COMPREHENSIVE LIFESPAN
DEVELOPMENT (PSYC-290N) PRACTICE
EXAM: 100 QUESTIONS & RATIONALES TO
MASTER HUMAN GROWTH STAGES
Lifespan Development (PSYC-290N)
Focus: Theories of development, physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes
from conception to death.
1. A grandparent is teaching their grandchild how to bake cookies. The
grandparent provides guidance but lets the child measure the flour with help.
Vygotsky would call this:
• A. Classical conditioning
• B. Scaffolding
• C. Object permanence
• D. A concrete operational task
• Answer: B
• Rationale: Scaffolding is Vygotsky's concept of providing temporary support
to a learner to help them accomplish a task just beyond their current
ability, which fits within their Zone of Proximal Development.
2. According to Erikson, the primary developmental conflict of infancy (birth to
18 months) is:
• A. Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
• B. Initiative vs. Guilt
• C. Trust vs. Mistrust
• D. Industry vs. Inferiority
, • Answer: C
• Rationale: Erikson's first stage is Trust vs. Mistrust. Infants learn to trust
their caregivers to meet their basic needs. If needs are consistently met,
they develop a sense of trust in the world.
3. A 2-year-old child insists on choosing their own clothes and says "No!"
frequently. This child is likely in which of Erikson’s stages?
• A. Trust vs. Mistrust
• B. Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
• C. Initiative vs. Guilt
• D. Identity vs. Role Confusion
• Answer: B
• Rationale: The toddler years (18 months to 3 years) are characterized by
the conflict of Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt. The child is asserting
independence and control over their own actions and choices.
4. A child is shown two identical balls of clay. One ball is then flattened into a
pancake shape. The child says there is now more clay in the pancake because it
is flat. This child has not yet mastered:
• A. Object permanence
• B. Stranger anxiety
• C. Conservation
• D. Abstract logic
• Answer: C
• Rationale: Conservation is the understanding that quantity remains the
same despite changes in shape or appearance. This is a hallmark of Piaget's
preoperational stage and is not mastered until the concrete operational
stage.
5. According to Piaget, the ability to think abstractly and hypothetically (e.g.,
"What if the sun went out?") develops in which stage?
, • A. Sensorimotor
• B. Preoperational
• C. Concrete Operational
• D. Formal Operational
• Answer: D
• Rationale: The formal operational stage, beginning around age 12, is
marked by the emergence of abstract, systematic, and hypothetical
thinking.
6. A major developmental task of middle adulthood (according to Erikson) is:
• A. Identity vs. Role Confusion
• B. Intimacy vs. Isolation
• C. Generativity vs. Stagnation
• D. Ego Integrity vs. Despair
• Answer: C
• Rationale: Generativity vs. Stagnation is the 7th stage of Erikson's theory. It
involves contributing to the next generation through work, parenting, or
mentoring. Failure to do so leads to stagnation and self-absorption.
7. An older adult who looks back on their life with a sense of fulfillment and
acceptance is demonstrating:
• A. Despair
• B. Integrity
• C. Stagnation
• D. Isolation
• Answer: B
, • Rationale: In Erikson's final stage, Ego Integrity vs. Despair, a person who
feels they have lived a meaningful life and accepts both successes and
failures achieves ego integrity.
8. A pregnant woman is in her first trimester and is experiencing morning
sickness. This is an example of a:
• A. Cognitive change
• B. Psychosocial change
• C. Normative age-graded influence
• D. Non-normative life event
• Answer: C
• Rationale: Normative age-graded influences are biological and
environmental changes that are strongly related to age and occur for most
people at a given time, such as puberty, menopause, and the physical
changes of pregnancy.
9. Piaget used the term "schema" to describe:
• A. A Freudian defense mechanism
• B. A mental framework for organizing and interpreting information
• C. The bond between parent and child
• D. A stage of moral development
• Answer: B
• Rationale: Schemas are the basic building blocks of cognitive models. They
are mental representations or concepts that help us understand and
categorize the world.
10. A 6-month-old infant enjoys dropping a toy from their high chair, watching it
fall, and having it returned. This behavior demonstrates the development of:
• A. Stranger anxiety
• B. Attachment theory
DEVELOPMENT (PSYC-290N) PRACTICE
EXAM: 100 QUESTIONS & RATIONALES TO
MASTER HUMAN GROWTH STAGES
Lifespan Development (PSYC-290N)
Focus: Theories of development, physical, cognitive, and psychosocial changes
from conception to death.
1. A grandparent is teaching their grandchild how to bake cookies. The
grandparent provides guidance but lets the child measure the flour with help.
Vygotsky would call this:
• A. Classical conditioning
• B. Scaffolding
• C. Object permanence
• D. A concrete operational task
• Answer: B
• Rationale: Scaffolding is Vygotsky's concept of providing temporary support
to a learner to help them accomplish a task just beyond their current
ability, which fits within their Zone of Proximal Development.
2. According to Erikson, the primary developmental conflict of infancy (birth to
18 months) is:
• A. Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
• B. Initiative vs. Guilt
• C. Trust vs. Mistrust
• D. Industry vs. Inferiority
, • Answer: C
• Rationale: Erikson's first stage is Trust vs. Mistrust. Infants learn to trust
their caregivers to meet their basic needs. If needs are consistently met,
they develop a sense of trust in the world.
3. A 2-year-old child insists on choosing their own clothes and says "No!"
frequently. This child is likely in which of Erikson’s stages?
• A. Trust vs. Mistrust
• B. Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
• C. Initiative vs. Guilt
• D. Identity vs. Role Confusion
• Answer: B
• Rationale: The toddler years (18 months to 3 years) are characterized by
the conflict of Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt. The child is asserting
independence and control over their own actions and choices.
4. A child is shown two identical balls of clay. One ball is then flattened into a
pancake shape. The child says there is now more clay in the pancake because it
is flat. This child has not yet mastered:
• A. Object permanence
• B. Stranger anxiety
• C. Conservation
• D. Abstract logic
• Answer: C
• Rationale: Conservation is the understanding that quantity remains the
same despite changes in shape or appearance. This is a hallmark of Piaget's
preoperational stage and is not mastered until the concrete operational
stage.
5. According to Piaget, the ability to think abstractly and hypothetically (e.g.,
"What if the sun went out?") develops in which stage?
, • A. Sensorimotor
• B. Preoperational
• C. Concrete Operational
• D. Formal Operational
• Answer: D
• Rationale: The formal operational stage, beginning around age 12, is
marked by the emergence of abstract, systematic, and hypothetical
thinking.
6. A major developmental task of middle adulthood (according to Erikson) is:
• A. Identity vs. Role Confusion
• B. Intimacy vs. Isolation
• C. Generativity vs. Stagnation
• D. Ego Integrity vs. Despair
• Answer: C
• Rationale: Generativity vs. Stagnation is the 7th stage of Erikson's theory. It
involves contributing to the next generation through work, parenting, or
mentoring. Failure to do so leads to stagnation and self-absorption.
7. An older adult who looks back on their life with a sense of fulfillment and
acceptance is demonstrating:
• A. Despair
• B. Integrity
• C. Stagnation
• D. Isolation
• Answer: B
, • Rationale: In Erikson's final stage, Ego Integrity vs. Despair, a person who
feels they have lived a meaningful life and accepts both successes and
failures achieves ego integrity.
8. A pregnant woman is in her first trimester and is experiencing morning
sickness. This is an example of a:
• A. Cognitive change
• B. Psychosocial change
• C. Normative age-graded influence
• D. Non-normative life event
• Answer: C
• Rationale: Normative age-graded influences are biological and
environmental changes that are strongly related to age and occur for most
people at a given time, such as puberty, menopause, and the physical
changes of pregnancy.
9. Piaget used the term "schema" to describe:
• A. A Freudian defense mechanism
• B. A mental framework for organizing and interpreting information
• C. The bond between parent and child
• D. A stage of moral development
• Answer: B
• Rationale: Schemas are the basic building blocks of cognitive models. They
are mental representations or concepts that help us understand and
categorize the world.
10. A 6-month-old infant enjoys dropping a toy from their high chair, watching it
fall, and having it returned. This behavior demonstrates the development of:
• A. Stranger anxiety
• B. Attachment theory
