PSYC 140 Developmental (Lifespan)
Psychology Practice Exam 2026/2027 –
Complete Exam-Style Questions with Correct
Answers & Detailed Rationales | Verified &
Reliable
Question 1
A developmental psychologist wants to determine whether
differences in children's vocabulary at age 5 predict their
reading comprehension at age 10. The same children are
assessed at both ages. Which research design is being used?
A. Cross-sectional
B. Longitudinal
C. Experimental
D. Meta-analytic
Correct Answer: B. Longitudinal
Rationale: A longitudinal design follows the same participants
over an extended period, allowing researchers to examine
developmental changes and relationships among variables
across time. A cross-sectional study would compare different
age groups at one point in time. An experiment requires
,manipulation of an independent variable, which is not described
here. A meta-analysis combines results from multiple studies
rather than repeatedly assessing the same participants.
Question 2
A researcher compares 4-, 8-, and 12-year-old children on
working-memory performance during the same month. Which
limitation is most directly associated with this design?
A. Attrition caused by repeated testing
B. Inability to establish any age-related differences
C. Potential confounding of age with cohort effects
D. Lack of an operational definition for working memory
Correct Answer: C. Potential confounding of age with cohort
effects
Rationale: In a cross-sectional design, different age groups may
have grown up under different historical, cultural, educational,
or technological conditions. Consequently, observed differences
may reflect cohort effects rather than developmental change.
Attrition is primarily a concern in longitudinal studies. Cross-
sectional research can establish age-group differences,
although it cannot by itself demonstrate developmental
trajectories. An operational definition is a separate
methodological issue.
,Question 3
Which observation most clearly illustrates the interaction of
nature and nurture?
A. A child inherits a genetic condition that develops regardless
of environmental conditions.
B. A child's behavior is completely determined by parental
expectations.
C. A genetically influenced tendency toward high activity is
amplified or moderated by the child's environment.
D. Identical twins always develop identical personalities
regardless of experience.
Correct Answer: C. A genetically influenced tendency toward
high activity is amplified or moderated by the child's
environment.
Rationale: Contemporary developmental science generally
treats heredity and environment as interacting influences rather
than mutually exclusive explanations. Genetic predispositions
can affect how individuals respond to environments, while
environmental experiences can influence how inherited
tendencies are expressed. The other choices incorrectly portray
development as exclusively genetic or exclusively
environmental.
, Question 4
According to Freud's psychosexual theory, the central
developmental issue during the phallic stage concerns:
A. Learning to regulate bowel elimination
B. Developing object permanence
C. Identification with the same-sex parent and resolution of
the Oedipal conflict
D. Developing abstract reasoning
Correct Answer: C. Identification with the same-sex parent
and resolution of the Oedipal conflict
Rationale: Freud proposed that the phallic stage, occurring
roughly during the preschool years, centers on the genitals and
includes the Oedipal conflict. Freud theorized that resolution
involves identification with the same-sex parent. The anal stage
centers on toilet training, object permanence is associated with
Piaget's sensorimotor period, and abstract reasoning
characterizes Piaget's formal operational period.
Question 5
A teenager is beginning to formulate personal principles about
morality and identity that differ from those emphasized by the
Psychology Practice Exam 2026/2027 –
Complete Exam-Style Questions with Correct
Answers & Detailed Rationales | Verified &
Reliable
Question 1
A developmental psychologist wants to determine whether
differences in children's vocabulary at age 5 predict their
reading comprehension at age 10. The same children are
assessed at both ages. Which research design is being used?
A. Cross-sectional
B. Longitudinal
C. Experimental
D. Meta-analytic
Correct Answer: B. Longitudinal
Rationale: A longitudinal design follows the same participants
over an extended period, allowing researchers to examine
developmental changes and relationships among variables
across time. A cross-sectional study would compare different
age groups at one point in time. An experiment requires
,manipulation of an independent variable, which is not described
here. A meta-analysis combines results from multiple studies
rather than repeatedly assessing the same participants.
Question 2
A researcher compares 4-, 8-, and 12-year-old children on
working-memory performance during the same month. Which
limitation is most directly associated with this design?
A. Attrition caused by repeated testing
B. Inability to establish any age-related differences
C. Potential confounding of age with cohort effects
D. Lack of an operational definition for working memory
Correct Answer: C. Potential confounding of age with cohort
effects
Rationale: In a cross-sectional design, different age groups may
have grown up under different historical, cultural, educational,
or technological conditions. Consequently, observed differences
may reflect cohort effects rather than developmental change.
Attrition is primarily a concern in longitudinal studies. Cross-
sectional research can establish age-group differences,
although it cannot by itself demonstrate developmental
trajectories. An operational definition is a separate
methodological issue.
,Question 3
Which observation most clearly illustrates the interaction of
nature and nurture?
A. A child inherits a genetic condition that develops regardless
of environmental conditions.
B. A child's behavior is completely determined by parental
expectations.
C. A genetically influenced tendency toward high activity is
amplified or moderated by the child's environment.
D. Identical twins always develop identical personalities
regardless of experience.
Correct Answer: C. A genetically influenced tendency toward
high activity is amplified or moderated by the child's
environment.
Rationale: Contemporary developmental science generally
treats heredity and environment as interacting influences rather
than mutually exclusive explanations. Genetic predispositions
can affect how individuals respond to environments, while
environmental experiences can influence how inherited
tendencies are expressed. The other choices incorrectly portray
development as exclusively genetic or exclusively
environmental.
, Question 4
According to Freud's psychosexual theory, the central
developmental issue during the phallic stage concerns:
A. Learning to regulate bowel elimination
B. Developing object permanence
C. Identification with the same-sex parent and resolution of
the Oedipal conflict
D. Developing abstract reasoning
Correct Answer: C. Identification with the same-sex parent
and resolution of the Oedipal conflict
Rationale: Freud proposed that the phallic stage, occurring
roughly during the preschool years, centers on the genitals and
includes the Oedipal conflict. Freud theorized that resolution
involves identification with the same-sex parent. The anal stage
centers on toilet training, object permanence is associated with
Piaget's sensorimotor period, and abstract reasoning
characterizes Piaget's formal operational period.
Question 5
A teenager is beginning to formulate personal principles about
morality and identity that differ from those emphasized by the
