Cognitive Development Quizzes
According to the developmental contextual model: a all development is the result of interactions between genes, the environment, and an individual's activities and choices. b all development is the result of environmental influences. c all development is the result of an individual's activities and choices. d all development is the result of genetic predispositions.
a
As articulated by Richard Aslin's Goldilocks effect: a. infants look longest at visual stimuli that are neither too simple or too complex. b. infants always prefer to look at novel (new) stimuli more than familiar stimuli. c. infants' perception becomes increasingly specific with time. d. infants always prefer to look at complex stimuli more than simple stimuli.
a
Baron-Cohen discussed how theory-of-mind modules may develop in infancy and early childhood. Which module is involved in shared attention? a The Mindreading System b The Empathizing System c The False-Belief System d The Perspective-Taking System
a
Behavior genetics approaches to cognitive development suggest three ways in which a person's genotype influences her/his environment. The fact that our temperament influences how others respond to us reflects a(n) __________ effect. a evocative b passive c negative d active
a
Children deciding they want cookies from a shelf and then stacking boxes to stand on to get those cookies is one example of: a children's increasing control over their behavior and cognition. b children's desire to make a mess. c children's inability to control their impulses. d children's disregard for rules.
a
Children's social cognition involves thinking about: a their own and others' feelings, thoughts, motives, and behaviors. b their own, but not others', feelings, thoughts, motives, and behaviors. c others', but not their own, feelings, thoughts, motives, and behaviors. d how to ignore others' feelings, thoughts, motives, and behaviors.
a
Cognition is: a. how people acquire and use knowledge. b. how people act in social relationships. c. whether a person is introverted or extraverted. d. what motivates people to try hard.
a
Domain-general abilities are: a abilities that affect all aspects of cognition, as if the brain is like a general computing device. b abilities that develop independently from each other, as if the brain has separate systems for processing different kinds of information. c abilities that are only shaped by experience. d abilities that result only from genetic predispositions.
a
Highly aggressive children are more likely to interpret _________ as having ________ intent. a. ambiguous actions; aggressive b. ambiguous actions; accidental c. prosocial actions; aggressive d. prosocial actions; accidental
a
In studies on what children know about biology, researchers have found that: a. rural European American children who interact more with the natural world are less likely than urban children to attribute human characteristics to other animals. b. preschool children who have pets are less likely to attribute biological properties to animals than preschool children who do not have pets. c. preschool children easily differentiate between folk psychology and folk biology. d. preschool children understand that physical, genetic traits are due to one's parents, not to one's environment.
a
In the field of cognitive development, the term 'representation' refers to: a the mental encoding of information. b having intentional control of what we pay attention to. c the adaptive role of cognitive immaturity. d a talent agent who can schedule auditions.
a
Neurons communicate with other neurons by sending messages down _______ and receiving messages back through __________. a axons; dendrites b axons; soma c dendrites; axons d dendrites; nuclei
a
One's culture tells children: a both what to think and how to think. b how to think only. c what to think only. d neither what to think nor how to think.
a
Perceptual narrowing refers to the fact that: a infants use their experiences to become specialists in perceiving stimuli relevant to their species and culture. b infants' vision basically remains the same over the first year of life. c infants' vision gets worse over the first year of life. d infants demonstrate the same perceptual preferences at 1 year of age as they did at birth.
a
Saying children have an anthropomorphic way of thinking means that children: a attribute human properties to inanimate things. b innately separate biological processes from psychological processes. c assume humans cause natural events to occur. d explain natural phenomena in terms of magic.
a
Self-awareness is infants': a recognition of themselves as distinct from the objects around them. b ability to learn vicariously through watching others be punished and rewarded for behaviors. c understanding that other people have different memories than the infant has. d interpretation of others' behaviors.
a
Some evidence that infants understand temporal order comes from research into their: a causal perception. b dreams. c auditory perceptual preferences. d spatial visualization.
a
Species-typical patterns of cognition is a way of discussing cognitive abilities that: a seem to have a strong biological basis and occur in most humans at some point in development. b only occur in rabbits. c are only shaped by the environment and have no genetic basis. d only occur in humans.
a
Studies examining infants' early number concepts have found young infants: a. CAN quickly determine the number of items in a set without counting and CAN tell the difference between 'more and less'. b. CAN quickly determine the number of items in a set without counting but CANNOT tell the difference between 'more and less'. c. CANNOT quickly determine the number of items in a set without counting but CAN tell the difference between 'more and less'. d. CANNOT tell the difference between 'more and less' and CANNOT quickly determine the number of items in a set without counting.
