Deck 7: Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood

Question 1

From ages 2 through 6, the average child grows ____ inches taller.

A) 1 to 2
B) 2 to 3
C) 4 to 5
D) 6 to 7

Answer 1

2 to 3

Question 2

In 2013, about ____ percent of American households were categorized as food insecure.

A) 5
B) 9
C) 14
D) 36

Answer 2

14

Question 3

Darrius can button his shirt, pour juice into a glass, and draw pictures with crayons. These abilities are called ______.

A) fine motor skills
B) gross motor skills
C) hemispheric dominance.
D) lateralization

Answer 3

fine motor skills

Question 4

Most children in developed nations:

A) do not eat enough calories for healthy development.
B) eat enough calories but often do not get enough vitamins or minerals.
C) get enough vitamins and minerals but often do not eat enough calories.
D) suffer from mild to moderate malnutrition.

Question 5

The average North American 5 year old can:

A) write in cursive.
B) swim without support.
C) catch a ball.
D) skate.

Question 6

At age 2, the brain reaches ____ percent of its adult weight.

A) 30
B) 50
C) 75
D) 90

Question 7

Brandon just turned 3. His parents want to know how much weight Brandon should gain in the next few years. Brandon's pediatrician will explain that between the ages of 2 and 6, the average child gains nearly ____ pounds in weight each year.

A) 2
B) 5
C) 7
D) 10

Question 8

Ajee, who was adopted from Kenya at the age of 6, experienced chronic malnutrition from birth until the time of her adoption. Ajee is at-risk for:

A) severe hearing and vision problems.
B) early pubertal maturation.
C) cognitive deficits.
D) autism.

Question 9

Physical changes combine with gains in ______ to support advances in preschoolers' gross motor skills.

A) coordination
B) abstract thinking
C) fine motor development
D) planning

Question 10

____ and ____ are examples of gross motor skills.

A) Walking; talking
B) Writing; feeding oneself
C) Running; jumping
D) Crawling; building a block tower

Question 11

Many fine motor skills are difficult for young children because:

A) preschoolers are not motivated to try these skills independently.
B) they involve both hands and both sides of the brain.
C) preschoolers' brains are strongly lateralized.
D) parents often fail to provide opportunities to practice these skills.

Question 12

Between the ages of 2 and 6, children's appetite tends to:

A) increase.
B) stabilize.
C) become more adult-like.
D) decline.

Question 13

Hannah, age 5, lives in a low-income neighborhood. Which of the following statements about Hannah's gross motor development is true?

A) Even if Hannah is unable to play outdoors, the effects on her gross motor development will be temporary.
B) Hannah is at risk for poor gross motor skills.
C) Gross motor skills unfold naturally, requiring little support or practice.
D) Hannah likely has difficulty with walking and coordination, which will require intervention.

Question 14

______ are chemicals that are produced and secreted into the bloodstream by glands.

A) Neurons
B) Lipids
C) Hormones
D) Gonads

Question 15

Children's height and rate of growth is closely related to:

A) the amount of protein they consume in the first two years of life.
B) their length and weight at birth.
C) that of their siblings.
D) that of their parents.

Question 16

Research indicates that picky eating:

A) may be a relatively stable individual trait.
B) increases gradually in early childhood, peaking in adolescence.
C) is unusual for young children.
D) is a learned behavior.

Question 17

According to research on ethnic differences in patterns of growth, which of the following children is likely to be the tallest?

A) Gregor, who is from Germany
B) Dante, who is from the United States
C) Tristan, who is from African descent
D) Lyn, who is from China

Question 18

Shelly often serves her young children cereal for breakfast. What should Shelly know about cereals marketed to children?

A) Most are high in fat and calories.
B) Over two thirds do not meet U.S. nutrition standards for food served in schools.
C) They have greater nutritional value than cereals marketed to adults.
D) Most lack important vitamins and minerals.

Question 19

_______ is secreted from birth and influences growth of nearly all parts of the body.

A) Growth hormone
B) Pitocin
C) Estrogen
D) Testosterone

Question 20

Which of the following is not a common dietary deficiency of the preschool years?

