EPPP DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY EXAM
Characteristics determined by information coded on a person's genes is called
________, while ________ refers to a set of observable and measurable
characteristics (e.g., eye color, intelligence) that develop from an interaction between
a person's genetics and their environment. - ANSWER Genotype; phenotype
The idea that genes set boundaries within which environment determines what
phenotypes will occur is referred to as what? - ANSWER Range of Reaction (or
Norm of Reaction)
The time-frame during which a living organism is biologically prepared to acquire
certain behaviors, but is only able to do so with the presence of appropriate
environmental stimuli, is called what? - ANSWER Critical/Sensitive Period
This term refers to patterns of development that are genetically determined and are
influenced very little by the environment. - ANSWER Maturation
What term is used to describe characteristics that are rather resistant to
environmental forces, taking a narrower developmental path? - ANSWER
Canalization
The fact that children have been starting puberty earlier due to better health
practices is one example of a/an ________, which is defined as long-term
differences across cohorts that indicate the impact of environment on development. -
ANSWER Secular trend
What statistic is used to estimate the degree to which a certain characteristic can be
attributed to genetic factors? - ANSWER The heritability index
A person with this disorder lacks an enzyme necessary for the digestion of the
phenylalanine amino acid, which remains toxic to the brain in its undigested form and
leads to severe mental retardation. - ANSWER Phenylketonuria (PKU)
What incurable neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination
and some cognitive functions is an example of an autosomal dominant gene
disorder? - ANSWER Huntington's Chorea
This disorder is caused by an extra number 21 chromosome and is characterized by
moderate to profound mental retardation, abnormal physical features (flattened face,
protruding tongue, stocky build), heart abnormalities, and thyroid dysfunction. -
ANSWER Down Syndrome (trisomy 21)
________ is caused by an extra X chromosome in males and leads to incomplete
development of secondary sex characteristics; ________ occurs in females when all
or part of the second X chromosome is missing and causes sterility, short stature,
stubby fingers, and undeveloped secondary sex characteristics; ________ occurs in
both males and females and is caused by a weak site on the X chromosome, leading
,to mental retardation, facial abnormalities, and abnormal speech. - ANSWER
Klinefelter's Syndrome; Turner's Syndrome; Fragile X Syndrome
Environmental agents, such as drugs or infections, that cause abnormalities by
interfering with normal prenatal development are called what? - ANSWER
Teratogens
During what period of fetal development is a teratogen most likely to cause a major
structural defect to a developing organ? - ANSWER Embryonic period (end of
second week after conception to end of eighth week)
Symptoms of ________, a condition caused by a pregnant mother's heavy alcohol
consumption, include retarded growth, microcephaly (underdeveloped, small brain),
facial deformities, hyperactivity, irritability, and mental retardation; when only some of
the symptoms are present (e.g., lower IQ and hyperactivity), the condition is referred
to as ________. - ANSWER Fetal alcohol syndrome; fetal alcohol effects
TRUE or FALSE: A pregnant woman undergoing antiretroviral therapy is significantly
less likely to transmit HIV to her child during the pregnancy process when compared
to woman not receiving the therapy? - ANSWER TRUE: The chance of HIV
transmission from mother to baby when undergoing antiretroviral therapy is reduced
from 25% to 2%
The ________ reflex is when an infant grasps a finger pressed against his palm; the
________ reflex is when an infant extends her big toe and spreads his pinky toe
when the bottom of his foot is stroked; the ________ reflex is when an infant arches
her back, extends her legs, and projects her arms outward when her head is slightly
dropped or she hears a loud sound; the ________ reflex is when an infant makes
stepping motions when he his held upright and his feet touch the ground. - ANSWER
Palmar grasp; babinski; moro (or startle); stepping
These are the 6 family risk factors, according to Rutter, that place infants and young
children at risk of child psychopathology; research indicates that children with 1 or no
risk have a 2% chance of psychopathology, while 4 or more risks led to a 21%
chance. - ANSWER Low SES, large family size (overcrowding), severe marital
discord, parental criminality, maternal psychopathology, and placement of the child
outside of the home
According to Bronfenbrenner, the ________ is the child's immediate setting and
includes family, school, and daycare; the ________ comprises connections between
immediate environments (e.g., a child's home and school); the ________ is the
child's external environment that has only an indirect influence on development, such
as a parent's workplace; the ________ refers to the larger cultural and subcultural
context in which the other systems are embedded (e.g., national economy, politics). -
ANSWER Microsystem; mesosystem; exosystem; macrosystem
TRUE or FALSE: At birth, infants show no clear preference for taste. - ANSWER
FALSE: They are capable of experiencing all 4 tastes, though show a clear
preference for sweets
