PSY202Z Test 1 Review: Chapters 3, 9, and 10

Comprehensive review flashcards covering developmental psychology across the life span, motivation and emotion, and stress, coping, health, and subjective well-being.

A researcher follows the same group of children from age 5 through age 18, measuring changes in language ability at several points. Which research design is being used?

Longitudinal design

A researcher compares 5-year-olds, 10-year-olds, and 15-year-olds during the same year. Which advantage does this cross-sectional design have over a longitudinal study?

It can provide information more quickly.

A developmental psychologist finds that children raised in different cultures reach certain milestones at somewhat different ages. Which conclusion is most appropriate?

Environmental and cultural experiences can influence development.

A baby's ability to recognize a familiar caregiver develops through both biological maturation and repeated experience. This best illustrates the interaction between:

Nature and nurture

A newborn automatically turns toward a touch on its cheek and begins sucking. These behaviors are best described as:

Reflexes

An infant realizes that an object still exists after it is hidden behind a blanket. This demonstrates:

Object permanence

A toddler uses an existing mental framework for "dog" to identify a new breed of dog. According to Piaget, this is:

Assimilation

A child previously believes all four-legged animals are dogs but changes that mental framework after learning that some are cats. According to Piaget, this is:

Accommodation

A child believes that a tall, thin glass contains more juice than a short, wide glass even though both contain the same amount. The child has difficulty understanding:

Conservation

A preschool child assumes that everyone sees and experiences the world exactly as they do. This is characteristic of:

Egocentrism

A child begins understanding hypothetical situations and can reason about possibilities that are not directly observable. This is most characteristic of which Piagetian stage?

Formal operational stage

A child can logically solve a problem involving actual objects but struggles with abstract hypothetical reasoning. This child is most likely in the:

Concrete operational stage

A child understands that another person can hold a belief that differs from reality. This demonstrates development of:

Theory of mind

Which example best demonstrates the influence of culture on cognitive development?

Children's opportunities to practice certain skills vary depending on cultural expectations and environments.

A parent consistently responds warmly and appropriately to an infant's needs, giving the infant confidence that the caregiver will be available. According to Erikson, this supports development of:

Trust

A toddler insists on feeding themselves and choosing which clothes to wear. Erikson would describe this period as involving the conflict between:

Autonomy and shame/doubt

A preschooler eagerly creates games and activities but may feel guilty when their efforts are discouraged. Erikson associated this period with:

Initiative versus guilt

An elementary-school child becomes increasingly concerned with developing skills and being successful compared with classmates. Erikson described this period as:

Industry versus inferiority

A teenager experiments with different careers, beliefs, and social roles before deciding who they want to become. This reflects Erikson's stage of:

Identity versus role confusion

A young adult develops a close, committed relationship while maintaining a strong sense of self. Erikson associated this developmental task with:

Intimacy versus isolation

An older adult looks back on life with a sense of meaning and satisfaction rather than regret. Erikson would describe this as:

Integrity

A teenager's height increases rapidly during puberty because of hormonal changes. This is an example of:

Physical development

A child gradually develops the ability to control attention, inhibit impulses, and plan behavior. These abilities are examples of:

Executive functions

A child's ability to understand and use increasingly complex vocabulary is an example of:

Cognitive development

A newborn prefers the sound of a familiar caregiver's voice. This preference suggests that infants:

Can recognize familiar auditory information.

An infant cries when a caregiver leaves but is quickly comforted when the caregiver returns. The infant is most likely demonstrating:

Secure attachment

A child rarely seeks comfort from a caregiver and avoids the caregiver upon reunion. This pattern is most consistent with:

Avoidant attachment

A child becomes extremely distressed when a caregiver leaves and remains difficult to comfort when the caregiver returns. This pattern is most consistent with:

Anxious/ambivalent attachment

A child's attachment style is influenced by the consistency and responsiveness of caregivers. This finding supports the importance of:

Early social experiences

A parent establishes clear rules but also explains those rules, listens to the child, and provides warmth. This parenting style is:

Authoritative

A parent demands obedience, provides strict rules, and rarely explains decisions. This parenting style is:

Authoritarian

A parent provides few rules and rarely disciplines a child but is highly affectionate. This is most characteristic of:

Permissive parenting

Which statement best describes puberty?

It involves biological changes associated with sexual maturation.

