Deck 9: Seciton 3: Early Childhood: Cognitive Development

Question 1

Preoperational thinking is all of the following EXCEPT _____.

A) magical
B) symbolic
C) logical
D) pretending

Answer 1

C

Question 2

Preoperational intelligence _____.

A) allows children to think in symbols
B) includes logical reasoning
C) is characterized by reversibility of thought
D) relies on children's motor skills and senses

Answer 2

A

Question 3

After her haircut was complete, Tania began crying inconsolably. "You turned me into a boy!" she cried. Which obstacle to logic was Tania demonstrating?

A) egocentrism
B) static thinking
C) focus on appearance
D) symbolic thinking

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Nine-year-old Bobby has no problem understanding that the 20-year-old woman who sometimes stays with him is both a student and a babysitter. According to Piaget, this is because Bobby's thinking has moved beyond _____.

A) conservation
B) object permanence
C) overregularization
D) centration

Question 5

Evelyn dropped a tiny spot of ketchup on her pants during lunch. Even though her teacher was able to completely remove the spot, Evelyn is crying hysterically and says that she wants to go home because her outfit is ruined. Her behavior demonstrates the characteristic of preoperational thought known as _____.

A) irreversibility
B) centration
C) egocentrism
D) conservation

Question 6

One of the milestones of preoperational thought is the ability to _____.

A) use symbolic thought
B) understand reversibility
C) display conservation
D) think logically

Question 7

When Jennie sees her third-grade teacher in the grocery store, she is shocked to see her outside of school. This is likely due to Jennie's _____.

A) static reasoning
B) abstract reasoning
C) concrete thinking
D) irreversibility

Question 8

Piaget believed that until about age 6, it is difficult for children to think _____.

A) subjectively
B) egocentrically
C) logically
D) about animism

Question 9

To focus on one aspect of a situation and simultaneously exclude all other aspects is called _____.

A) magical thinking
B) static reasoning
C) centration
D) animism

Question 10

Piaget called the stage of human cognitive development between the ages of 2 and 6 "preoperational intelligence" because children do not yet _____.

A) have intelligence
B) use logical operations
C) understand language
D) produce language

Question 11

"You are your mom's daughter, right?" Grandpa asked Beatriz.
"Yes!" Beatriz eagerly answered.
"Well, your mom is my daughter," Grandpa replied.
"No! She's my Mommy!" Beatriz exclaimed. Why did Beatriz make this error?

A) conservation
B) object permanence
C) overregularization
D) centration

Question 12

Irreversibility refers to the preoperational child's tendency to _____.

A) focus on something other than appearances
B) use deductive reasoning to solve a problem
C) believe that what has been done cannot be undone
D) engage in centration when another solution is needed

Question 13

Piaget called the stage of human cognitive development between the ages of 2 and 6 _____ intelligence.

A) operational
B) egocentric
C) preoperational
D) sensorimotor

Question 14

Beverly and her mother were shopping for a birthday gift for Beverly's father. "How about this? Daddy would love it!" Beverly exclaimed, showing her mother a pink and purple toy horse with flowing mane and tail. Beverly's belief that her father would enjoy a toy that she herself would enjoy is an example of _____.

A) static reasoning
B) egocentrism
C) irreversibility
D) conservatism

Question 15

The Piagetian term for a particular type of centration in which a child thinks about the world only from his or her personal perspective is _____.

A) static reasoning
B) egocentrism
C) irreversibility
D) conservatism

Question 16

When children assume that the world is unchanging, they engage in _____.

A) magical thinking
B) static reasoning
C) centration
D) a focus on appearance

Question 17

The characteristic of preoperational thought in which a young child thinks that nothing changes is called _____.

A) animism
B) conservation
C) static reasoning
D) centration

Question 18

A magician's goal is to get the audience to focus on one aspect of his demonstration while he manipulates another. This is easy to do with preoperational children, as they are fooled by their tendency to _____.

