Module 45 REVIEW

• 45-1 What three issues have engaged developmental psychologists?

• Developmental psychologists study physical, mental, and social changes throughout the life span.
• They focus on three issues: nature and nurture (the interaction between our genetic inheritance and our experiences); continuity and stages (which aspects of development are gradual and continuous, and which change relatively abruptly); and stability and change (whether our traits endure or change as we age).

• 45-2 What is the course of prenatal development, and how do teratogens affect that development?

• The life cycle begins at conception, when one sperm cell unites with an egg to form a zygote.
• The zygote’s inner cells become the embryo, and in the next 6 weeks, body organs begin to form and function.
• By 9 weeks, the fetus is recognizably human.
• Teratogens are potentially harmful agents, such as viruses or drugs, that can pass through the placental screen and harm the developing embryo or fetus, as happens with fetal alcohol syndrome.

• 45-3 What are some newborn abilities, and how do researchers explore infants’ mental abilities?

• Babies are born with sensory equipment and reflexes that facilitate their survival and their social interactions with adults. For example, they quickly learn to discriminate their mother’s smell, and they prefer the sound of human voices.
• Researchers use techniques that test habituation, such as the visual-preference procedure, to explore infants’ abilities.

Multiple-Choice Questions

1. Juliette is experiencing lifelong physical and mental abnormalities because her mother consumed alcohol while she was pregnant. The alcohol, because of the damage it caused, is considered a(n)
   1. reflex.
   2. embryo.
   3. teratogen.
   4. epigenetic.
   5. zygote.
2. Even as newborns, we prefer sights and sounds that facilitate social responsiveness. This can be seen by a newborn’s preference for
   1. soft music.
   2. face-like images.
   3. low pitched sounds.
   4. soft colors.
   5. loud music.
3. As infants gain familiarity with repeated exposure to a visual stimulus, their interest wanes and they look away sooner. The decrease in an infant’s responsiveness is called
   1. concentration.
   2. teratogens.
   3. habituation.
   4. stability.
   5. a stage.
4. Which developmental issue best represents how our genes and environment interact?
   1. Habituation and maturation
   2. Stability and change
   3. Continuity and stability
   4. Continuity and stages
   5. Nature and nurture
5. What is the prenatal development sequence?
   1. Zygote, fetus, embryo
   2. Fetus, zygote, embryo
   3. Embryo, zygote, fetus
   4. Zygote, embryo, fetus
   5. Fetus, embryo, zygote
6. Some people think development occurs in the same way a tree grows—slowly and steadily. Others think that there are rather abrupt developmental jumps—more like the transformation of a tadpole into a frog. Which of the following issues would this difference of opinion relate to?
   1. Nature and nurture
   2. Maturation and learning
   3. Prenatal and neonatal
   4. Stability and change
   5. Continuity and stages

Practice FRQs

1. Dr. Cordova is planning a study of infants in her community. Describe how the following may have an impact on her study:
   • Teratogens
   • Habituation

Answer

1 point: If the infants she is studying were exposed to teratogens in the womb, then their abilities outside the womb may reflect that. For example, an infant whose mother consumed alcohol might have fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and a range of associated problems, such as lower intelligence, that may affect the study. Page 490

1 point: To learn more about infant cognition, Dr. Cordova may watch for habituation to occur—when the infants respond less frequently to a stimulus because they recognize and remember it. Page 491

2. Three major issues are addressed by psychologists in the study of human development. Identify and state how all three might explain how children’s traits and abilities develop.

(3 points)