Module 1 discussion
Consider these examples, reviewed in Life Span Development
by John Santrock (2008, McGraw Hill, 11e).
“Ted Kaczynski
sprinted through high school, not bothering with his junior year and making
only passing efforts at social contact. Off to Harvard at age 16, Kaczynski was
a loner during his college years. One of his roommates at Harvard said that he
avoided people by quickly shuffling by them and slamming the door behind him.
After obtaining his Ph.D. in mathematics at the University of Michigan,
Kaczynski became a professor at the University of California at Berkeley. His
colleagues there remember him as hiding from social circumstances—no friends,
no allies, no networking.
After several
years at Berkeley, Kaczynski resigned and moved to a rural area of Montana
where he lived as a hermit in a crude shack for 25 years. Town residents
described him as a bearded eccentric. Kaczynski traced his own difficulties to
growing up as a genius in a kid’s body and sticking out like a sore thumb in
his surrounding as a child. In 19656, he was arrested and charged as the
notorious Unabomber, America’s most wanted killer who sent 16 mail bombs in 17
years that left 23 people wounded or maimed, and 3 people dead. In 1998, he
pleaded guilty to the offenses and was sentenced to life in prison.
A decade before
Kaczynski mailed his first bomb, Alice Walker, who later won the Pulitzer Prize
for her book The Color Purple, spent her days battling racism in Mississippi.
She had recently won her first writing fellowship, but rather than use the
money to follow her dream of moving to Senegal, Africa, she put herself into
the heart and heat of the civic rights movement. Walker had grown up knowing
the brutal effects of poverty and racism. Born in 1955, she was the eighth
child of Georgia sharecropper who earned $300 a year. When Walker was 8, her
brother accidentally shot her in the left eye with a BB gun. By the time her
parents got her to the hospital a week later (they had no car), she was blind
in that eye and it had developed a disfiguring layer of scar tissue. Despite
the counts against her, Walker overcame pain and anger and went on to become
not only an award-winning novelist but also an essayist, a poet, a short-story
writer, and a social activist.” (p. 4)
Considering that we are all products of both heredity and
environment, analyze these two cases based on what you’ve read in the first two
chapters. Specifically:
Considering the families of theories discussed in Chapter 1,
(biological theories, psychodynamic theories, behavioral theories, cognitive
theories) pick two of the broad theoretical perspectives and describe what they
would say about development as it relates to these two individuals (apply two
theories to both individuals). Be “creative” in your applications. Think of
numerous applications though they may not exactly fit. Use this as an
opportunity to drill down into the theories.
Now, think of the influence of biology (Chapter 2). What
possible hereditary influence may have contributed to the behaviors and life
choices of these two individuals? Stretch on this one.
Module 2 discussion
You read about healthy
development in the three domains of the physical, cognitive, and
emotional throughout this book.
From what you read in the two chapters for this week, pick
out 3-5 factors that contribute to healthy development that were unusual,
unique, or which you had never thought about before. Think creatively and
support your answer. Draw in class text concepts and cite correctly, for full credit.
Show how your main topics actually relate to healthy development.
In your response to your classmates’ posts, challenge your
classmates’ responses as to their uniqueness.
By the way, please review my discussion board expectations
from week one.
Module 3 discussion
Your textbook mentions daycare/childcare in a couple of
sections (you’ll read about it next week as well). After you’ve read all the reading for this
week, answer the following questions. Don’t make this a political response (“I
like . . . don’t like childcare”) but use it as an example to pull together and
apply core concepts from the two chapters for the week.
Divide your answer into three sections (use a heading for
each section)
1. What would be necessary in a childcare setting to stimulate
full development during infancy and toddler hood? Think of physical/motor,
cognitive, language, personality and sociocultural development. Don’t write a
book but pick out main points and make it clear that you are applying text
content.
2. Based on the chapters’ content, what could go wrong in
development because of a daycare setting? What would be the optimum daycare
environment to complete development?
3. What would you as a parent contribute to the development
of your child that daycare can’t?
In your answer, make sure you address all of the questions
asked and draw in text material that applies (cite correctly per APA)
Module 4 discussion
In the chapters for the week, you read about three theories
of cognitive development during the early childhood years (Piaget, Vygotsky,
and the information process approach).
For this discussion board, let’s make some practical
applications of the theories. Make a list of 4-5 actions (what you can
“do”) to enhance cognitive development
based on each of the theories. Then tell us why those actions are important
based on the theory (cite correctly).
So, set it up this way.
Piaget
1.action one (with explanation)
2. action two (with
explanation)
3. etc.
4. etc.
Vygotsky
1. action, etc.
2., etc.
3. etc.
4. etc.
Information Processing approach
1. action, etc.
2.etc.
3. etc.
4. etc.
Make sure to read the text sections thoroughly before
providing your action steps.
Module 5 discussion
The chapters on middle childhood introduce many issues and
problems which can follow a child throughout his/her life (obesity, school
problems, self concept issues, effects of divorce, etc.)
Pick one issue from the chapters and explain 3-5 things you
learned about that issue (new or unique information—not something you knew
already). Then suggest what you could do to make sure the issue did not cause
long term problems for the child. Make sure to draw specific concepts and
findings from the text as you answer this last part. Make a list of suggestions
and cite your support.
By the way, tell us why the information was “new” or
“unique”.
When you respond to classmates’ posts, add additional ideas,
or probe with an insightful question.
Module 6 discussion
After thoroughly reading the chapters for this week, please
consider the following. Note that there are two distinct parts to this
discussion question.
Adolescents tend to engage in riskier behaviors than
individuals at other stages of development.
1. From your text discussion (make sure to draw in text
material) provide an overview of the cognitive/emotional/physical reasons why
adolescents engage in riskier behavior. Make sure to clearly address all three
domains.
2. Then, select a health-related issue from Chapter 11 and
propose a way to prevent with the issue in
adolescents by addressing the underlying problems. In this part, also
make sure to expressly draw in text material and cite correctly. Be sure to include enough detail for your
classmates to evaluate your proposal.
When you respond to your classmates, be sure to critique
their responses as well as make suggestions to improve the suggested
preventions
Module 7 discussion
After reading the
chapters for this week, review
the following questions. CHOOSE ONE but make sure to answer it
completely. Make sure also to INTEGRATE TEXT CONCEPTS and cite correctly.
Review the concept of “midlife crisis” as discussed in the
text and weigh in with your assessment. Is the crisis inevitable? Why or why
not? Make sure you support your answer with solid research and logic, based on
your reading of Berk.
What determines if Middle Adulthood is seen as the best part
of life or as the beginning of decline? List a number of factors based on your
reading.
Review the elements of cognitive decline in middle
adulthood. How can a person best adjust to these changes? Draw from Berk in
your answer.
Review how early habits affect development in Middle
Adulthood. What does Berk say that would apply here?
Why might a job loss in middle adulthood be perceived as a
more serious threat to a person’s self-concept than the loss of a job in early
adulthood? What support can you draw from your reading of Berk?
Analyze an adult you know who is in Middle Adulthood
(yourself, a spouse, a parent, a grandparent) based on the Big Five theory of
personality. Have you seen consistency on these characteristics through the
years?
Module 8 discussion
After having read your text material, discuss what you see
as the most troubling issues to be addressed when considering dying and death
(DNR orders, living wills, euthanasia, palliative care, hospice, quality of
life) and how you would help someone address these issues either personally or
in caring for a family member.
Make sure you inform your responses from your readings; draw in text material and cite correctly per
APA.
Make this thoughtful and reasonably complete
EXAM 1
Question 1
Home delivery
is usually attended by a doctor.
is not
appropriate if the mother is at risk for any kind of complication.
gives the mother less control
over her own care than in a hospital.
provides a safer birthing
environment than a hospital.
