Deck 8: Cognitive Development: Piagets Theory, Cases Neo-Piagetian Theory, and Vygotskys Sociocultural Viewpoint

Question 1

Which process did Piaget propose to explain why people react to new experiences based on similarities to their past experiences?

A)assimilation
B)accommodation
C)conservation
D)centration

Answer 1

assimilation

Question 2

A small child explores and taps a rubber ball and learns about the ball's properties via discovery.Which of Piaget's principles does the child's behaviour exemplify?

A)constructivism
B)horizontal décalage
C)representational insight
D)invariant development

Answer 2

constructivism

Question 3

Richard has a box of 10 different-sized buttons, and he is not yet able to sort them in order of largest to smallest.Based on Piaget's theory, what has Richard failed to develop?

A)a scheme for conservation of size
B)a scheme for understanding reversibility
C)an understanding of the seriation operation
D)an understanding of the spatial operation

Answer 3

an understanding of the seriation operation

Question 4

Which statement best summarizes the recent research findings regarding the ability of preschool children to take the perspective of others?

A)They show little evidence of this ability.
B)They show limited ability but improve markedly with age.
C)They show this ability and are equivalent to older children in the elementary-school years.
D)They completely lack the ability to take the perspective of others.

Question 5

According to Robbie Case, children's memory improvements in recall stem from increases in which of the following cognitive components?

A)operating efficiency of the long-term store
B)operating efficiency of the short-term store
C)physical capacity of the long-term store
D)physical capacity of the short-term store

Question 6

Which of the following would be a slogan of neonativism?

A)"Abilities arise from experiential learning."
B)"The newborn arrives with much knowledge."
C)"Development is totally flexible."
D)"Knowledge is constructed from early reflexes."

Question 7

Which of the following is among the key criticisms of Piaget's theory of cognitive development?

A)He focused too much attention on unconscious motivation.
B)He underestimated the intellectual capabilities of young children.
C)He failed to consider the active role that children play in their own development.
D)He focused too much attention on the biological or maturational components of development.

Question 8

Four-year-old Hope thought at first that her next-door neighbour's new pet rabbit was a kitten until she realized that it hopped instead of walked and it didn't purr at all.Hope then realized this was not a kitten but was a rabbit.How would Piaget explain Hope's understanding of her neighbour's pet?

A)She used assimilation.
B)She failed to use accommodation.
C)She failed to use centration.
D)She used accommodation.

Question 9

Roza is currently in the sensorimotor stage of development.According to Piaget, when will her parents know that her object concept is fully mature?

A)She searches for partially concealed objects.
B)She searches for covered objects.
C)She searches for covertly displaced objects.
D)She searches for the obvious location of objects.

Question 10

Which behaviour related to mental states emerges earliest in infancy?

A)self-recognition in mirrors
B)repeating gestures by humans but not by objects
C)talking about desires, feelings, or perceptions
D)pointing to objects to redirect others' attention

Question 11

Rachelle and Sunjai both teach introductory calculus to high school students.Rachelle most often uses cooperative learning activities in her classes, whereas Sunjai most often uses independent, discovery-based activities.Based on this information, with which cognitive theorist would Rachelle and Sunjai most likely agree?

A)Sunjai would agree with Vygotsky, and Rachelle would agree with Piaget.
B)Both Rachelle and Sunjai would agree with Vygotsky, and neither would agree with Piaget.
C)Rachelle would agree with Vygotsky, and Sunjai would agree with Piaget.
D)Both Rachelle and Sunjai would agree with Piaget, and neither would agree with Vygotsky.

Question 12

According to Piaget, what form of reasoning first emerges during the formal operational period?

A)hypothetico-deductive reasoning
B)hypothetico-transitive reasoning
C)transitive and inductive reasoning
D)deductive and transitive reasoning

Question 13

According to recent research preschoolers are likely to attribute life to which type of inanimate object?

A)all types, including nonliving things
B)all types that display movement on their own
C)unfamiliar types that display movement on their own
D)types that are similar to living things only

Question 14

John is a professor of mathematics and he is trying to teach basic algebra to his 10-year-old son.Based on your knowledge of concrete-operational thought, will John find it difficult for his son to acquire this skill at this age?

A)Yes, because his son will not think logically about abstractions.
B)Yes, because his son lacks capacity in short-term memory.
C)No, because his son will have mastered relational logic.
D)No, because his son will have mastered the use of internal, symbolic thought.

Question 15

Which statement describes cognitive behaviour in the sensorimotor period?

A)Individuals can understand the concept of reversibility.
B)Schemes revolve primarily around sensory and motor capabilities.
C)Mental operations are tied to actual objects in the real world.
D)Individuals can consider hypothetical outcomes and make logical deductions.

