Question 1

Debra is very active. She loves to tumble and show off. She also loves races and believes she can run faster than her parents. This type of activity level and confidence is most characteristic of:

Accepted Answer

A)  three-year-olds showing off their gross motor skills. 
B)  three-year-olds showing off their fine motor skills 
C)  five-year-olds showing off their gross motor skills 
D)  five-year-olds showing off their fine motor skills

Question 2

Jared, a four-year-old, is talking continually as he puts wooden shapes together to make a castle, describing the colors and how the shapes fit together. This form of self-talk is used for self-regulation, keeping himself focused on his task. Developmentalists call this:

Accepted Answer

A)  mindstream. 
B)  self-articulation. 
C)  lisping. 
D)  private speech.

Question 3

Briefly describe the changes in understanding that lead to the development of a theory of mind.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Briefly describe the changes in understanding that...

Question 4

Using rehearsal, we can keep information in short-term memory for a much longer period. In this context, rehearsal means:

Accepted Answer

A)  preparing for a memory-span test. 
B)  doing mental exercises daily to keep the mind sharp. 
C)  repeating information after it has been presented. 
D)  taking regular memory-span tests.

Question 5

The finding that elementary school children perform better on memory-span tasks than preschool children is likely due to improvements in all of the following areas EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  the speed of information processing. 
B)  the susceptibility to suggestion. 
C)  the efficiency of processing information. 
D)  the automatic rehearsal of information.

Question 6

Research has shown that the zone of proximal development is most effective in children's learning and development when:

Accepted Answer

A)  they learn independently. 
B)  they have an above-average understanding of language. 
C)  they have moved through Piaget's stages quickly. 
D)  they have developed emotional regulation and a secure attachment.

Question 7

Garrett practiced printing the alphabet before he started school. Once there, he found out the teacher wanted him to make some of the letters differently from what he had practiced. When Garrett starts to make the letter the old way, catches himself, and switches to the new way, he is demonstrating:

Accepted Answer

A)  cognitive inhibition. 
B)  cognitive flexibility. 
C)  goal setting. 
D)  delayed gratification.

Question 8

Describe two criticisms of the Montessori approach to early education.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe two criticisms of the Montessori approach...

Question 9

Fred and Wayne are four-year-olds and friends. When they are together, they often wrestle, run, race, push, and shove each other. Although their level of activity often aggravates their parents, we know that these activities will:

Accepted Answer

A)  help the boys develop gross motor skills. 
B)  stop when their brains become better myelinated. 
C)  be temporary as they will not be friends for long. 
D)  help the boys with cognitive skills.

Question 10

Which of the following scenarios BEST represents Lev Vygotsky's view of mental and behavioral development?

Accepted Answer

A)  A teacher assigns challenging tasks that students must complete on their own. 
B)  An instructor helps students with laboratory work, showing them how to do things the students cannot yet do. 
C)  A teacher waits patiently for students to come up with good answers and assesses their learning capabilities. 
D)  An instructor systematically offers standardized tests to students to evaluate their mental abilities on varying subjects.

Question 11

Sustained attention or vigilance increases the most during:

Accepted Answer

A)  infancy. 
B)  the preschool years. 
C)  middle childhood. 
D)  adolescence.

Question 12

Alan, who is 30 months old, watched his older brother search for a particular book without success. Alan went over to his brother, patted his shoulder, and said, "Feel bad?" This indicates that he:

Accepted Answer

A)  wants to play with his brother to distract him. 
B)  recognizes that someone else may have different desires and emotions from his own. 
C)  recognizes false beliefs. 
D)  understands ambivalent feelings.

Question 13

Describe the process of myelination and give examples to show how it varies in timing of completion across parts of the brain

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe the process of myelination and give...

Question 14

In early childhood, executive function is involved in all of the following EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  cognitive inhibition. 
B)  cognitive flexibility. 
C)  goal setting. 
D)  sensation.

Question 15

The substage of preoperational thought in which the young child gains the ability to mentally represent an object that is not present.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The substage of preoperational thought in which...

Question 16

The focusing of attention on one characteristic to the exclusion of all others.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The focusing of attention on one characteristic...

Question 17

In Central European countries such as Hungary, kindergarten children participate in exercises such as stop-and-go games that require students to listen for a specific signal, such as a specific number of drumbeats designed to improve their _____.

Accepted Answer

A)  hand-to-eye coordination 
B)  attention 
C)  social skills 
D)  creativity

Question 18

With regard to perception, the youngest age at which a child recognizes that another person will see what is in front of his or her own eyes instead of what is in front of the child's eyes is:

Accepted Answer

A)  two years. 
B)  three years. 
C)  four years. 
D)  five years.

Question 19

In a study of poverty and brain development, researchers found that children from the poorest homes had significant maturational lags in their _____ and ____ lobes, which were linked to a lower level of school readiness.

Accepted Answer

A)  frontal; temporal 
B)  frontal; occipital 
C)  parietal; temporal 
D)  parietal; occipital

Question 20

All of the following have been linked to improved understanding of a theory of mind EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

A)  better executive functioning. 
B)  advanced language development. 
C)  characteristics associated with autism. 
D)  a secure attachment to parents.

Exam 5: Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood