Exam 9: Cognitive Development in the Preschool Years

Three-year-old Devin believes that when he puts on his Spiderman costume, he becomes Spiderman. One day, dressed as Spiderman, Devin leaped into the air from his dresser. This stunt landed him in the hospital with a concussion. According to Piaget, Devin is focusing on only one aspect of a problem and ignoring other key aspects of the problem; he is engaging in __________.

Private speech may be a way for children to practice the practical skills required in conversation, also known as __________.

Describe how preschoolers understand numbers. How does this compare to Piaget's assumptions about what preschoolers are able to understand?

The information-processing approach describes development as __________, whereas Piaget's approach describes development as __________.

The ways preschoolers combine words and phrases to form sentences, known as syntax, __________ each month.

Through the development of pragmatic abilities, children learn conversational strategies, including __________.

According to Vygotsky, the support for learning and problem solving that encourages independence and growth is known as __________.

The primitive reasoning that preschoolers use to explore and draw conclusions about their world is known as __________.

"Be careful!" Kara whispered to herself as she crossed the small footbridge. Kara was engaged in __________ speech, speech spoken and directed to herself.

What is the effect of poverty on language development?

Identify three limitations of a child's thinking during the preoperational period, according to Piaget.

Four-year-old Sarah was excitedly telling her best friend Dori about her visit to the dentist. In the middle of the conversation, Dori piped up with, "You know what, I'm going to have face painting at my birthday party." Dori's comment is an example of __________.

Summarize the research on children's autobiographical memories in the context of the legal system. Given these research findings, how should children be questioned to produce the most accurate recollections?

Developmental psychologist Rochel Gelman believes that children __________.

A child who figures out that turning a switch on will make the fan move is demonstrating __________.

Describe the term "zone of proximal development" and provide an example.

Which of the following produces the most accurate recollections?

Critics of Sesame Street have suggested that the quick-paced format of the show may __________.

Two-year-old May Lin loves to play with her doll. She gives her doll a bottle, burps her, and changes her diaper just like her mother does for her baby brother. May Lin is quite satisfied to mother her doll and leave the care of her brother to her mother. According to Piaget, May Lin's ability to use a doll as a representation of a real baby illustrates that she is capable of __________.

One of the strengths of Vygotsky's view of cognitive development is the __________.