,PSYC 290N Final Exam Lifespan Development | Questions And
Answers 2026/2027 Chamberlain
1. The lifespan perspective on development emphasizes that development is:
A) Limited to childhood and adolescence
B) Primarily determined by genetics
C) Lifelong, multidimensional, and multidirectional
D) A series of fixed, universal stages
**Correct Answer:** C) Lifelong, multidimensional, and multidirectional
**Rationale:** The lifespan perspective, articulated by Baltes, emphasizes
that development is lifelong, involves multiple domains (physical, cognitive,
socioemotional), and includes both gains and losses (multidirectional). It
rejects the notion that development ends in adulthood.
2. The nature versus nurture debate in developmental psychology concerns:
A) Whether development is continuous or discontinuous
B) The relative contributions of heredity and environment to development
C) Whether development is universal or culture-specific
D) The role of unconscious versus conscious processes
**Correct Answer:** B) The relative contributions of heredity and
environment to development
**Rationale:** The nature-nurture debate addresses the extent to which
development is influenced by genetic inheritance (nature) versus
environmental factors (nurture). Contemporary views recognize that both
interact in complex ways to shape development.
,3. A researcher who studies age-related changes in memory, reasoning, and
problem-solving across the lifespan is primarily focused on which domain?
A) Physical development
B) Cognitive development
C) Socioemotional development
D) Moral development
**Correct Answer:** B) Cognitive development
**Rationale:** Cognitive development refers to changes in mental processes
such as thinking, memory, problem-solving, reasoning, and language. The
three domains of development—physical, cognitive, and socioemotional—are
interrelated.
4. The continuity versus discontinuity issue in development asks whether:
A) Genetics or environment is more important
B) Development is gradual and cumulative or occurs in distinct stages
C) Development is universal or culturally specific
D) Individuals are active or passive in their development
**Correct Answer:** B) Development is gradual and cumulative or occurs in
distinct stages
**Rationale:** The continuity-discontinuity issue concerns whether
developmental changes are quantitative and gradual (continuity) or
qualitative and abrupt (discontinuity), occurring in distinct stages. Stage
theories like Piaget's and Erikson's propose discontinuity.
5. According to Sigmund Freud's psychosexual theory, development occurs
through:
, A) A series of psychosocial crises
B) The resolution of unconscious conflicts related to sexual and aggressive
impulses
C) The gradual construction of knowledge through interaction with the
environment
D) The influence of culture and social interaction
**Correct Answer:** B) The resolution of unconscious conflicts related to
sexual and aggressive impulses
**Rationale:** Freud's psychosexual theory proposes that development
unfolds through five stages (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital), each
centered on a different erogenous zone. Successful resolution of conflicts at
each stage is necessary for healthy adult personality.
6. According to Freud, which psychosexual stage is associated with the
Oedipus complex?
A) Oral stage
B) Anal stage
C) Phallic stage
D) Latency stage
**Correct Answer:** C) Phallic stage
**Rationale:** During the phallic stage (approximately ages 3–6), Freud
proposed that children experience the Oedipus complex (boys) or Electra
complex (girls), involving unconscious sexual desires for the opposite-sex
parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent.
Answers 2026/2027 Chamberlain
1. The lifespan perspective on development emphasizes that development is:
A) Limited to childhood and adolescence
B) Primarily determined by genetics
C) Lifelong, multidimensional, and multidirectional
D) A series of fixed, universal stages
**Correct Answer:** C) Lifelong, multidimensional, and multidirectional
**Rationale:** The lifespan perspective, articulated by Baltes, emphasizes
that development is lifelong, involves multiple domains (physical, cognitive,
socioemotional), and includes both gains and losses (multidirectional). It
rejects the notion that development ends in adulthood.
2. The nature versus nurture debate in developmental psychology concerns:
A) Whether development is continuous or discontinuous
B) The relative contributions of heredity and environment to development
C) Whether development is universal or culture-specific
D) The role of unconscious versus conscious processes
**Correct Answer:** B) The relative contributions of heredity and
environment to development
**Rationale:** The nature-nurture debate addresses the extent to which
development is influenced by genetic inheritance (nature) versus
environmental factors (nurture). Contemporary views recognize that both
interact in complex ways to shape development.
,3. A researcher who studies age-related changes in memory, reasoning, and
problem-solving across the lifespan is primarily focused on which domain?
A) Physical development
B) Cognitive development
C) Socioemotional development
D) Moral development
**Correct Answer:** B) Cognitive development
**Rationale:** Cognitive development refers to changes in mental processes
such as thinking, memory, problem-solving, reasoning, and language. The
three domains of development—physical, cognitive, and socioemotional—are
interrelated.
4. The continuity versus discontinuity issue in development asks whether:
A) Genetics or environment is more important
B) Development is gradual and cumulative or occurs in distinct stages
C) Development is universal or culturally specific
D) Individuals are active or passive in their development
**Correct Answer:** B) Development is gradual and cumulative or occurs in
distinct stages
**Rationale:** The continuity-discontinuity issue concerns whether
developmental changes are quantitative and gradual (continuity) or
qualitative and abrupt (discontinuity), occurring in distinct stages. Stage
theories like Piaget's and Erikson's propose discontinuity.
5. According to Sigmund Freud's psychosexual theory, development occurs
through:
, A) A series of psychosocial crises
B) The resolution of unconscious conflicts related to sexual and aggressive
impulses
C) The gradual construction of knowledge through interaction with the
environment
D) The influence of culture and social interaction
**Correct Answer:** B) The resolution of unconscious conflicts related to
sexual and aggressive impulses
**Rationale:** Freud's psychosexual theory proposes that development
unfolds through five stages (oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital), each
centered on a different erogenous zone. Successful resolution of conflicts at
each stage is necessary for healthy adult personality.
6. According to Freud, which psychosexual stage is associated with the
Oedipus complex?
A) Oral stage
B) Anal stage
C) Phallic stage
D) Latency stage
**Correct Answer:** C) Phallic stage
**Rationale:** During the phallic stage (approximately ages 3–6), Freud
proposed that children experience the Oedipus complex (boys) or Electra
complex (girls), involving unconscious sexual desires for the opposite-sex
parent and rivalry with the same-sex parent.
