Chapter 6 Lifespan Development

Which statement summarizes what Perry (1970) believes about the cognitive level of a typical adolescent? A. "Right is right, and wrong is wrong." B. "There are three sides to every issue: black, white, and gray." C. "We have to look for the underlying principle of truth in every situation." D. "We need to understand and operate from others' perspectives."

A. "Right is right, and wrong is wrong."

Trent watches his mother hide a block under one of two cups and lifts the correct cup to retrieve the block. When his mother hides the block under the other cup, he still lifts the original cup to search for the block. Trent has demonstrated a(n) A. A-not-B error. B. a complete understanding of object permanence. C. habituation to the first cup. D. disequilibrium.

A. A-not-B error.

According to Vygotsky, what should a teacher NOT do in the classroom in helping a student learn new things? A. Ask the student how the teacher can help. B. Watch carefully and intervene when the student appears to struggle. C. Offer encouragement when the student hesitates in problem solving. D. Leave the student alone to figure things out by himself.

A. Ask the student how the teacher can help.

Why does the finding that 4-month-old infants have intermodal perception challenge Piaget's theory? A. Piaget argued that young infants develop the ability to coordinate sensory information from multiple sources at a much later age. B. Piaget believed that infants have the ability to coordinate sensory information from multiple sources right after birth. C. Piaget believed that information from one sensory source is not connected to information from another sensory Source. D. Piaget believed that infants only rely on information from actions, not on perception.

A. Piaget argued that young infants develop the ability to coordinate sensory information from multiple sources at a much later age.

Which of the following is a criticism of Piaget's cognitive development theory? A. Some cognitive abilities emerge earlier and some later than Piaget thought. B. Adult cognition is far more advanced than Piaget theorized. C. An enriched environment and training have less developmental impact than Piaget thought. D. Social interaction is less vital to learning than Piaget believed.

A. Some cognitive abilities emerge earlier and some later than Piaget thought.

Sophie feels that her parents can never understand the psychological sufferings she is experiencing. This could be an example of A. a personal fable. B. imagined invincibility. C. an imaginary audience. D. hypothetical-deductive reasoning

A. a personal fable.

The cognitive process of accommodation occurs when individuals A. adjust old schemes to fit new information. B. ignore information contradicting previous knowledge. C. try to balance conflicting information. D. use their existing schemes to deal with new information or experiences.

A. adjust old schemes to fit new information.

Vygotsky believed that private speech is A. an important tool of thought. B. a sign of delayed language development. C. socially paralyzing. D. a hindrance to problem solving.

A. an important tool of thought.

According to Piaget, what is a child's motivation for change? A. an internal search for equilibrium B. an internal search for disequilibrium C. assimilation and accommodation D. punishments and rewards from other peopl

A. an internal search for equilibrium

Piaget argues that the initial development of formal operations is largely dominated by _____. A. assimilation B. accommodation C. perceptual coupling D. centration

A. assimilation

What does Gelman (1969) indicate as an important factor in a child's performance on conservation tasks? A. attention to some specific aspects B. intuitive thought C. animism D. creativity and imagination

A. attention to some specific aspects

Piaget labeled his second stage preoperational, because children at this stage A. cannot yet perform operations mentally that they are able to do physically. B. do not have symbolic thought, and can only deal with sensory information and physical action. C. cannot perform physical operations. D. do not have stable concepts and cannot reason.

A. cannot yet perform operations mentally that they are able to do physically.

Focusing attention on one characteristic of an object or concept to the exclusion of all others is A. centration. B. egocentrism. C. animism. D. conservation.

A. centration.

When people encounter information that conflicts with the schemes they have established, they experience ________. A. disequilibrium B. equilibrium C. accommodation D. organization

A. disequilibrium

Angie asks her grandmother over the phone, "Do you like the color of my new shirt that I'm wearing now?" This is an example of A. egocentrism. B. animism. C. operations. D. symbolic function.

A. egocentrism.

While preparing his science project, Carlos systematically tests his best guess on his subject and draws conclusions from the results. What thinking process is he engaged in? A. hypothetical-deductive reasoning B. adolescent egocentrism C. abstract, idealistic thinking D. imaginary audience

A. hypothetical-deductive reasoning

Gabbi holds a piece of plastic toy, starts to produce the chewing action repeatedly, and says "I'm eating fish." Gabbi is in which sensorimotor substage? A. internalization of schemes B. secondary circular reactions C. coordination of secondary circular reactions D. tertiary circular reactions

A. internalization of schemes

During Piaget's intuitive thought substage, a child's reasoning A. is primitive. B. is advanced. C. is complex. D. includes rationale about how they know what they know.

