Chapter 3—Tools for Exploring the World: Physical, Perceptual, and Motor Development
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A _____ is best described as any unlearned response triggered by a specific form of
stimulation.
a. reflex
b. thought
c. theory of mind
d. memory
Answer: A
2. Donnie slipped his little finger into the hand of his newborn infant, who immediately
grasped onto it. The infant was exhibiting the ____ reflex.
a. moro
b. stepping
c. rooting
d. palmar
Answer: D
3. If you were going to check for the Babinski reflex in a newborn, which part of the
newborn’s body would you be observing?
a. Eyes
b. Arms
c. Mouth
d. Toes
Answer: D
4. Two-month-old Chucky does not exhibit the Moro reflex. What kind of problem is he most
likely to exhibit?
a. He will be less able to grasp objects.
b. He will be less able to eat.
c. He will be less able to cling to his mother.
d. His eyes will not be well protected.
Answer: C
5. Winchester notices that every time he touches his newborn son’s cheek, the infant turns his
head and tries to suck. This behavior demonstrates the _____ reflex.
a. withdrawal
b. Moro
c. rooting
d. Babinski
Answer: C
6. Which of these is not an example of a newborn reflex?
a. Thinking
b. Stepping
c. Rooting
d. Withdrawal
Answer: A
7. Which is not an Apgar factor?
a. Size
b. Skin tone
c. Breathing
d. Muscle tone
Answer: A
8. Gina has just given birth and hears that the Apgar score for her newborn son is a 3. As a
person who understands the scoring system, she would most likely
a. panic, as this may indicate that her child is in a life-threatening state.
b. be somewhat concerned, as this score would indicate at least some minor distress.
c. be very happy, as a 3 is the top score on this test.
d. be confused, as Apgar scores must fall between -1.0 and +1.0.
Answer: A
9. Dr. Lewinski decides that she wants to perform a complete evaluation of the health of a
newborn infant she has just delivered. Which of these is most likely to provide the most
thorough assessment of the infant’s health?
a. Apgar score
b. fMRI score
c. NBAS
d. EEG score
Answer: C
10. In order to assess newborn June with the NBAS, Dr. Lee is determining how long she
stays awake. Which system is Dr. Lee assessing?
a. Social
b. State
c. Motor
d. Autonomic
Answer: B
11. Two-month-old Joanne is lying quietly with her eyes wide open and appears very
interested in a toy dangling in front of her face. Joanne is exhibiting
a. alert inactivity.
b. crying.
c. waking activity.
d. non-REM sleep.
Answer: A
12. Amanda’s baby is awake and squirming around, oblivious to anything happening around
her. Amanda’s baby is most likely in the ____ state.
a. alert inactivity
b. crying
c. waking activity
d. REM
Answer: C
13. Newborn crying typically involves
a. agitation and coordinated movements.
b. calm and coordinated movement.
c. agitation and uncoordinated movements.
d. calm and uncoordinated movement.
Answer: C
14. Five-day-old Max has his eyes closed and a breathing pattern that alternates between
regularity and irregularity. This indicates that he is currently in the _____ newborn state.
a. alert inactivity
b. waking activity
c. crying
d. sleeping
Answer: D
15. Pain cries can usually be differentiated from basic or mad cries by their
a. intensity.
b. sudden onset.
c. time of occurrence.
d. relationship to REM.
Answer: B
16. Of all the behavioral states, newborns spend the most time each day in the ____ state.
a. waking activity
b. sleeping
c. crying
d. alert inactivity
Answer: B
17. Which best describes a basic cry?
a. Starts loudly and becomes less intense
b. Starts softly and becomes more intense
c. Starts loudly and continues loudly
d. Starts softly and continues softly
Answer: B
18. Experts define a mad cry as a
a. less intense version of a pain cry.
b. more intense version of a pain cry.
c. less intense version of a basic cry.
d. more intense version of a basic cry.
Answer: D
19. What differentiates a basic cry from a mad cry?
a. Mad cries are more intense.
b. Basic cries are more intense.
c. Mad cries have a more sudden onset.
d. Basic cries have a more sudden onset.
Answer: A
20. Johanna swaddles her baby in a blanket, puts her in a car seat, and drives around the
block for 30 minutes. Johanna is probably trying to
a. stimulate the intellectual skills of her baby.
b. prevent alert inactivity.
c. prevent waking activity.
d. get her baby to stop crying.
Answer: D
21. A friend hears that you are in a developmental psychology course and asks you how long
his newborn daughter is suppose to sleep. Being a very bright student, you would give the
correct answer of,
a. “8-10 hours a day.”
b. “12-14 hours a day.”
c. “16-18 hours a day.”
d. “20-22 hours a day.”
