Question 1

Which one of the following best illustrates how sociocognitive conflict might promote cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

A)  Two children work together on a crossword puzzle that includes the week's new spelling words. 
B)  The students in a cooperative learning group discuss different ways of solving a difficult math problem. 
C)  A teenage boy worries that his friends might think he's a "nerd" if he refuses a can of beer at a party. 
D)  Two students help each other prepare for a quiz by giving each other practice test questions. 
A)  Two children work together on a crossword puzzle that includes the week's new spelling words. 
B)  The students in a cooperative learning group discuss different ways of solving a difficult math problem. 
C)  A teenage boy worries that his friends might think he's a "nerd" if he refuses a can of beer at a party. 
D)  Two students help each other prepare for a quiz by giving each other practice test questions.

Question 2

Vygotsky and his followers have proposed that children's and adolescents' cognitive development is promoted when they work within their zone of proximal development and that scaffolding enables them to do this successfully.
a. Explain these two concepts, and give a concrete example of each one.
b. Choose a topic or skill that is apt to be in the zone of proximal development for most students at a particular grade level. Then explain how you would (1) scaffold students' efforts and (2) modify the scaffolding over time.

Accepted Answer

Responses to the two parts of the questi

Question 3

Sociocultural theory suggests that with development, children acquire many cognitive tools of their culture. Which teacher is most clearly applying this idea?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mr. Shaw reminds his students that he will let them go to lunch only after they've put away their art supplies. 
B)  Ms. Turiel shows students how to graph their research results so that they can more easily see trends in the data. 
C)  Ms. Norquist smiles to show her approval when students listen quietly and politely during a guest speaker's visit. 
D)  Mr. Cabot demonstrates how to use a Bunsen burner safely. 
A)  Mr. Shaw reminds his students that he will let them go to lunch only after they've put away their art supplies. 
B)  Ms. Turiel shows students how to graph their research results so that they can more easily see trends in the data. 
C)  Ms. Norquist smiles to show her approval when students listen quietly and politely during a guest speaker's visit. 
D)  Mr. Cabot demonstrates how to use a Bunsen burner safely.

Question 4

Five-year-old Becky is playing with blocks, stacking them one on top of another until her towers eventually tumble, and then stacking them again. Which one of the following best reflects Piaget's view of how Becky is probably learning in this situation?

Accepted Answer

A)  Because she is probably still in the sensorimotor stage, she will remember what she learns about the blocks only while the blocks are still in front of her. 
B)  She is absorbing information about how the environment behaves (e.g., "objects fall") without consciously thinking about it. 
C)  She is actively thinking about and interpreting the results of her actions. 
D)  Because she builds one tower after another, she is obviously reinforced by seeing her towers tumble down. 
A)  Because she is probably still in the sensorimotor stage, she will remember what she learns about the blocks only while the blocks are still in front of her. 
B)  She is absorbing information about how the environment behaves (e.g., "objects fall") without consciously thinking about it. 
C)  She is actively thinking about and interpreting the results of her actions. 
D)  Because she builds one tower after another, she is obviously reinforced by seeing her towers tumble down.

Question 5

Three of the following teachers are using scaffolding to help their students learn. Which one is not necessarily providing scaffolding?

Accepted Answer

A)  Ms. Applegate gives her students a structure to follow when they write their first essay. 
B)  Mr. Bernardo teaches a backhand tennis swing by gently guiding each student through the correct movement a few times. 
C)  Ms. Chen gives her class some hints about how to solve an especially difficult word problem. 
D)  Mr. Donaldson takes his students on a field trip to a local history museum. 
A)  Ms. Applegate gives her students a structure to follow when they write their first essay. 
B)  Mr. Bernardo teaches a backhand tennis swing by gently guiding each student through the correct movement a few times. 
C)  Ms. Chen gives her class some hints about how to solve an especially difficult word problem. 
D)  Mr. Donaldson takes his students on a field trip to a local history museum.

Question 6

Choose a particular grade level and discuss three important implications of Piaget's theory for teaching students at this grade level. State your three points both in abstract terms and in terms of specific educational practices you would employ.

Accepted Answer

Responses to this item are likely to var

Question 7

Describe at least three ways in which youngsters in Piaget's formal operations stage are likely to think differently from those in the concrete operations stage. Illustrate each characteristic with a concrete example of how youngsters in each of the two stages might think or act.

Accepted Answer

Differences between youngsters in the co

Question 8

Which one of the following statements most accurately describes Lev Vygotsky's view of how cognitive development occurs?

Accepted Answer

A)  Children's cognitive growth is best judged on the basis of their actual developmental level, not on the basis of their level of potential development. 
B)  Cognitive development progresses through four distinct stages; each stage is characterized by increasingly more complex thought and language. 
C)  Children develop by working on challenging tasks with the assistance of more competent individuals. 
D)  Language and thought, although closely intertwined in the first few years of life, become increasingly distinct entities over time. 
A)  Children's cognitive growth is best judged on the basis of their actual developmental level, not on the basis of their level of potential development. 
B)  Cognitive development progresses through four distinct stages; each stage is characterized by increasingly more complex thought and language. 
C)  Children develop by working on challenging tasks with the assistance of more competent individuals. 
D)  Language and thought, although closely intertwined in the first few years of life, become increasingly distinct entities over time.

Question 9

Which one of the following issues reflects a fundamental difference between Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories of cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

A)  Whether challenging tasks promote cognitive development 
B)  Whether social interactions are important for cognitive development 
C)  How much children depend on adult guidance to make cognitive gains 
D)  Whether or not children construct their own understandings of the world 
A)  Whether challenging tasks promote cognitive development 
B)  Whether social interactions are important for cognitive development 
C)  How much children depend on adult guidance to make cognitive gains 
D)  Whether or not children construct their own understandings of the world

Question 10

Mr. Remick asks 9-year-old Anne to divide a pitcher of lemonade equally between two glasses, one each for her and her friend Kate. The two glasses are different shapes, with Anne's being tall and thin and Kate's being short and wide. After Anne pours the lemonade, Mr. Remick says to her, "Look, the lemonade in your glass is higher than the lemonade in Kate's glass. Did you give yourself more than you gave Kate?" "No," Anne replies, "my glass is skinnier." Mr. Remick continues to ask Anne questions to determine how well she understands that height compensates for width in this situation. Mr. Remick's strategy can best be described as illustrating:

Accepted Answer

A)  Equilibration 
B)  Class inclusion 
C)  Reciprocal teaching 
D)  The clinical method 
A)  Equilibration 
B)  Class inclusion 
C)  Reciprocal teaching 
D)  The clinical method

Question 11

When neo-Piagetian theorists suggest that working memory capacity increases with age, they mean that as children get older, they:

Accepted Answer

A)  Become increasingly aware of their own thoughts 
B)  Acquire more sophisticated logical thought processes 
C)  Can simultaneously think about more things at a single time 
D)  Gain a wealth of information about a wide variety of topics, especially at school 
A)  Become increasingly aware of their own thoughts 
B)  Acquire more sophisticated logical thought processes 
C)  Can simultaneously think about more things at a single time 
D)  Gain a wealth of information about a wide variety of topics, especially at school

Question 12

Use concepts from Vygotsky's perspective of cognitive development to describe how you learned about Vygotsky's theory in this class. Your response should include references to all of the following concepts: the zone of proximal development, self-talk, inner speech, internalization, and scaffolding.

Accepted Answer

The response should appropriately includ

Question 13

Cathleen is having trouble learning the steps involved in using a microscope correctly. If you consider Vygotsky's description of how children help themselves get through difficult tasks, you should suggest that Cathleen:

Accepted Answer

A)  Talk herself through the steps 
B)  Learn the reasons why each step is important 
C)  Practice each step separately many times over 
D)  Go through the procedure in slow motion a few times 
A)  Talk herself through the steps 
B)  Learn the reasons why each step is important 
C)  Practice each step separately many times over 
D)  Go through the procedure in slow motion a few times

Question 14

Imagine that you are a third-grade teacher. If you were to make predictions based on Piaget's stages of cognitive development, you would expect most or all of your students to exhibit _______ thinking.

