Which model identifies five environmental systems with which an individual interacts?

• A. Ecological Systems Model
• B. Behavioral-Systems Model
• C. Biomedical Model
• D. Cognitive-Stage Model

Answer: (A)

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory describes how a person interacts with nested environmental layers, totaling five systems. The innermost is the microsystem, which includes immediate settings like family, peers, and school. The mesosystem covers interactions between those microsystems. The exosystem involves external settings that affect the person indirectly, such as a parent’s workplace or community resources. The macrosystem encompasses broader cultural values, laws, and resources. The chronosystem adds the dimension of time, capturing life transitions and historical context. This model is the best fit because it explicitly identifies five environmental systems that shape development and behavior, guiding multi-level assessment and intervention. In contrast, the biomedical model emphasizes biology and disease, the cognitive-stage model focuses on cognitive development stages, and a general behavioral-systems framing does not delineate these five environmental layers.