Deck 6: Off to School: Cognitive and Physical Development in Middle Childhood

Question 1

Which reflects a basic ability available only to a formal operational thinker?

A) "Realistically speaking ..."
B) "Hypothetically speaking ..."
C) "Speaking from experience, I ..."
D) "Speaking on behalf of others, I ..."

Answer 1

B

Question 2

When 80-year-old Marques is asked about his life, he is able to vividly recall his high school graduation party that occurred 60 years ago. Where was this information stored just before it was recalled by Marques?

A) Sensory memory
B) Working memory
C) Short-term memory
D) Long-term memory

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Who is most likely the formal operational thinker?

A) Kula, who thinks nickels are worth more than dimes because they are bigger
B) Fran, who has just mastered conservation
C) Ollie, who is capable of using and understanding symbols
D) Sherri, who can use combinatorial reasoning

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Angelica and her younger brother Houston are both given three fountain pens, each containing clear ink, and are informed that some combination of ink will yield a color. Because Angelica is a formal operational thinker and Houston is a concrete operational thinker, how will their behavior likely differ?

A) Angelica will spend more time thinking about the task and be more systematic when attempting to solve it.
B) Angelica will use a piece of paper to draw out the problem.
C) Houston will only use two of the pens.
D) Houston will watch how Angelica solves the problem and then repeat her steps.

Question 5

A concrete operational thinker and a formal operational thinker are given the following logical statements: (1) If you drop a 20-pound bowling ball on your foot, it will tickle. (2) You drop a 20-pound bowling ball on your foot. What reaction would you expect?

A) Only the concrete operational thinker would conclude that "your foot would tickle."
B) Only the formal operational thinker would conclude that "your foot would tickle."
C) Both would conclude that "your foot would tickle."
D) Both would conclude that "your foot would never tickle" after having a 20-pound bowling ball dropped on it.

Question 6

Text author Robert Kail won tickets to the Indianapolis 500 auto race by listing all the possible words that could be created from the words "SAFE RACE", which is an example of

A) combinatorial reasoning.
B) animism.
C) functional fixedness.
D) object permanence.

Question 7

Larry notices that his son Tate is having a great time playing near the kitchen sink. When Larry asks Tate what he is doing, Tate responds, "It is fun to look at two different-size glasses, imagine water pouring back and forth between them, and knowing that the amount of water stays the same even though the glass shapes differ." Piaget would describe Tate's comments as indicating that he has acquired

A) animism.
B) egocentrism.
C) irreversibility.
D) a mental operation.

Question 8

Tara is a normally-developing eight-year-old. According to Piaget, over the next few years, Tara's egocentrism will likely

A) disappear.
B) wane gradually.
C) increase gradually.
D) increase significantly.

Question 9

Who would be most likely to emphasize the important role that changes in memory efficiency plays in cognitive development?

A) Louie, who is a social-learning theorist
B) Elaine, who is a sociobiologist
C) Alex, who is Piagetian
D) Latka, who is an information-processing theorist

Question 10

Which describes one of the major criticisms of Piaget's theory concerning formal operational thought?

A) Adolescent thinking is not as irrational as Piaget predicted.
B) The belief that only males could think abstractly was sexist.
C) Adolescents do not appear as cognitively competent as Piaget thought.
D) Piaget argued that cognitive development continues to advance into old age, while research has found little change after age 20.

Question 11

Dee used to think that everyone else liked the same people she did and hated the same people she did. She now realizes that different people have different opinions toward others. Piaget would suggest that Dee has recently become a ____ thinker.

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

Question 12

Which most accurately describes long-term memory?

A) Temporary and limited capacity
B) Permanent and limited capacity
C) Temporary and unlimited capacity
D) Permanent and unlimited capacity

Question 13

The main limitation of concrete operational thinking is that such thought is limited to

A) hypothetical situations.
B) tangible, real-life examples.
C) emotional issues.
D) long-term memories.

