Deck 5: Cognitive Development in Infancy

Question 1

Schemes refer to

A) actions or mental representations that organize knowledge.
B) the incorporation of new information into existing knowledge.
C) groups of behaviors.
D) knowledge that has been adjusted to fit new experiences.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

For cognitive change to occur, identify the two processes that must work in concert as a child experiences considerable movement between the states of cognitive equilibrium and disequilibrium.

A) equilibration and categorization
B) amalgamation and organization
C) assimilation and accommodation
D) classification and modification

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Ruth, an infant, sucked everything that touched her lips and also sucked nearby objects. A few months later, she learned that certain objects such as her mother's breasts or a milk bottle can be sucked but other objects such as spoons, her toys, or her blanket cannot be sucked. In the context of Jean Piaget's theory of infant development, the cognitive processes most likely responsible for Ruth's actions are

A) coordination and internalization.
B) equilibration and organization.
C) assimilation and accommodation.
D) habituation and dishabituation.

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following substages of Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of development corresponds to the first month after birth?

A) primary circular reactions
B) simple reflexes
C) tertiary circular reactions
D) internalization of schemes

Question 5

Alice, who is three weeks old, sucks everything that touches her lips. After a few weeks, her mother observes that she has started to suck even if a nipple or bottle is only nearby and not touching her lips. In the context of Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of development, Alice is most likely in the sensorimotor substage known as

A) simple reflexes.
B) first habits.
C) primary circular reactions.
D) secondary circular reactions.

Question 6

Three-year-old Jesse used to call all moving vehicles "car." He now accurately categorizes moving vehicles into trucks, cars, motorcycles, and buses. Jesse has ________ to fit new information into his existing scheme.

A) accommodated
B) assimilated
C) amalgamated
D) applied

Question 7

Baby Elise has developed a sucking scheme. She knows that to get food, she must suck on her mother's breast. Now, her mother has begun to introduce solid foods with a spoon. Elise immediately sucks on the spoon. This is an example of

A) accommodation.
B) assimilation.
C) amalgamation.
D) application.

Question 8

Piaget divided the sensorimotor stage of development into ________ substages.

A) two
B) three
C) five
D) six

Question 9

Benji has started calling his father "dad," but he also calls all the men that he sees "dad." According to Piaget, this error is due to the phenomenon of

A) amalgamation.
B) accommodation.
C) assimilation.
D) application.

Question 10

Josh is three months old. His mother observes that he sucks even when there is no bottle or nipple present nearby and even in the absence of any object touching his lips. In the context of Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of development, Josh is most likely in the ________ sensorimotor substage.

A) simple reflexes
B) first habits and primary circular reactions
C) tertiary circular reactions
D) coordination of secondary circular reactions

Question 11

Jean Piaget believed that cognition in one stage is ________ that in another stage.

A) qualitatively different from
B) quantitatively different from
C) qualitatively similar to
D) quantitatively similar to

Question 12

Which of the following substages of sensorimotor development is characterized by coordination of sensation and action through reflexive behaviors?

A) conditioned reflexes
B) first habits and primary circular reactions
C) simple reflexes
D) coordination of secondary circular reactions

Question 13

Two-year-old Anita has learned the word "dog" to identify the family pet Rover. Now, Anita says the word "dog" when she sees any animal. Anita has ________ these animals into her existing scheme.

A) amalgamated
B) accommodated
C) assimilated
D) applied

Question 14

The sensorimotor stage of development lasts from birth to about

A) 6 months of age.
B) 8 months of age.
C) 1 year of age.
D) 2 years of age.

Question 15

When children experience cognitive conflict in trying to understand the world, they shift from one stage of thought to the next. The mechanism through which this shift occurs is called

A) equilibration.
B) assimilation.
C) organization.
D) amalgamation.

Question 16

Jean Piaget's concept of grouping isolated behaviors into a higher-order system is called

A) assimilation.
B) equilibration.
C) organization.
D) amalgamation.

Question 17

Jean Piaget believed that children

A) actively construct their own cognitive worlds.
B) passively react to their environments.
C) absorb their knowledge from the environment.
D) gain their view of the world from their parents.

Question 18

Trenton was playing in a sandbox. He was pouring sand from a short and wide container into a tall and narrow container. When he poured the sand into the tall and narrow container, it appeared as if it had more sand in it. Trenton could not figure out where the extra sand came from and how it got into his container. As Trenton continued to try to solve this puzzle, he experienced considerable movement between states of cognitive ________ and ________ to produce cognitive change.

A) equilibrium; disequilibrium
B) adaptation; organization
C) classification; modification
D) equilibration; categorization

Question 19

________ occurs when children adjust their schemes to take new information and experiences into account.

A) Adaptation
B) Accommodation
C) Assimilation
D) Application

Question 20

George, a child, sees a hammer in his father's toolbox, but he only has a vague idea about how to use it. He also sees some nails in the toolbox and learns that they can be driven into walls. George later realizes that the hammer is hard and heavy and can be used to drive the nails into walls. In the context of Jean Piaget's theory of infant development, the grouping of knowledge or thoughts by George into a higher-order system is known as

A) assimilation.
B) accommodation.
C) equilibration.
D) organization.

Question 21

Which of the following substages of Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of infant development is marked by the presence of intentionality?

A) the first habits and primary circular reactions substage
B) the secondary circular reactions substage
C) the coordination of secondary circular reactions substage
D) the simple reflexes substage

Question 22

According to Piaget, a ________ is an internal sensory image or word that represents an event.

A) transducer
B) sensation
C) symbol
D) memory

Question 23

Sarah, a 7-month-old infant, loves to repeatedly shake a toy that lights up and plays music when it is shaken. She repeats this action out of sheer fascination for the consequences of the action. In the context of Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of development, Sarah is most likely in Jean Piaget's ________ substage of sensorimotor development.

A) simple reflexes
B) first habits
C) secondary circular reactions
D) primary circular reactions

Question 24

In which of the following substages of sensorimotor development do infants become intrigued by the many properties of objects and by the many things they can make happen to objects?

A) tertiary circular reactions, novelty, and curiosity
B) coordination of primary circular reactions
C) coordination of secondary circular reactions
D) internalization of schemes

Question 25

Eleven-month-old Jenny looks at her toy golf club, grasps it tightly, and visually inspects it. She then uses the toy golf club to bring another toy within reach. In the context of Piaget's theory of infant development, Jenny is in the ________ substage of the sensorimotor stage.

A) simple reflexes
B) secondary circular reactions
C) coordination of secondary circular reactions
D) first habits and primary circular reactions

Question 26

When Monica was born, she showed the typical grasping reflex by closing her fingers around anything that brushed against her palm. After a few weeks, she showed this grasping behavior even when nothing touched her palm. Monica developed a ________ or a scheme based on a reflex that became completely separated from its eliciting stimulus.

A) habit
B) simple reflex
C) primitive symbol
D) circular reaction

Question 27

In which sensorimotor substage does an infant develop the ability to use primitive symbols?

A) the simple reflexes substage
B) the first habits and primary circular reactions substage
C) the secondary circular reactions substage
D) the internalization of schemes substage

Question 28

Which substage of sensorimotor development is characterized by coordination of vision and touch- hand-eye coordination?

A) coordination of primary circular reactions
B) tertiary circular reactions, novelty, and curiosity
C) internalization of schemes
D) coordination of secondary circular reactions

Question 29

Identify the type of error that occurs when infants make the mistake of selecting a familiar hiding place rather than a new hiding place as they progress into Piaget's fourth substage of the sensorimotor stage.

A) Type 1 error
B) Type 2 error
C) F-not-N error
D) A-not-B error

Question 30

Sixteen-month-old Akel plays endlessly with a ball, rolling it, throwing it, using it to knock over other toys, standing on it, and trying to ride on it. Which of the following Jean Piaget's substages of the sensorimotor stage is represented by Akel's behavior?

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

Question 31

Which of the following substages of Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of cognitive development marks the starting point for human curiosity and interest in novelty?

A) the second substage
B) the third substage
C) the fourth substage
D) the fifth substage

Question 32

In which sensorimotor substage does an infant's actions become more object-oriented?

A) the simple reflexes substage
B) the first habits substage
C) the secondary circular reactions substage
D) the primary circular reactions substage

Question 33

Heather is shown a teddy bear. The teddy bear is then hidden from her, and she searches for it. This shows that Heather has developed a sense of ________.

A) symbolic manipulation
B) infinite generativity
C) telegraphic thinking
D) object permanence

Question 34

Kiara is a 2-month-old infant. Her mother informs Kiara's pediatrician that during the first month after birth, Kiara sucked when a bottle or nipple touched her lips and that currently she sucks even when no bottle or nipple is present nearby. In the context of Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of development, Kiara is most likely in Jean Piaget's ________ substage of sensorimotor development.

A) coordination of secondary circular reactions
B) first habits and primary circular reactions
C) tertiary circular reactions, novelty, and curiosity
D) secondary circular reactions

Question 35

In the context of the substages of Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of development, which of the following statements is true of the substage known as coordination of secondary circular reactions?

A) Infants show the presence of intentionality.
B) Infants manipulate and transform represented events in simple ways.
C) It develops between fifteen and eighteen months of age.
D) An infant develops the ability to use primitive symbols.

Question 36

Identify a true statement about the third substage of Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of infant development.

A) An infant's schemes are intentional and goal-directed.
B) It is characterized by an infant being completely preoccupied with the self.
C) It develops between 2 and 4 months of age.
D) An infant repeats an action for the sake of its consequences.

Question 37

Which of the following substages of Jean Piaget's sensorimotor development is characterized by an infant becoming more object-oriented, moving beyond self-preoccupation?

A) primary circular reactions
B) simple reflexes
C) secondary circular reactions
D) first habits

Question 38

Antonio swings his arms while lying in his crib. One of his arms accidentally hits the mobile hanging above him. This causes the mobile to move. Antonio continues to swing his arms but is unable to strike the mobile again. This is an example of a

A) habit.
B) reflex.
C) primary circular reaction.
D) secondary circular reaction.

Question 39

Which of the following statements is true of the sixth sensorimotor substage of Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of cognitive development?

A) In this substage, an infant becomes intrigued by the many properties of objects for the first time.
B) An infant develops the ability to use primitive symbols in this substage.
C) The most significant change in this substage is the presence of intentionality.
D) This substage is marked by complete preoccupation with the self and body.

Question 40

Which of the following is a Piagetian term for understanding that objects and events continue to exist even when they cannot directly be seen, heard, or touched?

A) joint attention
B) object permanence
C) internalization of schemes
D) object continuance

Question 41

Which of the following terms refers to a process in which information is transferred to memory?

A) encoding
B) encrypting
C) assimilation
D) habituation

Question 42

Which of the following theories states that the consequences of a behavior produce changes in the probability of the behavior's occurrence?

A) theory of operant conditioning
B) dual process theory
C) attention schema theory
D) theory of social reinforcement

Question 43

Which of the following is a key criticism of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development?

A) Jean Piaget failed to conduct observations in an infant's everyday environment.
B) Jean Piaget failed to conduct observations in controlled settings.
C) Infants are more competent than Jean Piaget thought.
D) Infants are less competent than Jean Piaget reported.

Question 44

Research suggests that infants learn to perceive gravity and support

A) at birth.
B) at around six to eight months of age.
C) at around one to two months of age.
D) at the start of toddlerhood.

Question 45

In considering the big issue of whether nature or nurture plays the more important role in infant development, Elizabeth Spelke endorses a ________ approach, which states that infants are born with domain-specific innate knowledge systems.

A) core knowledge
B) domain knowledge
C) learned domain
D) nurture

Question 46

Farah showed her baby a colorful block. She then hid the block and showed it to the baby again and repeated the activity for some time. After the first few attempts, the baby, who initially paid close attention to the block, became disinterested in the block. In the context of attention, this scenario most likely demonstrates the process of

A) distraction.
B) imitation.
C) habituation.
D) dishabituation.