Question 2
In a __________ design, groups of people differing in age
are studied at the same point in time.
microgenetic
cross-sectional
sequential
longitudinal
Question 3
The term teratogen refers to
a fluid within the placenta that
helps feed the fetus.
any
environmental agent that causes damage during the prenatal period.
the blood that is passed from
mother to child through the umbilical cord.
a perfect test score given to a
newborn upon delivery.
Question 4
Theorists who emphasize plasticity believe that
children develop so that they can
exhibit characteristically different behaviors arranged around specific age
groups.
change
is possible and likely if new experiences support it.
individuals high and low in a
characteristic will remain so in later ages.
children experience similar
circumstances that result in wide individual differences.
Question 5
In vitro procedures
have never been used by a couple
who could have become pregnant naturally.
are most often used to permit
women without a male partner become pregnant
cannot help postmenopausal women
become pregnant
can
ensure that couples with X-linked diseases have a daughter.
Question 6
Vygotsky’s theory emphasizes that individual differences in
complex mental activities are mainly due to cultural differences in
infant physical care practices.
nutrition.
social
experience.
genetic makeup.
Question 7
When baby Zoey becomes upset when her mother leaves a room,
she is displaying
effortful control.
emotional self-regulation.
social referencing.
separation
anxiety.
Question 8
Continuous development regards the environment as the most
important influence.
True
False
Question 9
The notion that an effective match between child-rearing
practices and a child’s temperament will lead to favorable outcomes is known as
goodness-of-fit.
an internal working model.
sensitive caregiving.
secure base.
Question 10
A sequential design can identify cohort effects by comparing
groups of people of
the same age who were born in the
same year.
differing ages who were born in
different years.
differing ages who were born in
the same year.
the
same age who were born in different years.
Question 11
Emotions that can be directly inferred from facial
expressions are referred to as
self-conscious emotions.
basic
emotions.
social emotions.
referential emotions.
Question 12
In Piaget’s theory, what are two types of adaptation that
result in changes to schemas?
Organization and conservation
Assimilation and conservation
Accommodation
and assimilation
Accommodation and conservation
Question 13
In which period are serious prenatal effects most likely to
occur due to the effects of teratogens?
The period of the zygote
The same level of risk is present
during each of the prenatal stages.
The fetal period
The
embryonic period
Question 14
Higher-SES parents emphasize the importance of
__________________ for their children, whereas lower-SES parents emphasize
______________________.
external characteristics;
psychological traits
intellectual abilities;
psychological traits
external characteristics;
intellectual abilities
psychological
traits; external characteristics
Question 15
Discontinuous development views development as a progression
through a series of qualitatively distinct stages.
True
False
Question 16
Plasticity regards human change as possible if new
experiences support change.
True
False
Question 17
An infant born two months early but weighing an appropriate
amount for the time spent in the uterus is called
postterm.
small-for-date.
preterm.
breech.
Question 18
Which of the following is an ethical concern regarding in
vitro fertilization?
The privacy of donors may be
compromised as their identity is public record.
In vitro procedures cannot be
used to overcome most male fertility problems
Over 90 percent of in vitro
procedures result in multiple births.
Among
in vitro babies, the risk of major birth defects doubles.
Question 19
Which of the following is true of research rights involving
informed consent?
The right to inform consent
applies to all research participants except young children and elderly people
with mental impairments.
For
children 7 years and older, their own informed consent should be obtained in
addition to parental consent.
Unless the research obviously risks
harm to the participant, researchers are not required to obtain informed
consent.
In most cases, researchers need
only obtain the child’s assent; parental consent is not required.
Question 20
The innate system that contains a set of rules common to all
languages is called the
Home Observation
Language
Acquisition Device (LAD).
Chomsky device
Early Head Start.
Question 21
Nature Views heredity as the most important influence on
development.