Question 14

If you are reading this test question for the first time, it is

A) currently stored in sensory memory.
B) currently stored in long-term memory.
C) currently stored in working memory.
D) not currently stored in any memory system.

Question 15

As a Piagetian, Faye would believe that a concrete operational child's ability to reverse thought is due to their acquisition of

A) language.
B) mental operations.
C) self-efficacy.
D) convergent thinking.

Question 16

Though Mabel is unable to think in abstract terms, she is beginning to understand that because 3 + 5 = 8, 8 - 5 must equal 3. Mabel has begun to exhibit Piaget's ____ stage of thinking.

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

Question 17

A formal operational thinker and a concrete operational thinker are both presented with three beakers containing red liquid and are told that some combination of the liquids will produce a green liquid. How would the manner in which the formal thinker solves the problem most likely differ from that of the concrete thinker?

A) Formal thinkers would do the problem entirely in their head and not actually pour any liquid.
B) The formal thinkers' approach would be significantly more haphazard.
C) Formal thinkers would apply both animism and centration when solving the task.
D) Formal thinkers would be more systematic when combining the liquids and eliminating combinations.

Question 18

Working memory is best described as being

A) temporary and limited in capacity.
B) permanent and limited in capacity.
C) temporary and unlimited in capacity.
D) permanent and unlimited in capacity.

Question 19

How could Erbert use combinational reasoning to determine how many different types of sandwiches could be made from eight available condiments?

A) He could map out all possible combinations on a sheet of paper.
B) He could move a slice of onion back and forth between two sandwiches until he can mentally visualize the action.
C) He could use both animism and egocentric thought to help him out.
D) He could visualize how a sandwich with one condiment would differ from one with all the condiments.

Question 20

Which is one of the more questionable aspects of Piaget's theory?

A) It places too much emphasis on biology as the mechanism of change
B) It does not account for variability in performance
C) It overestimates the intelligence of adults
D) It overvalues the influence of the sociocultural environment

Question 21

Who is best associated with a theory of "multiple intelligences?"

A) John Carroll
B) Alfred Binet
C) Howard Gardner
D) Jean Piaget

Question 22

The best example of metamemory would involve knowing that

A) whales are mammals, not fish.
B) a 10-word list of unfamiliar foreign words will be harder to recall than a 20-word list of familial words.
C) 10 + 20 = 30.
D) foreign words come from another country.

Question 23

If a person believes in "general intelligence," then he or she believes that

A) some people are smart, no matter the situation, task, or problem.
B) whether people are smart depends on the situation, task, or problem.
C) intelligence cannot be assessed psychometrically.
D) fourth-graders will be smarter than third-graders.

Question 24

Tyree is extremely good at identifying the motivations and intentions of the people he meets. According to Gardner, Tyree would most likely score very well on a test of ____ intelligence.

A) intrapersonal
B) bodily-kinesthetic
C) logical-mathematical
D) interpersonal

Question 25

Memory organization is defined as

A) any embellishment on some existing memory.
B) structuring related items together in memory.
C) the active portion of working memory.
D) any memory that involves a personal experience.

Question 26

During ____, information is always embellished.

A) rehearsal
B) elaboration
C) metacognition
D) combinatorial reasoning

Question 27

Francisco is having a hard time remembering that Madison is the capital of Wisconsin. He also knows that his father will be upset if Francisco flunks his test of state capitals. Suddenly, Francisco sees a connection between these two events and realizes that he can recall the capital of Wisconsin by remembering that his dad will be mad at him if he can't remember (mad at son = Madison). In this example, Francisco is clearly using ____ to aid in his memory.

A) rehearsal
B) centration
C) elaboration
D) irreversibility

Question 28

Donovan is really into football and is able to remember all of the professional teams because he has mentally sorted them by division. This indicates that Donavan is using ____ to help him recall the information.

A) divergent thinking
B) organization
C) abstract thinking
D) rehearsal

Question 29

Which provides the best example of active reading?

