HUMAN DEVELOPMENT (MID-TERMS)
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
SOLUTIONS 2024
The scientific foundation of human development is based on what? - ANSWER The multidisciplinary
study of how people change and how they remain the same over time.
Nature V. Nurture - ANSWER Nature: Hereditary or genetically influenced.
Nurture: Experiential and environmental influences.
Continuity V. Discontinuity - ANSWER Continuity: Development has a smooth progression throughout
life.
Discontinuity: Series of abrupt changes in the life cycle.
Universal V. Context-Specific Development - ANSWER Whether there is one path to development
(Context Specific) or several (Universal).
Who developed the first comprehensive life-span view? - ANSWER Erik Erikson
Jean Piaget's theory could be best described as what type of theory? - ANSWER Cognitive-Development
Theory
Describe how the life-span perspective views human development. - ANSWER has multiple
determinations and cannot be understood within the scope of a single framework.
What is the difference in reliability and validity. - ANSWER Reliability: The extent to which a
measurement provides a consistent index of characteristic.
Validity: The extent by which the measurement is actually assessed.
What is a longitudinal study? - ANSWER The research design whereby the same subjects are researched
at different stages of their lives.
Describe what is meant by polygenic inheritance. - ANSWER When phenotypes are the result of
combined activity of many separate genes.
What is meant by nonshared environmental influences? - ANSWER The forces inside a family that make
siblings different.
Contrast the cephalocaudal and the proximodistal principles - ANSWER Cephalcauldal: When the fetus
begins development from the head and develops down.
Proximodistal: When the fetus begins development from the center and expands.
Approximately how many mothers are affected by postpartum depression? - ANSWER 10% to 15% of
mothers
, What are the affects of maternal stress on a developing fetus? - ANSWER 1. Reduce blood flow to baby
2. Weakens mothers immune system
3. mothers are more prone to smoke, drink, and eat poorly.
4. Can cause epigenetic changes causing the child's behavioral regulation difficult.
Where does the US rank on fetal mortality? - ANSWER VERY HIGH! Behind Canada and just in front of
Turkey which is the worst in the developed countries category.
What is an Apgar score? Describe what the different scores mean. - ANSWER Rates a child from 0-7 on
life expectancy.
7: Child is in good condition
6-4: Child needs special attention
Less than 3: situation in life threatening
What is SIDS and what conditions are more conducive to a child experiencing SIDS? - ANSWER SIDS:
Suden Infant Death Syndrome
Mostly happens in infants 2-4 months. Thought to be primarily because they do not have the reflexes to
turn their head from being smothered by a pillow or blanket.
Define temperament, and what does the research show about temperament? - ANSWER Temperament
is the style or pattern of behavior. Temperament behavior follows along nine dimensions.
Describe malnutrition and when it is most harmful to children. - ANSWER Malnutrition is being small for
ones age due to inadequate nutrition. It is most harmful during infancy, where the child needs too grow
the most.
Is language primarily controlled by the right or left hemisphere of the brain? - ANSWER Left Hemisphere
Describe how infants perceive depth and describe the visual cliff experiment. - ANSWER After six weeks a
baby starts to develop depth perception. The visual clip test shows mothers calling to their babies from a
deep and shallow cliff to cox the baby to come to them. Most babies would only cross the shallow side.
Describe Piaget's principles of schemes, assimilation, and accommodation. - ANSWER Schemes:
According to Piagets, mental structures that organize information and regulate behavior.
Assimilation: According to Piagets, taking in information that is compatible with what one already knows.
Accommodation: According to Piagets, changing existing knowledge based on new knowledge.
What is meant by object permanence, egocentrism, and centration? - ANSWER Egocentrism: difficult in
seeing the world from another's point of view; typical of children in the preoperational period.
Object Permanence: understanding, acquired in infancy, that objects exist independently of oneself.
