PSYC. 2314 CONCEPTS EXAM

 

Chapter 1

What is a cohort effect?

What is meant by plasticity in development?

The results of correlational studies provide what type of information (descriptive, predictive, or cause-effect)?

What research method is the only method that tests whether changes in one condition causes changes in another factor?

Be able to recognize the differences between a cross-sectional and a longitudinal study of human development and the

                advantages of one type of study over the other type.

 

Chapter 2

Be able to describe the basic characteristics and time period for each of Freud's psychosexual stages.

Behaviorism and Learning theory – Be able to identify examples of reinforcement, punishment, and modeling

                (social learning theory).

Piaget - Be able to describe an example of the use of assimilation and accommodation in cognitive processing.

Epigenetic Systems theory- How is this approach to genetics different from a traditional approach to genetics (called

preformalism in the text)?

 

Chapter 3

What is a chromosome? How many are in each gamete? How many are in each somatic (body) cell?

How do males and females differ genetically?

What is a gene? What is the role of a gene in cell differentiation? What is the phenotype and how is it different from the

genotype? What do genes do?

The development of our characteristics is multifactorial and polygenic. What is meant by these terms?

Alzheimer's disease - What develops in the brain to cause the symptoms?

What are some of the factors that increase one's risk for developing the disease?

 

Chapter 4

Describe the characteristics of the Germinal Period:

Time period, Cell division, Cell differentiation, Implantation.

Describe the characteristics of the Embryonic Period: Time period

Why is this period of prenatal development considered a “critical period” of prenatal development?

What is the earliest age of viability?

What is a teratogen?

What is postpartum depression and what percentage of mothers suffer from this problem?

 

Chapter 5

What is meant by a norm in infant physical development?

What % of Adult Brain Weight is the infant’s brain at birth? 2 years of age? 

What neural structures grow to account for this rapid and dramatic brain growth?

What is meant by "transient exuberance" and when does it occur?

What happens to “unused” neural connections?  What is “pruning”?

Read "Thinking Like a Scientist" on page 129. What were the effects of early stressful experiences on Romanian orphaned

                children once they were adopted into a family? Which children have "fared best"?

Which sense is least mature at birth? Are the other senses functioning at birth?

Know the three types of reflexes that are critical for survival, including some examples of each type. Pp. 132-3

What are gross motor skills and fine motor skills?

 

Chapter 6

How does the child learn about the world during Piaget's stage of "sensorimotor intelligence"? p. 148

During what years are children in the sensorimotor stage stage?

What did Piaget mean by "object permanence"? Is there more current research that indicates children do have some

understanding of object permanence at a younger age? Pp. 150-1

Did Piaget overestimate or underestimate infant's cognitive understandings?

Describe the "mobile" experiment, including the use of "reminder sessions" and what the results mean for early infant

memory.  P. 157

Chapter 7

Describe Erikson's  psychosocial stage of infancy - Trust vs. Mistrust

What does the author say "inspires trust and security" in the infant?

Describe Erikson's second psychosocial stage - Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

How might caregivers lead a child to feel "autonomy" or "shame and doubt"? 

What is meant by "attachment"? How is it assessed? Pp. 182-3

Describe the behaviors of a child with a "secure" and an "insecure" attachment.

Can a child's type of attachment be changed? If so, how can it be changed?

Describe what is meant by "social referencing". P. 185

 

Chapter 8

When is the child's brain at 90% if ABW?

When is the child's brain at 100% of ABW? Has the child's brain structured mature at this time?

What is the process of myelination and how does it enhance a child's functioning? P. 199

What "functions" does the prefrontal cortex control? When does this part of the brain mature? p. 201

What is meant by gross motor and fine motor skills?

How many substantiated cases of child abuse are found each year? P. 209-10

 

Chapter 9

During what years are children in Piaget's second stage, preoperational thought? P. 218-9

What are the characteristics of preoperational thought?

What is meant by egocentricism in children's thinking?

What does it mean that children in this stage have a tendency towards "centration"?

Understand what it means that children in this stage tend to "focus on appearance".

What is meant by "conservation" in children's thinking?  

Be able to describe the conservation of volume "task" that preoperational children don't understand. P. 219

Describe Vygotsky's concept of scaffolding and zone of proximal development. Pp. 220-1

 

Chapter 10

Describe Erikson's psychosocial stage of middle childhood - initiative vs. guilt

What is meant by emotional regulation? 

