Question 1

Jacob is an elementary school student with a learning disability that interferes with his ability to read. His motor skills are poor, and he has trouble staying on task. Based on the experience of most children with learning disabilities, what might you expect to happen when Jacob reaches high school?

Accepted Answer

A)  He will continue to exhibit poor motor skills, and this will prevent him from playing sports and participating in physical education. 
B)  He will become discouraged because his teachers expect him to be more independent and will be at risk of dropping out of school. 
C)  His reading skills will improve as a result of early intervention, but his attention span will still be as short as it was when he was in elementary school. 
D)  He will improve dramatically in all areas and probably will not require specialized instruction by the time he reaches high school.

Question 2

Three of the following examples illustrate specific strategies that can be effective in helping children with information processing difficulties succeed at school. Which strategy is least likely to be effective with these children?

Accepted Answer

A)  Josie's teacher gives her special memory tricks to help her remember how to spell certain words (e.g., "The principal is my pal"). 
B)  Nattie's teacher looks at the errors Nattie makes when she solves long division problems for clues about what Nattie might be doing incorrectly. 
C)  Russell's teacher suggests that he watch his favorite television program while he studies for tomorrow's spelling test. 
D)  Vern's teacher often asks him to do classroom tasks and errands that can help him release pent-up energy.

Question 3

Which one of the following situations reflects the typical duration of working memory?

Accepted Answer

A)  Arnie remembers his locker combination through the entire school year. By the end of summer vacation, however, he has forgotten it. 
B)  At noon, Barnie makes a mental list of the five homework assignments he needs to complete that night. At 3:00 he checks himself and realizes that he still remembers all five. However, by 7:00 p.m. he cannot recall two of the five assignments. 
C)  Carol remembers most of the information that she has been learning about World War II in class this week, but she remembers very little of what she learned about World War I two weeks ago. 
D)  Darrell looks up the correct spelling of the word fossil, repeats the letters once, and closes the dictionary. But by the time he finds a piece of paper on which to write the word, he has forgotten how to spell it.

Question 4

Which one of the following examples illustrates conceptual change?

Accepted Answer

A)  As a Boy Scout, Andy has learned how to cook a wide variety of foods over an open fire. 
B)  Brad misinterprets the scientific explanation of fire to fit what he believes: that fire is an object with substance and weight. 
C)  Charlotte used to think that fire was an actual substance, but now she knows it's a chemical change. 
D)  Danielle wasn't aware of how much damage fire could really do until the house next door burned down.

Question 5

Mr. Stevens has taught his first grade students about how caterpillars change into butterflies. One of his students, Brittany, continues to believe that butterflies are born like that. Caterpillars do not have wings. They crawl. Butterflies have wings. They fly. Which of the following is not likely to change Brittany's mind about caterpillars changing into butterflies?

Accepted Answer

A)  A video that shows the changes from caterpillar to butterfly 
B)  Asking her family to tell her that a caterpillar does change into a butterfly 
C)  Bringing a caterpillar into the classroom to watch it change 
D)  Asking her to talk about her beliefs about caterpillars and butterflies

Question 6

The textbook describes a number of trends in the development of information processing skills. Describe at least four ways in which sixth-grade children differ from kindergarten children in their information processing strategies and capabilities.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The textbook describes a number of trends...

Question 7

To prepare for his test on Tuesday morning, Harry studied on Monday night. He remembered the information long enough to do well on the test on Tuesday but could not remember it for a surprise quiz a week later. Based on this information, how far in Harry's information processing system did the information get?

Accepted Answer

A)  It reached the sensory register. 
B)  It reached working memory. 
C)  It reached long-term memory. 
D)  It never got into the memory system at all.

Question 8

Tyler learns that Christopher Columbus's first voyage across the Atlantic was financed by Queen Isabella of Spain. He thinks to himself, "She probably thought she would make a profit on her investment." By considering the queen's motives, Tyler is demonstrating which one of the following processes?

Accepted Answer

A)  rehearsal 
B)  elaboration 
C)  organization 
D)  comprehension monitoring

Question 9

Mr. Martinez wants his first-grade students to be able to automatize their ability to recognize common words when they read. Which one of the following techniques will best help his students achieve that goal?

Accepted Answer

A)  Give them lots of practice reading the words. 
B)  Tell them how important it is for them to know the words. 
C)  Explain how some of the letters in the words are "silent." 
D)  Explain how the letters of the words are related to their pronunciation.

Question 10

Twelve-month-old Claude has just crawled to the edge of a deep, empty swimming pool. If Claude is like most children his age, he will:

Accepted Answer

A)  Stop crawling forward, and possibly move away from the edge 
B)  Find the sharp dropout quite fascinating and lean forward to look down 
C)  Continue crawling because his perceptual abilities don't allow him to detect the dropout 
D)  Continue crawling because, although he can perceive the drop-off, he hasn't yet developed a fear of heights

Question 11

Information processing theorists often emphasize the importance of attention in the learning process. Why is attention so important?

Accepted Answer

A)  It gets information into the sensory register. 
B)  It moves information from working memory into long-term memory. 
C)  It moves information from the sensory register into long-term memory. 
D)  It moves information from the sensory register into working memory.

