Chapter 4 Practice Quiz

Joint attention develops around:

1 year of age.

Janine just heard a story about sharks. From the story, she learned that sharks live in the ocean and are good swimmers. When asked if sharks can live on land, she uses her new information combined with her prior knowledge about other fish—that they have gills and extract oxygen from the water—to answer the question. Her new and existing knowledge are processed in _____ memory.

working

In the context of dynamic-systems theory, "selection" as a mechanism for developmental change refers to:

increasingly choosing more effective behaviors for reaching goals.

Infants' variable performance on different versions of the A-not-B task support the idea that:

infants' performance on the A-not-B task is not purely conceptual.

Task analyses, analyses of cognitive processes, and a general view of children as problem solvers are all characteristics of:

information-processing theories.

A playgroup made up of 4-year-olds is unable to agree on the rules of a game. A playgroup made up of 6-year-olds successfully agrees on the rules of their game. What aspect of sociocultural theories is being demonstrated?

intersubjectivity

Dynamic-systems researchers have shown that the onset of crawling is important because:

it changes infants' relationships with family members.

Which example is NOT a cultural tool?

medications

Xavier, a core-knowledge theorist, believes that children enter the world with specialized learning mechanisms, or _____, that allow them to quickly and effortlessly acquire information of evolutionary importance.

mental structures

Becca is just beginning to learn to walk. She practices often despite the fact that crawling would get her where she wants to go more quickly. This example supports dynamic-systems theorists' emphasis on children's:

motivation to learn.

Intersubjectivity refers to the:

mutual understanding that people share during communication.

Janet has driven down the street she lives on many times, but when asked to draw a picture of the third house on the left, she struggles to do so. This is MOST likely because she:

never encoded the memory because she didn't see the details as relevant.

Long-term memory is limited in:

nothing; there are no known limits.

Information-processing theorists see children's cognitive growth as:

occurring in small increments that differ by task.

Soft assembly is a term that is used to refer to the:

organizational process of arranging components that are continually changing.

Self-organization in dynamic-systems theories does NOT involve:

other people

Autobiographical memories include all of the following EXCEPT:

other's narratives.

A "developmental" approach to education is consistent with Piaget's theories because:

particular concepts are taught at specific ages, based on differences in cognitive level.

During what Piagetian stage do children transition from only seeing their own perspective to beginning to recognize the different perspectives of others?

preoperational

During which Piagetian stage are conservation concept studies MOST revealing of children's limitations?

preoperational

Johnny pretends that his hat is a space helmet, he thinks the world revolves around him, and he engages in one-sided conversations in which he does not listen to what the other person is saying. Johnny is in what Piagetian stage?

preoperational

Providing useful associations, improving encoding, and having the ability to determine what is and what is not possible are all ways in which _____ improves memory.

prior content knowledge

According to the overlapping-waves theory, development does NOT occur through:

promptly discarding an old strategy in favor of always using a new, more efficient one.

In information-processing theories, encoding refers to the:

representation in memory of specific features of objects and events.

Both Steven, age 5, and his sister Susan, age 9, have been presented with a task in which they are shown pictures of both plants and animals. They are asked to remember which pictures are of plants. Steven is unable to distinguish the pictures, while Susan does so successfully. Which strategy has Susan used?

selective attention

Which idea is NOT one proposed by sociocultural theorists about how change occurs through social interaction?

selective attention

Which sequence lists Piagetian stages in the CORRECT order?

sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational

In Vygotsky's theory, children are depicted as:

social beings.

Mario's mother is helping him to understand a story by asking him questions that help him fill in unstated aspects of the story. She is providing _____ to support his learning.

social scaffolding

Piaget believed that development was:

stage-like, with discontinuous leaps from one way of understanding the world to the next.

According to information-processing theorists, cognitive development does NOT arise from:

sudden and distinct transitions from one strategy to another.

Michael turns a blanket into a cape. His teddy bear becomes his trusted sidekick. The oversized refrigerator box is Michael's spaceship. According to Piaget, what characteristic is Michael displaying?

symbolic representation

Dynamic-systems theorists have NOT found social motivators of infants' development to include:

taking the perspective of others.

