A major strength of the information-processing approach is
A) its explicitness and precision in breaking down complex cognitive activities into
their components.
B) that it offers a comprehensive theory of cognitive development.
C) its exclusive focus on linear and logical aspects of cognition.
D) its emphasis on the biological bases of cognitive development.
Three-year-old Serena refers to a squirrel as a “rabbit,” but points correctly to a squirrel
when given the word squirrel in a comprehension task. Serena probably has
A) difficulty discriminating between squirrels and rabbits.
B) difficulty recognizing squirrels.
C) difficulty pronouncing the word squirrel.
D) a hearing disability.
Which of the following is an example of a recessive characteristic?
A) facial dimples
B) pattern baldness
C) farsightedness
D) double-jointedness
In Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, interactions between a father and his
child occur in the
A) mesosystem.
B) microsystem.
C) macrosystem.
D) exosystem.
Which of the following statements is true regarding sustained attention?
A) A greater slowing of heart rate while focused on complex stimuli is a physiological
indicator of sustained attention.
B) Children are not capable of intentional, goal-directed sustained attention until they
enter elementary school.
C) Improved language development is responsible for gains in sustained attention.
D) Environmental factors have minimal impact on the development of sustained
attention.
Which of the following statements is true about the role of heredity in physical growth?
A) When diet and health are adequate, heredity has little effect on height and rate of
growth.
B) Even if negative environmental influences are not severe, children show little
catch-up growth once conditions improve.
C) Twin studies reveal that genetic makeup has little effect on body weight.
D) Genes influence growth by controlling the body’s production of and sensitivity to
hormones.
When they are observed for behavioral signs of prosocial responding, girls show
A) no measurable advantage over boys.
B) greater self-confidence and assertiveness in helping behaviors.
C) a significant advantage over boys, especially in helping behaviors.
D) a slight advantage that is mostly evident in kindness and considerateness.
Which of the following statements is true about sexual orientation?
A) Adoptive relatives are just as likely as biological relatives to share a homosexual
orientation.
B) Male homosexuality tends to be more common on the paternal than the maternal
side of families.
C) The evidence to date suggests that genetic and prenatal biological influences are
largely responsible for homosexuality.
D) One gene-mapping study found that among 40 pairs of homosexual brothers, 82
percent had an identical segment of DNA on the Y chromosome.
Two-year-old Isabella has a red dot on her nose. When she looks into a mirror, she tries
to rub off the dot. This behavior indicates that Isabella is developing
A) self-recognition.
B) self-reflection.
C) emotional contagion.
D) a secure identity.
Mr. and Mrs. Behru live in a low-income, high-risk neighborhood. They have little
involvement with their child’s school because they
A) have no need for school support.
B) feel resentful toward the school for its demands on their time.
C) are disinterested in education.
D) face daily stresses that reduce their energy for school involvement.
Although strong cultural variations exist, the most common attachment quality in all
societies is
A) avoidant.
B) resistant.
C) disorganized/disoriented.
D) secure.
Trevor has limited ability to engage in nonverbal communicative behaviors, and his
language tends to be imitative. He pays little attention to the people around him,
preferring to sit and play intensely in activities requiring repetitive motions. Trevor is
displaying qualities that are characteristic of
A) bipolar disorder.
B) a learning disability.
C) mental retardation.
D) autism.
Infants born to teenage mothers
A) are more likely to have chromosomal disorders than infants born to women in their
forties.
B) are healthier than infants born to mothers in their thirties.
C) have a higher rate of problems, but not directly because of maternal age.
D) have a higher rate of problems directly related to immature maternal age.
The __________ is the longest prenatal period.
A) period of the embryo
B) period of the zygote
C) period of the fetus
D) first trimester
Taylor is under pressure from his peers to experiment with drugs. He is most likely to
resist this pressure if his parents use a(n) __________ parenting style.
A) neglectful
B) permissive
C) authoritative
D) authoritarian
Which of the following statements is supported by research on secular trends?
A) The larger size of today’s children is mostly due to a faster rate of physical
development.
B) Age of first menstruation increased steadily from 1900 to 1970.