A) be logical thinkers
B) reverse things in their minds
C) demonstrate centration
D) equilibrate

Question 19

Ivan was playing under the kitchen table when he stood up suddenly and bumped his head. He pointed at the table and sternly said, "Naughty table!" This is an example of _____.

A) egocentrism
B) operational thinking
C) centration
D) animism

Question 20

A preschool child thinks a tall 20-year-old man is older than a short 40-year-old man. This is an example of _____.

A) egocentrism
B) static thinking
C) focus on appearance
D) symbolic thinking

Question 21

Sydney helps her 2-year-old daughter to make hot chocolate. She helps the child to measure teaspoons of cocoa into a cup, add water, stir the contents, and then microwave the cup. Sydney is providing _____.

A) scaffolding
B) overstimulation
C) conservation skills
D) the zone of proximal development

Question 22

One of Vygotsky's most famous concepts was the zone of proximal development, which asserts that _____.

A) there is a certain place in a school where most learning occurs
B) children can only reach a certain level of intelligence
C) children can master some tasks with the help of others
D) certain parts of the brain need to be activated

Question 23

Four-year-old Jonathan is sitting at the lunch counter next to his sister Erin. They are having hot dogs for lunch. When his mom cuts Jonathan's hot dog into five pieces and Erin's into six pieces. Jonathan protests, "Erin has more than me!" Which ability does Jonathan not yet demonstrate?

A) animism
B) centration
C) egocentrism
D) conservation

Question 24

Which child will probably learn to count to 30 first?

A) Abby, who speaks English
B) Bik, who speaks Chinese
C) Anja, who speaks German
D) Neve, who speaks Dutch

Question 25

Daryl has a ball of Silly Putty. His 6-year-old son, Mason, watches as Daryl flattens the Silly Putty into a thin "pancake." When Daryl asks Mason if there is now more Silly Putty, Mason replies "Yes" because he has _____.

A) an understanding of scaffolding
B) not mastered the concept of conservation
C) an understanding of object permanence
D) demonstrated fast-mapping

Question 26

Benjy is a preschooler. He can put a dish into the microwave and press the "2" button to cook for 2 minutes. One day he sees his mother wipe the front of the microwave with a damp paper towel before she presses a number button. After that, Benjy rubs the front of the microwave with a napkin before he presses the number button. Why?

A) He is overimitating his mom.
B) He has forgotten how the microwave works.
C) He is providing scaffolding for his mom.
D) He is engaging in guided participation.

Question 27

According to Vygotsky, guided participation requires that a child _____.

A) interacts with a mentor to accomplish a task
B) is told instructions for a task only once
C) discovers the solution to a task on his or her own
D) be taught new skills by other children

Question 28

A child who is unable to read a picture book independently gets help from an adult to accomplish the task. This assistance will only be effective if the _____.

A) assistance is offered in a warm and gentle manner
B) child is at least 6 years old
C) child is in the period of preoperations
D) skill is within the child's zone of proximal development

Question 29

Jake's father takes him to the barber for his first real haircut. At first, Jake is excited, but as soon as the barber makes the first cut in his hair he becomes very upset and tells his father to make the barber stop. In spite of his father's efforts to assure Jake that his hair will grow back, Jake is exhibiting the characteristic known as _____.

A) animism
B) centration
C) egocentrism
D) irreversibility

Question 30

A child is shown two identical tall containers, both half-filled with water. The contents of one container are then poured into a short, wide container. If the child states that both containers still have the same amount, then the child understands the concept of _____.

A) classification
B) conservation
C) centration
D) transformation

Question 31

Each time Juan puts a puzzle together, his father gives him a little less help. Which theorist would be MOST pleased with Juan's father?

A) Piaget
B) Vygotsky
C) Skinner
D) Freud

Question 32

According to Vygotsky, a child's first guided participation is provided by a mentor who is likely a _____.

A) classmate
B) teacher
C) parent
D) older sibling

Question 33

Preschoolers try to construct a reason for the things that they see and hear. This tendency is known as _____.