A. is primitive.

Tools of the Mind is an early childhood education curriculum that emphasizes all of the following EXCEPT A. life skills, such as cooking and sewing. B. dramatic play. C. scaffolding writing. D. developing self-regulation.

A. life skills, such as cooking and sewing.

Infants develop behavioral schemes, whereas children develop _____ schemes. A. mental B. adaptive C. physical D. active

A. mental

Brent talks himself through his math calculation homework, particularly when he does hard questions. This can be an example of A. private speech. B. egocentrism. C. scaffolding. D. the zone of proximal development.

A. private speech.

Mr. Kaird incorporates peer tutoring in his classroom. This is an example of A. scaffolding. B. zone of proximal development. C. dialogue. D. inner speech.

A. scaffolding.

Which of Piaget's stages lasts from birth to about 2 years of age? A. sensorimotor B. concrete operational C. formal operational D. preoperational

A. sensorimotor

Julio is able to put 5 numbers in the correct order as 2, 4, 6, 8, 10. This shows that Julie understands the concept of A. seriation. B. centration. C. conservation. D. transitivity.

A. seriation.

Piaget's cognitive developmental stages A. signify qualitative differences in cognition. B. signify quantitative changes in cognition. C. consist of six major different periods. D. consist of four major different periods that do not have a particular sequential order.

A. signify qualitative differences in cognition.

Todd knows that he is taller than the person in front of him and shorter than the person behind him. Based on that knowledge, he concludes that the person behind him must be taller than the person in front of him. This is an example showing that Todd understands ________. A. transitivity B. seriation C. conservation D. centration

A. transitivity

Which of the following BEST characterizes cognitive development according to Jean Piaget? A. Genetics plays an important role in cognitive development. B. Children learn best when they do things by themselves. C. Children learn about the world from watching others' actions and consequences. D. Children can store an infinite amount of information in their long-term memories.

B. Children learn best when they do things by themselves.

Which of the following is true of the formal operational stage? A. Many children reach this stage before the age of 12. B. Many adults never become formal operational thinkers. C. Adolescent egocentrism is limited to a small proportion of adolescents. D. The concept of a personal fable occurs in a very small percentage of adolescents.

B. Many adults never become formal operational thinkers.

Adolescent egocentrism is characterized by A. the inability to take different perspectives. B. a heightened self-consciousness. C. the assimilation of others' perspectives into a new self-concept. D. the ability to speculate about ideal circumstances.

B. a heightened self-consciousness.

According to Schaie (1977), as young adults begin working, cognitive development switches from A. applying to acquiring knowledge. B. acquiring to applying knowledge. C. realistic to idealistic thinking. D. intuitive to logical thought.

B. acquiring to applying knowledge.

Devin plays in the sand for the first time. Instead of digging in it, he tries to scoop and throw it, just like he plays with water in his bathtub. This is an example of A. disequilibrium. B. assimilation. C. organization. D. accommodation.

B. assimilation.

Lexi calls every animal she sees a cat. This is an example of A. disequilibrium. B. assimilation. C. accommodation. D. equilibration.

B. assimilation.

Which of the following do Neo-Piagetians argue should have more emphasis in cognitive developmental theory? A. social learning B. attention, memory, and strategy C. evolutionary adaptations D. critical periods

B. attention, memory, and strategy

A reversible mental action on a real object is a A. formal operation. B. concrete operation. C. preoperation. D. centration.

B. concrete operation.

Nathan and Sara are eating granola bars. Sara breaks her bar in half. Nathan gets upset because Sara has two granola bars. Nathan has not developed the concept of A. centration. B. conservation. C. intuitive thought. D. symbolic function.

B. conservation.

Following the homecoming game, a group of senior high school students drank a lot of alcohol. After that, they still insisted that they could drive home themselves without any problem. This behavior is an example of A. psychological invulnerability. B. dander invulnerability. C. an imaginary audience. D. hypothetical-deductive reasoning.

B. dander invulnerability.

A kindergarten teacher instructs parent volunteers to take a Piagetian approach when interacting with his students during learning center time. He recommends the volunteers A. ask children to imitate what they do until perfection. B. provide a setting where children can explore and learn by doing things themselves. C. always reward the correct answers from children and ignore children's mistakes. D. use flash cards repeatedly until children learn the target concepts.

B. provide a setting where children can explore and learn by doing things themselves.

When working with young children, adults often provide assistance, instruction, and other support. As children demonstrate they can do more for themselves, Vygotsky recommends that adults begin to withdraw these supports. This demonstrates the concept of A. the zone of proximal development. B. scaffolding. C. dialogue. D. inner speech.