A) Having a short-term memory for a large number of words
B) Realizing that some words have multiple meanings
C) Periodically summarizing what was just read
D) Knowing that sentences are organized into groups within paragraphs

Question 30

After studying for a significant period of time, Maria is having her roommate test her to determine whether her study strategies are working. Maria is

A) bypassing working memory.
B) a concrete operational thinker.
C) using abstraction.
D) monitoring.

Question 31

When asked to describe his specialization, Oscar says, "I am mainly interested in developing ways of measuring intelligence and personality factors." Given this description, Oscar is most likely a

A) classical conditioning theorist.
B) Freudian.
C) psychometrician.
D) social-learning theorist.

Question 32

Elmer has discovered that in order to be successful in college, he must both pay attention to his instructor and take good notes. If Elmer is successful at engaging in both of these behaviors, he is demonstrating effective

A) abstract thinking.
B) cognitive self-regulation.
C) overregularization.
D) one-to-one principle understanding.

Question 33

Metamemory is defined as an individual's

A) intuitive understanding of memory.
B) level of semantic memory.
C) sensory memory speed.
D) short-term memory capacity.

Question 34

Long-term memory is to working memory as

A) organized is to unorganized.
B) permanent is to temporary.
C) weigh station is to destination.
D) biology is to psychology.

Question 35

Which best describes the hierarchical view of intelligence?

A) It consists entirely of general intelligence
B) It consists entirely of broad categories of intelligence
C) It consists entirely of specific skills
D) It consists of general intelligence, categories, and specific skills

Question 36

Thurstone and Thurstone (1941) identified seven distinct abilities that they believed formed the basis of intelligence. One of these abilities was

A) musical ability.
B) perceptual speed.
C) interpersonal intelligence.
D) "street smarts."

Question 37

Which provides the best example of cognitive self-regulation?

A) Having a short-term memory for a phone number you just heard
B) Realizing that some inanimate object may be capable of self-movement
C) Deciding that using flashcards helps memorization of vocabulary terms
D) Knowing that 4 + 4 = 8

Question 38

Theresa has just come to realize that in order to learn, she must focus her attention on her teacher, not her classmates. This indicates an advance in Theresa's ____ skills.

A) divergent thinking
B) scaffolding
C) sensory memory
D) metacognitive knowledge

Question 39

____ are key elements of effective metacognitive knowledge.

A) Egocentrism and convergent thinking
B) Centration and animism
C) Goal selection and strategy monitoring
D) Divergent thinking and a lack of object permanence

Question 40

The first memory strategy acquired by most children is

A) chunking.
B) use of abstraction.
C) verbal elaboration.
D) rehearsal.

Question 41

Which type of intelligence is best associated with Daniel Goleman?

A) Musical
B) Emotional
C) Naturalistic
D) Bodily-kinesthetic

Question 42

Tabitha's intelligence quotient is 100. She is 12 years old, so her mental age must be ____.

A) 6
B) 10
C) 12
D) 24

Question 43

Which of Gardner's types of intelligences is least likely to be found on a traditional psychometric theory-based test of intelligence?

A) Linguistic
B) Logical-mathematical
C) Musical
D) Spatial

Question 44

Which cooking-related behavior is the best indicator of a high level of analytical ability?

A) Knowing that the reason a cake did not turn out could be the lack of a key ingredient, the stove being too hot, or bad eggs
B) Being able to create a cake flavor that has never before existed
C) Realizing that if you follow the directions on a cake box, the cake will turn out okay
D) Visualizing what a cake will look like before it is baked

Question 45

Eight-year-old Harvey has a mental age of four. What is his intelligence quotient?

A) 200
B) 150
C) 50
D) 32

Question 46

Albert just thought of a novel way to consider the relationship between matter and the speed of light. According to Sternberg, this action best exemplifies _____ ability.

A) familial
B) practical
C) creative
D) analytic

Question 47

On modern tests of intelligence, IQ scores are determined

A) by comparing a child's score with the average score of other children of the same age.
B) by using the same IQ calculation as on the original Stanford-Binet exam.
C) based on a child's gender and race.
D) by subtracting a child's chronological age from their mental age.

