Deck 4: The Emergence of Thought and Language: Cognitive Development in Infancy and Early Childhood 

Question 1

According to Piaget, which statement is true regarding the stages of thinking?

A)Sensorimotor and preoperational thinking must be completed before the concrete operational stage, but not before formal operational thinking.
B)Sensorimotor and preoperational thinking must be completed before the formal operational stage, but not before concrete operational thinking.
C)Thinking alternates between stages throughout development.
D)All stages must be accomplished in the correct order.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Nolan has a scheme for throwing baseballs that he can apply successfully to throwing small rocks or other types of balls. This successful application would best be described as

A)assimilation.
B)animism.
C)accommodation.
D)egocentrism.

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Piagetians believe that an average child would first demonstrate the onset of intentional behavior when he or she is approximately

A)18 hours old.
B)8 weeks old.
C)8 months old.
D)18 months old.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

In order to overcome a state of disequilibrium, a child must

A)engage in hypothetical deductive reasoning.
B)become more egocentric.
C)reorganize his or her schemes.
D)develop a strong orienting response.

Question 5

Between early and later childhood, schemes tend to have more ____ properties.

A)functional
B)conceptual
C)object-based
D)abstract

Question 6

Sylvester has just learned how to pick up his cat named Chester, who likes to be picked up and does not put up any struggle. Later, Sylvester tries to pick up another cat named Thai, who scratches when held. The fact that Sylvester learns to leave Thai alone after he has been scratched provides a good example of

A)animism.
B)habituation.
C)centration.
D)accommodation.

Question 7

The phrase "out of sight, out of mind" best exemplifies the Piagetian concept of

A)tertiary circular reaction.
B)the one-to-one principle.
C)fast mapping.
D)object permanence.

Question 8

Six-month-old Teddy is playing with his favorite toy, a stuffed bear. Suddenly a blanket falls off the shelf and covers his bear. According to Piaget, Teddy would most likely

A)both reach for and search for the bear.
B)neither reach for nor search for the bear.
C)reach for but not search for the bear.
D)search for but not reach for the bear.

Question 9

Piaget argued that the first reactions by newborns were

A)indicators of an innate understanding of appearance as reality.
B)abstract.
C)indicators of an innate understanding of object permanence.
D)reflexive.

Question 10

Piaget used the term ____ to describe the process by which new experiences are easily incorporated into existing schemes.

A)accommodation
B)scaffolding
C)assimilation
D)secondary

Question 11

According to Piaget, when a scheme is modified based on some experience, ____ has occurred.

A)assimilation
B)animism
C)accommodation
D)egocentrism

Question 12

Salvador has a scheme for drawing with a crayon that had to be changed in order to learn how to paint a picture with a brush. This adaptation is an example of

A)animism.
B)egocentrism.
C)assimilation.
D)accommodation.

Question 13

When first attempting to learn English as a second language, Olga spends a great deal of time converting similar English sounds into Russian equivalents. Later, she spends more time generating new, non-Russian language ideas. Piaget would describe this change as involving

A)equilibration.
B)the one-to-one principle.
C)habituation.
D)implosion.

Question 14

Piaget described a scheme as a psychological structure that

A)organizes experience.
B)is used in language but not thought.
C)we lose as we age.
D)is only found in those with a set of personal values.

Question 15

Baby Lee has just discovered that banging on a big pot produces a loud sound. He then decides to bang on a small pot to see what happens. A Piagetian would predict that such active experimentation with the environment would be most likely to first emerge in a child who is

A)12 hours old.
B)24 days old.
C)12 months old.
D)24 months old.

Question 16

What is the correct sequence (from first to last)of Piaget's stages of cognitive development?

A)Preoperational, concrete operational, sensorimotor, formal operational
B)Sensorimotor, preoperational, formal operational, concrete operational
C)Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational
D)Preoperational, sensorimotor, formal operational, concrete operational

Question 17

Dr. Eco has a strong belief that global warming is a theoretical myth. In recent years, however, the increased rate of polar ice cap melt has forced him to alter his theory, and he is now a strong advocate against greenhouse pollutants. A Piagetian would most likely describe Dr. Eco's theoretical conversion in terms of

A)the one-to-one principle.
B)overextension.
C)equilibration.
D)abstract thinking.