Answer: C
22. Which statement concerning co-sleeping is accurate?
a. It is most effective in cultures that value child self-reliance.
b. It can reduce the need for elaborate rituals aimed at having children sleep in their own
rooms.
c. It seems to negatively affect child-parent bonding.
d. It is done exclusively with mom.
Answer: B
23. Which is not an aspect of regular (non-REM) sleep?
a. Steady breathing
b. Twitching
c. Steady brain activity
d. Increased frequency as infants grow
Answer: B
24. Three-week-old Toni is in a sleep state characterized by arm movements and grimaces.
This would suggest that Toni is in _____ sleep.
a. rapid-eye-movement
b. regular
c. non-REM
d. alert inactivity
Answer: A
25. Benji is a four-year-old who has a very difficult time falling asleep at night. According to
your text, what is the best remedy for this problem?
a. Make sure that Benji eats something soothing before going to bed.
b. Keep Benji up later and later to make sure he’s tired before going to bed.
c. Engage Benji in rigorous exercise immediately before bedtime to make sure he’s tired
before going to bed.
d. Develop a regular bedtime routine.
Answer: D
26. Who is at greatest risk of falling victim to sudden infant death syndrome?
a. Tina, who is 3 months old
b. Leslie, who is 9 months old
c. Bridget, who is 2 years old
d. Jon, who is 5 years old
Answer: A
27. The “Back to Sleep” campaign was aimed at reducing
a. SIDS.
b. nightmares.
c. co-sleeping.
d. malnutrition.
Answer: A
28. Why are African-American babies twice as likely to die from SIDS?
a. They are more genetically predisposed to the disease.
b. They are more likely to have blood diseases that predispose them to SIDS.
c. Their parents are less intelligent than other parents.
d. They are more likely to be put to bed on their stomachs.
Answer: D
29. Dr. Ramone is interested in studying how babies are different in terms of their behavior
toward other people, how energetic they are, and how easily they are upset. It is most likely
that Dr. Ramone is studying
a. SIDS.
b. temperament.
c. theory of mind.
d. waking activity.
Answer: B
30. While doing a study of temperament, Dr. Chernahoy is studying how long toddlers can
play with some building toys without being distracted. What dimension of temperament is Dr.
Chernahoy most likely assessing?
a. Activity level
b. Persistence
c. Inhibition
d. Negative affect
Answer: B
31. Carla is researching temperament by determining how often different babies exhibit
irritability and anger. Which dimension of temperament is Carla assessing?
a. Activity level
b. Negative affect
c. Inhibition
d. Persistence
Answer: B
32. Even though he is only 20 days old, Cherokee appears to be very happy and vocal around
other people. How would a theorist use the concept of temperament to explain his behavior?
a. A temperament theorist would argue that Cherokee is high in activity level.
b. A temperament theorist would argue that Cherokee is high in negative affect.
c. A temperament theorist would argue that Cherokee is high in surgency/extraversion.
d. Temperament theory cannot explain his behavior.
Answer: C
33. Julio and Kari are babies who are the same age but very different from each other. Julio
has the ability to focus his attention on a task, while Kari is very easily distracted. Julio and
Kari differ on which dimension of temperament?
a. Activity
b. Negative affect
c. Effortful control
d. Surgency
Answer: C
34. Which statement regarding temperament is false?
a. Identical twins are more similar in temperament than are fraternal twins.
b. Some temperamental characteristics are more common is certain cultures.
c. Environmental factors are not related to emotionality.
d. The confidence level of mothers is related to temperament.
Answer: C
35. If Andrew is shy when he is two-years-old, he is more likely to be ____ when he is fouryears-old.
a. highly sociable
b. happy
c. argumentative
d. shy
Answer: D
36. Maria is a typical, healthy one-year-old who weighs 24 pounds. Which is the best
estimate of her birth weight?
a. 4 pounds
b. 8 pounds
c. 12 pounds
d. 16 pounds
Answer: B
37. Siroun is informed that both of her one-year-old twin daughters are of “normal” weight.
She is then informed that one weighs 16 pounds and the other weighs 26 pounds. How is this
possible?
a. One of the twins likely has Down syndrome.
b. The daughters were likely misweighed.
c. The “normal” weight range of one-year-olds is very wide.
d. The initial “normal” information was incorrect.
Answer: C
38. Which person is most likely experiencing the most rapid physical growth?
a. Jose, who is 18 months old
b. Sean, who is 6 years old
c. Rudolf, who is just reaching puberty
d. Elias, who is 19 years old
Answer: A
39. Which child is most likely to be the tallest?
a. Kristin, who has a tall father and a short mother
b. Megan, who has a short father and a tall mother
c. Kara, who has a tall mother and a tall father
d. Melissa, who has a short father and a short mother
Answer: C
40. Five-month-old Hakeem currently weighs 20 pounds. How many calories should he be
ingesting each day?
a. 200
b. 400
c. 800
d. 1,000
Answer: D
41. If a baby is breast-fed, it is more likely to
a. transition to solid food more easily.
b. be constipated.
c. be ill.
d. be exposed to contaminants.
