Deck 7: Cognitive Development: an Information-Processing Perspective

Question 1

Cassandra's working-memory capacity is enhanced following age-related gains in her

A) metacognition.
B) ability to scaffold.
C) processing speed.
D) cognitive self-regulation.

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Theresa is in a period of the most energetic development of her executive function. What is her age range?

A) She is in the preschool years.
B) She is in her school years.
C) She is in late adolescence.
D) She is an emerging adult.

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Similarity in development of processing speed across diverse tasks in several cultures

A) is most likely due to a decrease in the level of neurons and their connections.
B) implies a fundamental change in efficiency of the information-processing system.
C) indicates irregular levels of synaptic pruning.
D) is unrelated to increased capacity of working memory.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The more information we process in working memory and the more effectively we process it, the more likely it will transfer to

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

Question 5

Individual differences on working-memory tasks are of particular concern because working-memory capacity

A) is dependent on long-term memory capacity.
B) predicts academic achievement in adolescence.
C) is essential for any automatic processes.
D) determines sensory register effectiveness.

Question 6

Long-term memory

A) stores information temporarily.
B) is the conscious part of the cognitive system.
C) is unlimited in capacity.
D) directs the flow of information in the cognitive system.

Question 7

The set of cognitive operations and strategies necessary for self-initiated, purposeful behavior in relatively novel, challenging situations is known as

A) automatic processes.
B) the central executive.
C) system inputs.
D) executive function.

Question 8

In the store model of the information-processing system, the central executive __________ the mental system.

A) directs the flow of information in
B) is the unconscious part of
C) operates on and transforms information in
D) is the initial storage site of information in

Question 9

Seven-year-old Carlos is presented with a verbatim digit span task. Carlos should be able to recall _________ digits.

A) 1 or 2
B) 2 or 3
C) 4 or 5
D) 6 or 7

Question 10

Heritability evidence suggests that individual differences in working-memory capacity and attentional processing

A) are seldom found within a given culture.
B) cannot be determined with any degree of reliability.
C) are influenced by substantial genetic contributions.
D) rely almost exclusively on external or environmental factors.

Question 11

The store model of the information-processing system suggests that the aspects of __________ and __________ improve with age.

A) basic capacity; executive function
B) processing speed; overall capacity
C) retrieval accuracy; processing speed
D) metacognitive skills; strategy use

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true regarding working memory?

A) Working memory is the conscious, reflective part of our mental system.
B) The capacity of working memory is far more restricted than that of the sensory register.
C) Most school-age children can hold 10 to 12 items in their working memory.
D) The capacity of working memory is far greater than that of the long-term memory store.

Question 13

Mario sees a familiar face at the mall, but he cannot recall the person's name. Mario is having problems with

A) storage.
B) categorization.
C) encoding.
D) retrieval.

Question 14

In the store model, input in the information-processing system

A) enters the sensory register and is stored momentarily.
B) simply flows on its own through the various stores.
C) is automatically transferred into long-term memory.
D) enters the sensory register and is stored for days or weeks.

Question 15

A central goal of the information-processing approach is to

A) uncover mechanisms of change.
B) develop applications for classroom learning.
C) describe the normative course of cognitive development.
D) refine and revise Piaget's theory.

Question 16

The information-processing approach focuses mainly on

A) genetic contributions to intellectual development.
B) core domains of thought.
C) the encoding, recording, and decoding of information.
D) how schemes change with age.

Question 17

As an information-processing researcher, Tim finds diagrams and flowcharts useful for

A) recording stimulus-response associations.
B) mapping the exact series of steps children and adults follow when faced with a task or problem.
C) documenting the role of reinforcement in cognitive development.
D) building computers with humanlike circuitry.

Question 18

The store model of information processing focuses on __________ as information flows __________.

A) general units of cognitive functioning; sequentially
B) mechanisms of cognitive change; arithmetically
C) Piaget's stages; in an evolutionary manner
D) the evolutionary perspective; sequentially

Question 19

Early childhood is a vital time for laying the foundations of executive function, which includes

A) adaptive responses to simple cognitive processes.
B) refinement and reorganization of existing cognitive schemes.
C) controlling information as it flows from the central executive to the short-term memory store.
D) controlling attention, suppressing impulses in favor of adaptive responses, and flexibly redirecting thought and behavior.