Question 18

Piaget saw equilibration as a balance between

A)primary and secondary circular reactions.
B)assimilation and accommodation.
C)thought and language.
D)social and cognitive skills.

Question 19

Mia likes to kick soccer balls. She has developed a mental structure for kicking that may be applied to different situations. This mental structure for kicking would best be described as

A)egocentrism.
B)a scheme.
C)an intonation.
D)an expressive style.

Question 20

Bob is a normally developing 18-month-old. According to Piaget, Bob is most likely in the ____ period of cognitive development.

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

Question 21

Adam waves "bye-bye" when he leaves the room and pretends to eat imaginary food. In other words, Adam is

A)using symbols.
B)exhibiting a primary circular reaction.
C)exercising reflexes.
D)exhibiting a secondary circular reaction.

Question 22

Piaget used the three-mountain problem to assess a child's level of

A)object permanence.
B)scaffolding.
C)animism.
D)egocentrism.

Question 23

When Andy bumps into a table, he says to it, "You bumped into me because you're mean." Andy is exhibiting

A)the cardinality principle.
B)animism.
C)irreversibility.
D)egocentrism.

Question 24

According to Piaget, which normally developing child would most likely have just begun to engage in preoperational thinking?

A)A 12-month-old
B)A 24-month-old
C)A 36-month-old
D)A 48-month-old

Question 25

Piaget used the term ____ to describe the difficulty children often have in taking another person's perspective.

A)animism
B)scaffolding
C)a tertiary circular reaction
D)egocentrism

Question 26

During a power outage, Blair does not want to finish eating her vanilla ice cream because, as she put it, "When the lights went out, the ice cream turned black, and I don't like black ice cream!" Blair is in the ____ stage of development.

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

Question 27

Preoperational thinker Blake has edged his way close to the top rim of the Grand Canyon. His mother then asks him, "What do you think someone at the bottom of the canyon looking up would see?" Given the egocentric nature of his thought, Blake's most likely response would be

A)"the sky."
B)"the same thing I see."
C)"a bunch of little people looking down at me."
D)"I have no idea."

Question 28

Which is not a Piagetian-based implication for teaching?

A)Teachers should provide answers rather than letting students find them on their own.
B)The best teaching experiences are those slightly ahead of a child's current level of thinking.
C)In order to promote learning, teachers should provide materials with which students can make their own discoveries.
D)Letting students make mistakes is OK, as cognitive development tends to occur when children become aware of errors in their own thinking.

Question 29

Which statement concerning Piaget's theory is true?

A)Piaget's theory has been the source of ideas for teachers and stimulated a great deal of research.
B)Piaget's theory was never useful for teachers but did stimulate a great deal of research.
C)Piaget's theory has been the source of ideas for teachers but never stimulated research.
D)Piaget's theory was never useful for teachers and never stimulated research.

Question 30

Animism occurs when lifelike properties are attributed to

A)humans.
B)inanimate objects.
C)animals.
D)cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny or Homer Simpson.

Question 31

The defining characteristic of centration is ____ thought.

A)abstract
B)narrowly focused
C)a lack of object permanent
D)overextension

Question 32

In the children's television show Pee Wee's Playhouse , the floor, globe, and chair could talk, move, and had their own personalities. The fact that many young children view such objects as being "alive" is consistent with the Piagetian concept of

A)intonation.
B)irreversibility.
C)observational learning.
D)animism.

Question 33

Trevor is visiting his dad's office on a take-your-son-to-work day. Just after they arrive, Trevor's dad's boss bursts into the room and screams at the dad about a poorly written report he submitted. All the time that he is being berated, Trevor's dad keeps smiling. Once the boss has left, Trevor turns to his dad and says, "You really must like it when your boss hollers at you." Trevor's lack of understanding that one's internal state may not match an external state is best explained by the concept of

A)appearance as reality.
B)egocentrism.
C)expressive style.
D)autobiographical memory.

Question 34

As a Piagetian, Avery would consider ____ the highest accomplishment of the sensorimotor period of development.

A)exercising reflexes
B)egocentrism
C)using symbols
D)experimentation

Question 35

One criticism of Piaget's theory is that it

A)overestimates the cognitive abilities of both infants and adolescents.
B)underestimates the cognitive abilities of both infants and adolescents.
C)overestimates the cognitive abilities of infants and underestimates the abilities of adolescents.
D)underestimates the cognitive abilities of infants and overestimates the abilities of adolescents.