An adolescent becomes increasingly capable of considering hypothetical consequences of different decisions. This reflects the development of:

Formal operational reasoning

An older adult takes longer to solve a completely unfamiliar problem but has extensive knowledge accumulated from decades of experience. This pattern is consistent with differences between:

Fluid and crystallized intelligence

A person's vocabulary and accumulated factual knowledge remain strong in later adulthood even though their speed on unfamiliar reasoning tasks declines. This demonstrates that:

Crystallized abilities can remain relatively stable while some fluid abilities decline.

An adolescent becomes highly concerned with how they appear to peers and assumes everyone is paying attention to them. This is sometimes referred to as the adolescent:

Imaginary audience

A parent provides guidance on a difficult task but gradually reduces assistance as the child becomes more capable. This is most consistent with:

Scaffolding

A child can complete a difficult task with help from a knowledgeable adult but cannot yet complete it independently. Vygotsky would describe this range as the:

Zone of proximal development

Which statement best reflects the modern understanding of development?

Development is influenced by biological, psychological, social, and cultural factors throughout life.

A student studies for an exam because they genuinely enjoy learning the material, even though no reward is offered. This is primarily:

Intrinsic motivation

A student studies because their parents promised them a new phone if they earn an A. This is primarily:

Extrinsic motivation

A person becomes thirsty after exercising and drinks water to restore the body's internal balance. This is best explained by:

Drive-reduction theory

A person seeks an optimal level of stimulation and becomes bored when activities are too predictable. This is most consistent with:

Arousal theory

A student chooses to attend a difficult concert because they expect the experience to be exciting and rewarding. This behavior is best explained by:

Incentive theory

A person who has not eaten all day becomes strongly motivated to find food. Which concept best explains the increased motivation?

Drive

Which example best demonstrates homeostasis?

Maintaining body temperature within a relatively stable range

According to Maslow's hierarchy, which need generally must be addressed before higher-level needs become dominant?

Physiological needs

A person who has adequate food and shelter becomes increasingly concerned with developing close relationships. Which need is becoming especially important?

Belongingness and love

A successful professional feels that they have reached their potential and are pursuing meaningful personal growth rather than simply seeking status. This most closely reflects:

Self-actualization

A runner experiences a sudden burst of energy and reduced awareness of discomfort during a competition. Which physiological substances may contribute to this experience?

Endorphins

A person's body responds to food by releasing hormones that help regulate hunger and energy balance. This demonstrates that motivation can involve:

Biological processes and hormones

A person eats even though they are not physically hungry because they smell freshly baked cookies. This behavior illustrates the influence of:

External incentives and environmental cues

A student continues working on a difficult assignment because they find the challenge personally satisfying. This is an example of:

Intrinsic motivation

A child who previously enjoyed drawing begins to lose interest after receiving a reward every time they draw. Which concept might help explain this change?

Overjustification effect

A person feels anxious before giving a presentation. Their heart rate increases, palms sweat, and attention becomes focused on the situation. These physical reactions are part of:

Emotional arousal

According to the James-Lange theory, which sequence best describes the relationship between emotion and physiological arousal?

Physiological arousal occurs first, and the perception of that arousal contributes to the emotional experience.

According to the Cannon-Bard theory, when a person encounters a threat:

The emotional experience and physiological arousal occur simultaneously.

Two people experience similar physical arousal before a major event. One interprets it as excitement, while the other interprets it as fear. This illustrates the importance of:

Cognitive appraisal

A student feels nervous before an exam but interprets the nervousness as evidence that they are prepared and energized. This is an example of:

Cognitive reappraisal

Which statement about facial expressions is most accurate?

Facial expressions can communicate emotions and may also influence emotional experience.

A person is angry but chooses to pause, consider the consequences, and respond calmly. This demonstrates:

Emotion regulation

A person recognizes that a coworker is upset and adjusts their communication accordingly. This demonstrates an aspect of:

Emotional intelligence

A student sets a goal to earn a specific grade and creates smaller weekly goals to reach it. Which characteristic of effective goal setting is most clearly demonstrated?

Specific and measurable goals

A student sets a goal that is extremely easy and provides no challenge. Compared with a moderately challenging goal, this goal is generally less likely to:

Provide meaningful motivation

A person becomes so absorbed in playing music that they lose track of time and focus completely on the activity. This state is called:

Flow

A person chooses a challenging activity that matches their skill level closely enough to remain engaged without becoming overwhelmed. This situation is particularly conducive to:

Flow

Which example best demonstrates the interaction between biological and psychological factors in motivation?

