ASPPB Developmental Psychology 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Harlow's research with rhesus monkeys demonstrated that attachment is primarily driven by:
- Hunger reduction and food provision
- Contact comfort and warmth (Correct answer)
- Classical conditioning to the mother's scent
- Operant reinforcement of proximity-seeking
Correct answer: Contact comfort and warmth
Infant monkeys preferred the cloth surrogate mother, showing that contact comfort is more important than feeding in attachment formation.
Question 2: During Piaget's concrete operational stage, children develop the concept of conservation, meaning they understand that:
- Objects continue to exist when out of sight
- Quantity remains the same despite changes in appearance (Correct answer)
- Rules are created by authority figures
- Symbols can represent real objects
Correct answer: Quantity remains the same despite changes in appearance
Conservation is the understanding that properties like volume and number are unchanged by superficial transformations.
Question 3: Authoritative parenting is characterized by:
- High warmth and high control with explanation of rules (Correct answer)
- Low warmth and high control with strict punishment
- High warmth and low control with few expectations
- Low warmth and low control with disengagement
Correct answer: High warmth and high control with explanation of rules
Authoritative parents balance responsiveness and demandingness, explaining reasons behind rules, which is associated with the best child outcomes.
Question 4: Adolescent egocentrism, as described by Elkind, includes the concept of the 'imaginary audience,' which refers to:
- Believing one's problems are unique and no one else can understand
- The belief that others are constantly observing and judging oneself (Correct answer)
- Fantasizing about future fame and success
- Inability to take another person's perspective
Correct answer: The belief that others are constantly observing and judging oneself
The imaginary audience reflects adolescents' belief that others are as focused on them as they are on themselves.
Question 5: Which statement BEST describes the concept of epigenetics in developmental psychology?
- Genes alone determine developmental outcomes
- Environmental factors can alter gene expression without changing DNA sequence (Correct answer)
- Development follows a fixed genetic blueprint unaffected by experience
- Early experiences permanently override genetic predispositions
Correct answer: Environmental factors can alter gene expression without changing DNA sequence
Epigenetics refers to changes in gene expression caused by environmental factors, without altering the underlying DNA sequence.
Question 6: In information-processing theory, which memory system has the largest capacity and longest duration?
- Sensory register
- Working memory
- Short-term memory
- Long-term memory (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Long-term memory
Long-term memory has essentially unlimited capacity and can store information indefinitely, unlike sensory or working memory.
Question 7: The concept of 'goodness of fit' in temperament research refers to:
- The degree to which a child's temperament matches cultural expectations
- The match between a child's temperamental style and the demands of the environment (Correct answer)
- A child's ability to regulate their own emotions
- The heritability coefficient of temperamental traits
Correct answer: The match between a child's temperamental style and the demands of the environment
Goodness of fit describes how well a child's temperament aligns with parental expectations and environmental demands, influencing adjustment.
ASPPB Developmental Psychology 3
Harlow's research with rhesus monkeys demonstrated that attachment is primarily driven by: