PSYCHOLOGY: LIFESPAN
DEVELOPMENT 2025/2026 VERSION
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS|A+-GRADE
Lifespan Development - ANSWER✔️It is the field of study that examines patterns of growth,
change, and stability in behavior that occur throughout the entire lifespan.
Lifespan Development focuses on human development - ANSWER✔️1) universal principles of
development
2) Cultural, Racial, Ethnic differences
3) Individual traits & Characteristics
Psychodynamic Theory - ANSWER✔️(Freud/Erikson) Theories proposing that development is
largely determined by how well people resolve conflicts they face at different ages.
Psychosocial Theory - ANSWER✔️(Erikson) Personality development is determined by the
internal maturational plan & external societal demands.
Neuroscience - ANSWER✔️The study of the brain & nervous system. Helps with understanding
brain-behavior relationships.
,physical development - ANSWER✔️Involves the body's physical makeup, including the brain,
nervous system, muscles, and senses, and the need for food, drink, and sleep as a determinant of
behavior.
Cognitive Development - ANSWER✔️Involves the ways that growth and change in learning,
memory, problem solvinf, and intelligence influence a person's behavior.
Personality Development - ANSWER✔️Involves the ways that the enduring characteristics that
differentiate one person from another change over the lifespan.
Compare to early developmentalits , who focused on " infancy and adolescent" -
ANSWER✔️Today the entire lifespan is seen as important for several reasons:
1) Growth and change countunie throughout life.
2) An important part of every person's environment is the other people around him or her, the
person's social environment.
Influence of Nature on Development - ANSWER✔️nature refers to traits, abilities, and capacities
that are inherited from one's parent.
sociocultural theory - ANSWER✔️understanding of the world is acquired through their problem-
solving interactions with adults and other children
sociocultural theory - ANSWER✔️development is a reciprocal transaction between people in
child's environment and child; children being both recipents socialization influences and sources
of influence
evolutionary perspective - ANSWER✔️seeks to identify behavior that is the result of our genetic
inheritance from our ancestors
evolutionary perspective - ANSWER✔️Charles Darwin and Konrad Lorenz
evolutionary perspective - ANSWER✔️through process of natural selection, traits in a species
that are adaptive to its environment are created (includes personality traits and social behaviors)
nurture (environmental factors) - ANSWER✔️emphasis is on environmental influences that affect
a person's development (may be biological, social, societal-level factors)
theory - ANSWER✔️broad, organized explanations and predictions concerning phenomena of
interest
6 major perspectives - ANSWER✔️psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive,humanistic, contextual,
and evolutionary
, psychodynamic perspective - ANSWER✔️states that behavior is motivated by inner forces,
memories, and conflicts of which a person has little awareness or control
psychodynamic perspective - ANSWER✔️includes psychoanalytical and psychosocial theories
psychoanalytical theory - ANSWER✔️unconscious forces act to determine personality and
behavior
psychoanalytical theory - ANSWER✔️Sigmund Freud
id - ANSWER✔️(*psychoanalytical theory *)
raw, unorganized, inborn part of personality that is present at birth; operates according to
pleasure principle (goal is to max. satisfaction and reduce tension)
ego - ANSWER✔️(*psychoanalytical theory *)
rational and reasonable; buffer between real world and id; operates on reality principle (energy is
restrained to maintain the safety and help integrate the person into society)
ethology - ANSWER✔️(*evolutionary perspective*)
examines ways in which biological makeup affects behavior
scientific method - ANSWER✔️process of posing and answering questions using careful,
controlled techniques that include systematic, orderly observation and collection of data
steps of scientific method - ANSWER✔️identifying questions of interest; formulating an
explanation; carrying out research that either lends support to the explanation or refutes it
Psychodynamic Theory - ANSWER✔️(Freud/Erikson) Theories proposing that development is
largely determined by how well people resolve conflicts they face at different ages.
Psychosocial Theory - ANSWER✔️(Erikson) Personality development is determined by the
internal maturational plan & external societal demands.
Neuroscience - ANSWER✔️The study of the brain & nervous system. Helps with understanding
brain-behavior relationships.
physical development - ANSWER✔️Involves the body's physical makeup, including the brain,
nervous system, muscles, and senses, and the need for food, drink, and sleep as a determinant of
behavior.
Cognitive Development - ANSWER✔️Involves the ways that growth and change in learning,
memory, problem solvinf, and intelligence influence a person's behavior.
DEVELOPMENT 2025/2026 VERSION
QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS|A+-GRADE
Lifespan Development - ANSWER✔️It is the field of study that examines patterns of growth,
change, and stability in behavior that occur throughout the entire lifespan.
Lifespan Development focuses on human development - ANSWER✔️1) universal principles of
development
2) Cultural, Racial, Ethnic differences
3) Individual traits & Characteristics
Psychodynamic Theory - ANSWER✔️(Freud/Erikson) Theories proposing that development is
largely determined by how well people resolve conflicts they face at different ages.
Psychosocial Theory - ANSWER✔️(Erikson) Personality development is determined by the
internal maturational plan & external societal demands.
Neuroscience - ANSWER✔️The study of the brain & nervous system. Helps with understanding
brain-behavior relationships.
,physical development - ANSWER✔️Involves the body's physical makeup, including the brain,
nervous system, muscles, and senses, and the need for food, drink, and sleep as a determinant of
behavior.
Cognitive Development - ANSWER✔️Involves the ways that growth and change in learning,
memory, problem solvinf, and intelligence influence a person's behavior.
Personality Development - ANSWER✔️Involves the ways that the enduring characteristics that
differentiate one person from another change over the lifespan.
Compare to early developmentalits , who focused on " infancy and adolescent" -
ANSWER✔️Today the entire lifespan is seen as important for several reasons:
1) Growth and change countunie throughout life.
2) An important part of every person's environment is the other people around him or her, the
person's social environment.
Influence of Nature on Development - ANSWER✔️nature refers to traits, abilities, and capacities
that are inherited from one's parent.
sociocultural theory - ANSWER✔️understanding of the world is acquired through their problem-
solving interactions with adults and other children
sociocultural theory - ANSWER✔️development is a reciprocal transaction between people in
child's environment and child; children being both recipents socialization influences and sources
of influence
evolutionary perspective - ANSWER✔️seeks to identify behavior that is the result of our genetic
inheritance from our ancestors
evolutionary perspective - ANSWER✔️Charles Darwin and Konrad Lorenz
evolutionary perspective - ANSWER✔️through process of natural selection, traits in a species
that are adaptive to its environment are created (includes personality traits and social behaviors)
nurture (environmental factors) - ANSWER✔️emphasis is on environmental influences that affect
a person's development (may be biological, social, societal-level factors)
theory - ANSWER✔️broad, organized explanations and predictions concerning phenomena of
interest
6 major perspectives - ANSWER✔️psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive,humanistic, contextual,
and evolutionary
, psychodynamic perspective - ANSWER✔️states that behavior is motivated by inner forces,
memories, and conflicts of which a person has little awareness or control
psychodynamic perspective - ANSWER✔️includes psychoanalytical and psychosocial theories
psychoanalytical theory - ANSWER✔️unconscious forces act to determine personality and
behavior
psychoanalytical theory - ANSWER✔️Sigmund Freud
id - ANSWER✔️(*psychoanalytical theory *)
raw, unorganized, inborn part of personality that is present at birth; operates according to
pleasure principle (goal is to max. satisfaction and reduce tension)
ego - ANSWER✔️(*psychoanalytical theory *)
rational and reasonable; buffer between real world and id; operates on reality principle (energy is
restrained to maintain the safety and help integrate the person into society)
ethology - ANSWER✔️(*evolutionary perspective*)
examines ways in which biological makeup affects behavior
scientific method - ANSWER✔️process of posing and answering questions using careful,
controlled techniques that include systematic, orderly observation and collection of data
steps of scientific method - ANSWER✔️identifying questions of interest; formulating an
explanation; carrying out research that either lends support to the explanation or refutes it
Psychodynamic Theory - ANSWER✔️(Freud/Erikson) Theories proposing that development is
largely determined by how well people resolve conflicts they face at different ages.
Psychosocial Theory - ANSWER✔️(Erikson) Personality development is determined by the
internal maturational plan & external societal demands.
Neuroscience - ANSWER✔️The study of the brain & nervous system. Helps with understanding
brain-behavior relationships.
physical development - ANSWER✔️Involves the body's physical makeup, including the brain,
nervous system, muscles, and senses, and the need for food, drink, and sleep as a determinant of
behavior.
Cognitive Development - ANSWER✔️Involves the ways that growth and change in learning,
memory, problem solvinf, and intelligence influence a person's behavior.
