Question 1

What is executive control and why is it important?

Accepted Answer

Executive control, also known as executive function, refers to a set of cognitive processes that are necessary for the cognitive control of behavior: selecting and successfully monitoring behaviors that facilitate the attainment of chosen goals. Executive functions include basic cognitive processes such as attentional control, cognitive inhibition, inhibitory control, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. Higher-order executive functions require the simultaneous use of multiple basic executive functions and include planning and fluid intelligence (i.e., reasoning and problem-solving).

Executive control is important for numerous reasons:

1. Goal-Directed Behavior: Executive control allows individuals to plan, initiate, sequence, monitor, and adapt their behavior in response to the environment in a goal-directed manner. Without it, we would struggle to organize our actions to achieve desired outcomes.

2. Adaptability: It enables us to adapt to new situations and information, adjust our strategies when facing challenges, and learn from our experiences. This flexibility is crucial for success in a constantly changing world.

3. Impulse Control: Executive control is critical for inhibitory control, which helps us resist distractions, maintain focus, and inhibit impulsive actions that might be harmful or counterproductive.

4. Problem Solving: It is involved in problem-solving and decision-making processes. It allows us to analyze situations, generate potential solutions, evaluate the best options, and implement strategies.

5. Emotional Regulation: Executive functions help in regulating emotions by allowing us to consider the consequences of our actions, which can prevent us from making decisions based purely on our emotional state.

6. Social Interaction: Executive control is important for navigating social interactions, as it helps us to interpret social cues, understand the perspective of others, and regulate our responses accordingly.

7. Academic and Occupational Success: Executive functions are critical for success in school and the workplace. They enable us to organize our time, resources, and efforts to meet deadlines, complete complex tasks, and achieve long-term goals.

8. Daily Life Management: Executive control is essential for managing daily life tasks such as paying bills, maintaining a household, and planning meals. It helps us to prioritize tasks, manage time effectively, and keep track of responsibilities.

In summary, executive control is a foundational aspect of human cognition that enables us to function effectively in our complex world. It is essential for self-regulation, goal attainment, and the successful navigation of life's many demands. Difficulties with executive function can be seen in various disorders and conditions, such as ADHD, autism, and brain injuries, which can significantly impact an individual's quality of life. Therefore, understanding and supporting the development of executive control is a key focus in education, psychology, and cognitive neuroscience.

Question 2

What is pseudostupidity and how does it relate to formal operational thinking?

Accepted Answer

Pseudostupidity is a term used to describe the behavior of individuals who appear to be unintelligent or lacking in common sense, but in reality, they are capable of higher-level thinking and problem-solving. This concept was introduced by the psychologist Jean Piaget, who studied cognitive development in children.

Pseudostupidity relates to formal operational thinking, which is the highest stage of cognitive development according to Piaget's theory. Formal operational thinking is characterized by the ability to think abstractly, use logic to solve problems, and think about hypothetical situations. However, individuals at this stage may still struggle with applying these skills in real-life situations, leading to behaviors that appear "stupid" or lacking in common sense.

In the context of pseudostupidity, individuals may have the cognitive abilities to think critically and solve complex problems, but they may struggle to apply these skills in practical or everyday situations. This disconnect between their cognitive abilities and their behavior can lead others to perceive them as "stupid" or lacking in intelligence, when in fact, they are capable of higher-level thinking.

Overall, pseudostupidity is a concept that highlights the discrepancy between cognitive abilities and practical problem-solving skills, particularly in individuals who have reached the formal operational stage of thinking.

Question 3

Which of Gardner's eight intelligences is essential for a successful navigator?

Accepted Answer

A)  Body-kinesthetic 
B)  Interpersonal 
C)  Linguistic 
D)  Spatial 
A)  Body-kinesthetic 
B)  Interpersonal 
C)  Linguistic 
D)  Spatial D

Question 4

Elkind believes that adolescent pseudostupidity results from their lack of:

Accepted Answer

A)  creativity. 
B)  experience. 
C)  intelligence. 
D)  logical thinking. 
A)  creativity. 
B)  experience. 
C)  intelligence. 
D)  logical thinking.

Question 5

Dynamic testing is based on ____________ approach.

Accepted Answer

A)  Vygotsky's 
B)  Piaget's 
C)  Wechsler's 
D)  Binet's 
A)  Vygotsky's 
B)  Piaget's 
C)  Wechsler's 
D)  Binet's

Question 6

Possessing good "executive control" means that individuals are able to:

Accepted Answer

A)  think abstractly. 
B)  monitor and control their own thinking and learning. 
C)  control their attention and perceptions. 
D)  think hypothetically. 
A)  think abstractly. 
B)  monitor and control their own thinking and learning. 
C)  control their attention and perceptions. 
D)  think hypothetically.

