Deck 2: The Development of Cognitive, Learning, and Language Skills

Question 1

Any relatively permanent change in thought or behavior that occurs as a result of experience is called:

A) canalization
B) fixation
C) maturation
D) learning

Answer 1

learning

Question 2

Piaget's theory is based on the premise of

A) the child as an explorer.
B) the child passively understanding the world.
C) the child as a scientist.
D) the child's domain-specific development.

Answer 2

the child as a scientist.

Question 3

Upon what are most of the differences in various cognitive theories based?

A) how theorists thought about the key concepts
B) the time period the theorist lived in
C) ideas about canalization
D) the knowledge base of the theorist as a teacher

Answer 3

how theorists thought about the key concepts

Question 4

Mental patterns of organization that influence our ways of dealing with the world.

A) cognitive abilities
B) mental structures
C) cognitive structures
D) continuous structures

Question 5

Ms. McCarthy is concerned about one of her students, Kelly. Kelly is doing well in her academic subjects in school, but she can't seem to relate to her peers in an appropriate manner. Ms. McCarthy will be better able to help Kelly if she realizes:

A) social skills are weakly canalized abilities
B) social skills are highly canalized abilities
C) Kelly has a learning disability
D) that there is nothing she can do to influence social skill behaviors

Question 6

Coach Daniels teaches the skill of throwing a ball first. Then he teaches catching skills. Finally, he teaches his little league baseball players how to hit the ball. Which type of theorist does Coach Daniels most resemble?

A) domain-specific
B) domain-general
C) cognitive-developmental
D) continuous development

Question 7

Why is it important for teachers to understand the difference between learning and maturation?

A) Memorizing definitions like these help to build the confidence needed to become a good teacher.
B) It is not important for teachers to understand the difference between learning and maturation.
C) Knowing what almost all children of a certain age can be expected to do helps with planning appropriate lessons.
D) Understanding the difference between learning and maturation makes a novice teacher become an expert teacher.

Question 8

According to Piaget, this is the main mechanism by which cognitive development occurs.

A) equilibration
B) accommodation
C) assimilation
D) canalization

Question 9

Any relatively permanent change occurring due to biological aging, regardless of personal experience is called:

A) learning
B) maturation
C) canalization
D) fixation

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT one of the three key concepts that describe specific mechanisms of Piaget's cognitive theory?

A) accommodation
B) equilibration
C) canalization
D) assimilation

Question 11

Equilibration can be achieved by which of the two following processes?

A) assimilation and canalization
B) canalization and accommodation
C) assimilation and accommodation
D) accommodation and schematization

Question 12

Three-year-old Rodney is playing with the neighbor's pet. Rodney is surprised when his mother uses the word "cat" to describe the pet he thought was a dog. Piaget would say that Rodney is experiencing

A) equilibration.
B) disequilibrium.
C) assimilation.
D) accommodation.

Question 13

Ms. Coleman is an elementary school teacher who sees her student, Danique, struggling in math. Ms. Coleman expects a sudden burst in Danique's ability to understand the math concepts. Ms. Coleman is most like which theorist?

A) Freud
B) Piaget
C) Carlin
D) Vygotsky

Question 14

Which of the following is NOT a major assumption of stage theory about development?

A) Behavior unfolds in a one-directional, invariable sequence.
B) Cognitive abilities are gradually acquired, in increments.
C) Each stage is associated with a qualitatively distinct set of cognitive structures.
D) Later stages build on earlier stages.

Question 15

This concept refers to the extent to which a behavior or an underlying ability develops without respect to the environment.

A) fixation
B) learning
C) canalization
D) maturation

Question 16

If development occurs at different rates in different areas, then which developmental theory is most correct?

A) domain-specific
B) domain-general
C) cognitive-developmental
D) continuous development

Question 17

Which of the following describes theories that assume cognitive abilities are acquired gradually, with each new accomplishment building directly on those that came before it?