Question 12

Mary Adams takes care of several toddlers and preschoolers while their parents work during the day. One warm spring day, she has the children in a fenced-in area behind her home. A large dog comes running up to the fence. As the dog approaches, 2-year-old Todd looks at Mary. When he sees that she appears frightened, he immediately starts to cry. What phenomenon is Todd displaying in this situation?

Accepted Answer

A)  automatization 
B)  social referencing 
C)  metacognitive awareness 
D)  comprehension monitoring

Question 13

Considering developmental trends in learning strategies, choose the statement that best characterizes how kindergartners are apt to approach school learning tasks.

Accepted Answer

A)  They construct vivid visual and auditory images of what they see and hear in the classroom. 
B)  They make mental lists of things to remember, but with little follow-through in studying the lists. 
C)  They continually put things into categories to help them remember those things. 
D)  They make few if any intentional efforts to learn and remember something.

Question 14

The textbook recommends a number of strategies for capturing and maintaining children's attention on important tasks and activities. Which one of the following is not consistent with the textbook's recommendations for increasing attention?

Accepted Answer

A)  Get children physically involved in lessons. 
B)  Teach important skills within the context of interesting topics. 
C)  Regularly intersperse quiet activities with more physically active ones. 
D)  Regularly introduce distractions into the environment so that children grow accustomed to them.

Question 15

Which one of the following statements best describes a theory theory view of cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

A)  Children form general belief systems about how the world operates. 
B)  The ways in which children organize and integrate their experiences usually have little relevance to physical reality. 
C)  In the early years, children develop concrete understandings of events; these understandings become increasingly abstract as they reach adolescence. 
D)  Beginning at around age 3, children form hypotheses about the nature of the world and test those hypotheses in much the same way that a scientist would.

Question 16

Which one of the following students is most likely to have trouble learning in a noisy classroom?

Accepted Answer

A)  a first grader 
B)  a third grader 
C)  a sixth grader 
D)  a tenth grader

Question 17

After looking up the word rhinoceros in the dictionary, Miguel repeats the letters over and over to himself to help him remember them. Which one of the following strategies does Miguel's behavior illustrate?

Accepted Answer

A)  rehearsal 
B)  elaboration 
C)  organization 
D)  comprehension monitoring

Question 18

Which one of the following examples best illustrates the use of a personally constructed theory as a child learns the concept spider?

Accepted Answer

A)  Julian assumes that spiders must give birth to baby spiders, just as people give birth to baby people. 
B)  Ian learns that spiders have eight legs, whereas insects have only six. 
C)  Rudy learns that spiders, along with scorpions and ticks, are members of the arachnid class. 
D)  Duc remembers what happened when his cousin was bitten by a black widow spider.

Question 19

Mr. Wagner stands in front of the class explaining the process of photosynthesis. Ellen is sitting in the front row, but her mind is on the fight she had with her best friend just before class. Based on this information, how far in Ellen's information processing system did Mr. Wagner's lecture get?

Accepted Answer

A)  It reached the sensory register. 
B)  It reached working memory. 
C)  It reached long-term memory. 
D)  It never got into the system at all.

Question 20

From the perspective of contemporary developmental theorists, a script can best be described as:

Accepted Answer

A)  A particular way of talking oneself through a difficult situation 
B)  Knowledge about the typical sequence of events in an activity 
C)  The strategy that a teacher tells students to use to remember classroom material 
D)  The things (e.g., "small talk") that someone typically says when initiating a conversation with someone else

Exam 7: Cognitive Development: Cognitive Processes

Three of the following examples illustrate specific strategies that can be effective in helping children with information processing difficulties succeed at school. Which strategy is least likely to be effective with these children?

Which one of the following situations reflects the typical duration of working memory?

Which one of the following examples illustrates conceptual change?

The textbook describes a number of trends in the development of information processing skills. Describe at least four ways in which sixth-grade children differ from kindergarten children in their information processing strategies and capabilities.

Tyler learns that Christopher Columbus's first voyage across the Atlantic was financed by Queen Isabella of Spain. He thinks to himself, "She probably thought she would make a profit on her investment." By considering the queen's motives, Tyler is demonstrating which one of the following processes?

Mr. Martinez wants his first-grade students to be able to automatize their ability to recognize common words when they read. Which one of the following techniques will best help his students achieve that goal?

Twelve-month-old Claude has just crawled to the edge of a deep, empty swimming pool. If Claude is like most children his age, he will:

Information processing theorists often emphasize the importance of attention in the learning process. Why is attention so important?

Considering developmental trends in learning strategies, choose the statement that best characterizes how kindergartners are apt to approach school learning tasks.

The textbook recommends a number of strategies for capturing and maintaining children's attention on important tasks and activities. Which one of the following is not consistent with the textbook's recommendations for increasing attention?

Which one of the following statements best describes a theory theory view of cognitive development?

Which one of the following students is most likely to have trouble learning in a noisy classroom?

After looking up the word rhinoceros in the dictionary, Miguel repeats the letters over and over to himself to help him remember them. Which one of the following strategies does Miguel's behavior illustrate?

Which one of the following examples best illustrates the use of a personally constructed theory as a child learns the concept spider?

Mr. Wagner stands in front of the class explaining the process of photosynthesis. Ellen is sitting in the front row, but her mind is on the fight she had with her best friend just before class. Based on this information, how far in Ellen's information processing system did Mr. Wagner's lecture get?

From the perspective of contemporary developmental theorists, a script can best be described as: