PSYC 140 Module 1 Exam Test Bank: Lifespan Development, Nature vs. Nurture, Freud, Erikson, Piaget,
Vygotsky, Behaviorism, Ethology, Bronfenbrenner, Research Methods, Prenatal to Late Adulthood –
300 Questions with Rationales.
Questions 1–300
1. The lifespan perspective (Baltes) includes which key principles?
A) Development is lifelong
B) Development is unidirectional (always improvement)
C) Development involves both gains and losses
D) Development is highly plastic
E) Development is embedded in history
Answers: A, C, D, E
Rationale: Lifespan perspective includes multidirectionality (gains AND losses), not unidirectional
improvement.
2. Nature refers to which of the following?
A) Heredity
B) Genes
C) Maturation
D) Parenting style
E) Culture
Answers: A, B, C
Rationale: Parenting style and culture are nurture (environment).
3. Nurture refers to which of the following?
A) Nutrition
B) Prenatal environment
C) Peer influences
D) DNA sequence
E) Schooling
Answers: A, B, C, E
Rationale: DNA sequence is nature.
4. Which statements about heritability are correct?
A) Heritability estimates range from 0 to 1
B) Heritability of height is approximately 0.8–0.9
C) Heritability of personality is about 0.4–0.6
D) Heritability is the same across all environments
E) Heritability estimates are population-specific
Answers: A, B, C, E
Rationale: Heritability varies by population and environment.
,5. Gene-environment interaction means:
A) Genes influence how environment affects you
B) Environment influences how genes express
C) Only genes matter
D) Only environment matters
E) Example: PKU (genetic condition + dietary environment)
Answers: A, B, E
Rationale: Example shows interaction; C and D are extreme positions.
6. Quantitative vs. qualitative change example:
A) Height increase = quantitative
B) Crawling → walking = qualitative
C) Learning more vocabulary = quantitative
D) Egocentrism → perspective-taking = qualitative
E) All development is quantitative
Answers: A, B, C, D
Rationale: Both types occur; not all quantitative.
7. Freud's structure of personality includes:
A) Id (pleasure principle)
B) Ego (reality principle)
C) Superego (morality)
D) Eros (life instinct)
E) Thanatos (death instinct)
Answers: A, B, C
Rationale: D and E are instincts, not structures. Id, ego, superego are structures.
8. According to Freud, the ego operates on which principle?
A) Pleasure principle
B) Reality principle
C) Morality principle
D) Thanatos principle
E) Secondary process thinking
Answers: B, E
Rationale: Id = pleasure; superego = morality; ego = reality + secondary process.
9. Which statements about Freud's latency stage are correct?
A) Sexual impulses are dormant
B) Occurs from age 6 to puberty
C) Social skills develop
D) Focus on same-sex friendships
E) Psychosexual conflicts are most intense here
Answers: A, B, C, D
Rationale: Latency is calm; conflicts less intense than phallic stage.
10. Erikson's stages are psychosocial because they emphasize:
A) Social relationships
,B) Cultural context
C) Only internal biology
D) Conflicts between individual and society
E) Purely sexual drives
Answers: A, B, D
Rationale: Erikson emphasized social and cultural, not purely internal biology or sexual drives.
11. Which virtue emerges from Erikson's Trust vs. Mistrust stage?
A) Hope
B) Will
C) Purpose
D) Competence
E) Fidelity
Answers: A
Rationale: Hope in infancy; will (autonomy), purpose (initiative), competence (industry), fidelity
(identity).
12. Which virtue emerges from Erikson's Autonomy vs. Shame stage?
A) Hope
B) Will
C) Purpose
D) Competence
E) Fidelity
Answers: B
Rationale: Will = autonomy; purpose = initiative; competence = industry; fidelity = identity.
13. Which virtue emerges from Erikson's Initiative vs. Guilt stage?
A) Hope
B) Will
C) Purpose
D) Competence
E) Fidelity
Answers: C
Rationale: Purpose comes from initiative.
14. Which virtue emerges from Erikson's Industry vs. Inferiority stage?
A) Hope
B) Will
C) Purpose
D) Competence
E) Fidelity
Answers: D
Rationale: Competence = industry.
15. Which virtue emerges from Erikson's Identity vs. Confusion stage?
A) Hope
B) Will
, C) Purpose
D) Competence
E) Fidelity
Answers: E
Rationale: Fidelity = identity.
16. Piaget's concept of "scheme" (or schema) is best described as:
A) A mental framework for organizing information
B) A reflex present at birth
C) A fixed action pattern
D) Modified through experience
E) Present only in adults
Answers: A, D
Rationale: Schemas are mental, not reflexes or fixed action patterns; present across lifespan.
17. Which of the following are Piagetian processes?
A) Assimilation
B) Accommodation
C) Equilibration
D) Operant conditioning
E) Classical conditioning
Answers: A, B, C
Rationale: D and E are behaviorist processes.
18. Assimilation involves:
A) Fitting new information into existing schemas
B) Changing schemas to fit new information
C) Interpreting a whale as a "fish" (incorrectly)
D) Learning that a whale is a mammal (correcting)
E) Avoiding new information
Answers: A, C
Rationale: B and D are accommodation; E is not Piagetian.
19. Accommodation involves:
A) Fitting new info into existing schema
B) Changing schema based on new info
C) Learning that not all four-legged animals are dogs
D) Calling all round fruit "apple"
E) Creating a new schema for "zebra"
Answers: B, C, E
Rationale: A and D are assimilation; B, C, E are accommodation.