In dynamic-systems theory, children's selection among alternative approaches reflects the influence of:

the efficiency with which they can execute the approach.

Which brain area takes a particularly long time to mature?

the prefrontal cortex

Sociocultural theorists believe that:

the process through which children learn is similar across societies.

Parker, who suffers from autism spectrum disorder, has a fundamental flow in his ability to learn distinctions between his own mind and the minds of others. From a core-knowledge perspective, Parker's challenge is in the area of:

theory of mind

According to information-processing theorists, planning is difficult for children because:

they tend to think they can solve a problem more effectively than their capabilities allow.

Piaget believed that, during infancy and toddlerhood, children:

thinking grows especially rapidly.

Dynamic-systems theorists emphasize the role of action in development:

throughout life.

The inclination to teach others and the inclination to attend to and learn from others are:

uniquely human.

In the context of dynamic-systems theory, variation as a mechanism for developmental change refers to the:

use of various behaviors to pursue the same goal.

Vanessa has trouble remembering numbers even when she rehearses them. However, she continues to try the strategy because it is relatively novel for her. This practice is adaptive because:

with practice, the strategy will become more efficient.

Which theorist is often credited with founding the sociocultural approach to child development?

Lev Vygotsky

Which is a major difference between the formal operational stage and the three previous stages?

Not all individuals reach the formal operational stage.

Which statement BEST describes Vygotsky and Piaget's relationship?

Piaget and Vygotsky were contemporaries but did not collaborate.

Which statement does NOT describe an identified weakness of Piagetian theory?

Piaget discounts the possibility of abstract thinking.

_____ is NOT a basic process.

Rehearsing

Brynn perceives the world solely from her own point of view. Which statement is likely TRUE of Brynn?

She is in the preoperational stage.

Colleen scores well on tests of executive function in early childhood. Which later achievement is NOT likely to be linked to this early success?

She will have a happy marriage

Vygotsky believed that development in thinking was:

continuous and gradual.

Piaget believed that children:

contribute to their own development.

The assumption that children have some innate, or inborn, knowledge in areas that are evolutionarily important to survival is central to _____ theories of cognitive development.

core-knowledge

Research that involves _____ is crucial to clarifying two of the main conceptual features of core-knowledge theories.

deception

The first sign that infants are gaining the ability to form enduring mental representations is referred to in Piagetian theory as:

deferred imitation.

The word dynamic in dynamic-systems depicts that:

development is a process with continuous change.

The theory that infants have substantial inborn knowledge of important evolutionary domains is called:

domain specificity.

Which of the theories of cognitive development does NOT address, as a major focus, how change occurs?

dynamic-systems theories

Which perspective on development focuses on how basic actions, such as crawling, walking, reaching, and grasping, can yield insights?

dynamic-systems theories

Which types of theories have been MOST recently developed?

dynamic-systems theories

Constructivism does NOT combine concepts from:

dynamic-systems theory.

The jigsaw approach refers to:

each child in a group has a particular expertise needed for the group to succeed.

The word systems in dynamic systems refers to:

each child is a well-integrated system with many subsystems.

What is the process by which children balance assimilation and accommodation to create a stable understanding of their world?

equilibration

Brent heard a radio ad for a toy that he really wanted to buy. Last year when he heard the ad, he couldn't ask his mother to buy the toy because he didn't have any strategies to help him remember the web address for the product. This year, Brent has acquired a strategy to do so: He repeated the address to himself until he got home. Brent is MOST likely _____ years old.

7

Zane's ability to rotate objects in his mind is increasing rapidly, as is his ability to add numbers without writing them down. He is MOST likely just over _____ years of age.

8

Karen looks for a toy under the cloth where her mother had previously hidden it, even though she can visibly see the lump below another cloth. Karen is participating in Piaget's _____ task.

A-not-B

Which statement is NOT a proposal of the overlapping-waves model?

