PSY 203 Study Guide
for Departmental Final Exam
- What is human
development? Briefly discuss environment contexts for development.
- Differentiate
between nature and nurture with regard to development.
- What is the
difference between a cross-sectional and a longitudinal research design?
- Briefly describe
the information processing view of human development with regard to
gains in processing capacity.
- Explain the
importance of social interaction according to Vygotsky’s sociocultural
theory.
- Outline the
phases of prenatal development, noting the major milestones that occur
in each phase.
- What is Down
Syndrome? How does a mother’s age affect the risk of bearing a baby
with Down Syndrome?
- What is a
teratogen? In which stage of prenatal development is the unborn child
most vulnerable to teratogens?
- Differentiate
between the cephalocaudal trend and the proximodistal trend in terms of
physical growth and motor control.
- List and
describe the three basic infant temperaments as described by Thomas and
Chess.
- Describe the
findings of Harry Harlow’s research with baby monkeys.
- What is
attachment? List and describe patterns of infant attachment studied by
Mary Ainsworth.
- How does a
father’s involvement with a baby affect the child’s development?
- Outline and
describe the eight psychosocial stages of development proposed by Erik
Erikson, indicating the ages of each stage.
- Outline and
describe the four stages of cognitive development proposed by Jean
Piaget, indicating the ages of each stage.
- What is the
difference between assimilation and accommodation?
- Differentiate
between the nativist, behaviorist, and interactionist perspectives of
language development. What evidence supports each theory?
- Outline and
explain the three levels of moral development proposed by Lawrence
Kohlberg.
- Discuss physical
changes associated with puberty in both boys and girls.
- Which area of
the brain is the last to mature in humans?
- Discuss sex
differences in aggressiveness and verbal and math abilities.
- Which age group
has the highest ratio of attempted to completed suicides?
- Outline the four
identity statuses proposed by James Marcia. What are the main two
dimensions considered with the four statuses?
- Do the Big Five
personality traits tend to change or remain relatively stable through
middle adulthood?
- How common is a
midlife crisis? What is a midlife transition?
- Describe changes
in gender identity in midlife.
- What is the
empty nest period? How do most parents react to it?
- At what age does
menopause typically occur?
- List and
describe the three components of personality proposed by Sigmund Freud.
- Contrast
Erikson’s theory of development with Freud’s theory of development.
- Why do students
drop out of college?
- What is active
lifespan?
- Describe trends
in housing arrangements for older adults. Why do many elders live in
their own homes?
- Discuss factors
associated with elder maltreatment.
- Discuss indirect
self-destructive acts that are common with suicide in old age.
- List factors in
late adulthood that increase the likelihood of falling.
- What is osteoporosis?
- What is a kinkeeper? Who usually assumes this
role in the family?
- Differentiate between problem-centered coping and
emotion-centered coping with regard to stress management.
- Describe fluid and crystallized intelligence, and
discuss changes in these types of intelligence as people move through
adulthood.
- Do women or men have a longer life expectancy?