LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT CONCEPT REVIEW
GUIDE 2026 DEVELOPMENTAL THEORIES AND
MILESTONES
◉ What are the three domains of development studied by
developmental psychologists? Answer: Physical, cognitive, and
psychosocial development.
◉ What does physical development encompass? Answer: Growth
and changes in the body and brain, senses, motor skills, and health.
◉ What is cognitive development? Answer: The development of
learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and
creativity.
◉ What is psychosocial development? Answer: The development of
emotions, personality, and social relationships.
◉ What is the normative approach in developmental psychology?
Answer: Studying large numbers of children to determine average
ages for developmental milestones.
,◉ What are biological milestones? Answer: Universal developmental
milestones such as starting puberty.
◉ What are social milestones? Answer: Developmental milestones
that vary across cultures, such as starting school.
◉ What is continuous development? Answer: The view that
development is a cumulative process, gradually improving existing
skills.
◉ What is discontinuous development? Answer: The view that
development occurs in unique stages at specific times or ages.
◉ What do stage theories believe about development? Answer: They
believe that the process of development is universal across all
children.
◉ Who developed the psychosexual theory of development?
Answer: Sigmund Freud.
◉ What does Freud's psychosexual theory suggest? Answer:
Childhood experiences shape our personalities and behavior as
adults.
, ◉ What are the five stages of Freud's psychosexual development?
Answer: Oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages.
◉ Who proposed the psychosocial theory of development? Answer:
Erik Erikson.
◉ What does Erikson's psychosocial theory emphasize? Answer: The
social nature of development and that personality development
occurs across the lifespan.
◉ What is the most famous stage in Erikson's theory? Answer:
Identity vs. confusion.
◉ What are the four identity statuses proposed by James Marcia?
Answer: Identity foreclosure, identity diffusion, identity
achievement, and moratorium.
◉ Who is considered the founder of developmental psychology?
Answer: Jean Piaget.
◉ What is genetic epistemology? Answer: The study of the
developmental origins of knowledge.
GUIDE 2026 DEVELOPMENTAL THEORIES AND
MILESTONES
◉ What are the three domains of development studied by
developmental psychologists? Answer: Physical, cognitive, and
psychosocial development.
◉ What does physical development encompass? Answer: Growth
and changes in the body and brain, senses, motor skills, and health.
◉ What is cognitive development? Answer: The development of
learning, attention, memory, language, thinking, reasoning, and
creativity.
◉ What is psychosocial development? Answer: The development of
emotions, personality, and social relationships.
◉ What is the normative approach in developmental psychology?
Answer: Studying large numbers of children to determine average
ages for developmental milestones.
,◉ What are biological milestones? Answer: Universal developmental
milestones such as starting puberty.
◉ What are social milestones? Answer: Developmental milestones
that vary across cultures, such as starting school.
◉ What is continuous development? Answer: The view that
development is a cumulative process, gradually improving existing
skills.
◉ What is discontinuous development? Answer: The view that
development occurs in unique stages at specific times or ages.
◉ What do stage theories believe about development? Answer: They
believe that the process of development is universal across all
children.
◉ Who developed the psychosexual theory of development?
Answer: Sigmund Freud.
◉ What does Freud's psychosexual theory suggest? Answer:
Childhood experiences shape our personalities and behavior as
adults.
, ◉ What are the five stages of Freud's psychosexual development?
Answer: Oral, anal, phallic, latency, and genital stages.
◉ Who proposed the psychosocial theory of development? Answer:
Erik Erikson.
◉ What does Erikson's psychosocial theory emphasize? Answer: The
social nature of development and that personality development
occurs across the lifespan.
◉ What is the most famous stage in Erikson's theory? Answer:
Identity vs. confusion.
◉ What are the four identity statuses proposed by James Marcia?
Answer: Identity foreclosure, identity diffusion, identity
achievement, and moratorium.
◉ Who is considered the founder of developmental psychology?
Answer: Jean Piaget.
◉ What is genetic epistemology? Answer: The study of the
developmental origins of knowledge.
