Attachment
A toddler becomes extremely distressed when their caregiver leaves. When the caregiver returns, the toddler both seeks comfort and angrily pushes the caregiver away.
Insecure/resistant attachment
A toddler sees a red mark placed on their nose and, when looking in a mirror, touches their own nose instead of the reflection.
Self-recognition
A parent is warm and supportive but also sets clear rules and expectations for behavior.
Authoritative parenting style
Several toddlers sit near each other playing with similar toys, but they rarely interact or coordinate their activities. This type of play is:
Parallel play
A young child believes that breaking many cups accidentally is worse than breaking one cup on purpose because more damage occurred. According to Piaget, this reflects:
Heteronomous morality
A baby’s caregiver is consistently warm and responds quickly and appropriately when the baby cries or signals a need. According to research on attachment, this caregiving pattern increases the likelihood that the child will develop:
Secure attachment
A middle school student evaluates their own worth and begins to feel either good or bad about themselves based on academic performance and peer feedback. This overall evaluation of self-worth is called:
self-esteem
A parent places very few demands on their child and allows them to make most decisions independently, often avoiding discipline or strict rules.
Permissive parenting style
Several children play with blocks together, sharing materials and talking, but each child is still working on their own structure rather than toward a shared goal. This type of play is:
Associative play
An older child believes breaking one cup on purpose is worse than accidentally breaking many cups because the person’s intentions matter. According to Piaget, this reflects:
Autonomous morality
A developmental psychologist places infants and caregivers in a lab room where the caregiver briefly leaves and then returns while researchers observe the infant’s reactions. This research method is called:
The Strange Situation Procedure
Jordan feels like everyone at school is constantly watching what he wears and judging what he says, even though most people are focused on themselves.
imaginary audience
A child experiences physical harm or serious emotional harm because a caregiver repeatedly fails to provide adequate supervision and basic needs. Developmental psychologists would classify this situation as:
Childhood maltreatment
Research shows that children who have close friendships often experience less loneliness and may cope better with stressful situations. This highlights one important benefit of having close friends:
Buffering against stress
A child refuses to steal candy because they are afraid they will get caught and punished. According to Kohlberg’s theory, this reflects which level of moral reasoning?
Preconventional moral reasoning
According to this theorist, infants are biologically predisposed to form attachments with caregivers because doing so increases their chances of survival.
John Bowlby
A teenager believes their experiences and emotions are completely unique and that no one else could possibly understand what they are going through.
Personal fable
A child experiences fewer behavioral problems after their parents divorce because the household conflict that previously existed disappears. This theory of divorce is called:
Conflict theory of divorce
A child in class is rarely mentioned when peers are asked who they like or dislike. Most classmates simply do not notice the child much. This sociometric status is called:
Neglected
A teenager follows rules mainly because they want approval from others and want to maintain good relationships with teachers and peers. According to Kohlberg, this reflects:
Conventional moral reasoning
Research shows that children who develop secure attachment in infancy tend to have better social skills and more positive relationships later in life. This belief system about relationships that forms early in development is called an:
Internal working model
A teenager begins to reflect on their romantic attractions and sense of themselves as a sexual being. Developmental psychologists refer to this aspect of identity as:
Sexual identity
A researcher finds that children’s outcomes after divorce are strongly related to whether the family experiences financial hardship after the separation. This theory of divorce is called:
Economic disadvantage theory
A student repeatedly spreads rumors and excludes another student from social activities in order to gain status among peers. Because this behavior involves a power imbalance and repeated harm, it would be classified as:
Bullying (specifically relational bullying)
A researcher argues that traditional theories of moral development focus too heavily on justice and individual rights, while many people—especially women—also emphasize care and responsibility toward others. This critique was proposed by:
Carol Gilligan