, What is the least developed part of an infant's brain at birth? - ANSWER The cortex
According to Piaget, ________ occurs as a child interacts with the environment and
subsequently develops organized ways of thinking about the world (cognitive
schemas); it consists of ________, which is when a child perceives and interprets
new information in terms of existing schemas, and ________, which is when existing
schemas must be modified to provide consistency with external reality. - ANSWER
Adaptation; assimilation; accommodation
Piaget believed humans were biologically driven to produce an optimal state of
stability between their cognitive structures and their environment, which he termed
________, a state that is necessary for cognitive development to occur. - ANSWER
Equilibration (accommodation occurs during disequilibrium, assimilation during
equilibrium)
What are the 4 stages of cognitive development according to Piaget's theory? -
ANSWER Sensorimotor (birth to 2 years), preoperational (2 to 7 years), concrete
operational (7 to 12 years), and formal operational (12+ years)
When a child who is in the sensorimotor stage of development begins to understand
that even if an object cannot be seen, it still exists, is said to be developing what? -
ANSWER Object permanence
A child in the preoperational stage does not yet understand that others do not
experience the world the same exact way they do and, thus, their experience is
shared universally, which is termed ________; an example would be a 2 y/o who
scrapes her knee and assumes mommy is also in pain. - ANSWER Egocentrism
Children in the preoperational stage often believe they can control objects or events
just by thinking about them, termed ________, or that inanimate objects possess
thoughts and feelings, termed ________, both of which are a result of egocentrism. -
ANSWER Magical thinking; animism
According to Piaget, ________ refers to the tendency to focus on a single detail of a
situation while neglecting other important features, which is present during the
preoperational stage and limits a child's ability to understand the world. - ANSWER
Centration
One of the most prominent developments during the concrete operational stage is
________, or the ability for a child to understand that the underlying properties of an
object may not change just because its physical appearance has. - ANSWER
Conservation (results from the development of decentration and reversibility)
A person in the formal operational stage of development has the ability to arrive at
and test alternative explanations for observed events, referred to as ________, and
can evaluate the logical validity of verbal assertions without making reference to real-
world circumstances, which is termed ________. - ANSWER Hypothetical-deductive
reasoning; propositional thought
Characteristics determined by information coded on a person's genes is called
________, while ________ refers to a set of observable and measurable
characteristics (e.g., eye color, intelligence) that develop from an interaction between
a person's genetics and their environment. - ANSWER Genotype; phenotype
The idea that genes set boundaries within which environment determines what
phenotypes will occur is referred to as what? - ANSWER Range of Reaction (or
Norm of Reaction)
The time-frame during which a living organism is biologically prepared to acquire
certain behaviors, but is only able to do so with the presence of appropriate
environmental stimuli, is called what? - ANSWER Critical/Sensitive Period
This term refers to patterns of development that are genetically determined and are
influenced very little by the environment. - ANSWER Maturation
What term is used to describe characteristics that are rather resistant to
environmental forces, taking a narrower developmental path? - ANSWER
Canalization
The fact that children have been starting puberty earlier due to better health
practices is one example of a/an ________, which is defined as long-term
differences across cohorts that indicate the impact of environment on development. -
ANSWER Secular trend
What statistic is used to estimate the degree to which a certain characteristic can be
attributed to genetic factors? - ANSWER The heritability index
A person with this disorder lacks an enzyme necessary for the digestion of the
phenylalanine amino acid, which remains toxic to the brain in its undigested form and
leads to severe mental retardation. - ANSWER Phenylketonuria (PKU)
What incurable neurodegenerative genetic disorder that affects muscle coordination
and some cognitive functions is an example of an autosomal dominant gene
disorder? - ANSWER Huntington's Chorea
This disorder is caused by an extra number 21 chromosome and is characterized by
moderate to profound mental retardation, abnormal physical features (flattened face,
protruding tongue, stocky build), heart abnormalities, and thyroid dysfunction. -
ANSWER Down Syndrome (trisomy 21)
________ is caused by an extra X chromosome in males and leads to incomplete
development of secondary sex characteristics; ________ occurs in females when all
or part of the second X chromosome is missing and causes sterility, short stature,
stubby fingers, and undeveloped secondary sex characteristics; ________ occurs in
both males and females and is caused by a weak site on the X chromosome, leading
,to mental retardation, facial abnormalities, and abnormal speech. - ANSWER
Klinefelter's Syndrome; Turner's Syndrome; Fragile X Syndrome
Environmental agents, such as drugs or infections, that cause abnormalities by
