Psychology Module 1

Question 1

How does the brain develop in a foetus?

Answer 1

• Division of the forebrain, midbrain and hindbrain
• Forebrain and hindbrain split in two, leaving five sections total
• The cerebellum forms
• The medulla forms

Question 2

What are Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development?

Answer 2

• Sensorimotor stage (birth - 2yrs)
• Pre-operational stage (2 - 7yrs)
• Concrete operational stage (7-11yrs)
• Formal operational stage (12+ yrs)

Question 3

What are the defining features of the sensorimotor stage?

Answer 3

• Know the world through movements/sensations
• Development of object permanence
• Development of a sense of self

Question 4

What are the defining features of the pre-operational stage?

Answer 4

• Symbolic play
• Egocentrism
• Centration
• Irreversibility

Question 5

What is egocentrism?

Answer 5

Struggling to understand other perspectives aside from one’s own

Question 6

What is centration?

Answer 6

Only focusing on one aspect of something complicated and ignoring other aspects, no matter their importance

Question 7

What is irreversibility?

Answer 7

The inability to understand that an action can be reversed to return something to its original state

Question 8

What are the defining features of the concrete operational stage?

Answer 8

• Seriation
• Reversibility
• Decentration
• Understanding that length/quantity/weight/etc is not related to appearance
• Development of logic

Question 9

What is seriation?

Answer 9

The ability to sort objects

Question 10

What is reversibility?

Answer 10

Understanding that an action can be reversed to return something to its original state

Question 11

What is decentration?

Answer 11

The ability to understand multiple perspectives

Question 12

What are the defining features of the formal operational stage?

Answer 12

• Ability to think abstractly and reason with hypothetical problems
• Ability to use deductive logic (reasoning from general principle/specific information)

Question 13

What is a schema?

Answer 13

A mental representation of the world based on one’s own experiences

Question 14

What is Dweck’s mindset theory?

Answer 14

That a child (or anyone) can have either a fixed mindset (believing ability is fixed at birth) or a growth mindset (believing ability is fluid and can change over time)

Question 15

What is Willingham’s learning theory?

Answer 15

• That factual knowledge precedes and aids in building skill
• The importance of practice and rehearsal in the learning of a skill

Question 16

What are the levels of Kolberg’s theory of the development of morality?

Answer 16

• Pre-conventional morality (before age 9)
• Conventional morality (most young people and adults)
• Post-conventional morality (around 10% of people)

Question 17

What are the defining features of pre-conventional morality?

Answer 17

• Believes rules cannot be changed
• Whether an action is right or wrong depends on its consequences only
• Emphasis on personal interest
• Basic ‘black and white’ view of right and wrong

Question 18

What are the defining features of conventional morality?

Answer 18

• Reasoning comes from group norms
• Conforming because of wanting to be liked
• Maintaining social order as a duty

Question 19

What are the defining features of post-conventional morality?

Answer 19

• Own ideas of what’s right/wrong
• Understanding of ‘universal’ moral principles, not just social/cultural ones
• Willing to go against social norms in pursuit of morals