PSC 140Y midterm 2
An arbitrary decision by early designers of IQ tests that has been maintained ever since gives a score of _____ to children who score exactly at the mean for their age.
100
Izard and her colleagues found that newborn infants matched a visual array of items with the number of syllables they heard in an auditory stream. Which of the following is one way that this finding might be interpreted?
A nonsymbolic understanding of number is innate.
When researchers look at the IQ scores of Black and White children, they find that
Although Black children have a lower IQ on average, some Black children have IQ scores that are at the top of the range.
Which of the following theorists seems to be taking a dynamic systems approach?
Amelia, who believes that emotional development involves cognitive development, nervous system development, and experience with social interactions.
The Carolina Abecedarian Project was a program that provided low-income children with specialized day-care services from 6 months to 5 years old. Which outcome has been shown to be an effect of the program?
As adults, children who attended the specialized day-care had higher IQs than children in the control group.
How does attending school affect intelligence?
Attending school has been shown to increase intelligence scores.
Which of the following is an example of interactions occurring in the zone of proximal development?
Bethany helping her 3-year-old solve a puzzle by rotating the shapes and helping her put them in position.
Research has examined the effect of poverty on intelligence and achievement. Which of the following statements best describe what this research has shown?
Children from wealthier homes tend to score higher on IQ and achievement tests than do children from poorer homes.
Christopher's mother has anxiety and did not complete high school. He has three other environmental risk factors. John has only one environmental risk factor--he is raised by a single mother. It is likely that
Christopher's IQ is significantly below the mean, whereas John's IQ is at or above the mean.
Which of the following is true about dynamic systems theories of development?
Development is a process of constant change.
What kind of lasting effect did the ban have on the development of "Larry P"?
He never received the education he deserved.
Why did the state of California ban the use of IQ tests for Black children?
IQ tests were biased against Black children, misidentifying children has delayed.
How do Core Knowledge theories explain children's understanding of number?
Infants are born with an innate understanding of number.
What is the A not B error?
Infants' tendency to search for objects at location they have previously found an object, rather than where thev have seen it hidden.
Which of the following was an argument made in the lawsuit about the use of the WISC with California school children?
It heavily tests children's acquired knowledge, not general intelligence.
The final stage of cognitive development, according to Piaget, is formal operations. How is thought characterized in this stage?
It is abstract.
In the stage of concrete operations, children realize that operations can be reversed. Which of the following is an example of this understanding?
Jessica's realization that she can put back together the puzzle her brother knocked off the table.
Annie and Joanie work in the same profession, but Joanie's IQ is 30 points higher than is Annie's. Which of the following statements is most likely?
Joanie will likely have more success than Annie at their profession.
A key idea of a sociocultural approach to understanding development is guided participation? Which of the following is the best example of guided participation?
Matthew, who helps his 5-year-old write her name by having her draw the lines to make each letter.
IQ is a strong predictor of academic, economic, and occupational success.
Other factors, such as motivation and conscientiousness, also contribute to success.
Which statement is NOT true about the continuity of IQ scores over differing ages?
Random variation in factors such as the child's alertness and mood on the test days as well as changes in the child's environment have little effect on the continuity of IQ scores.
Robbie watches as his preschool teacher Anna spreads out rocks. She counts out the rocks, showing Robbie that both Robbie and Anna have 6 rocks. She then spreads out the rocks in front of her, so her row is longer. Robbie starts to pout and says "Hey, now you have more than me!" How would Piaget describe Robbie's understanding of number?
Robbie is unable to conserve number.
IQ tests are given to many kids each year in schools place them in programs. What does the "Larry P ban" mean for how IQ tests are used in California?
School psychologists can't give IQ tests to Black children.
Research has shown that the influence of genetics on IQ becomes stronger as children grow older. Which of the following is a possible explanation for this finding?
Some connections in the brain, largely determined by genetic influences, do not form until adolescence.
Why was the way IQ tests were normed a problem for Black children in the US?
The norming was done only with White children.
In Piaget's conservation of number task, an experimenter shows children two rows of objects (such as pennies or candies) and points out that they have the same number of items. As the child watches, the experimenter moves the items in one row. Young children fail this task. How do they react to the experimenter's actions?
They say that the row that is now longer has more items, even though the experimenter has not added or taken away any of the items.
Joyce is 14 years old. Every week-end she sits down and puts her homework assignments in her planner, and identifies time each day that she can practice her trumpet. Joyce is showing what aspect of thinking, according to Piaget?
Think logically about hypothetical situations.
Eleven-year-old Hector was given a test by his school district to measure his intelligence. During the test, he was required to compare words, arrange photos into a story, make patterns from shapes, and solve math problems. Most likely, Hector was administered a well-known test known as the
Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children (WISC).
One key idea from dynamic-systems theories is that
all systems are constantly changing.
In Vygotsky's theory, children's development is facilitated by more knowledgable others. A more knowledgeable other is
anyone--child or adult or even technology--who is more skilled than the child
Vygotsky argued that children are born with elementary mental functions that are used in social interactions. What are these mental functions?
attention, sensation, perception, and memory
Information-processing theorists see children's cognitive growth as
being broadly similar across all domains.
