NVCC PSY 230 EXAM 1 2026/2027 – STUDY GUIDE, PRACTICE QUESTIONS, EXAM
REVIEW & TEST PREP
When is the germinal period? - correct answer ✔✔first 2 weeks after conception
What is fertilized ovum called? - correct answer ✔✔Zygote
When does zygote make first cell division? - correct answer ✔✔Within 36 hrs of fertilization.
Then will divide every 12 to 15 hrs after as it moves down fallopian tube.
What is a blastocyte? - correct answer ✔✔the cell that is preparing for implantation during the germinal
stage.
When does the placenta form and what is it? - correct answer ✔✔During germinal stage. It is a
projection from the uterus.
When is the embryonic stage? - correct answer ✔✔Week 3 to 8. Fastest paced development
When are all the major organs and neural tube formed? - correct answer ✔✔embryonic stage
When is the fetal stage? - correct answer ✔✔From the 9th week until birth
What is the age of viability? - correct answer ✔✔22-23 weeks
When is the first trimester, and what hormones are produced? - correct answer ✔✔First three months.
Formation of the fetus' main organs.
The body produces progesterone and the placenta produces HCG
Important changes during second trimester? - correct answer ✔✔Month 4-6.
~week 18 is the quickening.
What is down syndrome? - correct answer ✔✔disorder caused by cell-division error called
nondisjunction. An extra piece of chromosome attaches to pair 21. Child is born with 47 chromosomes
instead of 46.
Single gene disorder - correct answer ✔✔Genetic disorder that can be passed down as dominant
(50/50), recessive (with two carriers, 25%, with one carrier, disease free) or sex-linked (boys 50/50 with
mother carrier).
Birth stages - correct answer ✔✔1) Dialation and effacement
2) Birth
3) Expulsion of placenta
What is an apgar score - correct answer ✔✔Measure of child's heart rate, muscle tone, respiration,
reflex response and color rated on 0 to 2 at 1 minute and 5 minutes old. Apgar over 7 at 5 min is good.
, What is a low birth weight baby? How do we intervene? - correct answer ✔✔<5 1/2 lbs. Neonatal ICU,
kangaroo care
Where does the US stand on infant mortality? - correct answer ✔✔46th
Benefits of breastfeeding - correct answer ✔✔increased mylenation, resistance to cold and flu, higher
intelligence tests
What is the purpose of crying? - correct answer ✔✔Communication. Peak at 1mo, change at 4mo with
the blossoming of the cortex, then starts to express needs.
What is kangaroo care? - correct answer ✔✔baby wearing. helps premies grow.
Sleep stages - correct answer ✔✔Stage 1-4 REM. Babies immediately enter REM and spend most of their
time there.
Habituation - correct answer ✔✔The fact that we lose interest in a new object after some time
Face perception - correct answer ✔✔Making sense of human faces. Newborns follow facelike patterns.
Preference toward mother as early as one week old, as well as more attractive faces. Look longer at faces
whose eyes are gazing at them.
Visual Cliff - correct answer ✔✔By 8 months, babies wont crawl over space perceived as cliff
Sensorimotor intelligence stage 1 & 2 - correct answer ✔✔Primary circular reactions (habits/action
oriented schemas repeated again and again) that circle around child's own body. eg. sucking toes or
thumb.
1-4 months
Sensorimotor intelligence stage 3 & 4 - correct answer ✔✔Secondary circular reactions that focus on
environmental objects.
4mo-1yr (substage 4-8mo using single action, form 8-12 mo will, eg, use both hands)
Sensorimotor intelligence stage 5 & 6 - correct answer ✔✔1-2y Tertiary circular reactions. Shows
flexibility exploring properties of objects.
Critiques on Piaget - correct answer ✔✔Timing was off. More creative testing strategies have revealed
babies grasp basics of physical reality before 1. Also, development is more gradual
Universal sequence of language development - correct answer ✔✔2-4m, cooing
5-11m, babbling
12m, holophrases: first 1word sentences (eg: "ja" I want juice)
18m-2y, Telegraphic speech: 2 word combinations, usually explosion in vocab
LAD - correct answer ✔✔Language learning theory. Language Acquisition Device, Noam Chomsky.
Humans are biologically programmed to make language. Nature oriented.
REVIEW & TEST PREP
When is the germinal period? - correct answer ✔✔first 2 weeks after conception
What is fertilized ovum called? - correct answer ✔✔Zygote
When does zygote make first cell division? - correct answer ✔✔Within 36 hrs of fertilization.
Then will divide every 12 to 15 hrs after as it moves down fallopian tube.
What is a blastocyte? - correct answer ✔✔the cell that is preparing for implantation during the germinal
stage.
When does the placenta form and what is it? - correct answer ✔✔During germinal stage. It is a
projection from the uterus.
When is the embryonic stage? - correct answer ✔✔Week 3 to 8. Fastest paced development
When are all the major organs and neural tube formed? - correct answer ✔✔embryonic stage
When is the fetal stage? - correct answer ✔✔From the 9th week until birth
What is the age of viability? - correct answer ✔✔22-23 weeks
When is the first trimester, and what hormones are produced? - correct answer ✔✔First three months.
Formation of the fetus' main organs.
The body produces progesterone and the placenta produces HCG
Important changes during second trimester? - correct answer ✔✔Month 4-6.
~week 18 is the quickening.
What is down syndrome? - correct answer ✔✔disorder caused by cell-division error called
nondisjunction. An extra piece of chromosome attaches to pair 21. Child is born with 47 chromosomes
instead of 46.
Single gene disorder - correct answer ✔✔Genetic disorder that can be passed down as dominant
(50/50), recessive (with two carriers, 25%, with one carrier, disease free) or sex-linked (boys 50/50 with
mother carrier).
Birth stages - correct answer ✔✔1) Dialation and effacement
2) Birth
3) Expulsion of placenta
What is an apgar score - correct answer ✔✔Measure of child's heart rate, muscle tone, respiration,
reflex response and color rated on 0 to 2 at 1 minute and 5 minutes old. Apgar over 7 at 5 min is good.
, What is a low birth weight baby? How do we intervene? - correct answer ✔✔<5 1/2 lbs. Neonatal ICU,
kangaroo care
Where does the US stand on infant mortality? - correct answer ✔✔46th
Benefits of breastfeeding - correct answer ✔✔increased mylenation, resistance to cold and flu, higher
intelligence tests
What is the purpose of crying? - correct answer ✔✔Communication. Peak at 1mo, change at 4mo with
the blossoming of the cortex, then starts to express needs.
What is kangaroo care? - correct answer ✔✔baby wearing. helps premies grow.
Sleep stages - correct answer ✔✔Stage 1-4 REM. Babies immediately enter REM and spend most of their
time there.
Habituation - correct answer ✔✔The fact that we lose interest in a new object after some time
Face perception - correct answer ✔✔Making sense of human faces. Newborns follow facelike patterns.
Preference toward mother as early as one week old, as well as more attractive faces. Look longer at faces
whose eyes are gazing at them.
Visual Cliff - correct answer ✔✔By 8 months, babies wont crawl over space perceived as cliff
Sensorimotor intelligence stage 1 & 2 - correct answer ✔✔Primary circular reactions (habits/action
oriented schemas repeated again and again) that circle around child's own body. eg. sucking toes or
thumb.
1-4 months
Sensorimotor intelligence stage 3 & 4 - correct answer ✔✔Secondary circular reactions that focus on
environmental objects.
4mo-1yr (substage 4-8mo using single action, form 8-12 mo will, eg, use both hands)
Sensorimotor intelligence stage 5 & 6 - correct answer ✔✔1-2y Tertiary circular reactions. Shows
flexibility exploring properties of objects.
Critiques on Piaget - correct answer ✔✔Timing was off. More creative testing strategies have revealed
babies grasp basics of physical reality before 1. Also, development is more gradual
Universal sequence of language development - correct answer ✔✔2-4m, cooing
5-11m, babbling
12m, holophrases: first 1word sentences (eg: "ja" I want juice)
18m-2y, Telegraphic speech: 2 word combinations, usually explosion in vocab
LAD - correct answer ✔✔Language learning theory. Language Acquisition Device, Noam Chomsky.
Humans are biologically programmed to make language. Nature oriented.