Question 16

Bjorklund has conjectured that the average 3-year-old has more in common with a 21-year-old adult than with a 12-month-old infant.What aspect of Piagetian thought led him to make this statement?

A)delayed imitation
B)conservation
C)animistic thought
D)symbolic thought

Question 17

What would be an overall slogan of Vygotsky's theory?

A)"The child discovers knowledge."
B)"The child develops among others."
C)"Innate competencies unfold with maturation."
D)"Behavioural reinforcers guide the child's development."

Question 18

Which of Piaget's cognitive stages is most strongly dependent on level of education?

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

Question 19

What type of motions are involved in secondary circular reactions?

A)unique motions directed toward no specific target
B)unique motions directed toward the infant's own body
C)repetitive motions directed toward the infant's body
D)repetitive motions directed toward external objects

Question 20

What are children taught when they undergo identity training?

A)to remember more information about themselves so they will be more self-confident
B)that the name of an item gives that item its identity and that an item can have different names
C)memory skills so they can better remember the identity of objects after they have seen them
D)that a transformed object or substance is the same regardless of its new appearance

Question 21

Steve, Kim, Darren, and Vinit have been asked to make drawings of all the life forms that might occur on another planet.According to Piaget, the most novel, creative ideas of life forms are likely to come from the child in which stage of cognitive development?

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

Question 22

In terms of problem solving, what marks the fifth stage of the sensorimotor period?

A)Children reach a solution to a problem internally by symbolic mental combinations.
B)Children repeat behaviours that result in interesting consequences.
C)Children engage in overt trial-and-error behaviours to explore the properties of objects.
D)Children show reversibility of thought operations.

Question 23

What does the term horizontal décalage refer to with respect to the acquisition of complex mental concepts?

A)They cannot be acquired more quickly, no matter what type of training is provided.
B)They can be acquired more quickly by children if appropriate verbal cues are used.
C)They are usually acquired in a single step or stage.
D)They are not acquired in a single step and may show uneven developmental progress.

Question 24

Michelle is an 8-year-old who shows an understanding of seriation, class-inclusion, and conservation of number and amount but fails to understand other types of conservation problems.According to Piaget, what is the term for this behaviour and what does it indicate about Michelle's cognitive development relative to the average child?

A)perpendicular décalage, indicating that she is advanced
B)horizontal décalage, indicating that she is within the normative range
C)perpendicular décalage, indicating that she is somewhat delayed
D)horizontal décalage, indicating that she is severely cognitively disabled

Question 25

Mastering which cognitive process is the hallmark achievement of the concrete operational period?

A)conservation
B)permanent transitivity
C)centration
D)abstract reasoning

Question 26

Destiny is trying to put her books onto her new bookshelves, but she is having trouble deciding how to best group them.She knows she could put all of her picture books together and all of her harder-to-read books together, or she could put all of her books about horses together, even though some books about horses are picture books and others are harder.Based on this information, what cognitive operation is Destiny beginning to understand?

A)conservation
B)relational logic
C)classification
D)seriation

Question 27

Which process did Piaget propose to explain why people respond in new ways to changes in the environment?

A)accommodation
B)assimilation
C)conservation
D)optimization

Question 28

According to Vygotsky, what does the term zone of proximal development refer to?

A)tasks that are learned when children are placed together without adult supervision
B)tasks that are similar in the level of cognitive understanding required to successfully complete them
C)tasks that are completely mastered by the child in the previous level of cognitive understanding
D)tasks that are too complex for the child to complete alone but that can be accomplished with guidance and encouragement from a partner who is more skilled

Question 29

Camilla and Frank both teach Grade 4 students.Camilla most often uses cooperative learning activities, whereas Frank most often uses independent, discovery-based activities.Based on this information, with which cognitive theorist would Camilla and Frank most likely agree?

A)Frank would agree with Vygotsky and Camilla would agree with Piaget.
B)Both Camilla and Frank would agree with Vygotsky and neither would agree with Piaget.
C)Camilla would agree with Vygotsky and Frank would agree with Piaget.
D)Both Camilla and Frank would agree with Piaget and neither would agree with Vygotsky.

Question 30

According to Piaget, which stage of development occurs between birth and 2 years of age?

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

Question 31

Which statement best summarizes the research findings of Rogoff and her colleagues regarding guided participation?

A)Children's observation skills are better developed in middle-class communities.
B)Parents in middle-class communities are less likely to use guided participation.
C)Parents in lower-class communities place a greater emphasis on verbal instructions.
D)Children's observation skills are better developed in traditional communities.