Children develop only through discovering new strategies.

Which statement does NOT describe a benefit of Ann Brown's community-of-learners program?

Children learn to be confident and rely on their solution above that of others.

Which statement is MOST true of children and adults' memory for new material?

Children who know more about a topic than do adults have better memory for new information on that topic.

Which statement does NOT describe one of Vygotsky's phases of internalizing speech?

Children's behavior is controlled by societal expectations.

Which board game has been used by information-processing theorists to help improve the numerical knowledge of children?

Chutes and Ladders

Which person is MOST likely to use private speech?

David, a 5-year-old

Which theorist proposed the MOST prominent nativist theory, labeling it "Core-Knowledge Theory"?

Elizabeth Spelke

Which famous psychologist(s) is/are frequently identified as founding the dynamic-systems approach?

Esther Thelen and Linda Smith

Which statement is NOT a reason for the longevity of Piaget's theories?

His theories are completely correct.

Which statement does NOT describe a frequent criticism of Piaget's theory?

Infants and young children are less cognitively competent than Piaget recognized.

There are only two cookies left in the cookie jar. One of the cookies is broken into two pieces. Janet, age 4, begins to cry when her brother Justin gets the broken cookie and she gets the whole one. According to Piagetian theory, what is the MOST likely cause of Janet's distress?

Janet has not mastered the concept of conservation.

Which statement BEST explains why individuals who have attained the formal operational stage may develop a taste for science fiction?

Their expanding perspectives allow them to envision alternative realities.

What do dynamic-systems researchers believe to be TRUE of seemingly simple developmental actions?

They are more complex and interesting than previously realized.

Which statement is TRUE of children whose mothers tend to elaborate on statements of past events?

They have better memories of the events.

Core-knowledge theorists suggest that children develop naïve theories of domains like physics, psychology, and biology, and that these theories bear resemblance to more advanced, formal theories in those areas. Which statement does NOT describe one of those similarities?

They sequence events in terms of the most salient, physical alterations that can be observed.

Which insights is MOST attributed to dynamic-systems theorists?

Thinking would be pointless without motor capabilities.

Bob believes that thought is internalized speech. His view is MOST similar to:

Vygotsky's.

Which example illustrates guided participation?

a parent teaching a child to draw by having the child draw each of the individual lines needed

When Jesse, a small child, sees a black and white spotted animal toy, he calls it a "cow" despite its floppy ears and upturned tail. His mother tells him it is a "dog." He now realizes that ears and tails are more important than color when distinguishing between animals. His new realization is an example of:

accommodation

Core-knowledge theories depict children as _____ learners.

active

In Thelen's study with high-speed video systems infants displayed considerable variability in the:

age at which they began reaching for an object.

Social scaffolding does NOT include:

allowing the child to discover the solution on his or her own.

In which way are dynamic-systems theories similar to Piagetian theory?

an emphasis on children being strongly motivated to learn about the world around them

The inclination to teach emerges:

as early as 1 year of age.

Brad and Tom are studying for their child development exam. Brad claims that basic parts of the information-processing theory include content knowledge, assimilation, strategies, and basic processes. Tom tells Brad that one of these parts is not correct. Which part should Tom identify as NOT correct?

assimilation

Sharon has learned how to press the buttons on the television remote control. She finds the touch-tone phone sitting on the coffee table. She begins pressing the buttons much like she would the remote control buttons. According to Piagetian theory, this is an example of:

assimilation

Piaget is often labeled as a constructivist because he:

believed children construct knowledge in response to their experiences.

When children are in the sensorimotor stage, they are:

between birth and 2 years old and know the world through their senses and actions.

Dynamic-systems theorists believe that:

both physical and mental change are constantly occurring.

Working memory is limited in:

capacity and duration.

Harini's mother is helping her do a jigsaw puzzle by flipping the pieces right side up and allowing Harini to discover their correct placement on her own. Harini's mother is engaging in:

guided participation.

Which type of identification is NOT an element of task analysis?

identification of limited capacity that will inhibit achieving a solution