Question 1

Compared with Piaget's theory of development, the information-processing approach has had more difficulty with

Accepted Answer

A)  breaking down children's thoughts into precise procedures. 
B)  integrating information into a broad, comprehensive theory. 
C)  reducing changes in thoughts into manageable proportions. 
D)  identifying specific stages of cognitive development.

Question 2

Which of the following tasks would be within Lucy's zone of proximal development?

Accepted Answer

A)  a task that Lucy cannot accomplish alone or with the help of an adult 
B)  a task that Lucy has recently mastered independently following the assistance of an adult 
C)  a task that Lucy cannot yet handle on her own but can do with the help of an adult 
D)  a task that Lucy accomplishes through her independent activity

Question 3

Evidence that there is a sensitive period for language development has been interpreted as supporting

Accepted Answer

A)  Skinner's account of language acquisition. 
B)  the sociocultural perspective of language acquisition. 
C)  Chomsky's account of language acquisition. 
D)  an interactionist's account of language acquisition.

Question 4

In Piaget's theory, during _________, toddlers use their current schemes to interpret the external world.

Accepted Answer

A)  equilibrium 
B)  assimilation 
C)  accommodation 
D)  organization

Question 5

Which of the following statements is supported by research on make-believe play?

Accepted Answer

A)  Early make-believe is the combined result of children's readiness to engage in it and social experiences that promote it. 
B)  In cultures where make-believe play is more frequent with older siblings than with mothers, the pretend play of toddlers is hindered. 
C)  Most episodes of make-believe play during toddlerhood occur when children are playing with same-aged children. 
D)  Children are more likely to combine play schemes into complex sequences when they are playing with agemates than when playing with caregivers.

Question 6

In the United States, child-care settings providing the very worst care tend to

Accepted Answer

A)  serve middle-SES families. 
B)  serve low-SES families. 
C)  be publicly subsidized, nonprofit centers. 
D)  be in family homes.

Question 7

Vygotsky's theory emphasizes that ________ affect(s) mental strategies.

Accepted Answer

A)  development of cognitive schemes 
B)  cultural differences in social experiences 
C)  repetition and training 
D)  cultural differences in formal schooling

Question 8

Korean toddlers develop object-sorting skills later than their English-speaking counterparts because

Accepted Answer

A)  they are less likely to be given opportunities to physically manipulate objects. 
B)  English-speaking children develop language skills sooner than Korean-speaking children. 
C)  the English language is less complex than the Korean language. 
D)  the Korean language often omits object names from sentences.

Question 9

Laboratory research reveals that deferred imitation is present at ________ of age.

Accepted Answer

A)  6 weeks 
B)  4 months 
C)  6 months 
D)  18 months

Question 10

Eighteen-month-old Liam is putting together a puzzle. Liam's father begins by pointing to where each piece needs to go and then straightening out each piece as Liam places them on the puzzle board. As Liam's competence with the task increases, his father gradually withdraws support. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

A)  scaffolding. 
B)  cooperative learning. 
C)  reciprocal teaching. 
D)  transitive inference.

Question 11

The ability to shift attention from one stimulus to another improves by

Accepted Answer

A)  1 to 2 months. 
B)  3 to 4 months. 
C)  1 to 2 years. 
D)  2 to 3 years.

Question 12

Which of the following statements is true about categorization?

Accepted Answer

A)  Even young infants can categorize on the basis of shape, size, and other physical properties. 
B)  As infants approach their second birthday, more categories appear to be based on subtle sets of features. 
C)  Older infants cannot make categorical distinctions when the perceptual contract between two categories is minimal. 
D)  Not until the early preschool years can children sort people and their voices by gender and age.

Question 13

Toddlers seem to discount information on video as relevant to their everyday experiences because

Accepted Answer

A)  people do not look at and converse with them directly. 
B)  they have little experience with digital media. 
C)  they are easily overstimulated by the fast-paced content. 
D)  the characters are usually unfamiliar to them.

Question 14

Mental tests focus on

Accepted Answer

A)  the process of development. 
B)  cognitive delays. 
C)  how children's thinking changes. 
D)  cognitive products.

Question 15

In the information-processing system, information first enters

Accepted Answer

A)  working memory. 
B)  the central executive. 
C)  long-term memory. 
D)  the sensory register.

Question 16

Which of the following statements is supported by research on babbling and deaf infants?

Accepted Answer

A)  Deaf infants not exposed to sign language will stop babbling entirely. 
B)  Deaf infants do not babble or coo unless they are exposed to sign language. 
C)  Deaf infants start babbling much earlier than hearing infants. 
D)  Deaf infants start babbling much later than hearing infants.

Question 17

Children living in poverty

Accepted Answer

A)  usually have access to free child care. 
B)  are likely to show gradual declines in intelligence test scores. 
C)  tend to show increases in IQ once they reach school age. 
D)  are unlikely to benefit from early intervention programs.

Question 18

As an alternative to infant tests, some researchers have turned to _______________ measures to assess early mental development.

Accepted Answer

A)  adult IQ 
B)  operant learning 
C)  information-processing 
D)  classical conditioning

Question 19

Longitudinal research reveals that

Accepted Answer

A)  most infant tests accurately predict later intelligence and academic performance. 
B)  the majority of children show substantial fluctuations in IQ between toddlerhood and adolescence. 
C)  infant tests are somewhat better at making long-term predictions for moderate to high-scoring babies. 
D)  the majority of children perform the same or slightly worse on IQ tests as they age.

Question 20

The idea that a grammatically complex language system seems to be unique to humans is consistent with

Accepted Answer

A)  Chomsky's account of language acquisition. 
B)  the interactionist perspective. 
C)  the dynamic systems perspective. 
D)  Skinner's account of language acquisition.

Exam 6: Cognitive Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood