PSY 510 Exam 1 Study Guide UPDATED ACTUAL Questions
and CORRECT Answers
What is educational psychology? The application of psychological research findings to learning.
What is learning? A long-term change involving mental representations or associations, resulting
from experience.
What are the main learning theories? Behaviorism, Social Learning Theory, Cognitive Psychology, Social Cognitive
Theory, Sociocultural Theory, Cognitive Neuroscience, Systems Theories.
What is the first step in the research process of Formulating a research idea.
educational psychology?
What is an operational definition? A concrete, step-by-step physical definition of traits or variables used in
research.
What is experimental research? Research with random assignment and manipulation of variables to infer
causation.
What is quasi-experimental research? Research without random assignment, but with some form of
control/comparison group.
What is descriptive research? Quantitative research that collects and analyzes data to describe a population.
What is correlational research? Research that explores relationships among variables at one point or over time.
What are the four types of variables? Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, Ratio.
What are descriptive vs. inferential statistics? Descriptive summarize data; inferential allow predictions/generalizations.
What is reliability? Consistency of measurement; affected by random error.
What is validity? Accuracy of interpretation and use of measurement; the most important
property; affected by systematic error.
What is human development? How people grow, adapt, and change over the course of their lifetimes.
What are the three big questions across theories of 1. Nature vs. Nurture 2. Continuous vs. Discontinuous development 3. Critical vs.
development? Sensitive periods.
What are the general principles of development? People develop at different rates, development is relatively orderly,
development takes place gradually.
What biological processes influence development? Brain maturation, synaptic pruning, plasticity.
Who was Jean Piaget? Swiss biologist/psychologist (1896-1980) who proposed knowledge is
constructed through stages.
, What is a schema (scheme)? A property of an action that can be generalized and repeated; mental structure
for adapting to the environment.
What is assimilation? Understanding new experiences using existing schemes.
What is accommodation? Understanding new experiences by creating new schemes.
What are Piaget's four stages of cognitive Sensorimotor (0-2), Preoperational (2-7), Concrete Operational (7-11), Formal
development? Operational (11+).
What is disequilibrium in Piaget's theory? When new information doesn't fit existing schemes, causing assimilation or
accommodation.
What are some criticisms of Piaget? Underestimated children/overestimated adolescents, underestimated role of
education/culture, stages may be more trends than fixed, ignored brain
development.
What are educational implications of Piaget's theory? Active exploration, stage-appropriate activities, consider readiness, balance
challenge with support.
Who was Lev Vygotsky? Russian psychologist (1896-1934) who emphasized historical and cultural
contexts of development.
How did Vygotsky define learning vs. development? Learning = acquiring signs from others; Development = internalizing signs for
independent self-regulation.
What are the steps in the development of self- 1. Actions/sounds have meaning 2. Practice 3. Independent use of signs.
regulation?
What is private speech? Turning shared knowledge into personal knowledge; precursor to inner
speech.
What is the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)? The level of development just above current ability, where learning occurs with
support.
What is scaffolding? Temporary support given during learning, gradually reduced as independence
grows.
What instructional methods align with Vygotsky's Cooperative learning, reciprocal teaching, peer tutoring.
theory?
What are some criticisms of Vygotsky? General concepts, limited explanations, underestimated natural abilities.
How do Piaget and Vygotsky differ? Piaget = stages, individual construction, less culture. Vygotsky = culture, social
interaction, scaffolding, ZPD.
When do children typically know thousands of words? By ages 5-6.
Why is reading instruction different from language Reading is not natural; must be explicitly taught.
development?
What are the 5 essential components of reading Phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension.
instruction?
and CORRECT Answers
What is educational psychology? The application of psychological research findings to learning.
What is learning? A long-term change involving mental representations or associations, resulting
from experience.
What are the main learning theories? Behaviorism, Social Learning Theory, Cognitive Psychology, Social Cognitive
Theory, Sociocultural Theory, Cognitive Neuroscience, Systems Theories.
What is the first step in the research process of Formulating a research idea.
educational psychology?
What is an operational definition? A concrete, step-by-step physical definition of traits or variables used in
research.
What is experimental research? Research with random assignment and manipulation of variables to infer
causation.
What is quasi-experimental research? Research without random assignment, but with some form of
control/comparison group.
What is descriptive research? Quantitative research that collects and analyzes data to describe a population.
What is correlational research? Research that explores relationships among variables at one point or over time.
What are the four types of variables? Nominal, Ordinal, Interval, Ratio.
What are descriptive vs. inferential statistics? Descriptive summarize data; inferential allow predictions/generalizations.
What is reliability? Consistency of measurement; affected by random error.
What is validity? Accuracy of interpretation and use of measurement; the most important
property; affected by systematic error.
What is human development? How people grow, adapt, and change over the course of their lifetimes.
What are the three big questions across theories of 1. Nature vs. Nurture 2. Continuous vs. Discontinuous development 3. Critical vs.
development? Sensitive periods.
What are the general principles of development? People develop at different rates, development is relatively orderly,
development takes place gradually.
What biological processes influence development? Brain maturation, synaptic pruning, plasticity.
Who was Jean Piaget? Swiss biologist/psychologist (1896-1980) who proposed knowledge is
constructed through stages.
, What is a schema (scheme)? A property of an action that can be generalized and repeated; mental structure
for adapting to the environment.
What is assimilation? Understanding new experiences using existing schemes.
What is accommodation? Understanding new experiences by creating new schemes.
What are Piaget's four stages of cognitive Sensorimotor (0-2), Preoperational (2-7), Concrete Operational (7-11), Formal
development? Operational (11+).
What is disequilibrium in Piaget's theory? When new information doesn't fit existing schemes, causing assimilation or
accommodation.
What are some criticisms of Piaget? Underestimated children/overestimated adolescents, underestimated role of
education/culture, stages may be more trends than fixed, ignored brain
development.
What are educational implications of Piaget's theory? Active exploration, stage-appropriate activities, consider readiness, balance
challenge with support.
Who was Lev Vygotsky? Russian psychologist (1896-1934) who emphasized historical and cultural
contexts of development.
How did Vygotsky define learning vs. development? Learning = acquiring signs from others; Development = internalizing signs for
independent self-regulation.
What are the steps in the development of self- 1. Actions/sounds have meaning 2. Practice 3. Independent use of signs.
regulation?
What is private speech? Turning shared knowledge into personal knowledge; precursor to inner
speech.
What is the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)? The level of development just above current ability, where learning occurs with
support.
What is scaffolding? Temporary support given during learning, gradually reduced as independence
grows.
What instructional methods align with Vygotsky's Cooperative learning, reciprocal teaching, peer tutoring.
theory?
What are some criticisms of Vygotsky? General concepts, limited explanations, underestimated natural abilities.
How do Piaget and Vygotsky differ? Piaget = stages, individual construction, less culture. Vygotsky = culture, social
interaction, scaffolding, ZPD.
When do children typically know thousands of words? By ages 5-6.
Why is reading instruction different from language Reading is not natural; must be explicitly taught.
development?
What are the 5 essential components of reading Phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary, comprehension.
instruction?
