Human Growth and Development Final Exam Answers

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Sensitivity to touch emerges early prenatally and is well-developed at birth. Newborn babies have a well-developed sense of touch, which is crucial for bonding with their caregivers and exploring their environment. This sensitivity to touch helps babies respond to comforting sensations such as gentle strokes and cuddles. Visual acuity, color vision, and depth perception are sensory capabilities that develop and mature after birth, not prenatally. While important for interacting with the environment, they are not as well-developed at birth as sensitivity to touch.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Baby Ian is demonstrating the Moro reflex. The Moro reflex is a normal newborn reflex that occurs when a baby feels like they are falling or losing support. It is characterized by arching the back, extending the legs, throwing the arms outward, and then bringing the arms in toward the body. This reflex is a primitive survival instinct that typically disappears around 6 months of age. Choice A, palmar grasp, involves the baby's fingers closing around an object when it touches their palm. Choice C, tonic neck reflex, involves the baby assuming a fencing position when their head is turned to one side. Choice D, Babinski reflex, is characterized by the fanning out and curling of the baby's toes when the sole of the foot is stroked.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: In the last weeks of pregnancy, most fetuses assume an upside-down position known as the head-down position or vertex presentation. This position is ideal for a smoother labor and delivery process as it helps the baby move through the birth canal. Fetal growth has already slowed down at this stage, so option C is incorrect. Option A is inaccurate as the fetus typically gains weight in the final weeks. Option D is incorrect because the fetus relies on the mother's immune system while in the womb.

Correct Answer: B

Rationale: Evolutionary developmental psychology seeks to understand the adaptive value of species-wide competencies as those competencies change with age. This field focuses on how psychological traits and behaviors have evolved to enhance survival and reproduction over time. It emphasizes the interaction between evolutionary principles and developmental processes to provide insights into human behavior and cognition. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because they do not accurately describe the primary focus of evolutionary developmental psychology. Choice A is more aligned with cognitive psychology, choice C relates to cognitive science, and choice D could pertain to multidisciplinary approaches but not specifically to evolutionary developmental psychology.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Three-month-old Jefferson will likely listen longer to human speech compared to nonspeech sounds because infants have a natural preference for speech sounds. This preference is believed to be attributed to their biological readiness to learn language and communicate with others. Choice A is incorrect because voices are a form of human speech, which is preferred over pure tones. Choice B is incorrect as noises do not necessarily engage infants' attention as effectively as human speech. Choice D is incorrect because Jefferson is more likely to listen longer to his native language rather than a foreign language at this early age.