Certificate In Psychology (CPSY) Practice Exam

Which of the following illustrates the cephalocaudal pattern of prenatal development?

1. The spinal cord is formed earlier than are the shoulders.

2. The sex organs are among the first to be formed.

3. The arms develop earlier than the legs.

4. The arms develop earlier than the hands.

The correct answer is: The arms develop earlier than the legs.

The cephalocaudal pattern of prenatal development refers to the growth that proceeds from the head down towards the feet. This means that during development, the head and upper parts of the body tend to develop before the lower parts. In the correct choice, stating that the arms develop earlier than the legs aligns with this principle. The arms are part of the upper body, and according to the cephalocaudal pattern, they will indeed form and develop before the legs do, which are further down the body. The other options do not accurately reflect this developmental sequence. For example, indicating that the spinal cord is formed before the shoulders doesn’t specifically demonstrate the head-to-toe development pattern. Similarly, stating that the sex organs are among the first to form does not pertain to the cephalocaudal sequence, as it relates more to the differentiation of reproductive structures rather than the progression of development from head to toe. Furthermore, the arms developing earlier than the hands does not appropriately illustrate the cephalocaudal pattern because both the arms and hands are components of the upper body, and their development would not reflect a head-to-toe progression.