GROWTH & DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE
LIFESPAN: COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE
Chapter Learning Review | 2026 Updated
Version
SECTION 1: FOUNDATIONAL THEORIES & RESEARCH (Q1-15)
1. What is the primary focus of Lifespan Development Psychology?
A) Only childhood and adolescence
B) The study of physical changes from conception to death
C) The examination of patterns of growth, change, and stability in behavior throughout the
entire human life course.
D) The diagnosis and treatment of developmental disorders.
2. Which research method involves studying the same participants repeatedly over an
extended period?
A) Cross-sectional study
B) Longitudinal study
C) Correlational study
D) Experimental study
3. A major critique of Piaget's stage theory is that it:
A) Overemphasized the role of social and cultural interaction in learning.
B) Was based solely on animal studies.
C) Ignored biological maturation entirely.
D) Focused too much on emotional development.
4. According to Vygotsky, learning occurs within the:
A) Psychosexual stages.
B) Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).
C) Preoperational schemas.
D) Attachment behavioral system.
,5. What does the "Nature vs. Nurture" debate concern?
A) The relative influence of genetics (heredity) and environment (experience) on development.
B) Choosing between qualitative or quantitative research methods.
C) Whether development is continuous or discontinuous.
D) The importance of prenatal care.
6. Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory emphasizes:
A) A series of psychosexual crises.
B) The influence of multiple, interconnected environmental systems on development.
C) Cognitive development through fixed, universal stages.
D) The role of classical conditioning in learning.
7. In an experiment studying study habits, the group that receives a new teaching technique is
the:
A) Control group.
B) Experimental group.
C) Dependent variable.
D) Correlational group.
8. A correlation coefficient of +0.85 indicates:
A) A strong positive relationship.
B) A weak negative relationship.
C) No relationship.
D) A cause-and-effect relationship.
9. Erikson's psychosocial theory differs from Freud's psychosexual theory in that it:
A) Focuses on unconscious urges.
B) Spans the entire lifespan and focuses on social tasks and identity crises.
C) Is only concerned with childhood.
D) Denies the role of biology.
10. Which is an example of a longitudinal research design?
A) Comparing math skills of 5, 10, and 15-year-olds in 2026.
B) Following a group of infants from birth to age 30, assessing them every 5 years.
C) Observing children's play at a single daycare center for one month.
D) Surveying teenagers from 50 different countries at one time.
11. The "Strange Situation" is a classic procedure designed to assess:
A) Cognitive development.
,B) Infant temperament.
C) Attachment style.
D) Motor reflexes.
12. Who proposed the theory of multiple intelligences?
A) Howard Gardner
B) Charles Darwin
C) B.F. Skinner
D) Lev Vygotsky
13. Behaviorism, as championed by John Watson and B.F. Skinner, emphasizes that
development results primarily from:
A) Unconscious conflicts.
B) Genetic predisposition.
C) Learning through interaction with the environment (e.g., reinforcement, punishment).
D) Maturation of innate cognitive structures.
14. Cross-sectional research can be limited because:
A) It is too expensive and time-consuming.
B) It cannot separate age effects from cohort effects (generational differences).
C) It provides too much in-depth individual data.
D) It cannot establish correlations.
15. A teratogen is best defined as:
A) A genetic disorder.
B) An agent that can cause birth defects or disrupt prenatal development.
C) The fertilized egg.
D) A stage of prenatal growth.
SECTION 2: PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT & INFANCY (Q16-30)
16. The correct order of the prenatal stages is:
A) Zygote, Embryo, Fetus
B) Embryo, Zygote, Fetus
C) Fetus, Embryo, Zygote
D) Germinal, Fetal, Embryonic
17. A newborn's automatic, inborn response to a gentle stroke on the cheek is the:
A) Moro reflex.
, B) Babinski reflex.
C) Rooting reflex.
D) Grasping reflex.
18. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are caused by:
A) Maternal malnutrition.
B) Exposure to alcohol during prenatal development.
C) A recessive gene from the father.
D) Lack of folic acid.
19. Which sense is the least developed at birth?
A) Hearing
B) Taste
C) Vision
D) Touch
20. "Habituation" in infancy refers to:
A) A loss of interest after repeated exposure to a stimulus.
B) The development of motor skills.
C) The first social smile.
D) An intense fear of strangers.
21. The Apgar scale is used to:
A) Assess newborn health immediately after birth.
B) Measure infant intelligence.
C) Determine attachment style.
D) Screen for genetic disorders.
22. An infant who shows distress when a caregiver leaves but is easily soothed upon their
return in the Strange Situation is likely:
A) Securely attached.
B) Insecurely-avoidant attached.
C) Insecurely-resistant/ambivalent attached.
D) Disorganized attached.
23. Object Permanence, the understanding that objects exist even when out of sight, is a key
milestone of Piaget's:
A) Sensorimotor Stage.
B) Preoperational Stage.