Question 36

The conservation of liquid task directly assesses a child's level of

A)intelligence.
B)habituation.
C)animism.
D)centration.

Question 37

Tonka is actively playing with his toy truck when his mom accidentally drops a towel she is carrying directly on top of the vehicle. As soon as the vehicle is covered, Tonka turns his head away and calmly begins playing with another toy. Tonka's reaction best illustrates a lack of

A)object permanence.
B)accommodation.
C)reversibility.
D)inner speech.

Question 38

Michael, who is a preoperational thinker, watches as a movie character appears to turn from a nice teenager into a werewolf. What is Michael's most likely reaction?

A)Laughter, since he realizes that it is all a fake
B)Nothing, since he would likely not notice the change
C)Terror, since he likely believes that the individual has actually become a werewolf
D)Confidence, since he now realizes that despite the apparent physical change, it is still the same nice individual

Question 39

Donny's mother has just poured two glasses of orange juice, one for Donny and one for his sister. After they are poured, Donny becomes very upset that he got less juice than his sister. Their mother points out that while Donny's glass is short, it is also wider, and thus both children have the same amount. Donny continues to protest, arguing that his juice is shorter, thus he has less juice. Piaget would explain Donny's behavior as being the result of

A)animism.
B)centration.
C)intonation.
D)a primary circular reaction.

Question 40

When asked to describe why storm clouds travel so slowly in the sky, Sirius gives several interesting answers. Which of her answers provides the best example of animism?

A)"Since they have no legs, they have to crawl."
B)"If they were going the other way, they would go faster."
C)"Because the wind does not blow as high way up in the sky."
D)"The dark parts of the cloud are heavier and slow it down."

Question 41

Although the sound is unfamiliar, when six-month-old Cagney sees the flashing lights on the police car, she keeps her eyes locked on the lights. She also begins to show a decrease in heart rate. Which concept best explains Cagney's reaction?

A)Operant conditioning
B)An orienting response
C)Habituation
D)The stable-order principle

Question 42

An information-processing theorist would most likely conceptualize all built-in neural structures that assist the operations of the mind as

A)mental hardware.
B)private speech.
C)mental software.
D)psychodynamic mechanisms.

Question 43

Which child does Piaget's theory have the most difficulty explaining?

A)Ivy, who has mastered the conservation and three-mountain tasks
B)Rose, who fails both the conservation and three-mountain tasks
C)Daisy, who has mastered the conservation task but fails the three-mountain task
D)Flora, who not only has mastered the conservation and three-mountain tasks but can explain the intricacies of these tasks to others

Question 44

Four-week-old Dixie appears to understand that when you push a cup over the edge of a table, the cup will fall to the ground. Such an understanding would provide support for the concept of

A)naive physics.
B)animism.
C)the stable-order principle.
D)over regularization.

Question 45

The belief that all living things have an unseen essence that gives them identity is referred to as

A)ordinality.
B)essentialism.
C)animism.
D)the cardinality principle.

Question 46

The theory that human infants are born with a rudimentary knowledge of the world and they use their experience to expand this knowledge underlies the ____ hypothesis.

A)egocentric
B)overgeneralization
C)tabula rasa
D)core knowledge

Question 47

Which best exemplifies the core knowledge hypothesis?

A)The fact that 3-week-old Gene appears to innately understand that three objects are more than two objects.
B)The fact that 10-year-old Paul has the math skills of a 30-year-old.
C)The fact that 5-month-old Ace loves to kiss his mother but not his father.
D)The fact that 6-year-old Peter's early music abilities have not improved in spite of intensive training.

Question 48

Most preschoolers believe that

A)both animate (e.g., a puppy)and inanimate (e.g., a stuffed cat)objects can only be repaired by humans.
B)both animate (e.g., a puppy)and inanimate (e.g., a stuffed cat)objects can repair themselves.
C)animate objects (e.g., a puppy)can heal themselves, but inanimate objects (e.g., a stuffed cat)need to be repaired by humans.
D)inanimate objects (e.g., a stuffed cat)can repair themselves, but animate objects (e.g., a puppy)need to be healed by humans.

