Deck 7: Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle and Late Childhood

Question 1

All of the following are associated with childhood obesity in the United States EXCEPT:

A) having overweight parents.
B) the availability of food.
C) the part of the country where the child lives.
D) parents' eating habits.

Answer 1

the part of the country where the child lives.

Question 2

On average, children gain _____ pounds per year during middle and late childhood.

A) 1 to 2
B) 2 to 3
C) 5 to 7
D) 7 to 10

Answer 2

5 to 7

Question 3

In terms of brain development in school-age children, synaptic pruning is part of the shift in activation from:

A) smaller focal areas to larger diffuse areas.
B) larger diffuse areas to smaller focal areas.
C) the prefrontal cortex to the brain stem.
D) more diffusion to less focal activation in the prefrontal cortex.

Answer 3

larger diffuse areas to smaller focal areas.

Question 4

During the elementary school years, children grow an average of _____ inches a year until age 11, with the average sized _____ being taller than the average sized _____.

A) two to three; boy; girl
B) two to three; girl; boy
C) one to two; boy; girl
D) one to two; girl; boy

Question 5

Based on data from 2011-2012, the percentage of 6- to 11-year-olds who were obese was about _____ than the percentage of two- to five-year-olds who were obese.

A) 10 percentage points lower
B) 5 percentage points lower
C) 5 percentage points higher
D) 10 percentage points higher

Question 6

Which of the following is NOT a trend in body growth for children in middle and late childhood?

A) Muscle mass increases and baby fat decreases.
B) Head and waist circumference decrease in relation to body height.
C) Weight increases are mainly due to increases in the skeletal and muscular systems.
D) They triple their strength capacity.

Question 7

Comparing data from 2009-2010 to that from 2011-2012, the percent of two- to five-year-olds who were obese _____, while the percent of U.S. 6- to 11-year-olds _____.

A) increased; decreased
B) decreased; increased
C) increased; stayed the same
D) decreased; stayed the same

Question 8

Eight-year-old Ella can use scissors to cut small paper dolls out of construction paper, something she could not do at age three. What BEST accounts for her improving dexterity?

A) Cortical thickening in the temporal lobe
B) Increased myelination of the central nervous system
C) Increased bone ossification
D) Increased muscle development

Question 9

According to recent studies, exercising _____ times a week for 60 minutes was effective in lowering both systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

A) two
B) three
C) five
D) seven

Question 10

Which type of cancer is most prevalent in children?

A) Leukemia
B) Lung cancer
C) Brain cancer
D) Skin cancer

Question 11

One in every _____ children in the United States develops a disease characterized by the uncontrolled, detrimental increase of abnormal cells before the age of 19.

A) 75
B) 130
C) 250
D) 330

Question 12

While cancer rates have _____ in recent years, children with cancer are:

A) slightly increased; surviving longer than in the past.
B) slightly decreased; surviving longer than in the past.
C) slightly increased; less likely to survive as long as they had in the past.
D) slightly decreased; less likely to survive as long as they had in the past.

Question 13

Kim's mom wants to help her daughter succeed in school. To boost and maintain Kim's intellectual development, her mother should do all of the following EXCEPT:

A) decrease screen time.
B) enroll Kim in school-based physical activity programs.
C) get Kim out for aerobic activities three times a week.
D) let Kim exercise alone rather than exercise with her.

Question 14

Which of the following is the second leading cause of death in U.S. children 5 to 14 years of age?

A) Cardiovascular disease
B) Cancer
C) Motor vehicle accidents
D) Drowning

Question 15

A shift in brain activation of school-age children from more diffuse to more focal areas in the prefrontal cortex was linked to:

A) early onset of puberty.
B) emotional disturbances in adolescence.
C) increased cognitive efficiency and cognitive control.
D) language processing and later reading disabilities.

Question 16

Which of the following is FALSE regarding motor development in middle and late childhood?

A) By eight years, children show manipulative skills similar to that of adults.
B) At eight years, children can execute small and even cursive writing.
C) By seven years, children prefer a pencil to a crayon for printing.
D) By seven years, children can execute small printing and show fewer letter reversals.

