Deck 5: Cognitive Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood

Question 1

According to Piaget's theory,when baby Sasha sucks her thumb,she is demonstrating a __________ circular reaction.

A)goal-directed
B)primary
C)secondary
D)tertiary

Answer 1

B

Question 2

According to Piaget,a ___________ is a means of building schemes in which infants try to repeat chance motor behaviors again and again.

A)sensorimotor response
B)circular reaction
C)mental representation
D)goal-directed behavior

Answer 2

B

Question 3

According to Piaget,first schemes

A)take place internally.
B)occur around age 2.
C)are sensorimotor action patterns.
D)are intentional or goal-directed.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

During the second substage of the sensorimotor period,babies

A)apply reflexive behaviors rather indiscriminately.
B)start to gain voluntary control over their actions through the primary circular reaction.
C)react reflexively no matter what experiences they encounter.
D)babies create internal depictions of objects and events.

Question 5

__________ involves building schemes through direct interaction with the environment.

A)Equilibration
B)Adaptation
C)Assimilation
D)Organization

Question 6

According to Piaget,specific psychological structures called _________ are organized ways of making sense of experience.

A)schemes
B)adaptations
C)assimilations
D)accommodations

Question 7

The circular reaction initially centers on

A)the manipulation of objects.
B)internal depictions of events.
C)the infant's own body.
D)imitation of familiar behaviors.

Question 8

In Piaget's theory,through the _________ circular reaction,babies try to repeat interesting events in the surrounding environment that are caused by their own actions.

A)goal-directed
B)primary
C)secondary
D)tertiary

Question 9

Baby Alan started opening his mouth differently for a nipple than for a spoon.Alan is probably in Stage ___ of Piaget's sensorimotor stages.

A)2
B)3
C)4
D)5

Question 10

Apart from direct contact with the environment,schemes also change

A)through organization.
B)externally.
C)in a disconnected system.
D)reflexively.

Question 11

In Piaget's theory,each time the back-and-forth movement between equilibrium and disequilibrium occurs,

A)children temporarily regress to a previous stage of cognitive development.
B)less effective schemes are produced.
C)children adapt more than they organize.
D)more effective schemes are produced.

Question 12

Baby Kate now relates dropping and throwing to her developing understanding of nearness and farness.In Piaget's theory,this achievement is an example of

A)equilibration.
B)accommodation.
C)organization.
D)assimilation.

Question 13

During __________,children use their current schemes to interpret the external world,whereas in __________,children create new schemes or adjust old ones after noticing that their current ways of thinking do not capture the environment completely.

A)assimilation;accommodation
B)equilibration;disequilibration
C)adaptation;organization
D)accommodation;assimilation

Question 14

Piaget believed that infants and toddlers

A)carry out many activities inside their heads.
B)"think" with their eyes,ears,and hands.
C)assimilate more than they accommodate.
D)do not yet construct schemes.

Question 15

According to Piaget,the balance between assimilation and accommodation

A)is steady throughout early childhood.
B)favors assimilation.
C)favors accommodation.
D)varies over time.

Question 16

At 16 months,Brynn is in Piaget's ___________ stage of cognitive development.

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

Question 17

Two-year-old Laura dropped a block into her toy box.She then dropped a cup,a car,and a doll into the box,throwing some objects gently,while using more force with others.Laura's modification of her dropping scheme is an example of

A)equilibrium.
B)organization.
C)accommodation.
D)assimilation.

Question 18

In Piaget's theory,_________ are the building blocks of sensorimotor intelligence.

A)goal-directed behaviors
B)cultural experiences
C)problem-solving skills
D)newborn reflexes

Question 19

In Piaget's theory,when children are in a state of cognitive equilibrium,

A)they accommodate more than they assimilate.
B)they assimilate more than they accommodate.
C)assimilation and accommodation are balanced.
D)they experience rapid cognitive change.

