Exam 2: Cognitive Development

Mrs.Strasbourg made the following statement to her students."Learning is an active process.Your learning leads you to higher levels of development.I will be working with you,guiding you to more advanced thinking this year.And you will be working together,learning from one another." Which theorist or theorists most likely agree with Mrs.Strasbourg's statement?

Nick is doing his sixth grade homework in history.The task requires him to make two maps of his state and compare the two maps.One map represents the state in 1850 and the other represents the state in current times.Nick is working at the task,following the instructions,and feeling that he can complete it successfully.He does need to ask the teacher one question before he finishes.Which of the following terms best describes the relationship of this assignment to Nick's level of performance?

"High horse power,poor steering," is a common phrase describing adolescent brain maturity.Which of the following behaviors best illustrates the meaning behind this saying?

Riley is typically a rule follower who doesn't cause trouble.He's on the football team,has a good reputation,and likes school.In his tenth grade year,he has started going out with the guys after football games on Friday nights.Now he's breaking rules,taking risks,and doing things that his younger self labeled as stupid and reckless.Based on what we know about brain development,what explains Riley's behavior?

Mason grew one inch between sixth grade and seventh grade.What type of developmental change is this?

Mr.Benet gives his students an assignment that prepares them for their upcoming debate.The assignment involves the analysis of divergent perspectives on the issue,development of arguments to support the diverse perspectives,and efficient recall of resources and persuasive points during the debate.What part or parts of the brain are most likely functioning to complete this assignment effectively?

Bryan went to the zoo with his first grade class.At the zoo,he saw alligators for the first time.He had never even seen pictures of alligators,but called them big-mouthed snakes.What basic tendency of thinking is Bryan using?

Sherita is now grasping the concept of conservation.She is most likely in what stage of development?

Kim heard her grandmother speak Mandarin from the time she was born.Her adopted brother never heard Mandarin as a baby or as a child.As Kim grows up,she is more likely than her adopted brother to produce native sounds in Mandarin.This illustrates which of the three ongoing debates surrounding development?

Suppose that you have a new teaching job,and your students are all most likely in Piaget's concrete-operational stage of development.Describe strategies you will use to teach the concrete-operational students effectively.

Dewayne is engaged in the following activities.Which of the activities illustrates conservation?

Five-year-old Ava and her family welcomed a new baby this week.Ava's little sister was adopted a few days ago,and now Ava is a little confused.Her little sister didn't come from Mommy's tummy.Her parents flew away and came home with her.But Ava remembers that her little brother came from Mommy's tummy two years ago. Using Piaget's conclusions about humans' basic tendency toward adaptation,discuss how Ava must adapt her existing schemes to assimilate and accommodate these changes in family structure.

Mr.Mills instructs his students to practice the steps in the process over and over.As a result of students' practice,what is happening in their brains?

As an adult,Sanya wants to learn Spanish and become a Spanish teacher.She is having trouble trilling the r and does not sound like a native speaker.What kind of synapse overproduction and pruning process is associated with Sanya's difficulty?

What part of the brain has the information processing capacity of a small computer?

Katie was watching a movie and heard the main character say,"You only use 10% of your brain,and you're either right-brained or left-brained.Stop working at it.Your brain can't change.Drink up.At least we know your drinking isn't killing your brain cells." What part of the character's statement is true?

In which assignment does Ms.Carlson expect her students to use formal operational thinking?

Paige talks out loud to herself as she gets her backpack ready for school.She doesn't want to forget anything important.What would Vygotsky most likely say about Paige's behavior?

What facts about brain development during adolescence explain their risk-taking impulsivity?

Three questions surrounding development pose continuing debate among researchers and theorists.Which of the following is one of those questions?