Deck 5: Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood

Question 1

Three-year-old Ashley is putting a jigsaw puzzle together, and, as is typical of her age, she:

A) places the pieces awkwardly.
B) is focused and excels at the task.
C) cannot identify the correct sections.
D) wants to put pieces together in her unique way rather than following the picture.

Answer 1

places the pieces awkwardly.

Question 2

Which of the following statements about brain development and early childhood is TRUE?

A) Brain development is completed before puberty.
B) By age three the brain has finished the pruning process.
C) The overall size of the brain does not increase dramatically from ages three to five.
D) From age three to six, the most rapid growth takes place in the temporal lobe.

Answer 2

The overall size of the brain does not increase dramatically from ages three to five.

Question 3

Which is true of children in the preschool years?

A) Boys have more muscle tissue and girls have more fatty tissue.
B) Girls have more muscle tissue and boys have more fatty tissue.
C) Girls and boys have similar and significant fatty tissue.
D) Boys and girls have similar and significant muscle tissue.

Answer 3

Boys have more muscle tissue and girls have more fatty tissue.

Question 4

Which is true of studies of height in children from around the world?

A) Ethnic origin is a stronger predictor than socioeconomic status.
B) Socioeconomic status is a stronger predictor than nutrition.
C) Later-born children are generally taller than first-born children.
D) Children from a rural area are generally taller than children from an urban area.

Question 5

_____ is a process in which nerve cells are covered and insulated with a layer of fat cells.

A) Centration
B) Myelination
C) Tropism
D) Neurogenesis

Question 6

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:

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 7

Researchers have found that in children from three to six years of age, the most rapid growth takes place in the _____, part of the _____ lobe areas of the brain.

A) bilateral cortex; frontal
B) bilateral cortex; temporal
C) prefrontal cortex; frontal
D) prefrontal cortex; temporal

Question 8

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:

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 9

A national study found that _____ of children's daily caloric intake comes from restaurants.

A) one-fourth
B) one-third
C) one-half
D) over one-half

Question 10

Juan has been able to go up stairs raising one foot at a time, but he is just managing how to come down stairs without putting two feet on each step before stepping down. His _____ motor skills are on pace for a _____.

A) fine; three-year-old
B) fine; four-year-old
C) gross; three-year-old
D) gross; four-year-old

Question 11

Toby is three years old. His parents are concerned because he is always running and jumping around. He cannot seem to sit still. Even when watching his favorite movie on TV, he fidgets and wiggles. It is especially frustrating to his parents when Toby does not sit still through dinner. Which is the best advice for Toby's parents?

A) Have him tested for attention deficit disorder.
B) Start him on a behavior modification program.
C) Have him tested for gifted abilities.
D) Be assured that his behavior is normal for his age.

Question 12

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.

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

Question 13

During the preschool years:

A) children get taller while their trunks gets smaller.
B) boys get taller and girls' trunks get thicker.
C) children get taller and their trunks continue to get thicker.
D) girls get taller and boys' trunks get thicker.

Question 14

A national study revealed that _____ of children's meals exceed recommendations for saturated and trans fat, which can raise cholesterol levels and increase the risk of heart disease.

A) 15% to 25%
B) 25% to 35%
C) 35% to 45%
D) over 45%

Question 15

The process of _____ related to hand-eye coordination is not complete until middle or late childhood.

A) centration
B) myelination
C) pruning
D) neurogenesis

Question 16

When watching preschool children on the playground, Petra notices that most of the girls are _____ the boys.

A) much heavier than
B) about the same size as
C) slightly smaller than
D) considerably taller than

Question 17

When four- and five-year-olds scramble over jungle gyms and race their friends, they are demonstrating their:

A) cognitive skills.
B) fine harboring skills.
C) gross motor skills.
D) reflective skills.

Question 18

Four-year-old Nathan is good at stacking his playing blocks to make tall structures. However, he still knocks them over occasionally. Which of the following is the most likely reason for this?

