Human Growth and Development Exam Questions

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: The correct answer is D, the lifespan perspective. This perspective underscores the idea that individuals have the capacity for growth and change at any age, highlighting plasticity throughout the lifespan. It acknowledges the continuous development and adaptability of individuals to various experiences and factors. Choice A, the psychoanalytic perspective, focuses more on unconscious processes and early childhood experiences. Choice B, ethology, emphasizes the study of animal behavior in natural environments. Choice C, evolutionary developmental psychology, examines how evolutionary principles influence human development but does not specifically focus on plasticity at all ages.

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: An experimental design permits inferences about cause and effect because researchers evenhandedly assign people to treatment conditions. This means that researchers can manipulate certain variables and observe the effects on participants, allowing them to determine causation between variables. This is a key strength of experimental research designs. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because they do not accurately describe the primary purpose or strength of experimental designs. Experimental designs do not focus on gathering information in natural life circumstances (A), looking at relationships between characteristics and behavior (B), or have the limitation of not being able to infer cause and effect (D).

Correct Answer: C

Rationale: Drawing the children's names out of a hat is a way to randomly assign them to treatment conditions. Random assignment helps to ensure that any differences in self-esteem that may be observed in the study are not due to pre-existing characteristics of the children. This method helps to establish a cause-and-effect relationship between the teacher's use of encouragement and the children's self-esteem. Choice A is incorrect because assigning children based on test scores may introduce bias into the study. Choice B is incorrect as balancing gender is not relevant to the research question. Choice D is incorrect as it introduces a bias by selecting a specific group of children based on a characteristic unrelated to the study objective.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Sydney's approach of starting with a hypothesis, deducing testable inferences, and isolating and combining variables to confirm inferences aligns with the characteristics of the formal operational stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development. This stage typically emerges during adolescence and is characterized by advanced logical thinking, abstract reasoning, and the ability to think systematically about all possible outcomes of a problem. Choice A, sensorimotor, is incorrect as it pertains to the stage where infants learn through sensory experiences and motor actions. Choice B, preoperational, is incorrect as it involves egocentrism and lack of conservation. Choice C, concrete operational, is incorrect as it focuses on operational thought and logical reasoning in concrete contexts.

Correct Answer: D

Rationale: Research indicates that a childbirth leave of 12 weeks or more leads to favorable outcomes for maternal physical and mental health, supportive marital interaction, and sensitive caregiving. This extended period of leave allows mothers to recover physically, adjust psychologically, and establish strong bonds with their newborn, which ultimately benefits the whole family. Choices A, B, and C are incorrect as they do not provide the optimal duration needed for mothers to experience the full range of benefits associated with an extended childbirth leave.