Q&A Hero

Q: When measuring Avery's brain functioning with __________, researchers use a tool called a geodesic sensor net (GSN) to hold up to 128 interconnected electrodes in place. A)an electroencephalogram (EEG) B)functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) C)positron emission tomography (PET) D)near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS)

Q: Which of the following statements about brain development is true? A)At birth, the brain is nearly 70 percent of its adult weight. B)By age 2, the brain is approximately 50 percent of its adult weight. C)Brain growth is especially rapid in the first year, when the brain more than doubles in size. D)Brain development is complete by the end of the first year.

Q: __________ improves the efficiency of message transfer. A)Stimulation B)Synaptic pruning C)Tomography D)Myelination

Q: __________ are responsible for coating neural fibers with an insulating fatty sheath. A)Glial cells B)Neurotransmitters C)Brain waves D)Synapses

Q: When Samer was born, stimulation in his brain resulted in a massive overabundance of synapses. Neurons that were seldom stimulated soon lost their synapses. This process is known as A)myelination. B)synaptic pruning. C)neuroimaging. D)neurotransmission.

Q: A surprising aspect of brain growth is that A)the neural tube produces far less neurons than the brain will need. B)as synapses form, 20 to 80 percent of the surrounding neurons die. C)during infancy and toddlerhood, neural fibers stagnate. D)once neurons are in place, they cannot differentiate.

Q: Neurons A)store and transmit information. B)are tightly packed together. C)do not directly connect with each other. D)that are stimulated too soon lose their synapses.

Q: At birth, the __________ is nearer to its adult size than any other physical structure. A)heart B)liver C)brain D)skull

Q: At age 2, which of the following children is most likely to be ahead of the others in skeletal age? A)Randy, a Caucasian-American boy B)Ruby, an African-American girl C)Armand, an African-American boy D)Nguyen, an Asian boy

Q: Skeletal age is determined by __________ to see the extent to which soft, pliable cartilage has hardened into bone. A)X-raying the long bones of the body B)measuring the circumference of the skull C)X-raying the spinal cord and teeth D)measuring the length of the arms and legs

Q: The best estimate of a child's physical maturity is A)height. B)weight. C)skeletal age. D)chronological age.

Q: Which of the following children is most likely to be above North American growth norms? A)Timmy, a Caucasian-American boy B)June, an Asian girl C)Freddy, an African-American boy D)Kim, an Asian boy

Q: Throughout childhood and adolescence, girls A)are slightly taller than boys. B)are slightly heavier than boys. C)have a higher ratio of fat to muscle than boys. D)have more "baby fat" than boys.

Q: Which of the following statements is consistent with the proximodistal trend of body growth? A)During the prenatal period, the head develops more rapidly than the lower part of the body. B)During infancy and childhood, the body grows from "head to tail." C)During the prenatal period, the trunk grows first, followed by the chest and the head. D)During infancy and childhood, the arms and legs grow somewhat ahead of the hands and feet.

Q: Which of the following statements demonstrates the cephalocaudal trend? A)During infancy and childhood, the legs and arms grow somewhat ahead of the hands and feet. B)At birth, the head takes up one-fourth of total body length, the legs only one-third. C)In the prenatal period, the head, chest, and trunk grow first; then the arms and legs; and finally the hands and feet. D)During infancy and childhood, the hands and feet grow somewhat ahead of the fingers and toes.

Q: "Baby fat" A)helps the infant maintain a constant body temperature. B)peaks at about 6 months. C)increases very slowly during infancy. D)helps the infant gain strength and physical coordination.

Q: Infants and toddlers grow A)by making steady gains over time. B)slower than at any other time during childhood. C)in little spurts. D)in dramatic leaps.

Q: Which of the following statements about changes in body size over the first two years of life is true? A)Infants and toddlers have remarkably similar physical capabilities. B)By the end of the second year, a typical infant's height is about 36 inches. C)Typically, by five months of age, birth weight has tripled. D)An average 1-year-old's height is 75 percent greater than at birth.

Q: Describe ways parents and caregivers can soothe a crying baby, and explain how or why each technique works.

Q: Explain the concepts of bonding and rooming in. Is immediate physical contact necessary for bonding to occur? Is there a sensitive period for bonding?

Q: Describe preterm and small-for-date infants. How are they different?

Q: Describe the Apgar Scale, and explain how it is used.

Q: Describe the signs that indicate that labor is near.

Q: Which of the following statements about special interventions that help parents adjust to life with a new baby is true? A)For those who are not at high risk for problems, counselor-led parenting groups are highly effective. B)Counselor-led parent groups are highly effective for parents struggling with poverty. C)Home visits do little to boost the effectiveness of programs for high-risk parents. D)Most low-income single mothers do not benefit from training in effective coparenting.