Question 20

In Piaget's theory,when children are in a state of disequilibrium,

A)they shift away from accommodation toward assimilation.
B)cognitive change is rapid.
C)they are likely to construct inefficient schemes.
D)assimilation and accommodation are balanced.

Question 21

Core knowledge theorists assume that

A)infants start out life with a set of prewired understandings.
B)experience helps young infants refine their sensorimotor schemes.
C)infants start out life as "blank slates."
D)experience is unnecessary for the development of linguistic and psychological knowledge.

Question 22

Sixteen-month-old Maecy is able to repeat behaviors with variation.Maecy is demonstrating the __________ circular reaction.

A)reflexive
B)primary
C)secondary
D)tertiary

Question 23

Professor Rellinger believes that babies are born with a set of innate knowledge systems.Professor Rellinger's beliefs are consistent with the _________ perspective.

A)sociocultural
B)core knowledge
C)information-processing
D)sensorimotor

Question 24

In the information-processing system,a special part of working memory,called the ____________,directs the flow of information.

A)sensory register
B)central executive
C)permanent knowledge base
D)automatic cognitive processor

Question 25

Some critics of the violation-of-expectation method

A)believe that it reveals only babies' understanding of experience,not their perceptual preference for novelty.
B)argue that wide individual differences in recovery times exist.
C)believe that it reveals only babies' perceptual preference for novelty,not their understanding of experience.
D)argue that it is an inappropriate approach to use with babies.

Question 26

Unlike Piaget,who thought young babies constructed all mental representations out of sensorimotor activity,most researchers now believe that

A)infants are born with four core domains of thought.
B)infants and toddlers are incapable of true mental representation.
C)even newborns process information much like adults.
D)infants have some built-in cognitive equipment for making sense of experience.

Question 27

Current research on infant cognition yields broad agreement on which of the following?

A)The cognitive changes of infancy are stagelike.
B)Most aspects of infant cognition develop concurrently.
C)Many cognitive changes of infancy are gradual and continuous.
D)Most aspects of infant cognition develop abruptly.

Question 28

Baby Hannah is shown a stuffed sheep,and then it is hidden under a blanket.Which of the following is true?

A)Hannah must coordinate two schemes to retrieve the object: "pushing" aside the blanket and "grasping" the stuffed sheep.
B)Deliberately retrieving the stuffed toy is an example of a secondary circular reaction.
C)Hannah will have trouble retrieving the sheep until she no longer makes the A-not-B search error.
D)Hannah will not be able to retrieve the stuffed sheep until she is in Substage 5 of Piaget's sensorimotor period.

Question 29

In Substage 6 of the sensorimotor period,the ability to create mental representations enables toddlers to __________ and __________.

A)engage in deferred imitation;use make-believe play
B)understand object permanence;engage in goal-directed behavior
C)engage in deferred imitation;understand object permanence
D)engage in functional play;solve invisible displacement problems

Question 30

Success at object search tasks coincides with

A)rapid development of the frontal lobes of the cerebral cortex.
B)the onset of telegraphic speech.
C)the use of reflexive schemes to explore the environment.
D)a strong novelty preference.

Question 31

Our most powerful mental representations include ________ and _________.

A)images;imitation
B)imitation;concepts
C)images;concepts
D)habituation;imitation

Question 32

Infants in Substage 4 of the sensorimotor period,who can better anticipate events,sometimes use __________ to try to change those events.

A)hit-or-miss actions
B)their capacity for intentional behavior
C)make-believe play
D)tertiary circular reactions

Question 33

In Piaget's theory,8- to 12-month-olds can use ____________ to solve simple problems.

A)goal-directed behavior
B)reflexive schemes
C)make-believe
D)primary circular reactions

Question 34

In the information-processing system,information first enters

A)the central executive.
B)working memory.
C)the sensory register.
D)long-term memory.

Question 35

In the violation-of-expectation method,__________ suggests that the infant is surprised by a deviation from physical reality.