Question 20

In the store model of the information-processing system, we use mental strategies to

A) direct the flow by coordinating information coming from the environment with information already in the system.
B) refer to networks of concepts and relations that permit us to think about a wide range of situations in more advanced ways.
C) prevent internal and external distracting stimuli from capturing our attention and cluttering working memory with irrelevant information.
D) operate on and transform information, increasing the chances that we will retain it, use it efficiently, and think flexibly.

Question 21

Siegler's model of strategy applies a(n) __________ perspective to children's cognition.

A) Piagetian
B) evolutionary
C) psychoanalytic
D) behaviorist

Question 22

According to Case's neo-Piagetian theory, if Maribelle has begun to tell coherent stories with a main plot and several subplots, she is most likely age

A) 4 to 6.
B) 7 to 9.
C) 9 to 11.
D) 12 to 14.

Question 23

According to Siegler's model of strategy choice,

A) before the age of 9 or 10, children fail to use even basic strategies efficiently.
B) speed does not play a central role in children's decisions about strategy use.
C) children often discover faster, more accurate strategies by using more time-consuming techniques.
D) children consistently use new, more adaptive strategies as soon as they discover them.

Question 24

The children in Ramon's preschool class perform considerably better in situations in which they must follow some commands but not others, as in the game "Simon Says." This is an example of

A) analytical problem solving.
B) deficiencies in frontal lobe functioning.
C) age-related gains in inhibition.
D) Sigeler's model of strategy choice.

Question 25

According to Case's neo-Piagetian theory, the early childhood stage involves

A) internal representations of events and actions.
B) complex transformations of representations.
C) simple transformations of representations.
D) sensory input and physical actions.

Question 26

According to Case, __________ impose(s) a systemwide ceiling on cognitive development.

A) plasticity
B) biology
C) environmental influences
D) children's mental strategies

Question 27

According to Case's neo-Piagetian theory, __________ relaxes working memory for other activities.

A) cognitive self-regulation
B) synaptic pruning
C) accommodation
D) automization of schemes

Question 28

Findings show that selective attention improves sharply between ages __________, with gains continuing into adulthood.

A) 2 and 4
B) 5 and 7
C) 6 and 10
D) 11 and 15

Question 29

According to Siegler's model of strategy choice, if Manuel is given the same problems over a short time interval, he may, in fact,

A) show a maladaptive variation in strategy use.
B) be unable to recognize successful strategies.
C) regress from more advanced to less advanced approaches.
D) always use the most adaptive strategy to solve a problem.

Question 30

Children who are skilled at cognitive inhibition have the ability to

A) produce a variety of strategies when faced with a novel task.
B) control internal and external distracting stimuli.
C) continuously monitor progress toward a goal, checking outcomes and redirecting unsuccessful efforts.
D) think out a sequence of acts and allocate attention accordingly to reach a goal.

Question 31

Research on addition- and multiplication-based equivalence problems shows that correct strategies appear first in __________ and only later in __________.

A) school settings; everyday settings
B) private speech; nonverbal mental activities
C) cognitive-processing tasks; problem-solving skills
D) gesture; speech

Question 32

Mora is in kindergarten and has a control deficiency, which means that she

A) fails to use previously learned mental strategies.
B) is unable to consistently execute strategies effectively.
C) cannot focus her attention long enough to find appropriate strategies.
D) uses inappropriate mental strategies in all situations.

Question 33

Siegler's model of strategy choice

A) reveals that most children follow one approach to problem solving.
B) fails to explain diversity and continuous change in children's thinking.
C) primarily utilizes cross-sectional and longitudinal studies.
D) captures periods of high variability in children's strategy use.