Question 17

Lillette, age nine, is particularly susceptible to bruising and infections. She has been diagnosed with _____, a cancer in which the bone marrow manufactures an abundance of abnormal white blood cells.

A) neuroblastoma
B) lymphosarcoma
C) leukemia
D) clear cell sarcoma

Question 18

Approximately _____ of children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia are cured with chemotherapy.

A) 20%
B) 40%
C) 60%
D) 80%

Question 19

Improvement of fine motor skills during middle and late childhood is a reflection of:

A) increased myelination of the central nervous system.
B) advances in the prefrontal cortex.
C) an increase in the neurotransmitter dopamine.
D) a simultaneous process where axons in the brain die off, while dendrites in the brain grow and branch out.

Question 20

Improvements in attention, memory, effortful and goal-directed thinking, and behavior have been linked to:

A) aerobic exercise.
B) anaerobic exercise.
C) increased media/screen time.
D) less required physical activity at school.

Question 21

One of the explanations for the gender difference in the identification of learning disabilities is that:

A) boys have a greater biological vulnerability for learning disabilities.
B) girls are more likely to be referred by teachers for treatment.
C) girls' education is given priority in schools and homes.
D) learning disability is more difficult to detect in boys.

Question 22

Terrence has always had trouble with basic math skills. He's embarrassed that for his age he still has trouble counting, adding, and subtracting. When his teacher tries to help he usually just guesses at answers. His teacher is concerned that Terrence is dealing with _____.

A) ADHD
B) dysgraphia
C) dyslexia
D) dyscalculia

Question 23

Ms. McIntyre is helping two children, a boy and a girl, who are having significant trouble with listening, reading, and spelling. Research would say she is more likely to find outside help for the boy first, demonstrating the _____ bias.

A) referral
B) hyperactivity
C) disability
D) developmental

Question 24

In 2011-2012, the percentage of all children in public schools who received special education services for learning disabilities was _____, as compared to autism at _____.

A) 4.7%; 2.8%
B) 2.8%; 4.7%
C) 4.7%; 0.9%
D) 0.9%; 4.7%

Question 25

Sabeen has a severe impairment in reading and spelling ability. His performance is much worse than his peers, thus his teacher has asked that Sabeen take tests for:

A) attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.
B) dysgraphia.
C) dyslexia.
D) dyscalculia.

Question 26

A learning disability is:

A) primarily the result of environmental disadvantage.
B) primarily the result of intellectual disability.
C) primarily the result of visual, hearing, or motor disabilities.
D) often a problem related to reading.

Question 27

ADHD occurs _____ more frequently in boys than in girls.

A) two to three times
B) four to nine times
C) ten times
D) marginally

Question 28

Of all children from 3 to 21 years of age in the United States, _____ received special education or related services in 2011 -2012.

A) 5%
B) 13%
C) 20%
D) 32%

Question 29

About _____ as many boys as girls are classified as having a learning disability, a finding partly attributed to _____.

A) twice; referral bias
B) three times; referral bias
C) twice; hyperactivity bias
D) three times; hyperactivity bias

Question 30

Marshall writes very slowly and his handwriting is virtually illegible. He also makes numerous spelling errors because of his inability to match up sounds and letters. Which of the following conditions does Marshall suffer from?

A) Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
B) Dysgraphia
C) Dyslexia
D) Dyscalculia

Question 31

In recent decades the number of children diagnosed and treated for ADHD has _____.

A) increased slightly, with most new cases diagnosed in girls
B) increased substantially, with most new cases diagnosed in boys
C) decreased slightly, with most new cases diagnosed in boys
D) decreased substantially, with most new cases diagnosed in girls

Question 32

Which was the largest group of students with a disability to be served by federal programs and receive special education in the 2011-2012 school year?

A) Students with a learning disability
B) Students with speech or language impairments
C) Students with intellectual disability
D) Students with emotional disturbance

Question 33

ADHD is a disability in which children consistently, over time, show any or all of the following characteristics EXCEPT:

A) intellectual disabilities.
B) inattention.
C) impulsivity.
D) hyperactivity.