Hunger involves physiological signals, but thoughts, emotions, and environmental cues can influence eating behavior.

A student initially studies because of a reward but eventually begins enjoying the subject and continues studying without the reward. Which change has occurred?

Extrinsic motivation has become more internally driven.

A person becomes frustrated after repeatedly failing to achieve a goal, then changes their strategy after recognizing that their original approach was ineffective. This best demonstrates:

Adaptive motivation and self-regulation

A student experiences increased heart rate, rapid breathing, and muscle tension immediately before an important exam. This is part of the body's:

Stress response

Which statement best describes stress?

Stress is a response to demands or challenges that are perceived as taxing or threatening.

A person interprets a challenging assignment as an opportunity to demonstrate their skills rather than as a threat. This demonstrates the importance of:

Cognitive appraisal

A person initially evaluates an event as potentially stressful and then considers whether they have the resources to handle it. This reflects:

Primary and secondary appraisal

A person sees a major presentation as threatening and believes they lack the skills necessary to handle it. According to appraisal theory, the person is likely to experience:

Greater perceived stress

During an acute stress response, which hormone is particularly associated with mobilizing the body for action?

Adrenaline

A person experiences prolonged stress that repeatedly activates the body's stress-response systems. Over time, this may contribute to:

Wear and tear on the body

Hans Selye's general adaptation syndrome describes stress as progressing through which stages?

Alarm, resistance, and exhaustion

A person initially reacts strongly to a stressor, then adapts to the ongoing demand while maintaining elevated physiological activity. This corresponds most closely to the:

Resistance stage

After months of chronic stress, a person's physical resources become depleted and health problems begin appearing. This is most consistent with the:

Exhaustion stage

A student has several exams during the same week and experiences stress that ends when the exams are over. This is most similar to:

Acute stress

A person experiences financial insecurity for several years and remains under persistent stress. This is an example of:

Chronic stress

A person experiences stress that motivates them to prepare carefully for an important event. This form of stress may be described as:

Eustress

A person regularly exercises, eats a balanced diet, and gets adequate sleep. These behaviors can help manage stress by:

Supporting physical resilience and healthy coping

A person responds to stress by making a plan, breaking the problem into smaller steps, and taking action. This is an example of:

Problem-focused coping

A person cannot immediately change a stressful situation, so they practice relaxation techniques and seek emotional support. This is primarily:

Emotion-focused coping

Which situation would most strongly call for problem-focused coping?

A student is overwhelmed by an upcoming exam and creates a study schedule.

Which situation would most strongly call for emotion-focused coping?

Practicing relaxation after receiving news that cannot immediately be changed

A person copes with stress by pretending the problem does not exist and refusing to think about it. This is an example of:

Avoidance coping

A person believes they have no control over stressful events and eventually stops trying to improve their situation, even when opportunities become available. This resembles:

Learned helplessness

A person has experienced several difficult events but continues functioning effectively, seeks support, and adapts to challenges. This demonstrates:

Resilience

A person has a strong network of supportive friends and family and tends to recover more effectively from stressful events. This demonstrates the importance of:

Social support

A student feels overwhelmed and talks with a trusted friend who provides encouragement and practical assistance. The support may help because it can:

Buffer the effects of stress

A person practices mindfulness by deliberately focusing attention on present experiences without immediately judging them. This may help with stress by:

Increasing awareness and reducing automatic reactions

A person experiences a stressful event and automatically interprets it as catastrophic. Which strategy would be most useful for changing the stress response?

Cognitive reappraisal

Two people experience the same stressful event but respond very differently (one overwhelmed, one calm with a plan). Which explanation is most consistent with modern stress research?

Stress responses depend partly on how individuals perceive and appraise events.

A person regularly sleeps only four hours per night and relies heavily on caffeine while experiencing chronic stress. Which conclusion is most appropriate?

Sleep deprivation can interact with stress and negatively affect physical and psychological functioning.

A person reports being generally satisfied with life, experiencing frequent positive emotions, and relatively few negative emotions. This is most closely related to:

Subjective well-being

A person receives a large raise and initially experiences a major increase in happiness. Several months later, however, their happiness has returned closer to its previous level. This illustrates:

Adaptation

Which person is most likely demonstrating behaviors associated with greater overall well-being?

Jordan maintains close relationships, engages in meaningful activities, and takes care of physical health.