Answer: A
42. Which most accurately reflects the advice given to individuals in developing nations who
are considering bottle-feeding?
a. Be careful, as the water used to prepare formula is often contaminated.
b. Go for it, as there are very few risks associated with bottle-feeding.
c. Great choice, as bottle-feeding is associated with less malnutrition.
d. It doesn’t matter whether you breast- or bottle-feed, as each technique impacts the child in
an identical manner.
Answer: A
43. Which technique is recommended for making finicky eaters more open-minded about the
food they eat?
a. Force children to clean their plates
b. Talk about the correct way to eat during meals
c. Use food to reward good behavior
d. Allow children to pick among healthy foods
Answer: D
44. UNICEF (2006) estimates that about one in _____ children under age five suffers from
malnutrition.
a. four
b. six
c. eight
d. ten
Answer: A
45. What criterion is used to indicate malnourishment in children under age five?
a. Mental retardation
b. Lack of motor skills
c. Small size
d. Large head
Answer: C
46. Malnutrition seems to be most damaging if it occurs during
a. adulthood.
b. childhood.
c. adolescence.
d. infancy.
Answer: D
47. Sixteen-year-old Marshall was severely malnourished as an infant. Compared to his peers
who were not malnourished as infants, Marshall is most likely to
a. weigh less.
b. be shorter.
c. have lighter colored hair.
d. be less intelligent.
Answer: D
48. Along with an improved diet, research indicates that ____ is also necessary to foster a
malnourished child’s development.
a. surgery
b. parent training
c. behavior modification
d. medication
Answer: B
49. Yvette is a malnourished child. If her parents are typical, they will probably
a. become upset with Yvette’s hyperactivity.
b. interact less with Yvette because she is so lethargic.
c. take more responsibility for making sure Yvette grows socially and psychologically.
d. stop trying to feed Yvette.
Answer: B
50. Which route most accurately depicts the flow of information from one neuron to another?
a. Axon (neuron 1) to dendrite (neuron 2) to cell body (neuron 2)
b. Dendrite (neuron 1) to axon (neuron 2) to cell body (neuron 2)
c. Cell body (neuron 1) to dendrite (neuron 2) to axon (neuron 2)
d. Dendrite (neuron 1) to dendrite (neuron 2) to cell body (neuron 2)
Answer: A
51. Transmitter is to receiver as
a. dendrite is to cell body.
b. axon is to dendrite.
c. dendrite is to axon.
d. cell body is to axon.
Answer: B
52. What part of a neuron contains the material necessary to keep it alive?
a. Axon
b. Cell body
c. Dendrite
d. Corpus callosum
Answer: B
53. Terminal buttons are located on which part of a neuron?
a. The end of the dendrite
b. Cell body
c. Neurotransmitter
d. The end of the axon
Answer: D
54. Where are neurotransmitters stored until they are released?
a. Terminal buttons
b. Cell bodies
c. Myelin
d. The neural plate
Answer: A
55. Each neuron contains many _____ but only one _____.
a. dendrites; terminal button
b. dendrites; cell body
c. terminal buttons; dendrite
d. cell bodies; dendrite
Answer: B
56. ____ are chemicals that transmit information from one neuron to another.
a. Axons
b. Neurotransmitters
c. Terminal buttons
d. Dendrites
Answer: B
57. If you were to remove the top of an adult’s skull, the first brain tissue you would see
would be the
a. cerebral cortex.
b. brain stem.
c. neural plate.
d. hippocampus.
Answer: A
58. As a result of surgery, Graeme’s left and right cerebral hemispheres are no longer
connected. Which part of Graeme’s brain was most likely the focus of the surgery?
a. The cerebral cortex
b. The dendrites
c. The frontal cortex
d. The corpus callosum
Answer: D
59. Lotte is recovering from a serious accident that damaged her frontal cortex. Which
outcome is most likely?
a. Lotte’s left hemisphere will no longer be able to communicate with her right hemisphere.
b. Lotte will have a difficult time breathing and seeing.
c. Lotte’s personality will be different.
d. Lotte will have no more axons.
Answer: C
60. Which is least associated with the frontal cortex?
a. Sadness
b. Vision
c. Happiness
d. Planning
Answer: B
61. Left hemisphere is to cerebral cortex as
a. white is to black.
b. dendrite is to axon.
c. half is to whole.
d. EEG is to fMRI.
Answer: C
62. While viewing a picture of a three-week-old embryo, Dr. Pecoraro points to something
and says, “This structure will soon become a tube from which the brain and spinal cord will
develop.” Dr. Pecoraro is pointing at
a. the neural plate.
b. the corpus callosum.
c. the frontal cortex.
d. an axon.