A)heightened attention to an unexpected event
B)habituation to an expected event
C)habituation to an unexpected event
D)heightened attention to an expected event

Question 36

Baby Luigi retrieves his pacifier,which his mother has hidden behind a pillow.Luigi has begun to master

A)deferred imitation.
B)object permanence.
C)make-believe play.
D)reflexive schemes.

Question 37

Follow-up research on infant cognitive development indicates that ________ is present as early as 6 weeks.

A)object permanence
B)deferred imitation
C)rational imitation
D)analogical problem solving

Question 38

According to the core knowledge perspective,each of an infant's ____________ permits a ready grasp of new,related information.

A)core domains of thought
B)sensorimotor schemes
C)mental states
D)five senses

Question 39

Compared to schemes in Substage 3 of the sensorimotor period,schemes in Substage 4

A)are directed towards the infant's body.
B)have a hit-or-miss quality.
C)represent sudden solutions rather than trial-and-error solutions.
D)are coordinated deliberately to solve simple problems.

Question 40

In working memory,children actively apply ________ as they "work" on a limited amount of information.

A)the flow of information
B)a permanent knowledge base
C)sustained attention
D)mental strategies

Question 41

According to the information-processing framework,__________ make more complex forms of thinking possible with age.

A)changes in the basic structure of the mental system
B)the capacity of the mental system and increases in the speed with which information can be processed
C)goal-directed behaviors and environmental stimulation
D)accommodation and assimilation during periods of rapid cognitive change

Question 42

Processing several competing events simultaneously may be vital in cultures where children

A)spend large amounts of time playing with siblings and peers.
B)learn largely through observation of others' ongoing activities.
C)begin formal schooling during the toddler years.
D)are largely responsible for the care of younger siblings.

Question 43

Which of the following is true about infantile amnesia?

A)Infantile amnesia is more common in females than males.
B)Most older children and adults cannot retrieve events that happened before age 3.
C)Infants' memory processing is fundamentally different from that of adults.
D)During the first few years,children remember largely with verbal techniques.

Question 44

_______________ helps infants reduce the enormous amount of new information they encounter every day so they can learn and remember.

A)Categorization
B)Recall
C)Recognition
D)Recovery

Question 45

Three-year-old Benny is presented with a toy called the Magic Shrinking Machine.An object is inserted in an opening on top of the machine,and with the turn of a crank,Benny can retrieve a smaller,identical object from behind a door on the front of the machine.Which of the following is most likely to be true?

A)Benny will not be able to retrieve the shrunken object from behind the door on the front of the machine.
B)Benny will not be able to recall the "shrinking" event a day later when shown photos.
C)Benny will not be able to translate his nonverbal memory for the game into language six months to one year later.
D)Benny will be able to translate his nonverbal memory for the game into language six months to one year later.

Question 46

By 6 months of age,babies can categorize on the basis of

A)shape only.
B)size only.
C)two correlated features.
D)concepts.

Question 47

When Sarah was 18 months old,her mother stood behind her,helping her throw a bean bag into a hole.As Sarah's skill improved,her mother stepped back,letting her try on her own.This example best illustrates the concept of

A)accommodation.
B)novelty preference.
C)the zone of proximal development.
D)sustained attention.

Question 48

Information-processing research indicates that by 3 months,infants can remember events for as long as 3 months and categorize stimuli.These findings challenge Piaget's assumption that

A)the emergence of language brings about representational ability.
B)infants are unable to distinguish fantasy from reality.
C)transitive inference emerges during the preschool years.
D)infants are unable to mentally represent experiences.

Question 49

Research on infantile amnesia suggests that adults typically cannot remember events that happened during the first few years of life because

A)early memories are placed into an explicit memory system that is inaccessible once implicit memory develops.
B)most adults have forgotten these early memories due to the passage of time.
C)long-term memory does not emerge until around age 7.
D)adults cannot translate early preverbal memories into language.

