The view that the child actively approaches, explores, and influences the environment is best described as:

• A. Organismic
• B. Environmental (Mechanistic)
• C. Nurture
• D. Growth

Answer: (A)

This view treats the child as an active agent in development. An organismic perspective sees development as driven by the child’s own initiative—actively approaching, exploring, and shaping what happens in their world rather than merely responding passively to external factors. The child’s goals, curiosities, and growing capabilities steer interactions with people, objects, and experiences, leading to growth through self-initiated discovery and problem solving.

In contrast, a mechanistic environmental view would picture development as a largely passive response to external stimuli and reinforcements, not emphasizing the child’s active role. The nurture frame emphasizes environmental influences but doesn’t specifically highlight the child’s agency in shaping experiences. Growth is a broad term and not a developmental theory, so it doesn’t pinpoint the active, self-directed aspect described here.