nine month old avery can retrieve his ball when his mother hides it under a blanket avery has begun to master

ATI RN

Human Growth and Development Clep Practice Exam

1. Nine-month-old Avery can retrieve his ball when his mother hides it under a blanket. Avery has begun to master __________.

A. the tertiary circular reaction
B. reflexive schemes
C. object permanence
D. deferred imitation

Correct answer: C

Rationale: Avery demonstrating the ability to retrieve his ball hidden under a blanket indicates that he has started to understand object permanence. Object permanence is the concept that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight. This milestone typically occurs around 8-12 months of age. The other choices are incorrect. Option A, the tertiary circular reaction, is related to Piaget's theory of sensorimotor development but does not specifically address object permanence. Reflexive schemes (Option B) refer to simple, reflex-like behaviors and are not directly linked to object permanence. Deferred imitation (Option D) involves the ability to imitate actions observed at an earlier time, which is a different developmental milestone compared to object permanence.

2. Which statement describes a strength of naturalistic observation?

A. It reflects the participants' everyday lives.
B. It permits comparisons of participants' responses.
C. Great depth and breadth of information can be obtained in a short time.
D. It grants each participant an equal opportunity to display the behavior of interest.

Correct answer: A

Rationale: Naturalistic observation reflects the participants' everyday lives because it involves observing individuals in their natural environments without any manipulation. This allows researchers to see how people behave in real-world settings and can provide valuable insights into their typical behavior patterns. Choice B is incorrect because naturalistic observation focuses on observing behavior in its natural setting rather than comparing responses between participants. Choice C is incorrect as naturalistic observation tends to provide rich, qualitative data rather than a large amount of information in a short time. Choice D is incorrect because in naturalistic observation, participants are observed as they naturally behave, which may not always lead to an equal opportunity for all participants to display the behavior of interest.

3. Many theorists believe that behaviorism and social learning theory ________.

A. overemphasize the plasticity of cognitive development
B. overestimate people's contributions to their own development
C. offer too narrow a view of important environmental influences
D. overemphasize each individual's unique life history

Correct answer: C

Rationale: Many theorists believe that behaviorism and social learning theory offer too narrow a view of important environmental influences. This is because they focus mainly on observable behaviors and external factors, neglecting the role of internal cognitive processes and individual differences in shaping development. Choices A, B, and D are incorrect because behaviorism and social learning theory do not specifically emphasize the plasticity of cognitive development, overestimate people's contributions to their own development, or overemphasize each individual's unique life history. Instead, they are criticized for providing a limited perspective by focusing predominantly on external stimuli and behaviors.

4. According to Erikson, __________ occurs when aging adults feel they have made many wrong decisions, yet time is too short to find an alternate route to integrity.

A. mistrust
B. despair
C. stagnation
D. isolation

Correct answer: B

Rationale: According to Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, despair is the stage that aging adults face when they reflect on their life and feel they have not achieved their goals, with little time left to correct their mistakes. Mistrust (choice A) is associated with infancy, stagnation (choice C) with middle adulthood, and isolation (choice D) with young adulthood, and are not relevant to the described scenario of aging adults reflecting on their life decisions.

5. What did Ivan Pavlov discover?

A. observational learning
B. classical conditioning
C. the ego's positive contributions to development
D. the clinical method

Correct answer: B

Rationale: Ivan Pavlov discovered classical conditioning. This is a form of learning in which a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus and acquires the capacity to elicit a similar response. Pavlov's famous experiment with dogs, where he conditioned them to salivate at the sound of a bell, demonstrated this principle. Choices A, C, and D are incorrect because Pavlov's work primarily focused on classical conditioning, not observational learning, ego contributions to development, or the clinical method.