B. scaffolding

When the mother puts the nipple into the mouth of 3-week-old Kierra, she starts sucking. This is an example of which sensorimotor substage? A. secondary circular reactions B. simple reflexes C. coordination of secondary circular reactions D. first habits and primary circular reaction

B. simple reflexes

According to Vygotsky, the range of tasks that are too difficult for the child to master alone, but that can be learned with guidance and assistance, is A. scaffolding. B. the zone of proximal development. C. a cultural tool provided by society. D. inner speech.

B. the zone of proximal development.

What is the main difference between a reflex and a habit? A. Habits are developed through the process of evolution. Reflexes are developed by repeated actions. B. A habit is based on a reflex, and it is still dependent on the original eliciting stimulus. C. A habit is based on a reflex, but it is completely separated from the original eliciting stimulus. D. There is no difference. The terms may be used interchangeably.

C. A habit is based on a reflex, but it is completely separated from the original eliciting stimulus.

Which of the following is NOT an element of postformal thought? A. Solving a problem requires considering many different aspects. B. Correct answers to a problem may vary from one situation to another. C. Firm commitment to an absolute truth. D. The search for truth is a never-ending process.

C. Firm commitment to an absolute truth.

What did Vygotsky believe about the development of thought and language? A. Thought and language emerge simultaneously and later separate. B. Thought depends on language, so they are tied throughout development. C. Thought and language develop independently at first and merge later in development. D. Thought and language remain independent throughout development.

C. Thought and language develop independently at first and merge later in development.

Which of the following teaching methods would a Piagetian science teacher employ? A. Students would watch a video explaining a scientific concept. B. The teacher would demonstrate an experiment and explain the conclusions and scientific concepts. C. With general instructions, students design and complete their own science projects and report on findings. D. Students will be pushed hard to double their efforts so they can accomplish the target task in half of the expected time.

C. With general instructions, students design and complete their own science projects and report on findings.

Eventually children learn not to put everything in their mouths. This is an example of A. assimilation. B. disequilibrium. C. accommodation. D. equilibration.

C. accommodation.

Tim understands that cars are vehicles. Later, he hears others refer to buses, trucks, or ships as vehicles, and starts to call them vehicles, too. This change is an example of A. scheme. B. assimilation. C. accommodation. D. disequilibrium.

C. accommodation.

Like Piaget, Vygotsky believed that children A. progress through strict age-related stages of cognitive development. B. learn from watching older, more experienced individuals. C. actively construct their knowledge and understanding. D. are biologically predisposed to achieve a certain level of cognitive development.

C. actively construct their knowledge and understanding.

Adam cries that the tree root tripped him. This is an example of A. egocentric thought. B. conservation. C. animism. D. operations.

C. animism.

Vygotsky differs from Piaget in how he stresses the importance of _____ for cognitive development. A. children's own maturation B. children's own exploration C. children's interactions with other people D. children's interactions with the physical environment

C. children's interactions with other people

A child who understands that the amount of clay does not differ when it is stretched into a long strip or rolled into a large ball has grasped the concept of A. seriation. B. animism. C. conservation. D. transitivity.

C. conservation.

Animism and egocentrism represent limitations in the preoperational child's thinking, because they indicate an inability to A. think symbolically. B. center attention on one characteristic. C. distinguish among different perspectives. D. to be fanciful and inventive in their drawings.

C. distinguish among different perspectives.

A scheme based on a reflex that has become completely separate from its eliciting stimulus is called a A. primitive symbol. B. disequilibrium. C. habit. D. primary circular reaction.

C. habit.

Labouvie-Vief (1986) argued that as young adults face the constraints of reality A. egocentrism increases. B. wishful thought increases. C. idealistic thought decreases. D. the imaginary audience disappears.

C. idealistic thought decreases.

In assessing the ability to conserve, research findings indicate that this skill A. is dependent solely on biological maturation. B. appears at approximately the same age and in the same sequence across cultures. C. improves with training and practice. D. is dependent primarily on quality of environment.

C. improves with training and practice.

Janie is exhausting her father with a barrage of "why" questions. She is trying to figure out why things are the way they are. Janie is in Piaget's A. coordination of secondary circular reactions substage. B. symbolic function substage. C. intuitive thought substage. D. tertiary circular reactions substage.

C. intuitive thought substage.

The research of Spelke and research of Baillargeon show that infants as young as 3 or 4 months old understand object permanence, because infants expect them to exist when the objects are hidden. However, critics question whether an infant's _____ is a valid measure of object permanence, because it merely demonstrates ______. A. lack of interest in the objects; cognitive competencies B. lack of interest in the objects; perceptual competencies C. longer looking time; perceptual competencies D. longer looking time; cognitive competencies

C. longer looking time; perceptual competencies

Some theorists have pieced together descriptions of a fifth stage of cognitive development, labeled A. reflective thought. B. superformal thought. C. postformal thought. D. provisional thought.

