LIFESPAN ASSESSMENT TEST REVIEW
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Development must be studied by multiple disciplines - Answer--A full understanding of
human development will come only when many disciplines, each with its own
perspectives and tools of study, join forces
-Not only psychologists but also biologists, neuroscientists, historians, economists,
sociologists, anthropologists, and many others have something to contribute to our
understanding
Scientific Method - Answer-An attitude or value about the pursuit of knowledge that
dictates that investigators must be objective and must allow their data to decide the
merits of their theorizing.
operational - Answer-describes what the behavior looks like so two independent
observers can recognize + record the same behavior
validity - Answer-a measure of how correct the results of an experiment are
reliability - Answer-any significant results must be more than a one-off finding and be
inherently repeatable.
random sample - Answer-A sample formed by identifying all members of the larger
population of interest and then selecting a portion of them in an unbiased or random
way to participate in the study; a technique to ensure that the sample studied is
representative or typical of the larger population of interest.
population - Answer-A well-defined group that a researcher who studies a sample of
individuals is interested in drawing conclusions about.
Describe methods of data collection and problems with each - Answer--verbal reports
-behavioral observations
-physiological measurements
development is multidirectional - Answer--To many pioneers of its study, development
was a universal process leading in one direction—toward more "mature" functioning.
Today's developmentalists recognize that different capacities show different patterns of
change over time.
development involves both gain and loss - Answer--Baltes maintained that both gain
and loss are evident in each phase of the life span.
-he believed that gain inevitably brings with it loss of some kind, and loss brings gain—
that gain and loss occur jointly.
,development is characterized by lifelong plasticity - Answer--child development can be
damaged by a deprived environment and optimized by an enriched one. It is now
understood that this plasticity continues into later life—that the aging process is not
fixed but rather can take many forms depending on the individual's environment and
experiences.
plasticity - Answer-refers to the capacity to change in response to experience, whether
positive or negative
Development is shaped by its historical-cultural context - Answer--Our development is
shaped by how our lives play out over time in the social contexts and historical times in
which we develop
- the great depression
-the great recession
development is multiply influenced - Answer--human development is the product of
nature and nurture, of many interacting causes both inside and outside the person, and
both biological and environmental
-It is the often-unpredictable outcome of ongoing interactions between a changing
person and her changing world.
verbal reports - Answer--self-report measures typically cannot be used with infants,
young children, cognitively impaired elders, or other individuals who cannot read or
understand speech well
-age differences in responses may reflect age differences in comprehension or
interpretation rather than age differences in the quality of interest to the researcher
-respondents may try to present themselves (or those they are providing information
about) in a positive or socially desirable light.
behavioral observations - Answer--some behaviors occur too infrequently and
unexpectedly to be studied through naturalistic observation
-it is difficult to pinpoint the causes of the behavior observed
-the presence of an observer can sometimes make people behave differently than they
otherwise would.
physiological measurements - Answer-it is not always clear exactly what they are
assessing. For example, physiological arousal can signal other emotions besides anger.
positive correlation - Answer--A correlation where as one variable increases, the other
also increases, or as one decreases so does the other.
-between video viewing time and language development would indicate that as time
spent watching videos increases, so does an infant's language development score
negative correlation - Answer--as one variable increases, the other decreases
-if the heaviest video viewers consistently had the lowest language development scores
and the lightest viewers had the highest language development scores
, Explain why the experimental method allows cause & effect conclusions - Answer--an
investigator manipulates or alters some aspect of the environment to see how this
affects the behavior of the sample of individuals studied
•Independent variable manipulated
•Dependent variable measured
•Experimental & control groups
•Random assignment to group
-When cause-effect relationships are studied in an experiment, the independent variable
is the hypothesized cause and the dependent variable is the effect
why the correlational method does not wokr - Answer--Involves determining whether
two or more variables are related in a systematic way
-directionality problem: The direction of the cause-effect relationship could be the
reverse of what the researcher thinks it is.
-third variable problem: The association between the two variables of interest may be
caused by some third variable.
independent variable - Answer-The aspect of the environment that a researcher
deliberately changes or manipulates in an experiment to see its effect on behavior; a
causal variable. Contrast with dependent variable.
dependent variable - Answer-The aspect of behavior measured in an experiment and
assumed to be under the control of, or dependent on, the independent variable.
experimental control - Answer-The holding of all other factors besides the independent
variable in an experiment constant so that any changes in the dependent variable can
be said to be caused by the manipulation of the independent variable.
control group - Answer-the group in an experiment or study that does not receive
treatment by the researchers and is then used as a benchmark to measure how the
other tested subjects do.
random assignment - Answer-A technique in which research participants are placed in
experimental conditions in an unbiased or random way so that the resulting groups are
not systematically different.
quasi-experiment - Answer-A comparison that relies on already-existing groups (i.e.,
groups the experimenter did not create).