A) Vitamin D
B) Vitamin A
C) Vitamin B
D) Vitamin E

Question 21

Mr. Evans is a brain-based educator. When directing his lessons to the right hemisphere, he will have his students:

A) give oral presentations to the class.
B) create visual representations of concepts.
C) engage in reading and writing.
D) engage in hands-on science activities.

Question 22

About ____ percent of people in Western countries are right-handed.

A) 25
B) 50
C) 80
D) 90

Question 23

The human brain's ability to change its organization and function in response to experience throughout the life span is known as ________.

A) plasticity
B) lateralization
C) pruning
D) adaptation

Question 24

_____ is the inability to take another person's point of view.

A) Animism
B) Centration
C) Irreversibility
D) Egocentrism

Question 25

One of the key features of the preoperational stage is children's ability to use:

A) symbolic thinking.
B) abstract thinking.
C) reflexive schemes.
D) complex memory strategies.

Question 26

Among right-handed people, the left hemisphere:

A) controls the left side of the body.
B) controls strong emotions, such as anger and disgust.
C) plays an important role in language.
D) is less strongly lateralized than the right hemisphere.

Question 27

One criticism of brain-based education is that it:

A) underscores the importance of experience.
B) fails to address plasticity.
C) oversimplifies complex theories and research.
D) fails to explain hemispheric dominance.

Question 28

A positive aspect of brain-based education is that it:

A) emphasizes rote and drill instruction.
B) is strongly supported by neurological research.
C) focuses on structural changes within the brain.
D) emphasizes active learning.

Question 29

At what age does a child's brain reach 90 percent of its adult weight?

A) 2
B) 5
C) 7
D) 9

Question 30

Which of the following accurately describes what happens to unused synapses in the brain?

A) Unused synapses continue to function throughout the life span.
B) Unused synapses are pruned and neurons are reserved for future use.
C) Unused synapses eventually die, leading to disorders such as dementia.
D) Unused synapses are used by the corpus callosum, leading to gains in gross motor skills.

Question 31

The ________ is a collection of 250 to 800 million neural fibers that connect the left and right hemispheres of the brain, permitting them to communicate and coordinate processing.

A) cerebellum
B) cerebral cortex
C) hippocampus
D) corpus callosum

Question 32

Mrs. Lopez is a brain-based educator. When directing her lessons to the left hemisphere, she will have her students:

A) give oral presentations to the class.
B) create visual representations of concepts.
C) engage in reading and writing.
D) engage in hands-on science activities.

Question 33

Research on brain development indicates that most people experience:

A) limited plasticity.
B) right hemispheric dominance.
C) weak lateralization.
D) hemispheric dominance.

Question 34

When 3-year-old Aaron takes his sister's doll away, she begins to cry. After being scolded by his father, Aaron insists that he didn't do anything to make his sister cry. Aaron's inability to understand why his sister is upset is an example of _____.

A) egocentrism
B) animism
C) centration
D) metacognition

Question 35

According to brain-based educators, the brain:

A) changes with experience and is plastic.
B) is most malleable in infancy and toddlerhood.
C) is strongly lateralized before birth.
D) changes very little after the elementary school years.

Question 36

The first areas of the brain to myelinate govern:

A) abstract thinking.
B) sensory and motor functions.
C) language functions.
D) complex problem solving.

Question 37

_____ refers to the process of the hemispheres of the brain becoming specialized to carry out different functions.

A) Plasticity
B) Myelination
C) Hemispheric dominance
D) Lateralization

Question 38

Danica is capable of preoperational reasoning. According to Piaget's cognitive developmental perspective, Danica is between the ages of ___ and ___.

A) 1; 4
B) 2; 6
C) 4; 8
D) 7; 10

Question 39

Less than 1 percent of adults in Tanzania are left-handed because:

A) their brains begin to lateralize in infancy and toddlerhood.
B) the majority of the population demonstrates weak hemispheric dominance.
C) left-handed children are often physically restrained and punished.
D) there are more right-handed than left-handed parents.