Question 34

In 2011-2012, the percentage of all children in public schools who received special education services for learning disabilities was _____, as compared to speech or hearing impairments at _____.

A) 4.7%; 2.8%
B) 2.8%; 4.7%
C) 4.7%; 0.9%
D) 0.9%; 4.7%

Question 35

_____ children with a learning disability have a reading problem.

A) Few
B) No
C) Most
D) All

Question 36

Research indicates that it is likely that all of the following are true of learning disabilities except that they:

A) reside in a single, specific brain location.
B) are due to problems in integrating information from multiple brain regions.
C) are a result of subtle difficulties in brain structures.
D) are a result of subtle difficulties in brain functions.

Question 37

Damon's teachers frequently complain that he disrupts his kindergarten class by fidgeting and moving about all the time. He does not appear to pay any attention to what is being taught in class and behaves impulsively. Damon's teacher strongly suspects he may be diagnosed with _____.

A) ADHD
B) OCD
C) PTSD
D) EMDR

Question 38

Sandra, age nine, was always behind in class because she could only write very slowly, and even then her painstaking efforts would be virtually illegible and riddled with spelling mistakes. Her teacher referred her to a psychologist who diagnosed her with a learning disability called:

A) ADH
B) dysgraphia.
C) dyslexia.
D) dyscalculia.

Question 39

Interventions with children who have a learning disability often focus on improving:

A) math ability.
B) speech skills.
C) writing skills.
D) reading ability.

Question 40

Samuel, age eight, has difficulty understanding or memorizing math principles. After a referral and some testing, it is clear he is suffering from a learning disability called _____, or developmental arithmetic disorder.

A) dyscalculia
B) dysgraphia
C) dyslexia
D) ADHD

Question 41

What causes the autism spectrum disorders?

A) Improper family socialization
B) A brain dysfunction with abnormalities in brain structure and neurotransmitters
C) Damage to the prefrontal cortex of the brain
D) Childhood immunizations

Question 42

Max, now diagnosed with ADHD, has been seeing a therapist who leads him through ____. Often, he sits with his eyes closed, paying attention only to his breathing.

A) aerobic exercise sessions
B) neurofeedback
C) mindfulness training
D) creativity training

Question 43

Luis's grandfather decided to challenge Luis to a game. He placed coins on the table and asked his grandson to organize coins in a row from the largest in size to the smallest. This game is testing the Piagetian concept of:

A) centration.
B) seriation.
C) reversibility.
D) classification.

Question 44

_____ is a relatively mild autism spectrum disorder in which the child has relatively good verbal language, milder nonverbal language problems, and a restricted range of interests and relationships.

A) Asperger syndrome
B) ADHD
C) Autistic disorder
D) ICF syndrome

Question 45

In 2002, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimated that one in _____ children had an autism spectrum disorder; and in 2012, they estimated that one in _____ children had such a disorder.

A) 500; 300
B) 300; 500
C) 150; 68
D) 68; 150

Question 46

Sheila, diagnosed with severe ADHD, moves back and forth between a classroom and a learning lab. Her teacher monitors her behavior to determine the _____ is a setting that is as similar as possible to the one in which children who do not have a disability are educated.

A) ideal learning environment (ILE)
B) special learning environment (SLE)
C) least discriminating environment (LDE)
D) least restrictive environment (LRE)

Question 47

Boys are estimated to be _____ more likely to have autism spectrum disorders than girls are.

A) two to three times
B) marginally
C) twice
D) five times

Question 48

Piaget's third stage of cognitive development emphasizes a child's ability to reason logically and to mentally reverse actions by using the term _____, while also emphasizing that the child can only apply this reasoning to specific, often physical examples by using the term _____.

A) formal; metacognitive
B) computational; structured
C) operational; concrete
D) postoperational; structured

Question 49

_____ is a severe developmental disorder that has its onset in the first three years of life and includes deficiencies in social relationships; abnormalities in communication; and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped patterns of behavior.

