LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT 2026 EXAM QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔A parent tells a school counselor, "I am concerned that my child has developed an
inferiority complex. My child feels like he does not measure up to peers." According to
Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, this child may be struggling to
accomplish the developmental task of the industry versus inferiority stage of
development, which is ________.
competence
competence
purpose
purpose
care
care
will - ✔✔competence
✔✔When deciding on a restaurant, a friend explains, "I used to enjoy shrimp. Then one
day, I ate shrimp, and the next day, I got really sick, like I had the stomach flu. Since
then, just the sight of shrimp makes me nauseous." According to Pavlov's classical
conditioning paradigm, the shrimp is a(n) ________.
conditioned stimulus
conditioned stimulus
unconditioned stimulus
unconditioned stimulus
unconditioned response
unconditioned response
conditioned response
conditioned response - ✔✔conditioned stimulus
✔✔"If parents use an authoritative parenting style, then their children will be more well-
adjusted psychologically than children of parents who use permissive or authoritarian
parenting styles."
This statement is an example of a ________.
hypothesis
hypothesis
theory
theory
research study
research study
observation - ✔✔hypothesis
✔✔McKinley does not like Parker, but McKinley treats Parker in an excessively friendly
manner. Freud would say that McKinley is using the defense mechanism, ________.
rationalization
rationalization
, projection
projection
reaction formation
reaction formation
repression - ✔✔reaction formation
✔✔A couple expecting their first child discuss how they plan to provide their child with a
sense of value and positive self-concept that is not attached to specific
accomplishments or conditions of worth. Carl Rogers would describe the parents as
providing ________.
an existential lifestyle
an existential lifestyle
organismic trust
organismic trust
freedom of choice
freedom of choice
unconditional positive regard - ✔✔unconditional positive response
✔✔When lifespan development researchers use ________, they draw on several
perspectives simultaneously because they recognize that the same developmental
phenomenon can be viewed from a number of angles.
a macrosystems approach
a macrosystems approach
an ecological approach
an ecological approach
an evolutionary approach
an evolutionary approach
an eclectic approach - ✔✔eclectic approach
✔✔A child therapist believes that it is important to understand all the forces that shape
and impact children's lives: individual, family, neighborhood, society, and culture. This
therapist subscribes to which approach to development?
Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model
Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model
Rogers' humanistic theory
Rogers' humanistic theory
Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Vygotsky's sociocultural theory - ✔✔Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model
✔✔A person seeks psychotherapy because of difficulty in establishing and maintaining
emotionally satisfying relationships. The therapist's approach is grounded in humanistic
psychology, and the therapist conceptualizes that the client's behavior is motivated by a
need for ________.
self-actualization
ANSWERS GRADED A+
✔✔A parent tells a school counselor, "I am concerned that my child has developed an
inferiority complex. My child feels like he does not measure up to peers." According to
Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, this child may be struggling to
accomplish the developmental task of the industry versus inferiority stage of
development, which is ________.
competence
competence
purpose
purpose
care
care
will - ✔✔competence
✔✔When deciding on a restaurant, a friend explains, "I used to enjoy shrimp. Then one
day, I ate shrimp, and the next day, I got really sick, like I had the stomach flu. Since
then, just the sight of shrimp makes me nauseous." According to Pavlov's classical
conditioning paradigm, the shrimp is a(n) ________.
conditioned stimulus
conditioned stimulus
unconditioned stimulus
unconditioned stimulus
unconditioned response
unconditioned response
conditioned response
conditioned response - ✔✔conditioned stimulus
✔✔"If parents use an authoritative parenting style, then their children will be more well-
adjusted psychologically than children of parents who use permissive or authoritarian
parenting styles."
This statement is an example of a ________.
hypothesis
hypothesis
theory
theory
research study
research study
observation - ✔✔hypothesis
✔✔McKinley does not like Parker, but McKinley treats Parker in an excessively friendly
manner. Freud would say that McKinley is using the defense mechanism, ________.
rationalization
rationalization
, projection
projection
reaction formation
reaction formation
repression - ✔✔reaction formation
✔✔A couple expecting their first child discuss how they plan to provide their child with a
sense of value and positive self-concept that is not attached to specific
accomplishments or conditions of worth. Carl Rogers would describe the parents as
providing ________.
an existential lifestyle
an existential lifestyle
organismic trust
organismic trust
freedom of choice
freedom of choice
unconditional positive regard - ✔✔unconditional positive response
✔✔When lifespan development researchers use ________, they draw on several
perspectives simultaneously because they recognize that the same developmental
phenomenon can be viewed from a number of angles.
a macrosystems approach
a macrosystems approach
an ecological approach
an ecological approach
an evolutionary approach
an evolutionary approach
an eclectic approach - ✔✔eclectic approach
✔✔A child therapist believes that it is important to understand all the forces that shape
and impact children's lives: individual, family, neighborhood, society, and culture. This
therapist subscribes to which approach to development?
Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model
Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model
Rogers' humanistic theory
Rogers' humanistic theory
Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Maslow's hierarchy of needs
Vygotsky's sociocultural theory - ✔✔Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems model
✔✔A person seeks psychotherapy because of difficulty in establishing and maintaining
emotionally satisfying relationships. The therapist's approach is grounded in humanistic
psychology, and the therapist conceptualizes that the client's behavior is motivated by a
need for ________.
self-actualization