Answer: A
63. The neural plate ultimately forms the
a. brain and spinal cord.
b. spinal cord and the nervous system.
c. nervous system and the skull.
d. skull and the brain.
Answer: A
64. At its peak, the brain forms neurons at the rate of around 4,000 per
a. second.
b. minute.
c. hour.
d. day.
Answer: A
65. Prior to birth, all _____ layers of the major brain are formed.
a. 6
b. 60
c. 600
d. 6,000
Answer: A
66. ____ is (are) a fatty substance that surrounds the axon of a neuron.
a. The corpus callosum
b. The neural plate
c. Cones
d. Myelin
Answer: D
67. Which best describes the impact of myelin on a neuron?
a. It increases the number of dendrites it produces
b. It helps speed neural transmission
c. It prevents synaptic pruning
d. It enhances action in the terminal buttons
Answer: B
68. Whose brain is most likely to have the most synapses?
a. Jerry, who is a newborn
b. Elaine, who is one year old.
c. Kramer, who is seven years old.
d. George, who is 14 years old.
Answer: B
69. While observing brain activity, Dr. Smith proclaims, “This brain is definitely
experiencing a downsizing in the number of connections between neurons.” This indicates
that the brain Dr. Smith is studying is undergoing
a. synaptic pruning.
b. motion parallax.
c. cephalocaudal development.
d. dendritic expansion.
Answer: A
70. If Nurse Ratchett indicates that the procedure that is about to be performed on infant
Ramon involves the use of metal electrodes, you would expect that the procedure is a(n)
a. amniocentesis.
b. functional magnetic resonance imaging.
c. Apgar.
d. electroencephalogram.
Answer: D
71. Gina is studying how blood flows through the brain when people listen to different kinds
of music. Which sort of research tool is she most likely using in her study?
a. Electroencephalogram
b. Positron emission tomography
c. Functional magnetic resonance imaging
d. Synaptic pruning
Answer: C
72. Your psychology professor asks you to assist her in her experiment. She is studying brain
activity by monitoring blood flow to different areas of the brain. This indicates that your
professor is most likely using ____ in her study.
a. an electroencephalogram
b. functional magnetic resonance imaging
c. a visual cliff
d. a neural plate
Answer: B
73. During an experiment, you record the brain activity of a child using an EEG. As a result
of reading your text, you would predict that the left hemisphere would exhibit the most
electrical activity when the child is
a. looking at different faces.
b. listening to someone talk.
c. recognizing that her mother is angry.
d. pushing a toy over her bed.
Answer: B
74. Blane deals with people who have suffered some sort of brain damage, helping them try
to use different areas of the brain that perform functions that were previously performed by
the areas that are now damaged. Blane’s specialty would be best described as
a. neuroplasticity.
b. synaptic pruning.
c. neural plate studies.
d. motor skills.
Answer: A
75. Which phenomenon is the best argument against the notion that the organization of the
brain is predetermined genetically?
a. Synaptic pruning
b. Development of the neural plate
c. The left hemisphere specializing in language processing
d. Neuroplasticity
Answer: D
76. The best description of neural development is that
a. brain organization is influenced by experience, but biochemical development instructions
follow a more specific pattern.
b. brain organization cannot be influenced by experience, but biochemical development
instructions allow for many different general patterns of development.
c. both brain organization and biochemical development instructions are heavily influenced
by experience.
d. neither brain organization nor biochemical development instructions can be influenced by
experience.
Answer: A
77. The fact that brain wiring is organized by experiences common to humans is referred to as
a. alter inactivity.
b. experience-dependent growth.
c. experience-expectant growth.
d. waking activity.
Answer: C
78. Which best exemplifies experience-expectant growth?
a. The fact that all infants hear language sounds, which leads to language development
b. The fact that eating high-fat foods leads to obesity
c. The fact that abused children often experience depression
d. The fact that by age two, most children are about three-feet tall
Answer: A
79. The fact that American-raised Hogan’s exposure to the German language while in World
War II impacted his brain organization is best explained by
a. experience-dependent growth.
b. synaptic pruning.
c. myelination.
d. experience-expectant growth.
Answer: A
80. Bridget is excellent at walking, running, climbing, and kicking balls. This would suggest
that Bridget has good
a. neuroplasticity.
b. motor skills.
c. temperament.
d. sociability.
Answer: B
81. How would 12-month-old Cassie locomote?
a. She would say her first word
b. She would crawl around the room
c. She would cry when touching something hot
d. She would display eye movement while sleeping
Answer: B
82. To locomote is to
a. perceive.
b. emote.
c. think.
d. move.