interfering with normal prenatal development are called what? - ANSWER
Teratogens
During what period of fetal development is a teratogen most likely to cause a major
structural defect to a developing organ? - ANSWER Embryonic period (end of
second week after conception to end of eighth week)
Symptoms of ________, a condition caused by a pregnant mother's heavy alcohol
consumption, include retarded growth, microcephaly (underdeveloped, small brain),
facial deformities, hyperactivity, irritability, and mental retardation; when only some of
the symptoms are present (e.g., lower IQ and hyperactivity), the condition is referred
to as ________. - ANSWER Fetal alcohol syndrome; fetal alcohol effects
TRUE or FALSE: A pregnant woman undergoing antiretroviral therapy is significantly
less likely to transmit HIV to her child during the pregnancy process when compared
to woman not receiving the therapy? - ANSWER TRUE: The chance of HIV
transmission from mother to baby when undergoing antiretroviral therapy is reduced
from 25% to 2%
The ________ reflex is when an infant grasps a finger pressed against his palm; the
________ reflex is when an infant extends her big toe and spreads his pinky toe
when the bottom of his foot is stroked; the ________ reflex is when an infant arches
her back, extends her legs, and projects her arms outward when her head is slightly
dropped or she hears a loud sound; the ________ reflex is when an infant makes
stepping motions when he his held upright and his feet touch the ground. - ANSWER
Palmar grasp; babinski; moro (or startle); stepping
These are the 6 family risk factors, according to Rutter, that place infants and young
children at risk of child psychopathology; research indicates that children with 1 or no
risk have a 2% chance of psychopathology, while 4 or more risks led to a 21%
chance. - ANSWER Low SES, large family size (overcrowding), severe marital
discord, parental criminality, maternal psychopathology, and placement of the child
outside of the home
According to Bronfenbrenner, the ________ is the child's immediate setting and
includes family, school, and daycare; the ________ comprises connections between
immediate environments (e.g., a child's home and school); the ________ is the
child's external environment that has only an indirect influence on development, such
as a parent's workplace; the ________ refers to the larger cultural and subcultural
context in which the other systems are embedded (e.g., national economy, politics). -
ANSWER Microsystem; mesosystem; exosystem; macrosystem
TRUE or FALSE: At birth, infants show no clear preference for taste. - ANSWER
FALSE: They are capable of experiencing all 4 tastes, though show a clear
preference for sweets
, What is the least developed part of an infant's brain at birth? - ANSWER The cortex
According to Piaget, ________ occurs as a child interacts with the environment and
subsequently develops organized ways of thinking about the world (cognitive
schemas); it consists of ________, which is when a child perceives and interprets
new information in terms of existing schemas, and ________, which is when existing
schemas must be modified to provide consistency with external reality. - ANSWER
Adaptation; assimilation; accommodation
Piaget believed humans were biologically driven to produce an optimal state of
stability between their cognitive structures and their environment, which he termed
________, a state that is necessary for cognitive development to occur. - ANSWER
Equilibration (accommodation occurs during disequilibrium, assimilation during
equilibrium)
What are the 4 stages of cognitive development according to Piaget's theory? -
ANSWER Sensorimotor (birth to 2 years), preoperational (2 to 7 years), concrete
operational (7 to 12 years), and formal operational (12+ years)
When a child who is in the sensorimotor stage of development begins to understand
that even if an object cannot be seen, it still exists, is said to be developing what? -
ANSWER Object permanence
A child in the preoperational stage does not yet understand that others do not
experience the world the same exact way they do and, thus, their experience is
shared universally, which is termed ________; an example would be a 2 y/o who
scrapes her knee and assumes mommy is also in pain. - ANSWER Egocentrism
Children in the preoperational stage often believe they can control objects or events
just by thinking about them, termed ________, or that inanimate objects possess
thoughts and feelings, termed ________, both of which are a result of egocentrism. -
ANSWER Magical thinking; animism
According to Piaget, ________ refers to the tendency to focus on a single detail of a
situation while neglecting other important features, which is present during the
preoperational stage and limits a child's ability to understand the world. - ANSWER
Centration
One of the most prominent developments during the concrete operational stage is
________, or the ability for a child to understand that the underlying properties of an
object may not change just because its physical appearance has. - ANSWER
Conservation (results from the development of decentration and reversibility)
A person in the formal operational stage of development has the ability to arrive at
and test alternative explanations for observed events, referred to as ________, and
can evaluate the logical validity of verbal assertions without making reference to real-
world circumstances, which is termed ________. - ANSWER Hypothetical-deductive
reasoning; propositional thought
