Developmental Psychology (Lifespan) — HS Psychology practice questions

Teratogens are:

1. harmful agents that affect a developing fetus
2. genes that cause inherited disease
3. reflexes present at birth
4. hormones released during puberty

Answer: A — harmful agents that affect a developing fetus

A) Correct — Examples include alcohol, nicotine and some infections. B) Teratogens come from the environment, not genes. C) Are innate reflexes like rooting. D) Aren't teratogens.

A longitudinal study:

1. compares different age groups at one time
2. follows the same people over time
3. studies one person in great depth
4. tests people from many cultures at once

Answer: B — follows the same people over time

B) Correct — It tracks change within individuals across years. A) Is a cross-sectional study. C) Is a case study. D) Is a cross-cultural study.

Harlow's infant monkeys clung to a soft cloth mother rather than a wire mother that gave milk. This showed:

1. attachment is based on being fed
2. contact comfort matters more than feeding
3. monkeys prefer whichever mother came first
4. imprinting happens only in birds

Answer: B — contact comfort matters more than feeding

B) Correct — Attachment rests on comfort and security, not just food. A) Reverses the finding. C) Isn't what was tested. D) Isn't what the study addressed.

A child calls a cow a "doggy," fitting it into an idea she already has. Piaget called this:

1. accommodation
2. assimilation
3. egocentrism
4. conservation

Answer: B — assimilation

B) Correct — New experiences are interpreted with existing schemas. A) Is changing the schema to fit new information. C) Is difficulty taking others' perspective. D) Is understanding quantity stays constant.

Erikson's central crisis for young adults is:

1. intimacy vs. isolation
2. identity vs. role confusion
3. generativity vs. stagnation
4. integrity vs. despair

Answer: A — intimacy vs. isolation

A) Correct — Young adults work on forming close, committed relationships. B) Is adolescence. C) Is middle adulthood. D) Is late adulthood.

Ainsworth's "Strange Situation" measures:

1. an infant's attachment style
2. a child's stage of moral reasoning
3. temperament at birth
4. object permanence

Answer: A — an infant's attachment style

A) Correct — Infants are observed when a caregiver leaves and returns. B) Is Kohlberg's moral dilemmas. C) Is measured differently and earlier. D) Is tested by hiding objects.

Teratogens?

Harmful agents, such as alcohol, nicotine, some drugs and infections, that can damage a developing embryo or fetus. Alcohol can cause fetal alcohol syndrome.

Kohlberg's moral development?

Preconventional (avoid punishment), Conventional (social rules), Postconventional (universal principles).

Conservation?

Quantity stays same despite shape change. Develops concrete operational.

Cross-sectional vs longitudinal studies?

Cross-sectional: compares different age groups at one time (quick, but generations differ). Longitudinal: follows the same people over years (shows real change, but slow, and people drop out).