QCE Psychology Unit 3: Developmental Psychology — Flashcards & Quiz

Q1: Describe Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development.

Sensorimotor (0–2 years): learning through senses and motor actions; develops object permanence. Pre-operational (2–7 years): symbolic thinking and language develop; characterised by egocentrism and centration; lacks conservation. Concrete operational (7–11 years): logical thinking about concrete objects; masters conservation, classification and seriation; understands reversibility. Formal operational (11+ years): abstract and hypothetical thinking; deductive reasoning and systematic problem-solving.

Q2: Compare Piaget’s and Vygotsky’s theories of cognitive development.

Piaget: development is driven by biological maturation through universal stages; children construct knowledge independently through active exploration (constructivism). Vygotsky: development is driven by social interaction and cultural context; learning occurs through guided interaction with more knowledgeable others (MKO) within the zone of proximal development (ZPD). Scaffolding (temporary support) bridges the gap between current and potential ability. Piaget emphasised individual discovery; Vygotsky emphasised social collaboration.

Q3: Explain Bowlby’s theory of attachment.

Bowlby (1969) proposed that attachment is an innate biological system that evolved to ensure infant survival. Key concepts: monotropy — infants form a primary attachment to one caregiver (usually the mother); critical period — attachment must form within the first 2–3 years; internal working model — the primary attachment creates a mental template for all future relationships; maternal deprivation hypothesis — prolonged separation from the primary caregiver causes lasting emotional and cognitive damage.

Q4: Describe Ainsworth’s Strange Situation and the attachment types it identified.

Ainsworth’s Strange Situation (1970) is a laboratory observation measuring infant attachment through separation from and reunion with the caregiver. Three attachment types were identified: Secure attachment (~65%): distressed at separation, quickly comforted on reunion; explores confidently using the caregiver as a secure base. Insecure-avoidant (~20%): shows little distress at separation, avoids the caregiver on reunion; explores independently. Insecure-resistant/ambivalent (~15%): extremely distressed at separation, difficult to comfort on reunion; clingy and resistant; limited exploration.

Q5: Outline Erikson’s eight psychosocial stages of development.

Erikson proposed eight stages, each with a psychosocial crisis: (1) Trust vs Mistrust (0–1 yr), (2) Autonomy vs Shame/Doubt (1–3 yrs), (3) Initiative vs Guilt (3–6 yrs), (4) Industry vs Inferiority (6–12 yrs), (5) Identity vs Role Confusion (12–18 yrs), (6) Intimacy vs Isolation (18–40 yrs), (7) Generativity vs Stagnation (40–65 yrs), (8) Integrity vs Despair (65+ yrs). Successful resolution of each crisis builds psychological strengths (virtues); failure leads to ongoing difficulties.

Q6: Describe Kohlberg’s three levels of moral development.

Kohlberg (1958) identified three levels, each with two stages: Pre-conventional (Stages 1–2): morality based on self-interest and consequences. Stage 1: obedience to avoid punishment. Stage 2: acting in self-interest ("what’s in it for me?"). Conventional (Stages 3–4): morality based on social norms and rules. Stage 3: conforming to gain approval ("good boy/girl"). Stage 4: obeying laws and maintaining social order. Post-conventional (Stages 5–6): morality based on abstract principles. Stage 5: social contract and individual rights. Stage 6: universal ethical principles (e.g. justice, equality).

Q7: How does the nature–nurture debate apply to human development?

Nature: biological and genetic factors that influence development (genes, brain structure, hormones, temperament). Nurture: environmental factors that shape development (parenting, education, culture, socioeconomic status, life experiences). Modern psychology recognises that nature and nurture interact (gene–environment interaction): genes influence how individuals respond to environments, and environments can affect gene expression (epigenetics). Development is not determined by either factor alone.

Q8: What is object permanence and when does it develop?

Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard or otherwise sensed. According to Piaget, this develops during the sensorimotor stage, typically around 8–12 months. Before developing object permanence, infants behave as though a hidden object ceases to exist (out of sight, out of mind). The A-not-B error (searching for an object where it was previously hidden rather than where it was last seen) is a common early mistake.

Q1: According to Piaget, children in the pre-operational stage can successfully complete conservation tasks.

Answer: FALSE

Children in the pre-operational stage (2–7 years) typically fail conservation tasks because they focus on one dimension (centration) and lack the ability to mentally reverse operations (reversibility). Conservation is typically mastered in the concrete operational stage (7–11 years).

Q2: Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development (ZPD) refers to the gap between what a learner can do alone and what they can do with guidance.

Answer: TRUE

The ZPD is the distance between a learner’s current independent ability and their potential ability with guidance from a more knowledgeable other (MKO). Scaffolding — temporary support that is gradually removed — helps the learner bridge this gap.

Q3: Bowlby proposed that infants can form multiple primary attachments of equal strength.

Answer: FALSE

Bowlby’s concept of monotropy proposes that infants form one primary attachment that is qualitatively different from and more important than all other attachments. However, this aspect of his theory has been challenged by research showing infants can form multiple significant attachments.

Q4: Ainsworth’s Strange Situation identified three main attachment types: secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant.

Answer: TRUE

Ainsworth’s Strange Situation (1970) identified secure attachment (~65%), insecure-avoidant (~20%) and insecure-resistant/ambivalent (~15%) based on infants’ behaviour during separation from and reunion with their caregiver. A fourth type, disorganised attachment, was later added by Main and Solomon (1986).

Q5: Erikson’s Stage 5, Identity vs Role Confusion, occurs during early adulthood (18–40 years).

Answer: FALSE

Erikson’s Stage 5 (Identity vs Role Confusion) occurs during adolescence (12–18 years). Stage 6 (Intimacy vs Isolation) is the stage that occurs during early adulthood (18–40 years).

Cognitive Development (Piaget and Vygotsky)

Piaget’s four stages and Vygotsky’s zone of proximal development represent contrasting approaches to cognitive development. QCAA exams require you to describe each theory, compare their key differences (individual vs social, universal stages vs cultural context) and evaluate them using research evidence.

Attachment Theory (Bowlby and Ainsworth)

Bowlby’s evolutionary theory and Ainsworth’s empirical classification of attachment types are core content. Being able to describe the Strange Situation, identify attachment types from behaviour descriptions and evaluate the theory’s strengths and limitations is essential for QCAA assessment.

Psychosocial Development (Erikson)

Erikson’s eight stages provide a lifespan perspective on social and emotional development. QCAA typically focuses on the adolescent stage (Identity vs Role Confusion) and expects you to apply the theory to case studies, including Marcia’s extension of identity statuses.

Moral Development (Kohlberg)

Kohlberg’s three levels and six stages of moral reasoning are assessed through moral dilemma scenarios. QCAA expects you to classify reasoning by level (not answer) and to evaluate the theory’s limitations, including cultural bias and gender bias (Gilligan’s critique).

What does QCE Psychology Unit 3 cover about developmental psychology?

Unit 3 covers cognitive development (Piaget, Vygotsky), attachment theory (Bowlby, Ainsworth), psychosocial development (Erikson), moral development (Kohlberg) and the nature–nurture debate as applied to human development across the lifespan.

Are these flashcards aligned to the QCAA syllabus?

Yes — every flashcard and quiz question is mapped to the QCAA senior Psychology syllabus for the developmental psychology topic within Unit 3.

How should I study developmental psychology theories for the QCE exam?

Create comparison tables for each theorist (Piaget, Vygotsky, Erikson, Kohlberg), practise applying stage theories to case studies, and prepare to evaluate each theory’s strengths and limitations using research evidence.