Parenting Power Plays
The Aging Chronicles
Nature vs. Nurture Wars
From Playdates to Peer Pressure
Growing Up Is a Group Project
Why Did They DO That?
Nice or Nah?
Oof, That’s Biased
Normies Unite!
I Saw Nothing and I Confessed Anyway
100
Growing up, Darius knew his parents had rules, but they always explained the reasons behind them and let him make his own choices when possible. Now, he’s self-assured and able to bounce back from setbacks.
What parenting style did Darius likely experience?
Authoritative Parenting
100
What parenting style do Matilda's parents have?
Neglectful
100
Tyrell is introduced to a brand-new board game. Although he's never played it before, he quickly figures out the rules and begins strategizing after just a few rounds.
What type of intelligence is Tyrell using?
What is fluid intelligence?
100
After watching a documentary, Leo says he believes anyone can be trained to succeed in any career, no matter their natural talents.
Which psychologist’s theory does Leo’s opinion most closely reflect?
What is John B. Watson?
100
True or False:
Julia, a preschooler, becomes extremely distressed when her caregiver leaves and remains inconsolable upon their return. This pattern reflects secure attachment and builds trust in future relationships.
False
100
When Jordan’s coworker misses a deadline, he assumes she’s lazy rather than thinking she might be overwhelmed or stressed.
What kind of attribution is Jordan using to explain her behavior?
Dispositional Attribution
100
A political candidate gives a detailed speech explaining her education policies, using statistics and examples to support each point. Her audience leaves feeling more confident in her abilities.
Which route to persuasion does this reflect?
What is the central route?
100
In a group project, everyone agrees on a design that Ava dislikes. She goes along with it without saying anything because she doesn’t want to seem difficult.
What is Ava demonstrating?
What is conformity?
100
When Leo donates anonymously to a family in need after a house fire — and doesn’t tell anyone — his behavior best reflects this psychological concept.
Altruism
100
A detective disregards alibi evidence because it doesn’t “fit the story.” What’s happening here?
They’re experiencing confirmation bias — rejecting conflicting info to preserve their theory.
200
What parenting style is being shown in this image?
Permissive Parenting
200
What parenting style is demonstrated in this video?
https://youtu.be/u9DbF2PMrDs?si=kHgUmS5XEG_WlLnQ&t=49
Bonus: According to Erikson, what is Marlin discouraging Nemo from developing in this scene?
Authoritarian
Bonus: What is autonomy?
200
When Carlos helps his nephew with homework, he easily explains vocabulary words and historical references he learned years ago in school.
What type of intelligence is Carlos using to recall this information?
What is crystallized intelligence?
200
A study explores musical talent by comparing identical twins raised together and apart. The researchers aim to determine whether ability comes from inherited traits or life experiences.
What fundamental developmental debate are they exploring?
What is nature vs. nurture?
200
Baby Jalen cries when his caregiver leaves the room but quickly calms down when she returns and comforts him. Over time, he has learned that his needs will be met consistently.
What psychosocial stage is Jalen in according to Erikson, and what is the main developmental goal of this stage?
What is Trust vs. Mistrust; the goal is to develop a sense of security and trust in caregivers.
200
During a crowded morning commute, a stranger aggressively cuts in front of Mira and snaps, “Move.” Mira immediately assumes the person has a hostile personality and tells her coworker that “people are just awful nowadays.”
Later, footage shows the stranger had been running late because they were assisting a child who collapsed on the bus.
What concept does Mira’s reaction illustrate, and why is she especially prone to it in this situation?
What is the fundamental attribution error—people over-attribute a stranger’s rude behavior to their character and underestimate situational pressures, especially when the person is unfamiliar and the act is negative?
200
Samantha buys a new skincare product after seeing a celebrity promote it and thinking their skin looks smooth, clear, and youthful.
Which route to persuasion does this best represent?
What is the peripheral route?
200
After hearing that a man was evicted and later assaulted while living on the street, Micah comments, “Well, maybe if he had made better choices earlier in life, none of that would’ve happened.”
What psychological concept is Micah demonstrating?
What is the Just-World Phenomenon?
200
A realtor forms unfavorable conclusions about tenants with service animals and then refuses to schedule property tours for them.
Which pair of concepts from social psychology describes this pattern?
What are Prejudice (affect) and Discrimination (behavior)?
200
How do minimization and maximization work together to encourage false confessions?
They create a psychological trap: downplaying the crime (minimization) while threatening harsh punishment (maximization) makes confessing feel like the safest option — even for innocent people.
300
After growing up in a chaotic home with inconsistent caregiving, Eliza now finds relationships both deeply desirable and terrifying. She struggles with emotional regulation and feels unsafe whether she's close to someone or alone.
What attachment style best fits Eliza’s experience?
Anxious-Disorganized
300
When Lucas, age 3, sees the moon in the sky, he insists it's following him wherever he goes. He’s convinced it moves just for him.
What cognitive stage is Lucas in, and what is the primary cognitive characteristic of this stage?
What is the Preoperational Stage; Egocentrism?
300
To explore language development, a researcher follows one group of bilingual children from kindergarten through high school, testing their fluency at regular intervals.
What is the name of this research method?
What is longitudinal research?
300
When Mateo is upset, he chooses to be held by his older sister rather than their nanny, even though the nanny is the one who feeds and dresses him every day.
What concept from developmental psychology helps explain Mateo’s preference?
Harlow’s theory of attachment through contact comfort?
300
As fans leave a stadium after a close, emotionally charged game, a small child begins crying near an exit gate. The area is loud and crowded, with people moving quickly toward the exits. Several adults briefly notice the child, but the flow of the crowd continues around them.
What concepts best explain the delay in helping?
The bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility
300
During a group discussion, two international students disagree on why someone arrived late to class. One blames the person’s lack of time management, while the other suggests the person may have had trouble with public transportation or family responsibilities before class.
How does culture help explain the difference in these attribution styles?
The student who blames the person is likely from an individualistic culture, while the student who focuses on the situation is likely from a collectivistic culture.
300
A neighbor asks Priya to water one plant while they are away. After Priya agrees, the neighbor asks if she can also bring in the mail and feed the cat.
How would a social psychologist explain Maya’s response?
What is the foot-in-the-door phenomenon?
300
Emma considers volunteering at an event but decides not to because it’s far away, and she doesn’t know anyone going.
Her decision best aligns with this theory of helping behavior.
What is social exchange theory?
300
When a coach assumes girls are less competitive, she gives male players more leadership roles in practice. Over time, the girls stop volunteering — reinforcing the coach’s original belief.
What concept best explains how this belief became “true” in behavior?
What is a self-fulfilling prophecy influenced by stereotypes?
300
After a burglary, Dana is interviewed about what she remembers. During her testimony, she confidently states that the suspect was wearing a blue backpack. However, surveillance footage later shows the suspect didn’t have a backpack at all. Investigators realize Dana had discussed the event with others before giving her official statement.
What might explain how Dana came to remember the backpack detail?
The misinformation effect — her memory was likely altered by post-event information, such as hearing others mention a backpack before she gave her account.
400
A 15-year-old gets to class after the lecture has already started. She reaches for the door, freezes, and decides to miss the class instead. Later, she says she knew it was probably not a big deal, but in the moment it felt unbearable.
Imaginary Audience
400
A babysitter gives two kids one cookie each. One kid complains their sibling “got more,” so the babysitter breaks their cookie into two pieces. The child cheers, believing they now have more than before.
What cognitive stage are they in, and what concept are they failing?
What is the concrete stage and a failure of conservation?
400
A researcher wants to explore how time spent on social media differs by age. She surveys groups of 12-year-olds, 22-year-olds, and 32-year-olds and compares their usage patterns.
What type of research method is the researcher using?
What is cross-sectional research?
400
A new employee knows a company policy seems unethical, but continues following it because their supervisor says, “This is how we do it here, and I’ll take responsibility.” Which classic study does this situation best connect to?
Milgram obedience study
400
In the Stanford Prison Experiment, some guards insisted they were “just enforcing rules” even as they addressed prisoners only by number and ignored their distress.
Which two psychological processes helped them reduce guilt while escalating mistreatment?
What are dehumanization and cognitive dissonance?
400
At a conference, Nia enters a session where the presenter asks attendees to use a response system she has never seen before. She cannot tell whether she should scan the screen code or open the event app, so she watches how others begin logging in before deciding what to do.
Which social psychology concept is being shown?
Informational social influence —
Nia is unsure what the correct action is, so she uses other people’s behavior as information to guide her decision.
400
Jordan volunteers at a local food bank and values helping others. At work, he recently accepted a promotion that requires reducing funding to social programs. He tells himself, “If I do well in this role, I’ll be able to help more people in the long run.”
