Chapter 1
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Developmental psychologists often prefer longitudinal designs over cross-
sectional designs when studying age-related changes because longitudinal
designs:
A. Are less time-consuming and less expensive.
B. Allow for the assessment of individual developmental trajectories over
time.
C. Eliminate the need for participant recruitment.
D. Avoid issues related to participant attrition.
Ans: B
2. Which of the following best describes the mechanistic world view in
developmental psychology?
A. Individuals actively shape their own development through continuous
interaction with the environment.
B. Development occurs in qualitative stages that are not reversible.
C. Humans are like machines responding passively to environmental stimuli.
D. Development is driven by genetic maturation with little environmental
influence.
Ans: C
3. In research methods, what is a key advantage of using event sampling
over time sampling?
A. It provides a more accurate measure of the frequency of behaviors.
B. It allows researchers to predict future behaviors based on current data.
C. It eliminates the need for direct observation of participants.
D. It ensures that all behaviors of interest will occur during the observation
period.
Ans: A
4. A researcher wants to study the immediate effects of a new educational
intervention on children's reading skills. Which research design would be
most appropriate?
A. Cross-sectional design.
,B. Longitudinal design.
C. Microgenetic method.
D. Sequential design.
Ans: C
5. Which of the following statements about the use of punishment in child-
rearing is supported by research evidence?
A. Physical punishment is an effective long-term strategy for reducing
undesirable behaviors.
B. Children disciplined with physical punishment are more likely to exhibit
aggressive behaviors.
C. Punishment is more effective than positive reinforcement in behavior
modification.
D. Punishment has no impact on a child's moral development.
Ans: B
6. A developmental psychologist observes that infants can localize sounds at
birth, but this ability diminishes around six weeks and reappears at four
months. This pattern exemplifies which developmental function?
A. Continuous increasing function.
B. Continuous decreasing function.
C. Step function.
D. U-shaped function.
Ans: D
7. A parent notices that their child, who was once able to discriminate
between non-native speech sounds, no longer does so after a year. This
change is best explained by:
A. Decreased auditory sensitivity due to maturation.
B. The child's becoming attuned to phonemes relevant to their native
language.
C. A decline in overall cognitive abilities.
D. The onset of language production interfering with perception.
Ans: B
,8. Which research method combines aspects of both longitudinal and cross-
sectional designs to address cohort effects?
A. Sequential design.
B. Microgenetic method.
C. Time sampling.
D. Event sampling.
Ans: A
9. A teacher wants to assess whether her students' performance in math is
related to their performance in English. Which type of study should she
conduct?
A. Experimental study.
B. Concurrent correlational study.
C. Predictive correlational study.
D. Observational study.
Ans: B
10. Considering developmental functions, which of the following abilities is
most likely to follow a continuous decreasing function with age?
A. Visual acuity in early infancy.
B. Discrimination of non-native speech sounds.
C. Vocabulary acquisition.
D. Problem-solving skills.
Ans: B
11. A group of infants is observed trying to grasp pictures that resemble real
objects. This behavior decreases as they age. What developmental concept
does this illustrate?
A. Improvement in fine motor skills.
B. Enhanced understanding of symbolic representation.
C. Decline in visual perception abilities.
D. Increased interest in tactile stimuli.
Ans: B
, 12. In an experimental study, the variable that is manipulated by the
researcher to observe its effect on behavior is known as the:
A. Dependent variable.
B. Control variable.
C. Independent variable.
D. Confounding variable.
Ans: C
13. A psychologist wants to determine if early motor skills predict later
intelligence. Which method is most suitable for this investigation?
A. Longitudinal predictive correlational study.
B. Cross-sectional experimental study.
C. Concurrent correlational study.
D. Observational case study.
Ans: A
14. Which of the following is a key criticism of using baby biographies in
developmental research?
A. They provide too much quantitative data.
B. Observations are often unsystematic and may lack objectivity.
C. They are too time-consuming and expensive to produce.
D. They rely heavily on experimental manipulation.
Ans: B
15. A researcher is studying aggression in children and wants to determine if
watching violent TV shows increases aggressive behavior. Which research
method would best establish a cause-and-effect relationship?
