Deck 7: Section 2: Conceptual Development

Question 1

What do concepts do?

A) help us understand the world
B) tell us how to emotionally react to new experiences
C) provide a basis by which to group together objects
D) serve all of these functions

Answer 1

D

Question 2

A theory of _____ is NOT one of the informal theories proposed by Wellman and Gelman.

A) psychology
B) physics
C) biology
D) mind

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which group is made up of members of the same perceptual category?

A) lizard, kangaroo, salmon
B) mat, hat, cat
C) sofa, grandfather clock, table
D) iPad, picture frame, book

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Spelke posited that a primitive theory of physics is present at what age?

A) birth
B) 18 months
C) 3 years
D) 6 months

Question 5

According to Wellman and Gelman (1998), children organize their observations of categories into:

A) concepts.
B) theories of mind.
C) informal theories.
D) modules.

Question 6

Which pair would Iris, a 6-month-old infant, be MOST likely to place in the same category?

A) elephant and fish
B) chandelier and chair
C) towel and rug
D) baby and caterpillar

Question 7

Nativists differ from empiricists in that nativists believe that children are born with:

A) the ability to remember.
B) a sense of the concept of time.
C) the ability to form associations.
D) a sense of the concept of vehicle.

Question 8

A plate and a clock would be put into the same category if the categorization were based on:

A) a superordinate-subordinate relationship.
B) cross-class correspondence.
C) perceptual similarities.
D) functional similarities.

Question 9

Which group lists the three objects in subordinate/basic/superordinate order?

A) flower/daisy/plant
B) hammer/screwdriver/tool
C) sedan/car/vehicle
D) food/fruit/apple

Question 10

General ideas or understandings that can be used to group together objects are referred to as:

A) concepts.
B) perceptions.
C) theories.
D) beliefs.

Question 11

Which question would a preschooler be LEAST likely to ask about a tractor trailer?

A) What are trucks for?
B) What do trucks like to eat?
C) How much stuff can fit in that truck?
D) Why are trucks so big?

Question 12

Of these categories, which do children generally form last?

A) people
B) plants
C) living things
D) inanimate objects

Question 13

Which statement about the development of children's ability to categorize objects based on appearance is true?

A) The ability to categorize objects by shape develops at approximately 12 months old.
B) Twelve-month-olds often categorize objects largely by specific parts of an object rather than on the object as a whole.
C) The ability to categorize objects based on overall shape develops at approximately 3 years of age.
D) All of the statements are true.

Question 14

Children's informal theories have which property?

A) Many phenomena are explained in terms of a few basic principles.
B) Events are explained only in terms of observable causes.
C) Vast numbers of abstract categories are formed to divide up the objects and events in the world.
D) The theories are precisely specified deductive systems.

Question 15

Which statement is true of informal theories?

A) They explain a few phenomena in terms of many assumptions.
B) They are complex.
C) They are a pure result of experience
D) They explain events in terms of unobservable causes.

Question 16

The debate between nativists and empiricists reflects what fundamental, unresolved question about human nature?

A) Do children shape their own concepts, or are they passive recipients of the concepts taught to them by others?
B) Do children form all concepts through the same mechanisms, or do they possess special mechanisms for forming a few particularly important concepts?
C) In what ways is concept development continuous, and in what ways is it discontinuous?
D) Do all children learn concepts in the same manner, or does the sociocultural context matter?

Question 17

Which statement would be considered evidence that an infant has formed the category "furniture"?

A) The infant habituates after repeatedly being shown pictures of tables.
B) After repeatedly being shown pictures of tables, the infant dishabituates to a picture of a sofa.
C) After repeatedly being shown pictures of tables, chairs, sofas, dressers, and grandfather clocks, the infant dishabituates to a picture of a car.
D) After repeatedly being shown pictures of tables, chairs, sofas, dressers, and grandfather clocks, the infant does not dishabituate to a picture of a car.

Question 18

Which list is an example of a category hierarchy?

A) people/grown-ups/Mommy
B) men/Daddy/Grandpa
C) people/plants/animals
D) people/Daddy/firemen

Question 19

At what age do children place plants into the category "living things"?

A) 2 years
B) 4 years
C) 5 years
D) 7 years

Question 20

Grouping together objects that have similar appearances is referred to as _____ categorization.

A) perceptual
B) manifestation
C) picture
D) observation

Question 21

_____ is NOT among the psychological concepts that emerge at the end of the first year and the beginning of the second.

A) Understanding of intention
B) Understanding of other's emotions
C) Joint attention
D) Understanding of other's beliefs

Question 22

Which category would be considered by researchers to be a child-created basic category that is likely to disappear as the child matures?