Question 47

Which of the following terms defines a process that occurs when individuals focus on the same object and are able to track another's behavior?

A) deferred imitation
B) joint attention
C) dishabituation
D) accommodation

Question 48

________ involves the retention of information over time.

A) Attention
B) Memory
C) Cognition
D) Organization

Question 49

Research by Renée Baillargeon and her colleagues documents that infants as young as 3 to 4 months expect objects to be ________, in the sense that other objects cannot move through them, and ________, in the sense that objects continue to exist when they are hidden.

A) subject to gravity; transient
B) consistent; existential
C) substantial; permanent
D) opaque; substantial

Question 50

In the context of cognitive development, decreased responsiveness to a stimulus after repeated presentations of the stimulus is known as

A) assimilation.
B) habituation.
C) deferred imitation.
D) perceptual categorization.

Question 51

Researchers such as Baillargeon have found that infants' perceptual abilities are highly developed much earlier than Jean Piaget proposed. These researchers conclude that infants see objects as bounded, unitary, solid, and separate from their background by ________ of age.

A) 8 to 9 months
B) 1 to 2 months
C) 3 to 4 months
D) 5 to 6 months

Question 52

Martha was a very good swimmer during her twenties. Because of an injury, she was unable to swim and gave up the sport entirely. After several years, she visits a swimming pool and feels apprehensive about getting into the water as she believes she has forgotten her swimming skills. However, after she gets into the water, she is surprised that she can swim well and believes that with a bit of practice, she can regain her former skills. In this scenario, which of the following is most likely responsible for Martha's recollection of her swimming skills?

A) joint attention
B) implicit memory
C) habituation
D) explicit memory

Question 53

Juno is riding a bike. Riding a bike requires Juno to use her memories of skills and routine procedures that are performed automatically; this type of memory is referred to as ________ memory.

A) explicit
B) implicit
C) semantic
D) episodic

Question 54

Eight-month-old Andrew suffered brain damage at birth. His identical twin, Alex, had no brain damage. Research on habituation will likely predict that

A) Alex will not habituate as well as Andrew.
B) both twins will habituate at about the same level.
C) Andrew will not habituate as well as Alex.
D) Alex will not exhibit any sort of habituation.

Question 55

Andy is nine months old, but he seems to be struggling with following another's gaze and directing adults' attention. These could be early indicators of

A) autism.
B) dyslexia.
C) ADHD.
D) low vision.

Question 56

Which of the following is a requirement for joint attention?

A) an ability to manipulate objects
B) an ability to track another's behavior
C) a lack of interest in others
D) an intense interest in a particular object

Question 57

Attention in the first year of life is dominated by a(n) ________ process, which involves directing attention to potentially important locations in the environment, that is, "where," and recognizing objects and their features, that is, "what."

A) orienting/tracking
B) sustained/focused attention
C) habituation/dishabituation
D) orienting/investigative

Question 58

When Abraham describes to his friend what he did during his last summer vacation, he relies on his ________ memory.

A) implicit
B) explicit
C) procedural
D) semantic

Question 59

Which of the following statements about joint attention is true?

A) Joint attention requires the ability to track one's own behavior.
B) Emerging forms of joint attention occur at about 4 to 5 months.
C) Frequently engaging in joint attention hinders infants' vocabulary development.
D) Joint attention requires reciprocal interaction.

Question 60

In the context of cognitive development, which of the following terms refers to the focusing of mental resources on select information?

A) assimilation
B) attention
C) habituation
D) imitation

Question 61

Identify a true statement about the work of Andrew Meltzoff on imitation in infant development.

A) He emphasizes that an infant's imitative abilities resemble a hardwired response.
B) He concluded that infants blindly imitate everything they see.
C) He held that deferred imitation does not occur until about 18 months of age.
D) He sees infants' imitative abilities as biologically based.

Question 62

In the context of the five systems of rules involved in language, which of the following terms refers to the sound system of a language, including the sounds that are used and how they may be combined?

A) pragmatics
B) semantics
C) phonology
D) morpheme

Question 63

According to Jean Mandler, ________ refers to categorizations of objects by infants based on similar features of the objects, such as size, color, and movement, as well as parts of the objects, such as legs for animals.

A) conceptual categorization
B) assimilation
C) infinite generativity
D) perceptual categorization

Question 64

A ________ is the basic unit of sound in a language.

A) morpheme
B) phoneme
C) grapheme
D) syntax

Question 65

In the context of the five systems of rules involved in language, which of the following is the system that involves the way words are combined to form acceptable phrases and sentences?

A) phonology
B) syntax
C) semantics
D) reciprocity

Question 66

Ariel is nine months old. She understands that a bird is an animal and that an airplane is a vehicle even though both the objects have wings. According to Jean Mandler, which of the following statements is most likely true of Ariel's categorization of the objects?

A) Ariel has conceptually categorized the objects.
B) Ariel has categorized the objects by making perceptual discriminations between different categories of objects.
C) Ariel has perceptually categorized the objects.
D) Ariel has categorized the objects on the basis of prototypes that she extracted from the structural regularities of the objects.

Question 67

An example of the basic unit of sound in the English language is the sound the letter "m" makes. This sound is called a

A) morpheme.
B) phoneme.
C) grapheme.
D) syntax.

Question 68

A newborn baby widens her eyes after her mother widens her eyes and mouth and smiles at the baby. Meltzoff would say that this baby is

A) exhibiting a reflex.
B) engaging in true imitation.
C) showing deferred imitation.
D) habituating to the mother's facial expression.

Question 69

Most researchers find that babies do not show ________ until the second half of the first year.

A) dishabituation
B) explicit memory
C) habituation
D) implicit memory

Question 70

Identify a true statement about infant memory development.

A) Babies show explicit memory until the second half of the first year.
B) Most of young infants' implicit memory of perceptual-motor actions can be substantial.
C) Explicit memory weakens during the second year of life.
D) Most of young infants' conscious memories are strong and long term.

Question 71

Renee remembers very little about the first three years of her life. Psychologists find this normal and refer to it as

A) retroactive memory interference.
B) infantile amnesia.
C) child memory loss.
D) memory trace.

Question 72

June knows the names of all the states that comprise the United States. The names of the states are part of June's ________ memory.

A) innate
B) explicit
C) distinctive
D) implicit

Question 73

Most of young infants' conscious memories appear to be ________, although their implicit memory of perceptual-motor actions can be ________.

A) substantial; rather fragile
B) well-developed; underdeveloped
C) rather fragile and short-lived; substantial
D) long-lasting; short-lived

Question 74

Using habituation experiments, some researchers have found that infants as young as ________ can group together objects with similar appearances.

A) five to six days
B) three to four weeks
C) three to four months
D) five to six months

Question 75

Mandy, a 9-month-old infant, saw a little girl in a toy store pushing buttons on a musical toy that plays a different song for each button. When Mandy's grandmother gave the same toy to her the following day, Mandy immediately started pushing the buttons. In the context of infants' cognitive development, Mandy was most likely displaying

A) dishabituation.
B) categorization.
C) object permanence.
D) deferred imitation.

Question 76

________ are cognitive groupings of similar objects, events, people, or ideas.

A) Symbols
B) Concepts
C) Habits
D) Semantics

Question 77

A form of communication that is based on a system of symbols is called

A) syntax.
B) grammar.
C) language.
D) phonology.

Question 78

Remembering how to swim is an example of

A) implicit memory.
B) deferred imitation.
C) joint attention.
D) explicit memory.

Question 79

From about 6 to 12 months of age, the maturation of the ________ and the surrounding cerebral cortex, especially the frontal lobes, makes explicit memory possible.

A) amygdala
B) hippocampus
C) hypothalamus
D) cerebellum

Question 80

Someone with a vocabulary of only 200 words can recombine the words in different ways to say thousands of different things. This aspect of language is referred to as

A) syntax.
B) phonology.
C) morphology.
D) infinite generativity.