Question 49

By definition, attention determines

A)general intelligence.
B)the attainment of formal operational thought.
C)which sensory information receives additional cognitive processing.
D)the belief in animism. ​

Question 50

As an information-processing theorist, Dr. Tonic is most likely to conceptualize human cognitive development as a(n)

A)butterfly that evolves from one qualitative level of processing to the next.
B)computer that develops a larger "hard drive memory" and a "faster central processing unit."
C)iceberg in which little processing can be seen, but a great deal is occurring at the unconscious level.
D)mechanical calculator, unaffected by biological factors.

Question 51

How many of the following beliefs would be part of the "naive biology" of a typical preschooler: understanding that things grow, understanding realizing that children often resemble parents, understanding that some illness can be inherited, understanding that the insides of animals are different that the insides of inanimate objects?

A)​1
B)​2
C)​3
D)​4

Question 52

Research with "possible" and "impossible" events has led to the conclusion that infants

A)are born with object permanence.
B)develop an understanding of object permanence at a younger age than was predicted by Piaget.
C)develop an understanding of object permanence at the exact age that was predicted by Piaget.
D)develop an understanding of object permanence at an older age than was predicted by Piaget.

Question 53

Houdini is a normally developing one-year-old watching a magic act. The magician he is observing has just rolled a ball into what looks like a solid wall. However, when the ball reached the wall, the ball appeared to roll through it. According to research findings by Baillargeon, one would expect that Houdini's most likely reaction would involve

A)disinterest and immediate looking away.
B)surprise, yet immediate looking away.
C)disinterest, yet the infant will stare at the spot the ball appeared to go through the wall.
D)surprise, and the infant will stare at the spot the ball appeared to go through the wall.

Question 54

____ can be defined as a diminished response to a familiar stimulus.

A)Orienting response
B)Centration
C)Habituation
D)Attention

Question 55

Which is a legitimate criticism of Piaget's theory?

A)Too much emphasis on unconscious thoughts
B)Too much emphasis on children as "computing machines" (complete with software)
C)Not enough emphasis on sociocultural influences
D)Not enough emphasis on stages of development

Question 56

When five-year-old Monarch says, "Butterflies exist to make the world more beautiful for people to look at," she is providing a great example of

A)the core knowledge hypothesis.
B)a teleological explanation.
C)an orienting response.
D)intersubjectivity.

Question 57

Seven-month-old LeBron appears to possess a sense of "naive physics." Which of LeBron's actions would indicate that he does possess this sense?

A)His surprise when he sees a basketball go through a hoop
B)His surprise when he drops a ball and it falls to the floor
C)His surprise when he hears his dad cheering while watching a basketball game on television
D)His surprise when a basketball appears to be hanging in mid-air when it is not attached to a string or other supporting device

Question 58

Which statement best exemplifies the concept of essentialism?

A)"The purpose of popcorn is to make kids happy when they are at the movies."
B)"If your parent says 'no,' then you should not do it."
C)"A monkey raised by people will become a human."
D)"Fish have a special 'fishiness' that allows them to breath underwater."

Question 59

Orienting responses tend to occur to ____ stimuli.

A)weak and familiar
B)weak and unfamiliar
C)strong and familiar
D)strong and unfamiliar

Question 60

The fundamental premise of teleological explanations is that living things

A)have unseen souls.
B)have free will.
C)are superior to inanimate things.
D)exist for a purpose.

Question 61

Which theory places the greatest emphasis on the relationship between consequences and the probability of a behavior reoccurring in the future?

A)Operant conditioning
B)Information-processing
C)Classical conditioning
D)Piagetian

Question 62

Eleven-month-old Oreo loves cookies. One day he sees his mother putting cookies into cups for a party. As he is watching, his mom puts one cookie into the first two cups, two cookies into the next two cups, and three cookies into the last two cups. If Oreo is a normally developing 10-month-old who likes cookies, he would most likely reach for

A)a cup located nearest his left hand.
B)the first cup in which he saw a cookie being placed.
C)a cup with three cookies.
D)the darkest-colored cup.

Question 63

While counting four objects, Yoshiko says "1, 2, 4, 8" one time and "2, 1, 4, 8" the next time. This demonstrates that Yoshiko has failed to master the ____ principle of counting.

A)stable-order
B)cardinality
C)one-to-one
D)habituation

Question 64

Which is the best example of habituation?

A)Turning your head to listen to a passing jet
B)Tasting sushi for the first time and liking it
C)Focusing your eyes on one of those "3-D" art pictures until the 3-D image pops into view
D)Being bothered by the feel of a watch the first time it is on your wrist and then getting so used to it that you forget it's there

Question 65

​Improvements in infant memory that occur around six months after birth may be the result of development in the ____ area of the brain.