A) objects with wheels
B) food
C) objects that make you cool
D) places we go

Question 23

The research of Krascum and Andrews on children's ability to learn about wugs and gillies demonstrated that giving children the _____ was particularly important.

A) subordinate and superordinate categories of the objects
B) shapes and colours of the objects
C) functions of the objects' features
D) way in which the objects move

Question 24

Which category level are parents LEAST likely to directly teach their children?

A) superordinate
B) subordinate
C) basic
D) supersubordinate

Question 25

The Phillips and colleagues study that recorded infants' looking times when they were presented with actors holding stuffed toy kittens was examining infants' understanding of the connection between:

A) beliefs and actions.
B) desires and beliefs.
C) abilities and actions.
D) desires and actions.

Question 26

Of these categories, which one would a young child be MOST likely to learn first?

A) colour
B) blue
C) sky blue
D) dark blue

Question 27

A structured understanding of how desires, beliefs, perceptions, and emotions influence behaviour is referred to as a theory of:

A) mind.
B) behaviour.
C) thought.
D) psychology.

Question 28

When 12-month-olds saw an experimenter look at and demonstrate an interest in one of two toy stuffed kittens, they:

A) were surprised when the experimenter then held the other kitten.
B) were not surprised when the experimenter then held the other kitten.
C) were surprised when the experimenter held that kitten.
D) responded similarly no matter which kitten the experimenter held.

Question 29

A commonsense understanding of oneself and other people is referred to as:

A) naïve psychology.
B) basic psychology.
C) an informal theory.
D) theory of mind.

Question 30

The desire to behave in a particular way is referred to as a(n):

A) perception.
B) belief.
C) intention.
D) action.

Question 31

Which phrase is NOT a characteristic of naïve psychological concepts?

A) refer to invisible mental states
B) develop early in life
C) linked to each other in cause-effect relations
D) involved in understanding only the self

Question 32

By age 2, understanding of the connection between people's _____ and actions is firmly established.

A) beliefs
B) desires
C) abilities
D) all of these

Question 33

Trains, boats, and buses are members of the same:

A) causal category.
B) subordinate category.
C) superordinate category.
D) perceptual category.

Question 34

Children's psychological understanding begins to emerge by about what age?

A) 1 year
B) 3 years
C) 5 years
D) 10 years

Question 35

The parents of Elizabeth, a 2-year-old, are trying to teach her what hammers are. Which action would be MOST likely to help her learn this new category?

A) describing what hammers look like
B) showing her a hammer
C) demonstrating what hammers do
D) showing her a range of atypical hammers

Question 36

Children's early categories correspond most closely to the categories that adults consider:

A) superordinate.
B) basic.
C) subordinate, but children also sometimes form their own superordinate categories.
D) basic, but children also sometimes form their own basic categories.

Question 37

Children understand the connection between desires and actions at about what age?

A) 6 months
B) 8 months
C) 12 months
D) 18 months

Question 38

Which concept is NOT at the center of naïve psychology?

A) actions
B) appearances
C) desires
D) beliefs

Question 39

Which level of category hierarchies is the most specific?

A) basic
B) subordinate
C) superordinate
D) supersubordinate

Question 40

Which level of category hierarchies do children usually learn first?

A) basic
B) subordinate
C) superordinate
D) supersubordinate

Question 41

Trevor, a 2-year-old who loves the colour red, is told a story about a boy named Andy. In the story, Andy loves the colour blue. When Trevor is asked to choose the colour crayon that Andy would likely choose when drawing a picture, Trevor will MOST likely:

A) select red, because it is his favourite colour.
B) select blue, because it is Andy's favourite colour.
C) select yellow, in an attempt to find a compromise.
D) choose randomly between red and blue.

Question 42

Amina is from Peru and Tanya is from Canada. Both girls are 3 years old. If both girls are given a false-belief problem, what will each girl likely do?

A) Amina will not show false belief but Tanya will.
B) Amina will show false belief but Tanya will not.
C) Both Amina and Tanya will like show false beliefs.
D) Neither Amina nor Tanya will show false beliefs.

Question 43

Children with autism spectrum disorders do NOT have trouble:

A) showing concern for people when they are distressed.
B) interacting with other people.
C) with false-belief problems.
D) spending time by themselves.

Question 44

Which statement supports the claim that children are born with a "theory of mind module"?

A) Certain areas of the brains of children with autism spectrum disorders appear to be atypically sized.
B) Preschoolers with older siblings do better on false-belief tasks than those without older siblings.
C) General information-processing skills are essential for understanding that other people might have different knowledge than they themselves possess.
D) Children with autism spectrum disorders tend to have fewer interactions with other people than do others.