Accepted Answer

A)  sensorimotor 
B)  preoperational 
C)  formal operations 
D)  concrete operations 
A)  sensorimotor 
B)  preoperational 
C)  formal operations 
D)  concrete operations

Question 15

If you were to criticize Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development in a way that contemporary theorists sometimes do, which one of the following would you be most likely to say?

Accepted Answer

A)  "It's a bit vague in its explanations of how development occurs." 
B)  "It ignores the effects that formal education has on cognitive development." 
C)  "It disregards the important roles that peers play in children's development." 
D)  "It places heavy emphasis on drill and practice as factors promoting development." 
A)  "It's a bit vague in its explanations of how development occurs." 
B)  "It ignores the effects that formal education has on cognitive development." 
C)  "It disregards the important roles that peers play in children's development." 
D)  "It places heavy emphasis on drill and practice as factors promoting development."

Question 16

Piaget's sensorimotor stage is characterized by:

Accepted Answer

A)  The beginnings of conservation 
B)  Basic schemes for dealing with abstract ideas 
C)  Schemes based primarily on perceptions and behaviors 
D)  Inaccurate mental representations of the physical and biological world 
A)  The beginnings of conservation 
B)  Basic schemes for dealing with abstract ideas 
C)  Schemes based primarily on perceptions and behaviors 
D)  Inaccurate mental representations of the physical and biological world

Question 17

Vygotsky proposed that thought and language are:

Accepted Answer

A)  Closely connected at all stages of life 
B)  Largely independent before age two but closely connected thereafter 
C)  Closely connected early in life and become increasingly independent with age 
D)  Largely independent until the elementary school years and closely connected thereafter 
A)  Closely connected at all stages of life 
B)  Largely independent before age two but closely connected thereafter 
C)  Closely connected early in life and become increasingly independent with age 
D)  Largely independent until the elementary school years and closely connected thereafter

Question 18

Which one of the following is the best example of a cognitive tool?

Accepted Answer

A)  Use of natural lighting in a studio art class 
B)  A jigsaw in a woodworking class 
C)  Use of country-western music in a step-aerobics class 
D)  The concept of pi (π) in a geometry class 
A)  Use of natural lighting in a studio art class 
B)  A jigsaw in a woodworking class 
C)  Use of country-western music in a step-aerobics class 
D)  The concept of pi (π) in a geometry class

Question 19

The processes of assimilation and accommodation both involve:

Accepted Answer

A)  Concrete operational thought 
B)  Relating new information to prior knowledge 
C)  Abstract thought processes such as inductive reasoning 
D)  Oral communication skills 
A)  Concrete operational thought 
B)  Relating new information to prior knowledge 
C)  Abstract thought processes such as inductive reasoning 
D)  Oral communication skills

Question 20

Mr. Davis asks his third graders to conduct experiments to examine the effects of water, sunlight, and type of soil on growing sunflowers. He tells them, "I want you to find out which of these three things-water, sunlight, and soil-affect how well sunflowers grow. Here are lots of sunflower seeds, lots of paper cups to grow them in, and two different types of soil. You can give your growing plants plenty of sunlight by putting them on the shelf by the window, or you can grow them in a shadier place on the bookshelf behind my desk. And here's a measuring cup you can use to measure the amount of water you give them each day."
Mr. Davis is assuming his third graders can do at least two things that, from Piaget's perspective, they probably cannot do. What two crucial abilities necessary for conducting appropriate experiments do his students probably not yet have? Justify your answer in a short paragraph.

Accepted Answer

Mr. Davis is assuming that his students

Which one of the following best illustrates how sociocognitive conflict might promote cognitive development?

Sociocultural theory suggests that with development, children acquire many cognitive tools of their culture. Which teacher is most clearly applying this idea?

Five-year-old Becky is playing with blocks, stacking them one on top of another until her towers eventually tumble, and then stacking them again. Which one of the following best reflects Piaget's view of how Becky is probably learning in this situation?

Three of the following teachers are using scaffolding to help their students learn. Which one is not necessarily providing scaffolding?

Choose a particular grade level and discuss three important implications of Piaget's theory for teaching students at this grade level. State your three points both in abstract terms and in terms of specific educational practices you would employ.

