PSY 130 FINAL UPDATED ACTUAL
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Describe two of the nine dimensions of temperament identified by Thomas and Chess in their
longitudinal study. For each dimension, describe what it means for a child to be high or low on
that dimension. - CORRECT ANSWER - •Approach/ withdrawal: How comfortable is the
child to novelty?
o High: Enjoy new experiences/ not afraid of taking risks
o Low: Do not like new activities/ Frightened by new experiences and people
•Intensity: How strong are the child's emotional reactions?
o High intensity: Exhibit highs and lows of emotions cry when toy is taken away/ very loud and
expressive when excited
o Low Intensity: Subdued reactions smile quietly at a toy or movie/ whimper softly when sad
What did Thomas and Chess mean by "Goodness of fit"? How does goodness of fit impact
children's long-term outcomes? Provide one example to support your answer. - CORRECT
ANSWER - • Goodness of fit: Child and parenting behavior works together (If parents
work with children = positive outcome/ Parents does not work with children = negative outcome)
• Long term easy = pos outcomes, difficult = more neg outcomes
• If parents work against temperament, child will have less emotional regulation. (Ex: Difficult
children need consistent parenting)
Although Thomas and Chess's study on temperament has had a very strong impact on the field of
child development, people have raised concerns about how the study was conducted. Describe
one of the methodological concerns that has been raised. How might this have affected the
results of the study? Be specific! How have more recent studies avoided this problem? -
CORRECT ANSWER - •Halo effects
,•Same interviewer followed the same family throughout the duration of the study (prolonged
time w/ the family could have led to colored questions/ interpretations of parents answers may
have made temperament look more consistent than it was)
• This is avoided by having the interviews taped and coded by an RA and more specific questions
asked for prenatal reports.
Infant attachment is typically tested using the Strange Situation procedure. Describe the basics of
this procedure, as well as how secure, insecure-avoidant, and insecure-resistant infants respond. -
CORRECT ANSWER - • Strange situation Used to see how 1-2 year olds react when
separated from their mother and stranger is introduced (tests attachment)
• Secure Child explores room while mom is there. Mom leaves, child is distressed (cries), mom
returns, child happily greets mom and child can be soothed
• Insecure-avoidant Mom leaves, child shows little distress, mom returns, child avoids contact
with mom. Shows more positive behavior with the stranger.
• Insecure-resistant mom leaves, child is very distressed, mom returns, child is still distressed/
might be angry at mom and cannot be soothed
Recent studies have tested parents using the Adult Attachment Interview and then tested their
infants using the Strange Situation. Describe the Adult Attachment Interview. How does a
parent's classification on the Adult Attachment Interview relate to their infant's attachment in the
Strange Situation? - CORRECT ANSWER - • The adult attachment interview gathers
information from the adult to see the relationships they had with their parents. This assesses
adult's internal workings models of relationships.
• This would then predict the attachment category of the next generation.
What is "self concept"? What are children's early self concepts like? Describe one factor that
influences the formation of early self concepts. - CORRECT ANSWER - • Self-concept
personal definition of self
, • Early self-concepts include categories (age/sex), physical attributes (eye color), physical
attributes (run fast), & possessions (I have a cat!)
• One factor that influences the formation of early self-concepts is from parent's co-narration of
experiences.
Erik Erikson outlined three ways that adolescents could approach identity confusion. Describe
two of these approaches. For each, give one long-term consequence of adopting that approach. -
CORRECT ANSWER - • Identity diffusion Ignores identity confusion. No steps are taken
to fix identity confusion. (I'll think about this later)
o Long term consequence: More at risk for depression/ less mature/ apathetic
• Identity foreclosure Chooses an identity without considering options (I'll be a doctor because
that's what my parents want)
o Long term consequences: Inflexible/ intolerant
Describe the two key dimensions of parenting that we discussed in class. According to
Baumrind's research, which of these dimensions is more important for predicting children's
academic performance? Which predicts delinquency? - CORRECT ANSWER - •Two key
dimensions of parenting are responsiveness and demandingness
•Authoritative parenting predicts academic performance
•Uninvolved parenting predicts delinquency
Family structure has changed substantially on the last several decades. Describe two ways that
modern families look different. For each describe one implication of this change for children's
development. - CORRECT ANSWER - • Older families (parents are waiting to have kids)
lots of positives because parents have more resources and social connections. Parents enjoy
parenting.
• Increase divorced parents kids have greater risks of emotional disorders.
