WESTCOTT DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY LIFE SPAN EXAM READY -
VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - COMPREHENSIVE LATEST
VERSION
1. Q: What is developmental psychology?
ANSWER The scientific study of how and why human beings change over
the course of their life, from conception to death.
2. Q: What are the three main domains of development?
ANSWER Physical, cognitive, and psychosocial.
3. Q: What does "lifelong" mean in the lifespan perspective?
ANSWER Development continues throughout the entire life span; no
single age period dominates.
4. Q: What is plasticity in development?
ANSWER The capacity for change in response to positive or negative life
experiences.
5. Q: What are normative age-graded influences?
ANSWER Biological and environmental influences that are similar for
individuals in a particular age group (e.g., puberty, retirement).
6. Q: What are normative history-graded influences?
ANSWER Influences associated with a particular historical time (e.g.,
Great Depression, COVID-19 pandemic).
7. Q: What are nonnormative influences?
ANSWER Unusual occurrences that have a major impact on an
individual's life (e.g., winning the lottery, a rare disease).
8. Q: What is a cohort?
ANSWER A group of people born at a similar point in history who share
similar experiences.
9. Q: What is the difference between continuous and discontinuous
development?
, ANSWER Continuous is gradual, cumulative change; discontinuous occurs
in distinct stages or steps.
10. Q: What is the nature vs. nurture debate?
ANSWER Whether development is driven more by genetics (nature) or
environment (nurture).
11. Q: What does "multidimensional" mean in the lifespan perspective?
ANSWER Development consists of biological, cognitive, and
socioemotional dimensions.
12. Q: What does "multidirectional" mean?
ANSWER Development involves both growth and decline; gains in some
areas, losses in others.
13. Q: What does "multicontextual" mean?
ANSWER Development is influenced by multiple contexts including
family, culture, and historical period.
14. Q: What does "multidisciplinary" mean?
ANSWER Development is studied using theories and methods from
psychology, biology, sociology, anthropology, etc.
15. Q: What is resilience?
ANSWER The ability to adapt successfully in the face of adversity,
trauma, or significant stress.
16. Q: What is a sensitive period?
ANSWER A time when a certain type of development is most likely to
happen or happens most easily.
17. Q: What is the difference between a critical period and a sensitive
period?
ANSWER A critical period is a specific time when development must
occur; a sensitive period is optimal but not absolutely required.
18. Q: What is an age-grade?
ANSWER A socially defined age group (e.g., toddler, adolescent, senior
citizen).
19. Q: What is the difference between growth and development?
ANSWER Growth refers to physical changes; development refers to
broader changes including cognitive and social.
,20. Q: What is the lifespan perspective?
ANSWER A view that development is lifelong, multidimensional,
multidirectional, plastic, multidisciplinary, and multicontextual.
21. Q: What are biological processes of development?
ANSWER Changes in an individual's physical nature, such as genes,
height, weight, motor skills, and hormonal changes.
22. Q: What are cognitive processes of development?
ANSWER Changes in thought, intelligence, and language.
23. Q: What are socioemotional processes of development?
ANSWER Changes in relationships, emotions, and personality.
CHAPTER 2: THEORIES OF DEVELOPMENT
24. Q: Who proposed the psychosexual theory of development?
ANSWER Sigmund Freud.
25. Q: What are Freud's five psychosexual stages?
ANSWER Oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital.
26. Q: What is the id in Freud's theory?
ANSWER The part of the personality that seeks immediate gratification
of basic drives.
27. Q: What is the ego in Freud's theory?
ANSWER The rational part of the personality that mediates between the
id and superego.
28. Q: What is the superego in Freud's theory?
ANSWER The moral component of personality that incorporates social
standards.
29. Q: Who proposed the psychosocial theory of development?
ANSWER Erik Erikson.
30. Q: How many stages are in Erikson's psychosocial theory?
ANSWER Eight stages.
31. Q: What is the first stage of Erikson's theory?
ANSWER Trust vs. Mistrust (infancy).
32. Q: What is the crisis of adolescence in Erikson's theory?
ANSWER Identity vs. Role Confusion.
, 33. Q: What is the crisis of early adulthood in Erikson's theory?
ANSWER Intimacy vs. Isolation.
34. Q: What is the crisis of middle adulthood in Erikson's theory?
ANSWER Generativity vs. Stagnation.
35. Q: What is the crisis of late adulthood in Erikson's theory?
ANSWER Integrity vs. Despair.
36. Q: What is autonomy vs. shame and doubt?
ANSWER Erikson's second stage (toddlerhood) where children assert
independence.
37. Q: What is initiative vs. guilt?
ANSWER Erikson's third stage (early childhood) where children initiate
activities and face guilt over wrongdoing.
38. Q: What is industry vs. inferiority?
ANSWER Erikson's fourth stage (middle childhood) where children
develop competence or feel inferior.
39. Q: Who proposed the cognitive-developmental theory?
ANSWER Jean Piaget.
40. Q: What are Piaget's four stages of cognitive development?
ANSWER Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal
operational.
41. Q: What is the sensorimotor stage?
ANSWER Birth to about 2 years; infants learn through senses and motor
actions.
42. Q: What is object permanence?
ANSWER The understanding that objects continue to exist even when out
of sight.
43. Q: What is the preoperational stage?
ANSWER Ages 2 to 7; children use symbols but lack logical operations.
44. Q: What is egocentrism?
ANSWER The inability to distinguish one's own perspective from
another's.
45. Q: What is conservation?
ANSWER The understanding that quantity remains the same despite
changes in appearance.