Little Joni is counting blocks. She points to each one and says "One, three, seven, twelve, nine! There are nine!" Which counting principle does this show Joni has?
cardinality
Xavier is a core-knowledge theorist. He believes that
children enter the world with specialized learning mechanisms that allow them to quickly learn about some domains.
In the context of dynamic-systems theory, variation as a mechanism for developmental change refers to the
combination of various systems to achieve a goal.
According to Vygotsky, which of the following are important for cognitive development?
community and language
Four-year-old Janet and her 8-year-old brother Justin are getting a cookie for an afternoon snack. As their mother hands them their cookies, Justin's breaks in two. Janet begins to cry that Justin has more cookies than she has. Justin reassures her that even though his cookie broke in half, he really only has one cookie. According to Piaget, this shows that Justin, but not Janet, has mastered what in his thinking?
conservation.
Lucia studies cognitive development. She believes that all children have some innate, or inborn, knowledge in areas that are evolutionarily important to survival. Lucia's theoretical approach is most similar to theories of cognitive development.
core-knoweldge
According to one prominent theory of cognitive development, children are born with knowledge and processes that help them learn about several key domains that are evolutionarily important. Which theory or theories is characterized by this idea?
core-knowledge theory
Siegler examined the effect of experience on children's developing of counting by giving them experience with two different board games and measuring their counting. From his results, Siegler concluded that
counting abilities are shaped by the kinds of experiences children have with number
Raul does well on tests of memorization, such as state capitals or the names of the U.S. presidents. Raul likely would do on tests of _______________ intelligence.
crystallized
A researcher studying cognitive development argues that we can gain insight into cognitive development by understanding basic actions, such as crawling, walking, reaching, and grasping. This researcher's theory is closest to which theoretical approach?
dynamic systems
Four-year-old Josephina is helping her mother pick out a birthday gift for her cousin, Manuel. Josephina picks up a book that she loves and desperately wants to have. She says "This, mommy. Manuel wants this!" How would Piaget characterize Josephina's thinking about the best gift for Manuel?
egocentric
Dr. Monroe believes that infants are born with general learning mechanisms, such as the ability to perceive, attend, associate, generalize, and remember. He argues that children learn about people and how they act from their massive experience with people. Dr. Monroe is a(n) ________________.
empiricist
Diego believes cats have a certain "catness," dogs have a certain "dogness," and horses have a certain "horseness." What concept is he exhibiting?
essentialism
Alex loves reading. Although his parents are not themselves avid readers, Alex convinces them to read to him extensively and they do so because of his genetically driven interest in reading. This is an example of
evocative effects of genotype-environment interactions.
Nate is good at dealing with novel situations, and he easily finds solutions to problems that arise. It is likely that Nate would score high on tests of _____ intelligence.
fluid
Roger is very good at answering questions that use inferences and understanding relationships between concepts that have not been previously encountered. Roger has a high level of _____ intelligence.
fluid
Despite having a low income, Anna is a responsive parent who provides her children with a safe play area and varied learning materials. Anna's child is likely to have
higher IQ than do other low-income children with less responsive parents.
Perceptual categorization refers to the grouping of objects based on
how similar the items are to one another.
Jamal studies children's memory. He is interested in encoding, or representation in memory of specific features of objects and events. Jamal's theoretical perspective is most like which of the following theories?
information processing
Melanie is a researcher specializing in intelligence. She believes that intelligence is comprised of many "processes" such as attending, associating, and planning, that are used in everyday activities. She does not believe that intelligence is one general "trait" or several "abilities." Melanie's view of intelligence is most consistent with which theoretical approach?
information-processing theory
A researcher observes positive correlations on how a group of children perform on several tasks including remembering lists of numbers, remembering word meanings, and folding pieces of paper to reproduce a design. The fact that children's performance on these different tasks are related has been used to support the idea that
intelligence is a single trait.
The summary measure that is the result of an intelligence test is referred to as a person's
intelligence quotient
Esther Thelen introduced the field of developmental psychology to dynamic systems in her studies of motor development. Specifically, Thelen argued that the emergence of walking
is a function of the development of multiple systems, including motor, physical, balance, and motivation
Piaget argued that cognitive development
is gradual and continuous.
Three-year-old Amit understands that words and gestures are symbols for other things. According to Piaget, this is because Amit's thinking
is symbolic
A pattern of data in which scores fall symmetrically around a mean value, with most scores falling close to the mean and fewer and fewer scores farther from it, is called
normal distribution
Nine-year-old Omar begins to sort a collection of blocks. He puts them in order from smallest to biggest. According to Piaget, this shows that Omar's thought is
logical.
Maya remembers the capitals of all 50 states. When asked, she can recite them. Maya has stored the state capitals in her memory.
long-term
Research has shown that low-SES children's achievement test scores fall over the summer, but high-SES children's scores tend to rise. This may be because
low-SES children tend to have less intellectually stimulating environments in the summer than do high-SES children.
