Life-Span Psychology
Preparing for and Taking the Final Exam

What Time:
o Refer to the Schedule on the Course Syllabus.
o BE HERE ON TIME!!!

What to Bring:
o TWO Scantrons (882-E... the one with 50 answer circle series on each side of the
Scantron totaling 100 questions) and a couple of #2 Pencils.

What to Expect:
o The exam WILL contain 100 multiple choice questions (50 from content covered in each of
the 3 regular exams in the course and 50 from Middle Adulthood, Late Adulthood, and The
End of Life). Of the questions drawn from the first 3 exams, they will be taken directly from
the exams. Each question will be worth 2 points totaling a possible 200 points (20% of
your final grade in the course!).
o Each question will be worth 4 points totaling a possible 400 points (40% of your final
grade in the course) if you get a score on this exam that’s higher than one of your
regular exam scores, thereby replacing your lowest regular exam score.

How to Prepare:
o The real key to doing well on this exam is to study your notes thoroughly in reference to the
topics mentioned in this study guide and to supplement each concept with the relevant
explanation and details offered in your textbook (if applicable) when you are unclear about
something.
o Be prepared to think. As you will recall from the exams, many questions ask you to
demonstrate your knowledge of a concept by applying it to an example.

While Taking the Exam (a little advice):
o Don’t get hung up on any particular question. If it takes you longer than a minute to answer
any particular question, then you probably don’t know the answer. Either guess or come
back to it later.
o You should aim to be through with the questions within the first 75 minutes to ensure ample
time for checking your answers.

The hints on the following pages account for at least 95% of the content on the final
exam.

THERE WILL BE AN ADDITIONAL EXTRA CREDIT OPPORTUNITY AT THE END OF THE
EXAM IF YOU HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO COMPLETE IT. THIS IS WHY YOU NEED THE 2ND
SCANTRON.

If you have any last minute questions, email me.
DON’T MISS THE EXAM!!! THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP.
Final Exam Study Guide: Life-Span Psychology
RECURRING THEORISTS: Piaget’s 4 stages of cognitive development and the
associated components (object permanence, egocentrism, etc.), Schaie’s 7 stages
of cognitive development, and Erikson’s 8 stages of psychosocial development.
I. Theory and Research & Beginnings
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
Freud’s psychosexual stages of development and fixations
Theories of Learning (behaviorism, social learning)
Piaget’s Schemas, Assimilation, and Accommodation
Vygotsky’s “zone of proximal development”
Independent vs. Dependent variables
Longitudinal, Cross-Sectional, and Sequential Research Designs
Teratogens
Developmental stages in the womb (zygote, embryo, fetus)
Crying, babbling, cooing
Personal agency, self-efficacy, self-coherence, self-awareness
Temperament Types
Attachment Styles
Harlow’s monkeys
II. Early Childhood & Middle Childhood
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
Sleep Terrors
Animism, Deferred Imitation, Transduction
Inductive vs. Deductive reasoning
Notion of Equity
Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences (8 Intelligences)
Self-Fulfilling Prophecy
Attention-deficit / Hyperactivity disorder & Dyslexia
Educating Gifted Children
Anxiety Disorders & Disruptive Conduct Disorders
Forms of Discipline
Parenting Styles
III. Adolescence & Young Adulthood
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
Eating disorders and associated therapies
Elkind’s aspects of immature thought (just know: personal fable & imaginary audience)
Kohlberg’s 6 stages of morality
Issues concerning Identity Development (Gender differences, 4 identity statuses)
Lack of contraceptive use
Cliques
Everything we talked about regarding Alcoholism
Aspects of Post-Formal Thought (just know: multiple solutions & problem definition)
Commitment within relativism
Knowledge that carries over from work to personal life
Everything we discussed regarding the 4 models of personality
Sternberg’s three components of love
Various Attitudes towards sexual activity
IV. Middle Adulthood
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
N.
O.
P.
Q.
Symptoms of Menopause
Seattle Longitudinal Study (changes in intellectual abilities over the lifespan)
Fluid Intelligence vs. Crystallized Intelligence
Everything we discussed regarding Expertise and Expert Pattern Recognition
The key contributions regarding Creativity
Rogers: Conditional Positive Regard vs. Unconditional Positive Regard
Kotre’s methods used to achieve generativity
Mid-Life crisis, Interiority, Developmental Deadlines, Ego-resiliency
Ethnic Conservatism
Identity Assimilation vs. Identity Accommodation
Narrative Psychology
Gender Crossover
Social Convoy Theory
Socioemotional Selectivity Theory
Pattern of marital happiness cross adulthood (the funky “U”)
Types of Family Relations (Tight-knit, Obligatory, etc.)
Empty Nest, Revolving Door Syndrome, Sandwich Generation
V. Late Adulthood
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
J.
K.
L.
M.
Everyday problem solving for older adults
Bilingualism is the cure!... for what?
Lower IQ score = earlier death!
Changes in Memory (what declines, remains stable, improves)
Metamemory and priming of stereotypes
Religion and Spirituality positively related to…what?
Dementia & Alzheimer’s Disease
Resources Relative to Magnitude of Threat Model of Stress and Activity (The Big X)
Problem-Focused and Emotion-Focused Coping Styles
Proactive vs. Passive Emotion-Focused Coping Styles across adulthood
Worker Productivity across adulthood
Types of Elder Abuse
Who’s more likely to remarry and why?
VI. The End of Life
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
H.
I.
The study of Death and Dying
Terminal Drop
Kűbler-Ross’s Five Stages of Coming to Terms with Death (sequence & what we said)
Patterns of Grieving
The Three Stages of Grief Work
Grief Therapy
Children’s Understanding of Death
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Active Euthanasia vs. Passive Euthanasia vs. Assisted Suicide