A) Asperger syndrome
B) ADHD
C) Autistic disorder
D) ICF syndrome

Question 50

The Education for All Handicapped Children Act, enacted in 1975, required that:

A) all students with disabilities be brought into mainstream schools.
B) parents of children with disabilities provide homeschooling for their children.
C) all students with disabilities be given a free, appropriate public education.
D) a standard curriculum be provided for students with and without disabilities.

Question 51

Brain studies have associated all of the following with ADHD except:

A) the neurotransmitter dopamine.
B) decreased cortical thickness in the prefrontal cortex.
C) increased myelination.
D) delayed development in the frontal lobes.

Question 52

Jacob is a third-grader and has a disability that has caused him to be separated from his peers during the school day. Recently Jacob has been moved to the regular third-grade classroom. Jacob has just experienced:

A) transformation.
B) transition.
C) seriation.
D) inclusion.

Question 53

With regard to the cognitive development theory, Piaget proposed that the concrete operational stage lasts from approximately _____ years of age.

A) 3 to 5
B) 5 to 7
C) 7 to 11
D) 10 to 13

Question 54

Children who have reached the concrete operational stage are capable of _____, which is the ability to order stimuli along a quantitative dimension, such as size or length.

A) centration
B) seriation
C) reversibility
D) classification

Question 55

Warren has many characteristics that place him in the autism spectrum disorders. This morning Warren's mother, teacher, and speech therapist are meeting to update his _____, a document that details the adjustments made for his education.

A) tailored education plan (TEP)
B) individualized education plan (IEP)
C) exclusive education plan (EEP)
D) disabilities education plan (DEP)

Question 56

A child is presented with two identical balls of clay. The experimenter rolls one ball into a long, thin shape; the other remains in its original ball. The child is then asked if there is more clay in the ball or in the long, thin piece of clay. If the child answers the problem correctly the child most likely is in which stage of Piaget's cognitive development theory?

A) Sensorimotor stage
B) Preoperational stage
C) Postoperational stage
D) Concrete operational stage

Question 57

Her mother noticed Karlee was giving her full attention to her crayons, placing them on the table from the tallest down to the shortest. Karlee is fascinated with her new skill of _____.

A) centration
B) seriation
C) reversibility
D) classification

Question 58

Recent studies have identified all of the following as potential contributors to the development of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder EXCEPT:

A) exposure to tobacco smoke or alcohol.
B) diets high in fiber and protein.
C) high levels of maternal stress.
D) low birth weight.

Question 59

Which of the following has been found to be better at improving the behavior of children with ADHD in most cases?

A) A combination of stimulant medication and sedatives
B) Primarily stimulant medication
C) Primarily behavior management
D) A combination of stimulant medication and behavior management

Question 60

Sadie has a learning disability and is being educated in the least restrictive environment possible. This means that Sadie:

A) is given great freedom and few rules.
B) is placed in as regular a classroom as possible.
C) has significant input into developing her educational goals.
D) spends part of her time in a regular classroom and part of her time in a special education classroom.

Question 61

_____ involves knowing about knowing, whereas _____ involves knowing about memory.

A) Cognition; memory
B) Brainstorming; executive memory
C) Metacognition; metamemory
D) Metadata; meta-evaluation

Question 62

Expertise in an area brings all the following characteristics EXCEPT:

A) an ability to know where to focus and what to notice in their area.
B) extensive knowledge about a particular content area.
C) an increased ability to gain expertise in entirely different areas.
D) more efficiency and effectiveness in solving problems in that area.

Question 63

By age five or six, children usually know all of the following EXCEPT:

A) familiar items are easier to remember.
B) short lists are easier to learn than long ones.
C) related items are easier to remember than unrelated ones.
D) forgetting is likely to occur over time.

Question 64

Cassidy is a teacher who loves to try Piagetian questions on her young son. One day in the car she asked him who the fastest runners in his class were. To confirm she asked, "Kevin is faster than Bill, right?" and later she asked, "Nate is faster than Kevin, right?" Waiting a while, she asked, "Is Nate or Bill faster?" She smiled when her son said, "_____," because he was demonstrating _____.