Question 7

Which lobe of the brain is most involved in higher-order thinking,such as planning and impulse control?

Accepted Answer

A)  Parietal 
B)  Temporal 
C)  Cerebral 
D)  Frontal 
A)  Parietal 
B)  Temporal 
C)  Cerebral 
D)  Frontal

Question 8

Three-year-old Lee doesn't recognize her father when he arrives home without his beard.Even when he talks to her,she is sure that he isn't really her father.Lee is demonstrating the lack of:

Accepted Answer

A)  reversibility. 
B)  nullafiability. 
C)  identity. 
D)  all of the above 
A)  reversibility. 
B)  nullafiability. 
C)  identity. 
D)  all of the above

Question 9

A defensive realist believes:

Accepted Answer

A)  in absolute, universal truths. 
B)  people are biased. 
C)  that people can have different opinions. 
D)  all of the above 
A)  in absolute, universal truths. 
B)  people are biased. 
C)  that people can have different opinions. 
D)  all of the above

Question 10

The most sophisticated cognitions involve:

Accepted Answer

A)  thinking. 
B)  inference. 
C)  reasoning. 
D)  elimination strategies. 
A)  thinking. 
B)  inference. 
C)  reasoning. 
D)  elimination strategies.

Question 11

What tests did Piaget use to determine whether children had entered the concrete operations stage?

Accepted Answer

A)  Conservation problems 
B)  Intelligence tests 
C)  The pendulum problems 
D)  Deductive reasoning tests 
A)  Conservation problems 
B)  Intelligence tests 
C)  The pendulum problems 
D)  Deductive reasoning tests

Question 12

Four-year-old Jinni thinks that when she flattens out a ball of clay there is more than there was before because the clay is wider on the table.This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

A)  centering. 
B)  egocentrism. 
C)  seriation. 
D)  syncretism. 
A)  centering. 
B)  egocentrism. 
C)  seriation. 
D)  syncretism.

Question 13

The part of the brain that creates primitive emotional responses to the environment is the:

Accepted Answer

A)  frontal lobe. 
B)  parietal lobe. 
C)  hippocampus. 
D)  amygdala. 
A)  frontal lobe. 
B)  parietal lobe. 
C)  hippocampus. 
D)  amygdala.

Question 14

Looking for evidence that disproves a hypothesis is called:

Accepted Answer

A)  a confirmation strategy. 
B)  an elimination strategy. 
C)  reasoning. 
D)  the self-serving bias. 
A)  a confirmation strategy. 
B)  an elimination strategy. 
C)  reasoning. 
D)  the self-serving bias.

Question 15

The ability to come to a general conclusion based on a series of specific examples is termed:

Accepted Answer

A)  induction. 
B)  deduction. 
C)  metacognition. 
D)  affirmation. 
A)  induction. 
B)  deduction. 
C)  metacognition. 
D)  affirmation.

Question 16

Boyes and Chandler believe that dogmatism and skepticism are both rooted in the same awareness,which is that:

Accepted Answer

A)  people are biased and can have different opinions. 
B)  certainty of the truth is not needed for rational behavior. 
C)  facts are open to multiple valid interpretations. 
D)  there exist many absolute and universal truths. 
A)  people are biased and can have different opinions. 
B)  certainty of the truth is not needed for rational behavior. 
C)  facts are open to multiple valid interpretations. 
D)  there exist many absolute and universal truths.

Question 17

Adolescents' increased processing speed is likely linked to neurons in the brain becoming:

Accepted Answer

A)  larger and heavier. 
B)  responsive to increases in pubertal hormones. 
C)  covered with an insulating fatty material. 
D)  dependent on a greater variety of neurotransmitters. 
A)  larger and heavier. 
B)  responsive to increases in pubertal hormones. 
C)  covered with an insulating fatty material. 
D)  dependent on a greater variety of neurotransmitters.

Question 18

A developmental cascade refers to the case where:

Accepted Answer

A)  twelve- and thirteen-year-olds are faster at processing information than adults. 
B)  age changes in processing speed lead to an increase in higher level thinking. 
C)  enhanced memory leads to increases in IQ. 
D)  children's attention span increases quickly to the level of adults'. 
A)  twelve- and thirteen-year-olds are faster at processing information than adults. 
B)  age changes in processing speed lead to an increase in higher level thinking. 
C)  enhanced memory leads to increases in IQ. 
D)  children's attention span increases quickly to the level of adults'.

