APA Developmental Psychology 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to Piaget, during which stage do children first develop object permanence?
- Preoperational
- Concrete operational
- Sensorimotor (Correct answer)
- Formal operational
Correct answer: Sensorimotor
Object permanence — the understanding that objects continue to exist when out of sight — develops during the sensorimotor stage (birth–2 years).
Question 2: Erikson's stage of 'Trust vs. Mistrust' occurs during which period?
- Early childhood (2–4 years)
- Adolescence
- Infancy (birth–18 months) (Correct answer)
- Middle adulthood
Correct answer: Infancy (birth–18 months)
Trust vs. Mistrust is Erikson's first psychosocial stage, occurring in infancy, where consistent caregiving fosters basic trust.
Question 3: What does Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) describe?
- Skills a child can master independently
- The range between what a child can do alone and with guidance (Correct answer)
- The maximum cognitive ability possible at a given age
- Biological readiness for formal schooling
Correct answer: The range between what a child can do alone and with guidance
The ZPD is the gap between a learner's current independent capability and what they can achieve with scaffolding from a more knowledgeable other.
Question 4: Which attachment style, identified by Ainsworth, is characterized by distress at separation and resistance to comfort upon reunion?
- Secure attachment
- Anxious-avoidant attachment
- Anxious-ambivalent (resistant) attachment (Correct answer)
- Disorganized attachment
Correct answer: Anxious-ambivalent (resistant) attachment
Anxious-ambivalent (resistant) infants are highly distressed when separated and then both seek and resist comfort from the caregiver upon reunion.
Question 5: According to Kohlberg, at the conventional level of moral reasoning, decisions are guided by:
- Avoiding punishment
- Abstract principles of justice
- Social rules and others' approval (Correct answer)
- Personal gain only
Correct answer: Social rules and others' approval
At Kohlberg's conventional level, moral reasoning centers on maintaining social order, following rules, and seeking approval from others.
Question 6: Which term describes the process by which children incorporate new information into existing cognitive schemas?
- Accommodation
- Equilibration
- Assimilation (Correct answer)
- Conservation
Correct answer: Assimilation
Assimilation is Piaget's term for fitting new experiences into existing schemas without altering those schemas.
APA Developmental Psychology 1
According to Piaget, during which stage do children first develop object permanence?