Answer: D
83. What would be the best example of a fine motor skill?
a. Crawling
b. Feeding yourself with a spoon
c. Running in a race
d. Climbing to the top of a large hill
Answer: B
84. Parker is a typical seven-month-old. In terms of locomotion, the best he is able to do is to
a. creep.
b. walk.
c. sit alone.
d. roll from back to front.
Answer: C
85. Yoko, who has not seen her nephew John since he was born, is surprised to see the 12month-old standing upright and taking a few steps. In view of this accomplishment, Yoko
realizes that John is now considered a(n)
a. neonate.
b. infant.
c. toddler.
d. preschooler.
Answer: C
86. Twelve-month-old Callum is barely able to walk a few steps before losing his balance and
falling down. What is the term that best describes Callum’s current ability to move around?
a. Neuroplasticity
b. Fine motor skills
c. Differentiation
d. Toddling
Answer: D
87. If Tori is a proponent of dynamic systems theory, then you know that she is most
interested in
a. the cerebral cortex.
b. crawling and stepping.
c. language development.
d. temperament.
Answer: B
88. Studies of infant stepping behavior on a treadmill demonstrated that
a. the pattern of alternating of steps on each leg precedes the ability to walk.
b. even very young infants can walk without assistance.
c. infants cannot judge the speed of movement of a moving object (e.g., the treadmill).
d. infants will refuse to attempt to walk if held upright.
Answer: A
89. In order to be able to walk, Loretta must first master certain individual skills, like being
able to balance herself. What term best describes this process?
a. Retinal disparity
b. Integration
c. Differentiation
d. Fine motor skill development
Answer: C
90. Which is the best example of differentiation?
a. Jimmy’s legs have matured to the point where he is capable of walking.
b. Tommy learns how to grasp a spoon before he can successfully use it to eat.
c. Lisa combines reaching, grasping, and wrist rotation and successfully uses a spoon to eat.
d. Rebecca learns how to swim before she learns to walk.
Answer: B
91. Tomomi has mastered balancing, stepping, and the perceptual skills necessary to negotiate
her way around. Putting all these skills together to enable her to walk is a process called
a. integration.
b. differentiation.
c. retinal disparity.
d. perception.
Answer: A
92. In an effort to lower the age at which his infant son will begin to walk, Mr. Simmons puts
eight-month-old Richard on a program that emphasizes leg strength. What is the most likely
outcome of this intervention?
a. It will have no impact.
b. Richard will have superior leg strength but will not walk any earlier.
c. Richard will have average leg strength but will not walk any earlier.
d. Richard will have superior leg strength and will walk earlier.
Answer: D
93. Which statement concerning culture and crawling is true?
a. Most North American children are crawling at much younger ages than in past decades.
b. There are no known cultures that discourage motor development.
c. As it is genetically programmed, experience does not impact the rate of the acquisition of
crawling.
d. The more practice infants get at crawling, the faster they tend to crawl.
Answer: D
94. Caleb is four months old. If he is like others his age, when he grasps a rattle, he will grasp
it with
a. his fingers and thumb.
b. his thumb only.
c. his fingers only.
d. one finger from each hand.
Answer: C
95. Although they are often unsuccessful in getting the food into their mouth, many children
first begin to experiment with finger-foods around age
a. 2 months.
b. 6 months.
c. 10 months.
d. 14 months.
Answer: B
96. Because Akosua is a typical nine-month-old, she is most likely to use
a. her right hand.
b. her left hand.
c. her right and left hands interchangeably.
d. her feet rather than her hands.
Answer: C
97. What response would you expect if you attempted to hand toys to a typical 13-month-old
infant?
a. They would kick at the object before attempting to grasp it.
b. They would first grasp the object with their left hand.
c. They would first grasp the object with their right hand.
d. They would make no attempt to grasp the object.
Answer: C
98. Stewart is a 10-year-old boy growing up in England, and Moe is a 10-year-old boy
growing up in the United States. What difference in handedness would you expect?
a. It is most likely that Stewart is right-handed and Moe left-handed.
b. It is most likely that Stewart is left-handed and Moe right-handed.
c. Both are likely to be right-handed.
d. Both are likely to be left-handed.
Answer: C
99. Which is the best evidence for the notion that sociocultural forces play a role in
handedness?
a. Only 10 percent of the population is left-handed.
b. Right-handed parents tend to have right-handed offspring.
c. When societal attitudes change, the incidence of left-handedness changes.
d. In American culture, most desks and scissors and golf clubs are made for right-handers.
Answer: C
100. The process by which the brain receives, selects, modifies, and organizes incoming
nerve impulses is referred to as
a. perception.
b. sensation.
c. imagination.
d. expansion.
Answer: A
101. Which best describes a newborn’s sense of smell?
a. Highly developed
b. Crude but effective
c. Exists but is not very useful
d. Nonexistent
Answer: A
102. Cher offers her 10-day-old daughter, Chastity, a taste of some juice she is drinking.
Based on the fact that Chastity makes a terrible face when she tastes the juice, you would
suspect that it was
a. cold.
b. sweet.
c. sour.
d. fruity.
