PSYCH 273
Fall 2009
University of Puget Sound
Exam 1 Review Sheet
Preparation:
1. Begin with the chapter summaries for the assigned readings. As you go through
the material in the rest of the chapter, pay attention to material that you have been
exposed to both in lecture and in the book (overlapping material).
2. Go through the exam review sheet and be able to jot down a brief answer for each
of the items on the review.
3. If you don’t know something, try the lecture notes
4. If that doesn’t help, check the book chapters
5. If that doesn’t help, ask one of the other people in the class
6. If you are still confused, come see me in office hours
For Multiple Choice, Matching, Fill-in the blanks:
Know how children have historically been perceived in our society
Know the following individuals and their significant contributions to the field of
developmental psychology: Charles Darwin, Jean Piaget, Sigmund Freud, G. Stanley
Hall, Lev Vygotsky, Urie Bronfenbrenner, Albert Bandura.
Know how correlation and causation are related in answering developmental research
questions.
Know the difference between naturalistic and structured observations in dev. research.
Be able to identify various research techniques used in developmental research (know
what each measure is intended to tell me about infant/child development and what some
of the limitations might be): imitation, response to novelty, parent reports, direct
observation, etc. Note: this is not referring to specific “methods”, but “techniques”
Be familiar with aspects of neural plasticity and how it is reflected in the development of
the kitten visual system. Also be familiar with how neural plasticity applies to human
neural development.
From a description of a research study, be able to identify whether the methods being
used are either experimental or correlational, whether the developmental design is
longitudinal, cross-sectional, or microgenetic and be able to identify the independent and
dependent variables.
Know and understand the various difficulties in studying (i.e., doing research in) child
development
Be able to identify examples of the following terms: Critical & Sensitive Periods,
continuity vs discontinuity, active vs. passive development, nature vs. nurture, teratogen,
effect & mechanism (related to teratogenic exposure).
Know the three stages of prenatal development, including the beginning and ending
events and the timing for each stage.
PSYCH 273
Fall 2009
University of Puget Sound
Be familiar with the issues surrounding teratogens (timing, dose response,
equi/multifinality, susceptibility to harm, etc)
Be able to associate the timing of highest risk (which prenatal period, or at birth) as well
as the effects during pregnancy (Table 3.7) with each of the following diseases,
infections, or teratogens experienced during pregnancy (as discussed in class and your
textbook): Rubella, Taxoplasmosis, HIV, genital herpes, lead, cocaine, & malnutrition.
Be familiar with each of the 3 stages of labor as well as what signals labor is coming,
what actually triggers labor and what the primary purpose of each stage is.
Be familiar with how neurons get to their respective areas throughout the brain and rest
of the body.
Be able to identify the direction of growth and development from an example.
Be able to identify the advantages of prepared childbirth
Be able to identify each of the following reflexes from a description (sucking,
grasper/grasping/Palmer, rooting, moro, babinski)
Be able to recognize how the muscles and skeletal system develop in terms of direction
and timing.
Know the factors that contribute to low birth weight and pre-term birth
Be familiar with the specifics of Thelen’s Dynamic Systems Theory as an explanation of
motor development
For Short Answer/Short Essay Questions (in addition to each of the areas
above):
Describe the advantages and disadvantages of cross-sectional and longitudinal research
designs (check the text).
Be able to describe the 7 processes in neural development
Describe sex differences in physical growth (skeletal, muscular, height, & weight) during
the first 5 years of life.
Know all of the mechanisms and effects discussed in class of prenatal exposure to
alcohol, cocaine, and nicotine.
Be able to list at least four of the maternal characteristics associated with high risk for
Low Birth Weight or Pre-term babies as discussed in class and/or in your textbook.
Be able to explain the outcomes for parents in prepared childbirth (I am not asking you to
describe how prepared childbirth works, but how it helps).