Question 45

Tina, a 3-year-old, is shown a Cheerios box and then shown that it contains marbles. If asked what her friend Mark will think on seeing the box for the first time, Tina will MOST likely say that Mark will think it contains:

A) Cheerios.
B) marbles.
C) Raisin Bran.
D) beads.

Question 46

Andrew, who is 3 years old, is shown a box with candy on it and asked to guess what is in the box. Andrew responds "candy." The box is then opened and he is shown that it actually contains crayons, not candy. When Andrew is asked how his 3-year-old friend will respond when asked what is in the same box, what will Andrew say?

A) "He will think it's candy."
B) "He will not know."
C) "He will think it's crayons."
D) "He will think it's crayons and candy."

Question 47

Which influence(s) are cited by empiricists when explaining the development of preschoolers' theory of mind from age 3 to age 5?

A) increasing experience with other people
B) improved information-processing capacity
C) brain maturation
D) all of these influences

Question 48

False-belief problems examine children's understanding of the relation between:

A) their own beliefs and actions.
B) others' desires and beliefs.
C) others' beliefs and actions.
D) the objective facts and others' actions.

Question 49

At what age do at least 72% of children in all cultures answer false-belief problems correctly?

A) 2 years old
B) 3 years old
C) 4 years old
D) 5 years old

Question 50

Sheira, a 2-year-old, is told a story about a girl named Brenda. Brenda is looking for her favourite doll. Although Brenda thinks the doll is under the bed, it really is in the kitchen cabinet. When Sheira is asked where Brenda will look for her doll, Sheira will MOST likely predict that Brenda will look in which location(s)?

A) under the bed
B) in the kitchen cabinet
C) in the garage
D) both under the bed and in the kitchen cabinet

Question 51

On false-belief problems, children who do not yet have a complete understanding of the relation between their own beliefs and others' beliefs:

A) have difficulty understanding that other people could have false beliefs when they themselves know the truth.
B) have difficulty understanding that other people could know the truth when they themselves have false beliefs.
C) believe that others will not be convinced of the truth.
D) believe that others will be difficult to fool.

Question 52

The existence of a TOMM is advocated by:

A) nativists.
B) empiricists.
C) neurologists.
D) all of these.

Question 53

Children who fail at false-belief problems do NOT understand:

A) the relation between beliefs and actions.
B) how other people's desires can be different from their own.
C) the difference between what is true and what is false.
D) that others can hold an incorrect belief when they themselves know the truth.

Question 54

Harry, a 3-year-old, is shown a raisin box and then is shown that the box contains pennies. If asked what he had thought the box contained before being shown its true contents, Harry will MOST likely say he had thought it contained:

A) raisins.
B) pennies.
C) popcorn.
D) quarters.

Question 55

Which child is MOST like to solve a false-belief problem correctly?

A) David, who has an older sister
B) Hannah, who has an older sister
C) Micah, who is an only child
D) Taryn, who has a younger sister

Question 56

Amelia, a 5-year-old, is told a story about a girl named Brenda. Brenda is looking for her favourite doll. Although Brenda thinks the doll is under the bed, it really is in the kitchen cabinet. When Amelia is asked where Brenda will look for her doll, Amelia will MOST likely predict that Brenda will look in which location(s)?

A) under the bed
B) in the kitchen cabinet
C) in the garage
D) both under the bed and in the kitchen cabinet

Question 57

Ginny is 12 and was given a false-belief problem that she answered incorrectly. Which is most likely true of Ginny?

A) She is typical for a 12-year-old.
B) She has autism spectrum disorder.
C) She is hearing impaired.
D) She was a low birth weight infant.

Question 58

The development of a theory of mind is severely impaired for:

A) only and oldest children.
B) children with autism spectrum disorders.
C) children with imaginary friends.
D) all of these children.

Question 59

Which statement BEST characterizes the findings of cross-cultural research on children's understanding of false beliefs?

A) The pattern of development is very consistent across cultures.
B) Children in Western cultures develop the understanding earlier than do children in Eastern cultures.
C) Children in Western cultures develop the understanding later than do children in Eastern cultures.
D) Children in developed countries develop the understanding earlier than do children in developing countries.

Question 60

Children typically succeed on false-belief problems by the age of _____ years.

A) 2
B) 3
C) 5
D) 8

Question 61

Jane, an 18-month-old, is pretending to put on makeup using a small block as her lipstick. Jane is:

A) demonstrating a false belief.
B) engaging in object substitution.
C) demonstrating her underdeveloped theory of mind.
D) engaging in sociodramatic play.

Question 62

By the age of _____ years, the majority of children understand that human beings are animals that are similar in many ways to other animals.

A) 4
B) 6
C) 8
D) 10

Question 63

A study by Taylor demonstrated that, compared to children who do not have imaginary companions, children who do have imaginary companions:

A) are more intelligent.
B) are more likely to be depressed or anxious.
C) watch more television.
D) have more advanced theories of mind.

Question 64

When 3-year-old children are presented with the categories of people, caterpillars, and chimpanzees and asked which two are most similar, research indicates that they will MOST likely choose:

A) people and caterpillars.
B) people and chimpanzees.
C) caterpillars and chimpanzees.
D) any of the three possible pairs with equal likelihood.

Question 65

Developmental psychologists have settled on which description of children's understanding of living things?

A) Children have only a shallow understanding of living things until they are 7 to 10 years old.
B) Children understand the essential characteristics of living things by the age of 5.
C) Young children simultaneously possess both mature and immature biological understanding.
D) Developmental psychologists are still in dispute over which description is most accurate.

Question 66

Which statement about play is true?

A) Pretend play is a type of object substitution.
B) Pretend play is a type of sociodramatic play.
C) Object substitution is a type of sociodramatic play.
D) Sociodramatic play is a type of pretend play.

Question 67

Aidan, a 4-year-old child, is told a story about a girl who wants to grow to be taller than her daddy, but she is still a young girl. When asked if the girl will get her wish, Aidan is MOST likely to:

A) predict that she will get her wish.
B) predict that she will not get her wish.
C) say that if her mom and dad are both tall, she will be tall too.
D) be confused by this false belief.

Question 68

Research has suggested that pretend play and sociodramatic play:

A) cause children to experience setbacks in psychological understanding.
B) reflect children's most basic level of psychological understanding.
C) are correlated with higher levels of social understanding.
D) increase children's egocentrism.

Question 69

When 7-year-old Jacob is asked why giraffes came to exist, he is MOST likely to use _____ in his explanation.

A) a physical process
B) a biological process
C) a purpose
D) magic

Question 70

Which list places the types of play in a typical developmental progression?

A) object substitution, sociodramatic play, rule-based play
B) sociodramatic play, object substitution, rule-based play
C) rule-based play, object substitution, sociodramatic play
D) object substitution, rule-based play, sociodramatic play

Question 71

Which scenario is an example of sociodramatic play?

A) Alvaro is playing school with his brother, and Alvaro is the teacher.
B) Fiona is holding a play phone to her ear and saying, "Hello?"
C) Sander is dressed up as a ghost for Halloween.
D) Beatrice is putting a plate on her head and saying, "See my hat?"

Question 72

Which list places children's understandings in a typical developmental progression?

A) distinction between living and nonliving things, people are animals, plants are living
B) distinction between living and nonliving things, plants are living, people are animals
C) people are animals, distinction between living and nonliving things, plants are living
D) plants are living, distinction between living and nonliving things, people are animals

Question 73

Telling children that _____ is likely to influence the age at which children understand that plants are alive.

A) plants move toward sunlight
B) plants drink water
C) animals eat plants
D) plants grow

Question 74

Using a _____ is an example of an object substitution.

A) scale model of a room to show where a toy is hidden in a larger room
B) toy backhoe rather than a toy dump truck to haul blocks
C) play stove to cook pretend broccoli cheese soup
D) a bowl as a magician's hat

Question 75

The finding that babies smile less at rabbits than they do at people indicates that they:

A) can distinguish between animals and inanimate objects.
B) can differentiate between people and other animals.
C) know that animals and humans both belong to the category of living things.
D) have all of these skills.

Question 76

Young children have difficulty understanding that plants are alive because children equate being alive with:

A) being able to move.
B) having legs.
C) being able to dance.
D) having fur.

Question 77

Pretend play emerges at about the age of _____; sociodramatic play emerges at about the age of _____.

A) 1 year; 2.5 years
B) 1 year; 18 months
C) 18 months; 2.5 years
D) 2.5 years; 4 years

Question 78

Which of the following is evidence that a 12-month-old child understands the properties of living and nonliving things?

A) being surprised that a dog barked
B) being surprised that a cup could move on its own
C) calling all animals "doggie"
D) being surprised that a cat did not have fur

Question 79

Children tend to engage in pretend play, at least occasionally, until approximately what age?

A) 3 years
B) 6 years
C) 9 years
D) 12 years

Question 80

Kathryn, a 4-year-old child, is told a story about a baby turtle who is raised by a mommy and a daddy giraffe. When asked what the turtle will grow up to be, Kathryn is MOST likely to say a:

A) grown-up giraffe.
B) grown-up turtle.
C) very tall turtle with a long neck.
D) baby turtle.