Question 32

According to Vygotsky, developmental studies comparing various animal species would be most appropriate for which type of research?

A)ontogenetic
B)sociohistorical
C)microgenetic
D)phylogenetic

Question 33

According to Piaget, what is the neonate's main sensorimotor activity?

A)exercising innate reflexes
B)performing primary circular reactions
C)performing secondary circular reactions
D)learning through classical conditioning

Question 34

Some theorists believe that cognitive development is a complex multifaceted process in which children gradually acquire skills from many content areas.This belief challenges which of Piaget's claims?

A)universal development
B)stages of development
C)continuous development
D)sociocultural development

Question 35

What is the Piagetian term for the mental structures that the child uses as a basis for responding to either old or new experiences?

A)schemes
B)assimilation
C)accommodation
D)cognitive equilibrium

Question 36

According to Piaget, which cognitive skill first emerges during the formal operational period?

A)deductive reasoning
B)transitive reasoning
C)decentred reasoning
D)relational logic

Question 37

Based on what you know about the development of a belief-desire theory of mind, what would you predict about cross-cultural differences in the emergence of this ability?

A)It is likely to be delayed in cultures that lack the social supports for its emergence.
B)There are likely to be few cross-cultural differences after age 4 because it is universal.
C)In some cultures, it will be evident during infancy and toddlerhood.
D)It is likely to be advanced in cultures that promote intolerance of deceit and deception.

Question 38

Based on the findings of recent research, what characterises the children who gain the most from collaborative learning situations with their peers?

A)those who had previously worked on the task with parental assistance
B)those who were initially at the same level of competence as their learning partners, regardless of prior parental involvement
C)those who had previously worked on the task successfully on their own without parental assistance
D)those who were initially less competent than their learning partners, regardless of prior parental assistance

Question 39

In comparing Vygotsky's and Piaget's views of cognitive development, which statement would be most accurate?

A)Vygotsky believed the course of intellectual growth was more universal than Piaget assumed, but the content of intellectual growth was more variable than Piaget assumed.
B)Vygotsky believed both the course and the content of intellectual growth were more universal than Piaget assumed.
C)Vygotsky believed neither the course nor the content of intellectual growth was as universal as Piaget assumed.
D)Vygotsky believed the course of intellectual growth was more variable than Piaget assumed, but the content of intellectual growth was more universal than Piaget assumed.

Question 40

What is one criticism that has been raised concerning Piaget's theory?

A)his focus on schooling as one of the primary factors underlying cognitive development
B)his focus on the cognitive development of female subjects
C)his notion of social context as the primary force behind cognitive development
D)his notion of sharp, distinct transitions between different stages of cognitive development

Question 41

When Amber's father picked her up from her preschool class on Wednesday, he was surprised to find that she had learned eight new words that day.According to Vygotsky, what type of development does Amber's increased vocabulary represent?

A)ontogenetic
B)sociohistorical
C)phylogenetic
D)microgenetic

Question 42

According to Piaget, which period of development occurs from the age of 11 through adulthood?

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

Question 43

Salvador and Glynnis are in the same preschool class.Salvador has three older brothers and an older sister, and Glynnis is an only child.Based on this information, how will each child perform when solving false-belief tasks?

A)Glynnis will tend to do better than Salvador
B)Glynnis and Salvador will be equally successful.
C)Glynnis and Salvador will be equally unsuccessful.
D)Salvador will tend to do better than Glynnis.

Question 44

Suppose you hide a toy behind one of two screens.Then, when you take the screen away, the toy is missing.According to recent research, what would be the most likely response of an 8-month-old infant to this situation?

A)The infant will search under the other screen.
B)The infant will show little reaction.
C)The infant will show surprise.
D)The infant will try to play with the screen.

Question 45

Which of the following abilities defines the term dual representation?

A)representing an object simultaneously as an object itself and as a representation of something else
B)switching between precausal and transductive reasoning when problem solving
C)representing objects in three-dimensional space that have previously been experienced in two-dimensional space
D)using transductive reasoning to represent objects in three-dimensional space

Question 46

According to Vygotsky, how does a preschooler's private speech change over time?

A)It becomes even more overt during later childhood, serving as the basis for effective interpersonal communication.
B)It persists at about the same level throughout childhood.
C)It disappears completely when children enter the early elementary school years.
D)It persists, but becomes increasingly silent, covert speech.

Question 47

Aiza is upset because she is convinced that her brother's cookie is bigger than hers.Her dad quickly breaks Aiza's cookie in two and tells her that she now has "more cookie." If Aiza is satisfied by this, how would Piaget explain her response?

