LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT EXAM SCRIPT
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE
●● areas of development
Answer: three broad types of change in development across time,
includes physical, cognitive, and psychosocial
●● research
Answer: a methodical investigation that advances our understanding of
behavior, including what is happening, how and why it is happening, and
what to do about it
●● nature
Answer: focus of developmental change is "inside" the person, i.e.,
biologically programmed
●● nurture
Answer: focus of developmental change is "outside" the person, i.e.,
influenced by environment
●● interaction
Answer: focus of developmental change is how internal and external
factors influence each other
,●● physical development
Answer: changes in body structure and function across time
●● individual differences
Answer: deviations from normative developmental changes
●● cognitive development
Answer: changes in thinking across the lifespan
●● stage theory
Answer: descriptions of how thinking changes as we age, often seen as
coming from within the person due to biological factors
●● social interactions
Answer: explanation of how interpersonal relationships affect the
development of thinking
●● information processing theory
Answer: theories of cognitive development that describe thinking using
a computer model
●● language development
, Answer: a timeline for acquisition of benchmarks in verbal
communication
●● attachment
Answer: special relationship shared between a child and his/her
everyday caregivers
●● parenting
Answer: social relationship that affects psychosocial development
throughout the lifespan
●● psychosocial development
Answer: changes in relationships and their effects
●● Lifespan view
Answer: comprehensive lifespan view that encompasses multiple
explanations of development, includes four main concepts
●● quantitative
Answer: change that can be objectively measured, when there is more or
less of something
●● qualitative
COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE
●● areas of development
Answer: three broad types of change in development across time,
includes physical, cognitive, and psychosocial
●● research
Answer: a methodical investigation that advances our understanding of
behavior, including what is happening, how and why it is happening, and
what to do about it
●● nature
Answer: focus of developmental change is "inside" the person, i.e.,
biologically programmed
●● nurture
Answer: focus of developmental change is "outside" the person, i.e.,
influenced by environment
●● interaction
Answer: focus of developmental change is how internal and external
factors influence each other
,●● physical development
Answer: changes in body structure and function across time
●● individual differences
Answer: deviations from normative developmental changes
●● cognitive development
Answer: changes in thinking across the lifespan
●● stage theory
Answer: descriptions of how thinking changes as we age, often seen as
coming from within the person due to biological factors
●● social interactions
Answer: explanation of how interpersonal relationships affect the
development of thinking
●● information processing theory
Answer: theories of cognitive development that describe thinking using
a computer model
●● language development
, Answer: a timeline for acquisition of benchmarks in verbal
communication
●● attachment
Answer: special relationship shared between a child and his/her
everyday caregivers
●● parenting
Answer: social relationship that affects psychosocial development
throughout the lifespan
●● psychosocial development
Answer: changes in relationships and their effects
●● Lifespan view
Answer: comprehensive lifespan view that encompasses multiple
explanations of development, includes four main concepts
●● quantitative
Answer: change that can be objectively measured, when there is more or
less of something
●● qualitative