Question 34

Five-year-old Louis can conserve liquid, but not volume. According to Case's neo-Piagetian theory, one explanation for Louis's differential success would be that

A) he has more experience manipulating volume than he does manipulating liquid.
B) he lives in a culture that does not encourage mastery of conservation.
C) the processing demands of a conservation-of-volume task are greater than those of a conservation-of-liquid task.
D) familiar glasses were used in the liquid problem, whereas less familiar glasses were used in the volume problem.

Question 35

When solving basic addition problems, 5-year-old Sid sometimes counts on his fingers, sometimes starts with the lowest digit, or sometimes starts with the highest digit. According to Siegler's model of strategy choice,

A) Sid has problems with cognitive self-regulation.
B) Sid has a control deficiency.
C) Sid is not yet skilled at cognitive inhibition.
D) Sid's variability in strategy use is adaptive.

Question 36

__________ optimal development of executive components and their eventual synthesis into planning, flexible strategic thinking, and self-regulation.

A) Reorganization of cognitive schemes is required for
B) Supportive parenting and educational experiences are essential for
C) A transition from concrete to abstract thinking is necessary for
D) A focus on visual tracking and problem solving is the key to

Question 37

Case's neo-Piagetian theory attributes movement from one stage to the next to increases in the efficiency with which children use their limited

A) metacognition.
B) cognitive self-regulation.
C) working-memory capacity.
D) phonological awareness.

Question 38

According to Goldin-Meadow, children who produce speech-gesture mismatches on addition-based equivalence problems

A) are in a transitional state.
B) have a learning disorder in math computation.
C) employ a trial-and-error approach to problem solving.
D) are less likely to benefit from teaching than children who produce speech-gesture matches.

Question 39

Which of the following statements is true regarding sustained attention?

A) A greater slowing of heart rate while focused on complex stimuli is a physiological indicator of sustained attention.
B) Children are not capable of intentional, goal-directed sustained attention until they enter elementary school.
C) Improved language development is responsible for gains in sustained attention.
D) Environmental factors have minimal impact on the development of sustained attention.

Question 40

Children generate central conceptual structures when schemes

A) predominate over assimilation.
B) are consolidated into an improved representational form.
C) are subject to disequilibration.
D) are separated into distinct categories.

Question 41

A common theme characterizing the diverse symptoms of ADHD is

A) intense focus to detail.
B) an impaired capacity to inhibit action in favor of thought.
C) a disorganized home life.
D) nonstop loud talking.

Question 42

Which of the following statements is true about young children and planning?

A) Even when young children do plan, they succeed only on tasks with a small number of steps.
B) Planning places heavy demands on long-term memory skills.
C) Children's working memory is better equipped to monitor the success of each step if they have not encountered the problem before.
D) By age 3, children are able to plan effectively.

Question 43

Frequent media multitaskers, who are accustomed to continuously shifting their attention between tasks,

A) experience greater activity in the hippocampus, which plays a vital role in explicit memory.
B) experience no difficulty applying their learning to new problems.
C) have a harder time filtering out irrelevant stimuli when they are not multitasking.
D) have an easier time ignoring irrelevant stimuli when they are not multitasking.

Question 44

Which of the following is a limitation of using stimulant medication to treat ADHD?

A) These drugs cause a number of dangerous medical conditions.
B) Prolonged use results in extreme hyperactivity.
C) Drugs cannot teach children to compensate for inattention and impulsivity.
D) Children rapidly build a tolerance to these drugs.

Question 45

When researchers showed 2-month-olds a series of pictures that alternated in a predictable left-right sequence, the babies learned to shift their focus to the location of the next stimulus before it appeared. These findings indicate that the seeds of __________ are present in infancy.

A) metacognition
B) rehearsal
C) planning
D) semantic memory

Question 46

Research shows that __________ strongly motivate(s) use of memory strategies.

A) interactions between peers and siblings
B) parental pressure to excel in school
C) experience with Piagetian tasks
D) tasks requiring children to remember isolated bits of information

Question 47

Eight-year-old Romeo went with his father to buy some fruit. His father kept walking up and down each aisle. Romeo took his father's hand and steered him on a shorter route to get to the produce aisle. Romeo was effectively using

A) planning.
B) schematics.
C) retrieval.
D) mapping.