A) reversibility
B) focus on appearance
C) theory-theory
D) logical reasoning

Question 34

According to Vygotsky, which capability is demonstrated when young children imitate adult actions that are irrelevant, time-consuming, and inefficient?

A) observing
B) scaffolding
C) modeling
D) overimitation

Question 35

Aaliyah lies in her bed at night, talking out loud. Her parents listen from the hallway and hear her talking about her day as if she's talking to another person. What should her parents conclude about Aaliyah's behavior?

A) She's engaging in private speech, and it is completely normal.
B) She's engaging in private speech, and it is a sign of abnormal development.
C) She thinks there is someone else in the room.
D) Children who talk out loud when alone are usually experiencing bullying at school.

Question 36

A child's inability to understand that undoing a sequence of events will bring about the original situation is called _____.

A) concrete operations
B) conservation
C) irreversibility
D) symbolic thought

Question 37

Which is an example of scaffolding?

A) David helps his son build a model airplane by assembling it while his son watches.
B) Howard and Priscilla buy a Wii game system for their 5-year-old daughter Rebecca. They set it up for her and then allow her to figure out how to turn it on and use it.
C) Richard buys a do-it-yourself kite kit for his 6-year-old daughter Angela. He lays all of the pieces out for her and then allows her to read the instructions and follow them herself.
D) Miriam helps her son Ben to make cookies. She measures all of the ingredients out and places them on the counter in small bowls. She reads the recipe aloud as Ben places the ingredients in the bowl and mixes them together with a spoon.

Question 38

Researchers now believe that Piaget _____ cognition in infancy and _____ cognition in early childhood.

A) overestimated; overestimated
B) underestimated; underestimated
C) overestimated; underestimated
D) underestimated; overestimated

Question 39

Skills that the child can accomplish with assistance but can't yet perform independently are part of _____.

A) private speech
B) the gap between heredity and learning
C) distal development
D) the zone of proximal development

Question 40

According to Vygotsky, a teacher who carefully plans each child's participation in the learning process within the zone of proximal development uses _____.

A) reinforcements for good behavior
B) scaffolding
C) peer mentoring
D) skill construction

Question 41

Researchers have discovered that _____ helps a child to develop theory of mind months ahead of a child who does not.

A) learning the alphabet
B) going to day care
C) having a religious faith
D) living with older siblings

Question 42

Which 4-year-old boy is likely to have the most advanced theory of mind?

A) Dewei, who is Chinese
B) Carter, who is Canadian
C) Faakhir, who is Indian
D) Jacob, who is from the United States

Question 43

Research has shown that the development of a theory of mind varies according to _____.

A) outdoor playtime
B) time watching TV
C) social interactions with older siblings
D) diet and exercise

Question 44

According to Vygotsky, within the context of cognition, language is a tool _____.

A) to make oneself understood
B) to regulate behavior
C) to advance thought
D) of self-expression

Question 45

A key factor that strengthens a preschooler's cognition is _____.

A) having an older sibling
B) whether or not the child is adopted
C) body weight
D) knowledge of the alphabet

Question 46

A person's understanding of the thoughts of other people is called _____.

A) intuitive psychology
B) psychological schemata
C) theory of mind
D) self-schemes

Question 47

Which child is MOST apt to have the best-developed theory of mind?

A) Nanette, age 3, who is the oldest of three children
B) Brianna, age 4, who is an only child
C) Boris, age 3 1/2, who has a twin sister
D) Reginald, age 3 1/2, who has two older siblings

Question 48

Britney understands that her father is crying because his best friend died. This shows that Britney has developed _____.

A) egocentrism
B) a script for crying
C) theory of mind
D) conservation

Question 49

By the age of 2, a child will typically have a vocabulary of _____ words; by the age of 6, a child will typically have a vocabulary of _____ words.

A) 500; 10,000
B) 5,000: 10,000
C) 200; 40,000
D) 100; 2,000

Question 50

According to Vygotsky, the internal dialogue that people have with themselves either silently or aloud is referred to as _____.

A) theory of mind
B) guided participation
C) private speech
D) apprenticeship

Question 51

When Renee was 11 months old, she was injured in a car crash. She was in a coma for almost a year and then spent many months of recovery from a brain injury. By her third birthday, although she is making good process, she has not yet spoken, and her parents are fearful that she will never speak. The doctors, however, feel confident that Renee will learn to speak. This is because language learning in the first four years is NOT a _____.

A) sensitive period
B) critical period
C) developmental task
D) dynamic system

Question 52

When children hear a new word in a familiar context, they can simply add the word to the general category without fully understanding the word. This is called _____.

A) lexical addition
B) categorical embellishment
C) vocabulary expansion
D) fast-mapping

Question 53

According to theory-theory, why do children imitate irrelevant adult behaviors?

A) They mindlessly copy everything adults do.
B) They theorize that the irrelevant behavior must be important.
C) They theorize that the adult will reward them for correct imitation.
D) They derive pleasure from correctly imitating behaviors of all sorts.

Question 54

Only after a child has developed theory of mind can he or she _____.

A) offer comfort to a crying playmate
B) tell a lie
C) feel anger
D) take turns sharing

Question 55

Brain scans of children solving theory-of-mind puzzles reveal that _____ depends upon maturation of the prefrontal cortex.

A) correct solution of the puzzles
B) mental flexibility
C) frustration levels
D) ability to understand instructions

Question 56

A child's ability to add new vocabulary words very quickly is called _____.

A) fast-mapping
B) word mapping
C) mental language
D) word charting

Question 57

At what age do MOST children without older siblings develop theory of mind?

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

Question 58

Humans seek reasons, causes, and underlying principles to explain the world around them. The research term for this tendency is _____.

A) deductive reasoning
B) conservation
C) scaffolding
D) theory-theory

Question 59

The underlying factor allowing the development of theory of mind is _____.

A) the simultaneous development of magical thinking
B) maturation of the prefrontal cortex
C) static reasoning
D) centration

Question 60

A few days ago, Hester's parents disciplined her because she refused to eat her green beans. Today when her parents announced that they were going to get a divorce, Hester cried, "Is it because I was bad? I'll be good!" Hester's conclusion that her failure to eat her green beans is the reason her parents are getting divorced displays Hester's _____.

A) deductive reasoning
B) conservation
C) scaffolding
D) theory-theory

Question 61

Neuroscience has proven true which statement about young bilingual children?

A) Even though both languages reside in the same area of the brain, bilingual individuals are able to activate one language and temporarily inhibit the other.
B) Different languages reside in different areas of the brain, thus allowing a bilingual individual to activate only one area at a time.
C) Bilingual individuals of any age have difficulty with keeping the two languages totally separate when speaking.
D) Since both languages reside in the same area of the brain, bilingual individuals consciously inhibit one language while speaking the other.

Question 62

When shown a novel object and told that it is called a "wug," preschoolers know that two of those objects would be two "wugs." This ability to correctly add an -s when pluralizing is evidence of their proper use of _____.

A) inflections
B) logical extensions
C) grammar
D) theory-theory

Question 63

While attending a carnival at Jia's preschool, Jia's mother told her, "Stay here while I get us some cookies over there." Instead of waiting where she was, Jia followed her mother to the cookie table. What is the best explanation for Jia's behavior?

A) Jia must be a defiant child who didn't want to wait.
B) The cookies were too tempting for Jia, so she had to go after them.
C) Jia didn't understand what her mother meant by "here" and "there."
D) Jia was too afraid to stay behind and wait for her mother.

Question 64

"I catched two mouses in a trap" is an example of _____.

A) egocentric speech
B) overregularization
C) literal translation
D) past imperfect tense

Question 65

Caitlin, age 4, visited the city zoo, pointed to a zebra, and exclaimed, "Look at the horse with stripes!" In describing the zebra, she used _____.

A) logical extension
B) fast-mapping
C) overregularization
D) theory of mind

Question 66

Children typically understand the basics of grammar by the _____.

A) age of 2
B) time the child has a vocabulary of about 300 words
C) time the child has a vocabulary of about 600 words
D) age of 5

Question 67

Which early childhood method has been found to boost reading several years later in elementary school?

A) code-focused teaching
B) teacher-directed programs
C) the "Hooked on Phonics" program
D) the "My Baby Can Read" program

Question 68

When a child is learning a second language, the basics of language learning such as the vocabulary explosion, fast-mapping, and overregularization apply _____.

A) only to the child's native language
B) only to the child's second language
C) to both the native and second language
D) to receptive language comprehension but not speaking

Question 69

Four-year-old Graciela is a balanced bilingual, which means that she _____.

A) speaks her native language fluently but has fluency issues when speaking her second language
B) understands her native language and her second language but speaks only in her native language
C) is fluent in both her native language and her second language
D) understands her native language but speaks her second language more fluently

Question 70

The structures, rules, and techniques used to communicate meaning in language are called _____.

A) inflections
B) logical extensions
C) grammar
D) theory-theory

Question 71

In 2011 in the United States, 22 percent of children spoke English at school and _____ at home.

A) English
B) another language
C) Spanish
D) Chinese

Question 72

Four-year-old Faisal and his mother were visiting Faisal's older sister's kindergarten classroom. Faisal pointed at his sister's teacher and asked his mother, "What's that mom's name?" Faisal's apparent assumption that all women are mothers is evidence of his use of _____.

A) lexical addition
B) categorical embellishment
C) vocabulary expansion
D) fast-mapping

Question 73

Overregularization occurs because children _____.

A) tend to regress briefly before progressing to new forms of language
B) have no understanding of past, present, and future verb tenses
C) assume that the language is less regular than it actually is
D) assume their language always follows the rules they already know

Question 74

Genes are most likely to influence which type of language?

A) recessive
B) receptive
C) expressive
D) descriptive

Question 75

Overregularization in a child's speech patterns indicates that _____.

A) the child is entering a sensitive period of language development
B) the child can apply grammatical rules to vocalizations
C) logical extension is now possible
D) fast-mapping has occurred

Question 76

Christopher's mother is considering different wallpapers for decorating Christopher's room. She asks him, "Which one do you like better: the striped or the plaid?" Christopher's vocabulary doesn't include the word "plaid," but he's able to figure out what the word must mean based on the context. Christopher is using _____ to add a new word to his vocabulary.

A) lexical addition
B) categorical embellishment
C) vocabulary expansion
D) fast-mapping

Question 77

Logical extension involves _____.

A) linking a newly learned word to other objects in the same category
B) mentally charting new words
C) applying a new concept to a preexisting category
D) equilibration

Question 78

All of the following are common concerns that parents have about raising bilingual children EXCEPT _____.

A) that the child will be only semilingual
B) that the child will master language later than his or her peers
C) that the child will surpass his or her parents in the second language
D) that the child will become confused by the two languages

Question 79

Jessica is reading a story book aloud to her 3-year-old daughter, Abigail. Abigail's father says, "Why are you bothering? It's not like she's going to learn to read from that." What would you tell Abigail's father about reading to preschoolers?

A) He's right; it doesn't matter whether parents read to their preschoolers.
B) He's right; children whose parents read aloud to them too early lose interest in books.
C) He's wrong; children whose parents read to them as preschoolers tend to be better readers in elementary school.
D) He's wrong; children whose parents read to them by age 3 learn to read by the age of 4.

Question 80

Demetrius's family recently immigrated to the United States from the Ukraine. After he attended kindergarten, his parents noticed that his English was more fluent than his native language. Demetrius was exhibiting _____.

A) a language shift
B) accelerated bilingualism
C) a vocabulary explosion
D) linguistic egocentrism