INTRODUCTION TO PSYCHOLOGY

STUDY GUIDE FOR FINALS

I. Developmental Psychology

A. Define:
 Human Development: a pattern of movement or change that begins at conception and continues
throughout the lifespan
 Developmental Psychology: aims to delve further into age-related changes in our bodies, behavior,
thinking, emotions, social relationships, and personalities

B. Enumerate and explain.

 What are the 5 main stages of human development from conception to old age (Refer from your text/notes
important milestones per developmental stage and domains.)

Stages of Development Milestones

Main Stages Sub stages Age Range Physical Cognitive Socio-emotional
1 Prenatal a. Germinal 1st – 2nd Fertilization:
b. Embryonic week the union of
c. Fetal 2nd – 8th the ovum and
week sperm
8th week -
birth
2. Infancy and a. Infancy birth - 2nd Sensori Trust vs Mistrust
Babyhood week motor basic trust of child
Stage cannot move to the
next level
b. Babyhood 2nd week – age of rapid Autonomy vs
2(3) years growth and Shame
old change child learns to
become
independent by
taking on tasks
3. Childhood a. Early 3 -7 years developing Pre- Initiative vs Guilt
old an increasing operational plans tasks and
sense of Stage learns whether
control over their behavior is
large and fine good
motor
b.Middle/Late 8 – 11 years motor Concrete Industry vs
old development Operational Inferiority
results in Stage measuring success
smoother, and need
more recognition for
coordinated work
actions
4. Adolescence a. Puberty 11 -12 years Formal Identity vs Role
old Operational Confusion
b. Middle 13 -17 years Stage/ adolescents
old Adolescent experiment with
c. Late 18 – 22 Egocentris different roles in
years old m an effort to
establish their
identity
5. Adulthood a. Early 23 – 40 healthiest no changes Intimacy vs
 years old and occur in Isolation
performance thinking finding a partner or
at peak during friendship
adulthood
b. Middle 40 – 60 concern with Crystallized Generativity vs
years old health habits, Intelligence Stagnation
menopause and Fluid reflecting on life
anxiety, and Intelligence and how you are
midlife shaping the world
c. Late 60 – 74 Cellular-clock decline in Ego Integrity vs
years old theory, Wear the speed Despair
and Tear of reviewing life’s
theory, Free processing part experiences
radical and becomes a focus;
theory plasticity assess life’s worth;
c.1. Old Age 75 years old Wisdom: 65 years old
and up expert onwards
knowledge
about the
practical
aspects of
life. *may
improve
with age

C. Discuss:
 Erikson’s Stages of Psychosocial Development

Stage Age Issue being resolved

1 Infant birth to 18 months Basic Trust vs Basic Mistrust
2 Toddler 2 to 3 years old Autonomy vs Shame and Doubt
3 Pre-Schooler 3 to 5 years old Initiative vs Guilt
4 School- Ager 6 to 11 years old Industry vs Inferiority
5 Adolescent 12 to 18 years old Identity vs Role Confusion
6 Young Adult 19 to 40 years old Intimacy vs Isolation
7 Middle Age 40 to 65 years old Generativity vs Stagnation
8 Older Adult 65 years old to Ego Integrity vs Despair
death

 Piaget’s Cognitive Development

Stage Age Cognitive Development

1 Sensori motor
2 Pre-operational
3 Concrete operational
4 Formal Operational
birth to 2 years old differentiates self from objects
2 to 7 years old learns to use language and to represent by
images and words
7 to 11 years old can think logically about objects and events
11 years old and up can think logically about abstract propositions
and test hypotheses systematically
II. Personality

Explain personality trait vs. state.

What is the difference between nomothetic from idiographic approaches to understanding personality

Elaborate personality theories stated below:

Proponent How does it explain formation of personality?

1 Traits
2 Psychoanalytic
3 Behavioral Theory
4 Social Learning Theory
5 Humanistic
Carl Jung :two types of personality: introvert or extrovert
:attempt to learn what traits make up
personality and how they relate to actual
behavior
Sigmund Freud focus on the inner workings of personality,
especially internal conflicts and struggles
Dollard and focus on external environment and on effects of
Miller conditioning and learning
Julian Rotter attribute differences in perspectives to
socialization, expectations, and mental
processes
Carl Rogers focus on private, subjective experience, and
personal growth

III. Social Psychology

1. Explain the three components of Social Psychology:

a. Social Thinking and Cognition: how people think about the social world (thought) and how people
select, interpret, remember, and use social information (cognition); how people perceive others and
form first impressions of them
b. Social Influence: how our behavior is influenced by other people and groups
c. Social Relations
2. What are the common causes of attraction?
3. Illustrate Sternberg’s Triarchic Theory of Love and elaborate the difference between its three domains.

4. What are the 9 group roles under the Belbin Test?

IV. Mental Health

1. Define:
a. Mental health: a state of well-being that allows us to realize our own abilities, cope with the normal
stresses in life, work productively and fruitfully, and make contributions to the community
b. Stress: tension, discomfort or physical symptoms that arise when stressor strains our ability to cope
effectively
 c. Coping: our body’s way of adapting and coping with everyday stress; make own conscious effort to
solve personal and interpersonal problems, in order to try to master, minimize or tolerate stress and
conflict
d. Resilience:
e. Traumatic Event: event so severe that it has the potential to produce long-term psychological or health
consequences
f. Psychoneuroimmunology: the study of the relationship between the immune system and the central
nervous system

2. What are the 4 basic dimensions of mental health? Dysfunction, Distress, Deviance, and Dangerousness
3. Illustrate the mental health continuum and explain each phase, from healthy to ill: problems in thoughts,
feelings, and behavior vary from normal to abnormal
4. Explain the difference between the following disorders:
a. Generalized Anxiety Disorder: worrying about many things in life, being anxious all the time
b. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder: consequences of experiencing extreme stressors (traumas)
c. Major Depressive Disorder: sad mood, loss of pleasure in activities (anhedonia), at least 5 symptoms
are present for at least 2 weeks
d. Bipolar Disorder: mania lasts for a week and at least 3 symptoms are present in most days
e. Personality Disorder: fundamental deficits in people in who they are (identity) and their ability to have
relationships
5. If you are going to help a friend who has loss her will to live, how can you provide her support using the skills
discussed in PSYNTRO class.
- Listening and Attending
- Tracking
- Asking questions
- Responding
- Making Referrals

Disclaimer: This guide is designed to give you an overview of the important points discussed in PSYNTRO. It is still best
to refer to lecture notes and your textbook to best answer these questions. There are still items, which are not included
in this document that would be asked during the exam.

All the best! See you on Tuesday!

Ms. Jaymee