Essay Quiz


1			The nature-nurture issue has been around for a long time. While having coffee in the cafeteria, you get into a discussion about this topic with two of your friends. One of them stubbornly states that nature is the only thing that matters; the other friend just as stubbornly argues that nurture is the only thing that is important in terms of who we are, how we develop, and what our lives are like. Knowing you are taking a class in life-span development, they turn to you to solve the argument. How would you explain the status of the nature-nurture controversy? Include a discussion of the biological, cognitive, and socioemotional processes that influence development and, where appropriate, link those processes to the nature-nurture issue.




2			One of your good friends works at a preschool center. He knows that you are taking a class in life-span development and has asked you to talk to the parents of the preschool children about some of the leading theories of human development. He explains that many of the parents have concerns about Freud's psychosexual theory, but have heard good things about Piaget's cognitive theory. Your friend has also recently learned about Vygotsky's cognitive theory and would like you to cover Vygotsky also. How would you explain the key points of each of these theories to the parents? What can the parents expect from their children according to these theories? Which one additional theory with which they may not have been familiar would you introduce to these parents?




3			You are interested in examining developmental changes in religious beliefs across the lifespan. You know that you need to use some form of time-span research but are undecided on the relative value of cross-sectional versus longitudinal research strategies. Explain the strengths and weaknesses of each approach. In addition, provide justification for which strategy would be most appropriate for your investigation of changes in religious beliefs across the lifespan.




4			When investigating developmental trends, it is important to consider normative age-graded influences, normative history-graded influences, and non-normative life events. Reflecting on your own life, provide an example of each type of influence on your development.




5			Create your own eclectic theory of development based upon the leading theories of development. Which theoretical perspectives do you find most compelling? Which do you think are least useful? Provide a justification for the choices in your eclectic approach.

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