Dr. Jansen believes that humans are born with a "biology module" and that this brain structure or mechanism helps children learn quickly about living things. Dr. Jansen's theoretical position is best described as
nativist
Practical intelligence
predicts occupational success beyond the influence of IQ.
Eight-month-old Sofia is playing a game with her father. Her dad takes her stuffed bunny and hides it underneath a blanket. Sofia squeals and reaches out and pulls the blanket off the bunny, and grabs the toy. According to Piaget, this shows Sofia is developing
object permanence.
Four-year-old Monique holds a frisbee on her lap and pretends to eat from it. This is an example of
object substitution
Two-year-old Alejandra holds a shoe up to her ear, talking into it as if it is a telephone. This is an example of
object substitution
Studies of children who participated in early-intervention programs have found that
participants were more likely to graduate from hight school than non-participants.
Information-processing theorists have used board games to improve the numerical abilities of children. They used Chutes and Ladders and a board game they created that was similar to Chutes and Ladders. They found that
playing numerical board games can help improve young children's numerical knowledge.
The income gap between rich and poor in a country is related to the size of the difference in intellectual achievement between children from poor and rich homes. For example, in the United States, with a large income gap between rich and poor, the difference between intellectual achievement from rich and poor homes is much larger than in countries, such Scandinavian countries, with less of an income gap such as the Scandinavian countries. This example shows
poverty and IQ are related
There are a set of skills that are useful in everyday life but are not measured by traditional intelligence tests. These include abilities such as such as reading other people's emotions and intentions. These are called
practical intellignece
According to Linda Smith and Esther Thelen, infants make the A not B error in part because
repeating finding objects at location A creates a habit.
Sally has very high general intelligence; thus, research suggests she also is likely to have very high
school grades
The ability to inhibit actions, follow rules, and avoid impulsive reactions is referred to as
self-discipline
One idea in dynamic systems theory is "Soft assembly". This is a term that is used to refer to
self-organization of components that change from moment to moment
Linda Smith argued that infants' attention is important for the A not B error. In support of this conclusion, Smith found that
she could get infants to make the error with just tapping the A and B locations.
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
social scaffolding
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
Which theory(ies) emphasize(s) that children's development is a product of their surrounding culture and interactions with other people?
sociocultural theories
Simone and her sister are galloping through their living room, acting out a conflict as if they are characters from a popular television show. Simone and her sister are engaging in
sociodramatic play
For dynamic systems theories, development is described in terms of interactions among systems. Systems are
something that has several components.
One of the key achievements of the sensorimotor period is the understanding of object permanence. This refers to
the infants' understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight.
Two-and-a-half-year-old Danielle understands that dogs are animals but does not understand that beagle, and poodles, and labs are different kinds of dog. Danielle is having trouble with the _____ level of this category.
subordinate
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 thought
Three-year-old Johnny pretends that his hat is a space helmet, he has an imaginary friend, and he draws pictures of the objects and people around him. Johnny's thought is
symbolic.
Three-year-old Joey is being tested in an experiment. He is shown a jar of Play-Doh and is asked what is inside. He says "Play-Doh". The experimenter then opens the jar and shows Joey that it is actually filled with pennies. The experimenter asks Joey what his mother will think is in the jar when she comes into the room, and Joey says "pennies." This shows that Joey does not yet understand ___________________.
that people can have false beliefs.
One problem with the questions on the WISC is that
the "correct" answer often reflects a specific cultural perspective and experience.
According to Piaget, operational thought is important for the development of numerical understanding. What is the important characteristic of operational thought?
the ability to manipulate thoughts.
Which ability BEST defines fluid intelligence?
the ability to think on the spot to solve novel problems
Vygotsky's zone of proximal development is
the difference between what children can do alone and what they can do with help.
As children learn to count, they often count wrong. For example, they don't immediately understand order irrelevance. This refers to the fact that
the order in which you count the to-be-counted items does not matter.
According to developmental systems theories, things like learning to walk, saying your first word, or learning to read reflect
the self-organization of the system as the components develop.
Piaget argued that infants make the A not B error because
their conceptual understanding of object permanence is incomplete
According to dynamic systems theorists, infants' search for hidden obiects reflects
their perceptual, attentional, motor, and motor systems.
For Piaget, infants do not have object permanence because
they are unable to represent the world symbolically.
Angelina is playing with her toys. As she plays, she chatters out loud to herself describing all her actions. According to Vygotsky, Angelina is
thinking out loud.
What is numerical equality?
understanding that all sets of the same number have something in common
According to Piaget, development involves progressing along a series of stages. The first stage, the sensorimotor stage, is characterized by
understanding the world through the senses and actions.
Which of the following is the BEST example of a superordinate-level concept?
vehicles
Rashida can solve 20 piece puzzles. Her mother sits and helps her solve a 50 piece puzzle. With her mother's help, Rashida can solve the 50-piece puzzle. The 50-piece puzzle is in Rashida's
zone of proximal development.