Test Bank for Experiencing Childhood and Adolescence,
1e by Janet Belsky (All Chapters Download link at the
end of this File)
Chapter_01_Essay
1. Ask about the family size(s) of your grandmother, great grandmother and mother. How many siblings did
each woman have? Do your findings converge with the demographic phenomenon that (with the exception
of the baby boom) fertility rates have been steadily decreasing? Then you might ask about each woman's
years of education, and discuss how your findings relate to the idea that during the past 100 years, schooling
has increased.
ANSWER: Here the answers are up to the student.
2. Joey and Cyril are born on the same day, but Joey lives in Canada and Cyril was born and is growing up in
Haiti. Statistically speaking, what differences between Joey and Cyril might you predict during childhood?
ANSWER: Cyril would be far more likely to die during infancy than Joey. Cyril would be unlikely to attend
college. Joey would be far better educated, and receive superior medical care. Cyril would have
more siblings than Joey.
3. Explain how you might teach table manners to a 4-year-old, using operant conditioning.
ANSWER: Answers will center on reinforcing the child for sitting still, using a fork, saying, "Please pass the
peas," and so on, as well as ignoring the child when he or she shows inappropriate behavior.
Timeout also may be used when the child misbehaves.
4. Brandi, a high school senior, seeks help from the counselling center for her extreme shyness, and is offered
a choice of treatments. She can have sessions with a behavioral therapist, work with a psychoanalyst, or get
therapy from a person who follows the developmental systems perspective. Explain in a sentence how each
treatment would differ from the others.
ANSWER: The behaviorist might focus on getting Brandi in positively reinforcing social situations to try to
extinguish her shyness. The psychoanalyst would encourage Brandi to talk about her early life
experiences and get insight into the unconscious roots of her shyness. A developmental systems
proponent would attack the problem on several fronts: trying out medications and different types of
therapy; exploring how everything from cultural and family values to genetic predispositions might
be causing Brandi's symptoms.
5. Dr. Ragan, a behaviorist, is the new director of an organization that prepares people to return to college after
they have dropped out. Dr. Ragan's mission is to design a program to assist clients in their efforts to
, successfully reenter school. Using the principles of traditional behaviorism, modeling, and self-efficacy,
spell out some strategies that Dr. Regan might employ.
ANSWER: From traditional behaviorism: reinforce clients step by step for making applications, going for
interviews, either individually or as a group. From modelling: specifically, bring in people who have
successfully returned to college years after they dropped out, and ask them to talk to clients; have
clients model each other in filling out applications, and so forth, in group sessions. Self-efficacy
interventions: continually bring home the message, "You can succeed," directly and also via using
the other techniques mentioned previously.
6. Spell out the main similarity and difference between John Bowlby's attachment theory and traditional
psychoanalytic theory.
ANSWER: Bowlby agreed with the Freudians that our early experiences with caregivers shape our mental
health; but he also believed in a nature explanation of behavior, namely, that the attachment
response is biologically built-in to promote species survival.
7. A psychologist wants to determine the heritability (or genetic contribution) of children's empathy. Describe
how the psychologist might design this study. What findings would suggest that political attitudes are highly
genetic?
ANSWER: Here, the psychologist could conduct a twin study, soliciting a large sample of identical and fraternal
twins and comparing the similarity of "identicals" and their attitudes on a test of empathy with those
of "fraternals." If the identical twins were much more similar than the fraternal twins, the conclusion
would be that empathy is highly genetically determined. Alternatively, the psychologist could select
adopted children and compare their empathy scores with their biological and adoptive parents'
views. If the psychologist found a high correlation between adoptees' and their birth parents', and
virtually no similarity between adoptees' attitudes and their adoptive parents' views, the psychologist
could make the same conclusion.
8. Give an example each of evocative and active genetic/environment forces and how they have shaped the
person you are. Then give an example of either an optimum or poor person–environment fit that you have
experienced this semester.