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Describe two of the nine dimensions of temperament identified by Thomas and Chess in their
longitudinal study. For each dimension, describe what it means for a child to be high or low on
that dimension. - CORRECT ANSWER - •Approach/ withdrawal: How comfortable is the
child to novelty?
o High: Enjoy new experiences/ not afraid of taking risks
o Low: Do not like new activities/ Frightened by new experiences and people
•Intensity: How strong are the child's emotional reactions?
o High intensity: Exhibit highs and lows of emotions cry when toy is taken away/ very loud and
expressive when excited
o Low Intensity: Subdued reactions smile quietly at a toy or movie/ whimper softly when sad
What did Thomas and Chess mean by "Goodness of fit"? How does goodness of fit impact
children's long-term outcomes? Provide one example to support your answer. - CORRECT
ANSWER - • Goodness of fit: Child and parenting behavior works together (If parents
work with children = positive outcome/ Parents does not work with children = negative outcome)
• Long term easy = pos outcomes, difficult = more neg outcomes
• If parents work against temperament, child will have less emotional regulation. (Ex: Difficult
children need consistent parenting)
Although Thomas and Chess's study on temperament has had a very strong impact on the field of
child development, people have raised concerns about how the study was conducted. Describe
one of the methodological concerns that has been raised. How might this have affected the
results of the study? Be specific! How have more recent studies avoided this problem? -
CORRECT ANSWER - •Halo effects
,•Same interviewer followed the same family throughout the duration of the study (prolonged
time w/ the family could have led to colored questions/ interpretations of parents answers may
have made temperament look more consistent than it was)
• This is avoided by having the interviews taped and coded by an RA and more specific questions
asked for prenatal reports.
Infant attachment is typically tested using the Strange Situation procedure. Describe the basics of
this procedure, as well as how secure, insecure-avoidant, and insecure-resistant infants respond. -
CORRECT ANSWER - • Strange situation Used to see how 1-2 year olds react when
separated from their mother and stranger is introduced (tests attachment)
• Secure Child explores room while mom is there. Mom leaves, child is distressed (cries), mom
returns, child happily greets mom and child can be soothed
• Insecure-avoidant Mom leaves, child shows little distress, mom returns, child avoids contact
with mom. Shows more positive behavior with the stranger.
• Insecure-resistant mom leaves, child is very distressed, mom returns, child is still distressed/
might be angry at mom and cannot be soothed
Recent studies have tested parents using the Adult Attachment Interview and then tested their
infants using the Strange Situation. Describe the Adult Attachment Interview. How does a
parent's classification on the Adult Attachment Interview relate to their infant's attachment in the
Strange Situation? - CORRECT ANSWER - • The adult attachment interview gathers
information from the adult to see the relationships they had with their parents. This assesses
adult's internal workings models of relationships.
• This would then predict the attachment category of the next generation.
What is "self concept"? What are children's early self concepts like? Describe one factor that
influences the formation of early self concepts. - CORRECT ANSWER - • Self-concept
personal definition of self
, • Early self-concepts include categories (age/sex), physical attributes (eye color), physical
attributes (run fast), & possessions (I have a cat!)
• One factor that influences the formation of early self-concepts is from parent's co-narration of
experiences.
Erik Erikson outlined three ways that adolescents could approach identity confusion. Describe
two of these approaches. For each, give one long-term consequence of adopting that approach. -
CORRECT ANSWER - • Identity diffusion Ignores identity confusion. No steps are taken
to fix identity confusion. (I'll think about this later)
o Long term consequence: More at risk for depression/ less mature/ apathetic
• Identity foreclosure Chooses an identity without considering options (I'll be a doctor because
that's what my parents want)
o Long term consequences: Inflexible/ intolerant
Describe the two key dimensions of parenting that we discussed in class. According to
Baumrind's research, which of these dimensions is more important for predicting children's
academic performance? Which predicts delinquency? - CORRECT ANSWER - •Two key
dimensions of parenting are responsiveness and demandingness
•Authoritative parenting predicts academic performance
•Uninvolved parenting predicts delinquency
Family structure has changed substantially on the last several decades. Describe two ways that
modern families look different. For each describe one implication of this change for children's
development. - CORRECT ANSWER - • Older families (parents are waiting to have kids)
lots of positives because parents have more resources and social connections. Parents enjoy
parenting.
• Increase divorced parents kids have greater risks of emotional disorders.