Q: Older single women in well-paid occupations who choose parenthood A)often lack emotional and parenting support. B)often experience a stressful transition to parenthood. C)have a hard time coping effectively with parenting challenges. D)may encounter fewer parenting difficulties than married couples.

Q: Which of the following statements about single-mother families is true? A)About 40 percent of U.S. births are to single mothers. B)More than two-thirds of single mothers in the United States are teenagers. C)Newborns of single older mothers are at high risk for developmental problems. D)The majority of nonmarital births in the United States are planned.

Q: Couples can ease the transition to parenthood by A)being more willing to take on traditional gender roles. B)sharing child care right after the baby arrives. C)returning to normal routines, such as work, soon after birth. D)imposing their parenting standards on each other.

Q: Dagwood and Marcia postponed parenthood until Dagwood was 32 and Marcia was 31. They have a happy marriage and both have fulfilling careers. Compared to younger parents, which of the following statements is most likely to be true? A)Dagwood will be less enthusiastic about being a father. B)Marcia will be less likely to encourage Dagwood to share in child care. C)Dagwood will be more willing to participate in parenting. D)Marcia will be less likely to encourage Dagwood to share housework.

Q: 95)Which of the following statements is supported by research on new parenthood? A)After the birth of a baby, the gender roles of husband and wife generally become less traditional. B)For most new parents, the arrival of a baby causes significant marital strain. C)Sharing caregiving predicts greater parental happiness and sensitivity to the baby. D)New parents in troubled marriages usually show an increase in marital satisfaction after a baby is born.

Q: Laura is the nanny of Jackson, a six-month-old infant, whose single mother is depressed. You can tell Laura that A)therapy is unlikely to alleviate Jackson's mother's depression. B)antidepressant medication is unlikely to help Jackson's mother. C)Jackson's mother will probably need long-term treatment. D)a warm relationship with Laura can safeguard Jackson's development.

Q: Persistent paternal depression is a strong predictor of A)aggression in boys. B)delays in motor development. C)anorexia in girls. D)childhood autism.

Q: Compared to infants of mothers who are not depressed, infants of depressed mothers A)have patterned sleep-wake cycles. B)are less attentive to their surroundings. C)have depleted cortisol levels. D)cry less often.

Q: In some hospitals, health professionals use the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) to A)offer parents an early intelligence test score for their newborn. B)measure the newborn's physical condition at 1 minute and 5 minutes after birth. C)demonstrate to parents the capacities of their newborn infant. D)teach new mothers how to bond with their babies.

Q: T. Berry Brazelton's Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS) A)evaluates a newborn baby's reflexes, muscle tone, state changes, and responsiveness to stimuli. B)is specially designed for use with newborns at risk for developmental problems. C)evaluates a newborn baby's appearance, pulse, grimace, activity, and respiration. D)evaluates a newborn baby's vision, touch sensitivity, hearing, and odor sensitivity.

Q: Which of the following statements about vision in newborn babies is true? A)Newborns are attracted to muted colors, such as gray, rather than colored stimuli. B)Newborns' eye movements are slow and inaccurate. C)Newborns tend to look at entire shapes rather than a single feature of an object. D)Newborns see more clearly at far distances than up close.

Q: Newborn babies A)see nearby objects most clearly. B)see unclearly across a wide range of distances. C)cannot detect human faces. D)have finely attuned visual acuity.

Q: At birth, visual structures in A)the eye are fully formed, but those in the brain are not yet fully formed. B)both the eye and the brain are fully formed. C)the brain are fully formed, but those in the eye are not yet fully formed. D)both the eye and the brain are not yet fully formed.

Q: __________ is the least-developed of the newborn baby€s senses. A)Hearing B)Taste C)Vision D)Touch

Q: Three-month-old Jefferson will probably listen longer to __________ than to __________. A)pure tones; voices B)pure tones; noises C)human speech; nonspeech sounds D)a foreign language; his native language

Q: Research on hearing shows that newborns A)can perceive only those sounds that are found in their own native language. B)prefer pure tones to complex sounds, such as human language. C)can tell the difference between a series of tones arranged in ascending versus descending order. D)cannot distinguish happy-sounding speech from speech with negative emotional qualities.

Q: At birth, newborns prefer __________ to __________. A)pure tones; complex sounds B)noises; voices C)pure tones; voices D)complex sounds; pure tones

Q: Which of the following statements is supported by research on newborn odor preferences? A)Newborns cannot distinguish between the smell of their mother€s breast and that of an unfamiliar lactating woman. B)Bottle-fed newborns orient more to the smell of formula milk than to unfamiliar human milk. C)Even without postnatal exposure, the odor of human milk is attractive to newborns. D)Only breastfed babies prefer the smell of a lactating mother€s breast to formula.