A) His gross motor skills are deficient.
B) He tries to place each block perfectly on top of the other, upsetting those already stacked.
C) His coordination skills are not developing normally for his age.
D) He is showing signs of dyslexia.

Question 19

Which of the following plays a key role in planning and organizing new actions and maintaining attention to tasks?

A) Amygdala
B) Hippocampus
C) Prefrontal cortex
D) Bilateral cortex

Question 20

Her pediatrician has just told Sandra that her four-year-old son, Manuel, has gained six pounds in the last year. Sandra should:

A) be alarmed, because this is too much weight gain.
B) be concerned, because this is too little weight gain.
C) be positive and change Manuel's diet.
D) be content that this is normal for Manuel's age.

Question 21

Tracy is writing promotional (marketing) information for a new family-focused recreational facility. One piece of useful information she found was research showing that preschool children's physical activity was enhanced by:

A) the child's option to play board games rather than play a sport.
B) the child's option to exercise alone.
C) family members engaging in sports together.
D) family members reading activity guidelines together.

Question 22

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a person with a BMI at the 90th percentile is:

A) obese.
B) overweight.
C) at risk of being overweight.
D) underweight.

Question 23

Which of the following statements about childhood obesity is TRUE?

A) Children who are overweight at age five are also at risk of being overweight at age 14.
B) There is no indication that overweight young children will become overweight adults.
C) Obesity is not linked to type two (adult-onset) diabetes in children.
D) In 2005, the United States had the highest rate of child obesity in the world.

Question 24

Which of the following statements regarding parental smoking is TRUE?

A) Children are at risk for health problems when they live in homes in which a parent smokes.
B) Most children and adolescents in the United States are exposed to tobacco smoke in the home.
C) Children exposed to tobacco smoke in the home are no more likely to develop asthma than children in nonsmoking homes.
D) Parental smoking is the leading cause for death in young children in the United States.

Question 25

Different from the statistics in the United States, many children from other countries die of:

A) second-hand smoke.
B) preventable infectious diseases.
C) sudden infant death syndrome.
D) cardiovascular disease.

Question 26

A new study revealed that overweight five-year-olds were _____ times more likely to be obese at age 14 years of age than their five-year-old counterparts who were normal weight.

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

Question 27

Carina is a new nanny for a family with small children. She knows that all of the following are good rules for eating EXCEPT:

A) that she should eat with the children.
B) that she should model healthy food.
C) eating on a predictable schedule.
D) eating in front of the television.

Question 28

Deaths in young children due to HIV/AIDS especially occur in countries:

A) where the obesity rate is high.
B) with high rates of poverty and low levels of education.
C) with poor sanitation.
D) where there is a lack of safe drinking water.

Question 29

The second Piagetian stage of development is the _____ stage, which lasts from approximately _____ years of age.

A) sensorimotor; one to five
B) preoperational; one to five
C) preoperational; two to seven
D) operational; two to seven

Question 30

Jaron is an overweight five-year-old. If his experience is typical of children in the United States, we can expect Jaron to be:

A) slimming down by age 14 but overweight as an adult.
B) obese at age 14 and overweight as an adult.
C) overweight at age 14 and in adulthood.
D) overweight at age 14 but then slimming down in young adulthood.

Question 31

A sensitive, responsive approach for a caregiver to take regarding feeding small children includes all of these EXCEPT:

A) creating a nurturing atmosphere.
B) responding to children's clues about things such as their taste preferences.
C) sharing clear information about how much and what the children should eat.
D) forcing children to eat particular foods.

Question 32

The Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program provides all of the following EXCEPT:

A) transportation.
B) nutrition education.
C) health-care referrals.
D) healthy supplemental foods.

Question 33

Children exposed to tobacco smoke in the home are more likely to have all of the following characteristics EXCEPT:

A) weight issues.
B) wheezing and asthma symptoms.
C) sleep problems.
D) higher risk of smoking in adolescence.

Question 34

Shelley and Nathan have a diet typical of small children in the United States, so it is likely that all the following are true EXCEPT:

A) their fast-food meals have too many calories.
B) corn is the vegetable they have most often.
C) almost half of their meals are too high in saturated fat.
D) about one-third of their food comes from restaurants.