                What part of the brain matures to allow children greater emotional regulation? Pp. 238-9

What is meant by a person externalizing or internalizing problems? P. 238

Describe Golman's concept of emotional intelligence. P. 241

Describe the characteristics, advantages of, or problems created by each parenting style.

Describe the results of research on the effects of violent TV and videogames on children.

                Why are we especially concerned about the effects during early childhood?  P. 252

How do psychologists differentiate between sex differences and gender differences?

What is meant by androgyny? What traditional "female" and "male" characteristics are part of androgyny? Pp. 257-8

 

Chapter 11

How much has the rate of obesity increased for every age group in the US since 1980? P. 269

Intelligence Tests: A score of _____ means that the person has scored average or 50%ile compared to people of the same

____ .  Pp. 274-5

How have Robert Sternberg and Howard Gardner criticized traditional intelligence tests? P. 275

 

Chapter 12

Piaget's Concrete Operations thinking: Children are able to think _________.  P. 289

During what years are children in this stage?

What skills are called classification, identity, reversibility, and reciprocity? P. 289-90

Kohlberg’s stages of Moral Development: Be able to describe an example of each stage.

 

Chapter 13

Describe Erikson’s industry vs. inferiority stage of psychosocial development.

 

Chapter 14

The hormonal changes that lead to puberty begin, on average, at age _______ for girls and age ________ for boys.

What are the primary hormones that increase greatly in adolescent males and females?

What are the primary sex characteristics and the secondary sex characteristics?

Sexual abuse- In a U.S. survey of young women cited on page 354, ________ reported sexual abuse.

 

Chapter 15

Piaget's final stage of cognitive development: Formal Operations Thinking

What is meant that thinking now involves "hypotheticals"?

Describe the three types of Adolescent Egocentricism. P. 368-9

 

Chapter 16

Describe Erikson’s psychosocial stage of adolescence: identity vs. role confusion.

What is meant by identity achievement?  What is meant by foreclosure?

What is meant by negative identity? What is identity diffusion?  

What is an identity moratorium? 

 

Chapter 17

Dieting as a disease!  Describe the symptoms of anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa.

 

Chapter 18

Describe some of the characteristics of post-formal thinking. How is it different from Piaget's formal operations thinking?

 

Chapter 19

Describe Erikson’s psychosocial stage of young adulthood.  What is meant by “intimacy”?

Describe Erikson's psychosocial stage of middle adulthood?

What are some ways that adults show "generativity"? P. 476

What is meant by the "social clock"?

Describe some of the gender differences in friendships. Pp. 465-6

Describe Sternberg’s three components of Love.  What combination of "loves" is the "Western ideal"?  

                What is the actual developmental pattern for all types of couples? Pp. 467-8

Does "cohabitation" reduce the divorce rate for couples? p. 469

Describe the "marriage facts" on page 470.

What is the current divorce rate?

What makes marriages work? What is meant by social exchange and homogamy?

 

Chapter 20

When do most women reach menopause? What are the symptoms of menopause?

What is osteoporosis? What are some activities that reduce one's risk of osteoporosis?

What are the advantages and risks of Hormone Replacement Therapy?

Do males experience menopause? What are the symptoms of "male menopause"? p. 497

 

Chapter 21

Give examples of different types of intelligence according to Sternberg. P. 525

Describe the two ways of coping with stress (problem-focused and emotion-focused). Pp. 538-9

 

Chapter 22

Has current research found evidence for middle –aged adults experiencing a "midlife crisis"?

What is meant by gender convergence or crossover? Pp. 546-7

 

Chapter 23

Be able to answer the Quiz Questions concerning late adulthood on page 575.

 

Chapter 24

Is there evidence for a decline in cognitive functioning in late adulthood? What causes this decline?

What are the symptoms of dementia? Are these symptoms caused by one or many diseases? P. 618

 

Chapter 25

Describe Erikson’s psychosocial stage of late adulthood. p. 634

Why is loss of a spouse often more difficult for men than for women?  P. 652

 

Epilogue

Describe some services Hospice provides the person dying and their family. Pp. Ep-2, 3

Elizabeth Kubler-Ross identified what five emotional responses in people who are dying?

                According to other researchers, which emotional responses are more "typical" and which one is" elusive"? Pp. Ep-7, 8

How can a friend help a person who is bereaved? What is helpful and what is not helpful? P. Ep-15