Essentials of Human Growth & Development: A Psych 240 Midterm Prep Quiz

The study of human development is focused on the changes that occur in individuals over time, making 'Change' the most suitable word to describe it. 'Growth' implies only one direction of development, 'Stasis' suggests no changes at all, and 'Evolution' is a broader term not specific to individual human development.

Physical development encompasses the growth and changes that occur in the body and brain, including sensory capacities, motor skills, and overall health. Social, emotional, and cognitive developments are important as well, but in this context, physical development is the most relevant aspect.

The situation described in the question involves Marlane's physical development due to her size and social development as it relates to her friendships. The incorrect answers do not accurately reflect the aspects of development being highlighted in the scenario.

Middle childhood, also known as the latency stage, is characterized by major cognitive, social, and emotional development milestones that occur during the age range of 6-11 years. This period follows early childhood and precedes adolescence.

Heredity refers to the passing on of physical or mental characteristics genetically from one generation to another.

The events mentioned in the question, such as first words, first steps, and experiences during puberty, are all part of the natural process of maturation, which involves physical, cognitive, and emotional changes over time.

A cohort specifically refers to a group of people born at the same time, while the incorrect answers have different meanings related to groups of people but not specifically tied to being born at the same time.

Individual differences in development are primarily influenced by a combination of genetic factors (heredity) and environmental factors. Social media influence, zodiac sign, and favorite color do not play significant roles in determining individual differences in development.

Normative age-graded influence refers to events or conditions that are common to a particular age group and have a long-lasting impact on individuals' lives.

A critical period is a specific time frame during which an organism is most susceptible to being influenced by external factors. It is a period of heightened sensitivity and responsiveness.

Baltes' 7 principles of life-span development emphasize the dynamic, complex, and interactive nature of growth and change over an individual's lifespan. These principles highlight the multidimensional, multidirectional, and plastic nature of development, as well as the varying influences of biology, culture, history, and changing resource allocations.

By not obtaining informed consent from the parents or teachers of the children, Dr. Smith has violated the ethical principle of informed consent, which requires researchers to ensure that participants have full knowledge of the potential risks and benefits of participating in a study.

The correct answer is organismic because this perspective emphasizes the internal, biological forces that shape human development, in contrast to cognitive perspective focusing on mental processes, behavioral perspective focusing on external behaviors, and humanistic perspective focusing on individual growth and potential.

The correct answer is 'psychoanalytic' because this perspective emphasizes the role of unconscious processes in shaping behavior, which aligns with Stacy's mother's belief about her acting out behavior being motivated by unconscious forces.

Freud's psychosexual stages of development progress in a specific order, starting with the oral stage followed by anal, phallic, latency, and finally genital stage.

In Erikson's psychosocial theory, each stage involves a crisis or conflict that must be resolved for healthy development to occur.

Operant conditioning is a form of learning where behaviors are influenced by the consequences they bring about. It involves reinforcement of desired behaviors to increase their occurrence and punishment of undesirable behaviors to decrease their occurrence.

Self-report techniques involve individuals providing information about themselves. Observation, on the other hand, involves the researcher directly watching and recording behavior without requiring self-reporting.

Assimilation, as defined by Piaget, refers to the process of incorporating new information into existing cognitive structures. It is a fundamental cognitive process in human development.

Fertilization is the process of the sperm and egg cell combining to form a zygote. Ovulation is the release of an egg from the ovary. Implantation is when the fertilized egg attaches to the uterine lining. Gestation is the period of development from conception to birth.

The correct answer is 'delayed childbearing and fertility treatments.' Delayed childbearing and the use of fertility treatments have been identified as key factors contributing to the increase in multiple births in recent years. Younger mothers giving birth at a higher rate, increased consumption of dairy products, and planetary alignment during conception are not proven causes of the rise in multiple births.

The correct term for twins that develop from two separate eggs fertilized by two different sperm cells is dizygotic twins. Monozygotic twins, on the other hand, develop from a single fertilized egg that splits into two embryos. Triplets refer to three siblings born at the same time, and fraternal twins is another term for dizygotic twins.

Humans have a total of 46 chromosomes, with 23 pairs. Each parent contributes one set of 23 chromosomes, which combine to form the complete set of 46 chromosomes in every cell of the human body.

Prenatal development occurs in three main stages: germinal, embryonic, and fetal. The first stage is the germinal stage where fertilization takes place. This is followed by the embryonic stage where major organs and structures begin to develop. The final stage is the fetal stage where growth and development continue until birth.

In recessive inheritance, both alleles must be recessive in order for the trait or condition to be expressed.

A person's observable characteristics, such as physical features or traits, are referred to as their phenotype. This term helps distinguish between the genetic makeup of an individual (genotype) and the actual physical appearance or traits that can be observed.

In this scenario, the researcher is looking at the extent to which individual differences in the trait activity levels can be attributed to genetic factors, which is captured by heritability. Correlation refers to the relationship between variables, reliability relates to the consistency of measurement, and validity pertains to the accuracy of inferences made from the measurement.

Environmental influences encompass a wide range of factors including human behavior, geographical location, and economic development that can affect the environment in various ways.

Canalization refers to the degree to which a trait is resistant to environmental influences and highly canalized traits are those that develop in a predictable way without much variation. In this case, the sequence of motor development is considered highly canalized as the general sequence in which motor skills develop in infants tends to follow a relatively consistent pattern across individuals, regardless of differences in environmental conditions.

Adopted individuals tend to have IQ scores more similar to their biological relatives than their adoptive ones, suggesting a genetic influence on intelligence.