True
False
Question 22
Marcus was physically abused by his parents during his early
years. Now he is in elementary school and living with a foster family; his
school counselor believes that the negative events of his first few years can
be overcome by his now positive life circumstances. The counselor emphasizes
the role of _____________________ in development.
nature
stability
nurture
stages
Question 23
Amanda believes that when her 1-year-old son says,
“hi” and “bye-bye,” his understanding of these greetings is
the same as her understanding. Amanda would likely characterize her son’s
development as
determined by nurture.
continuous.
determined by nature.
discontinuous.
Question 24
The stress of adapting to parenthood
can be
managed when parents support each other.
is generally more difficult for
men than it is for women.
goes on for at least the first
three or four years.
is not as great as most people
believe it to be.
Question 25
A neutral stimulus that leads to a new response after
learning has occurred is a(n)
conditioned
response (CR).
unconditioned stimulus (UCS).
unconditioned response (UR).
conditioned
stimulus (CS).
Question 26
Infant’s expression of fear toward unfamiliar adults during
the second half of the first year is called
separation anxiety.
the strange situation.
avoidant attachment.
stranger
anxiety.
Question 27
Baby Hector accidentally pushes over a tower of blocks. Each
time his sister rebuilds the tower, Hector tries to push it over again. In
Piaget’s theory, this is an example of a __________ circular reaction.
tertiary
secondary
primary
reflexive
Question 28
Socioeconomic status consists of
years of education, neighborhood
lived in, and cost of house.
size of bank savings account,
stock portfolio, and income.
years
at current job, prestige and skills required of job, and job title.
years
of education, prestige and skills required of job, and income.
Question 29
The left hemisphere of the brain is largely responsible for
verbal
abilities.
attention and complex thought.
spatial abilities.
regulation of negative emotions.
Question 30
In an individualistic society,
people
think of themselves as separate entities and are concerned with their own
needs.
people define themselves as part
of a groups and stress group goals.
a small group of people hold
different beliefs than those of the larger culture.
three or more generations usually
live together.
Question 31
Research shows that by age three, children in Early Head
Start
evidenced
gains in IQ only among middle-SES children.
had
warmer, more stimulating parenting.
showed an increase in aggression.
lost gains in IQ that they had
acquired while enrolled in the program as infants and toddlers.
Question 32
Piaget’s sensorimotor stage spans
ages 6 through 8.
ages 2 and 3.
the
first 2 years of life.
ages 3 and 4.
Question 33
Gabriela is inactive, shows mild, low-key reactions to
environmental stimuli, is negative in mood, and adjusts slowly to new
experiences. Gabriela would be classified as
easy.
uninhibited.
slow to
warm up.
difficult.
Question 34
A sensitive period is a time in which an individual is
lacking judgment due to a
destructive event.
nonresponsive to environmental
influences
especially
responsive to environmental influences.
unable to determine which
influences are environmental
Question 35
Resistant infants tend to have mothers who are
depressed.
unresponsive.
overstimulating.
highly intelligent.
Subsection
Question 36
Describe the advantages and disadvantages of two different
delivery methods. What factors are
related to choice of delivery method?
Question 37
Describe the concept of a sensitive period in human
development and how this concept was developed.
Question 38
Describe the physical, cognitive, and social characteristics
of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS).
EXAM 2
Question 1
The most common psychological problem of adolescence is
depression.
anorexia.
delinquency.
schizophrenia.
Question 2
Parents of obese children tend to
give their children several
snacks a day.
reward
their children’s good behavior with food.
breastfeed their children into
toddlerhood.
feed on demand during infancy.
Question 3
Which parents will probably have teenagers with superior
school performance?
the
Berrys, who have an authoritative parenting style.
the Kidmans, who have a
permissive parenting style.
the Roberts, who have an
authoritarian parenting style.
the Bates, who have an
inconsistent parenting style.
Question 4
When Darren’s classmates were asked to rate each others’
likeability, he received almost no votes, either positive or negative. He would
be classified as
neglected.
controversial.
popular.
average.