Q: Which of the following statements regarding newborns' taste preferences is true? A)Not until at least 12 months do babies prefer a salty taste to plain water. B)Newborns do not exhibit taste preferences until a few weeks after birth. C)Prenatal exposure to a flavor can influence taste preferences well into the first year. D)Newborns do not have taste preferences because they cannot distinguish basic tastes.

Q: Newborns relax their facial muscles in response to a __________ taste. A)salty B)sour C)bitter D)sweet

Q: Wanda is concerned that her son, Max, will be in pain during his circumcision. You can tell Wanda that A)newborn males do not experience much pain during circumcision. B)offering a nipple that delivers a sugar solution reduces discomfort during circumcision. C)local anesthetics cannot be used during newborn circumcisions because they elevate the heart rate. D)local anesthetics can actually cause increased pain during minor procedures like circumcision.

Q: Newborn babies A)are not particularly sensitive to touch. B)are not particularly sensitive to pain. C)can distinguish the shapes and textures of small objects. D)are especially sensitive to touch around the torso.

Q: The cause of colic is A)central nervous system damage. B)unknown. C)unpleasant stimuli. D)gas.

Q: Holding a newborn extensively A)increases crying. B)hinders early motor development. C)promotes an insecure attachment relationship. D)reduces crying.

Q: Suzannah, an American teenager, is babysitting an infant for the first time. What advice is Suzannah most likely to get from the baby's parents regarding the most effective way to soothe the baby if she cries? A)Expose the baby to continuous, monotonous, rhythmic sounds. B)Lift the baby to the shoulder and rock or walk with her. C)Dress the baby in several layers of clothing and blankets. D)Let the baby cry because she needs to learn to self-soothe.

Q: Crying usually peaks at about A)6 weeks. B)12 weeks. C)6 months. D)18 months.

Q: __________ is the most common reason young infants cry. A)Fear B)Pain C)Overstimulation D)Hunger

Q: Arthur wakes frequently to check to see if his sleeping infant, Sam, is breathing. Arthur can reduce the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) by A)wrapping Sam in very warm clothing and blankets. B)placing Sam to sleep on his stomach. C)placing Sam to sleep on his back. D)providing Sam with soft bedding and taking away his pacifier.

Q: __________ doubles the risk of sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). A)Placing a sleeping baby on her back B)Placing a baby on a firm sleep surface C)Placing a sleeping infant on his side D)Maternal cigarette smoking

Q: In industrialized nations, the leading cause of infant mortality between 1 week and 12 months is A)birth trauma. B)congenital defects. C)child abuse. D)sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Q: Early medical records of SIDS babies reveal A)a family history of chromosomal abnormalities. B)higher rates of prematurity and low birth weight, poor Apgar scores, and limp muscle tone. C)they were born after their due date and had higher-than-average birth weights. D)they often cried or whimpered in their sleep.

Q: In infants who have experienced birth trauma, A)sleep behavior is organized and patterned. B)disturbed REM-NREM sleep cycles are often present. C)REM sleep is filled with vivid dreams. D)sleep-wake cycles are affected more by darkness-light than by fullness-hunger.

Q: Which of the following individuals is the most likely to spend the greatest amount of time in REM sleep? A)Trevor, a preterm baby B)Alice, a five-year-old C)Henry, a full-term infant D)Erica, a 13-year-old

Q: Researchers believe that the stimulation of REM sleep is A)necessary to refine fine muscle development of the eye. B)more important in adolescence than in infancy. C)more important for adults than for babies. D)vital for growth of the central nervous system.

Q: Young babies' sleep-wake cycles are affected more by __________ than by __________. A)fullness-hunger; darkness-light B)darkness-light; wetness-dryness C)wetness-dryness; fullness-hunger D)wetness-dryness; darkness-light

Q: The most fleeting state of arousal is A)NREM sleep. B)REM sleep. C)drowsiness. D)quiet alertness.

Q: Although Baby Irina's eyelids are closed, occasional rapid eye movements can been seen beneath them. Her breathing is irregular. She stirs occasionally and grimaces while she sleeps. Irina is probably in which of the following states of arousal? A)regular sleep B)drowsiness C)quiet alertness D)REM sleep

Q: Pediatricians test newborn reflexes carefully because reflexes can reveal A)ineffective parenting. B)the baby's temperament. C)a compromised circulatory system. D)the health of the baby's nervous system.

Q: Which of the following statements about reflexes and the development of motor skills is true? A)The stepping reflex appears only when the newborn's body is in upright position. B)Certain reflexes drop out early, but the motor functions involved are renewed later. C)Parents should deliberately exercise newborn stepping reflexes to encourage early walking. D)The tonic neck reflex may prepare the baby for voluntary walking.