a
Studies examining infants' object representation have indicated: a. infants are not surprised that an object looks different when it is close and far. b. infants expect objects to be non-cohesive (not hold together when the objects move). c. infants expect objects will no longer exist once the infant can no longer see the object. d. infants have no expectations about objects.
a
Teleology refers to the tendency to think about objects and events: a in terms of their purpose. b as having no purpose at all. c in terms of natural selection. d as existing to serve humans.
a
The development of self-efficacy begins around 3 or 4 months, when infants begin to: a learn they have some control over their environment. b imitate facial expressions. c move themselves around by crawling. d engage in reduplicated babbling.
a
The focus of this class, on how cognitive development occurs over an individual lifespan, reflects: a ontogenetic development. b phylogenetic development. c sociohistorical development. d chronohistoric development.
a
The violation-of-expectation research method: a measures infants' reactions to unexpected events. b is rarely used in studies of infant cognition. c predicts infants will look longer at events they expected would occur. d tells researchers how intelligent an infant is.
a
What has research on children's use of maps revealed? a As children learn to use maps, they learn one way in which their culture represents spatial relationships and information. b Learning to use maps has no influence on children's developing spatial skills. c Children find using a rectangular map easier than using a circular map. d Children can use maps as young as age 2.
a
When infants prefer to watch a video that matches the soundtrack they are hearing, they are demonstrating _________; and when infants learn about how an object feels by looking at that object (rather than touching it), they are demonstrating _________. a intersensory integration; intersensory matching b intersensory matching; intersensory integration c intersensory differentiation; intersensory complexity d intersensory complexity; intersensory differentiation
a
Which of the following represents the perspective taken by sociocultural models of development? a. Studying how a child learns to count, as well as how the culture in which that child is being raised has developed counting systems over the 10,000 years of human history. b. Studying how children learn to count from educational curriculum once they have entered school. c. Studying how the brain evolved through processes of natural selection to be able to have the ability to count. d. Studying how a child's ability to count and do math changes from birth, through early childhood, into adolescence, and in older adulthood.
a
Which of the following statements is NOT true regarding infants' processing of faces? a Infants don't seem to notice if a face is attractive or not. b Infants can tell if someone is looking at them. c Infants are visually oriented to look at faces or face-like stimuli. d Infants prefer to look at attractive faces.
a
Which of the following statements is true regarding newborn vision? a Newborns can perceive light but cannot focus their vision. b Newborns have no vision abilities at all. c Newborns can perceive light and can focus their vision. d Newborns can converge both eyes on the same object at the same time.
a
Why do 3-year-old children fail false-belief tasks? a All of these answers are possible explanations. b Young children have difficulty regulating their own behavior. c Young children cannot represent two different beliefs about a single object at the same time. d Young children have a hard time remembering their past beliefs.
a
______ is an example of a higher-order process of cognition. a Planning b Neuroticism c Motivation d Visual perception
a
_________ constraints explain sensitive periods in cognitive development; for example, that children around the world learn language at about the same age and in about the same way. a Chronotopic b Architectural c Domain-general d Representational
a
_________ is an example of a physical stimulus characteristic relating to infants' visual preferences, whereas _________ is an example of a psychological stimulus characteristic relating to infants' visual preferences. a Curvilinearity; familiarity b Familiarity; curvilinearity c Novelty; familiarity d Curvilinearity; vertical symmetry
a
____________ is an example of a basic process of cognition. a Visual perception b Motivation c Planning d Neuroticism
a
According to the developmental systems approach: a the environment has no effect on how genes are expressed. b genes, neural activity, behavior, and environment continuously interact and influence each other in cognitive development. c genes are the primary influence on cognitive development. d parents are the primary influence on cognitive development.
b
Around 9 months of age, infants begin to demonstrate shared attention. Which of the following is an example of shared attention? a A mother leaves a room so the child plays with the family dog. b A mother points at the family dog while the infant looks at the dog. c A mother looks at the family dog while the infant looks at the mother. d A mother holds the family dog and then hands the dog to the infant.
b
As reflected in the term 'guided participation': a children can only learn through direct instruction. b children can learn through routine, everyday activities. c children cannot learn through observation. d children stop learning from everyday activities once they begin formal schooling.
