Question 1

Which one of the following best describes a concept?

Accepted Answer

A)  A definition that is learned verbatim
B)  A concrete example of an abstract idea
C)  A category of similar objects or events
D)  A vague, intuitive idea about an area of knowledge C

Question 2

Many cognitive psychologists believe that learning and understanding are often constructive in nature.Three of the following scenarios illustrate such construction.Which scenario does not necessarily involve construction in learning?

Accepted Answer

A)  Although no one has ever told her so, Peggy thinks that the night sky is a big black blanket covering the earth and that the blanket has tiny holes through which the stars shine.
B)  Mr.McFarland asks his third graders to practice their multiplication tables every day.After a month of such practice, Misty can retrieve all the basic multiplication facts quickly and easily.
C)  When George reads about the Vietnam War in his history book, he comes to the conclusion that the United States should never have gotten involved in Southeast Asia.
D)  Because the word photosynthesis begins with photo, Jeremy guesses that it must have something to do with taking photographs. B

Question 3

Which one of the following common sayings best reflects the idea of distributed cognition?

Accepted Answer

A)  "A stitch in time saves nine."
B)  "Two heads are better than one."
C)  "Look before you leap."
D)  "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." B

Question 4

Michael has just written a short research paper that describes the events surrounding the first transatlantic telegraph cable.As he rereads his paper before giving it to his teacher, he doesn't notice that he's misspelled Atlantic as "Altantic" on one occasion, even though he knows perfectly well how the word should be spelled.Michael's proofreading error can best be explained by considering the role of in the construction of meaning.

Accepted Answer

A)  a script
B)  ambiguity
C)  expectations
D)  assessment

Question 5

Which one of the following teaching strategies best illustrates many educational psychologists' belief that, in some situations, less is more?

Accepted Answer

A)  Teach fewer topics, but teach each one more thoroughly.
B)  Provide a general overview of a topic before discussing it in depth.
C)  Present general ideas about a topic but minimize the use of supporting details.
D)  Teach classroom material in short intervals of time, with lessons typically lasting 20 minutes at the most.

Question 6

Three of the following are benefits of classroom discussions.Which one is not a typical benefit of discussing information in class?

Accepted Answer

A)  Class discussions may promote better argumentation skills.
B)  Class discussions encourage students to organize their thoughts about a topic.
C)  Class discussions promote more rapid learning of classroom subject matter.
D)  Discussions about controversial topics encourage students to reevaluate their own views.

Question 7

Four boys read this line from a story: "The two men entered the restaurant and ordered hamburgers." Which one of the boys is clearly using a script while reading the story?

Accepted Answer

A)  Alex assumes that the men probably looked at a menu before ordering.
B)  Bob is guessing that the men probably have evil motives.
C)  Colin wonders what the men look like.
D)  Devon thinks the men should be more careful about their cholesterol intake.

Question 8

Three of the following are common misconceptions that elementary or secondary students are likely to have.Which one is not necessarily a common misconception?

Accepted Answer

A)  The earth is shaped like a disk.
B)  Any moving object has a force acting on it.
C)  Most animals can survive for months without food.
D)  People will no longer be poor if someone gives them a little money.

Question 9

Which one of the following statements best describes the notion of conceptual understanding?

Accepted Answer

A)  Students learn all the facts that a teacher or textbook presents related to a topic.
B)  Students come to the realization that a particular belief they have is incorrect.
C)  Students can describe two opposing perspectives about a controversial issue.
D)  Students learn ideas related to a topic in a meaningful and integrated fashion.

Question 10

Which one of the following scenarios best reflects the basic idea of individual constructivism?

Accepted Answer

A)  A student practices playing the F major scale on his violin until he can play it perfectly.
B)  Four students in a study group divide the day's reading assignment into four sections.Each student reads a section and then teaches the material to the other group members.
C)  A student tries to make sense of a poorly written and confusing magazine article.
D)  Two students discuss possible interpretations of the proverb, "We only know the worth of water when the well is dry."

