PSYC 140 Module 1 Exam Actual Exam 2026/2027:
Complete Exam-Style Questions with Detailed
Rationales | 100% Verified | Pass Guaranteed – A+
Graded
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1 | History of Developmental Psychology | Q1 – Q10
Section 2 | Major Theories of Development | Q11 – Q20
Section 3 | Research Methods in Developmental Psychology | Q21 – Q30
Section 4 | Prenatal Development and Birth | Q31 – Q40
Section 5 | Genetics, Heredity, and Environmental Influences | Q41 – Q50
Instructions: Choose the single best answer. Pass: 80% in 90 minutes.
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SECTION 1: HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY Q1 – Q10
══════════════════════════════════════
Question 1 of 50
A 34-year-old graduate student is writing a thesis on the origins of developmental
psychology and encounters a 19th-century scholar who published a comprehensive
study of his own son's sensory and motor development during infancy. This early work
is widely credited as one of the first systematic scientific investigations of child
development. Which researcher produced this landmark baby biography?
A. G. Stanley Hall
B. Charles Darwin
C. Wilhelm Preyer
D. John Watson
Correct Answer: C
,Rationale: Wilhelm Preyer's 1882 work "The Mind of the Child" is considered the first
systematic scientific baby biography based on detailed observations of his own son's
development. Charles Darwin did keep a baby biography of his son, but it was not the
comprehensive systematic study that established the scientific method for
developmental observation. Preyer's work set the standard for rigorous longitudinal
infant observation.
Question 2 of 50
A professor is lecturing on the historical shift in how society viewed children and
displays a 17th-century painting showing children dressed in miniature adult clothing,
working alongside adults in a workshop. The professor explains that this visual
evidence reflects a specific historical view of childhood. What concept does this
painting best illustrate?
A. The idea that children were seen as innocent and in need of protection
B. The belief that children were miniature adults with no distinct developmental stage
C. The view that children were primarily economic burdens on their families
D. The notion that children possessed innate moral goodness from birth
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The painting illustrates the pre-modern view that children were simply small
adults, which dominated before the 18th century and meant children were expected to
work and behave like adults. The concept of childhood as a distinct developmental
period did not emerge until later philosophers like Rousseau began arguing for the
unique nature of children. The clothing and labor depicted confirm this absence of a
recognized childhood stage.
Question 3 of 50
A 28-year-old doctoral candidate is studying the first laboratory devoted exclusively to
child development research in the United States. The candidate learns that this facility
,opened in 1893 and was directed by a psychologist who later founded the American
Psychological Association. Which historical figure established this pioneering child
study laboratory?
A. James Mark Baldwin
B. G. Stanley Hall
C. Lewis Terman
D. Arnold Gesell
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: G. Stanley Hall established the first child study laboratory in the United States
at Clark University in 1893 and was a central figure in founding the American
Psychological Association. James Mark Baldwin made important theoretical
contributions but did not establish the first laboratory, and Arnold Gesell's famous clinic
opened decades later. Hall's laboratory marked the institutional beginning of
developmental psychology as a scientific discipline.
Question 4 of 50
During a seminar on the history of developmental psychology, a student presents a case
study from the 1930s involving a child who was raised in near-total isolation until age 13
and subsequently showed severe developmental delays. The class discusses how this
tragic case influenced the field's understanding of critical periods. Which child is the
subject of this historically significant case?
A. David Vetter
B. Genie Wiley
C. Anna
D. Isabelle
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The case of Anna, documented by Kingsley Davis in the 1940s, involved a
child isolated in an attic until age 6 who showed profound developmental delays,
, influencing understanding of environmental deprivation. Genie Wiley is a more famous
later case from the 1970s, and David Vetter was the "bubble boy" with
immunodeficiency. Anna's case provided early evidence for the devastating impact of
extreme social isolation on development.
Question 5 of 50
A textbook author is revising a chapter on the history of developmental psychology and
needs to identify the scholar who introduced the concept of maturation as the primary
driver of development. This researcher emphasized that development unfolds according
to a biological timetable and established norms for developmental milestones. Who is
this influential figure?
A. John Watson
B. Arnold Gesell
C. B.F. Skinner
D. Erik Erikson
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Arnold Gesell was the foremost proponent of maturation theory and
established detailed developmental norms through his extensive photographic studies
of children at the Yale Clinic of Child Development. John Watson and B.F. Skinner were
behaviorists who emphasized environmental learning over biological maturation.
Gesell's maturationist perspective dominated early developmental assessment and
remains foundational in pediatric screening.
Question 6 of 50
A 42-year-old historian of psychology is researching the intellectual origins of the
nature-nurture debate and traces the earliest formal articulation of this controversy to a
19th-century exchange between two English scientists. One argued that genius is
Complete Exam-Style Questions with Detailed
Rationales | 100% Verified | Pass Guaranteed – A+
Graded
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1 | History of Developmental Psychology | Q1 – Q10
Section 2 | Major Theories of Development | Q11 – Q20
Section 3 | Research Methods in Developmental Psychology | Q21 – Q30
Section 4 | Prenatal Development and Birth | Q31 – Q40
Section 5 | Genetics, Heredity, and Environmental Influences | Q41 – Q50
Instructions: Choose the single best answer. Pass: 80% in 90 minutes.
══════════════════════════════════════
SECTION 1: HISTORY OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY Q1 – Q10
══════════════════════════════════════
Question 1 of 50
A 34-year-old graduate student is writing a thesis on the origins of developmental
psychology and encounters a 19th-century scholar who published a comprehensive
study of his own son's sensory and motor development during infancy. This early work
is widely credited as one of the first systematic scientific investigations of child
development. Which researcher produced this landmark baby biography?
A. G. Stanley Hall
B. Charles Darwin
C. Wilhelm Preyer
D. John Watson
Correct Answer: C
,Rationale: Wilhelm Preyer's 1882 work "The Mind of the Child" is considered the first
systematic scientific baby biography based on detailed observations of his own son's
development. Charles Darwin did keep a baby biography of his son, but it was not the
comprehensive systematic study that established the scientific method for
developmental observation. Preyer's work set the standard for rigorous longitudinal
infant observation.
Question 2 of 50
A professor is lecturing on the historical shift in how society viewed children and
displays a 17th-century painting showing children dressed in miniature adult clothing,
working alongside adults in a workshop. The professor explains that this visual
evidence reflects a specific historical view of childhood. What concept does this
painting best illustrate?
A. The idea that children were seen as innocent and in need of protection
B. The belief that children were miniature adults with no distinct developmental stage
C. The view that children were primarily economic burdens on their families
D. The notion that children possessed innate moral goodness from birth
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: The painting illustrates the pre-modern view that children were simply small
adults, which dominated before the 18th century and meant children were expected to
work and behave like adults. The concept of childhood as a distinct developmental
period did not emerge until later philosophers like Rousseau began arguing for the
unique nature of children. The clothing and labor depicted confirm this absence of a
recognized childhood stage.
Question 3 of 50
A 28-year-old doctoral candidate is studying the first laboratory devoted exclusively to
child development research in the United States. The candidate learns that this facility
,opened in 1893 and was directed by a psychologist who later founded the American
Psychological Association. Which historical figure established this pioneering child
study laboratory?
A. James Mark Baldwin
B. G. Stanley Hall
C. Lewis Terman
D. Arnold Gesell
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: G. Stanley Hall established the first child study laboratory in the United States
at Clark University in 1893 and was a central figure in founding the American
Psychological Association. James Mark Baldwin made important theoretical
contributions but did not establish the first laboratory, and Arnold Gesell's famous clinic
opened decades later. Hall's laboratory marked the institutional beginning of
developmental psychology as a scientific discipline.
Question 4 of 50
During a seminar on the history of developmental psychology, a student presents a case
study from the 1930s involving a child who was raised in near-total isolation until age 13
and subsequently showed severe developmental delays. The class discusses how this
tragic case influenced the field's understanding of critical periods. Which child is the
subject of this historically significant case?
A. David Vetter
B. Genie Wiley
C. Anna
D. Isabelle
Correct Answer: C
Rationale: The case of Anna, documented by Kingsley Davis in the 1940s, involved a
child isolated in an attic until age 6 who showed profound developmental delays,
, influencing understanding of environmental deprivation. Genie Wiley is a more famous
later case from the 1970s, and David Vetter was the "bubble boy" with
immunodeficiency. Anna's case provided early evidence for the devastating impact of
extreme social isolation on development.
Question 5 of 50
A textbook author is revising a chapter on the history of developmental psychology and
needs to identify the scholar who introduced the concept of maturation as the primary
driver of development. This researcher emphasized that development unfolds according
to a biological timetable and established norms for developmental milestones. Who is
this influential figure?
A. John Watson
B. Arnold Gesell
C. B.F. Skinner
D. Erik Erikson
Correct Answer: B
Rationale: Arnold Gesell was the foremost proponent of maturation theory and
established detailed developmental norms through his extensive photographic studies
of children at the Yale Clinic of Child Development. John Watson and B.F. Skinner were
behaviorists who emphasized environmental learning over biological maturation.
Gesell's maturationist perspective dominated early developmental assessment and
remains foundational in pediatric screening.
Question 6 of 50
A 42-year-old historian of psychology is researching the intellectual origins of the
nature-nurture debate and traces the earliest formal articulation of this controversy to a
19th-century exchange between two English scientists. One argued that genius is