Question 48

Binet and Simon developed the first objective intelligence test in order to

A) rank-order the intellectual capacities of different races.
B) identify children who would need special help in school.
C) help the military select soldiers for important tasks.
D) test their theory of intelligence.

Question 49

The issue of novelty of thinking is best associated with ____ ability.

A) analytical
B) creative
C) practical
D) familial

Question 50

According to Sternberg, ____ ability is most heavily focused on problem analysis.

A) analytical
B) creative
C) practical
D) familial

Question 51

Newt has a mental age of 10. That means Newt

A) is 10 years old.
B) has an IQ of 100.
C) is a genius.
D) passed test problems that an average 10-year-old would pass.

Question 52

Whose intelligence test was the first to use the concept of an intelligence quotient?

A) Alfred Binet
B) Howard Gardner
C) Jean Piaget
D) Lewis Terman

Question 53

Ginny is an architect who is excellent at picturing what an existing building would look like with certain modifications. This ability is probably most reflective of a high level of _____ intelligence.

A) personal
B) bodily-kinesthetic
C) spatial
D) intrapersonal

Question 54

Bea has tremendous insight into "deep" questions like, "Why are we born to die?" According to Gardner, Bea would rate high on a scale of ____ intelligence.

A) bodily-kinesthetic
B) existential
C) interpersonal
D) logical-mathematical

Question 55

Tarzan is building a cage for his pet monkey when his hammer breaks. The fact that Tarzan is able to realize that he might be able to use a frozen banana as a substitute for a hammer indicates that he has a high level of ____ ability.

A) analytical
B) creative
C) practical
D) familial

Question 56

Binet and Simon originally developed the concept of "mental age" as a criterion for helping them distinguish

A) children with high IQs from children with low IQs.
B) children who would be able to learn in school from those who needed special instruction.
C) white children from black children.
D) economically disadvantaged children from the "select few" who previously attended school.

Question 57

Omega scored very high on a measure of emotional intelligence. This means that Omega would definitely

A) score high on a traditional test of general intelligence.
B) be described as very dysphoric.
C) have the ability to effectively use his emotions to help solve problems.
D) score low on a test of naturalistic intelligence.

Question 58

If the following children all have a mental age of 10, who has the highest IQ?

A) Norm, who is 5 years old
B) Woody, who is 10 years old
C) Cliff, who is 20 years old
D) Carla, who is 25 years old

Question 59

____ ability involves the realization that a solution will actually work.

A) Analytical
B) Creative
C) Practical
D) Familial

Question 60

Waldo loves to play hide-and-seek. While he is capable of generating a good list of places to hide and he often comes up with novel hiding spots, the truth of the matter is that none of his spots are ever that good, and he is always found almost immediately. This indicates that on this task, Waldo would rate poorly in ____ ability.

A) analytical
B) creative
C) practical
D) familial

Question 61

Which statement concerning ethnicity and intelligence is most accurate?

A) The recent discovery of a "smart gene" has led most to believe that intelligence has a strong genetic component.
B) Even if ethnic groups differ significantly in intelligence, the difference could be the result of environmental factors.
C) Being economically disadvantaged is related to ethnicity but not to intelligence.
D) If intelligence differences within an ethnic group are due to genetics, then intelligence differences between the group and other ethnic groups must be due to genetics.

Question 62

A culture-fair intelligence test

A) contains items that require no linguistic knowledge.
B) ensures that individuals of all races will receive similar scores.
C) is designed to reduce biases due to differential experience.
D) is impossible to develop.

Question 63

Alicia is a "gifted" child. Compared to her peers, Alicia most likely

A) is more socially inept.
B) is physically larger.
C) has fewer emotional problems.
D) is less mature.

Question 64

IQ scores are

A) good predictors of school success and occupational success.
B) good predictors of school success but bad predictors of occupational success.
C) bad predictors of school success but good predictors of occupational success.
D) poor predictors of school success and occupational success.

