Developmental Psychology MCQs with Answers

1: people more often report depressive feelings than people.

A. Young adults; middle-aged

B. Middle-aged; Young adults

C. Old; children

D. Young adults; old

2: A child's typical activity during the oral stage is _____.

A. Sucking on a pacifier

B. Toilet training.

C. Feeling a blanket using the fingers.

D. Playing peek-a-boo

3: A person's understanding of the thoughts of other people is called _____.

A. Psychological schemata

B. Theory of mind

C. Self-schemes

D. Intuitive psychology

4: A personality difference can be caused by a difference in ______.

A. Appearance

B. Attitude

C. Power

D. Wealth

5: According to abraham maslow, all people _____.

A. Have the same basic needs and drives.

B. Are driven by inner drives and motives.

C. Learn from the environment.

D. Learn from observing others.

6: According to b. f. skinner, behaviors that are _____ will be learned.

A. Stopped

B. Reinforced

C. Observed

D. Beneficial

7: According to piaget, adolescents are in the _____ stage of cognitive development.

A. Sensorimotor

B. Formal operational

C. Concrete operational

D. Preoperational

8: According to the textbook, a form of prenatal sex selection involves __________.

A. Consuming only specific diets prior to conception to encourage fertilization of the egg by Y or X carrying sperms, accordingly

B. Most people can't know for sure

C. None of these

9: After age 8, girls __________ than boys.

A. When teachers emphasize competition and publicly compare children.

B. Begin accumulating fat at a faster rate

C. Tend to use a topic-associating narrative style.

D. Less; longer, narrower, and more slanted

10: As many as _____ of older adults with depressive symptoms receive no treatment at all.

A. 10 percent

B. 25 percent

C. 60 percent

D. 80 percent

11: Bob has just been diagnosed with diabetes. his diagnosis will contribute to the _____ rate.

A. Mortality

B. Morbidity

C. Disability

D. Vitality

12: Conservation is to concrete operations as _____ is to preoperational thinking.

A. Naïve idealism

B. Reversibility

C. Egocentrism

D. The personal fable

13: Conventional morality involves _____.

A. The preoperational stage

B. Dressing like adults

C. Hurting the transgressor

D. Following what parents, teachers, and peers do

14: Crystallized intelligence tends to _____ with age.

A. Estrogen

B. Increase

C. Menarche

D. Decrease

E. Menopause

15: Developmental psychologists contend that development is the product of _____.

A. Nature

B. Nurture

C. The complex interaction of nature and nurture

D. Sometimes nature alone, sometimes nurture alone, depending on the circumstances.

16: During prenatal development, teratogens _____.

A. Increase the risk of prenatal abnormalities

B. Decrease the risk of prenatal abnormalities

C. Always cause prenatal abnormalities

D. Do not cause prenatal abnormalities

17: During the preconventional level of moral development _____.

A. Moral judgment is self-centered

B. Right = what feels rewarding and doesn't get punished

C. Rewards and punishment help dictate behavior

D. All of these options

18: During the sensorimotor stage, _____ are the raw materials for infant cognition.

A. Object permanence

B. Babbling

C. Words and language

19: Feelings of dislike or even hatred for another person are known as _____.

A. Empathy

B. Antipathy

C. Prosocial behavior

D. Antisocial behavior

A. Cognitive categories; reinforcement, punishment, and modeling

B. Genetics; environment

C. Reinforcement, punishment, and modeling; cognitive categories

D. Environment; genetics

21: In researching cross-sex friendships, dr. danek has found that they are _____.

A. Common

B. Rare

C. Absent

D. Atypical

22: Individualistic culture is to independent self as collectivistic culture is to __________ self.

A. Collection

B. Social

C. Ideal

D. Interdependent

23: Kohlberg viewed moral development as based on ____.

A. Biological maturity

B. Psychological functioning

C. Cognitive development

D. Environmental forces

24: Most psychologists agree that defense mechanisms _____.

A. Are a sign of emotional damage that cannot be corrected in therapy

B. Can be healthy when not used excessively

C. Are used excessively by most people in modern society

D. Are unhealthy and should be eliminated through therapy

25: Newborns prefer _____.

A. Traffic noises more than music

B. Animal sounds more than speech

C. Normal speech more than baby talk

D. Their mother's language more than any other language

26: Newborns can only really focus on things that are about _____ from them.

A. 8 to 12 inches

B. 6 to 12 inches

C. 8 to 10 inches

D. 6 to 10 inches

27: Older adults in developed countries __________.

A. Her eldest son

B. Positively correlated with both mental and physical health

C. Use of the joints over many years

D. Are the wealthiest segment of the population

28: Operant conditioning emphasizes whereas classical conditioning emphasizes .

A. Punishment; reward

B. Effects on one's physical world; effects on one's social world

C. Active learning; passive learning

D. An animal's learning ability; a human's learning ability

29: Phonology is to _ as morphology is to _.

A. Meaning; sound

B. Sound; meaning

C. Core; knowledge

D. Knowledge; core

30: Preconventional moral reasoning is to conventional moral reasoning as _ is to _.

A. Self-interest; social relationships

B. Social relationships; self-interest

C. Menarche; Identity

D. None of these

31: The ability to think abstractly or hypothetically occurs in piaget's _____ stage.

A. Attachement

B. Formal operational

C. Imprinting

D. None of these

32: If–then propositions require _____.

A. Concrete thought

B. Operational thought

C. Postformal thought

D. Hypothetical thought

33: According to current research, the brain has ____.

A. Complex pathways for processing language that connect Broca's and Wernicke's areas to other cortical areas involved in cognition

B. Only two main language centers, Broca's area and Wernicke's area

C. Complex pathways for processing language that connect Broca's and Wernicke's areas to the amygdala and hippocampus

D. At least four main language centers, including Broca's area, Wernicke's area, the amygdala, and the hippocampus

34: Expressions of are less frequent than .

A. Sadness; anger

B. Compliance

C. Tyson, age 3

D. Boys; negative

35: Logical extension involves _____.

A. It is done to help another without any benefit for oneself.

B. Educating all gifted and talented children of the same age together

C. Linking a newly learned word to other objects in the same category

D. There are multiple intelligences

36: Pruning is the process by which _____.

A. Be comforted by their caregiver

B. Assist with impulse control

C. Unused connections between neurons are eliminated

D. Mothers have fewer babies

37: Research indicates that stress can produce direct physiological effects such as __________.

A. Selective optimization

B. Crystallized intelligence

C. Elevated blood pressure

D. Fluid intelligence

38: The information-processing theory was inspired by the knowledge of how _____ function.

A. Animals' brains

B. High-level businesses

C. Computers

D. Athletic teams

39: When capable of concrete operational thought, children _____.

A. Are limited to intuitive, perceptual focusing

B. Are likely to be misled by appearances

C. Can reason about abstractions

D. Can apply their reasoning to real, tangible situations

40: The development of formal operations in adolescence leads to _______.

A. The personal fable

B. Wear-and-tear theory

C. Egocentrism

D. Introspection and egocentrism

E. Interaction between a child and skilled people

41: For infancy, the central crisis in erikson's theory is ____.

A. Trust vs. mistrust

B. Industry vs. inferiority

C. Initiative vs. guilt

D. Autonomy vs. shame

42: Charles darwin's theory of evolution emphasized and .

A. The normative approach; survival of the fittest

B. Noble savages; physical maturation

C. Tabula rasa; natural selection

D. Natural selection; survival of the fittest

43: Eric learned in his college biology class that, with respect to the sex chromosomes, the _____.

A. Y chromosome is larger than the X chromosome and has more genes

B. X chromosome is larger than the Y chromosome and has more genes

C. X and Y chromosomes are the same size, but the X chromosome has more genes

D. X and Y chromosomes are the same size and have the same number of genes

44: In collectivistic cultures, the emphasis is placed on ____.

A. The success of the individual, their career, and their income

B. Me, myself, and I

C. The sole person and individual successes

D. Family, the kinship group, and the ethnic group

45: Child-centered programs are often influenced by the theories of _ and _.

A. Piaget; Freud

B. Piaget; Vygotsky

C. Vygotsky; Skinner

D. Skinner; Freud

46: The ________ aspect is at the forefront of emotion in infancy.

A. Communication.

B. Motivation.

C. Personality.

D. Disposition

47: A child's passion for continuity and sameness is normal at about _____ year(s) of age.

A. 1

B. 2

C. 3

D. 4

48: The concept of is characteristic of theories.

A. Nurture; continuous.

B. Context; nature.

C. Change; heredity.

D. Stages; discontinuous

49: Anna, a one year old, fears being away from her mother. it appears that anna has _______.

A. An attachment disorder

B. Stranger anxiety

C. Generalized anxiety

D. Separation anxiety

50: Female breasts are to _ as male testes are to _.

A. Menarche; menopause

B. Menopause; menarche

C. Secondary sex characteristics; primary sex characteristics

D. Primary sex characteristics; secondary sex characteristics

51: With the transition to early childhood, many children __________.

A. Have an increase in appetite due to slowed growth

B. Become unpredictable, picky eaters

C. Need larger quantities of food than adults require

D. Require different nutrients than adults need for a healthy diet

52: Young adults who return to live in the homes of their middle-aged parents are called __________.

A. Normative-crisis models

B. Sandwich generation

C. Life events model

D. Boomerang children

53: A toddler with secure attachment _____.

A. Is willing to explore

B. Is self-centered

C. Clings to his mother

D. Wants to talk a lot

54: _____ involves knowing about knowing.

A. Cognition

B. Brainstorming

C. Metacognition

D. Metadata

55: An individual's ability to adjust his or her schemas to new information is called _____.

A. Assimilation

B. Accommodation

C. Preterm infant.

D. Shame

56: _____ is at work in perspective taking.

A. Fluid intelligence

B. Being integrated into the community.

C. Iron deficiency anemia

D. Executive functioning

57: Currently in the united states, _____ of adults are overweight.

A. Twi-fourth

B. Two-thirds

C. One-third

58: Many more americans attend college today than in the 1900s, which best exemplifies ________.

A. Cohort Effects

B. The new period of emerging adulthood

C. Getting married

D. Change in cultural values

59: Many of the reflexes that infants are born with have ________ value.

A. Survival

B. Cohort Effects

C. The new period of emerging adulthood

D. Getting married

60: Many teens get their first job during adolescence, which __________.

A. Usually provides more anxiety than it's worth

B. Teaches workplace skills and etiquette

C. Illustrates that work performance isn't related to success

D. All of the above

61: Sally's mental age is 12, but her chronological age is 9. sally's iq is _____.

A. 75

B. 100

C. 108

D. 133

62: Development described as head to tail is _; trunk out is ____.

A. Cephalocaudal; proximodistal

B. Proximodistal; proximodistal

C. Proximodistal; cephalocaudal

D. Cephalocaudal; cephalocaudal

A. Psychoanalytic

B. Humanistic

C. Psychosocial

D. Psychotherapy

64: One in _____ u.s. children are being raised by single parents.

A. 3

B. 4

C. 5

D. 2

65: A 6-year-old child with a mental age of 6 would have an iq of _____.

A. 90

B. 100

C. 110

D. 60

66: have a harder time regulating emotion.

A. Boy;negative

B. Girl;positive

C. Boy;positive

D. Girl;negative

67: A ball thrown by a(n) __________ travels an average speed of 29 feet per second.

A. 6-year-old girl.

B. 6-year-old boy.

C. 8-year-old girl

D. 8-year-old boy

68: The frontal lobes become fully developed ________.

A. At birth

B. At the beginning of adolescence

C. At the end of adolescence

D. By 25 years old

69: Aging that results from disease, abuse, and disuse is called ______________ aging.

A. Programmed

B. Secondary

C. Tertiary

D. Primary

70: According to gilligan, girls view morality in all the terms below except __________.

A. Broad principles of justice and fairness

B. Responsibility toward individuals

C. Compassion for individuals, which is a greater factor in moral behavior for women than for men

D. Gradual transition from selfishness to responsibility, which includes thinking about what would be best for others

71: According to piaget, around age 11 young people enter the __________ stage.

A. Sensorimotor

B. Preoperational

C. Concrete operational

D. Formal operational

72: The term norm communicates _____.

A. A common behavior that results from biological or social pressure

B. The presence and severity of atypical behavior

C. That some behaviors are more desirable than others

D. That individual differences in behavior may result from cognitive or social deficits

73: According to freud, boys in the third psychoanalytic stage of development _____.

A. Are openly angry with their fathers

B. Secretly want to replace their fathers

C. Disrespect their mothers

D. Believe their fathers are perfect

74: Adolescent membership in particular cliques and crowds is often determined by __________.

A. How geographically close the adolescents reside to one another

B. The gender of the adolescents

C. The degree of similarity between members of the group

D. The socioeconomic status of the members

75: ________ is the process of selecting experiences based on temperament.

A. Niche-picking

B. Hypothetical placement

C. Self-regulation

76: __________, infants can focus on objects about as well as adults can.

A. Around 2 months

B. Around 6 months

C. Around 4 months

77: According to erikson, people engage in the process of life review in the _____ stage.