Question 11

Which one of these is the best example of overgeneralization?

Accepted Answer

A)  Uri times himself when he swims laps because he wants to improve his speed.
B)  Russ takes his teddy bear out for a walk because he has heard that pets need exercise.
C)  Yolanda thinks she should not go to medical school because she wants to have children and, "You can't be a mom and a doctor, too."
D)  Barbara wants to take four science classes her first semester in college because she intends to major in science.

Question 12

If you wanted to give your students a sense of how adult researchers often interact with one another in order to gain new understandings of a topic, you would be most likely to:

Accepted Answer

A)  Create a community of learners
B)  Teach students how to read textbooks effectively
C)  Have students create a class home page on the Internet
D)  Teach students how to give an organized lecture

Question 13

Generally speaking, elaboration helps students learn new information.An exception to this rule is when students elaborate on the information:

Accepted Answer

A)  Using misconceptions they have previously acquired
B)  After having previously organized it as a hierarchy
C)  Using information they stored many years before
D)  Very quickly

Question 14

Students often hold on stubbornly to their misconceptions about the world.Three of the following are possible explanations as to why this might be so.Which statement is not a likely explanation for the resilience of misconceptions?

Accepted Answer

A)  Synapses in the brain become less effective over time.
B)  Some misconceptions are central elements of students' personally constructed theories about the world.
C)  Students learn school material without relating it to the things they know and believe.
D)  Students elaborate on new information in ways that are consistent with their current misconceptions.

Question 15

Which one of the following best describes the process of conceptual change as cognitive psychologists use the term?

Accepted Answer

A)  Developing new categories to classify objects and events
B)  Revising one's beliefs after receiving information that contradicts those beliefs
C)  Achieving the instructional objectives that a teacher has established for a lesson or unit
D)  Acquiring more sophisticated vocabulary with which to describe the events in one's life

Question 16

Imagine you are a biology teacher who is teaching students about the nature of evolution.You discover that some of your students refuse to believe that modern human beings evolved from more primitive life-forms, explaining that their religious beliefs tell them that God created people.If you follow the textbook's suggestion regarding such a situation, you would be most likely to:

Accepted Answer

A)  Help students understand evolution theory, even though they may not agree with this theory
B)  Omit the topic of evolution from the class curriculum, replacing it with a more in- depth look at the nature of DNA
C)  Ask students to write an essay in which they give their reasons for not believing that evolution occurred
D)  Present more compelling evidence for evolution than you would otherwise

Question 17

Which one of the following is an example of undergeneralization? The concept in question is in italics.

Accepted Answer

A)  Fred thinks that spiders are insects.
B)  Ivan thinks that birds are not animals.
C)  Lenny thinks that "you" is a noun.
D)  Oscar thinks that "you" is not a noun.

Question 18

Three of the following teachers are following recommended practices for teaching concepts.Which one is not?

Accepted Answer

A)  Mr.Adams teaches the concept fruit by showing examples of many different fruits and many different nonfruits.
B)  Mr.Benito teaches the concept reptile by limiting class discussion to dinosaurs- animals that students find especially interesting.
C)  Mr.Carlson teaches the concept vertebrate by giving a definition of the concept.
D)  After a lesson on the concept carbohydrate, Mr.Danielson asks students to give their own examples of the concept.

Question 19

Three of the following are examples of authentic activities.Which one is least authentic?

Accepted Answer

A)  Collecting samples of local vegetation in a botany class
B)  Writing an editorial for the local newspaper
C)  Playing shortstop in a baseball game
D)  Taking an essay test in a history class

Question 20

Which one of the following is the best example of problem-based learning?

Accepted Answer

A)  Learning the logic behind certain problem-solving procedures in math
B)  Learning history by reading detective novels set in certain historical eras
C)  Devising a way to move a large, heavy object using principles of physics
D)  Solving a series of mathematical word problems that gradually progress in difficulty

Exam 7: Knowledge Construction