PSYC 103 – Exam 1 Study Guide (Chapters 1–4)
Instructions:
This study guide is intended to help you prepare for Exam 1, covering Chapters 1–4. Use it to
follow along during lectures and to organize your own notes. Space is provided under each
section for your handwritten or typed notes.
CHAPTER 1: Introduction to Lifespan Development
Key Topics to Understand:
Definition and goals of lifespan development
→ What does it mean to study development “from womb to tomb”?
Key issues in development
→ Nature vs. nurture:
→ Continuity vs. discontinuity:
→ Stability vs. change:
Domains of development
→ Physical:
→ Cognitive:
→ Psychosocial:
Periods of development:
→ Prenatal, infancy/toddlerhood, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence, early
adulthood, middle adulthood, late adulthood
Major theories and perspectives
→ Freud’s psychosexual theory:
→ Erikson’s psychosocial stages:
→ Piaget’s cognitive development:
→ Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory:
→ Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory:
Any additional lecture Notes:
PSYC103 Study Guide — Chapter 1 Questions
1. What is the definition and scope of lifespan development?
2. How do major developmental issues like nature vs. nurture and continuity vs.
discontinuity frame our understanding of human growth?
3. Describe the physical, cognitive, and psychosocial domains of development.
4. What are the major developmental periods across the lifespan?
5. Summarize Freud’s psychosexual stages and their importance to personality
development.
6. Explain Erikson’s psychosocial stages and how they differ from Freud’s theory.
7. What are Piaget’s stages of cognitive development, and why are they important?
8. How does Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory differ from Piaget’s cognitive theory?
9. What is Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory, and how does it explain
environmental influences?
10. Compare and contrast different research methods in developmental psychology:
experiments, surveys, naturalistic observation, and case studies.
11. What are normative age-graded, history-graded, and non-normative life events? Provide
examples.
12. What are the strengths and limitations of cross-sectional and longitudinal study designs?
13. How does the cohort effect influence interpretation of developmental research findings?
CHAPTER 2: Pregnancy and Prenatal Development
Focus Areas:
The 3 stages of prenatal development
→ Germinal (weeks 0–2):
→ Embryonic (weeks 3–8):
→ Fetal (week 9–birth):
Key developmental milestones in each stage
Viability and critical periods
Teratogens
→ Definition and examples:
→ Timing and dose-related effects:
Maternal health and prenatal care
→ Impact of stress, nutrition, substance exposure
Genetic and environmental interactions (epigenetics)
Additional Lecture Notes:
Chapter 2 – Pregnancy and Prenatal Development Study Guide Questions
1. What are the three stages of prenatal development, and what key processes characterize
each stage?
2. How does the timing of teratogen exposure affect the severity and type of fetal
abnormalities?
3. Define viability and explain its significance for prenatal and neonatal care.
4. What role does maternal nutrition and health play in shaping prenatal development
outcomes?
5. How do epigenetic mechanisms influence the interaction between genes and the prenatal
environment?
6. Why are critical periods important to understanding prenatal vulnerability?
7. What prenatal screening and diagnostic techniques are commonly used, and what are
their purposes?
8. How can maternal behaviors such as smoking or stress impact fetal growth and later child
development?
9. Compare and contrast the germinal, embryonic, and fetal periods in terms of growth, risk
factors, and developmental milestones.
10. Discuss why longitudinal research designs are particularly valuable for studying prenatal
influences on development.
CHAPTER 3: Physical and Cognitive Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood
Study These Concepts:
Physical growth patterns
→ Cephalocaudal (head-down)
→ Proximodistal (center-out)
Brain development
→ Synaptogenesis and pruning:
→ Myelination:
Motor skills
→ Reflexes:
→ Gross vs. fine motor milestones:
Cognitive development
→ Piaget’s sensorimotor stage:
→ Object permanence and A-not-B error:
→ Deferred imitation:
Language development
→ Stages of expressive language (babbling, holophrases, telegraphic speech)
→ Receptive vs. expressive language
→ Fast mapping:
Role of nutrition, stimulation, and caregiving
Additional Lecture Notes:
Chapter 3 – Physical and Cognitive Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood Study Guide
Questions
1. Describe the cephalocaudal and proximodistal patterns of physical growth and provide
examples of each.
2. What is synaptic pruning, and why is it important in early brain development?
3. How do nutrition and environmental stimulation interact to influence cognitive and
physical development in infancy?
4. Explain the concept of object permanence and how it relates to infant cognitive
development.
5. What is the significance of motor milestones such as grasping and walking for overall
development?
6. Describe the stages of early language development, including babbling, holophrases, and
telegraphic speech.
7. How does joint attention facilitate social and language learning in infants?
8. Discuss the potential long-term cognitive effects of malnutrition in early childhood.
9. What is fast mapping, and how does it contribute to vocabulary growth?
10. Explain the difference between receptive and expressive language and their
developmental trajectories.
11. Describe deferred imitation and its role in memory and learning during infancy.
12. Why is myelination important for motor skills and cognitive processing?
13. How can caregivers support optimal physical and cognitive development in infants?
CHAPTER 4: Social and Emotional Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood
Review These Topics:
Erikson’s stage: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
→ How toddlers develop independence
Temperament
→ Types: easy, difficult, slow-to-warm-up
→ Goodness-of-fit model
Attachment theory (Bowlby & Ainsworth)
→ Secure vs. insecure attachment:
→ Strange Situation assessment:
Self-awareness and identity
→ Mirror recognition (rouge test)
→ Self-concept development:
Emotional development
→ Primary vs. self-conscious emotions:
→ Emotion regulation skills:
→ Social referencing:
Additional Lecture Notes:
Chapter 4 – Social and Emotional Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood Study Guide
Questions
1. How and when does self-awareness typically emerge in infants and toddlers?
2. Compare the easy, difficult, and slow-to-warm-up temperament types, and describe how
these can influence caregiving.
3. What is attachment, and how do different attachment styles develop?
4. Describe the Strange Situation procedure and what it reveals about infant-caregiver
attachment.
5. How do toddlers develop emotional regulation skills, and why are these important for
social functioning?
6. What is social referencing, and how does it influence infant behavior in uncertain
situations?
7. Explain the “goodness of fit” model and its relevance for supporting children with
different temperaments.
8. Distinguish between primary emotions and self-conscious emotions in early
development.
9. Describe Erikson’s stage of autonomy versus doubt and its significance in toddlerhood.
10. How can caregivers effectively provide emotional coaching to toddlers?
11. What behaviors characterize disorganized attachment, and what are the typical caregiver
interactions associated with it?
12. Why is sensitive and consistent caregiver responsiveness important for secure attachment
and emotional development?
FINAL REVIEW REMINDERS:
• Be able to define and apply terms (vocabulary counts!)
• Know developmental sequences and timing of key milestones
• Understand how theories explain human behavior differently
• Think about how biology and the environment interact
• Reflect on real-life applications of development (parenting, education, etc.)
Exam Format:
• 50 multiple-choice questions (4 choices each)
• Covers all levels of Bloom’s Taxonomy (recall, apply, analyze, evaluate)