-uncontrolled differences between the two groups could influence the results.
single-case experiment - Answer--Case studies
-Baseline, treatment designs
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Development must be studied by multiple disciplines - Answer--A full understanding of
human development will come only when many disciplines, each with its own
perspectives and tools of study, join forces
-Not only psychologists but also biologists, neuroscientists, historians, economists,
sociologists, anthropologists, and many others have something to contribute to our
understanding
Scientific Method - Answer-An attitude or value about the pursuit of knowledge that
dictates that investigators must be objective and must allow their data to decide the
merits of their theorizing.
operational - Answer-describes what the behavior looks like so two independent
observers can recognize + record the same behavior
validity - Answer-a measure of how correct the results of an experiment are
reliability - Answer-any significant results must be more than a one-off finding and be
inherently repeatable.
random sample - Answer-A sample formed by identifying all members of the larger
population of interest and then selecting a portion of them in an unbiased or random
way to participate in the study; a technique to ensure that the sample studied is
representative or typical of the larger population of interest.
population - Answer-A well-defined group that a researcher who studies a sample of
individuals is interested in drawing conclusions about.
Describe methods of data collection and problems with each - Answer--verbal reports
-behavioral observations
-physiological measurements
development is multidirectional - Answer--To many pioneers of its study, development
was a universal process leading in one direction—toward more "mature" functioning.
Today's developmentalists recognize that different capacities show different patterns of
change over time.
development involves both gain and loss - Answer--Baltes maintained that both gain
and loss are evident in each phase of the life span.
-he believed that gain inevitably brings with it loss of some kind, and loss brings gain—
that gain and loss occur jointly.
,development is characterized by lifelong plasticity - Answer--child development can be
damaged by a deprived environment and optimized by an enriched one. It is now
understood that this plasticity continues into later life—that the aging process is not
fixed but rather can take many forms depending on the individual's environment and
experiences.
plasticity - Answer-refers to the capacity to change in response to experience, whether
positive or negative
Development is shaped by its historical-cultural context - Answer--Our development is
shaped by how our lives play out over time in the social contexts and historical times in
which we develop
- the great depression
-the great recession
development is multiply influenced - Answer--human development is the product of
nature and nurture, of many interacting causes both inside and outside the person, and
both biological and environmental
-It is the often-unpredictable outcome of ongoing interactions between a changing
person and her changing world.
verbal reports - Answer--self-report measures typically cannot be used with infants,
young children, cognitively impaired elders, or other individuals who cannot read or
understand speech well
-age differences in responses may reflect age differences in comprehension or
interpretation rather than age differences in the quality of interest to the researcher
-respondents may try to present themselves (or those they are providing information
about) in a positive or socially desirable light.
behavioral observations - Answer--some behaviors occur too infrequently and
unexpectedly to be studied through naturalistic observation
-it is difficult to pinpoint the causes of the behavior observed
-the presence of an observer can sometimes make people behave differently than they
otherwise would.
physiological measurements - Answer-it is not always clear exactly what they are
assessing. For example, physiological arousal can signal other emotions besides anger.
positive correlation - Answer--A correlation where as one variable increases, the other
also increases, or as one decreases so does the other.
-between video viewing time and language development would indicate that as time
spent watching videos increases, so does an infant's language development score
negative correlation - Answer--as one variable increases, the other decreases
-if the heaviest video viewers consistently had the lowest language development scores
and the lightest viewers had the highest language development scores
, Explain why the experimental method allows cause & effect conclusions - Answer--an
investigator manipulates or alters some aspect of the environment to see how this
affects the behavior of the sample of individuals studied
•Independent variable manipulated
•Dependent variable measured
•Experimental & control groups
•Random assignment to group
-When cause-effect relationships are studied in an experiment, the independent variable
is the hypothesized cause and the dependent variable is the effect
why the correlational method does not wokr - Answer--Involves determining whether
two or more variables are related in a systematic way
-directionality problem: The direction of the cause-effect relationship could be the
reverse of what the researcher thinks it is.
-third variable problem: The association between the two variables of interest may be
caused by some third variable.
independent variable - Answer-The aspect of the environment that a researcher
deliberately changes or manipulates in an experiment to see its effect on behavior; a
causal variable. Contrast with dependent variable.
dependent variable - Answer-The aspect of behavior measured in an experiment and
assumed to be under the control of, or dependent on, the independent variable.
experimental control - Answer-The holding of all other factors besides the independent
variable in an experiment constant so that any changes in the dependent variable can
be said to be caused by the manipulation of the independent variable.
control group - Answer-the group in an experiment or study that does not receive
treatment by the researchers and is then used as a benchmark to measure how the
other tested subjects do.
random assignment - Answer-A technique in which research participants are placed in
experimental conditions in an unbiased or random way so that the resulting groups are
not systematically different.
quasi-experiment - Answer-A comparison that relies on already-existing groups (i.e.,
groups the experimenter did not create).
-uncontrolled differences between the two groups could influence the results.
single-case experiment - Answer--Case studies
-Baseline, treatment designs
