Compare and contrast the arguments in favor of each of the two leading views of specialization in sports: early specialization and early diversification.
What will be an ideal response?
The ideal answer should include:
1. Arguments for early specialization:
a) The 10-year rule: It takes 10 years of intense practice to reach expert levels of performance.
b) Power law of practice: Progress occurs at a diminishing rate over time; therefore, many hours of practice are needed to move from being a very good player to an expert player.
2. Arguments for early diversification:
a) Participating in a variety of sports is a common pattern even among elite athletes.
b) Variety leads to fewer injuries and longer periods of interest in sports.
c) Different sports contribute different skills or qualities that may benefit the eventual sport the child chooses.
3. Exceptions to early diversification might be gymnastics and figure skating, in which peak performance is often reached before age 15, necessitating early specialization.
4. A compromise between the two arguments is possible for most sports: Children could try out many sports at a younger age and choose a sport to specialize in by age 9 or 10.
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To test whether hypnotized subjects might do anything they would ordinarily refuse to do, a researcher asked hypnotized people to pick up a venomous snake and to do other dangerous acts. Why were the results difficult to interpret?
a. Although they did the dangerous acts, so did many people who were not hypnotized. b. Although they did the dangerous acts, most of these participants were mental patients. c. Although they refused to do the dangerous acts, they were not deeply hypnotized. d. Although they refused to do the dangerous acts, the hypnotist was not trying very hard.
In a graph of the results from an ABAB reversal design, which feature justifies a conclusion that the treatment causes changes in behavior?
a. the size of the change in behavior when the treatment is first introduced b. the time delay between the introduction of the treatment and the first change in magnitude of change c. a permanent change in behavior that continues even after the treatment is withdrawn d. repeatedly demonstrating that behavior changes consistently when the treatment is introduced, withdrawn, and introduced again
Individuals who may show serious delays in intellectual or social functioning, but who have tremendous abilities in a particular domain are known as:
a. cognoscenti b. experientialist c. savants d. acadamenti
The lifespan perspective on human development assumes that development is __________
A) static and stable B) multidimensional and multidirectional C) continuous, rather than discontinuous D) largely the result of heredity