A)She has not yet mastered object permanence.
B)She understands egocentrism.
C)She does not yet understand conservation.
D)She has mastered animistic thinking.

Question 48

According to current research findings, many of Piaget's specific assertions regarding human development have received little empirical support.Given these considerations, how should a modern developmentalist regard Piaget's theory?

A)He or she should reject all of Piaget's theory and relegate it to the history books.
B)He or she should ignore the current research.
C)He or she should continue to seek confirmation of Piaget's theory.
D)He or she should accept Piaget's theory as a detailed description of cognitive development.

Question 49

Do recent research findings regarding the acquisition of concrete-operational tasks support the developmental sequence proposed by Piaget?

A)Yes, because they emerge in a consistent, fixed order.
B)No, because they emerge in a consistent, fixed order.
C)Yes because they emerge in a variable order.
D)No, because they emerge in a variable order.

Question 50

Which statement best summarizes the findings of contemporary research regarding Piaget's view of the thought processes of preoperational children?

A)Piaget was quite accurate.
B)Piaget most likely overestimated children's abilities.
C)Piaget most likely underestimated children's abilities.
D)Piaget was quite successful in training children to reach a more advanced level of understanding.

Question 51

According to Piaget, what stage of development occurs from age 2 through to age 7?

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

Question 52

In an observational study by Pratt and colleagues, greater parental support was offered when the children experienced failure at solving problems.How would Vygotsky account for the parent's response?

A)The parent used collaboration.
B)The parent used zones of equilibration.
C)The parent used scaffolding.
D)The parent used internalization.

Question 53

Language is an obvious form of symbolism that flourishes during the preoperational period.What is their other form of symbolism during that period?

A)pretend play
B)quaternary circular reactions
C)conservation
D)propositional thinking

Question 54

According to Robbie Case, how should we view the process of accommodation?

A)as exploration and problem solving
B)as deductive processing
C)as engagement and imitation
D)as internalization

Question 55

According to Vygotsky, the longitudinal observation of a child's development of toy sharing would be appropriate for which type of research?

A)ontogenetic
B)microgenetic
C)phylogenetic
D)sociohistorical

Question 56

According to Piaget, what characterizes concrete-operational thought?

A)Schemes revolve primarily around sensory and motor abilities.
B)Schemes no longer include reversibility.
C)Schemes now include hypothetical outcomes and logical deductions.
D)Schemes for mental operations are tied to actual objects in the real world.

Question 57

To which process does Adele Diamond attribute the A-not-B error?

A)lack of ability to inhibit previously made motor responses
B)lack of memory of the object
C)lack of object permanence
D)lack of the ability to efficiently coordinate tertiary schemes

Question 58

When a child recognizes that the physical properties of objects remain the same, despite changes in appearance, what has been mastered?

A)inductive reasoning
B)decentration
C)conservation
D)object permanence

Question 59

According to Piaget, between what ages does the preoperational stage of development occur?

A)birth to age 2
B)age 2 to age 7
C)age 7 to age 11
D)age 11 to adulthood

Question 60

Which statement best characterizes Vygotsky's interpretation of private speech?

A)It is meaningless, egocentric commentary on self-actions.
B)It is an attempt to exclude others from a child's activities.
C)It is active verbal output that guides one's thoughts.
D)It is a passive verbal report of one's thoughts.

Question 61

Suppose that 3-year-old Syrah becomes quite upset when her mom dresses up in a witch costume on Halloween.According to Piaget, the lack of which of the following cognitive processes caused Syrah to become upset?

A)egocentrism and perspective-taking ability
B)understanding of the appearance/reality distinction
C)animism
D)precausal or transductive reasoning

Question 62

According to Baron-Cohen's research, what is the source of the difficulties that children with autistic disorder have with understanding others' thoughts?

A)They lack the ability of social-informational role taking.
B)They lack the theory-of-mind module.
C)They have a shared-attention mechanism that is too highly focused.
D)They are preoccupied with social referencing.

Question 63

One criticism of Piaget is that he treated children as if they were scientists working in isolation.This criticism relates to which aspect of Piaget's theory?

A)universal
B)qualitative
C)invariant
D)self-directed

Question 64

Gerald's dad is upset over some bad news and starts to cry.Five-year-old Gerald quickly brings over his favourite teddy bear for his dad to hold and tells his dad that he will feel better if he hugs "teddy." What Piagetian concept does this child-parent interaction illustrate?

A)animistic reasoning
B)egocentrism
C)transductive reasoning
D)accommodation

Question 65

Which of the following statements below describes Baillargeon's concept of explanation-based learning (EBL)?

