing formal education and establishing their careers, developing independence, and feeling like an adult. This group of friends is in the ________ period of human development.
early adulthood
nurture
environmental, social, and cultural influences of behavior
Teresa believes her cultural practices are the best and right ones, and it is difficult for her to understand the cultural practices of other societies. Tanya expresses an appreciation for cultural differences and a willingness to consider the perspectives of people in other cultures. Teresa's view demonstrates ________, while Tanya's view demonstrates ________.
ethnocentrism; cultural relativity
case study
exploring a single case or situation in great detail. Information may be gathered with the use of observation, interviews, testing, or other methods to uncover as much as possible about a person or situation
discontinuous development
idea that development takes place in unique stages and occurs at specific times or ages
A researcher is interested in studying the relationship between sensitivity to negative information over positive (i.e., negativity bias) and hours of sleep at night (i.e., average total sleep time). Correlational research would allow this researcher to ________.
identify patterns of relationships between two variables, negativity bias and average total sleep time
In a study of the effect of playing video games on sleep quality, researchers randomly assigned some participants to play an up-tempo video game for either one or three hours before bed. Other participants had no engagement with electronics in the time before bed. Then, the researchers assessed all the participants' sleep quality (e.g., number of awakenings, percentage of time in deep sleep) during an overnight sleep study. In this experiment, the time spent playing video games (e.g., one or three hours) is the ________.
independent variable (The independent variable is something altered or introduced by the researcher, and sometimes it is a treatment or intervention. In this case, the researcher manipulated time spent playing video games (one or three hours))
Hawthorne effect
individuals tend to change their behavior when they know they are being watched
normative history-graded influences
influences associated with a specific time period that define the broader bio-cultural context in which an individual develops
Simone is conducting research about how psychosocial factors relate to relationship satisfaction. She has all the potential research participants review a written description of the procedures to be used in the research and any expected risks or benefits. If they sign this ________, it serves as a contract stating that they agree to participate in research.
informed consent
A couple arrives at a research lab to participate in a research study of psychosocial factors related to relationship satisfaction. After they learn about the study, they are asked to review a(n) ________, which reviews the procedures to be used in the research, any expected risks or benefits, and serves as a contract stating that they agree to participate in research.
informed consent statement
content analysis
involves looking at media such as old texts, pictures, commercials, lyrics or other materials to explore patterns or themes in culture
quantitative research
involves numerical data that are quantified using statistics to understand and report what has been studied
Suppose a group of researchers wants to investigate the relationship between daily mindfulness meditation and cortisol (stress hormone) levels in the body over a 20-year time period. Which research design would allow them to measure changes with age and within individuals over time, even though it would be expensive, limited to one cohort, take a long time, and they might have people drop out of the study?
longitudinal research design
As an elementary school student, Hayden's life revolves around learning and testing new academic skills, refining motor skills, and developing social relationships with friends and students outside of the family. Hayden is in the ________ period of human development.
middle childhood (ages 6-11)
Millennials, those born between 1982 and 2000, are considered tech-savvy because they grew up with technology and rely on it for daily activities. Millennials are defined by characteristics that were formed while growing up with advancements in technology as part of their world and culture. Which of Baltes' contextual influences does this represent?
normative history-graded influences
A pediatrician provides parents with a chart that plots changes in their child's height and weight over time. This growth chart represents a ________ in human development.
physical domain
A counselor is conducting an initial evaluation with a client and asks questions to better understand the client's feelings, relationships, identity, and personality. This counselor is exploring the ________ of human development.
psychosocial domain
evaluation research:
research designed to assess the effectiveness of policies or programs
descriptive studies
research focused on describing an occurrence
correlational research
research that formally tests whether a relationship exists between two or more variables, however, correlation does not imply causation
experimental research
research that involves randomly assigning people to different conditions and using hypothesis testing to make inferences about how these conditions affect behavior; the only method that measures cause and effect between variables
explanatory studies
research that tries to answer the question "why"
The National Institutes of Health released a large dataset from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, or the ABCD Study. Now researchers from around the world have access to this data and can conduct ________ on various factors related to brain, cognitive, social, and emotional development.
secondary content analysis (type of research involves the analysis of data that has already been collected in another study.)
