Psychosocial/Moral Development
After starting college, Maya begins to question who she really is, exploring different identities, career paths, and friend groups.
What is identity vs. role confusion?
When you hide a rattle under a blanket, 8-month-old Jayden doesn’t look for it. But by 12 months, he lifts the blanket to find it.
What is object permanence?
A commercial uses a celebrity to sell soda, relying on their looks and popularity—not facts about the drink.
What is the peripheral route of persuasion?
When Natalie sees someone trip, she assumes they’re clumsy—without considering the sidewalk was cracked.
What is the fundamental attribution error?
To study for her psych exam, Jess creates flashcards, quizzes herself, and teaches the material to her cat.
What is active recall or retrieval practice?
At 42, Carlos worries he’s not making a difference. He starts volunteering, mentoring younger coworkers, and wonders if he’s leaving a positive legacy.
What is generativity vs. stagnation?
Six-year-old Emma insists that her short, wide cup has less juice than her friend’s tall skinny glass—even though they hold the same amount. What stage is she in?
preoperational stage
During a debate, a candidate lays out clear data and statistics to support their policy ideas.
What is the central route of persuasion?
After failing her driving test, Olivia says it was because of the rain. But when her friend fails, she says it’s because he didn’t study.
What is dispositional vs. situational attribution?
Bryce uses a colorful diagram to connect all the main ideas from his textbook chapter.
What is a mind map or visual encoding?
Liam doesn’t cheat on the test because he’s afraid he’ll get caught and punished.
What is preconventional morality?
Three-year-old Max covers his eyes during hide-and-seek because he thinks if he can’t see you, you can’t see him.
What is egocentrism?
A charity asks Emma to sign a petition. After she agrees, they ask her to make a donation.
What is the foot-in-the-door technique?
When Marcus wins an award, he credits his talent. When he loses, he blames the judges.
What is self-serving bias?
To remember the planets, Sam uses the phrase “My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nachos.”
What is a mnemonic device?
Jasmine believes rules should be followed to maintain social order—even if the rules are unfair.
What is conventional morality?
A child calls every four-legged animal a “dog” until they are corrected and learn that not all animals with four legs are dogs.
What is accommodation?
First you're asked to donate $100 to a cause, but after saying no, they ask for just $10 instead.
What is the door-in-the-face technique?
You hear the same rumor three times and begin to believe it must be true.
What is the mere-exposure effect or repetition effect?
Researchers track a group of kids from age 5 to age 25 to study how friendships change over time.
What is a longitudinal study?
An activist breaks a law she believes is unjust, explaining her decision is based on human rights, not legal consequences.
What is postconventional morality?
When shown a horse and told it’s a “big dog,” a child adds that to their existing schema for “dog.”
What is assimilation?
You agree to buy a car advertised for $15,000, but later learn there are extra fees and costs—but you still go through with the purchase.
What is lowballing?
You believe attractive people are smarter and more successful, even without any evidence.
What is the halo effect?
One challenge of a 20-year study is that many participants drop out or move away.
What is attrition?