Exam 4: Theories of Cognitive Development

The period within Piaget's theory in which intelligence is expressed through sensory and motor abilities is called the _____ stage of cognitive development.

Ten-month-old Claudia and her mother are playing. Claudia's mother looks up at the ceiling fan and says, "Claudia, look at the fan. Around and around it goes!" Claudia notices that her mother is looking up, so Claudia looks up at the fan as well. Claudia and her mother are engaging in

In which situation would Michael Tomasello be MOST interested?

Young children can be defined as _____ in that they believe that members of a species have a fixed inner essence that makes then what they are.

Shelby has mastered deferred imitation. This is an indication that she has developed

Ned's general knowledge about cars and trucks is an example of information stored in _____ memory.

Ten-year-old Bryan is going to call his grandmother. After his mother tells Bryan his grandmother's phone number, Bryan repeats it to himself while he goes to the phone to dial it. Bryan is utilizing

According to sociocultural theories, the level at which parents can optimally support children's learning is

While Sumana is sitting in a highchair at a restaurant with her family, she throws her cracker off the tray and watches as it falls to the ground. Then she throws her spoon off the tray and watches as it falls. Next, she throws her peas and her drink off the tray before her family realizes what is happening. What age is Sumana MOST likely to be?

Mira, who is 8 years old, has loved animals since she was a preschooler, and she knows a lot of information about them. She takes a trip to the zoo with her friend Danielle. Danielle is 10 years old, and although she likes animals, she does not know nearly as much about them as Mira does. According to information-processing theories, who is likely to learn more from a guided tour by an animal expert, Mira or Danielle?

Describe the aspect of each theory that you found most interesting or accurate. Would it be possible to unify these aspects into one supertheory? Why or why not?

Professor Stott is conducting an experiment where he shows a child two clay "sausages" that are identical in size and shape. He then allows the child to watch as he rolls one of the clay sausages into a longer, thinner sausage. Professor Stott then asks the child whether the two clay sausages still contain the same amount of clay. This experiment was designed to examine

Which factor is NOT considered a basic process by information-processing theories?

Miguel is sitting in his highchair at breakfast time. As if to drive his parents crazy, Miguel picks up each and every piece of food, from mushy peaches to crunchy Cheerios, and drops it onto the floor. Sometimes he drops just one piece, and sometimes he drops multiple pieces simultaneously, as though he wants to see whether there is a difference in the result. As he drops each piece, he carefully watches as it hits the floor. According to Piaget, Miguel is MOST likely to be at what age?

The overlapping waves theory is a perspective on the development of

Dr. Brown conducts a study in which participants are presented with the pendulum problem described in the text and are asked to determine which factor or factors influence the amount of time it takes the pendulum to swing through a complete arc: the length of the string, the heaviness of the weight, the height from which the weight is dropped, or some combination of these factors. Which comparison is MOST likely to be made by an individual in Piaget's formal operational stage?

Which behavior is an example of rehearsal?

The experiment in which Piaget asks what a doll would see if it were sitting in a chair across the table from the child was designed to examine

The term "conservation concept" refers to the idea that

Devon has just begun to use objects to stand for other objects. For instance, his current favorite game is to pretend to play guitar on a toy golf club. Devon is probably in Piaget's _____ stage.