Question 35

Danny has just married and is now a stepfather to a five- and seven-year-old. Unfortunately, the children are overweight. Danny has been researching how best to help his children, and found that he should do all of the following EXCEPT:

A) talk to their teachers, asking them to encourage the children to make healthy lunch choices.
B) encourage the children to exercise every day.
C) limit television viewing.
D) allow the children to have candy only as a reward for cleaning their room.

Question 36

Children exposed to tobacco smoke in the home are more likely to develop _____ than are children in homes where no one smokes.

A) tuberculosis
B) emphysema and hacking cough
C) chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
D) wheezing and asthma

Question 37

Guidelines established by four countries, including the United States, recommend that preschool-age children engage in _____ of physical activity per day.

A) 0.5 hour
B) 3 hours
C) 1 hour
D) 4 hours

Question 38

The leading cause of death in young children in the United States is:

A) heart disease.
B) malnutrition.
C) accidents.
D) domestic violence.

Question 39

At six years old, Gina's body mass index (BMI) is in the 95th percentile. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, she would be classified as:

A) obese.
B) overweight.
C) at risk for being overweight.
D) not at risk for being overweight.

Question 40

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only children and adolescents whose _____ is at or above the _____ percentile are classified as obese.

A) body mass index; 97th
B) body mass index; 85th
C) hips to waist ratio; 97th
D) hips to waist ratio; 85th

Question 41

Piaget called the second substage in preoperational thought _____ because of the absence of the use of _____ in children in that stage.

A) "symbolic function"; logical reasoning
B) "primitive reasoning"; conservation
C) "centration"; intuition
D) "intuitive"; rational thinking

Question 42

Three-year-old Betty's favorite pastime is scribbling designs. She says the drawings represent her parents, cat, bicycle, and home. This indicates that Betty is in the _____ substage of Piaget's preoperational stage.

A) symbolic function
B) intuitive thought
C) operational
D) sensorimotor

Question 43

"My computer doesn't like me-it keeps eating my pictures," says three-year-old Kimberly. This is an example of:

A) animism.
B) intuitive thinking.
C) conservation.
D) egocentrism.

Question 44

While at the playground Troy said, "The sun came out because it likes me!" The belief that the sun could do that is referred to as:

A) egocentrism.
B) conservation.
C) animism.
D) kineticism.

Question 45

The substage of preoperational thought in which children begin to use primitive reasoning and want to know the answers to all sorts of questions is the _____ substage.

A) rationalization
B) intuitive thought
C) egocentric
D) symbolic function

Question 46

The inability to distinguish between one's own perspective and someone else's perspective is known as:

A) animism.
B) empathy.
C) egocentrism.
D) symbolism.

Question 47

Patricia, age six, loves to decorate books by drawing pictures and putting in words to describe them. She has started to analyze and try to understand things. However, she is egocentric and holds what her parents describe as "magical beliefs." Patricia is in Piaget's _____ stage of development.

A) sensorimotor
B) concrete operational
C) formal operational
D) preoperational

Question 48

Miguel is playing with buttons from his mother's sewing box. He is pretending they are little cars having a race. This behavior shows Miguel is in the _____ substage of preoperational thinking.

A) formal operational
B) intuitive thought
C) symbolic function
D) concrete operational

Question 49

Tabitha is getting ready for a family trip by getting her clothes and toys together. She suddenly gets concerned and tells her mother that she will need a bigger bag. The fact that she can think this through without actually trying to pack the bag shows she is capable of using:

A) hypotheses.
B) symbolic functions.
C) operations.
D) reflex actions.

Question 50

Piaget's preoperational stage is so named because he believed that children at this age:

A) do not yet perform reversible mental actions.
B) cannot yet form stable concepts.
C) are unable to reason.
D) cannot operate electronic devices like TVs.

Question 51

Ethan, age four, reasons that every time he sees a lightning bolt in the sky, angels are turning on their flashlights. Ethan's primitive reasoning about lightning is characteristic of:

A) symbolic function.
B) intuitive thought.
C) egocentrism.
D) centration.

