Test Bank for The Development of Children, 8e Cynthia
Lightfoot, Michael Cole, Sheila Cole (All Chapters
Download link at the end of this file)
Chapter_01_Essay
1. Describe some of the factors that led to an interest in the scientific study of children's development in the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
ANSWER:
2. Describe the criteria that distinguish scientific studies of human development from more casual forms of
observation.
ANSWER:
3. Explain how developmental science is interdisciplinary. Give at least one example in support of your
explanation.
ANSWER:
4. Describe in general terms the kind of research method you would use if you wanted to study the full
complexity of human language development in children's everyday contexts.
ANSWER:
5. Describe in general terms the kind of research method you would use if you wanted to study how exposure to
words on television causes children's vocabulary to expand.
ANSWER:
6. Restate in your own words and give examples that support the following quote: "From the earliest hours of
life, cultural conceptions of what children are and what the future holds for them influence the way parents
interpret their children's behavior and shape their experience."
ANSWER:
7. Briefly describe how the sociocultural approach to understanding human development differs from the
constructivist approach.
ANSWER:
8. Your text discusses the fundamental ethical concerns of developmentalists who conduct research. Describe
two of these concerns.
ANSWER:
9. How did the growth of industrialization during the nineteenth century change the lives of children?
ANSWER:
10. What does it mean to say that events are correlated? Give an example of a positive correlation, a negative
correlation, and a zero correlation.
ANSWER:
,11. What does it mean when a researcher says, "Correlation is not causation"?
ANSWER:
12. Differentiate between naturalistic observations and experiments. What are the advantages and disadvantages
of each research method?
ANSWER:
13. Describe the essential elements of the experimental method. In your answer, be certain to discuss the
relation between the experimental condition and the control condition.
ANSWER:
14. What is a clinical interview? What are the strengths and weaknesses of collecting data in this way?
ANSWER:
15. Why are researchers concerned about cohort effects? Give an example of how cohort difference might affect
the interpretation of results of a cross-sectional study.
ANSWER:
16. Assume that you are interested in examining how children's relationships with their parents change over
time. Propose a research study (discuss both method and design) that could be used to explore this topic.
ANSWER:
17. Suppose that a research study reports gender differences in children's toy choices. Provide an explanation
for this finding that is consistent with social learning theory.
ANSWER:
18. Provide a current example of each of the four fundamental issues concerning the process of development.
ANSWER:
19. Explain how longitudinal and cross-sectional designs differ. What are the advantages and disadvantages of
each?
ANSWER:
20. Describe the ways that views of childhood have shifted throughout history. What sources of information
inform us about earlier beliefs?
ANSWER:
21. What are system theories? Explain how dynamic systems theories and ecological systems theories differ.
ANSWER:
22. In what ways are the constructivist and sociocultural approaches similar? In what ways do they differ?
ANSWER:
23. Explain how the various theories in developmental science differ.
ANSWER:
, Chapter_01_Multiple_Choice
1. Itard believed that Victor behaved the way he did because he had:
a. been retarded since birth.
b. been malnourished from an early age.
c. been isolated from society.
d. a serious physical illness.
ANSWER: c
2. Itard worked with Victor to test what theory?
a. The social environment shapes children's development.
b. The French monarchy did not adequately educate peasants.
c. Victor was retarded since birth.
d. Victor suffered from autism.
ANSWER: a
3. By studying the wild boy of Aveyron, Itard hoped to learn something about the:
a. behavior of the mentally ill.
b. causes of mental retardation.
c. behavior of animals in their natural habitats.
d. role of the environment in shaping development.
ANSWER: d
4. Studies of the wild boy of Aveyron suggest that:
a. interaction with humans is critical for optimal development.
b. critical periods in development do not exist.
c. natural experiments should not be used to study development.
d. the effects of negative experience can be undone with instruction.
ANSWER: d
5. The effect of Itard's work with Victor was that Victor:
a. made rapid progress and was later found to be developing normally.
b. made rapid progress at first but never learned to speak or interact with others normally.
c. never learned to communicate.
d. made rapid progress but could not develop affection for other people.
ANSWER: b
6. The wild boy of Aveyron:
a. eventually learned to speak fluent French.
b. displayed strong sexual and aggressive instincts.
c. learned to communicate simple needs, but never mastered speech.
d. never progressed beyond walking on all fours and making animal-like sounds.
