EPPP Test Growth and Lifespan Development Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A 5-year-old child is shown two identical short, wide glasses with the same amount of water. An adult then pours the water from one of these glasses into a tall, thin glass. When asked which glass has more water, the child points to the tall, thin glass. According to Piaget's theory, this child's response demonstrates a lack of:
- Object permanence
- Egocentrism
- Conservation (Correct answer)
- Abstract reasoning
Correct answer: Conservation
Conservation is the understanding that something stays the same in quantity even though its appearance changes. The child in the scenario focuses on the height of the water (a single perceptual dimension) and concludes it has more, indicating a lack of conservation, which is characteristic of the preoperational stage of cognitive development.
Question 2: According to Erik Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, which of the following conflicts is the primary task for an individual in adolescence (ages 12-18)?
- Trust vs. Mistrust
- Identity vs. Role Confusion (Correct answer)
- Intimacy vs. Isolation
- Initiative vs. Guilt
Correct answer: Identity vs. Role Confusion
Erikson's fifth stage, occurring during adolescence, is Identity vs. Role Confusion. During this period, teenagers explore their independence and develop a sense of self. Successfully navigating this stage leads to a strong identity, while failure results in confusion about their role in life.
Question 3: In Mary Ainsworth's "Strange Situation" experiment, an infant becomes highly distressed when the caregiver leaves. Upon the caregiver's return, the infant seeks comfort but also displays angry, resistant behavior and is not easily soothed. This pattern is most characteristic of which attachment style?
- Secure attachment
- Anxious-avoidant attachment
- Disorganized attachment
- Anxious-ambivalent/resistant attachment (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Anxious-ambivalent/resistant attachment
Anxious-ambivalent/resistant attachment is characterized by significant distress upon separation and a combination of contact-seeking and angry, resistant behavior upon reunion. These infants are often difficult to soothe and may not return to exploration after the caregiver returns.
Question 4: Which of the following cognitive abilities, often associated with fluid intelligence, is most likely to show a noticeable decline starting in early to middle adulthood and continuing into late adulthood?
- Vocabulary knowledge
- Speed of information processing (Correct answer)
- General world knowledge
- Practical problem-solving (wisdom)
Correct answer: Speed of information processing
Fluid intelligence involves the ability to reason and think flexibly, solve novel problems, and process information quickly. Research indicates that speed of information processing, a key component of fluid intelligence, generally peaks in early adulthood and begins to decline thereafter. The other options are examples of crystallized intelligence, which involves accumulated knowledge and experience and tends to remain stable or increase with age.
Question 5: Lev Vygotsky's concept of the "zone of proximal development" (ZPD) refers to the difference between what a child can achieve:
- in a testing situation versus in a naturalistic setting.
- with concrete objects versus with abstract ideas.
- independently and what they can achieve with guidance from a more skilled person. (Correct answer)
- at the beginning of a school year versus at the end.
Correct answer: independently and what they can achieve with guidance from a more skilled person.
The Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) is a core concept in Vygotsky's sociocultural theory. It is defined as the gap between a learner's ability to perform a task independently and their potential ability when guided by a more knowledgeable other, such as a teacher or peer.
Question 6: A person argues that Heinz should not have stolen the drug for his dying wife because "it's against the law," and if everyone broke the law, society would descend into chaos. According to Lawrence Kohlberg's theory, this person's reasoning is characteristic of which level of moral development?
- Preconventional
- Postconventional
- Conventional (Correct answer)
- Unconventional
Correct answer: Conventional
The Conventional level of moral reasoning is characterized by an acceptance of social rules concerning right and wrong. The reasoning provided—appealing to the law and the importance of maintaining social order—is the hallmark of Stage 4 (Law and Order Orientation) within the Conventional level.
