Developmental Psychology: Comprehensive Exam Bank Santrock, 17th Edition – Verified Q&A for Psychology Majors 2026–2027

Developmental Psychology: Comprehensive Exam Bank
Santrock, 17th Edition – Verified Q&A for Psychology
Majors 2026–2027


Section 1: The Life-Span Perspective
Question 1: Development can be defined as the pattern of movement or change that:
 A) Begins at childhood and continues until adulthood
 B) Begins at conception and continues until adulthood
 C) Begins at birth and continues through the human life span
 D) Begins at conception and continues through the human life span
Answer: D) Begins at conception and continues through the human life span
Rationale: The life-span perspective views development as a lifelong process that begins at
conception and continues through death. This is a foundational concept in Santrock's approach
to developmental psychology.


Question 2: Life-span development covers the period from __________ to __________.
 A) Birth; middle adulthood
 B) Birth; old age
 C) Conception; early adulthood
 D) Conception; death
Answer: D) Conception; death
Rationale: The life-span perspective encompasses the entire human life from conception to
death, emphasizing that development is not confined to childhood and adolescence.


Question 3: Who among the following is most likely taking the traditional approach to the study
of development?
 A) Daren, who emphasizes developmental change throughout adulthood as well as
childhood

,  B) Nick, who emphasizes extensive change in adulthood
 C) James, who emphasizes extensive change from birth to adolescence, little or no
change in adulthood, and decline in old age
 D) Gregory, who emphasizes development as lifelong, multidimensional,
multidirectional, plastic, multidisciplinary, and contextual
Answer: C) James, who emphasizes extensive change from birth to adolescence, little or no
change in adulthood, and decline in old age
Rationale: The traditional approach to development focuses primarily on childhood and
adolescence, with minimal attention to adult development and a view of old age as a period of
decline. This contrasts with the life-span perspective.


Question 4: The ________ approach to the study of development emphasizes extensive change
from birth to adolescence, especially during infancy, little or no change in adulthood, and
decline in old age.
 A) Prescriptive
 B) Constructivist
 C) Traditional
 D) Evolutionary
Answer: C) Traditional
Rationale: The traditional approach emphasizes change during childhood and adolescence,
stability during adulthood, and decline in old age—a view that has been largely replaced by the
life-span perspective in modern developmental psychology.


Question 5: When taking his psychology class, Professor Sharma emphasizes that
developmental change occurs throughout adulthood as well as childhood. Professor Sharma is
taking a(n) ________ approach to developmental change.
 A) Life-span
 B) Evolutionary
 C) Normative
 D) Constructivist

,Answer: A) Life-span
Rationale: The life-span approach emphasizes that development is a lifelong process with
changes occurring at all ages, not just during childhood and adolescence.


Question 6: Historically, most of the focus in lifespan development has been on which age
group?
 A) Children and adolescents
 B) Young adults
 C) Middle-aged adults
 D) The elderly
Answer: A) Children and adolescents
Rationale: Historically, developmental psychology has focused predominantly on children and
adolescents, with less attention given to adult development and aging—a gap the life-span
perspective seeks to address.


Question 7: Many older adults become wiser by calling on experiential knowledge, yet they
perform poorly on cognitive speed tests. This is an example of how development is:
 A) Plastic
 B) Contextual
 C) Multidimensional
 D) Multidirectional
Answer: D) Multidirectional
Rationale: Multidirectionality means that development involves both gains (wisdom) and losses
(cognitive speed) across the lifespan. Development is not a single linear path but involves
growth in some areas and decline in others.


Question 8: Development is characterized by both growth and decline. This reflects which
characteristic of the life-span perspective?
 A) Lifelong
 B) Multidimensional
 C) Multidirectional

,  D) Plastic
Answer: C) Multidirectional
Rationale: Multidirectionality acknowledges that development involves both gains and losses,
growth and decline, across the lifespan—not just continuous improvement.


Question 9: The life-span perspective views development as:
 A) Dominated by a single age period
 B) Consisting only of biological processes
 C) Characterized by both growth and decline
 D) Ending in early adulthood
Answer: C) Characterized by both growth and decline
Rationale: A core tenet of the life-span perspective is that development involves both gains and
losses, growth and decline, throughout the entire lifespan.


Question 10: Normative age-graded influences are:
 A) Influences that are similar for individuals in a particular age group
 B) Influences that are unique to each individual
 C) Influences that occur at the same time for all individuals regardless of age
 D) Influences that are unpredictable
Answer: A) Influences that are similar for individuals in a particular age group
Rationale: Normative age-graded influences are biological and environmental factors that have
a strong correlation with chronological age, such as puberty or starting school. They are
predictable and similar for individuals of the same age.


Section 2: Theories of Development
Question 11: According to Freud, which part of the personality operates on the pleasure
principle?
 A) Id
 B) Ego
 C) Superego