Question 65

By traditional definition, how many of the following eight-year-old children would be considered "gifted": Darcy, IQ = 100; Peggy, IQ = 120; Kelly, IQ = 140; Al, IQ = 160?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 66

Self-discipline is a

A) good predictor of school success but not better than IQ test scores.
B) good predictor of school success but often better than IQ test scores.
C) bad predictor of school success but a good predictor of occupational success.
D) poor predictor of school success but better than an IQ test score.

Question 67

In recent years, the definition of "gifted" has

A) broadened to include all IQ tests.
B) broadened to include areas like dance and music.
C) narrowed to include only those in the top 5 percent of their graduating class.
D) narrowed to include only scores from the Stanford-Binet test.

Question 68

The fact that children with higher IQ scores tend to come from homes that contained age-related play materials best supports the theory that

A) intelligence and poverty are highly positively correlated events.
B) environmental factors impact intelligence.
C) genes determine intelligence.
D) identical twins are more intellectually similar than any random set of siblings.

Question 69

Exceptional talent is the product of

A) both nature and nurture.
B) nature.
C) nurture.
D) education.

Question 70

The term "stereotype threat" is best associated with the concept of

A) the self-fulfilling prophecy.
B) convergent thinking.
C) cognitive dissonance.
D) obedience.

Question 71

Dr. Jourdan is devising an intelligence test containing items that relate to experiences common to all people around the world. Dr. Jourdan is most likely attempting to develop

A) a test of multiple intelligences.
B) an intelligence quotient.
C) a spatial intelligence test.
D) a culture-fair intelligence test.

Question 72

Morris, a 17-year-old African American, is taking an intelligence test during his senior year of high school. Which of his current thoughts would indicate that he is experiencing stereotype threat?

A) "I wonder if my Asian friends do better than everyone else."
B) "If I don't do well, my mom and dad will be very disappointed."
C) "As an athlete, a good score on this will open up a lot of scholarship opportunities, so I must do well even though I am not that smart."
D) "If I do badly on this test, they may think that all black kids are stupid, and this thought is making me nervous and negatively impacting my performance."

Question 73

In the United States, ____ Americans tend to score highest on intelligence tests.

A) European
B) African
C) Asian
D) Hispanic

Question 74

Data from Project Head Start

A) supported the belief that environmental factors can impact an individual's IQ.
B) found that daycare aimed at improving the linguistic and social development of infants and preschoolers is ineffective.
C) showed that through an improved diet, a typical child's IQ scores could be doubled.
D) discovered that the average IQ score of a child has decreased steadily since 1960.

Question 75

Which data suggest the strongest link between heredity and intelligence?

A) Identical twins whose IQ scores correlate at the +.9 level
B) Fraternal twins whose IQ scores correlate at the +.9 level
C) Biological siblings whose IQ scores correlate at the +.9 level
D) Adoptive siblings whose IQ scores correlate at the +.9 level

Question 76

The basic premise of a hereditary view concerning the nature of intelligence is that

A) the more closely related two individuals are, the more positively correlated their scores will be.
B) the correlation between biological sibling's IQ scores will be about 0.0.
C) parents' IQ scores are not very predictive of children's IQ scores.
D) experience plays a major role in determining a person's IQ score.

Question 77

The typical correlation between a child's IQ test score and his or her classroom grade is about _____.

A) +.2
B) +.4
C) +.6
D) +.8

Question 78

Which is not a prerequisite for exceptional talent in childhood?

A) Support from parents
B) Child's love for the subject
C) Early instruction
D) Talented parents

Question 79

To be considered gifted usually requires an intelligence test score of at least _____.

A) 120
B) 130
C) 140
D) 150

Question 80

Which evidence best demonstrates an environmental impact on intelligence?

A) A high correlation between the IQ scores of identical twins
B) A low correlation between the IQ scores of strangers
C) The rapid increase in average WISC scores seen during the past 25 years
D) The stability of WISC scores seen during the past 25 years