C) Secular trends are primarily observed in wealthy, industrialized nations.
D) Secular trends are larger for low-income children, who have poorer diets.
Which of the following statements is true about the epigenetic interplay between
maternal smoking and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)?
A) By itself, the DD genotype was related to impulsivity and oppositional behavior.
B) Children of mothers who smoked during pregnancy scored lower in overactivity
than children of nonsmoking mothers.
C) Five-year-olds with both prenatal nicotine exposure and the DD genotype obtained
substantially higher impulsivity scores than all other groups.
D) Five-year-olds with both prenatal nicotine exposure and the DD genotype obtained
lower oppositional behavior scores than all other groups.
Although rough-and-tumble play declines in adolescence, when it does occur
A) its meaning is linked to aggression.
B) it is used to reconcile a disagreement.
C) it is often between members of the other sex.
D) it is often accompanied by antisocial behavior.
The number of American teenage births is considerably lower than it was 50 years ago
because
A) nearly one-third of U.S. teen pregnancies end in abortion.
B) fewer teens are having sex.
C) 90 percent of sexually active teens use contraceptives.
D) most schools offer effective sex education.
When parents of multiple children are asked to describe their children’s personalities,
they often
A) regard siblings as more distinct than other observers do.
B) emphasize similarities between siblings.
C) regard their children as more alike than other observers do.
D) rate their children as moderately similar.
On average, which of the following individuals would report having more frequent and
satisfying sex?
A) John, a bachelor who prefers casual sex
B) Miranda, a single mother
C) Datu, a recent college graduate who is married
D) Sancia, a single woman with a steady boyfriend
Which of the following statements is true about the sequence of motor development?
A) A baby who is a late reacher will probably also be a late crawler.
B) Motor skills are separate, innate abilities that emerge in a fixed sequence.
C) Motor skills are interrelated; each is a product of earlier motor attainments.
D) All children acquire motor skills in the same way.
The newborn baby responds to touch, especially around the
A) eyes, ears, and soles of the feet.
B) eyes, palms, and genitals.
C) feet, stomach, and head.
D) mouth, palms, and soles of the feet.
Seven-week-old LaDonna breaks into a broad grin at the sight of her father’s face.
LaDonna is displaying
A) a social smile.
B) a sense of humor.
C) subtle laughter.
D) a self-conscious emotion.
Surveys of freshmen students revealed that the number who say there is a “very good
chance” they will volunteer in their communities
A) is significantly larger than the number who actually do.
B) is nearly twice what it was 20 years ago.
C) has held steady for the past 40 to 50 years.
D) has declined somewhat in recent decades.
Which of the following statements is true about teratogens during the fetal period?
A) Teratogenic damage is usually minor.
B) Teratogens cause irreversible brain damage.
C) Serious defects are most likely to occur from teratogens.
D) Teratogens rarely have any impact.
Eighteen-year-old Emily identifies as bisexual. Which of the following will probably be
true when Emily is 28?
A) Emily will be gender-deviant in dress or behavior.
B) Emily will identify as bisexual.
C) Emily will identify as lesbian.
D) Emily will report far more same-sex than other-sex attractions than she did at age
18.
German babies are more likely than American babies to display a(n) __________
attachment style.
A) resistant
B) avoidant
C) secure
D) disorganized/disoriented
Typically, pubertal development takes about _____ years.
A) two
B) three
C) four
D) five
If Carmen has such qualities as positive self-esteem, persistence, confidence in her
ability to reach her goals, and the capacity to meet challenges and overcome diversity,
we would say that Carmen
A) engages in dualistic thinking.
B) is resilient.
C) has mastered epistemic cognition.
D) has achieved identity foreclosure.
Students most likely to score poorly on high-stakes exams are
A) children with a high IQ.
B) children with a low IQ.
C) children who did not attend an early intervention program such as Head Start.
D) minority youths living in poverty.
Wanda’s parents engage in behaviors that intrude on and manipulate her verbal
expressions and individuality. Wanda’s parents engage in
A) permissive parenting techniques.
B) autonomy granting.
C) coregulation.
D) psychological control.