C. postformal thought.

According to William Perry, compared to adolescent thinking, adult thinking is A. absolutist and dualistic. B. idealistic and altruistic. C. reflective and relativistic. D. intuitive and concrete.

C. reflective and relativistic.

Breanne is learning to walk. She can take a few steps if she walks by herself, but she can walk across the room if a parent holds her hands. The parent's hand holding is an example of __________. A. a zone of proximal development B. dialogue C. scaffolding D. inner speech

C. scaffolding

Changing the level of support in the zone of proximal development is labeled A. constructing. B. training. C. scaffolding. D. dialogue.

C. scaffolding.

Nine-year-old AJ enjoys participating in organized sports. He is developing an idea of belonging to a team. AJ's concept of being a team member is an example of a(n) A. disequilibrium. B. accommodation. C. scheme. D. assimilation.

C. scheme.

Piaget's theory of development centered on children's actions and interaction with the physical world, while Vygotsky's focused on A. conservation. B. memory and attention. C. social interaction. D. trial and error

C. social interaction.

Jillian feels like she is the center of attention and acts as though she were "on stage." This way of thinking is known as A. psychological invulnerability. B. hypothetical-deductive reasoning. C. the imaginary audience. D. the personal fable.

C. the imaginary audience.

The concrete operational stage lasts from ages A. 9 through 16. B. 5 through 11. C. 8 through 14. D. 7 through 11.

D. 7 through 11.

According to Piaget, which of the following is characteristic of a child in the preoperational stage? A. animism. B. egocentrism. C. centration. D. All of these answers are correct.

D. All of these answers are correct.

Children in Tools of the Mind classrooms exhibit more advanced skills in __________ than their peers in other early childhood programs. A. writing complex sentences B. spelling accurately C. understanding the concept of a sentence D. All of these answers are correct.

D. All of these answers are correct.

Vygotsky's theory states that children use speech not only for social communication but also for A. problem solving. B. self-regulation. C. planning and guiding one's own actions. D. All of these answers are correct.

D. All of these answers are correct.

Jamal is a 17-year-old high school student. Which of the following is a correct statement about his cognitive development? A. Jamal must be in the concrete operational stage. B. Jamal must be in the formal operational stage. C. Jamal will never reach the formal operational stage. D. Jamal may still think in concrete operational ways and may never become a formal operational thinker.

D. Jamal may still think in concrete operational ways and may never become a formal operational thinker.

Which of the following characterizes the concrete operational stage? A. Logical thinking occurs in abstract terms. B. Reasoning is dominated by intuition. C. Reasoning is dominated by centration. D. Logic replaces intuition if it can be applied to a visible example.

D. Logic replaces intuition if it can be applied to a visible example.

Ms. Whitaker incorporates peer tutoring in her classroom. With whose theory does this method fit? A. Freud B. Piaget C. The Neo-Piagetians D. Vygotsky

D. Vygotsky

Alene says, "If A is older than B, and B is older than C, then A must be older than C." Janis can not understand this. Alene explains, "If your friend John is older than you are, and you are older than your cousin Mary, then John must be older than Mary." Janis says, "I got it." In this example, Alene shows ______ thought, while Janis shows ______ thought. A. abstract; hypothetical B. concrete; abstract C. deductive; inductive D. abstract; concrete

D. abstract; concrete

Neither Vygotsky's nor Piaget's theory had much to say about A. the role of nurture in development. B. the role of more mature mentors in development. C. language and thought in development. D. adult cognitive development.

D. adult cognitive development.

Halene is sure that all her classmates are staring at her new haircut. This is an example of A. a personal fable. B. intuitive thought. C. hypothetical-deductive reasoning. D. an imaginary audience.

D. an imaginary audience.

If one adopts Spelke's Core Knowledge Approach, one would believe that A. children learn some basic knowledge that is applicable to all different domains during the first few months after birth. B. children are born with some innate basic knowledge that is applicable to all different domains. C. children learn some basic knowledge that is applicable to specific domains during the first few months after birth. D. children are born with some innate basic knowledge that is applicable to specific domains.

