Chapter 1The Study of Human Development

Test Bank Essentials of Human Development A Life-Span View Robert V. Kail

John C. Cavanaugh Jason Spiegelman 1 / 4

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Chapter 1—The Study of Human Development

MULTIPLE CHOICE

• Which of the following is NOT one of the key aspects of human development, as described by

your textbook?

• It is a multidisciplinary field.
• It is interested in how people change over time.
• It is based upon the sound, scientific theories of philosophy.
• It is interested in how people remain the same over time.

ANS: C DIF: Easy REF: Thinking About Development OBJ: Recurring issues in human development MSC: Factual

• There are three fundamental characteristics of human development, according to your authors.

Which of the following is NOT one of them?

• nature and nurture
• external and internal
• continuity and discontinuity
• universal and context-specific development

ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Thinking About Development OBJ: Recurring issues in human development MSC: Factual

• Marjorie believes that her husband, Tom, is an excellent father because he was born with a

gentle nature and an abundance of patience. Tom, on the other hand, believes that he is a good father because he learned to be one from his own parents. Which fundamental question of human development does this issue address?

• nature and nurture
• external and internal
• continuity and discontinuity
• universal and context-specific development

ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Thinking About Development OBJ: Recurring issues in human development MSC: Application

• Which term does NOT belong in this group?
• Experiential c. Environmental
• Nurture d. Hereditary

ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: Thinking About Development OBJ: Recurring issues in human development MSC: Conceptual

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• Which of the following BEST summarizes the current thinking in human development with

regard to the nature and nurture question?

• Development is always shaped by both nature- and nurture-related factors.
• While nature is important, it is truly our environment (or “nurture”) that

determines who we are.

• While nurture is important, it is truly our genetics (or “nature”) that determines

who we are.

• Because there are no reliable and valid ways to scientifically test the different

influences of nature- and nurture-related factors, this question has become widely ignored in the study of human development.

ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Thinking About Development OBJ: Recurring issues in human development MSC: Conceptual

• Iggy wakes up one day and suddenly decides, “I am tired of being the nice guy that everyone

pushes around. Starting today, I am going to be more assertive and less accommodating of other people’s needs. And if others don’t like it, I’m not going to care about that anymore.” Iggy’s belief that he can rapidly change a basic part of his own character demonstrates a belief in

• continuity. c. discontinuity.
• stability. d. context-specific development.

ANS: C DIF: Difficult REF: Thinking About Development OBJ: Recurring issues in human development MSC: Application

• Marielle and Dominic have not seen each other since high school, and they are both getting

ready to attend their 30-year reunion. Marielle remembers Dominic as being a very playful, funny, and easy-going person. She is looking forward to seeing him, and expects that he will be very much the same as he was 30 years ago. Marielle’s expectation demonstrates a belief in

• universal development. c. nurture.
• continuity. d. nature.

ANS: B DIF: Moderate REF: Thinking About Development OBJ: Recurring issues in human development MSC: Application

• The notion that development is best described in terms of a series of abrupt shifts in behavior

BEST fits with the _____ approach.

• nature c. continuity
• nurture d. discontinuity

ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Thinking About Development OBJ: Recurring issues in human development MSC: Factual

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• When people in the United States watch television programs about children in other cultures,

they are often surprised to find out that children from other countries often have very different skills and abilities than their own kids, even though they are the same age. This difference demonstrates the concept of

• context-specific development. c. nomothetic development.
• universal development. d. nature-based development.

ANS: A DIF: Moderate REF: Thinking About Development OBJ: Recurring issues in human development MSC: Conceptual

• The fact that babies from around the world tend to develop language skills at approximately

the same age is support for which of the following concepts from the study of human development?

• continuity c. context-specific development
• discontinuity d. universal development

ANS: D DIF: Easy REF: Thinking About Development OBJ: Recurring issues in human development MSC: Application

• The biopsychosocial framework organizes the contributions of many different forces in

human development. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

• biological forces c. sociocultural forces
• spiritual forces d. psychological forces

ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Thinking About Development OBJ: Basic forces in human development: The biopsychosocial framework

MSC: Factual

• When Jordan, who is a 25-year-old, married father of one infant daughter, is laid off from his

job, it impacts him with a devastating amount of worry and fear. When Jackson, who is a 72-year-old married man with five grandchildren, is laid off from his job, he seems to take it in stride and decides that this is a good time to retire. Which of the following forces BEST explains the different reactions of Jordan and Jackson?

• biological forces c. psychological forces
• sociocultural forces d. life-cycle forces

ANS: D DIF: Difficult REF: Thinking About Development OBJ: Basic forces in human development: The biopsychosocial framework

MSC: Application

• Which BEST describes the relationship between biological, psychological, and sociocultural

forces in human development?

• unimportant c. independent
• interactive d. non-normative

ANS: B DIF: Easy REF: Thinking About Development OBJ: Basic forces in human development: The biopsychosocial framework

MSC: Conceptual

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