Centration: According to Piagets, focused type of thought characteristic I've preoperational children.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS WITH
SOLUTIONS 2024
The scientific foundation of human development is based on what? - ANSWER The multidisciplinary
study of how people change and how they remain the same over time.
Nature V. Nurture - ANSWER Nature: Hereditary or genetically influenced.
Nurture: Experiential and environmental influences.
Continuity V. Discontinuity - ANSWER Continuity: Development has a smooth progression throughout
life.
Discontinuity: Series of abrupt changes in the life cycle.
Universal V. Context-Specific Development - ANSWER Whether there is one path to development
(Context Specific) or several (Universal).
Who developed the first comprehensive life-span view? - ANSWER Erik Erikson
Jean Piaget's theory could be best described as what type of theory? - ANSWER Cognitive-Development
Theory
Describe how the life-span perspective views human development. - ANSWER has multiple
determinations and cannot be understood within the scope of a single framework.
What is the difference in reliability and validity. - ANSWER Reliability: The extent to which a
measurement provides a consistent index of characteristic.
Validity: The extent by which the measurement is actually assessed.
What is a longitudinal study? - ANSWER The research design whereby the same subjects are researched
at different stages of their lives.
Describe what is meant by polygenic inheritance. - ANSWER When phenotypes are the result of
combined activity of many separate genes.
What is meant by nonshared environmental influences? - ANSWER The forces inside a family that make
siblings different.
Contrast the cephalocaudal and the proximodistal principles - ANSWER Cephalcauldal: When the fetus
begins development from the head and develops down.
Proximodistal: When the fetus begins development from the center and expands.
Approximately how many mothers are affected by postpartum depression? - ANSWER 10% to 15% of
mothers
, What are the affects of maternal stress on a developing fetus? - ANSWER 1. Reduce blood flow to baby
2. Weakens mothers immune system
3. mothers are more prone to smoke, drink, and eat poorly.
4. Can cause epigenetic changes causing the child's behavioral regulation difficult.
Where does the US rank on fetal mortality? - ANSWER VERY HIGH! Behind Canada and just in front of
Turkey which is the worst in the developed countries category.
What is an Apgar score? Describe what the different scores mean. - ANSWER Rates a child from 0-7 on
life expectancy.
7: Child is in good condition
6-4: Child needs special attention
Less than 3: situation in life threatening
What is SIDS and what conditions are more conducive to a child experiencing SIDS? - ANSWER SIDS:
Suden Infant Death Syndrome
Mostly happens in infants 2-4 months. Thought to be primarily because they do not have the reflexes to
turn their head from being smothered by a pillow or blanket.
Define temperament, and what does the research show about temperament? - ANSWER Temperament
is the style or pattern of behavior. Temperament behavior follows along nine dimensions.
Describe malnutrition and when it is most harmful to children. - ANSWER Malnutrition is being small for
ones age due to inadequate nutrition. It is most harmful during infancy, where the child needs too grow
the most.
Is language primarily controlled by the right or left hemisphere of the brain? - ANSWER Left Hemisphere
Describe how infants perceive depth and describe the visual cliff experiment. - ANSWER After six weeks a
baby starts to develop depth perception. The visual clip test shows mothers calling to their babies from a
deep and shallow cliff to cox the baby to come to them. Most babies would only cross the shallow side.
Describe Piaget's principles of schemes, assimilation, and accommodation. - ANSWER Schemes:
According to Piagets, mental structures that organize information and regulate behavior.
Assimilation: According to Piagets, taking in information that is compatible with what one already knows.
Accommodation: According to Piagets, changing existing knowledge based on new knowledge.
What is meant by object permanence, egocentrism, and centration? - ANSWER Egocentrism: difficult in
seeing the world from another's point of view; typical of children in the preoperational period.
Object Permanence: understanding, acquired in infancy, that objects exist independently of oneself.
Centration: According to Piagets, focused type of thought characteristic I've preoperational children.
