Question 1

According to which of the following theories do humans have an innate capacity to acquire language?

Accepted Answer

A) Behaviorism 
B) Operant conditioning 
C) Nativism 
D) Learning theory

Question 2

The organization of linguistic processes in the brain may depend heavily on __________ during maturation.

Accepted Answer

A) genetics 
B) experience 
C) nutrition 
D) lateralization

Question 3

Classically conditioned learning will fade or become extinct if it is not

Accepted Answer

A) punished. 
B) reinforced. 
C) ignored. 
D) dishabituated.

Question 4

A baby who says "da-da-da-da" is

Accepted Answer

A) babbling. 
B) using telegraphic speech. 
C) using a holophrase. 
D) using a language acquisition device.

Question 5

Developmental tests measure mostly sensory and motor abilities,whereas intelligence tests used for older children also measure __________ abilities.

Accepted Answer

A) behavioral 
B) emotional 
C) verbal 
D) arousal

Question 6

Which cognitive characteristic in infants seems to be generally associated with high intelligence in middle childhood?

Accepted Answer

A) Low polymodal attention levels 
B) The ability to devote more attention to familiar stimuli 
C) Early appearance of the sensorimotor stage 
D) Rapid processing of perceptual information

Question 7

The ability to mentally represent and remember objects and events is

Accepted Answer

A) object permanence. 
B) representational ability. 
C) developed early in infancy. 
D) not developed until Piaget's concrete operations stage.

Question 8

An important predictor of a baby's language comprehension is the mother's __________.

Accepted Answer

A) relationship with the baby. 
B) verbal sensitivity. 
C) emotional stability. 
D) social sensitivity.

Question 9

Meredith watches her mother pour water out of a glass into the sink.The next day,at the beach,Meredith pours water from a cup into a pail.Meredith is engaging in

Accepted Answer

A) invisible imitation. 
B) visible imitation. 
C) deferred imitation. 
D) conservation.

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT mentioned in your textbook as one of the indicators of an infant's ability to process information?

Accepted Answer

A) Habituation/dishabituation 
B) Visual preference 
C) Cross-modal transfer 
D) Auditory preferences

Question 11

The basic sounds of an infant's native language are called

Accepted Answer

A) graphemes. 
B) phonemes. 
C) phonetics. 
D) morphemes.

Question 12

Steven is 8 months old and has begun to produce repetitive strings of vowel and consonant sounds such as "pa-pa-pa-pa." According to the text,this stage of prespeech language development is called

Accepted Answer

A) cooing. 
B) babbling. 
C) intonation expression. 
D) protolanguage.

Question 13

A child's first word appears at about what age?

Accepted Answer

A) 4 to 6 months 
B) 7 to 9 months 
C) 10 to 14 months 
D) 16 to 18 months

Question 14

Cody is 3 months old and has been given a pacifier to suck on for the first time.Since he finds sucking on the pacifier to be pleasurable,Cody repeats this activity whenever possible.According to Piaget,Cody is in the __________ substage of the sensorimotor period.

Accepted Answer

A) first 
B) second 
C) third 
D) tertiary

Question 15

Which of the following is NOT one of the newer approaches to studying cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

A) Information-processing approach 
B) Psychometric approach 
C) Cognitive neuroscience approach 
D) Social-contextual approach

Question 16

Little Mark plays with a balloon that pops in his face and frightens him.The next time he sees a balloon,he starts to cry.The type of learning illustrated in this example is called

Accepted Answer

A) habituation. 
B) operant conditioning. 
C) classical conditioning. 
D) latent learning.

Question 17

At 21 months of age,Pierre has acquired a symbolic thinking system.Which substage of the sensorimotor stage is he in?

Accepted Answer

A) Substage 3-secondary circular 
B) Substage 4-coordination of secondary schemes 
C) Substage 5-tertiary circular 
D) Substage 6-mental combinations

Question 18

Lenny searches for a toy that he saw his mother hide,first behind her back and then under a pillow.Lenny has acquired

Accepted Answer

A) object permanence. 
B) sharp vision. 
C) persistence. 
D) symbolic thought.

Question 19

Developmental test scores obtained during infancy are

Accepted Answer

A) very reliable and should be administered to all infants when they visit their pediatrician. 
B) strong predictors of adult IQ. 
C) good predictors of childhood IQ. 
D) useful to detect early sensory and neurological deficits.

Question 20

With regard to language development,most developmentalists currently favor

Accepted Answer

A) nativism. 
B) learning theory. 
C) a combination of nativism and learning theory. 
D) rejection of both nativism and learning theory.

Exam 5: Cognitive Development During the First Three Years