Free Human Growth and Development Practice Questions

Sample Practice Questions

Try these 10 sample questions from the Human Growth and Development practice bank. Each includes the answer and explanation. Continue with the interactive practice above to review the full question set.

1. 1What is the primary focus of the cognitive perspective in developmental psychology?

   1. A.Changes in mental processes over timeCorrect answer: A
   2. B.Changes in inherited traits across generations
   3. C.Changes in social institutions over time
   4. D.Changes in consequences that follow behavior

   Explanation: "The cognitive perspective in developmental psychology emphasizes the study of mental processes and how they change over time." The other choices instead emphasize evolutionary, societal, or behavioral mechanisms.

   Reference: Lifespan Development: Major Theories and Theorists — 1.3, Cognitive Perspectives

2. 2A researcher reconstructs one individual's developmental history using interviews, records, and repeated assessments. Which method is this?

   1. A.A controlled experiment
   2. B.A correlational survey
   3. C.A case studyCorrect answer: C
   4. D.A cross-sectional survey

   Explanation: "In a case study, a great amount of detail is gathered about one or more individuals of interest, to gain a thorough understanding of each person." The aim is an in-depth account of an individual, rather than age-group comparison, manipulation, or estimation of an association.

   Reference: Lifespan Development: Research Methods — 1.5, Case Studies and Naturalistic Observation

3. 3What happens during neural pruning in childhood and adolescence?

   1. A.The number of neural connections is reducedCorrect answer: A
   2. B.Every neuron is replaced with a new neuron
   3. C.All brain growth stops at the onset of puberty
   4. D.The brain generates only new sensory receptors

   Explanation: "The blooming period of neural growth is then followed by a period of pruning, where neural connections are reduced." Pruning reduces connections; it is distinct from neuron replacement, cessation of growth, and receptor formation.

   Reference: Psychology 2e: Stages of Development — 9.3, Infancy Through Childhood: Physical Development

4. 4A child reads a passage while ignoring conversations nearby. Which attention skill is most directly involved?

   1. A.Divided attention
   2. B.Automatic imitation
   3. C.Selective attentionCorrect answer: C
   4. D.Sustained attention

   Explanation: "Selective attention is the ability to stay focused on one thing while ignoring distracting information that is not relevant to the task at hand." The key condition is filtering irrelevant competing input, rather than merely maintaining or shifting focus.

   Reference: Lifespan Development: Cognition in Middle Childhood — 7.2, Attention

5. 5A bilingual child uses Spanish for part of a conversation and English for another part. What language behavior does this illustrate?

   1. A.Sequential language acquisition
   2. B.Language loss
   3. C.Multilingual code-switchingCorrect answer: C
   4. D.Phonemic discrimination

   Explanation: "Children who are multilingual must become adept at regularly switching between languages (Tulloch & Erika, 2023), a speech style called multilingual code-switching (or translanguaging)." Alternating within communication is switching, not the order in which languages were acquired, language loss, or sound discrimination.

   Reference: Lifespan Development: Language in Middle Childhood — 7.5, Multilingualism

6. 6Using logic to solve a new, unfamiliar problem draws most directly on which type of intelligence?

   1. A.Practical intelligence
   2. B.Emotional intelligence
   3. C.Fluid intelligenceCorrect answer: C
   4. D.Crystallized intelligence

   Explanation: "The ability to use logic and solve problems in new ways is fluid intelligence; crystallized intelligence is the existing knowledge individuals have developed during their life through education and experience." Fluid intelligence emphasizes novel reasoning; the other terms concern practical adaptation, emotional skills, or accumulated knowledge.

   Reference: Lifespan Development: Intelligence in Middle Childhood — 7.3, General Intelligence

7. 7Which of the following behaviors illustrates relational aggression among children?

   1. A.Spreading a rumor to damage a peer's friendshipsCorrect answer: A
   2. B.Hitting a peer during a dispute over a toy
   3. C.Shoving a peer to gain possession of a ball
   4. D.Threatening to physically strike a classmate

   Explanation: "Children in middle childhood also begin to experience relational aggression, which consists of behaviors that can hurt social relationships such as gossip, the starting and spreading of rumors, exclusion by peers, and threats to end a friendship or relationship (Swit & Slater, 2021)." Rumors target relationships; the other examples involve physical harm or its threat.

   Reference: Lifespan Development: Social Contexts in Middle Childhood — 8.3, Aggression

8. 8A student explains a poor exam result as due to a temporary, changeable circumstance. Which attribution dimension concerns this feature of the explanation?

   1. A.Stability: whether the cause persists over timeCorrect answer: A
   2. B.Locus: whether the cause lies inside the person
   3. C.Generality: whether the cause affects many situations
   4. D.Intentionality: whether the cause was deliberate

   Explanation: "stable vs. unstable (believing the cause can be changed or is permanent)" refers to whether the cause persists. Locus, generality, and intentionality address different properties of an explanation.

   Reference: Psychology 2e: Regulation of Stress — 14.4, Learned Helplessness

9. 9A child has not reached a milestone by its reported average age. How should an educator interpret this information?

   1. A.Consider the child's age in relation to the milestone's typical rangeCorrect answer: A
   2. B.Treat the average age as the latest typical age for the milestone
   3. C.Use the earliest reported age as the deadline for the milestone
   4. D.Treat any age beyond the average as evidence of lifelong impairment

   Explanation: "For each milestone there is an average age, as well as a range of ages in which the milestone should be reached." The average is neither the upper bound nor the earliest age, and this fact alone does not establish a lifelong outcome.

   Reference: Psychology 2e: Stages of Development — 9.3, Infancy Through Childhood: Physical Development

10. 10What does research suggest about influences on antisocial behavior?

    1. A.Only environmental factors contribute to its development
    2. B.Neither genetic nor environmental factors contribute
    3. C.Genetic and environmental factors can both contributeCorrect answer: C
    4. D.Only genetic factors contribute to its development

    Explanation: "Family, twin, and adoption studies suggest that both genetic and environmental factors influence the development of antisocial personality disorder, as well as general antisocial behavior (criminality, violence, aggressiveness) (Baker, Bezdjian, & Raine, 2006)." The cited research concerns both influences, not a single exclusive cause.

    Reference: Psychology 2e: Personality Disorders — 15.11, Antisocial Personality Disorder