Comprehensive Human Development & Lifespan Review

What is the scientific study of patterns of change and stability throughout the human lifespan called?

Human Development.

List the four goals of developmental psychology.

Describe, Explain, Predict, and Intervene to modify behavior.

Which principle of life-span development states that development can improve with training at any age?

Development shows plasticity.

Name the three major domains of human development.

Physical, Cognitive, and Psychosocial.

During which 8-period stage does ‘egocentrism’ become prominent?

Early Childhood (ages 3-6).

Define ‘chronological age’.

Number of years since birth.

Which side of the nature–nurture debate emphasizes heredity?

Nature (nativist).

What is a ‘nonshared environmental influence’?

Unique experiences that make siblings different from one another.

According to the Organismic Model, is development active or reactive?

Active—people initiate events.

Continuous development is primarily ___; discontinuous development is primarily ___.

quantitative; qualitative (stage-like).

Who proposed the five psychosexual stages of development?

Sigmund Freud.

In Erikson’s theory, which virtue emerges from ‘Trust vs. Mistrust’?

Hope.

Which learning theory explains behavior through consequences such as reinforcement?

Operant Conditioning (B. F. Skinner).

Bandura’s term for the two-way influence between person and environment is ___.

Reciprocal determinism.

Piaget’s stage in which object permanence is achieved is the __ stage.

Sensorimotor (0-2 yrs).

Vygotsky’s ‘gap’ between what a child can do alone and with help is called what?

Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD).

Name the five environmental systems in Bronfenbrenner’s bioecological theory.

Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem, Chronosystem.

Which ethologist studied imprinting in goslings?

Konrad Lorenz.

Harlow’s monkey experiment demonstrated the importance of ___.

Contact comfort (attachment).

Bowlby’s concept of the mental template for future relationships is called ___.

Internal working model.

What are the two stages in Piaget’s theory of moral development?

Heteronomous morality and Autonomous morality.

In Kohlberg’s theory, obeying laws to maintain social order represents which stage?

Stage 4: Law and Order (Conventional level).

Gilligan argued that women’s moral reasoning emphasizes ___.

Care and empathy.

List Sternberg’s three components of love.

Intimacy, Passion, Commitment.

Which research design combines cross-sectional and longitudinal methods?

Sequential design.

What cell division process produces somatic cells?

Mitosis.

At approximately what week does implantation of the blastocyst occur?

6th–7th day after fertilization.

Name the supportive tissue that allows nutrient exchange between mother and embryo.

Placenta.

Which prenatal stage is characterized by organogenesis?

Embryonic stage (2–8 weeks).

Alcohol exposure in utero can cause which syndrome?

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS).

What is the longest stage of childbirth?

Stage 1: Dilation of the cervix.

Define ‘Apgar score’.

Newborn assessment of HR, respiration, muscle tone, color, reflex; scored 0-10.

Which reflex causes an infant to turn its head toward a touch on the cheek?

Rooting reflex.

Name the grasp infants use to pick up tiny objects around 9-10 months.

Pincer grasp.

What is Piaget’s hallmark attainment in the Preoperational stage?

Theory of Mind (and symbolic thought).

Erikson’s conflict for toddlers (2-3 yrs) is ___.

Autonomy vs. Shame & Doubt.

Give one protective factor against poverty’s negative effects.

Strong, supportive family relationships (any valid protective factor acceptable).

What kind of play involves imaginary situations and roles?

Dramatic (pretend) play.

Baumrind’s parenting style high in warmth and high in control is ___.

Authoritative.

Which IQ subtest pattern is typical during normal aging—verbal stable, performance declines?

Classic aging pattern.

Name one chronic childhood medical condition common in middle childhood.

Asthma or Type 1/Type 2 diabetes (any one).

Erikson’s stage for middle childhood (6-12 yrs) is ___.

Industry vs. Inferiority.

‘Hidden curriculum’ refers to what aspect of schooling?

Implicit cultural & social norms taught in school.

What term describes adolescents’ belief that everyone is watching them?

Imaginary audience.

Which brain change contributes to risky behavior in adolescence?

Immature prefrontal cortex / earlier limbic development.

Erikson’s primary psychosocial task of adolescence is ___.

Identity vs. Identity confusion.

Define ‘personal fable’.

Adolescents’ belief in their uniqueness and invulnerability.

Which eating disorder involves bingeing without purging?

Binge-eating disorder.

What term describes the period 18-25 when many explore roles before commitments?

Emerging adulthood.

According to Arnett, name one feature of emerging adulthood.

Identity exploration / instability / self-focus / feeling in-between / age of possibilities.

Schaie’s ‘achieving stage’ typically occurs when?

Late teens-early 30s, using knowledge to pursue goals.

