Chapter 9 | Human Development

Question 1

Developmental Psychology

Answer 1

The study of changes over the life span in physiology, cognition, emotion, and social behavior.

Developmental psychologists seek to understand how people grow and adapt within their cultures to become members of society.

Question 2

Synaptic pruning

Answer 2

The physiological process of preserving synaptic connections that are used, and eliminating those that are not used.

Question 3

Tertogens

Answer 3

Agents that harm the embryo of fetus.

They impair development in the womb.

Teratogens include drugs, bacteria, and viruses - chemicals such as caffeins, alcohol, and certain prescription drugs.

Question 4

Why is synaptic pruning valuable in the developing brain?

Answer 4

Synaptic pruning is an essential part of brain development. By getting rid of the synapses that are no longer used, the brain becomes more efficient as you age.

Question 5

Innate abilities infants are born with

Answer 5

Grasping reflex, rooting reflex, sucking reflex

Question 6

Dynamic systems theory

Answer 6

The view that development is self-organizing process, in which new forms of behavior emerge through consistent interactions between a person and cultural and environmental contexts

Question 7

Why do physical developmental milestones occur in a predictable sequence but sometimes vary in timing between cultures?

Answer 7

Development is part of a dynamic system, guided by biology but influenced by environmental feedback and cultural interactions.

Question 8

Habituation technique

Answer 8

A way to study how infants categorize a series of objects, such as faces, based on the principle that after looking at objects that are all from the same category, babies will look for a longer time at objects from a new category

Question 9

Infantile amnesia

Answer 9

The inability to remember events from early childhood

Question 10

Why are many toys for infants black-and-white?

Answer 10

Infants have poor color vision and low visual acuity, so they most easily perceive objects with high contrasts, such as black against a white background.

Question 11

Thinking critically, does the original “Mozart effect” study support the idea that playing classical music to babies will increase their intelligence?

Answer 11

No, because:
(1) in the original study, “intelligence” was tested in relation to a motor skill; the test results might have been influenced by the temporary mood-enhancing qualities of the music; that is, the increase in positive mood may be largely responsible for better performance
(2) the participants were college students, so we cannot generalize the result to infants

Question 12

Attachment

Answer 12

A strong, intimate, emotional connection between people that persists over time and across circumstances.

Question 13

Assimilation

Answer 13

The process by which new information is placed into an existing scheme.

Question 14

Accommodation

Answer 14

The process by which a new scheme is created or an existing scheme is drastically altered to include new information that otherwise would not fit into the scheme.

Question 15

Four stages of development

Answer 15

Sensorimotor, preoperation, concrete operational, and formal operational

Question 16

Sensorimotor stage

Answer 16

The first stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, during this stage, infants acquire information about the world through their senses and motor skills. Reflexive responses develop into more deliberate actions through the development and refinement of schemes.

Question 17

Object permanence

Answer 17

The understanding that an object continues to exist even when it cannot be seen

Question 18

Preoperational stage

Answer 18

The second stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, during this stage, children think symbolically about objects, but they reason based on intuition and superficial appearance rather than logic

Question 19

Concrete operational stage

Answer 19

The third stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, during this stage, children begin to think about and understand logical operations, and they are no longer fooled by appearances

Question 20

Formal operation stage

Answer 20

The final stage in Piaget’s theory of cognitive development, in this stage, people can think abstractly, and they can formulate and test hypotheses through deductive logic.

Question 21

According to Piaget’s theory, why would an infant stop reaching for a toy when it is suddenly covered by a towel?

Answer 21

Because the child does not yet understand object permanence (that the hidden toy still exists)

Question 22

In what ways have recent research findings challenged Piaget’s theory of cognitive development?

Answer 22

Studies have shown that cognitive abilities related to physics and mathematics develop earlier and developmental stages are not as discrete as Piaget thought.

Question 23

Theory of mind

Answer 23

The ability to understand that other people have mental states that influence their behavior

Question 24

What is the relationship between theory of mind and prosocial behavior?

Answer 24

Those who exhibit greater capacity for theory of mind are more likely to perform prosocial behavior.

Question 25

Preconventional level

Answer 25

Earliest stage of moral development, at this level, self-interest and event outcomes determine what is moral

Question 26

Conventional level

Answer 26

Middle stage of moral development, at this level, strict adherence to societal rules and the approval of others determine what is moral

Question 27

Postconventional level

Answer 27

Highest stage of moral development, at this level, decisions about morality depend on abstract principles and the value of all life

Question 28

Inequity aversion

Answer 28

A preference to avoid unfairness when making decisions about the distribution of resources

Question 29

What kind of study would be needed to support the claim that excessive screen time causes harm to developing children?

Answer 29

An experiment with a large sample: a preregistered study randomly assigned children to use screens at varying levels per day (e.g. 0 hours, 2 hours, or 4 hours) and examined their mental and social functioning at multiple time points across several years of development. A study would be convincing about certain harms if it showed differences in outcomes among the groups.

Question 30

Puberty

Answer 30

The beginning of adolescence, marked by the onset of sexual maturity and thus the ability to reproduce

Question 31

How do scientists know that the timing of physical changes and experience of emotional upheaval during puberty are not completely dependent on biology?

Answer 31

Because they vary due to social and environmental experiences, which can alter pubertal timing and influence emotional outcomes during adolescence.

Question 32

Gender identity

Answer 32

One’s sense of being male, female, or nonbinary

Question 33

Gender roles

Answer 33

A behavior that is typically associated with being male or female

Question 34

How do fluid intelligence and crystallized intelligence change with aging?

Answer 34

Fluid intelligence, or the ability to think quickly and recall information, peaks around age 20 and then begins to decline. Crystallized intelligence, on the other hand, continues to grow throughout adulthood.
The changes in fluid and crystallized intelligence seem to balance each other out, so overall IQ stays the same as we age. However, the mean level of fluid intelligence is higher for younger adults, while the mean level of crystallized intelligence is higher for older adults.

Question 35

Socioemotional selectivity theory

Answer 35

A theory proposing that as people grow older, they view time as limited and therefore shift their focus to meaningful events, experiences, and goals