Life-Span Human Development Study Guide (2026/2027 Syllabus)
Chapter 1: Understanding Life-Span Human Development
1. What is the definition of life-span development? - ANSWER ✓ Life-span
development is the field of study that examines patterns of growth, change, and stability
in behavior from conception through the end of life, encompassing physical, cognitive,
and psychosocial domains.
2. What are the three major domains of development? - ANSWER ✓ The three major
domains are: 1) Physical (biological changes in the body), 2) Cognitive (changes in
thinking, intelligence, and language), and 3) Psychosocial (changes in emotions,
personality, and social relationships).
3. What is the difference between age-graded, history-graded, and non-normative
influences? - ANSWER ✓ Age-graded influences are events strongly tied to age (e.g.,
puberty, menopause). History-graded influences are events experienced by a specific
generation (e.g., pandemics, wars). Non-normative influences are unusual events
impacting an individual (e.g., winning the lottery, a childhood illness).
4. What is the nature-nurture issue? - ANSWER ✓ The nature-nurture issue is the debate
about the relative influence of biological predispositions (nature/heredity) versus
environmental influences and learning (nurture) on human development.
5. What is the difference between continuous and discontinuous
development? - ANSWER ✓ Continuous development views change as a gradual,
cumulative process (like a ramp). Discontinuous development sees change as occurring
in distinct stages, where each stage is qualitatively different (like a staircase).
6. What are the key principles of the life-span perspective (Baltes)? - ANSWER
✓ Development is lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, contextual,
multidisciplinary, and involves growth, maintenance, and regulation of loss.
7. What is the difference between a critical period and a sensitive period? - ANSWER
✓ A critical period is a specific, biologically-determined time when an organism is
optimally ready to acquire a specific ability; missing it leads to permanent deficits. A
sensitive period is a optimal, but more flexible, time when an organism is especially
responsive to certain experiences.
8. What are the major goals of the scientific study of development? - ANSWER ✓ To
describe, explain, predict, and influence (optimize) development.
Chapter 2: Theories of Development
9. According to Freud, what are the three parts of the personality? - ANSWER
✓ The id (pleasure principle, unconscious desires), the ego (reality principle, mediator),
and the superego (morality principle, conscience).
, 10. What are the five psychosexual stages in Freud's theory? - ANSWER ✓ Oral,
Anal, Phallic, Latency, and Genital.
11. What is the central conflict in Erikson's psychosocial stage of "Identity vs. Role
Confusion"? - ANSWER ✓ The adolescent must integrate various roles and experiences
into a coherent self-identity to avoid confusion about their place in the world.
12. According to Piaget, what is the process of assimilation? - ANSWER
✓ Assimilation is the process of interpreting new experiences in terms of existing
cognitive schemas.
13. What is the main limitation of thought in Piaget's preoperational
stage? - ANSWER ✓ Egocentrism, the inability to see the world from any perspective
other than one's own.
14. How does Vygotsky's concept of the "Zone of Proximal Development" (ZPD)
differ from Piaget's views? - ANSWER ✓ The ZPD focuses on what a learner can do
with guidance (social/cultural support), whereas Piaget focused more on the individual's
independent, universal stages of cognitive construction.
15. What is classical conditioning, and who pioneered it? - ANSWER ✓ Classical
conditioning is learning through association (e.g., Pavlov's dogs salivating at a bell). It
was pioneered by Ivan Pavlov.
16. What is operant conditioning, and what is the effect of
reinforcement? - ANSWER ✓ Operant conditioning is learning through consequences
(rewards and punishments). Reinforcement increases the likelihood of a behavior
recurring.
17. What is social learning theory, and what is modeling? - ANSWER ✓ Social
learning theory (Bandura) emphasizes learning through observation and imitation.
Modeling is the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior.
18. What is the main focus of Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory? - ANSWER
✓ It focuses on development within nested environmental systems, from the immediate
microsystem to the broad macrosystem and the dimension of time (chronosystem),
emphasizing the interacting influences of context and biology.
Chapter 3: Genetics, Prenatal Development, and Birth
19. What is the difference between a genotype and a phenotype? - ANSWER
✓ Genotype is an individual's complete genetic inheritance. Phenotype is the observable
characteristics and traits expressed from the genotype interacting with the environment.
20. What is a dominant-recessive gene pattern? - ANSWER ✓ In this pattern, if one
dominant gene is inherited, its trait will be expressed. The recessive trait is expressed
only if two recessive genes are inherited.
21. What are the three stages of prenatal development in order? - ANSWER
✓ Germinal period (conception to 2 weeks), Embryonic period (3 to 8 weeks), Fetal
period (9 weeks to birth).