A) Piaget's cognitive stage theory
B) domain-general cognitive development theory
C)domain-specific cognitive development theory
D) continuous development theories

Question 18

If development occurs more or less simultaneously in multiple areas, then which developmental theory is most correct?

A) domain-specific
B) domain-general
C) cognitive-developmental
D) stagelike development

Question 19

The temporary difference in levels of performance that a child shows between various cognitive domains or activities within a given stage of development.

A) object permanence
B) problem finding
C) reversible thinking
D) horizontal décalage

Question 20

The changes in mental skills that occur through increasing maturity and experience.

A) learning
B) maturation
C) canalization development
D) cognitive development

Question 21

Nikki sees a Dalmatian for the first time, and realizes it is a dog. Which cognitive mechanism would Piaget say Nikki is using?

A) equilibration
B) disequilibration
C) accommodation
D) assimilation

Question 22

A four-month old is gazing at a toy. When you hide the toy behind your back, the infant acts as though the toy never existed. The four-month old has yet to grasp which of the following concepts?

A) accommodation
B) assimilation
C) canalization
D) object permanence

Question 23

Once a concrete operational child can mentally reverse a physical operation, they are said to have thinking that is

A) conserved.
B) reversible.
C) egocentric.
D) internalized.

Question 24

This stage is primarily characterized by the development of simple input and simple output functions.

A) preoperational
B) concrete sensory
C) sensorimotor
D) concrete operational

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT one of the criticisms of Piaget's theory?

A) the limitations of the stagelike nature of development
B) questions regarding the ages at which children can first perform various kinds of tasks
C) questions regarding the nature of reversibility in concrete operations
D) doubts whether all adults ever become fully formal operational

Question 26

The recognition that even when the physical appearance of something changes, its underlying quantity remains the same.

A) egocentrism
B) accommodation
C) equilibration
D) conservation

Question 27

We can expect that sometime between 18 and 24 months, Davie will be able to call to mind a favorite toy whether it is visible to him or not. What is this accomplishment of the sensorimotor stage?

A) accommodation
B) assimilation
C) representational thought
D) object permanence

Question 28

Michael is one-year old. Piaget would expect Michael to be in which of the four stages of cognitive development?

A) sensorimotor
B) preoperational
C) concrete operational
D) concrete sensory

Question 29

These cognitive frameworks provide a way to understand and organize new knowledge.

A) critical periods
B) schemas
C) language acquisition devices
D) scaffolds

Question 30

During this cognitive stage of development, children begin to use words as symbols for objects.

A) formal operational
B) concrete operational
C) sensorimotor
D) preoperational

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT one of Piaget's proposed four stages of cognitive development?

A) preoperational
B) concrete sensory
C) formal operational
D) concrete operational

Question 32

Kayla sees a dolphin on television. At first she thinks it's a fish because it is swimming in the ocean. Then she sees that it must come to the surface to breathe. Kayla begins to form a new schema representing this new information. Which cognitive mechanism would Piaget say Kayla is using?

A) accommodation
B) disequilibration
C) assimilation
D) equilibration

Question 33

Jordan's science teacher tells him that some unknown subset of four colored chemicals will be clear when combined. Jordan systematically goes through all possible subsets to find the one that produces the solution that is clear in color. Which Piagetian stage does this represent?

A) sensorimotor
B) formal operational
C) concrete operational
D) preoperational

Question 34

During this Piagetian stage, children become able to manipulate mentally the internal representations they started to form in the previous stage.

A) formal operational
B) concrete operational
C) sensorimotor
D) preoperational

Question 35

Which of the following is NOT a neo-Piagetian approach?

A) proposal of alternative sets of stages
B) proposal of horizontal décalage, the temporary difference in levels of performance
C) proposal of one or more stages beyond the original four
D) proposal of a distinction between optimal and typical levels of performance

Question 36

Which of the following is the correct order of dialectical thinking?

A) antithesis-synthesis-thesis
B) antithesis-thesis-synthesis
C) thesis-antithesis-synthesis
D) synthesis-thesis-antithesis

Question 37

Individuals in this Piagetian stage can think about the reversibility of abstract ideas such as freedom (granting it and taking it away).

A) formal operational
B) concrete operational
C) sensorimotor
D) preoperational

Question 38

Marva is given two equal balls of clay. She rolls out one of the balls of clay into a long snake. Marva recognizes the long snake of clay still contains the same amount of clay as the ball of clay because she has acquired the skill of

A) conservation of mass.
B) conservation of number.
C) conservation of liquid.
D) conservation of length.

Question 39

This group of psychologists and educators has built on Piaget's theory while disowning the parts of the theory that have not held up to close scrutiny.

A) Vygotskians
B) Freudians
C) information-processing theorists
D) neo-Piagetians

Question 40

Martha doesn't understand that when someone else looks at her doll from a different point of view they see the doll differently. How would Piaget describe Martha's communication style?

A) egocentric
B) overregularized
C) underregularized
D) mediated

Question 41

This concept from Vygotsky is defined as "competent assistance or support, usually provided through mediation of the environment by a parent or teacher, in which cognitive, socioemotional, and behavior development can occur.

A) direct instruction
B) mediated learning
C) scaffolding
D) internalization

Question 42

When Roger was a sophomore in college, he began to realize that most real-life problems do not have a unique solution that is fully correct while other solutions are incorrect. Some neo-Piagetians would say that Roger has reached this stage of thinking.

A) formal operational
B) schematic
C) scaffolding
D) dialectical

Question 43

Annette takes her son, Henry, to the museum. As he shows interest, Annette uses the opportunity to explain what the exhibits mean. Annette is using which instructional method?

A) dialectical
B) internalization
C) direct instruction
D) mediated learning

Question 44

Erroneous strategies children consistently use when they add, subtract, multiply, or divide.

A) buggy algorithms
B) buggy comprehension
C) buggy strategies
D) buggy answers

Question 45

In the 1950s and 1960s, grouping in the classroom was widely practiced. Then came a period in which grouping was always wrong and an injustice. Today, many educators believe that grouping can be helpful if it is used selectively and in limited and flexible ways. This is an example of what type of thinking?

A) schematic
B) dialectical
C) scaffolding
D) formal operational

Question 46

Ms. Casey stands up in front of the class and says, "Today we will be learning about the United States election system." Ms. Casey is using which instructional method?

A) direct instruction
B) mediated learning
C) scaffolding
D) dialectical

Question 47

Mariah is taking a test where the examiner gives her a series of hints until she reaches the correct answer. The examiner is using

A) static assessment.
B) static scaffolding.
C) dynamic assessment.
D) dynamic scaffolding.

Question 48

The process by which we take in new information and make sense of the world.

A) verbal skills
B) combination
C) performance skills
D) encoding

Question 49

What is the "American Problem" as noted in your text?

A) the desire to hurry along the child's development
B) the permissiveness used in raising children
C) creating negative self-fulfilling prophecies
D) underestimating the ages children can do things

Question 50

Which of the following is NOT a line of evidence demonstrating the importance of scaffolding for cognitive development?

A) Cognitive, socioemotional, and behavioral scaffolding adequate for a child's development are significantly associated with subsequent outcomes of cognitive development.
B) Scaffolding is a crucial part in planning intervention.
C) Studies of the long-term effects of intervention indicate that without adequate duration of a program and without adequate scaffolding after the program, cognitive gains tend to disappear.
D) Scaffolding has been shown to be paramount in developing schematic internalizations.

Question 51

Which of the following is NOT one of Vygotsky's three particularly important ideas about cognitive development?

A) internalization
B) schemas
C) zone of proximal development
D) scaffolding

Question 52

Benjamin is taking a test where he is given problems to solve with no feedback about his performance. Benjamin is in which type of testing situation?

A) static assessment
B) static scaffolding
C) dynamic assessment
D) dynamic scaffolding

Question 53

A possible fifth stage of cognitive development that is concerned with how well a person recognizes which problems are worth solving more so than how well they solve problems.

A) synthesis
B) dialectical thinking
C) problem finding
D) postformal operations

Question 54

According to this theorist, cognitive development is largely from the outside, inward.

A) Vygotsky
B) Freud
C) Carlin
D) Piaget

Question 55

Which of the following is NOT one of the three key domains that have been studied extensively by the information processing theorists?

A) verbal skills
B) memory
C) performance skills
D) quantitative skills

Question 56

Piaget: 1960s and 1970s; Vygotsky:

A) 1940s and 1950s
B) 1920s and 1930s
C) 1930s and 1940s
D) 1980s and 1990s

Question 57

The range between a child's level of independent performance and the level of performance a child can reach with expert guidance.

A) internalization
B) assimilation
C) scaffolding
D) zone of proximal development

Question 58

Emily loves to read stories, and she has a great ability to understand written and spoken material. Emily performs well in this information-processing domain.

A) verbal comprehension
B) quantitative skills
C) memory skills
D) verbal assessment

Question 59

The absorption, or taking in, of knowledge from the social contexts in which it is observed, so that one can use it for oneself.

A) internalization
B) assimilation
C) scaffolding
D) zone of proximal development

Question 60

Based on Vygotsky's theory, which of the following statements is NOT one of the three key implications for instruction and assessment?

A) Teach children in a way that reflects their nature as natural-born scientists.
B) Children almost never operate at the peak of their capacity.
C) Language and thought are intimately and inextricably related.
D) Children learn by internalizing external dialogue.

Question 61

The earliest postnatal step in language acquisition.

A) babbling
B) cooing
C) telegraphic speech
D) underextension

Question 62

A highly canalized ability develops only with a supportive environment.

Question 63

The innate predisposition or ability to acquire language expertise.

A) domain-specific device
B) language acquisition device
C) domain-general device
D) language assessment device

Question 64

If children are preprogrammed to learn language, then there is probably a ____________________ for developing language.

A) schema
B) language assessment device
C) critical period
D) hypothesis test

Question 65

Juanita just moved to the United States from Mexico. She is now attending school where the teachers are using her first language, Spanish, to build her English vocabulary.

A) multiplied bilingualism
B) subtractive bilingualism
C) divided bilingualism
D) additive bilingualism

Question 66

The structure of our language shapes our thought processes.

A) linguistic determinism
B) horizontal décalage
C) linguistic relativity
D) representational thought

Question 67

Amy calls all four-legged animals "dog." This is an example of:

A) underextension error
B) overregularization
C) overextension error
D) telegraphic speech

Question 68

The behavioral theory of language acquisition emphasizes which of the following?

A) nurture
B) nature
C) language acquisition device
D) linguistic determinism

Question 69

The domain distinction has very little relevance to expert teachers.

Question 70

Vygotsky proposed what is still considered the most influential single theory of cognitive development that has been offered.

Question 71

In continuous views of development, development is seen as being established largely by nonenvironmental forces.

Question 72

Piaget is to ________ as Vygotsky is to ________.

A) continuous; discrete
B) learning; maturation
C) domain-specific; domain-general
D) maturation; learning

Question 73

Weakly canalized abilities, including many academic and interpersonal skills, develop only with respect to the environment.

Question 74

Which of the following stage theorists/theories assume children will reach cognitive milestones when they become cognitively mature enough to do so.

A) information processing
B) Vygotsky
C) Piaget
D) sociocultural

Question 75

A child is unlikely to get an A in reading and an F in English, an example of domain-general development.

Question 76

Learning is any relatively permanent change in thought or behavior that occurs as a result of experience.

Question 77

Piaget's theory is largely domain general.

Question 78

A frequently used metaphor for stagelike development is climbing a staircase.

Question 79

In the pet store, Jamie said to her mother, "Those mouses are so cute!" This is an example of which of the following?

A) underextension error
B) telegraphic speech
C) overextension error
D) overregularization

Question 80

A memory strategy in which a person, either mentally or aloud, recites information over and over again in order to remember it.

A) recitation
B) rehearsal
C) internalization
D) canalization