Question 48

Researchers believe that Guatemalan Mayan children were better able to remember the placement of 40 familiar objects in a play scene than their U.S. agemates because Mayan children

A) were more adept at relying on techniques such as spatial location and arrangement of objects.
B) have better memory skills in practical, everyday situations.
C) have better long-term memory.
D) applied elaboration more effectively.

Question 49

Because __________ appears early and develops rapidly, it is probably a fairly automatic process.

A) rehearsal
B) recovery
C) recognition
D) elaboration

Question 50

Recall is more difficult than recognition because it

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

Question 51

Stimulus recognition

A) depends on a deliberate search of long-term memory.
B) is the simplest form of retrieval.
C) requires the generation of a mental representation of an absent stimulus.
D) does not emerge until the preschool years.

Question 52

Research on attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) indicates that

A) girls are diagnosed with ADHD more frequently than boys.
B) all children with ADHD are hyperactive.
C) ADHD often does not become evident until adolescence or early adulthood.
D) executive-function deficiencies underlie ADHD symptoms.

Question 53

Cross-cultural research on memory reveals that

A) children in non-Western cultures who have no formal schooling benefit greatly from instruction in memory strategies.
B) children who have no formal schooling do as well on list memory tasks as formally educated children.
C) the development of memory strategies is partly a product of task demands and cultural circumstances.
D) American children easily refrain from rehearsing object names when it is more effective to keep track of spatial relations.

Question 54

Which of the following three deficiencies precede children's effective strategy use in attentional and memory tasks?

A) minimal, location, and relevance deficiencies
B) optimization, process, and categorization deficiencies
C) relevant, selective, and object deficiencies
D) production, control, and utilization deficiencies

Question 55

Younger children are more likely than older children to organize by

A) sorting items alphabetically.
B) grouping items by their everyday association.
C) placing items into taxonomic categories.
D) repeating an entire list of items backwards.

Question 56

Eight-year-old Akemi needs to memorize names of the continents and the oceans. She makes a list and keeps repeating the information to herself. Akemi is using the strategy of

A) retrieval.
B) organization.
C) elaboration.
D) rehearsal.

Question 57

Seven-year-old Liz executes attentional strategies consistently, but her performance does not improve. This is an example of a __________ deficiency.

A) utilization
B) control
C) production
D) distraction

Question 58

To learn the words "chef," "pasta," and "sauce," 12-year-old Harris imagines himself wearing a chef's hat and pouring a special sauce over a plate of pasta. Which of the following memory strategies is Harris using?

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

Question 59

Which of the following types of media multitasking do U.S. teenagers report engaging in most frequently?

A) watching television while listening to music and doing homework
B) listening to music while doing homework
C) talking on the phone while surfing the Internet
D) text-messaging while doing homework

Question 60

Studies of memory strategy use by younger children show that

A) control and utilization deficiencies disappear once they enter elementary school.
B) once a strategy is learned, they tend to use it consistently.
C) their rehearsal strategies are especially clear and organized at an early age.
D) their use of multiple memory strategies has little impact on performance.

Question 61

When asked to tell what happens at preschool, Hope says, "You have circle time, eat a snack, take a nap, and then play outside." This is an example of

A) verbatim memory.
B) biographical retrieval.
C) a script.
D) semantic knowledge.

Question 62

Once formed, scripts can

A) hinder memory for events that are highly distinctive.
B) facilitate recall of single occurrences of repeated events.
C) prevent forgetting of one-time events.
D) be used to predict what will happen on future similar occasions.

Question 63

Improvement in recall over the preschool years is strongly associated with

A) mastery of conservation.
B) understanding of false belief.
C) language development.
D) advanced perspective-taking skills.

Question 64

Kate tells Kim that she has six fish, four hamsters, and two dogs. Later, when asked if Kate has more fish or more dogs, Kim does not remember the exact numbers, but is able to answer correctly because she relied on her __________ memory.