VERIFIED QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS - COMPREHENSIVE LATEST
VERSION
1. Q: What is developmental psychology?
ANSWER The scientific study of how and why human beings change over
the course of their life, from conception to death.
2. Q: What are the three main domains of development?
ANSWER Physical, cognitive, and psychosocial.
3. Q: What does "lifelong" mean in the lifespan perspective?
ANSWER Development continues throughout the entire life span; no
single age period dominates.
4. Q: What is plasticity in development?
ANSWER The capacity for change in response to positive or negative life
experiences.
5. Q: What are normative age-graded influences?
ANSWER Biological and environmental influences that are similar for
individuals in a particular age group (e.g., puberty, retirement).
6. Q: What are normative history-graded influences?
ANSWER Influences associated with a particular historical time (e.g.,
Great Depression, COVID-19 pandemic).
7. Q: What are nonnormative influences?
ANSWER Unusual occurrences that have a major impact on an
individual's life (e.g., winning the lottery, a rare disease).
8. Q: What is a cohort?
ANSWER A group of people born at a similar point in history who share
similar experiences.
9. Q: What is the difference between continuous and discontinuous
development?
, ANSWER Continuous is gradual, cumulative change; discontinuous occurs
in distinct stages or steps.
10. Q: What is the nature vs. nurture debate?
ANSWER Whether development is driven more by genetics (nature) or
environment (nurture).
11. Q: What does "multidimensional" mean in the lifespan perspective?
ANSWER Development consists of biological, cognitive, and
socioemotional dimensions.
12. Q: What does "multidirectional" mean?
ANSWER Development involves both growth and decline; gains in some
areas, losses in others.
13. Q: What does "multicontextual" mean?
ANSWER Development is influenced by multiple contexts including
family, culture, and historical period.
14. Q: What does "multidisciplinary" mean?
ANSWER Development is studied using theories and methods from
psychology, biology, sociology, anthropology, etc.
15. Q: What is resilience?
ANSWER The ability to adapt successfully in the face of adversity,
trauma, or significant stress.
16. Q: What is a sensitive period?
ANSWER A time when a certain type of development is most likely to
happen or happens most easily.
17. Q: What is the difference between a critical period and a sensitive
period?
ANSWER A critical period is a specific time when development must
occur; a sensitive period is optimal but not absolutely required.
18. Q: What is an age-grade?
ANSWER A socially defined age group (e.g., toddler, adolescent, senior
citizen).
19. Q: What is the difference between growth and development?
ANSWER Growth refers to physical changes; development refers to
broader changes including cognitive and social.
,20. Q: What is the lifespan perspective?
ANSWER A view that development is lifelong, multidimensional,
multidirectional, plastic, multidisciplinary, and multicontextual.
21. Q: What are biological processes of development?
ANSWER Changes in an individual's physical nature, such as genes,
height, weight, motor skills, and hormonal changes.
22. Q: What are cognitive processes of development?
ANSWER Changes in thought, intelligence, and language.
23. Q: What are socioemotional processes of development?
ANSWER Changes in relationships, emotions, and personality.
CHAPTER 2: THEORIES OF DEVELOPMENT
24. Q: Who proposed the psychosexual theory of development?
ANSWER Sigmund Freud.
25. Q: What are Freud's five psychosexual stages?
ANSWER Oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital.
26. Q: What is the id in Freud's theory?
ANSWER The part of the personality that seeks immediate gratification
of basic drives.
27. Q: What is the ego in Freud's theory?
ANSWER The rational part of the personality that mediates between the
id and superego.
28. Q: What is the superego in Freud's theory?
ANSWER The moral component of personality that incorporates social
standards.
29. Q: Who proposed the psychosocial theory of development?
ANSWER Erik Erikson.
30. Q: How many stages are in Erikson's psychosocial theory?
ANSWER Eight stages.
31. Q: What is the first stage of Erikson's theory?
ANSWER Trust vs. Mistrust (infancy).
32. Q: What is the crisis of adolescence in Erikson's theory?
ANSWER Identity vs. Role Confusion.
, 33. Q: What is the crisis of early adulthood in Erikson's theory?
ANSWER Intimacy vs. Isolation.
34. Q: What is the crisis of middle adulthood in Erikson's theory?
ANSWER Generativity vs. Stagnation.
35. Q: What is the crisis of late adulthood in Erikson's theory?
ANSWER Integrity vs. Despair.
36. Q: What is autonomy vs. shame and doubt?
ANSWER Erikson's second stage (toddlerhood) where children assert
independence.
37. Q: What is initiative vs. guilt?
ANSWER Erikson's third stage (early childhood) where children initiate
activities and face guilt over wrongdoing.
38. Q: What is industry vs. inferiority?
ANSWER Erikson's fourth stage (middle childhood) where children
develop competence or feel inferior.
39. Q: Who proposed the cognitive-developmental theory?
ANSWER Jean Piaget.
40. Q: What are Piaget's four stages of cognitive development?
ANSWER Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal
operational.
41. Q: What is the sensorimotor stage?
ANSWER Birth to about 2 years; infants learn through senses and motor
actions.
42. Q: What is object permanence?
ANSWER The understanding that objects continue to exist even when out
of sight.
43. Q: What is the preoperational stage?
ANSWER Ages 2 to 7; children use symbols but lack logical operations.
44. Q: What is egocentrism?
ANSWER The inability to distinguish one's own perspective from
another's.
45. Q: What is conservation?
ANSWER The understanding that quantity remains the same despite
changes in appearance.