A. Identity vs. Confusion.

B. Intimacy vs. Isolation.

C. Generativity vs. Stagnation

D. Ego-integrity vs. despair

78: According to piaget, during times of rapid cognitive change, children are in a state of ________.

A. Accommodation

B. Disequilibrium

C. Equilibrium

D. Organization

79: At birth, newborns seem most responsive to ________.

A. High pitches and low pitches

B. Hip hop music

C. Moderate voice pitches

D. Rock and roll music

80: Between the ages of 24 months and 6 years, the average child will gain _____ in height.

A. 1 Foot

B. 2 Foot

C. .5 Foot

81: By the age of _________, children are well aware of gender roles.

A. 2

B. 10

C. 1

D. 5

82: Children whose parents have an authoritarian parenting style can be ________.

A. Quiet, shy, and humble

B. Disorganized, undisciplined, and sloppy

C. Anxious, withdrawn, and unhappy

D. Creative, moody, and flexible

83: Compared with securely attached infants, avoidant babies tend to receive __________ care.

A. Overstimulating, intrusive

B. Disorganized, undisciplined, and sloppy

C. Anxious, withdrawn, and unhappy

D. Creative, moody, and flexible

84: Each u.s. state selects and educates gifted and talented students. across the country _____.

A. The selection and education processes can be different

B. Will be left with a stranger or alone in an unfamiliar situation

C. Do not seem to care when the mother leaves the room and do not seek her out on her return

D. Protest loudly when the mother leaves but resist contact with her when she returns

85: Finish the sentence: the concept of object permanence___________________

A. Is not observed in some cultures

B. Is universal

C. Is unique to US only

D. Has been debunked

86: If a child is exposed to the ""strange situation,"" then he or she _______.

A. Will be left with a stranger or alone in an unfamiliar situation

B. Will be left with a stranger or alone in an unfamiliar situation

C. Do not seem to care when the mother leaves the room and do not seek her out on her return

D. Protest loudly when the mother leaves but resist contact with her when she returns

87: In the context of creative thinking, _____ produces many solutions to the same problem.

A. Divergent thinker

B. Intimacy

C. Autonomy

D. Generativity

88: Individualism is to collectivism as is to .

A. Norm; role

B. Nature; nurture

C. Independence; interdependence

D. Identical twin; fraternal twin

89: Jeremy is 17 years old. according to erikson, his chief task will be acquiring a sense of ________.

A. Identity

B. Intimacy

C. Autonomy

D. Generativity

90: Mary ainsworth observed that securely attached infants ________.

A. Do not seem to care when the mother leaves the room and do not seek her out on her return

B. Protest loudly when the mother leaves but resist contact with her when she returns

C. Cry if the mother leaves the room, are easily soothed, and welcome her back when she returns

D. Are not concerned upon separation but cry to be picked up and held on her return

91: Maturation is to education as is to .

A. Accommodation; assimilation

B. Nature; nurture

C. Imprinting; critical period

D. Environment; learning

92: Piaget believed that the earliest schemes are limited to ________ that we have when we are born.

A. Inherited abilities

B. Senses

C. Neuron and synapse developments

D. Reflexes

93: Piaget is to cognitive development as erikson is to ________ development.

A. Moral

B. Physical

C. Emotional

D. Psychosocial

E. Attachment

94: The iqs of 96 percent of individuals fall between _ and _.

A. 60; 100

B. 70; 130

C. 85; 110

D. 100; 140

95: Theories can do all of the following except _____.

A. Produce hypotheses

B. Generate discoveries

C. Solve developmental problems

D. Offer practical guidance

96: When children are not changing much cognitively, they more than they .

A. Assimilate; accommodate

B. Accommodate; assimilate

C. Assimilate;assimilate

D. Accommodate;accommodate

97: Both and stress changes in thinking.

A. Behaviorism; social learning theory

B. Cognitive-developmental theory; information processing

C. Ethology; the psychoanalytic perspective

D. The dynamic systems perspective; ecological systems theory

98: According to carol gilligan, kohlberg's theory puts _____ at the heart of morality.

A. Egocentrism

B. Care

C. Benevolence

D. Justice

99: When a baby acts upset because a caregiver is about to leave, the baby is exhibiting _____.

A. Separation anxiety.

B. Explore his or her world.

C. Trust versus mistrust.

D. Asserting control over his or her own actions.

100: Rodlike structures called ______________ store and transmit genetic information.

A. Second

B. The baby is born

C. Chromosomes

D. Nervous

Developmental Psychology MCQs

Psychology MCQs Topics