D. children are born with some innate basic knowledge that is applicable to specific domains.

The belief in the permanence of certain attributes of objects or situations despite superficial changes is called A. animism. B. egocentrism. C. centration. D. conservation

D. conservation

Piaget's ideas on formal operational thinking are being challenged, because A. many children never become concrete operational thinkers across all cultures B. many adults never become formal operational thinkers in underdeveloped countries C. many adults never become formal operational thinkers in America D. many adults never become formal operational thinkers in both America and other cultures

D. many adults never become formal operational thinkers in both America and other cultures

Baby Alec continues to fuss for over 5 minutes when his brother takes away a toy that he enjoys playing with. This can be used as evidence that Alec has developed A. disequilibrium. B. equilibrium. C. adaptation. D. object permanence.

D. object permanence.

Which of the following is the correct order of Piaget's cognitive developmental stages? A. preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational, sensorimotor B. concrete operational, sensorimotor, formal operational, concrete operational C. preoperational, formal operational, concrete operational, sensorimotor D. sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

D. sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

According to Piaget, adolescents capable of formal operational thinking differ from younger children in preoperational thinking in that younger children cannot A. solve problems. B. understand the concept of conservation. C. deal with operations in concrete situations. D. systematically and mentally test hypotheses.

D. systematically and mentally test hypotheses.

Baby Dennis sees a ball on the floor. He picks it up, looks at it carefully, and then bangs it on the ground. He picks it up again, holds it over his head, and drops it. Then, he picks it up and throws it. Dennis continues playing for several minutes. Dennis is in which of Piaget's sensorimotor substages? A. primary circular reactions B. secondary circular reactions C. coordination of secondary circular reactions D. tertiary circular reactions

D. tertiary circular reactions

Which of the following would be impossible without the understanding of the concept of object permanence? A. rehabituation after being presented with a new and interesting toy B. starting a habitual action without the stimulus in the original reflex C. intentional action such as using a stick to bring a toy close D. thinking of your mother while she is at work

D. thinking of your mother while she is at work

The cognitive process of assimilation occurs when individuals A. adjust old schemes to fit new information. B. ignore information contradicting previous knowledge. C. try to balance conflicting information. D. use their existing schemes to deal with new information or experiences.

D. use their existing schemes to deal with new information or experiences.

The formal operational stage appears between ages A. 5 and 8. B. 7 and 11. C. 11 and 15. D. 13 and 17.

C. 11 and 15.

Mrs. Marsden hears a student arranging story cards. "Hmm, I think this one goes first and next is that one. No, maybe that one." She is witnessing the student's A. scaffolding. B. speech for communication. C. private speech for problem solving. D. inner speech for problem solving.

C. private speech for problem solving.

Daniel is confused when his mother prompts him to say hello to a person he doesn't know, because he understands the "don't talk to strangers" rule. Daniel experiences cognitive _________. A. accommodation. B. assimilation. C. equilibrium. D. disequilibrium.

D. disequilibrium.

Marni thinks about how the world could be if everyone took more personal responsibility for the environment. Marni is in which of Piaget's stages? A. sensorimotor B. preoperational C. concrete operational D. formal operational

D. formal operational

Mimi crawls into the hallway to look for her mother after she leaves the room. According to Piaget, this shows that Mimi A. is confused by the concept of object permanence. B. is making an A-not-B error. C. has not yet developed object permanence. D. has developed object permanence.

D. has developed object permanence.

Karl covers his stuffed toys before bedtime to make sure they are not cold. This is an example of A. egocentricism. B. animism. C. conservation. D. operations.

B. animism.

The preoperational stage lasts from ages A. 3 to 5. B. 4 to 7. C. 2 to 4. D. 2 to 7.

D. 2 to 7.

When self-talk becomes second nature to children and they can act without verbalizing, they have begun to use A. private speech. B. inner speech. C. dialogue. D. scaffolding.

B. inner speech.

Madeline leaves her 3-month-old son with a childcare provider. Piaget would argue that Madeline's son does not miss Madeline because he has not developed A. attachment. B. object permanence. C. disequilibrium. D. equilibrium.

B. object permanence.

Rooting and sucking occur during the first sensorimotor substage called A. first habits and primary circular reactions. B. simple reflexes. C. complex reflexes. D. primary circular reactions.

B. simple reflexes.

In explaining the ability to conserve, Piaget focuses on _____. A. centration B. animation C. symbolic thought D. imagination

A. centration

Some adolescents engage in risky behaviors, because they believe they are invulnerable to the negative consequences of these actions. This is an example of A. intuitive thought. B. imaginary audience. C. hypothetical-deductive reasoning. D. personal fable.

D. personal fable.

Five-year-old Marta draws a picture of a boat on the ocean at sunset. Marta is showing evidence of A. animism. B. egocentrism. C. operations. D. symbolic function.

D. symbolic function.