A)hippocampus
B)frontal cortex
C)hypothalamus
D)occipital lobe

Question 66

The ____ principle of counting states that number names must be counted in the same sequence.

A)one-to-one
B)stable-order
C)habituation
D)cardinality

Question 67

Which is the best example of a question designed to assess autobiographical memory?

A)What is the capital of Wisconsin?
B)Who taught you how to ride a bike?
C)Where is the queen initially located on a chessboard?
D)When was Abraham Lincoln elected president?

Question 68

Pavlov's research involving a dog, salivation, and a bell is correctly associated with ____ theory.

A)operant conditioning
B)information-processing
C)classical conditioning
D)Piagetian

Question 69

Memory research suggests that

A)at three months, infants start to successfully remember events that occurred several days before.
B)infants seldom forget past events over time.
C)"reminders" do not enhance infant memory.
D)at six months, infants start to successfully remember events that occurred several days before.

Question 70

The following three-year-olds are asked to count the number of fingers they have on their left hand. Assuming that they each have five fingers, who best illustrates the one-to-one principle?

A)Chandler , who says, "1, 4, 2!"
B)Monica, who says, "5, 3, 1, blastoff!"
C)Phoebe, who says, "One hand has five fingers."
D)Ross, who says, "1, 2, C, D, F."

Question 71

Meltzoff and Moore's controversial finding that three-week-olds would stick out their tongues to match an adult performing the same act has been used to support the notion of early life.

A)imitation.
B)centration.
C)orienting response.
D)habituation.

Question 72

The ____ principle of counting states that there must be only one number name for each item counted.

A)one-to-one
B)stable-order
C)habituation
D)cardinality

Question 73

Research shows that infants as young as ____ can differentiate two objects from three objects.

A)1 month old
B)6 months old
C)1 year old
D)2 years old

Question 74

Like most one-year-olds, Antoine sucks reflexively when a sucker is placed in his mouth. For the past few days, Antoine's mother has turned on the television as she gives Antoine his daily sucker. Today, Antoine's mother turns on the television but does not have a sucker to give Antoine. Much to her surprise, Antoine begins to make a sucking motion despite having no sucker. Which theory best explains Antoine's behavior?

A)Operant conditioning
B)Information processing
C)Classical conditioning
D)Piagetian

Question 75

One-year-old Payton notices that when his dad, Archie, is watching football on television, he shouts at the screen. The next time a football game come on, Payton shouts at the screen. Payton's behavior best exemplifies

A)a lack of object permanence.
B)operant conditioning.
C)habituation.
D)imitation.

Question 76

What can be done to improve the credibility of the testimony of a child?

A)Question the child many times to make sure the child is convinced of the events.
B)Convince the child that the people asking her questions are important people who are only trying to help her remember what happened.
C)Use questions that test a number of different explanations concerning the event.
D)There is no need to improve credibility, since the memories of children are actually less fragile than the memories of adults.

Question 77

While visiting a zoo, five-month-old Simba is frightened by a roaring lion and starts to cry. By the time Simba is one year old, he appears to have forgotten this event and actually enjoys movies with lions. Based on memory research, how might you get Simba to exhibit the original fear response?

A)Show him a picture of a lion.
B)Bring him back to the zoo.
C)Have one of his brothers roar like a lion.
D)There is nothing you can do to generate the pervious reaction.

Question 78

Why do children in Asian countries like China or Japan tend to recall less from their early years than children from North American countries?

A)They are actively encouraged to not dwell on their pasts.
B)They are not given the same amount of opportunities to talk with parents about past events.
C)They have slightly different brains that are less effective at autobiographical memory but superior in procedural memory.
D)They have a less "rich" childhood since they come from such poor countries.

Question 79

Theory on the emergence of autobiographical memory suggests that in order to improve the autobiographical memory skills of his or her child, a parent would most likely

A)give the child multivitamins that include vitamin B.
B)begin to encourage the child to talk about what happened at school each day.
C)emphasize the importance of the one-to-one principle.
D)teach children how to solve conservation tasks.

Question 80

A memory for some significant life event is called a(n)____ memory.

A)autobiographical
B)general knowledge
C)intonation
D)semantic