Parenting Power Plays
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
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
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?
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?
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
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?
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 by changing her response to match the group?
What is conformity?
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
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.
They’re experiencing confirmation bias — rejecting conflicting info to preserve their theory.
Leo’s parents let him decide everything from his bedtime to whether he goes to school. They rarely step in, hoping he’ll “figure it out.” Now, he finds it difficult to respect authority or stay focused on tasks.
What parenting style did Leo likely experience?
Permissive Parenting
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.
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?
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?
Janelle says she got an “A” on her paper because she worked really hard, but says she failed her math quiz because the teacher didn’t explain things clearly.
According to attribution theory, how do people tend to explain their successes and failures?
They take credit for successes and blame external factors for failures.
Samantha is persuaded to buy a new skincare product after watching a celebrity endorsement, even though she didn’t look at any of the ingredient lists or research.
Which route to persuasion does this best represent?
What is the peripheral route?
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?
Brandon buys lunch for a colleague who gave him a ride to work that morning. He says, “It just felt like the right thing to do.”
What psychological principle best explains Brandon’s behavior?
What is the Reciprocity Norm?
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.
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
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?
To explore language development, a researcher follows a 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?
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?
What is: Harlow’s theory of attachment through contact comfort?
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 they were delayed by external circumstances.
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.
First, Leah agrees to sign a petition supporting park renovations. A week later, she’s asked to volunteer on the fundraising committee and says yes.
Which social influence technique does this situation demonstrate?
What is the foot-in-the-door phenomenon?
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?
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?
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.
Ava giggles every time her dad disappears behind his hands during peek-a-boo and squeals when he reappears. She’s beginning to realize things still exist even when she can’t see them.
What cognitive stage is Ava in, and what major concept is she developing?
Sensorimotor Stage; Developing object permanence.
A developmental psychologist begins a study by selecting participants who are currently 8, 13, and 18 years old. She plans to track each group for the next 10 years to observe how technology use impacts cognitive flexibility over time.
What type of research method is the psychologist using?
What is sequential research?
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?
In a hospital training simulation, interns are instructed by a senior doctor to perform a risky procedure on a mannequin. They comply, despite personal hesitation. Later, researchers note the doctor remained in the room, the hospital was nationally ranked, and the patient was never seen—only referred to on a monitor.
Which study does this echo, and what factors likely influenced the interns’ obedience?
What is the Milgram experiment
Obedience increased by proximity to authority, prestige of institution, and depersonalization of the victim?
In a college seminar, a professor asks a controversial question. Miguel changes his answer after hearing the rest of the group respond. Naomi, however, sticks with her original answer even though it differs from everyone else’s.
What might explain why Miguel conformed and Naomi didn’t? And what factors may have made him more likely to conform in this situation?
This is likely informational social influence — Miguel may have believed the group was more knowledgeable, while Naomi trusted her own judgment despite group disagreement.
Miguel may have:
– assumed the group had better information
– lacked confidence in his initial answer
– felt uncertain due to the topic
– been surrounded by confident group members
– been unsure of class norms or expectations
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’s experiencing a conflict between his prosocial values and his professional actions. He reduces the tension by justifying the action as a long-term benefit, reframing the situation to protect his self-image.
At the end of a football game, a child becomes separated from their parent and begins crying near the stadium exit. Despite dozens of adults passing by, no one stops to help.
Which two concepts best explain this lack of response?
What are the bystander effect and diffusion of responsibility?
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.
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.
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?
Ethan, age 5, used to enjoy pretending to be a firefighter or leading games at school. But lately, after being repeatedly dismissed or criticized by adults when he tries to help; he’s become withdrawn and hesitant. He now avoids making decisions and waits for others to take the lead.
What psychosocial stage is Ethan likely in, what conclusion is he starting to form about himself, and what are the potential long-term risks if this pattern continues?
What is Initiative vs. Guilt
Ethan is concluding that his efforts are wrong or bothersome turning into Guilt
Long-term risks include chronic self-doubt, reduced creativity, and avoidance of leadership or responsibility.
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
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 – discomfort (prejudice)
Cognition – belief about competence (stereotype)
Behavior – not scheduling interview (discrimination).
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.
At a gas station, a woman notices a child alone and crying but hesitates. A few moments later, another woman approaches and comforts the child — even though she didn’t see what happened.
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.
Lena is taking part in a mock jury trial. When the group begins to vote, she notices everyone is choosing “guilty” — even though she’s unsure. Despite her doubts, she also votes “guilty” to avoid conflict.
What type of influence is shaping 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.
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.
During a robbery investigation, a 17-year-old is brought in as a suspect. Witnesses described the gun clearly but gave conflicting descriptions of the suspect’s face. After a 9-hour interrogation with no lawyer present, the teen eventually confesses. The confession includes some details fed to him earlier in the interview and contradicts surveillance footage.
Based on this scenario, what are two key psychological reasons why this confession should be considered unreliable?
The confession is likely unreliable due to:
(1) weapon focus impairing eyewitness identification — making it unclear whether the teen was accurately identified —
(2) psychological coercion and vulnerability, since the teen was isolated, possibly fed information, and exposed to a high-pressure environment without legal counsel. These conditions increase the risk of a false confession.