Growth and Lifespan Development
What to know
Know major stage frameworks at a descriptive level: Piaget's cognitive stages (sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational) with hallmark capacities such as object permanence and conservation; Erikson's psychosocial stages and their central conflicts; attachment classifications (secure, avoidant, ambivalent/resistant, disorganized) and their behavioral signatures in the Strange Situation. Understand developmental milestones in language, motor, and social domains, and the concepts of critical/sensitive periods, temperament, and goodness of fit. Recognize normative vs. nonnormative transitions and the impact of adversity on developmental trajectories.
Traps
Questions often test whether a described behavior is developmentally expected for the stated age or indicates delay. Distinguish Piagetian stage errors (e.g., egocentrism, failure of conservation) from actual deficits. Attachment items may describe reunion behavior-focus on the child's response to the caregiver's return, not just distress at separation.
Rule of thumb
For any developmental stem, first anchor the age, then ask whether the behavior fits the expected stage. For attachment, classify by the reunion pattern: secure seeks contact and is soothed; avoidant shows little distress and avoids contact; ambivalent shows intense distress and resists soothing; disorganized shows contradictory or frozen behavior.