Describe at least three ways in which youngsters in Piaget's formal operations stage are likely to think differently from those in the concrete operations stage. Illustrate each characteristic with a concrete example of how youngsters in each of the two stages might think or act.

Which one of the following statements most accurately describes Lev Vygotsky's view of how cognitive development occurs?

Which one of the following issues reflects a fundamental difference between Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories of cognitive development?

When neo-Piagetian theorists suggest that working memory capacity increases with age, they mean that as children get older, they:

Use concepts from Vygotsky's perspective of cognitive development to describe how you learned about Vygotsky's theory in this class. Your response should include references to all of the following concepts: the zone of proximal development, self-talk, inner speech, internalization, and scaffolding.

Cathleen is having trouble learning the steps involved in using a microscope correctly. If you consider Vygotsky's description of how children help themselves get through difficult tasks, you should suggest that Cathleen:

Imagine that you are a third-grade teacher. If you were to make predictions based on Piaget's stages of cognitive development, you would expect most or all of your students to exhibit _______ thinking.

If you were to criticize Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development in a way that contemporary theorists sometimes do, which one of the following would you be most likely to say?

Piaget's sensorimotor stage is characterized by:

Vygotsky proposed that thought and language are:

Which one of the following is the best example of a cognitive tool?

The processes of assimilation and accommodation both involve:

Making a Difference in the Lives of Children and Adolescents

Using Research to Understand Children and Adolescents

Family, Culture, and Community

Biological Beginnings

Physical Development

Cognitive Development: Cognitive Processes

Intelligence

Language Development

Development in the Academic Domains

Emotional Development

Development of Self and Social Understandings

Development of Motivation and Self-Regulation

Moral Development

Peers, Schools, and Society

Filters

Exam 6: Cognitive Development: Piaget and Vygotsky

Which one of the following best illustrates how sociocognitive conflict might promote cognitive development?

Sociocultural theory suggests that with development, children acquire many cognitive tools of their culture. Which teacher is most clearly applying this idea?

Five-year-old Becky is playing with blocks, stacking them one on top of another until her towers eventually tumble, and then stacking them again. Which one of the following best reflects Piaget's view of how Becky is probably learning in this situation?

Three of the following teachers are using scaffolding to help their students learn. Which one is not necessarily providing scaffolding?

Choose a particular grade level and discuss three important implications of Piaget's theory for teaching students at this grade level. State your three points both in abstract terms and in terms of specific educational practices you would employ.

Describe at least three ways in which youngsters in Piaget's formal operations stage are likely to think differently from those in the concrete operations stage. Illustrate each characteristic with a concrete example of how youngsters in each of the two stages might think or act.

Which one of the following statements most accurately describes Lev Vygotsky's view of how cognitive development occurs?

Which one of the following issues reflects a fundamental difference between Piaget's and Vygotsky's theories of cognitive development?

When neo-Piagetian theorists suggest that working memory capacity increases with age, they mean that as children get older, they:

Use concepts from Vygotsky's perspective of cognitive development to describe how you learned about Vygotsky's theory in this class. Your response should include references to all of the following concepts: the zone of proximal development, self-talk, inner speech, internalization, and scaffolding.

Cathleen is having trouble learning the steps involved in using a microscope correctly. If you consider Vygotsky's description of how children help themselves get through difficult tasks, you should suggest that Cathleen:

Imagine that you are a third-grade teacher. If you were to make predictions based on Piaget's stages of cognitive development, you would expect most or all of your students to exhibit _______ thinking.

If you were to criticize Vygotsky's theory of cognitive development in a way that contemporary theorists sometimes do, which one of the following would you be most likely to say?

Piaget's sensorimotor stage is characterized by:

Vygotsky proposed that thought and language are:

Which one of the following is the best example of a cognitive tool?

The processes of assimilation and accommodation both involve:

Making a Difference in the Lives of Children and Adolescents

Using Research to Understand Children and Adolescents

Family, Culture, and Community

Biological Beginnings

Physical Development

Cognitive Development: Cognitive Processes

Intelligence

Language Development

Development in the Academic Domains

Emotional Development

Development of Self and Social Understandings

Development of Motivation and Self-Regulation

Moral Development

Peers, Schools, and Society

Filters