Q: Reflexes can help parents comfort a baby because they A)are permanent, natural responses to stimulation. B)remind the infant of its life in the womb. C)reduce crying and promote sleep. D)permit infants to control distress and amount of stimulation.

Q: In infants who gain weight quickly, the stepping reflex A)is sustained throughout childhood. B)appears at around 3 months. C)reveals the health of the leg muscles. D)disappears at around 2 months.

Q: A baby will display the Moro reflex when his caregiver A)shines a bright light at his eyes. B)produces a sudden loud sound against the surface supporting him. C)places him face down in a pool of water. D)strokes his cheek near the corner of his mouth.

Q: Baby Sunni quickly closes her eyelids when her father claps his hands near her head. The function of this reflex is to A)stimulate the eye muscle. B)protect the infant from a blow to the head. C)protect the infant from strong stimulation. D)communicate irritation toward a caregiver.

Q: Unlike her two sisters, when Teresa gives birth, she does not choose rooming in. Teresa should know that there is A)evidence that her ability to bond with her baby will be compromised as a result of this decision. B)evidence that her baby will suffer emotionally as a result of this decision. C)no evidence that she will bond with her baby as strongly as her sisters bonded with their babies. D)no evidence that her competence as a caregiver will be compromised or that the baby will suffer emotionally.

Q: When Yolanda gives birth, her hospital offers her the option of having her newborn stay in her hospital room all or most of the time. This is known as A)rooming in. B)a birthing room. C)bonding. D)nursery care.

Q: Early contact with a baby in the period shortly after birth A)guarantees immediate emotional closeness between the new parent and the newborn. B)is vital for new fathers so they can bond with the baby. C)may be one of several factors that help build a good parent-infant relationship. D)is essential for bonding because birth-related hormones facilitate parental responsiveness.

Q: Current evidence on bonding shows that A)the human parent-infant relationship depends on what happens during a sensitive period immediately after birth. B)the human parent-infant relationship does not depend on a precise, early period of togetherness. C)skin-to-skin contact between parent and baby is vital for the parent to feel affection and concern for the infant. D)adoptive parents have difficulty developing warm relationships when the infant enters the family months after birth.

Q: Fathers show hormonal changes-specifically slight increases in __________ and __________-around the time of birth that are compatible with those of mothers. A)oxytocin; prolactin B)prolactin; estrogens C)androgens; oxytocin D)estrogens; androgens

Q: Which of the following statements regarding the results of the landmark Kauai study is true? A)Children born with serious birth complications will not grow into competent, well-adjusted adults unless they have supportive home environments. B)Even when the overall balance of life events tips toward the favorable side, children with serious birth problems rarely develop successfully. C)The impact of early biological risks often wanes as children's personal characteristics and social experiences contribute increasingly to their functioning. D)Children born with birth complications often develop severe behavioral problems regardless of their home environment.

Q: Carol lives in Wyoming and works for a small company with 12 employees. Carol hopes to take 12 weeks of maternity leave. What advice can you give Carol? A)The United States mandates 12 weeks of paid maternity leave for all new mothers. B)Federal law mandating unpaid maternity leave does not apply to her employer. C)The United States mandates six weeks of paid maternity leave for all new mothers. D)The United States mandates 12 weeks of unpaid maternity leave for all new mothers.

Q: Each country that outranks the United States in infant mortality provides its citizens with A)government-sponsored health-care benefits. B)stronger crime prevention and family planning programs. C)more up-to-date health-care technology. D)higher numbers of well-trained medical professionals.

Q: The two factors that are largely responsible for neonatal mortality are __________ and __________. A)birth defects; sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) B)child abuse; sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) C)serious physical defects; low birth weight D)unintentional injuries; low birth weight

Q: Dawn and Richard have the economic and personal resources to care for Amelia, their preterm infant. Research shows that A)interventions are not usually needed for economically advantaged parents like Dawn and Richard. B)Dawn and Richard will need extensive coaching in infant care and everyday problem solving. C)a few sessions of coaching in recognizing and responding to Amelia€s needs could enhance their interaction with Amelia. D)Dawn and Richard will need comprehensive long-term, intensive intervention to meet Amelia€s needs.

Q: Kangaroo skin-to-skin contact A)is not commonly used in developing nations where hospitalization is not always possible. B)fosters improved oxygenation of the baby€s body, temperature regulation, and infant survival. C)is rarely used in Western nations where preterm infants are placed in hospital intensive care units. D)provides babies with touch stimulation but neglects the other sensory modalities.

Q: __________ is an especially important form of stimulation for preterm infants. A)Music B)Aromatherapy C)Touch D)Fresh air

Q: Compared to full-term infants, preterm babies are A)at a greater risk for child abuse. B)more often held close. C)talked to more gently. D)more often touched.