Question 5
Natasha’s parents have an authoritative child-rearing style,
Natasha is likely to
be very anxious and insecure.
be extremely popular with peers.
act overly dependent on others.
feel
especially good about herself.
Question 6
Chin-Li’s teacher uses a constructivist classroom. Which of
the following would you be most likely to see there?
Children wandering around unable
to choose activities.
Students sitting in rows facing
the front of the classroom.
A teacher at the front of the
class lecturing to the entire class.
Small
groups of students engaged in different tasks.
Question 7
Elementary and middle-school students exposed to reciprocal
teaching
exhibit a drop in general
intelligence relative to their peers in traditional classrooms.
show delayed critical thinking
skills.
hinder teachers’ ability to
create a zone of proximal development within their classrooms.
show
impressive gains in reading comprehension.
Question 8
In North America, the typical two- to six year-old watches
television
for less than one hour a day.
for 3 ½ hours a day.
from 1
½ to 2 hours a day.
for more than 4 hours a day.
Question 9
Preschoolers rarely use memory strategies because
of slow information-processing.
strategy use requires
sophisticated cognitive inhibition.
of limitations in long-term
memory capacity.
strategies
tax young children’s limited working memories.
Question 10
According to Piaget, the most obvious change during the
preoperational stage is the increase in
problem solving skills.
logical thought.
representational
ability.
language ability.
Question 11
Preschoolers same-sex groups
increase children’s tolerance for
gender-inappropriate activities.
strengthen
gender-stereotyped beliefs and behaviors.
serve to reduce the gender
stereotypes coming from parents.
increase children’s opportunities
for cross-gender play.
Question 12
According to Vygotsky, private speech during the preschool
years
reflects young children’s
egocentrism.
helps
young children guide their behaviors during challenging tasks.
does not play a major role in
young children’s cognitive development.
is due to the nonsocial nature of
young children.
Question 13
In middle childhood, the average U.S. child watches TV an
average of ________ hours a day.
3½
5½
2
1
Question 14
Twelve-year-old Dorothy has just started her first menstrual
cycle. She is experiencing
spermarche.
menarche.
this maturational process much
later than the average North American female.
menopause.
Question 15
Lauren says to her playmates, “Don’t let Renee play
with your dolls. She’ll steal them.” This is an example of _____________
aggression.
antagonistic
relational
overt
instrumental
Question 16
Beginning in middle childhood, a common fear is
thunder and lightning.
ghosts and goblins.
being
robbed or hurt.
the dark.
Question 17
According to Erikson, the psychological conflict of middle
childhood is
autonomy versus shame and doubt.
industry
versus inferiority.
identity versus confusion.
generativity versus stagnation.
Question 18
Studies suggest that the U.S. No Child Left Behind Act
has
improved the quality of the public educational system.
has served to decrease
achievement gaps between black and white students.
is consistent with the emphasis
on teaching for deeper understanding.
has had
a negative impact on the self-esteem, motivation, and graduation rates of many
minority youths living in poverty.
Question 19
A decline in appetite during the preschool years
is
normal because growth has slowed.
suggests a pituitary hormone
disorder.
indicates a deficiency of
thyroxine.
is an early sign of ORT.
Question 20
Sanga has started experiencing a flood of biological
changes. At the end of these changes, she will have an adult-sized body and
have reached sexual maturity. Sanga is
developing an identity.
beginning menarche.
starting
puberty.
experiencing spermarche.
Question 21
Compared with the peer groups of middle childhood,
adolescent peer groups are
less tightly structure and
exclusive.
limited to peers of the same
gender.
not as constructive in their
activities.
increasingly
common and more tightly organized.
Question 22
Four- to seven-year olds regard friendship
as dependent on physical
proximity.
in terms of similar personality
characteristics.
as based on mutual trust.
as
pleasurable play and sharing toys.
Question 23
Dan and Leon are both college sophomores. Leon is
functioning at a higher moral reasoning level than Dan. What conclusion can we
draw based on that knowledge?
Leon is
more likely to help, share, and defend victims of injustice.
Leon is just as likely to cheat
on tests as Dan.
Dan is actually more honest than
Leon.
Dan is more likely to display
behavior that is in line with his beliefs.
Question 24
Research indicates that easy access to contraceptives for
teenagers results in
an increase in childbirth rates.
higher rates of sexual activity.
higher abortion rates.
reduced
pregnancy rates.
Question 25
Parents can help their adolescents achieve greater gains in
moral understanding by
remaining silent when adolescents
struggle with exercises in reasoning.
stating their own personal
opinions frequently.
listening critically to
adolescents’ ideas.
asking
clarifying questions.
Question 26
Kiela’s best friend is angry because Kiela played with
someone else during recess. Kiela talks to her friend and explains that,
although she likes playing together, sometimes she wants to do something
different. She asks her friend to understand her feelings and not be upset.
Kiela is using
emotional understanding.
emotion-focused
coping.
coregulation strategies.
problem-focused
coping.
Question 27
During early childhood, gender-stereotyped beliefs
are
applied as blanket rules that should not be violated.
are flexible until the age 5,
after which they become more rigid.
emerge very slowly, as parents
treat boys and girls in similar ways.
are highly flexible with respect
to clothing and hairstyle but less so with respect to types of play.
Question 28
Compared to younger children, school-age children are more
likely to explain emotions by making reference to
internal
states.
observable characteristics.
personality traits.
specific behaviors.
Question 29
Vygotsky viewed _________________ as an ideal context for
fostering cognitive development in early childhood.
book reading
outdoor play
make-believe
play
video game play
Question 30
The best way to reduce the emotional trauma of sexual abuse
on a child is to
move on quickly and not dwell
much on what has happened.
prevent
the abuse from continuing.
allow the child to see the abuser
is severely punished.
expose the child to other
children who have had similar experiences.
Question 31
According to psychoanalytic theory, _______________ leads to
conscience formation and moral behavior.
the emergence of the reality
principle
repression of sexual longings for
the mother or father
identification with the
opposite-sex parents
fear of
punishment and loss of parental love
Question 32
The authoritative child-rearing style is linked to
low self-reliance and high rates
of anger and defiance.
high
self-esteem, moral maturity, and favorable school performance.
low persistence, antisocial
behavior, and poor school performance.
poor emotional self-regulation
and attachment security.
Question 33
A secular trend in the timing of puberty is the tendency for
puberty to begin with breast
enlargement.
girls
to mature earlier than their mothers.
boys to mature later than girls
do.
menarche to begin after the
growth spurt.
Question 34
Which of the statements below is true of teenage mothers?
They are less likely to divorce
if they do marry.
They have fewer complications
during pregnancy due to age.
They
have a 30% likelihood of dropping out of school.
They are rarely on welfare.
Question 35
Sally and Susie are using dolls to act out a make-believe
story in which Sally is the mother and Susie is the daughter. What type of play
are these preschoolers engaging in?
associative play
nonsocial activity
parallel play
cooperative
play
Subsection
Question 36 Describe
the functions that cliques and crowds serve during adolescence, and explain the
factors that cause the importance of crowds and cliques to decline over time.
Question 37 Describe three teaching methods that foster achievement.
Question 38 Discuss the impact of religious beliefs on moral
values and behavior.
Module 1 Assignment
For this module you are to complete the following
assignments:
Respond to the APPLY question under the “Ask
Yourself” section on p. 16 in Chapter 1.
Respond to the REFLECT question under the “Ask
Yourself” section on p. 41 of Chapter 2.
Submit your assignment in a Word document via the Assignment
box no later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT.
Module 2 Assignment
For this module you are to complete the following
assignment:
Teratogens may pose serious complications during pregnancy
and after the birth of the child. Using Chapter 2, choose one teratogen (e.g.,
smoking, alcohol, etc.) and create a poster in PowerPoint or Word that
discourages expectant mothers from engaging in that particular behavior