ANSWER: c
Lightfoot, Michael Cole, Sheila Cole (All Chapters
Download link at the end of this file)
Chapter_01_Essay
1. Describe some of the factors that led to an interest in the scientific study of children's development in the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
ANSWER:
2. Describe the criteria that distinguish scientific studies of human development from more casual forms of
observation.
ANSWER:
3. Explain how developmental science is interdisciplinary. Give at least one example in support of your
explanation.
ANSWER:
4. Describe in general terms the kind of research method you would use if you wanted to study the full
complexity of human language development in children's everyday contexts.
ANSWER:
5. Describe in general terms the kind of research method you would use if you wanted to study how exposure to
words on television causes children's vocabulary to expand.
ANSWER:
6. Restate in your own words and give examples that support the following quote: "From the earliest hours of
life, cultural conceptions of what children are and what the future holds for them influence the way parents
interpret their children's behavior and shape their experience."
ANSWER:
7. Briefly describe how the sociocultural approach to understanding human development differs from the
constructivist approach.
ANSWER:
8. Your text discusses the fundamental ethical concerns of developmentalists who conduct research. Describe
two of these concerns.
ANSWER:
9. How did the growth of industrialization during the nineteenth century change the lives of children?
ANSWER:
10. What does it mean to say that events are correlated? Give an example of a positive correlation, a negative
correlation, and a zero correlation.
ANSWER:
,11. What does it mean when a researcher says, "Correlation is not causation"?
ANSWER:
12. Differentiate between naturalistic observations and experiments. What are the advantages and disadvantages
of each research method?
ANSWER:
13. Describe the essential elements of the experimental method. In your answer, be certain to discuss the
relation between the experimental condition and the control condition.
ANSWER:
14. What is a clinical interview? What are the strengths and weaknesses of collecting data in this way?
ANSWER:
15. Why are researchers concerned about cohort effects? Give an example of how cohort difference might affect
the interpretation of results of a cross-sectional study.
ANSWER:
16. Assume that you are interested in examining how children's relationships with their parents change over
time. Propose a research study (discuss both method and design) that could be used to explore this topic.
ANSWER:
17. Suppose that a research study reports gender differences in children's toy choices. Provide an explanation
for this finding that is consistent with social learning theory.
ANSWER:
18. Provide a current example of each of the four fundamental issues concerning the process of development.
ANSWER:
19. Explain how longitudinal and cross-sectional designs differ. What are the advantages and disadvantages of
each?
ANSWER:
20. Describe the ways that views of childhood have shifted throughout history. What sources of information
inform us about earlier beliefs?
ANSWER:
21. What are system theories? Explain how dynamic systems theories and ecological systems theories differ.
ANSWER:
22. In what ways are the constructivist and sociocultural approaches similar? In what ways do they differ?
ANSWER:
23. Explain how the various theories in developmental science differ.
ANSWER:
, Chapter_01_Multiple_Choice
1. Itard believed that Victor behaved the way he did because he had:
a. been retarded since birth.
b. been malnourished from an early age.
c. been isolated from society.
d. a serious physical illness.
ANSWER: c
2. Itard worked with Victor to test what theory?
a. The social environment shapes children's development.
b. The French monarchy did not adequately educate peasants.
c. Victor was retarded since birth.
d. Victor suffered from autism.
ANSWER: a
3. By studying the wild boy of Aveyron, Itard hoped to learn something about the:
a. behavior of the mentally ill.
b. causes of mental retardation.
c. behavior of animals in their natural habitats.
d. role of the environment in shaping development.
ANSWER: d
4. Studies of the wild boy of Aveyron suggest that:
a. interaction with humans is critical for optimal development.
b. critical periods in development do not exist.
c. natural experiments should not be used to study development.
d. the effects of negative experience can be undone with instruction.
ANSWER: d
5. The effect of Itard's work with Victor was that Victor:
a. made rapid progress and was later found to be developing normally.
b. made rapid progress at first but never learned to speak or interact with others normally.
c. never learned to communicate.
d. made rapid progress but could not develop affection for other people.
ANSWER: b
6. The wild boy of Aveyron:
a. eventually learned to speak fluent French.
b. displayed strong sexual and aggressive instincts.
c. learned to communicate simple needs, but never mastered speech.
d. never progressed beyond walking on all fours and making animal-like sounds.
ANSWER: c