Researchers studied frequency and amount of marijuana use in three groups of students (grades 6 to 8, grades 9 to 10, and grades 11 to 12) over five years. With this ________, researchers can examine age-related changes and changes within the same individuals as they age. In addition, researchers can account for the possibility of cohort and/or time of measurement effects.
sequential research design
A researcher wants to understand parents' attitudes and opinions toward residential school programs for academically gifted students. This researcher would likely choose a ________ research method.
survey
continuous development
the idea that development is a progressive and cumulative process, gradually improving on existing skills
nature
the influences of biology and genetics on behavior
qualitative research
theoretical ideas are "grounded" in the experiences of the participants, who answer open-ended questions
nonnormative influences
unpredictable influences not tied to a certain developmental time, personally or historical period
validity
when something yields accurate results
reliability
when something yields consistent results
A researcher conducted an in-depth study of a child who was raised in isolation and had no contact with same-age peers until age 10. This researcher detailed the child's development in a number of spheres: physical/motor, language/cognitive, social and emotional. What kind of research method is this?
Case study
Childcare practices differ across cultures, and different practices have been found to influence when and how children reach certain developmental milestones, such as sitting, crawling, and walking. Which approach to human development is conveyed by this finding?
Development can follow a different course for each child.
A teenager bemoans, "My life is a roller coaster. I've got all this new stuff to think about and I'm not as good at things I used to do well. I think I'm making progress in one area, but I'm losing ground in another." This statement about alternating between gains and losses reflects which of Baltes' key principles of lifespan development?
Development is multidirectional. (alternating between gains (growth) and losses (decline)
Researchers conducted an experiment to study the effects of sleep training on sleep duration and quality. They randomly assigned some participants to a treatment condition where they received eight sessions of sleep enhancement training and some participants to a control condition where they did not receive the training. If the participants who received sleep enhancement training had better sleep duration and quality than the people who did not receive the training, then the researcher can conclude that the training works. What advantage of experimental research does this demonstrate?
Experimental research helps establish cause and effect relationships.
Biological and environmental factors that have a strong correlation with chronological age, such as puberty or menopause, or age-based social practices such as beginning school or entering retirement.
Normative age-graded influences
A theorist proposes that children learn language by observing and imitating their parents, who in turn reinforce the sounds and words their children produce. In the nature versus nurture debate, where does this theorist's proposal fit?
Nurture (According to the nature side of the nature-nurture debate, we are who we are because of our genetic makeup and biological factors.)
secondary content analysis
Researchers who study adolescent health were excited to read the announcement that The National Institutes of Health released a dataset from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study, considered the largest long-term study of brain development. When scientists use this database to study the various factors that influence adolescent brain, cognitive, social, and emotional development, what type of research method are they doing?
Researchers build upon each other's work by following up on suggested directions for future research and addressing limitations of previous studies. For example, a researcher might extend a study that was originally conducted with an urban sample to include people living in suburban and rural areas. Which aspect of the scientific method does this demonstrate?
The scientific method facilitates the establishment of a literature or knowledge base.
When researchers select participants for their studies in a random way to ensure that all members have an equal chance of being selected, they are demonstrating which aspect of the scientific method?
The scientific method offers a systematic way to make comparisons and guard against bias.
descriptive study
Through observation and surveys, Dr. Thompson was able to determine how much time a sample of children spent playing outside. What type of research is this?
Research indicates that family education, income, and occupation strongly influence the academic achievement gap across racial/ethnic groups. Which contextual influence on development does this exemplify?
Socioeconomic status is a way to identify families and households based on their shared levels of education, income, and occupation. While there are certainly individual differences, members of a social class tend to share similar parenting styles, stressors, and other aspects of daily life.
To examine the effectiveness of two types of interventions for depression, researchers randomly assigned participants to a 12-week course of cognitive-behavioral therapy, a 12-week mindfulness-based stress reduction program, or a waitlist control group. In this experiment, what is the dependent variable?
The dependent variable is the outcome or the factor affected by the introduction of the independent variable. In this case, the dependent variable, or outcome of interest, is depression.
A team of researchers is interested in studying changes in parenting style over time, as children and parents grow older. One researcher states, "If we choose a ________, then it would be less time consuming and expensive. Another researcher comments, "If we choose that design, then we have measurements of parenting style for one point in time, and we can't be sure about changes with age over time."
cross-sectional research design
Thompson uses observation and surveys to study how much time children spend playing outside. The objective of this research is to
describe the occurrence of time being spent playing outside. (Observation and surveys are used in descriptive studies to describe a phenomenon.)