ANSWER: Answers will vary. Evocative influences, however, will relate to how personality traits—shyness,
happiness, kindness, and so forth—naturally affect how other people relate to that student. In
describing active forces, students should talk about talents and interests that propelled them to
actively select environments where they learned to improve at that skill, such as, "I was good at
sports, so I've been playing soccer since the age of 3." Person–environment fit: "I'm terrible at math,
so when I had to take statistics, I failed. . . . I really 'get' psychology, so I'm getting all 'A's in my
psych classes . . . I'm not a morning person, so why did I take all 8 A.M. classes?"
ANSWER:
,9. Compare and contrast Erikson's and Freud's ideas.
ANSWER: Freud focused on the crucial importance of early childhood alone. Freud believed that the main life
mission for a person is to satisfy sexual feelings (libido), and that during early childhood, people
progress from the oral, to the anal, to the phallic stage. Erikson believed that people develop
throughout life and that a person's main life mission is to become an independent person and relate
to others. Erikson's stages of development are lifelong; they involve how well people have resolved
each of eight "psychosocial tasks" linked to age.
10. Explain Piaget's concepts of assimilation and accommodation, and give a concrete example of those
processes.
ANSWER: Piaget believed that all learning occurs by fitting new information to what people know—
assimilation—and, in the process, expanding what they know, or growing mentally. So, assimilation
and accommodation ALWAYS take place together. For example, a baby can only suck, so he
assimilates all objects to what he knows—sucking—and in the process, he learns about the world of
objects.
11. A developmentalist is studying the relationship between parenting practices and children's sociability. Her
plan is to watch each family's interactions at home, and then observe each child's relationships with peers at
school. Name the type of measurement she uses, and spell out its advantage and disadvantages.
Measurement approach = naturalistic observation
Advantage: gives a concrete record of the behavior
Disadvantage: very time-intensive; parents in particular may not reveal their true child rearing
because they will be on good behavior while she is watching.
12. Melissa and Ramon want to conduct a study to determine if exercise promotes adolescent health. Melissa
plans to test this question using a correlational approach, while Ramon decides to conduct an experiment.
Describe what each student's research might look like and discuss the respective pluses and minuses of each
plan.
ANSWER: Melissa would select a sample of teens who naturally vary in their exercise practices and relate these
variations to scores on tests of health. On the plus side, this study would be easy to carry out and not
pose ethical issues. On the minus side, this research design cannot prove that exercise leads to better
health. Ramon would randomly assign adolescents to either regularly exercise or not exercise, and
then compare the health of the respective groups at a later date. On the plus side, Ramon's
intervention could really prove that exercising promotes health. On the minus side, this study would
have serious practical problems and may be unethical.
13. After researchers conduct a cross-sectional study, they find that older people are more satisfied with their
family relationships than are younger people. How should the researchers interpret this finding?
, ANSWER: The researchers can conclude that yes, older COHORTS may be happier with their families, but that
says nothing about whether family satisfaction really rises with age.
14. List the pluses and minuses of conducting longitudinal research.
ANSWER: Minuses: Longitudinal studies are incredibly expensive, take years, and involve the hassle of getting
people to return. Subject attrition is nonrandom. Therefore, particularly with adults, these studies
only sample how "elite" people develop.
Pluses: This is the only research method that can chart real age changes, and, more important, reveal
individual patterns of development, and how earlier life experiences relate to later behavior.
15. Take a specific concept, term, or theory in this chapter and discuss how it applied to your childhood.
ANSWER: There are multiple possibilities, so students' answers will vary.
Chapter_01_Fill_in_the_Blank
1. The scientific study of development is called _______. ANSWER: developmental science
2. If Janet is a baby boomer and Jamila is a millennial, then Janet and Jamila are members of different
_______. ANSWER: cohorts
3. _____ is the term that refers to one's income and level of education.