A)Infant learning about objects is environmentally based, but their memory deficit causes them to make inappropriate judgments about them.
B)Infant learning about objects is almost entirely inborn and only altered through expected outcome.
C)Infants learn about the properties of objects and the rules governing them based on a very small sample of events.
D)Infants learn about the properties of objects and the rules governing them based on a sizeable sample of repeated events.

Question 66

Which statement best summarizes the results of Lisa Freund's studies of children's performance on a sorting task when they could practise with and without their mothers' assistance?

A)Children who practised the task with their mothers showed decreased performance at test under all conditions.
B)Children who practised with their mothers showed increased performance at test under all conditions.
C)Regardless of whether they practised the task with their mothers, children whose mothers were not present at test showed increased performance due to decreased maternal interference.
D)Regardless of whether they practised the task with their mothers, children whose mothers were present at test showed decreased performance due to increased maternal interference.

Question 67

According to Piaget, what is the hallmark of thinking during the preoperational stage of development?

A)object permanence
B)refinement of logical analysis
C)symbolic functions
D)expansion of knowledge base

Question 68

Piaget believed that intellectual development occurs in a fixed sequence.Which factor(s) did he base this belief on?

A)assimilation and accommodation
B)cultural and social experiences and expectations
C)biological maturation
D)circular reactions and organization

Question 69

Which statement best summarizes Piaget's view as to why children often hold erroneous explanations for real-world events?

A)They do not attend to the explanations adults give.
B)They do not remember the explanations that adults give.
C)They lack curiosity and so do not question adults' explanations.
D)They construct their own explanations based on their experiences.

Question 70

According to Vygotsky, what does the term scaffolding refer to?

A)The parent or teacher stays out of the child's way so that discovery happens.
B)The parent or teacher assists the child with difficult parts of the task.
C)The parent or teacher provides social support by having other kids nearby.
D)The parent or teacher demonstrates everything so that the child learns via observation and avoids making mistakes.

Question 71

Which statement best summarizes the position of "theory" theorists regarding infant cognition?

A)They are nurture oriented, emphasizing experiential learning.
B)They combine elements of other theories, emphasizing both nativism and constructivism.
C)They emphasize constructivism.
D)They are nature oriented, emphasizing innate knowledge.

Question 72

According to Piaget, the end of the sensorimotor period is marked by the achievement of which of the following processes?

A)mental representation
B)A-not-B error
C)assimilation
D)conservation

Question 73

Ekta is 6 months old, and her grandfather just bought her a new toy that squeaks when she presses it.She loves the new sound that she has discovered, and she makes the toy squeak over and over again.Ekta's behaviour is characteristic of which stage of cognitive development?

A)coordination of secondary schemes
B)primary circular reaction
C)secondary circular reaction
D)tertiary schemes

Question 74

According to Piaget, when does the formal operational period of development occur?

A)from birth through to age 2
B)from age 2 through to age 7
C)from age 7 through to age 11
D)from age 11 through adulthood

Question 75

Daniel is 3 months old and he loves to suck his thumb.He does it over and over again, every chance he gets.Daniel's behaviour is characteristic of which stage of cognitive development?

A)coordination of secondary schemes
B)primary circular reactions
C)secondary circular reactions
D)coordination of tertiary schemes

Question 76

Which statement best summarizes the research findings of Pratt and colleagues regarding how children fared when their parents adjusted their support during a learning situation according to the child's level of expertise?

A)Parent scaffolding created dependency.
B)Parent scaffolding had no impact.
C)They were less successful.
D)They were more successful.

Question 77

According to the research of Baron-Cohen and colleagues, what are children with autistic disorder likely to show?

A)unusual abilities in resolving false-belief tasks
B)shared-attention mechanism module
C)difficulty with both ToM and intelligence tasks
D)mindblindness

Question 78

Fourteen-year-old Trevor thought all he needed to do to earn an A was to show up for class and pay attention.In his first year of high school he got Cs in all his classes because he didn't study enough.The next year he studied almost every evening after school.What does the change in Trevor's understanding of what was necessary to succeed in school illustrate?

A)assimilation
B)object permanence
C)accommodation
D)centration

Question 79

Suppose that a child does not search for a toy that is no longer visible, even though she likes the toy.How would Piaget account for this behaviour?

A)She lacks understanding of conservation.
B)She lacks understanding of her own limitations.
C)She lacks understanding of object permanence.
D)She has a disaccommodation of her behavioural schemes.

Question 80

According to Piaget, why are infants' behaviours characterized by repetitive, circular acts?

A)They are trying to attract adult attention.
B)Their behaviour produces interesting consequences.
C)They are trying to release tension.
D)Their memory span is limited.