What psychological concept is Jordan experiencing, and how is he attempting to resolve it?
What is cognitive dissonance
He reduces the tension by justifying the action as a long-term benefit, reframing the situation to protect his self-image.
400
During mock jury selection, participants read a brief profile of a potential juror. The profile only lists basic background information, but several participants predict how the juror would interpret testimony before hearing anything the person actually says.
What concept best explains this judgment?
What are stereotypes?
400
Despite video evidence showing he couldn’t have committed the crime, a suspect’s confession is still used in court. The confession includes minor errors and no detail that wasn’t fed by the detective.
Why might jurors still believe it?
People tend to believe that confessions equal guilt. Jurors may undervalue contradicting evidence and overestimate the reliability of confessions due to confirmation bias and flawed assumptions about how memory and guilt work.
400
A victim confidently identifies someone in a lineup but later admits they mostly remember the knife the attacker held. Investigators note she had trouble focusing during the interview.
Why should this identification be treated cautiously?
Because weapon focus likely impaired memory for facial features, and high stress may have reduced accuracy — even though her confidence gives a false sense of reliability.
500
Layla, now 17, has recently pulled away from long-time friends and stopped participating in activities she used to love. She shifts her personality depending on who she’s around and feels anxious when people ask about her future plans. Despite trying different roles, nothing feels “real” to her.
What stage of Erikson’s theory is Layla likely in, and what does it seem like her current resolution of that stage is?
What is Identity vs. Role Confusion, and she is experiencing Role Confusion?
500
A toddler tries to brush their hair, but the parent always grabs the brush “to save time,” completing the whole routine themselves. The toddler soon stops initiating self-care tasks.
Which Eriksonian stage applies, why does this parenting style influence it, and what will the child likely experience?
What is autonomy vs. shame & doubt—because the parent prevents independence, leading to shame and doubt?
500
List Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development in order, starting from infancy. For each stage, identify its key cognitive milestone or ability.
(1) Sensorimotor – object permanence
(2) Preoperational – egocentrism,
(3) Concrete Operational – conservation
(4) Formal Operational – Imaginary Audience/Personal fable
500
During a hiring process, a manager feels uncomfortable with an applicant’s accent, believes they may not be competent, and ultimately doesn’t schedule a second interview.
What do the ABCs of this situation reflect?
Affect – manager is uncomfortable (prejudice)
Cognition – believes they are not competent (stereotype)
Behavior – doesn't schedule the 2nd interview (discrimination).
500
At 50, Raymond has built a stable adult life, but lately feels like he is just repeating the same routine without much purpose. He is not unhappy exactly, but he feels like his life has stopped moving forward.
Identify Erikson’s stage and outcome.
Generativity vs. stagnation, with stagnation as the outcome?
500
During jury deliberation, Angela says, “He acted that way because he’s unstable — probably always has been.” Meanwhile, Marcus responds, “He grew up in an abusive home and had no support — anyone might have done the same.”
Identify the type of attribution each juror is using, and explain how those perspectives might influence their final decision.
Angela is using dispositional attribution
Marcus is using situational attribution.
These perspectives could influence whether they assign personal blame or consider mitigating factors when evaluating the defendant’s actions.
500
At a busy gas station, a woman notices a child alone and crying but hesitates. A few moments later, another woman approaches and comforts the child.
What might explain why the first woman didn’t help and why the second one did?
The first woman may have experienced diffusion of responsibility — she assumed someone else would step in.
In contrast, the second woman may have
- interpreted the child as clearly needing help
- felt personally responsible
- was not in a hurry
- had recently observed helping behavior
-was in a good mood
- believed she was capable of helping.
500
During jury deliberations, Lena is not convinced by the evidence. As the group discusses the case, several jurors confidently argue for a guilty verdict. Lena starts to disagree, but after noticing the group’s reaction, she votes with them instead.
Which concept explains Lena’s behavior, and what famous study does this resemble?
What is normative social influence — similar to what was observed in the Asch conformity experiment.
500
During a high-profile case, investigators use a failed polygraph to pressure the suspect. “The machine says you’re lying. Why don’t you just confess?” The suspect eventually does.
What are the legal and psychological concerns here?
Using the polygraph as a coercive tool creates psychological pressure and can lead to false confessions. The suspect may believe their guilt is “proven,” which undermines voluntariness and legal fairness.