Chapter 1: Understanding Life-Span Human Development
1. What is the definition of life-span development? - ANSWER ✓ Life-span
development is the field of study that examines patterns of growth, change, and stability
in behavior from conception through the end of life, encompassing physical, cognitive,
and psychosocial domains.
2. What are the three major domains of development? - ANSWER ✓ The three major
domains are: 1) Physical (biological changes in the body), 2) Cognitive (changes in
thinking, intelligence, and language), and 3) Psychosocial (changes in emotions,
personality, and social relationships).
3. What is the difference between age-graded, history-graded, and non-normative
influences? - ANSWER ✓ Age-graded influences are events strongly tied to age (e.g.,
puberty, menopause). History-graded influences are events experienced by a specific
generation (e.g., pandemics, wars). Non-normative influences are unusual events
impacting an individual (e.g., winning the lottery, a childhood illness).
4. What is the nature-nurture issue? - ANSWER ✓ The nature-nurture issue is the debate
about the relative influence of biological predispositions (nature/heredity) versus
environmental influences and learning (nurture) on human development.
5. What is the difference between continuous and discontinuous
development? - ANSWER ✓ Continuous development views change as a gradual,
cumulative process (like a ramp). Discontinuous development sees change as occurring
in distinct stages, where each stage is qualitatively different (like a staircase).
6. What are the key principles of the life-span perspective (Baltes)? - ANSWER
✓ Development is lifelong, multidimensional, multidirectional, plastic, contextual,
multidisciplinary, and involves growth, maintenance, and regulation of loss.
7. What is the difference between a critical period and a sensitive period? - ANSWER
✓ A critical period is a specific, biologically-determined time when an organism is
optimally ready to acquire a specific ability; missing it leads to permanent deficits. A
sensitive period is a optimal, but more flexible, time when an organism is especially
responsive to certain experiences.
8. What are the major goals of the scientific study of development? - ANSWER ✓ To
describe, explain, predict, and influence (optimize) development.
Chapter 2: Theories of Development
9. According to Freud, what are the three parts of the personality? - ANSWER
✓ The id (pleasure principle, unconscious desires), the ego (reality principle, mediator),
and the superego (morality principle, conscience).
, 10. What are the five psychosexual stages in Freud's theory? - ANSWER ✓ Oral,
Anal, Phallic, Latency, and Genital.
11. What is the central conflict in Erikson's psychosocial stage of "Identity vs. Role
Confusion"? - ANSWER ✓ The adolescent must integrate various roles and experiences
into a coherent self-identity to avoid confusion about their place in the world.
12. According to Piaget, what is the process of assimilation? - ANSWER
✓ Assimilation is the process of interpreting new experiences in terms of existing
cognitive schemas.
13. What is the main limitation of thought in Piaget's preoperational
stage? - ANSWER ✓ Egocentrism, the inability to see the world from any perspective
other than one's own.
14. How does Vygotsky's concept of the "Zone of Proximal Development" (ZPD)
differ from Piaget's views? - ANSWER ✓ The ZPD focuses on what a learner can do
with guidance (social/cultural support), whereas Piaget focused more on the individual's
independent, universal stages of cognitive construction.
15. What is classical conditioning, and who pioneered it? - ANSWER ✓ Classical
conditioning is learning through association (e.g., Pavlov's dogs salivating at a bell). It
was pioneered by Ivan Pavlov.
16. What is operant conditioning, and what is the effect of
reinforcement? - ANSWER ✓ Operant conditioning is learning through consequences
(rewards and punishments). Reinforcement increases the likelihood of a behavior
recurring.
17. What is social learning theory, and what is modeling? - ANSWER ✓ Social
learning theory (Bandura) emphasizes learning through observation and imitation.
Modeling is the process of observing and imitating a specific behavior.
18. What is the main focus of Bronfenbrenner's bioecological theory? - ANSWER
✓ It focuses on development within nested environmental systems, from the immediate
microsystem to the broad macrosystem and the dimension of time (chronosystem),
emphasizing the interacting influences of context and biology.
Chapter 3: Genetics, Prenatal Development, and Birth
19. What is the difference between a genotype and a phenotype? - ANSWER
✓ Genotype is an individual's complete genetic inheritance. Phenotype is the observable
characteristics and traits expressed from the genotype interacting with the environment.
20. What is a dominant-recessive gene pattern? - ANSWER ✓ In this pattern, if one
dominant gene is inherited, its trait will be expressed. The recessive trait is expressed
only if two recessive genes are inherited.
21. What are the three stages of prenatal development in order? - ANSWER
✓ Germinal period (conception to 2 weeks), Embryonic period (3 to 8 weeks), Fetal
period (9 weeks to birth).