Answer: C
103. The Babinski reflex is evidence that infants
a. can smell.
b. are able to hear low-pitched sounds.
c. experience pain.
d. perceive touch.
Answer: D
104. Nathan suddenly lets out a high-pitched cry, lowers his eyebrows, and purses his lips.
You would be safest in assuming that Nathan is
a. happy.
b. cold.
c. experiencing pain.
d. playing peek-a-boo.
Answer: C
105. Infants
a. cannot experience pain.
b. don’t react to pain-inducing stimuli.
c. produce a distinct “pain cry.”
d. are much more sensitive to pain than teenagers.
Answer: C
106. How would you respond to a telephone operator who claims that her eight-month-old
fetus gets excited every time she says, “What city please?”
a. “You may be correct, since by that age the fetus may actually be hearing your voice.”
b. “It is likely gas, since fetuses can’t hear until they are out of the womb.”
c. “If what you say is true, you are likely carrying a female because they develop a sense of
hearing before males.”
d. “Since fetuses have no memory, there is no way they would only respond to a specific
phrase.”
Answer: A
107. Adults tend to be able to hear _____ sounds better than infants.
a. human speech range
b. loud
c. quiet
d. all
Answer: C
108. Marcie sings the same lullaby to her infant son every night because she believes he has
learned to recognize it. Does recent research support her claim?
a. No. Her son may recognize her voice but not a particular song.
b. No. Research indicates he would not recognize Marcie’s voice or the song she’s singing.
c. Yes. Her son would be able to recognize a particular lullaby.
d. Yes. But only if her child is genetically predisposed to excel in music.
Answer: C
109. Traditional eye tests in which a person is shown a chart with a set of letters in a line that
gets progressively smaller near the bottom of the chart are designed to directly assess
a. visual acuity.
b. depth perception.
c. color blindness.
d. field of vision.
Answer: A
110. Dr. Quillan is measuring the point at which an infant can no longer differentiate between
a striped-patterned stimulus and a gray square. Dr. Quillan is probably attempting to measure
the infant’s
a. depth perception.
b. retinal disparity.
c. visual acuity.
d. ability to perceive different pitches.
Answer: C
111. Which innate preference is used to help researchers assess infants’ visual abilities?
a. A preference for colored objects over black/white objects
b. A preference for angled objects over round objects
c. A preference for striped objects over plain objects
d. A preference for stationary objects over moving objects
Answer: C
112. Dr. Moreau is planning a demonstration on infant visual perception for her
developmental psychology class. In order to demonstrate the sharpness of an infant’s vision at
20 feet, Dr. Moreau should have students look at an object about ____ feet away.
a. 200-400
b. 100-150
c. 40-50
d. 15-20
Answer: A
113. Which child’s visual acuity would have most recently matched that of an adult with
20/20 vision?
a. D.J., who is 1 month old
b. Stephanie, who is 1 year old
c. Michelle, who is 3 years old
d. Tanner, who is 6 years old
Answer: B
114. Molly is buying decorations for her child’s nursery. She is very concerned about having
different colors that the baby will be able to differentiate the day she is born. Molly is
attempting to stimulate her child’s
a. cones.
b. rods.
c. kinetic cues.
d. retinal disparity.
Answer: A
115. Newborns
a. are incapable of perceiving color.
b. can perceive few colors.
c. can perceive color as well as adults.
d. can perceive more colors than most adults.
Answer: B
116. About how old will an infant be when it can perceive the same colors adults perceive?
a. 2 weeks old
b. 4 months old
c. 1 year old
d. 6 years old
Answer: B
117. After a one-year checkup, your physician comments, “There has been virtually no
development of the cones in your daughter’s visual system.” What impact would this have?
a. Your daughter would be blind.
b. Your daughter would have no depth perception.
c. Your daughter would have trouble tracking moving objects.
d. Your daughter would have difficulty distinguishing colors.
Answer: D
118. Dr. Acuity is studying the sensing of color by researching the structure and development
of cones. Where does she need to look to find these structures?
a. The retina of the eye
b. The frontal lobes of the brain
c. The rear lobes of the brain
d. The pupil of the eye
Answer: A
119. What infant response did Gibson and Walk (1960) measure in their visual cliff research?
a. Heart rate
b. Visual acuity
c. Muscle tone
d. Visual fixation
Answer: A
120. You are being placed on a large piece of glass with a checkerboard-patterned platform
underneath it. Your mother walks to the other side of this platform and calls for you to crawl
to her. Many years later, you will discover that this was all part of an experiment to test your
a. visual acuity.
b. ability to recognize your mother.
c. motor development.
d. depth perception.