A) gist
B) numerical
C) verbatim
D) recognition

Question 65

To create autobiographical memories that persist for a lifetime, children must

A) have a well-developed language system and a repertoire of memory strategies.
B) have a clear self-image and learn to structure significant memories in narrative form.
C) be attentive to routines and embed novel events into their long-term memory of those routines.
D) possess metacognitive awareness and an elaborative style of talking about experiences.

Question 66

According to research on scripts, both children and adults have difficulty recalling specific instances of __________ events.

A) one-time
B) repeated
C) distinctive
D) unfamiliar

Question 67

As children construct and reconstruct information,

A) they rarely account for new information.
B) the information loses coherency.
C) they often "delete" important retrieval cues in their memory.
D) the information becomes more coherent and memorable.

Question 68

Autobiographical memory refers to representations of

A) what occurs generally and the specific time frame in which it occurs.
B) fuzzy information that preserves essential content without specific details.
C) one-time events that are long-lasting because they are imbued with personal meaning.
D) the vast, intricately organized knowledge system in long-term memory.

Question 69

According to fuzzy-trace theory, __________ preserve(s) essential meaning without details, whereas __________ memory contains precise details.

A) scripts; autobiographical
B) recognition memory; recall
C) semantic memory; episodic
D) gists; verbatim

Question 70

Which of the following statements is true regarding fuzzy-trace theory?

A) Gist memories decay more rapidly than verbatim memories.
B) Gist memory requires more mental effort than verbatim memory.
C) Children under the age of 5 show little ability to answer verbatim-dependent questions.
D) School-aged children are better able than preschoolers at answering gist-dependent questions.

Question 71

High levels of organization at retrieval suggest that very knowledgeable children's recall of items in their area of expertise is

A) based largely on verbatim memory.
B) automatic.
C) the result of their exceptional metacognitive skills.
D) based largely on gist memory.

Question 72

Constructive processing takes place during

A) initial encoding only.
B) the retrieval phase only.
C) short-term storage only.
D) any phase of information processing.

Question 73

Research shows that __________ heighten(s) the chances of reporting false items consistent with the fuzzy meaning of an experience.

A) autobiographical narratives
B) theory of mind
C) gists
D) infantile amnesia

Question 74

__________ knowledge contributes vitally to the development of __________ memory, or recollections of personally experienced events that occurred at a specific time and place.

A) Long-term; short-term
B) Autobiographical; semantic
C) Semantic; episodic
D) Gist; verbatim

Question 75

Aaron's memory of his family's vacation to Yellowstone National Park resides in his __________ memory.

A) semantic
B) eyewitness
C) short-term
D) autobiographical

Question 76

When Chi compared the performance of child chess experts and adult chess novices on a task involving memory for the layout of chess pieces on a chessboard, she found that the children

A) outperformed the adults because the children were very bright and had exceptional memories.
B) performed as well as the adults, suggesting that knowledge can compensate for memory limitations.
C) performed as well as the adults when there were fewer than eight pieces on the chessboard.
D) outperformed the adults because their knowledge base contributed to memory performance.

Question 77

When young children recall and retell a story, they often recall certain important features while forgetting unimportant ones, reorder the sequence of events in more logical fashion, and even include new information that fits with a passage's meaning. This demonstrates that young children

A) have poor metacognitive skills.
B) reconstruct information based on their everyday experiences.
C) often fail to employ appropriate memory strategies.
D) are not yet adept at cognitive self-regulation.

Question 78

Schneider's and Bjorklund's study of children soccer experts versus soccer novices demonstrated that compared to novices, expert children are more likely to

A) rely on gist rather than verbatim memories.
B) have better organized lists during recall.
C) rehearse the test items during encoding.
D) engage in reconstructive processing during storage.

Question 79

At his class reunion, Cesar recognizes a number of familiar faces, but he has trouble remembering their names. This is because __________ is easier than __________.

A) recognition; recall
B) recall; reconstruction
C) recognition; reconstruction
D) reconstruction; recall

Question 80

According to fuzzy-trace theory, we have a bias toward gist memory compared to literal versions because it

A) interferes with cognitive processing.
B) decays more rapidly.
C) requires less space in working memory.
D) is less likely to undergo constructive processing.