ANSWER: Socioeconomic status (or "SES")
4. To say that developmental science draws on neuroscience, nursing, psychology, and biology indicates that
the field of study is _______. ANSWER: multidisciplinary
5. Harmonious family and group relationships are of primary importance in _______, while independence and
achievement are highly valued in individualistic cultures. ANSWER: collectivist cultures
ANSWER:
1e by Janet Belsky (All Chapters Download link at the
end of this File)
Chapter_01_Essay
1. Ask about the family size(s) of your grandmother, great grandmother and mother. How many siblings did
each woman have? Do your findings converge with the demographic phenomenon that (with the exception
of the baby boom) fertility rates have been steadily decreasing? Then you might ask about each woman's
years of education, and discuss how your findings relate to the idea that during the past 100 years, schooling
has increased.
ANSWER: Here the answers are up to the student.
2. Joey and Cyril are born on the same day, but Joey lives in Canada and Cyril was born and is growing up in
Haiti. Statistically speaking, what differences between Joey and Cyril might you predict during childhood?
ANSWER: Cyril would be far more likely to die during infancy than Joey. Cyril would be unlikely to attend
college. Joey would be far better educated, and receive superior medical care. Cyril would have
more siblings than Joey.
3. Explain how you might teach table manners to a 4-year-old, using operant conditioning.
ANSWER: Answers will center on reinforcing the child for sitting still, using a fork, saying, "Please pass the
peas," and so on, as well as ignoring the child when he or she shows inappropriate behavior.
Timeout also may be used when the child misbehaves.
4. Brandi, a high school senior, seeks help from the counselling center for her extreme shyness, and is offered
a choice of treatments. She can have sessions with a behavioral therapist, work with a psychoanalyst, or get
therapy from a person who follows the developmental systems perspective. Explain in a sentence how each
treatment would differ from the others.
ANSWER: The behaviorist might focus on getting Brandi in positively reinforcing social situations to try to
extinguish her shyness. The psychoanalyst would encourage Brandi to talk about her early life
experiences and get insight into the unconscious roots of her shyness. A developmental systems
proponent would attack the problem on several fronts: trying out medications and different types of
therapy; exploring how everything from cultural and family values to genetic predispositions might
be causing Brandi's symptoms.
5. Dr. Ragan, a behaviorist, is the new director of an organization that prepares people to return to college after
they have dropped out. Dr. Ragan's mission is to design a program to assist clients in their efforts to
, successfully reenter school. Using the principles of traditional behaviorism, modeling, and self-efficacy,
spell out some strategies that Dr. Regan might employ.
ANSWER: From traditional behaviorism: reinforce clients step by step for making applications, going for
interviews, either individually or as a group. From modelling: specifically, bring in people who have
successfully returned to college years after they dropped out, and ask them to talk to clients; have
clients model each other in filling out applications, and so forth, in group sessions. Self-efficacy
interventions: continually bring home the message, "You can succeed," directly and also via using
the other techniques mentioned previously.
6. Spell out the main similarity and difference between John Bowlby's attachment theory and traditional
psychoanalytic theory.
ANSWER: Bowlby agreed with the Freudians that our early experiences with caregivers shape our mental
health; but he also believed in a nature explanation of behavior, namely, that the attachment
response is biologically built-in to promote species survival.
7. A psychologist wants to determine the heritability (or genetic contribution) of children's empathy. Describe
how the psychologist might design this study. What findings would suggest that political attitudes are highly
genetic?
ANSWER: Here, the psychologist could conduct a twin study, soliciting a large sample of identical and fraternal
twins and comparing the similarity of "identicals" and their attitudes on a test of empathy with those
of "fraternals." If the identical twins were much more similar than the fraternal twins, the conclusion
would be that empathy is highly genetically determined. Alternatively, the psychologist could select
adopted children and compare their empathy scores with their biological and adoptive parents'
views. If the psychologist found a high correlation between adoptees' and their birth parents', and
virtually no similarity between adoptees' attitudes and their adoptive parents' views, the psychologist
could make the same conclusion.
8. Give an example each of evocative and active genetic/environment forces and how they have shaped the
person you are. Then give an example of either an optimum or poor person–environment fit that you have
experienced this semester.
ANSWER: Answers will vary. Evocative influences, however, will relate to how personality traits—shyness,
happiness, kindness, and so forth—naturally affect how other people relate to that student. In
describing active forces, students should talk about talents and interests that propelled them to
actively select environments where they learned to improve at that skill, such as, "I was good at
sports, so I've been playing soccer since the age of 3." Person–environment fit: "I'm terrible at math,
so when I had to take statistics, I failed. . . . I really 'get' psychology, so I'm getting all 'A's in my
psych classes . . . I'm not a morning person, so why did I take all 8 A.M. classes?"
ANSWER:
,9. Compare and contrast Erikson's and Freud's ideas.
ANSWER: Freud focused on the crucial importance of early childhood alone. Freud believed that the main life
mission for a person is to satisfy sexual feelings (libido), and that during early childhood, people
progress from the oral, to the anal, to the phallic stage. Erikson believed that people develop
throughout life and that a person's main life mission is to become an independent person and relate
to others. Erikson's stages of development are lifelong; they involve how well people have resolved
each of eight "psychosocial tasks" linked to age.
10. Explain Piaget's concepts of assimilation and accommodation, and give a concrete example of those
processes.
ANSWER: Piaget believed that all learning occurs by fitting new information to what people know—
assimilation—and, in the process, expanding what they know, or growing mentally. So, assimilation
and accommodation ALWAYS take place together. For example, a baby can only suck, so he
assimilates all objects to what he knows—sucking—and in the process, he learns about the world of
objects.
11. A developmentalist is studying the relationship between parenting practices and children's sociability. Her
plan is to watch each family's interactions at home, and then observe each child's relationships with peers at
school. Name the type of measurement she uses, and spell out its advantage and disadvantages.
Measurement approach = naturalistic observation
Advantage: gives a concrete record of the behavior
Disadvantage: very time-intensive; parents in particular may not reveal their true child rearing
because they will be on good behavior while she is watching.
12. Melissa and Ramon want to conduct a study to determine if exercise promotes adolescent health. Melissa
plans to test this question using a correlational approach, while Ramon decides to conduct an experiment.
Describe what each student's research might look like and discuss the respective pluses and minuses of each
plan.
ANSWER: Melissa would select a sample of teens who naturally vary in their exercise practices and relate these
variations to scores on tests of health. On the plus side, this study would be easy to carry out and not
pose ethical issues. On the minus side, this research design cannot prove that exercise leads to better
health. Ramon would randomly assign adolescents to either regularly exercise or not exercise, and
then compare the health of the respective groups at a later date. On the plus side, Ramon's
intervention could really prove that exercising promotes health. On the minus side, this study would
have serious practical problems and may be unethical.
13. After researchers conduct a cross-sectional study, they find that older people are more satisfied with their
family relationships than are younger people. How should the researchers interpret this finding?
, ANSWER: The researchers can conclude that yes, older COHORTS may be happier with their families, but that
says nothing about whether family satisfaction really rises with age.
14. List the pluses and minuses of conducting longitudinal research.
ANSWER: Minuses: Longitudinal studies are incredibly expensive, take years, and involve the hassle of getting
people to return. Subject attrition is nonrandom. Therefore, particularly with adults, these studies
only sample how "elite" people develop.
Pluses: This is the only research method that can chart real age changes, and, more important, reveal
individual patterns of development, and how earlier life experiences relate to later behavior.
15. Take a specific concept, term, or theory in this chapter and discuss how it applied to your childhood.
ANSWER: There are multiple possibilities, so students' answers will vary.
Chapter_01_Fill_in_the_Blank
1. The scientific study of development is called _______. ANSWER: developmental science
2. If Janet is a baby boomer and Jamila is a millennial, then Janet and Jamila are members of different
_______. ANSWER: cohorts
3. _____ is the term that refers to one's income and level of education.
ANSWER: Socioeconomic status (or "SES")
4. To say that developmental science draws on neuroscience, nursing, psychology, and biology indicates that
the field of study is _______. ANSWER: multidisciplinary
5. Harmonious family and group relationships are of primary importance in _______, while independence and
achievement are highly valued in individualistic cultures. ANSWER: collectivist cultures
ANSWER:
