LIFESPAN DEVELOPMENT UPDATED
COMPREHENSIVE EXAM 2026 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔focus on particular periods - ✔✔infancy and adolescence emphasized by early
developmentalists as most important periods
✔✔nature (genetic factors) - ✔✔emphasis is on discovering inherited genetic traits and
abilities (encompasses any factor that is produced by maturation)
✔✔nurture (environmental factors) - ✔✔emphasis is on environmental influences that
affect a person's development (may be biological, social, societal-level factors)
✔✔theory - ✔✔broad, organized explanations and predictions concerning phenomena
of interest
✔✔6 major perspectives - ✔✔psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive,humanistic,
contextual, and evolutionary
✔✔psychodynamic perspective - ✔✔states that behavior is motivated by inner forces,
memories, and conflicts of which a person has little awareness or control
, ✔✔psychodynamic perspective - ✔✔includes psychoanalytical and psychosocial
theories
✔✔psychoanalytical theory - ✔✔unconscious forces act to determine personality and
behavior
✔✔psychoanalytical theory - ✔✔Sigmund Freud
✔✔id - ✔✔(*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 - ✔✔(*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)
✔✔superego - ✔✔(*psychoanalytical theory *)
represents a person's conscience; distinctions between right and wrong; learned from
parents, teachers, etc.
✔✔psychosexual development - ✔✔pleasure is focused on a particular biological
function and body part (oral, anal, phallic, genital)
✔✔psychosocial theory - ✔✔encompasses changes is our interactions with and
understandings of one another as well as in our knowledge and understanding of
ourselves as members of society
✔✔psychosocial theory - ✔✔includes 8 stages (page 16: table 1-3)
✔✔psychosocial theory - ✔✔Erik Erikson
✔✔behavioral perspective - ✔✔suggests that keys to understanding development are
observable behavior and outside stimuli in the environment
✔✔behavioral perspective - ✔✔nurture > nature; behavior is result of continuing
exposure to specific factors in environment; quantitative > qualitative
✔✔classical conditioning - ✔✔occurs when an organism learns to respond in a
particular way to neutral stimulus that normally does't evoke response
✔✔classical conditioning - ✔✔John B. Watson
✔✔operant conditioning - ✔✔form of learning in which a voluntary response is
strengthened or weakened by its association with positive or negative consequences
COMPREHENSIVE EXAM 2026 QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS SURE A+
✔✔focus on particular periods - ✔✔infancy and adolescence emphasized by early
developmentalists as most important periods
✔✔nature (genetic factors) - ✔✔emphasis is on discovering inherited genetic traits and
abilities (encompasses any factor that is produced by maturation)
✔✔nurture (environmental factors) - ✔✔emphasis is on environmental influences that
affect a person's development (may be biological, social, societal-level factors)
✔✔theory - ✔✔broad, organized explanations and predictions concerning phenomena
of interest
✔✔6 major perspectives - ✔✔psychodynamic, behavioral, cognitive,humanistic,
contextual, and evolutionary
✔✔psychodynamic perspective - ✔✔states that behavior is motivated by inner forces,
memories, and conflicts of which a person has little awareness or control
, ✔✔psychodynamic perspective - ✔✔includes psychoanalytical and psychosocial
theories
✔✔psychoanalytical theory - ✔✔unconscious forces act to determine personality and
behavior
✔✔psychoanalytical theory - ✔✔Sigmund Freud
✔✔id - ✔✔(*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 - ✔✔(*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)
✔✔superego - ✔✔(*psychoanalytical theory *)
represents a person's conscience; distinctions between right and wrong; learned from
parents, teachers, etc.
✔✔psychosexual development - ✔✔pleasure is focused on a particular biological
function and body part (oral, anal, phallic, genital)
✔✔psychosocial theory - ✔✔encompasses changes is our interactions with and
understandings of one another as well as in our knowledge and understanding of
ourselves as members of society
✔✔psychosocial theory - ✔✔includes 8 stages (page 16: table 1-3)
✔✔psychosocial theory - ✔✔Erik Erikson
✔✔behavioral perspective - ✔✔suggests that keys to understanding development are
observable behavior and outside stimuli in the environment
✔✔behavioral perspective - ✔✔nurture > nature; behavior is result of continuing
exposure to specific factors in environment; quantitative > qualitative
✔✔classical conditioning - ✔✔occurs when an organism learns to respond in a
particular way to neutral stimulus that normally does't evoke response
✔✔classical conditioning - ✔✔John B. Watson
✔✔operant conditioning - ✔✔form of learning in which a voluntary response is
strengthened or weakened by its association with positive or negative consequences