Question 52

In the _____ stage, children begin to represent the world with words, images, and drawings.

A) concrete operational
B) operational
C) preoperational
D) formal operational

Question 53

According to Piaget, in the _____ stage, the young child's cognitive world is dominated by egocentrism and magical beliefs.

A) preoperational
B) operational
C) concrete operational
D) formal operational

Question 54

Alayna wasn't paying attention and backed into the refrigerator. She immediately turned around, patted the refrigerator door, and said "I'm sorry." This is an example of:

A) egocentrism.
B) conservation.
C) animism.
D) kineticism.

Question 55

The second substage of preoperational thought, occurring between approximately four and seven years of age, is characterized by the use of:

A) reversible mental actions.
B) egocentric views.
C) primitive reasoning.
D) symbolic thought.

Question 56

During the _____ substage, children begin to use language more effectively and engage in pretend play.

A) formal operational
B) intuitive thought
C) symbolic function
D) concrete operational

Question 57

Himari, age five, asked her mother, "How does the oven make the cakes pop up?" and later asked, "How does the refrigerator make ice cream?" Himari's constant stream of questions signals she is in the _____ substage.

A) egocentrism
B) intuitive thought
C) symbolic function
D) centration

Question 58

Three-and-a-half-year-old Ruth draws a picture with lavender, purple, and blue colors intermixed with green, yellow, and brown. "It's a boat on the ocean at sunset, with whales jumping all around it!" she explains to her teacher. Which of the following does this explain?

A) Animism
B) Conservation
C) Intuitive thought
D) Symbolic function

Question 59

When dropped off at her day care, Ariel promptly says to her teacher, "Grandma's cookies were good, weren't they?" Her teacher, who doesn't know Ariel's family, responded, "I'm sure they were good." Ariel then gets frustrated and says, "Grandma's cookies were really good!" The frustration Ariel feels is rooted in her:

A) animism.
B) egocentrism.
C) intuitive thought.
D) symbolic function.

Question 60

While walking with his grandmother, five-year-old Danny suddenly exclaims, "Oh, look at that pretty bird!" There are many trees and bushes, and she isn't sure where he's pointing. Danny gets frustrated and shouts, "Out there, out there! Right there, Grandma!" His frustration is a result of his:

A) animism.
B) egocentrism.
C) intuitive thought.
D) symbolic function.

Question 61

In general, conservation involves the ability to understand that changes in physical arrangement or appearance:

A) do not change an object's basic properties.
B) affect an object's inherent features.
C) determine the total volume needed for a given task.
D) must be considered before the characteristics of an object can be determined.

Question 62

Robert's dog, Shaggy, was in great need of a haircut. When his father returned home with the groomed dog, Robert started crying and asking for Shaggy. Robert was showing _____ by refusing to believe that this groomed, short-haired dog was Shaggy.

A) he lacks conservation
B) he has mastered conservation
C) he is high in egocentrism
D) he is low in egocentrism

Question 63

Sharon, age three, can solve four-piece jigsaw puzzles on her own, but needs her parents' help to solve 12-piece jigsaw puzzles. Which of the following represents the upper limit of Sharon's zone of proximal development (ZPD) for solving such puzzles?

A) Sharon moving on to 24-piece puzzles
B) Sharon solving a 12-piece puzzle on her own
C) Sharon helping her two-year-old brother with 4-piece puzzles
D) Sharon mastering 4-piece puzzles

Question 64

Juan and his little sister, Anne, are each given a large cookie. Their mother breaks Anne's cookie into four pieces to help her eat it more easily. Juan immediately begins to cry and says that it is not fair for his sister to get so many cookies when he only has one. Juan is showing a lack of:

A) constancy.
B) conservation.
C) intuition.
D) symbolic function.

Question 65

_____ emphasized the point that children construct knowledge through social interaction, whereas _____ emphasized the point that children use adaptation of schemes to organize knowledge.

A) Piaget; Vygotsky
B) Vygotsky; Piaget
C) Montessori; Vygotsky
D) Vygotsky; Montessori

Question 66

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

A) pragmatics.
B) animism.
C) conservation.
D) centration.

Question 67

Which of the following BEST describes the relation between centration and conservation?

A) Conservation requires centration.
B) Centration is due to lack of conservation.
C) Centration is reflected in lack of conservation.
D) Conservation is independent of centration.

Question 68

Ms. Kahill has paired up first-grade students with kindergarten students who are struggling with printing clear letters. She believes the first-graders, who are just a bit ahead of the kindergarteners, will be able to teach and coach the younger ones in a more effective way than she can. This an example of:

A) how heredity shapes cognitive development.
B) primitive reasoning.
C) scaffolding.
D) conservation.

Question 69

Over the past week, Walter has been trying to learn to tie his shoelaces. Initially, his mother was holding his hands and working his fingers through the process, but now that Walter's gotten better at it, she only guides him verbally. This is an example of:

A) how heredity shapes cognitive development.
B) primitive reasoning.
C) scaffolding.
D) conservation.

Question 70

When adults are working with young children, they often provide a lot of hints, assistance, instructions, and other support to help the children succeed. As the children demonstrate they can do more for themselves, the adults begin to withdraw these supports. This technique is called:

A) accommodation.
B) regulation.
C) scaffolding.
D) assimilation.

Question 71

Vygotsky believed that children construct knowledge through:

A) self-discovery.
B) social interaction.
C) reorganization of existing knowledge.
D) transforming previous knowledge.

Question 72

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

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 73

Kevin is just learning to walk. He can take a few steps by himself if he uses both hands to hold on to a piece of furniture for support, but he can walk out into the middle of the room only if one of his parents holds his hands. Which of the following represents the lower limit of Kevin's zone of proximal development (ZPD) for walking?

A) Kevin learning to run after he has mastered walking by himself
B) Kevin going back to crawling when he becomes frustrated trying to walk by himself
C) Kevin walking alone by holding onto a piece of furniture with his hands
D) Kevin learning to walk by having his parents hold one of his hands

Question 74

Vygotsky believed that children build their knowledge base and skills through social interaction, and that the best education creates the social contexts for learning. His theory is called the:

A) Piagetian approach.
B) social constructivist approach.
C) transformational context approach.
D) proximal scaffolding approach.

Question 75

In Piaget's theory, failing the conservation-of-liquid task demonstrates:

A) that the child is at the sensorimotor stage of cognitive development.
B) that the child is unable to think fluidly.
C) centration.
D) rational thought.

Question 76

According to Rochel Gelman, children's use of _____ is especially important in explaining areas of improvement on conservation tasks.

A) symbols
B) language
C) attention
D) animism

Question 77

Peggy is shown two rows of buttons. Each row has five buttons in it, but one is spread out much longer. Even though Peggy can count five buttons in each row, she insists the row with the buttons spread out "has more." No matter how you ask, she insists that the "longer" row "has more." She is demonstrating:

A) pragmatics.
B) animism.
C) conservation.
D) centration.

Question 78

Zone of proximal development (ZPD) is Vygotsky's term for:

A) the knowledge a child gains from close proximity to home.
B) the variety of work that a child can do with ease at a particular stage of cognitive development.
C) how the environment and a child's genetically programmed learning ability interact during a critical period.
D) the range of tasks difficult for a child to master alone but that can be learned with help from more-skilled individuals.

Question 79

Benjamin, a toddler, is likely to learn something in the zone of proximal development (ZPD) if he:

A) has mastered all the skills necessary.
B) has parents or teachers who do not interfere.
C) has a sibling less than 24 months older in the home.
D) watches educational shows on television.

Question 80

When adults are working with young children, they often provide a lot of hints, assistance, instructions, and other support to help the children succeed. As the children demonstrate they can do more for themselves, the adults begin to withdraw these supports. This shows the adults' direct involvement in the children's:

A) zone of proximal development.
B) development of conservational abilities.
C) enhancement of language development.
D) process of centration.