Question 40

In early childhood, the ________ grows and myelinates, enabling the child to execute large and fine motor activities, such as catching a ball or tying shoelaces.

A) cerebellum
B) cerebral cortex
C) hippocampus
D) corpus callosum

Question 41

Effective scaffolding works within __________, the gap between the child's competence level, what he can do alone, and what he can do with assistance.

A) the zone of proximal development
B) child-centered instruction
C) an inclusive setting
D) guided imagery

Question 42

While vacuuming the playroom, Jackson's mother set his train track on a table. Seeing that the track had been moved, Jackson became upset and complained that his track was ruined. After Jackson's mother returned the track to the floor, Jackson continued to fuss, arguing that his trains would no longer work on the track. Jackson's inability to understand that moving the track from the table to the floor restored it to the original state is an example of _______.

A) egocentrism
B) animism
C) false belief
D) irreversibility

Question 43

Preoperational children's irreversible thinking is illustrated by ______ tasks.

A) appearance-reality
B) conservation
C) sorting
D) false belief

Question 44

Upon hearing a loud burst of thunder, 5-year-old DeShaun exclaims, "The sky is mad and is yelling!" DeShaun's statement is an example of _______.

A) egocentrism
B) animism
C) centration
D) metacognition

Question 45

Piaget's tests of preoperational thinking _______ young children's cognitive abilities.

A) overestimated
B) underestimated
C) disregarded
D) exaggerated

Question 46

According to Vygotsky's sociocultural theory, much of children's learning comes from:

A) working along.
B) collaborating with others.
C) brain maturation.
D) trial and error.

Question 47

While working on a puzzle with his 3-year-old daughter, Jon demonstrates how to put the outside pieces of the puzzle together first, followed by matching up the puzzle shapes and colors. After his daughter observes for a bit, she begins to pick up pieces and tries to match them together. When she appears confused or looks to her father, Jon points to where the piece should go. Jon's modeling and support illustrate Vygotsky's concept of ________.

A) guided imagery
B) metacognition
C) scaffolding
D) cultural transmission

Question 48

One reason that young children fail appearance-reality tasks is because they are:

A) egocentric.
B) not yet capable of dual encoding.
C) unaware of what is real and what is make-believe.
D) concrete thinkers.

Question 49

When 4-year-old Savannah's grandmother puts a pair of pants on a doll, Savannah shouts, "Baby needs a dress! Pants are for boys!" Savannah's comment is an example of ________.

A) egocentrism
B) animism
C) centration
D) metacognition

Question 50

During the second year of life, children's drawings appear as:

A) inanimate objects.
B) human forms.
C) scribbles.
D) letters and shapes.

Question 51

The upper limit of the zone of proximal development is what the child can accomplish ______.

A) independently
B) with a skilled partner
C) in a specified time limit
D) at home versus school

Question 52

Between the ages of 4 and 5, children's drawings reflect the convergence of:

A) gross and fine motor skills.
B) metacogniton and self-control.
C) egocentrism and centration.
D) fine motor skills and cognitive development.

Question 53

Piaget used the classic _______ task to assess preoperational children's egocentrism.

A) sorting
B) conservation
C) three mountains
D) appearance-reality

Question 54

When asked to draw a picture of daddy, 3-year-old Benny will likely draw a:

A) head, neck, torso, and extremities.
B) tadpole-like figure.
C) rectangle with legs.
D) small version of his father.

Question 55

_______ is a form of sensitive teaching in which the partner is attuned to the needs of the child and helps him or her to accomplish more than the child could do alone.

A) Guided participation
B) The zone of proximal development
C) Brain-based education
D) Active learning

Question 56

When presented with conservation tasks, young children center on the ______ of an object without realizing that the process can be reversed.

A) image
B) appearance
C) abstract nature
D) function

Question 57

Follow-up research on Piagetian preoperational stage indicates that young children:

A) can be taught to conserve.
B) are more egocentric than Piaget believed.
C) are capable of abstract thinking.
D) can solve conservation tasks as early as age 2.

Question 58

Follow-up research on Piaget's preoperational stage indicates that most 4-year-olds understand:

A) abstract concepts.
B) mental strategies.
C) that language can be used to solve problems.
D) that inanimate objects are not alive.

Question 59

______ refers to the tendency to focus on one part of a stimulus or situation and exclude all others.

A) Egocentrism
B) Animism
C) Centration
D) Irreversibility

Question 60

The appearance-reality task is used to assess _________.

A) egocentrism
B) animism
C) centration
D) metacognition

Question 61

When asked about her bedtime routine, 4-year-old Zoe says, "I put on my jammies, we brush teeth, and then read a book." Zoe's description is an example of ______.

A) recognition memory
B) scripts
C) metacognition
D) autobiographical memory

Question 62

Most people have no memories prior to age 3. This phenomenon is known as ________.

A) déjà vu
B) false belief
C) memory blocking
D) infantile amnesia

Question 63

Which of the following may increase suggestibility in children?

A) Repeating questions
B) Asking open-ended questions
C) Using simplified language
D) Avoiding false statements

Question 64

Maternal reading, scaffolding, and verbal guidance are associated with 2- to 4-year-olds' capacity for:

A) egocentrism.
B) guided participation.
C) solving conservation tasks.
D) cognitive control and planning.

Question 65

_____ memory refers to memory for events and information acquired during those events.

A) Recognition
B) Recall
C) Episodic
D) Working

Question 66

Following winter break, Ms. Young asks her preschool class what they did over the holidays. Ms. Young is assessing her students':

A) episodic memory.
B) recognition memory.
C) memory strategies.
D) forgetfulness.

Question 67

____ memory is the ability to generate a memory of a stimulus encountered before without seeing it again.

A) Episodic
B) Recognition
C) Recall
D) Autobiographical

Question 68

_____ are descriptions of what occurs in a particular situation.

A) Memory strategies
B) Autobiographical memories
C) Stories
D) Scripts

Question 69

Research on children's suggestibility indicates that:

A) older children are more vulnerable than younger children to the effects of repeated questioning.
B) although children are more vulnerable than adults, even 4-year-olds can resist false suggestions.
C) repeated questioning helps young children accurately recall traumatic events.
D) nearly all preschool-age children are unable to resist false suggestions about child abuse.

Question 70

Parents who use a(n) _______ conversational style have 3-year-olds who engage in longer conversations about events, remember more details, and tend to remember the events better at age 5.

A) directive
B) authoritarian
C) elaborative
D) abstract

Question 71

When he engages in planning behavior, 4-year-old Cario is likely to:

A) make a list to follow.
B) follow multi-step directions.
C) skip important steps.
D) forget all of the steps.

Question 72

The ability to recognize a stimulus one has encountered before is called _____ memory.

A) episodic
B) recognition
C) recall
D) autobiographical

Question 73

_____ are cognitive activities that make us more likely to remember.

A) Scripts
B) Recognition and recall
C) Assimilation and accommodation
D) Memory strategies

Question 74

_____ memory refers to memory of personally meaningful events that took place at a specific time and place.

A) Autobiographical
B) Recognition
C) Working
D) Short-term

Question 75

Children start to apply memory strategies consistently in:

A) preschool.
B) elementary school.
C) middle childhood.
D) adolescence.

Question 76

Howie, age 4, will be able to recall _____ items.

A) two
B) three or four
C) seven
D) eight or nine

Question 77

Scripts help children:

A) expand their long-term memory.
B) predict what to expect in the future.
C) sustain their attention.
D) recall events in the first two years of life.

Question 78

According to research on autobiographical memory, which of the following situations is a 3-year-old likely to remember long after the event occurred?

A) Going for a 12-hour car ride
B) Falling off the monkey bars and getting stitches
C) His parents disagreeing over where to put the new couch
D) Spilling milk on the floor

Question 79

When asked to recall a list of 10 items, 4-year-old Chase:

A) is unlikely to use memory strategies.
B) will rely on scripting to remember the items.
C) will recall 7 or 8 items.
D) is likely to use effective memory strategies.

Question 80

_____ refers to children's awareness of their own and other people's mental processes.

A) False belief
B) Suggestibility
C) Internalization
D) Theory of mind