A. Observational study.
B. Correlational study.
C. Experimental method.
D. Case study method.
Ans: C
True/False Questions
Multiple Choice Questions
1. Developmental psychologists often prefer longitudinal designs over cross-
sectional designs when studying age-related changes because longitudinal
designs:
A. Are less time-consuming and less expensive.
B. Allow for the assessment of individual developmental trajectories over
time.
C. Eliminate the need for participant recruitment.
D. Avoid issues related to participant attrition.
Ans: B
2. Which of the following best describes the mechanistic world view in
developmental psychology?
A. Individuals actively shape their own development through continuous
interaction with the environment.
B. Development occurs in qualitative stages that are not reversible.
C. Humans are like machines responding passively to environmental stimuli.
D. Development is driven by genetic maturation with little environmental
influence.
Ans: C
3. In research methods, what is a key advantage of using event sampling
over time sampling?
A. It provides a more accurate measure of the frequency of behaviors.
B. It allows researchers to predict future behaviors based on current data.
C. It eliminates the need for direct observation of participants.
D. It ensures that all behaviors of interest will occur during the observation
period.
Ans: A
4. A researcher wants to study the immediate effects of a new educational
intervention on children's reading skills. Which research design would be
most appropriate?
A. Cross-sectional design.
,B. Longitudinal design.
C. Microgenetic method.
D. Sequential design.
Ans: C
5. Which of the following statements about the use of punishment in child-
rearing is supported by research evidence?
A. Physical punishment is an effective long-term strategy for reducing
undesirable behaviors.
B. Children disciplined with physical punishment are more likely to exhibit
aggressive behaviors.
C. Punishment is more effective than positive reinforcement in behavior
modification.
D. Punishment has no impact on a child's moral development.
Ans: B
6. A developmental psychologist observes that infants can localize sounds at
birth, but this ability diminishes around six weeks and reappears at four
months. This pattern exemplifies which developmental function?
A. Continuous increasing function.
B. Continuous decreasing function.
C. Step function.
D. U-shaped function.
Ans: D
7. A parent notices that their child, who was once able to discriminate
between non-native speech sounds, no longer does so after a year. This
change is best explained by:
A. Decreased auditory sensitivity due to maturation.
B. The child's becoming attuned to phonemes relevant to their native
language.
C. A decline in overall cognitive abilities.
D. The onset of language production interfering with perception.
Ans: B
,8. Which research method combines aspects of both longitudinal and cross-
sectional designs to address cohort effects?
A. Sequential design.
B. Microgenetic method.
C. Time sampling.
D. Event sampling.
Ans: A
9. A teacher wants to assess whether her students' performance in math is
related to their performance in English. Which type of study should she
conduct?
A. Experimental study.
B. Concurrent correlational study.
C. Predictive correlational study.
D. Observational study.
Ans: B
10. Considering developmental functions, which of the following abilities is
most likely to follow a continuous decreasing function with age?
A. Visual acuity in early infancy.
B. Discrimination of non-native speech sounds.
C. Vocabulary acquisition.
D. Problem-solving skills.
Ans: B
11. A group of infants is observed trying to grasp pictures that resemble real
objects. This behavior decreases as they age. What developmental concept
does this illustrate?
A. Improvement in fine motor skills.
B. Enhanced understanding of symbolic representation.
C. Decline in visual perception abilities.
D. Increased interest in tactile stimuli.
Ans: B
, 12. In an experimental study, the variable that is manipulated by the
researcher to observe its effect on behavior is known as the:
A. Dependent variable.
B. Control variable.
C. Independent variable.
D. Confounding variable.
Ans: C
13. A psychologist wants to determine if early motor skills predict later
intelligence. Which method is most suitable for this investigation?
A. Longitudinal predictive correlational study.
B. Cross-sectional experimental study.
C. Concurrent correlational study.
D. Observational case study.
Ans: A
14. Which of the following is a key criticism of using baby biographies in
developmental research?
A. They provide too much quantitative data.
B. Observations are often unsystematic and may lack objectivity.
C. They are too time-consuming and expensive to produce.
D. They rely heavily on experimental manipulation.
Ans: B
15. A researcher is studying aggression in children and wants to determine if
watching violent TV shows increases aggressive behavior. Which research
method would best establish a cause-and-effect relationship?
A. Observational study.
B. Correlational study.
C. Experimental method.
D. Case study method.
Ans: C
True/False Questions