b
Based on a recent study using implicit associations tests to examine gender identity and gender preference, transgender children demonstrate: a delays in their developing gender identity. b the typical developmental progression for the gender with which they identify. c a lack of gender schemas or stereotypes. d confusion about their own gender identity.
b
Domain-specific abilities are: a abilities that affect all aspects of cognition, as if the brain is like a general computing device. b abilities that develop independently from each other, as if the brain has separate systems for processing different kinds of information. c abilities that are only shaped by experience. d abilities that result only from genetic predispositions.
b
False-belief tasks measure: a if children understand people are never mistaken about the nature of reality (e.g., where candy is hidden). b if children understand people can be mistaken about the nature of reality (e.g., where candy is hidden). c if children believe in magic. d if children believe their parents are lying to them.
b
Having a theory of mind means that children: a have no coherent view about people's beliefs, desires, and actions. b have some kind of causal-explanatory framework to explain why people behave how they do. c assume other people have the beliefs that the child does. d think that all mental processes (dreams, memories, etc.) are the same.
b
In order for children to engage in social learning, Bandura argues children must have the cognitive capability of __________, which means we can think about our social behavior in words and images. a forethought b symbolization c vicarious learning d self-regulation
b
Regarding other topics covered in the text, social cognition closely overlaps with: a folk physics. b folk psychology. c folk sociology. d folk biology.
b
Researchers who argue that infants possess core knowledge are arguing that infants: a are born as blank slates, with no perceptual biases. b are born with systems of knowledge that have been shaped by natural selection. c are born knowing the beliefs and skills of their culture. d are conscious of what they know about the world.
b
Studies with infants that use measures of non-nutritive sucking: a. first train infants to increase or decrease their rate of sucking to hear an auditory stimulus and then establish an infants' baseline rate of sucking. b. first establish an infants' baseline rate of sucking and then train infants to increase or decrease their rate of sucking to hear an auditory stimulus. c. can only be used with infants after they can crawl. d. train children to turn their heads in a specific direction to hear an auditory stimulus.
b
Synaptic plasticity is greatest in: a middle childhood. b infancy. c older adulthood. d adolescence.
b
Theorists who consider development to involve "transformation of participation" propose that: a. a child develops independently of that child's parents, schools, religious institutions, and community. b. it is impossible to understand an individual child without also understanding the child's parents, schools, religious institutions, and community. c. a child's development involves learning from, but not active participation with, parents, schools, religious institutions, and the community. d. a child's genetic predisposition plays a more important role in development than that child's parents, schools, religious institutions, and community,
b
_________ will imitate facial expressions. a Neither human nor rhesus monkey neonates b Both human and rhesus monkey neonates c Only human neonates d Only rhesus monkey neonates
b
__________ involves understanding the placement of objects in space with the self as a reference point, and _________ involves mentally rotating objects. a Spatial visualization; spatial orientation b Spatial orientation; spatial visualization c Object-oriented play; spatial visualization d Spatial orientation; object-oriented play
b
A key goal in the study of cognitive development is to uncover the __________ of cognitive change. a modules b stability c mechanisms d strategies
c
A tool of intellectual adaptation is: a only present in societies without formal education systems. b an elementary mental function. c a method of thinking. d only present in societies with formal education systems.
c
According to Baron-Cohen, one of the key features of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is mindblindness, which is: a only reading minds when engaged in pretense. b being physically blind. c an inability to read others' minds. d having no mental abilities at all.
c
According to evolutionary theories of development, the "how" of development reflects the influences of ________, and the "why" of development reflects the role of ________. a adaptation; natural selection b stability; plasticity c natural selection; adaptation d plasticity; stability
c
According to the general genetic law of cognitive development, cognition first happens: a through trial and error. b inside the child. c between a child and another person. d when children can talk.
c
Around the age of 3, many children seem to believe that: a. a person's biological sex disappears when that person puts on clothes. b. a person's biological sex stays the same if that person changes clothes. c. a person's biological sex changes if that person changes clothes. d. they themselves have no biological sex.
c
Hearing is functional before birth (in utero), and infants less than 1 week old: a is adultlike at birth. b will not turn their head toward a sound. c recognize their mother's voice. d are more sensitive to low-frequency than high-frequency sounds.
c
Many cognitive developmentalists argue the mind is organized by domain-specific modules that process particular kinds of information; the __________ domain processes information related to the self, others, and groups. a folk biology b folk group c folk psychology d folk physics
c
Plasticity is found in: a. the production of new neurons. b. both the formation of new synapses and the production of new neurons. c. the formation of new synapses. d. neither the formation of new synapses nor the production of new neurons.
c
Regarding brain structures, the _________ are the locus of inhibitory control. a parietal lobes b occipital lobes c frontal lobes d temporal lobes
c
Research on imitation indicates infants are more likely to copy the behavior of a person who has acted: a with another person. b accidentally. c on purpose. d in pretend.
c
Research on sex differences in object-oriented play has revealed that: a there are no consistent sex differences in object-oriented play. b there is no evidence of a biological basis to gender differences in object-oriented play. c boys typically engage in more object-oriented play than girls. d girls typically engage in more object-oriented play than boys.
c
Saying people are intentional agents means people: a only effect the world around them by accident. b have no mental states at all. c can do things on purpose and cause things to happen. d are spies.
c
Sociocultural theorists assume that children's brains: a are only influenced by parents. b are not influenced by genetic predispositions. c have evolved to develop in a social context. d are not well-suited to social interaction.
c
The argument that children are rational constructivists is based on the idea that: a children do not revise a theory about the world and other people once that theory has been formed. b children cannot develop theories about the world and other people until they are in Piaget's concrete operational stage. c children revise their theories in favor of better theories based on their experiences and observations. d children's theories about the world are fully formed and innate at birth.
c
The fact that certain parts of our brains process certain kinds of information is an example of a(n) __________ constraint. a domain-general b representational c architectural d chronotopic
c
The majority of proliferation of new neurons occurs: a within the first five months after birth. b within the first year after birth. c prenatally. d within the first month after birth.
c
The primary areas of the brain: a are responsible for complex mental functioning. b send instructions to our muscles. c both receive information from the senses and send instructions to our muscles. d receive information from the senses.
c
Which of the following is NOT an example of cognition: a Attention b Language c Personality d Pretend play
c
Which of the following is true regarding infants' ability to process music? a Infants do not appear to respond to or process music in the first year of life. b Infants have activation in the left hemisphere of the brain when they listen to music. c Infants distinguish "good" melodies from "bad" melodies. d Infants do not demonstrate any musical preferences.
c
Which of the following is/are examples of perceptual narrowing? a 9-month-old infants can only recognize faces from their own race. b 12-month-old infants can only tell that a scale is out-of-tune if it is a familiar scale. c All of these are examples of perceptual narrowing. d 10- to 12-month-old infants cannot perceive all of the phonemes that exist in human languages.
c
_______ is how much a person maintains their individual cognitive skills in comparison to the skills of their peers. For example, some people seem to be generally better at paying attention than their peers. a Plasticity b Structure c Stability d Function
c
________ neurons respond when a person or monkey observes another person or monkey performing a goal-directed action. a Vision b Language c Mirror d Executive functioning
c
_________ are basic units of speech, and infants ________ born with the ability to perceive most (or all) of these speech units found in all human languages. a Flute notes; are not b Phonemes; are not c Phonemes; are d Flute notes; are
c
__________ refers to changes over the evolutionary history of the species, and __________ refers to changes in one's own culture. a Sociohistorical development; phylogenetic development b Ontogenetic development; phylogenetic development c Phylogenetic development; sociohistorical development d Sociohistorical development; microgenetic development
c
Around what age can most infants focus their vision, converge both eyes on the same object at the same time, and coordinate both eyes to track a moving object at the same time? a At birth b 1 year c 5 years d 6 months
d
In the field of cognitive development, ... a the development of the function of a cognitive ability always comes before the development of its structure. b the development of the structure of a cognitive ability always comes before the development of its function. c both the structure and functions of cognitive abilities decrease with age. d the structure and function of a cognitive ability interact with and influence each other.
d
Myelination of axons results in: a more "leakage" of electrical impulses. b the greater generation of new neurons. c a lower level of selective cell death. d faster transmission of electrical signals in neurons.
d
One reason young children may be less likely to use the same tool to solve two different problems is: a. their design stance may lead them to believe tools are not designed for a particular purpose. b. their folk biology may lead them to believe tools are intentional agents. c. their forward strategy may lead them to only use the tool for the first purpose they see the tool used for. d. their assumptions about functional fixedness may interfere with viewing one tool as serving two purposes.