LIFESPAN: COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE
Chapter Learning Review | 2026 Updated
Version
SECTION 1: FOUNDATIONAL THEORIES & RESEARCH (Q1-15)
1. What is the primary focus of Lifespan Development Psychology?
A) Only childhood and adolescence
B) The study of physical changes from conception to death
C) The examination of patterns of growth, change, and stability in behavior throughout the
entire human life course.
D) The diagnosis and treatment of developmental disorders.
2. Which research method involves studying the same participants repeatedly over an
extended period?
A) Cross-sectional study
B) Longitudinal study
C) Correlational study
D) Experimental study
3. A major critique of Piaget's stage theory is that it:
A) Overemphasized the role of social and cultural interaction in learning.
B) Was based solely on animal studies.
C) Ignored biological maturation entirely.
D) Focused too much on emotional development.
4. According to Vygotsky, learning occurs within the:
A) Psychosexual stages.
B) Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).
C) Preoperational schemas.
D) Attachment behavioral system.
,5. What does the "Nature vs. Nurture" debate concern?
A) The relative influence of genetics (heredity) and environment (experience) on development.
B) Choosing between qualitative or quantitative research methods.
C) Whether development is continuous or discontinuous.
D) The importance of prenatal care.
6. Bronfenbrenner's Ecological Systems Theory emphasizes:
A) A series of psychosexual crises.
B) The influence of multiple, interconnected environmental systems on development.
C) Cognitive development through fixed, universal stages.
D) The role of classical conditioning in learning.
7. In an experiment studying study habits, the group that receives a new teaching technique is
the:
A) Control group.
B) Experimental group.
C) Dependent variable.
D) Correlational group.
8. A correlation coefficient of +0.85 indicates:
A) A strong positive relationship.
B) A weak negative relationship.
C) No relationship.
D) A cause-and-effect relationship.
9. Erikson's psychosocial theory differs from Freud's psychosexual theory in that it:
A) Focuses on unconscious urges.
B) Spans the entire lifespan and focuses on social tasks and identity crises.
C) Is only concerned with childhood.
D) Denies the role of biology.
10. Which is an example of a longitudinal research design?
A) Comparing math skills of 5, 10, and 15-year-olds in 2026.
B) Following a group of infants from birth to age 30, assessing them every 5 years.
C) Observing children's play at a single daycare center for one month.
D) Surveying teenagers from 50 different countries at one time.
11. The "Strange Situation" is a classic procedure designed to assess:
A) Cognitive development.
,B) Infant temperament.
C) Attachment style.
D) Motor reflexes.
12. Who proposed the theory of multiple intelligences?
A) Howard Gardner
B) Charles Darwin
C) B.F. Skinner
D) Lev Vygotsky
13. Behaviorism, as championed by John Watson and B.F. Skinner, emphasizes that
development results primarily from:
A) Unconscious conflicts.
B) Genetic predisposition.
C) Learning through interaction with the environment (e.g., reinforcement, punishment).
D) Maturation of innate cognitive structures.
14. Cross-sectional research can be limited because:
A) It is too expensive and time-consuming.
B) It cannot separate age effects from cohort effects (generational differences).
C) It provides too much in-depth individual data.
D) It cannot establish correlations.
15. A teratogen is best defined as:
A) A genetic disorder.
B) An agent that can cause birth defects or disrupt prenatal development.
C) The fertilized egg.
D) A stage of prenatal growth.
SECTION 2: PRENATAL DEVELOPMENT & INFANCY (Q16-30)
16. The correct order of the prenatal stages is:
A) Zygote, Embryo, Fetus
B) Embryo, Zygote, Fetus
C) Fetus, Embryo, Zygote
D) Germinal, Fetal, Embryonic
17. A newborn's automatic, inborn response to a gentle stroke on the cheek is the:
A) Moro reflex.
, B) Babinski reflex.
C) Rooting reflex.
D) Grasping reflex.
18. Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) are caused by:
A) Maternal malnutrition.
B) Exposure to alcohol during prenatal development.
C) A recessive gene from the father.
D) Lack of folic acid.
19. Which sense is the least developed at birth?
A) Hearing
B) Taste
C) Vision
D) Touch
20. "Habituation" in infancy refers to:
A) A loss of interest after repeated exposure to a stimulus.
B) The development of motor skills.
C) The first social smile.
D) An intense fear of strangers.
21. The Apgar scale is used to:
A) Assess newborn health immediately after birth.
B) Measure infant intelligence.
C) Determine attachment style.
D) Screen for genetic disorders.
22. An infant who shows distress when a caregiver leaves but is easily soothed upon their
return in the Strange Situation is likely:
A) Securely attached.
B) Insecurely-avoidant attached.
C) Insecurely-resistant/ambivalent attached.
D) Disorganized attached.
23. Object Permanence, the understanding that objects exist even when out of sight, is a key
milestone of Piaget's:
A) Sensorimotor Stage.
B) Preoperational Stage.