Question 50

Studies of infantile amnesia suggest that __________ contributes to the end of infantile amnesia.

A)an implicit memory system
B)acquiring mnemonic strategies
C)object permanence
D)a clear self-image

Question 51

One of the greatest drawbacks of the information-processing approach is its difficulty with

A)breaking down children's thoughts into precise procedures.
B)integrating information into a broad,comprehensive theory.
C)analyzing cognition into its components.
D)implementing rigorous research procedures.

Question 52

According to Vygotsky,children master activities through

A)joint activities with more mature members of their society.
B)interaction with the physical environment.
C)operant conditioning and modeling.
D)trial and error.

Question 53

According to the information-processing approach,the longer a person holds information in working memory,the

A)less likely it will transfer to the long-term memory.
B)greater the likelihood that it will drop out of the information-processing system.
C)more likely it will transfer to the permanent knowledge base.
D)less likely it will be retrievable in the future.

Question 54

According to Vygotsky,______________ is a range of tasks that a child cannot yet handle alone but can do with the help of more skilled partners.

A)transitive inference
B)the dynamic systems approach
C)the zone of proximal development
D)scaffolding

Question 55

_____________ and ___________ provide windows into early memory by showing that retention of visual events increases dramatically over infancy and toddlerhood.

A)Classical conditioning;accommodation
B)Habituation;recall
C)Operant conditioning;habituation
D)Operant conditioning;recognition

Question 56

Babies have long habituation times because _____________

A)their attraction to novelty is poor.
B)they cannot shift their attention from one interesting stimulus to another.
C)their gross-motor skills are not yet well-developed.
D)they have no interest in novel or eye-catching events.

Question 57

Infants' earliest categories are

A)conceptual.
B)perceptual.
C)based on common behaviors.
D)verbal.

Question 58

Recall is more challenging than recognition because it

A)involves noticing when a stimulus is identical or similar to one previously experienced.
B)does not involve a deliberate search of long-term memory.
C)does not involve imitation.
D)involves remembering a stimulus that is not present.

Question 59

With the transition to toddlerhood,attraction to __________ declines and __________ improves.

A)intentional behavior;gazing
B)stimuli;reflexive action
C)novelty;sustained attention
D)goal-directed behavior;memory

Question 60

Vygotsky believed that complex mental activities have their origin in

A)sensorimotor behavior.
B)perception,attention,and memory.
C)social interaction.
D)developmental quotients.

Question 61

An intelligence quotient (IQ)

A)is a more accurate predictor of intelligence than a developmental quotient.
B)rarely fluctuates between toddlerhood and adolescence.
C)is expressed as the ratio of an individual's chronological age to his or her mental age.
D)indicates the extent to which the raw score deviates from the typical performance of same-age individuals.

Question 62

The goal of mental testing is to

A)explain how children's thinking changes over time.
B)measure the process of cognition.
C)show how the environment influences cognitive change.
D)measure behaviors that reflect development and to arrive at scores that predict future performance.

Question 63

Compared with cognitive theories,mental tests

A)focus on the products of cognitive development rather than on the process of development.
B)focus on the process of cognitive development rather than on the products of development.
C)are more accurate indicators of what babies and toddlers understand.
D)focus on environmental influences on intelligence.

Question 64

Professor Zettler regards language development as entirely due to environmental influences.Professor Zettler's belief is consistent with the ___________ perspective.

A)nativist
B)interactionist
C)behaviorist
D)sociocultural

Question 65

____________ is a much better indicator than an early mental test score of how children will do later.

A)Warm,responsive parenting
B)Organization of the play environment
C)Provision of appropriate play materials
D)Motor development

Question 66

Child care in the United States is

A)typically subsidized by the federal government.
B)evaluated by state agencies using standards for developmentally appropriate practice.
C)primarily high in quality and strictly regulated by the federal government.
D)affected by a macrosystem of individualistic values and weak government regulation and funding.

