Edexcel International A Level Psychology
Edexcel International A Level Psychology Developmental Psychology Exam Questions
Free Edexcel International A Level Psychology exam questions for Developmental Psychology, with a mark scheme for every pack. Covers attachment, deprivation and privation, cognitive and language development, social and emotional development, developmental research methods and van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg.
Developmental Psychology exam questions
1 question pack of real past exam questions, each with its mark scheme. Do not stop after a few: answer as many as you can without notes, then mark every answer with the mark scheme. The more questions you do, the more quickly you will spot how examiners ask about each idea.
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A-Level Psychology Flashcards for 2027 Onwards
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About Edexcel International A Level Psychology Developmental Psychology
Developmental psychology in Edexcel International A Level Psychology is studied in Unit 3, Applications of Psychology. It looks at how children develop and what helps or harms that development. Content includes attachment theory and types of attachment, the effects of deprivation and privation, cognitive and language development, and social and emotional development. Methods include longitudinal and cross-sectional designs, cross-cultural research, clinical interviews and the ethics of researching children, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The classic study is van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988), a meta-analysis of Strange Situation studies, and you also study contemporary research such as Cassibba et al. (2013).
What you need to know
- Attachment Bowlby argued attachment is innate, with monotropy, a critical period and an internal working model. Ainsworth's Strange Situation identified secure, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant attachment.
- Deprivation and privation Deprivation is losing an attachment that has formed; privation is never forming one. Bowlby's maternal deprivation hypothesis predicted lasting harm, while studies of institutionalised children suggest recovery is possible with good later care.
- Cognitive and language development Theories explain how children's thinking and language develop with age and how education and social interaction support this.
- Social and emotional development This includes how children learn to understand and regulate emotions and form relationships, and how early experiences shape later social behaviour.
- Classic study: van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) A meta-analysis of 32 Strange Situation studies across eight countries. Secure attachment was most common everywhere, avoidant was relatively high in West Germany, resistant was relatively high in Israel and Japan, and variation within cultures exceeded variation between cultures.
- Methods and ethics Longitudinal and cross-sectional research, cross-cultural research, meta-analysis, clinical interviews and ethnography, with ethical issues guided by the UNCRC (1989).
Common mistakes in Developmental Psychology
- Confusing deprivation and privation.
- Saying van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg observed children themselves; they analysed existing studies.
- Describing longitudinal and cross-sectional designs as the same; longitudinal follows the same group over time, cross-sectional compares different age groups at one time.
- Treating the Strange Situation as culture-free; it may be an imposed etic based on American norms.
- Ignoring children's rights and consent when evaluating developmental research.
Try three Developmental Psychology exam-style questions
1. Explain the difference between a longitudinal and a cross-sectional design. (4 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
A longitudinal design studies the same participants over a long period of time; so development can be tracked within individuals without participant variables; a cross-sectional design compares different groups of different ages at the same time; it is quicker but differences may be due to cohort effects.
2. Describe the findings of van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988). (4 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Secure attachment was the most common type in all eight countries; insecure-avoidant was more common in West Germany than elsewhere; insecure-resistant was more common in Israel and Japan; variation within cultures was about 1.5 times greater than between cultures.
3. Explain one ethical issue in researching children's development. (3 marks)
Show the mark scheme answer
Children cannot give fully informed consent, so parental consent is needed; researchers must also protect children from distress, for example in the Strange Situation episodes should be cut short if an infant is very upset; under the UNCRC children's views and right to withdraw should be respected.
Developmental Psychology FAQs
What does Edexcel International A Level Psychology Developmental psychology cover?
It covers attachment, deprivation and privation, cognitive and language development, social and emotional development, developmental research methods and ethics, van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) and contemporary studies.
Which unit is Developmental psychology examined in?
Developmental psychology is in Unit 3, Applications of Psychology.
What research methods do I need for Developmental psychology?
You need longitudinal, cross-sectional and cross-cultural designs, meta-analysis, clinical interviews and the ethics of researching children, including the UNCRC.