d
Preschool children's self-efficacy tends to lead them to: a underestimate their actual abilities. b accurately estimate their actual abilities. c make no estimation of their abilities. d overestimate their actual abilities.
d
Regarding the types of basic perceptual abilities that young infants have: a young infants' have no sense of smell, taste, or vision. b young infants' senses of smell, taste, and vision are equally well-developed. c young infants' vision is more developed than their senses of smell and taste. d young infants' senses of smell and taste are more development than their sense of vision.
d
Research on sex differences in spatial cognition has revealed that: a females show greater performance on all spatial cognition tasks. b there are no consistent differences between the performance of females and males on spatial cognition tasks. c males show greater performance on all spatial cognition tasks. d females show greater performance on object and location memory than males.
d
Research using the visual preference paradigm with infants tells us that: a infants have a conscious preference for particular kinds of visual information. b infants respond randomly to visual stimuli. c infants have no auditory preferences when they are born. d infants' vision is guided by perceptual biases to attend to certain kinds of visual information.
d
Scholars who are interested in individual differences in cognitive abilities will typically study: a only basic cognitive processes. b only higher-order cognitive processes. c why all children tend to develop similar skills at the same age. d why some children are better at some skills and other children are better at other skills.
d
Selective cell death results in: a being born premature. b overall brain death. c less effective neuronal processing. d more effective neuronal processing.
d
The _______ is the point in a child's development of an ability where they can learn with help and instruction. a zone of interest. b zone of individual development c zone of instruction d zone of proximal development.
d
The suggestion that reading is a relatively 'unnatural' skill that we teach children reflects the fact that many of the cognitive abilities children develop are: a spontaneous b biologically-primary c irrelevant d biologically-secondary
d
The theory-theory approach to cognitive development is most closely related to: a understanding the roles of synaptic pruning in neuronal development. b Vygotsky's view that development happens in the zone of proximal development. c a blank slate view of cognitive development. d Piaget's view that development is a constructive process.
d
What does research about individual differences in children's false-belief task performance reveal? a There are no individual differences; all children pass or fail false-belief tasks at the same ages. b Children pass false-belief tasks earlier if their parents use less mental state talk. c Children's performance on false-belief tasks is unrelated to parental warmth. d Children from larger families do better on false-belief tasks than children from smaller families.
d
When a child begins using the term 'yesterday': a the child always uses the term correctly. b the child develops better memory. c the child also correctly uses the terms 'today' and 'tomorrow'. d the child often uses the term incorrectly.
d
Which of the following is an elementary mental function? a Language b Planning c Stereotypes d Attention
d
Which of the following is an example of a tool of intellectual adaptation? a Memory b Attention c Seeing d Literacy
d
Which order correctly represents the sequence of steps in the social information processing model? a Enactment, Interpretation, Response Evaluation, Response Search, Encoding b Encoding, Response Search, Response Evaluation, Interpretation, Enactment c Enactment, Response Evaluation, Response Search, Interpretation, Encoding d Encoding, Interpretation, Response Search, Response Evaluation, Enactment
d
_______ is how much a person's cognitive abilities are shaped by their experience. For example, studies suggest that people can increase certain attention skills by playing video games. a Structure b Function c Stability d Plasticity
d
_______ refers to the fact that infants spend less time looking at a stimulus the longer that stimulus is presented, whereas _________ refers to when an infant regains attention after an old (or familiar) stimulus is replaced with a new stimulus. a Visual preference; implicit cognition b Dishabituation; habituation c Implicit cognition; visual preference d Habituation; dishabituation
d
________ measures of cognition capture aspects of cognition that are unconscious and cannot be expressed verbally. a Scaffolded b Explicit c Survey d Implicit
d
_________, in which children copy actions unnecessary for achieving a goal, suggests one function of imitation is to __________. a Rational imitation; be part of a social group. b Rational imitation; learn about the end-goal of actions. c Overimitation; learning about the end-goal of actions d Overimitation; be part of a social group.
d
According to a sociohistorical approach to cognitive development, a 'more skilled partner' teaching a child must be older than the child. True or false?
false
Immaturity can be adaptive for particular times in development. True or false.
true
Scholars who are interested in understanding developmental functions of cognitive abilities will typically study: a why some children are better at some skills and other children are better at other skills. b only higher-order cognitive processes. c only basic cognitive processes. d why all children tend to develop similar skills at the same age.
why all children tend to develop similar skills at the same age.