Question 67

Which of the following is true about make-believe play?

A)At the end of the second year,almost all play episodes are initiated by adults.
B)Parents and teachers inhibit make-believe by participating with children.
C)Make-believe is a major means through which children extend their cognitive skills and learn about important activities in their culture.
D)Children who spent a great deal of time in make-believe play tend to be anxious and shy.

Question 68

In contrast to the United States,most European countries

A)do not require that caregivers have special training in child development.
B)nationally regulate child care to ensure its quality.
C)offer government subsidized child care only to low-SES families.
D)do not regulate the child-care industry.

Question 69

Research on child care in the United States shows that

A)approximately 80 percent of child-care centers are of high-quality.
B)all child-care workers are required to have at least 2 years of college education.
C)only 20 to 25 percent of child-care settings in the United States provide a level of care sufficient to promote healthy psychological development.
D)settings providing the very worst care tend to serve low-SES families.

Question 70

Intelligence test scores of infants and toddlers often do not reflect their true abilities because

A)they easily become distracted,fatigued,or bored during testing.
B)the tests emphasize verbal,conceptual,and problem-solving skills.
C)the tests cannot be relied on for screening developmental problems.
D)the tests only identify infants who are likely to be intellectually gifted as older children.

Question 71

Research using the HOME checklist reveals that the extent to which parents __________ is especially important in facilitating toddlers' intelligence test performance.

A)engage their children in physical activity
B)watch educational television with their children
C)talk to their infants and toddlers
D)take part in make-believe play with their children

Question 72

Today,infant mental tests are largely used for

A)predicting later intelligence.
B)measuring higher-order cognitive skills.
C)screening to help identify babies who are likely to have developmental problems.
D)assessing memory,as well as quickness and flexibility of thinking.

Question 73

Research showed that by age 3,children in Early Head Start

A)demonstrated gains in cognitive and language development.
B)demonstrated an increase in aggression.
C)experienced a "washout effect."
D)scored,on average,15 points higher in IQ than children not enrolled in the intervention.

Question 74

The Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development

A)emphasize only perceptual and motor responses.
B)include a cognitive scale,a language scale,and a motor scale.
C)show good long-term predictions of childhood intellectual functioning.
D)reflect the same aspects of intelligence assessed in adulthood.

Question 75

Good quality child care

A)cannot compensate for the negative effects of a stressed,poverty-stricken home life.
B)can reduce the negative impact of a stressed,poverty-stricken home life.
C)is the norm in the United States.
D)is primarily available to low-SES families with young children.

Question 76

In the United States today,more than ______ percent of mothers with a child under age 2 are employed.

A)20
B)35
C)50
D)60

Question 77

Which of the following is true about early intervention?

A)Early intervention programs increase IQ scores during the school years,but the gains are not sustained beyond middle childhood.
B)The strongest effects of early intervention occur at sites that offer a mix of center- and home-based services.
C)The U.S.Congress recently recognized the successes of early intervention and now fully funds all programs directed at low-income infants and toddlers.
D)Even with early intervention,most children born into economically disadvantaged families will not reach their full potential.

Question 78

Research demonstrates that early make-believe play is

A)less frequent and rich in collectivists cultures than in individualistic cultures.
B)the combined result of children's readiness to engage in it and social experiences that promote it.
C)usually initiated by toddlers rather than their parents or older siblings.
D)discovered by toddlers independently,once they are capable of representational schemes.

Question 79

Dr.Ewing measured individual differences in a large sample of individuals using intelligence testing.If performances at each age level formed a normal distribution,the results were probably ______-shaped.

A)U
B)L
C)bell
D)star

Question 80

Home-based early intervention for at-risk infants and toddlers

A)is less effective than center-based intervention.
B)provides children with mental and physical stimulation at home,but does not involve caregiver education.
C)teaches parents how to stimulate young children's development.
D)improves social,but not cognitive,performance.