20. According to Piaget, children in the preoperational stage struggle with conservation because of:
A) Centration (focus on one dimension)
B) Irreversibility
C) Abstract logic
D) Egocentrism
Vygotsky, Behaviorism, Ethology, Bronfenbrenner, Research Methods, Prenatal to Late Adulthood –
300 Questions with Rationales.
Questions 1–300
1. The lifespan perspective (Baltes) includes which key principles?
A) Development is lifelong
B) Development is unidirectional (always improvement)
C) Development involves both gains and losses
D) Development is highly plastic
E) Development is embedded in history
Answers: A, C, D, E
Rationale: Lifespan perspective includes multidirectionality (gains AND losses), not unidirectional
improvement.
2. Nature refers to which of the following?
A) Heredity
B) Genes
C) Maturation
D) Parenting style
E) Culture
Answers: A, B, C
Rationale: Parenting style and culture are nurture (environment).
3. Nurture refers to which of the following?
A) Nutrition
B) Prenatal environment
C) Peer influences
D) DNA sequence
E) Schooling
Answers: A, B, C, E
Rationale: DNA sequence is nature.
4. Which statements about heritability are correct?
A) Heritability estimates range from 0 to 1
B) Heritability of height is approximately 0.8–0.9
C) Heritability of personality is about 0.4–0.6
D) Heritability is the same across all environments
E) Heritability estimates are population-specific
Answers: A, B, C, E
Rationale: Heritability varies by population and environment.
,5. Gene-environment interaction means:
A) Genes influence how environment affects you
B) Environment influences how genes express
C) Only genes matter
D) Only environment matters
E) Example: PKU (genetic condition + dietary environment)
Answers: A, B, E
Rationale: Example shows interaction; C and D are extreme positions.
6. Quantitative vs. qualitative change example:
A) Height increase = quantitative
B) Crawling → walking = qualitative
C) Learning more vocabulary = quantitative
D) Egocentrism → perspective-taking = qualitative
E) All development is quantitative
Answers: A, B, C, D
Rationale: Both types occur; not all quantitative.
7. Freud's structure of personality includes:
A) Id (pleasure principle)
B) Ego (reality principle)
C) Superego (morality)
D) Eros (life instinct)
E) Thanatos (death instinct)
Answers: A, B, C
Rationale: D and E are instincts, not structures. Id, ego, superego are structures.
8. According to Freud, the ego operates on which principle?
A) Pleasure principle
B) Reality principle
C) Morality principle
D) Thanatos principle
E) Secondary process thinking
Answers: B, E
Rationale: Id = pleasure; superego = morality; ego = reality + secondary process.
9. Which statements about Freud's latency stage are correct?
A) Sexual impulses are dormant
B) Occurs from age 6 to puberty
C) Social skills develop
D) Focus on same-sex friendships
E) Psychosexual conflicts are most intense here
Answers: A, B, C, D
Rationale: Latency is calm; conflicts less intense than phallic stage.
10. Erikson's stages are psychosocial because they emphasize:
A) Social relationships
,B) Cultural context
C) Only internal biology
D) Conflicts between individual and society
E) Purely sexual drives
Answers: A, B, D
Rationale: Erikson emphasized social and cultural, not purely internal biology or sexual drives.
11. Which virtue emerges from Erikson's Trust vs. Mistrust stage?
A) Hope
B) Will
C) Purpose
D) Competence
E) Fidelity
Answers: A
Rationale: Hope in infancy; will (autonomy), purpose (initiative), competence (industry), fidelity
(identity).
12. Which virtue emerges from Erikson's Autonomy vs. Shame stage?
A) Hope
B) Will
C) Purpose
D) Competence
E) Fidelity
Answers: B
Rationale: Will = autonomy; purpose = initiative; competence = industry; fidelity = identity.
13. Which virtue emerges from Erikson's Initiative vs. Guilt stage?
A) Hope
B) Will
C) Purpose
D) Competence
E) Fidelity
Answers: C
Rationale: Purpose comes from initiative.
14. Which virtue emerges from Erikson's Industry vs. Inferiority stage?
A) Hope
B) Will
C) Purpose
D) Competence
E) Fidelity
Answers: D
Rationale: Competence = industry.
15. Which virtue emerges from Erikson's Identity vs. Confusion stage?
A) Hope
B) Will
, C) Purpose
D) Competence
E) Fidelity
Answers: E
Rationale: Fidelity = identity.
16. Piaget's concept of "scheme" (or schema) is best described as:
A) A mental framework for organizing information
B) A reflex present at birth
C) A fixed action pattern
D) Modified through experience
E) Present only in adults
Answers: A, D
Rationale: Schemas are mental, not reflexes or fixed action patterns; present across lifespan.
17. Which of the following are Piagetian processes?
A) Assimilation
B) Accommodation
C) Equilibration
D) Operant conditioning
E) Classical conditioning
Answers: A, B, C
Rationale: D and E are behaviorist processes.
18. Assimilation involves:
A) Fitting new information into existing schemas
B) Changing schemas to fit new information
C) Interpreting a whale as a "fish" (incorrectly)
D) Learning that a whale is a mammal (correcting)
E) Avoiding new information
Answers: A, C
Rationale: B and D are accommodation; E is not Piagetian.
19. Accommodation involves:
A) Fitting new info into existing schema
B) Changing schema based on new info
C) Learning that not all four-legged animals are dogs
D) Calling all round fruit "apple"
E) Creating a new schema for "zebra"
Answers: B, C, E
Rationale: A and D are assimilation; B, C, E are accommodation.
20. According to Piaget, children in the preoperational stage struggle with conservation because of:
A) Centration (focus on one dimension)
B) Irreversibility
C) Abstract logic
D) Egocentrism