Name the intimate lifestyle high in commitment and intimacy but low in passion.

Companionate love.

Which attachment style in adulthood is characterized by discomfort with closeness?

Avoidant (dismissive) attachment.

In Levinson’s theory, the midlife transition centers on balancing what major polarities?

Young/Old, Destruction/Creation, Masculine/Feminine, Attachment/Separateness.

Erikson’s virtue arising from ‘Generativity vs. Stagnation’ is ___.

Care.

What personality trait tends to peak in middle adulthood, aiding job success?

Conscientiousness.

Name one common chronic illness leading cause of death in middle adulthood.

Cancer or Heart disease.

The ‘sandwich generation’ cares for whom?

Both their aging parents and their own children.

Define ‘presbyopia’.

Age-related difficulty focusing on near objects.

What female transitional period marks the decline of estrogen and end of menstruation?

Menopause (climacteric).

Which theory states that aging cells can divide only about 50 times?

'Hayflick limit' within genetic programming theories.

Loss of bone mineral density leading to fragile bones is called ___.

Osteoporosis.

Name two primary activities of daily living (ADLs).

Eating, dressing, bathing, toileting, transferring, continence (any two).

In late adulthood, what type of memory shows the greatest decline?

Episodic memory.

What is the leading cause of irreversible dementia?

Alzheimer’s disease.

Which neurotransmitter declines in Parkinson’s disease?

Dopamine.

Baltes’ model emphasizing selecting goals, optimizing skills, and compensating for losses is ___.

Selective Optimization with Compensation (SOC).

What recent brain finding supports continued plasticity in late life?

Neurogenesis (new neurons) in hippocampus.

Erikson’s final psychosocial stage is ___ vs. ___.

Ego Integrity vs. Despair.

Define ‘terminal drop’.

Sharp decline in cognitive functioning shortly before death.

The loss of a spouse increases mortality risk, especially during which period?

First 6 months after bereavement.

Durkheim’s type of suicide due to excessive social integration is ___.

Altruistic suicide.

What is the main goal of hospice care?

Provide comfort and dignity for the terminally ill (palliative focus).

Differentiate passive and active euthanasia.

Passive: withholding life support; Active: deliberate action to end life.

Which document appoints someone to make medical decisions if you can’t?

Durable power of attorney for healthcare (Advance directive).

Kübler-Ross’s third stage of dying involves trying to make deals; it is called ___.

Bargaining.

Shneidman’s term for unbearable psychological pain underlying suicide is ___.

Psychache.

What describes grief that is long-lasting and interferes with daily life?

Chronic (complicated) grief.

According to socioemotional selectivity theory, older adults narrow social networks to meet what key goal?

Emotion regulation / immediate emotional gratification.

Define ‘ageism’.

Prejudice or discrimination based on age.

What term describes adults over 85 years old?

Oldest-old.

Which lifestyle factor consistently predicts longer life expectancy?

Regular physical activity.

Name one of Schaie’s primary mental abilities that declines earliest.

Perceptual speed (or numeric ability).

What is ‘cognitive reserve’?

Brain’s resilience enabling normal function despite pathology.

The classic pattern where verbal IQ is stable but performance IQ declines with age is called ___.

Classic aging pattern.

Which memory system stores factual knowledge (e.g., word meanings) and remains relatively intact in late life?

Semantic memory.

In attachment theory, the distress when mother leaves is called ___.

Separation anxiety/protest.

Erikson’s maladaptive tendency in identity stage characterized by fanatic devotion is ___.

Fanaticism.

What is the endocrine hormonal explanation for aging referring to clocklike changes?

Endocrine (biological clock) theory of aging.

Define ‘presbycusis’.

Age-related gradual hearing loss, especially high frequencies.

Which adolescent moral stage bases right action on universal ethical principles?

Stage 6, Post-conventional morality.

What is the most common teratogen causing microcephaly, small eye openings, flat midface?

Alcohol (Fetal Alcohol Syndrome).

In research, what is ‘attrition’?

Loss of participants over time in longitudinal studies.

Name the term for learning through observation and imitation.

Modeling / Observational learning.

The quick assessment of newborn neurological status focusing on reflexes is the ___.

NBAS (Brazelton Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale).

Which Piagetian concept is tested by the ‘Three-mountain task’?

Egocentrism.

Gardner proposes intelligence types; spell one non-traditional intelligence he identified.

Examples: Musical, Bodily-kinesthetic, Naturalistic, Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, Spatial.

What hormone surge initiates puberty via HPG axis?

Gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH).

Define ‘menarche’.

First menstruation, sign of female sexual maturity.

Which attachment style corresponds to ‘Type B’ in Ainsworth’s Strange Situation?

Secure attachment.