EPPP Developmental Psychology UPDATED
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development - CORRECT ANSWER - preconventional,
conventional, postconventional
According to Kohlberg, moral development is related to cognitive development and social
perspective-taking and involves three levels that are each divided into two stages:
preconventional (punishment and obedience, instrumental hedonistic orientations); conventional
(good boy/good girl, law and order orientations); and post-conventional (social
contract/individual rights, universal ethical principles orientations).
Infant Reflexes - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. grasping 2. startle (Moro) 3. rooting 4.
stepping 5. sucking
Early infant reflexes include the Babinski reflex (in which the infant extends his/her big toe and
fans out his/her small toe when the sole of the foot is stroked) and the Moro reflex (which occurs
when the infant is held in a horizontal position and the infant arches his/her back, extends his/her
legs outward, and then brings them back toward the body in response to his/her head being
allowed to drop or to a sudden loud noise).
Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (Carstensen) - CORRECT ANSWER - An assumption
underlying socioemotional selectivity theory is that social goals have two primary functions -
knowledge acquisition and emotion regulation. It predicts that social goals correspond to
perceptions of time left in life as being constrained or open-ended. According to this theory,
older adults perceive time as constrained and, consequently, tend to prefer social partners who
are emotionally gratifying.
Piaget's Theory of Moral Development - CORRECT ANSWER - heteronomous morality
and autonomous morality
Piaget identified three stages of moral development: During the premoral stage (birth to about 5
years), children have little understanding of rules and other aspects of morality. During the
heteronomous stage (which begins at about 5 or 6), children believe that rules should always be
followed and base their judgment of an act primarily on its consequences. Finally, during the
autonomous stage (which begins at about 10 or 11), children believe that, in some circumstances,
rules can be changed, and they judge an act primarily on the basis of the intention of the actor.
, Age-Related Decline in Memory - CORRECT ANSWER - Older adults show the greatest
declines in recent long-term (secondary) memory followed by the working memory aspect of
short-term memory.
Head Start - CORRECT ANSWER - Studies investigating the impact of Head Start and
other compensatory preschool programs have found that initial IQ test score gains are often not
maintained but that children who attend these programs often obtain higher scores on
achievement tests, have better attitudes toward school, and are less likely to be retained in a
grade or drop out of high school.
Niche-Picking - CORRECT ANSWER - tendency to actively choose environments that
complement our heredity.
The term gene-environment correlation refers to associations that are often found between
people's genetic make-up and the environmental circumstances they are exposed to. One
contributor to these associations is niche-picking, which refers to the tendency of people to seek
out environments that are compatible with their genetic make-up.
Rejected/Neglected Children - CORRECT ANSWER - Rejected children are actively
disliked by their peers and are often disruptive and have poor social skills; while neglected
children are often shy, have fewer-than-average interactions with peers, and rarely engage in
disruptive behaviors. Outcomes tend to be worse for rejected children, who report more
loneliness and peer dissatisfaction and are less likely to experience an improvement in peer status
when they change peer groups.
Malnutrition During Prenatal Development - CORRECT ANSWER - Malnutrition during
the first trimester of prenatal development can cause spontaneous abortion, neural tube defects,
and structural abnormalities of the heart, kidneys, and other organs. When malnutrition is
restricted to the third trimester, it can cause low birth weight and low brain size and weight due
to smaller neurons, less extensive branching of dendrites, and reduced myelination.
Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) - CORRECT ANSWER - IDEA requires that (a)
a free and appropriate public education be available to all individuals between the ages of 3 and
21 regardless of their ability; (b) an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) be developed for
each disabled student that provides education in the "least restrictive environment" and that has
been approved by the child's parents; and (c) while reliable, valid, and nondiscriminatory tests
Questions and CORRECT Answers
Kohlberg's Theory of Moral Development - CORRECT ANSWER - preconventional,
conventional, postconventional
According to Kohlberg, moral development is related to cognitive development and social
perspective-taking and involves three levels that are each divided into two stages:
preconventional (punishment and obedience, instrumental hedonistic orientations); conventional
(good boy/good girl, law and order orientations); and post-conventional (social
contract/individual rights, universal ethical principles orientations).
Infant Reflexes - CORRECT ANSWER - 1. grasping 2. startle (Moro) 3. rooting 4.
stepping 5. sucking
Early infant reflexes include the Babinski reflex (in which the infant extends his/her big toe and
fans out his/her small toe when the sole of the foot is stroked) and the Moro reflex (which occurs
when the infant is held in a horizontal position and the infant arches his/her back, extends his/her
legs outward, and then brings them back toward the body in response to his/her head being
allowed to drop or to a sudden loud noise).
Socioemotional Selectivity Theory (Carstensen) - CORRECT ANSWER - An assumption
underlying socioemotional selectivity theory is that social goals have two primary functions -
knowledge acquisition and emotion regulation. It predicts that social goals correspond to
perceptions of time left in life as being constrained or open-ended. According to this theory,
older adults perceive time as constrained and, consequently, tend to prefer social partners who
are emotionally gratifying.
Piaget's Theory of Moral Development - CORRECT ANSWER - heteronomous morality
and autonomous morality
Piaget identified three stages of moral development: During the premoral stage (birth to about 5
years), children have little understanding of rules and other aspects of morality. During the
heteronomous stage (which begins at about 5 or 6), children believe that rules should always be
followed and base their judgment of an act primarily on its consequences. Finally, during the
autonomous stage (which begins at about 10 or 11), children believe that, in some circumstances,
rules can be changed, and they judge an act primarily on the basis of the intention of the actor.
, Age-Related Decline in Memory - CORRECT ANSWER - Older adults show the greatest
declines in recent long-term (secondary) memory followed by the working memory aspect of
short-term memory.
Head Start - CORRECT ANSWER - Studies investigating the impact of Head Start and
other compensatory preschool programs have found that initial IQ test score gains are often not
maintained but that children who attend these programs often obtain higher scores on
achievement tests, have better attitudes toward school, and are less likely to be retained in a
grade or drop out of high school.
Niche-Picking - CORRECT ANSWER - tendency to actively choose environments that
complement our heredity.
The term gene-environment correlation refers to associations that are often found between
people's genetic make-up and the environmental circumstances they are exposed to. One
contributor to these associations is niche-picking, which refers to the tendency of people to seek
out environments that are compatible with their genetic make-up.
Rejected/Neglected Children - CORRECT ANSWER - Rejected children are actively
disliked by their peers and are often disruptive and have poor social skills; while neglected
children are often shy, have fewer-than-average interactions with peers, and rarely engage in
disruptive behaviors. Outcomes tend to be worse for rejected children, who report more
loneliness and peer dissatisfaction and are less likely to experience an improvement in peer status
when they change peer groups.
Malnutrition During Prenatal Development - CORRECT ANSWER - Malnutrition during
the first trimester of prenatal development can cause spontaneous abortion, neural tube defects,
and structural abnormalities of the heart, kidneys, and other organs. When malnutrition is
restricted to the third trimester, it can cause low birth weight and low brain size and weight due
to smaller neurons, less extensive branching of dendrites, and reduced myelination.
Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) - CORRECT ANSWER - IDEA requires that (a)
a free and appropriate public education be available to all individuals between the ages of 3 and
21 regardless of their ability; (b) an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) be developed for
each disabled student that provides education in the "least restrictive environment" and that has
been approved by the child's parents; and (c) while reliable, valid, and nondiscriminatory tests