Answer: D
121. A visual cliff is designed to assess
a. gross-motor skills.
b. rapid eye movement.
c. cone development.
d. depth perception.
Answer: D
122. Who is most likely to be afraid of heights?
a. Noni, who is 3 weeks old
b. Mandy, who is 7 weeks old
c. Patricia, who is 7 months old
d. Celia, who is 7 years old.
Answer: C
123. When Sheila uses motion to determine the depth of an object, she is using a ____ cue.
a. pictorial
b. retinal disparity
c. kinetic
d. visual expansion
Answer: C
124. Ichiro’s mother is trying to teach him how to catch a ball. As the ball approaches Ichiro,
it takes up more and more space on Ichiro’s retinas. Ichiro perceives the change in size to
mean that the ball is getting closer to him rather than perceiving it to mean the ball is getting
larger. Which term does the best job of describing this phenomenon?
a. Texture gradient
b. Linear perspective
c. Motion parallax
d. Visual expansion
Answer: D
125. If asked to identify a kinetic cue to depth, you should say,
a. “visual expansion.”
b. “retinal disparity.”
c. “linear perspective.”
d. “experience-expectancy.”
Answer: A
126. A judgment of depth using motion parallax relies heavily on the _____ of an object.
a. color
b. speed
c. size
d. shape
Answer: B
127. Which one-year-old would not be able to utilize retinal disparity to perceive depth?
a. Mary, who was born color blind
b. Larry, who was born blind in one eye
c. Barry, who was born one month premature
d. Gary, who has the acuity of a typical six-month-old
Answer: B
128. The image of a person is identical on the retinas of a child, whereas the image of a dog is
much different on the left retina than it is on the right. This means that the child will perceive
a. the dog to be closer than the person.
b. the person to be closer than the dog.
c. the person and the dog to be very close.
d. the person and the dog to be far away.
Answer: A
129. Which is considered a pictorial cue to depth?
a. Visual expansion
b. Texture gradient
c. Retinal disparity
d. Motion parallax
Answer: B
130. Wendell can tell that the trees on the mountain are very far away, because rather than
being able to see individual trees and the spaces between them, he just perceives a big green
patch. Which depth cue best describes this?
a. Linear perspective
b. Visual expansion
c. Texture gradient
d. Motion parallax
Answer: C
131. Gina perceives the car to be far away because the sides of the road upon which it is
moving seem to come together to be no wider than the car itself. This is an example of the
____ cue to depth.
a. visual acuity
b. texture gradient
c. retinal disparity
d. linear perspective
Answer: D
132. Recent research indicates that newborns have a natural attraction for tracking
a. a moving face.
b. all face-like stimuli.
c. only the faces of their biological mothers.
d. faces of certain types of animals (e.g., dogs, cats).
Answer: A
133. Who would be best at differentiating between two different monkey faces?
a. Serena, who is 6 months old
b. Julie, who is 1 year old
c. Patti, who is 6 years old
d. Courtney, who is 12 years old
Answer: A
134. Which statement regarding the study on facial recognition by showing participants faces
of adults from various groups (i.e. African, Asian, and European descent) is most accurate?
a. It was longitudinal.
b. It was experimental.
c. There were several ethical violations.
d. Most of the participants were elderly.
Answer: B
135. The fact that six-month-olds will look for long periods of time at toys they previously
had only been able to touch suggests that infants
a. demonstrate visual acuity.
b. demonstrate the use of retinal disparity.
c. are able to integrate visual and tactile information.
d. cannot integrate tactile sensations as readily as auditory sensations.
Answer: C
136. What is an example of intersensory redundancy?
a. Noticing the shirt your mother is wearing while listening to a portable CD player
b. Observing your mother while listening to her talk
c. Brushing your mother’s hair while you talk to her
d. Listening to several voices at the same time
Answer: B
137. The fact that an infant’s perception of a stimulus is best if it stimulates more than one
sense simultaneously is best described as
a. SIDS.
b. differentiation.
c. intersensory redundancy.
d. theory of mind.
Answer: C
138. Nou Ka is putting red marks on the noses of infants and placing them in front of a mirror
to see how they respond. What is Nou Ka most likely researching?
a. Visual acuity
b. Motional parallax
c. Self-awareness
d. Retinal disparity
Answer: C
139. Evan is a normal subject in a self-awareness study who has just begun to recognize
himself in mirrors and pictures. It is most likely that Evan is about ____ old.
a. 3 months
b. 6 months
c. 12 months
d. 18 months
Answer: D
140. If Donna is a normal three-year-old, her definition of herself will consist largely of her
a. beliefs.
b. feelings.
c. family.
d. possessions.