Question 19

Marwan understands that when a ball of clay is flattened into a pancake shape that there's still the same amount of clay.He says,"you could just bunch up the clay into a ball again-it's still the same thing." He is exhibiting:

Accepted Answer

A)  conservation. 
B)  identity. 
C)  reversibility. 
D)  all of the above 
A)  conservation. 
B)  identity. 
C)  reversibility. 
D)  all of the above

Question 20

Piaget's stage of cognitive development in which operations are carried out in action,not mentally,is:

Accepted Answer

A)  concrete operational. 
B)  formal operational. 
C)  preoperational. 
D)  sensorimotor. 
A)  concrete operational. 
B)  formal operational. 
C)  preoperational. 
D)  sensorimotor.

What is executive control and why is it important?

What is pseudostupidity and how does it relate to formal operational thinking?

Which of Gardner's eight intelligences is essential for a successful navigator?

Elkind believes that adolescent pseudostupidity results from their lack of:

Dynamic testing is based on ____________ approach.

Possessing good "executive control" means that individuals are able to:

Which lobe of the brain is most involved in higher-order thinking,such as planning and impulse control?

Three-year-old Lee doesn't recognize her father when he arrives home without his beard.Even when he talks to her,she is sure that he isn't really her father.Lee is demonstrating the lack of:

A defensive realist believes:

The most sophisticated cognitions involve:

What tests did Piaget use to determine whether children had entered the concrete operations stage?

Four-year-old Jinni thinks that when she flattens out a ball of clay there is more than there was before because the clay is wider on the table.This is an example of:

The part of the brain that creates primitive emotional responses to the environment is the:

Looking for evidence that disproves a hypothesis is called:

The ability to come to a general conclusion based on a series of specific examples is termed:

Boyes and Chandler believe that dogmatism and skepticism are both rooted in the same awareness,which is that:

Adolescents' increased processing speed is likely linked to neurons in the brain becoming:

A developmental cascade refers to the case where:

Marwan understands that when a ball of clay is flattened into a pancake shape that there's still the same amount of clay.He says,"you could just bunch up the clay into a ball again-it's still the same thing." He is exhibiting:

Piaget's stage of cognitive development in which operations are carried out in action,not mentally,is:

The Social Context of Adolescence

Adolescents in Theoretical Context

Adolescent Diversity: Socioeconomic Status and Ethnicity

Body Issues Physical Growth and Health-Related Behaviors

Self-Concept, Identity, Ethnicity, and Gender

The Development of Moral Values

Relationships with Family Members

Different Family Patterns

Being a Member of the Adolescent Subculture: Activities and Interactions with Peers

Sexual Behaviors

Education and School

Work and Vocation

Adolescent Stress and Alienation

Substance Abuse,Addiction,and Dependency

Filters

Exam 5: Cognitive Development: Improvements in Thinking, Reasoning, and Decision Making

What is executive control and why is it important?

What is pseudostupidity and how does it relate to formal operational thinking?

Which of Gardner's eight intelligences is essential for a successful navigator?

Elkind believes that adolescent pseudostupidity results from their lack of:

Dynamic testing is based on ____________ approach.

Possessing good "executive control" means that individuals are able to:

Which lobe of the brain is most involved in higher-order thinking,such as planning and impulse control?

Three-year-old Lee doesn't recognize her father when he arrives home without his beard.Even when he talks to her,she is sure that he isn't really her father.Lee is demonstrating the lack of:

A defensive realist believes:

The most sophisticated cognitions involve:

What tests did Piaget use to determine whether children had entered the concrete operations stage?

Four-year-old Jinni thinks that when she flattens out a ball of clay there is more than there was before because the clay is wider on the table.This is an example of:

The part of the brain that creates primitive emotional responses to the environment is the:

Looking for evidence that disproves a hypothesis is called:

The ability to come to a general conclusion based on a series of specific examples is termed:

Boyes and Chandler believe that dogmatism and skepticism are both rooted in the same awareness,which is that:

Adolescents' increased processing speed is likely linked to neurons in the brain becoming:

A developmental cascade refers to the case where:

Marwan understands that when a ball of clay is flattened into a pancake shape that there's still the same amount of clay.He says,"you could just bunch up the clay into a ball again-it's still the same thing." He is exhibiting:

Piaget's stage of cognitive development in which operations are carried out in action,not mentally,is:

The Social Context of Adolescence

Adolescents in Theoretical Context

Adolescent Diversity: Socioeconomic Status and Ethnicity

Body Issues Physical Growth and Health-Related Behaviors

Self-Concept, Identity, Ethnicity, and Gender

The Development of Moral Values

Relationships with Family Members

Different Family Patterns

Being a Member of the Adolescent Subculture: Activities and Interactions with Peers

Sexual Behaviors

Education and School

Work and Vocation

Adolescent Stress and Alienation

Substance Abuse,Addiction,and Dependency

Filters