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In the 1960s, cognitive psychologist Jerome Bruner challenged the prevailing view that learning is a passive absorption of information. Instead, he proposed the 'spiral curriculum,' a model where students revisit the same fundamental concepts over time with increasing levels of complexity. Bruner argued that any subject could be taught in an intellectually honest form to any child at any stage of development, provided the teacher translates the material into the child's current mode of representation. Based on the text, what is a defining characteristic of Bruner’s spiral curriculum?

1. The repeated study of core principles at progressively higher levels of sophistication.
2. A focus on the passive absorption of information through traditional lecture methods.
3. The requirement that students must master advanced modes of representation before starting the curriculum.
4. The belief that complex subjects should only be introduced when a child reaches a mature stage of development.

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