A) Nate; seriation
B) Bill; seriation
C) Nate; transitivity
D) Bill; transitivity

Question 65

The mental area, often compared to a carpenter's workbench, where individuals manipulate and combine information when making decisions or understand something they are reading, is called:

A) short-term memory.
B) working memory.
C) long-term memory.
D) effective memory.

Question 66

Garrett's teacher asked his class to write down every response they could think of to the question, "What would you do if you could be invisible for a day?" This kind of exercise fosters _____ thinking.

A) divergent
B) convergent
C) expressive
D) productive

Question 67

The ability to think in new and unusual ways to come up with unique solutions, different from intelligence, is:

A) logical thinking.
B) analytical thinking.
C) critical thinking.
D) creative thinking.

Question 68

_____ develop(s) more rapidly during early childhood, and _____ develop(s) more rapidly during middle and late childhood.

A) Long-term memory; short-term memory
B) Short-term memory; long-term memory
C) Knowledge; expertise
D) Expertise; knowledge

Question 69

Voletta does more than just memorize and give back information in the way it was given to her. Rather, she thinks productively and reviews, connects, and reflects as a means of evaluating evidence. This means that she is engaging in:

A) critical thinking.
B) metacognition.
C) cognitive monitoring.
D) control processes.

Question 70

According to the fuzzy trace theory, the _____ consists of the precise details of the information.

A) gist
B) verbatim memory trace
C) fuzzy trace
D) mental imagery

Question 71

Shana and her father love to take reference books into the forest and identify trees. From all the possible trees described in her book, she wants to find the one tree that matches the one she is standing by. This exercise fosters _____ thinking.

A) divergent
B) convergent
C) expressive
D) productive

Question 72

_____ thinking characterizes the kind of thinking that is required when taking bits of information, such as a random group of letters, and making a word out of them.

A) Convergent
B) Creative
C) Divergent
D) Abstract

Question 73

Hanna is guiding her daughter through spelling words when she comes to the word tiger. Hanna asks her daughter about a tiger in one of her favorite picture books, and shows her pictures of real tigers. Hanna is using _____ to help her daughter remember the word.

A) rehearsal
B) organization
C) inclusion
D) elaboration

Question 74

Megan, age eight, has a test tomorrow. "It's an easy test," she tells her mother. "I just have to recognize a bunch of stuff on a chart. I finished studying for it yesterday." Megan is exhibiting her:

A) brainstorming ability.
B) creative thinking.
C) metamemory.
D) metadata.

Question 75

At some point during the early elementary school years, children begin to use _____ more; and according to the fuzzy trace theory, this contributes to the improved memory and reasoning of older children.

A) verbatim traces
B) elaboration
C) verbal traces
D) gist

Question 76

Darrin is studying words for a spelling quiz. The worst strategy he could use is:

A) look up the definitions to better understand the words.
B) write the words with different colored crayons for mental imagery.
C) keep repeating the letters for time efficiency.
D) practice defining and spelling the words for each person in his family.

Question 77

Daryl quizzed his roommate's creativity by asking, "How many different uses for a newspaper can you come up with?" This is a test of:

A) divergent thinking.
B) convergent thinking.
C) expressive thinking.
D) productive thinking.

Question 78

Which of the following is FALSE regarding working memory?

A) It is less powerful than short-term memory.
B) It is more active than short-term memory.
C) It develops slowly.
D) It is linked with language comprehension.

Question 79

Which of the following is a strategy for improving children's memory skills?

A) Avoid repetition of the same instructional information.
B) Embed memory-relevant language when instructing children.
C) Motivate children to remember material by memorizing it.
D) Discourage children from engaging in mental imagery.

Question 80

Jeff's son is trying to learn the names of the five great lakes in the United States. While going over them Jeff points out that the first letter of each lake can be organized to spell "HOMES," so his son starts repeating the names in that order. Jeff was successful in:

A) avoiding repetition of the same instructional information.
B) embedding memory-relevant language.
C) using mental imagery.
D) engaging procedural memory.