BAPSY Dynamics of Human Development and Behavior 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, what term describes the gap between what a child can do independently and what they can achieve with guidance?
- Cognitive dissonance
- Zone of proximal development (Correct answer)
- Scaffolding threshold
- Assimilation gap
Correct answer: Zone of proximal development
The zone of proximal development (ZPD) is Vygotsky's concept describing tasks a learner cannot yet do alone but can accomplish with skilled assistance.
Question 2: Which attachment style, identified by Mary Ainsworth, is characterized by a child who shows little distress when separated from the caregiver and ignores them upon return?
- Secure attachment
- Anxious-ambivalent attachment
- Avoidant attachment (Correct answer)
- Disorganized attachment
Correct answer: Avoidant attachment
Avoidant attachment involves children who have learned not to rely on caregivers and show minimal emotional response to separation or reunion.
Question 3: In Bronfenbrenner's ecological systems theory, which system contains the immediate environments in which a person directly participates, such as family and school?
- Mesosystem
- Exosystem
- Macrosystem
- Microsystem (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Microsystem
The microsystem includes the immediate settings and people with whom a person has direct contact, such as family, peers, and school.
Question 4: A teenager who frequently changes their self-description and values depending on social context is best described as experiencing which identity status, per Marcia's theory?
- Identity achievement
- Identity foreclosure
- Identity diffusion (Correct answer)
- Identity moratorium
Correct answer: Identity diffusion
Identity diffusion is characterized by a lack of both exploration and commitment, leading to inconsistent and unstable self-concept.
Question 5: Which theorist proposed the concept of 'generativity vs. stagnation' as a central challenge of middle adulthood?
- Carl Jung
- Erik Erikson (Correct answer)
- Lawrence Kohlberg
- Daniel Levinson
Correct answer: Erik Erikson
Erikson's seventh stage of psychosocial development places generativity—contributing to future generations—against stagnation in middle adulthood.
Question 6: The 'still-face paradigm' developed by Edward Tronick is used to study which aspect of infant development?
- Object permanence
- Language acquisition
- Social-emotional responsiveness (Correct answer)
- Motor milestone timing
Correct answer: Social-emotional responsiveness
The still-face paradigm reveals how infants respond to a caregiver's sudden emotional withdrawal, demonstrating early social-emotional sensitivity.
Question 7: Which phenomenon describes the tendency for individuals in late adulthood to prioritize emotionally meaningful goals and close relationships over new information-seeking?
- Terminal decline
- Selective optimization with compensation
- Socioemotional selectivity theory (Correct answer)
- Activity theory
Correct answer: Socioemotional selectivity theory
Socioemotional selectivity theory (Carstensen) holds that as people perceive limited time horizons, they shift priorities toward emotionally rewarding relationships.