Answer: D
141. At about the age of four, children begin to realize that a person’s actions are often
connected to the thoughts that he or she has. What kind of study is often used to determine
when children grasp this concept?
a. Intersensory redundancy studies
b. Synaptic pruning studies
c. Dynamic systems theory studies
d. False-belief studies
Answer: D
142. Jeffrey is a three-year-old who is beginning to make connections between people’s
thoughts, intentions, and behaviors. According to Wellman (2002), Jeffrey is developing
a. a theory of mind.
b. a temperament.
c. motor skills.
d. retinal disparity.
Answer: A
TRUE/FALSE
1. Reflexes are learned responses.
Answer: False
2. Waking activity means that a baby is awake, calm, and attentive.
Answer: False
3. Infant crying is typically accompanied by agitated and uncoordinated movement.
Answer: True
4. A mad cry is a more intense version of a basic cry.
Answer: True
5. Co-sleeping tends to be more common in cultures who value interdependence.
Answer: True
6. REM sleep becomes significantly more common between birth and age two years.
Answer: False
7. Encouraging parents to have newborns sleep on their backs has lead to a significant
reduction in the incidence of sudden infant death syndrome.
Answer: True
8. A child with high effortful control is able to maintain focus and is less distractible.
Answer: True
9. Infants typically triple their body weight by the time of their first birthday.
Answer: True
10. Breast-fed babies are ill less often than bottle-fed babies.
Answer: True
11. Body size is the key determinate of malnutrition in infancy.
Answer: True
12. Less than 1 percent of American children do not have adequate food.
Answer: False
13. Neurotransmitters are released by the terminal buttons.
Answer: True
14. The human brain consists of four hemispheres.
Answer: False
15. The neural plate develops into the brain and spinal cord.
Answer: True
16. Synaptic pruning significantly increases the number of neural connections in the brain.
Answer: False
17. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) tracks blood flow in the brain.
Answer: True
18. Experience does not influence brain development.
Answer: False
19. To locomote means to move.
Answer: True
20. According to dynamic systems theory, once motor skills are originally organized, they do
not change.
Answer: False
21. Handedness is unaffected by culture.
Answer: False
22. Of all the senses, the sense of smell is probably the least developed in infants.
Answer: False
23. Visual expansion is a form of depth perception based on the retinal size of an image.
Answer: True
24. The fact that coarser objects are perceived as further away than more solid objects forms
the basis of the concept of linear perspective.
Answer: False
25. Most one-year-olds have a well-defined sense of self-concept.
Answer: False
COMPLETION
1. The four common behavioral states of newborns are alert inactivity, sleeping, waking
activity, and _____.
Answer: crying
2. A(n) _____ cry begins with a sudden loud burst, which is followed by a long pause and a
gasp.
Answer: pain
3. In newborns, rapid eye movement (REM) sleep is also referred to as _____ sleep.
Answer: irregular
4. Surgency, negative affect, and effortful control are three dimensions of_____.
Answer: temperament
5. The _____ is a cell that specializes in receiving and transmitting information.
Answer: neuron
6. The _____ is the wrinkled surface portion of the brain that regulates many human
functions.
Answer: cerebral cortex
7. _____ wraps around axons and speeds up neural transmission.
Answer: Myelin
8. _____ refers to the extent to which brain organization is flexible.
Answer: Neuroplasticity
9. Experience-_____ growth focuses on brain changes not linked to a specific point in
development and that which varies across cultures.
Answer: dependent
10. The early, unsteady form of walking is called _____.
Answer: toddling
11. The mastery of the component skills needed to walk is referred to as involving _____.
Answer: differentiation
12. A researcher who is trying to determine the smallest pattern that infants can dependably
distinguish with their eyes is studying visual _____.
Answer: acuity
13. Motion _____ uses the speed of objects to determine distance.
Answer: parallax
14. _____ cues are all ways in which depth perception is conveyed in drawings and other
visual images.
Answer: Pictorial
15. Intersensory _____ refers to information that is presented simultaneously to different
sensory modes.
Answer: redundancy
ESSAY
11. Jeremy is a newborn infant who is crying. Describe three different types of cries and how
you could tell which type Jeremy is vocalizing.
Answer: The three types of cries are the basic cry (starts soft, gradually builds in intensity,
and is often due to hunger or being tired), mad cry (more intense version of the basic cry),
and the pain cry (starts suddenly in long bursts that are followed by pauses and gasping).
12. Describe two kinetic cues and two pictorial cues that are used in the creation of the
perception of depth.
Answer: The two kinetic cues are visual expansion (based on the perception that the closer an
object, the greater the proportion of the retina it fills) and motion parallax (based on the
perception that nearby objects move across our visual field faster than distant objects). The
two pictorial cues are linear perspective (based on the perception that parallel lines come to a
point in the distance) and texture gradient (based on the perception that distant objects are
coarser than closer objects).
Test Bank for Human Development : A Life-Span View
Robert V Kail, John C Cavanaugh
9781111834111, 9781337554831
