Developmental Perspectives & Research
This perspective emphasizes how environment, upbringing, and life experiences shape behavior and development.
Nuture
This psychologist proposed that children move through four stages of cognitive development in a fixed order. (Bonus: What country was he from?)
Jean Piaget
Switzerland
Parents who are warm and responsive but still enforce clear rules and expectations are using this parenting style.
Authoritative parenting style
In Pavlov’s research, food naturally triggered salivation. Identify the type of stimulus and the type of response involved.
Unconditioned Stimulus (US) and Unconditioned Response (UR)
When someone copies a behavior they have seen demonstrated by another person, they are engaging in this specific process.
Modeling
A view of development that suggests growth happens gradually and smoothly, rather than in distinct stages.
Continuous development
During this stage, infants learn that objects still exist even when they can’t see them.
Sensorimotor stage
A 50-year-old teacher begins mentoring new educators, volunteers in community programs, and expresses a strong desire to “leave something meaningful behind.” According to Erikson, this reflects successful resolution of which psychosocial stage?
Generativity vs. Stagnation
After repeated pairings, a previously neutral stimulus begins triggering a learned response. What are the names of this new stimulus and the learned response it produces?
Conditioned stimulus (CS) and Conditioned response (CR)
This famous experiment showed that children imitate aggressive behavior observed from adults performing.
Bobo doll experiment
The research method that involves following the same group of participants over many years to track developmental change.
Longitudinal study
This concept refers to the range between what a learner can do independently and what they can accomplish with guidance from someone more knowledgeable.
Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and scaffolding
In western society, a may 24-year-old feel anxious because most of their friends are advancing in their careers, while they feel “behind in life.” This distress reflects internalized cultural expectations known as this.
Social clock
A teacher takes away a student’s phone privileges after repeated disruptions. Is this positive or negative, and is it reinforcement or punishment?
Negative punishment
A student begins participating more in class after seeing a classmate rewarded for speaking up. This form of indirect learning is called...
Vicarious conditioning
A psychologist compares memory performance in 25-, 45-, and 65-year-olds, testing each group only once. This type of research design is called this.
Cross-sectional study
A child insists that a taller glass holds more juice than a shorter one, even after watching the same amount poured between them. This mistake reflects what concept, and which stage is the child likely in?
Lack of conservation — Preoperational stage
A teenager strongly commits to a career path chosen by their parents without exploring other options. According to Marcia, this identity status is called...
Identity foreclosure
A dog was conditioned to salivate at the sound of a tone. After repeated presentations of the tone without food, the salivation gradually stopped. Two weeks later, the tone is played again, and the dog briefly begins salivating before the response fades once more.
Spontaneous recovery
After repeatedly watching influencers online receive attention and praise for risky prank videos, a teenager begins posting similar videos to gain attention. This behavior change supports which theory?
Social Learning Theory
When researchers investigate whether personality traits remain consistent from childhood into adulthood, they are studying this developmental question.
Stability vs. Change
This developmental model explains how a child is influenced by multiple environmental layers, from family and school to cultural values and historical events. Additionally, name all layers in the model (5).
Ecological systems model: Microsystem; Mesosystem; Exosystem; Macrosystem; Chronosystem;
A high schooler frequently changes their style, experiments with different friend groups and belief systems, argues with their parents about long-held values, and admits feeling anxious and uncertain about who they really are. Despite the tension, they are actively exploring different possibilities before making long-term commitments.
Identity moratorium
One student receives snacks after every assignment completed, while another receives snacks after an unpredictable number of completed assignments. Which student is more likely to continue working if praise stops, and what reinforcement schedule explains this?
The second student — Variable-ratio schedule
A delivery driver takes a new job in a large city. During the first week, they drive around without using GPS, gradually learning the layout of neighborhoods and shortcuts. Later, when a major road is closed, they are still able to navigate efficiently using alternative routes. This ability supports what theory?
Tolman's Cognitive Map Theory