Deck 5: Cognitive Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood

Question 1

Ten-month-old Hannah is shown a toy sheep, and then it is hidden under a blanket. Which statement is true?

A) Hannah can find the toy sheep by coordinating two schemes-"pushing" aside the blanket and "grasping" the sheep.
B) Deliberately retrieving the toy sheep is an example of a secondary circular reaction.
C) Deliberately retrieving the toy sheep is an example of a primary circular reaction.
D) Hannah will not be able to retrieve the toy sheep until she is in Substage 5 of Piaget's sensorimotor period.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Apart from direct contact with the environment, schemes also change through __________.

A) organization
B) circular motion
C) deferred imitation
D) heredity

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Through the secondary circular reaction, babies __________.

A) repeat chance behaviors largely motivated by basic needs
B) repeat behaviors with variation, deliberately exploring the environment
C) suck, grasp, and look in much the same way, no matter what experiences they encounter
D) repeat interesting events in the surrounding environment that are caused by their own actions

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Baby Olivia dropped her rattle. Later, she let go of her teething ring and watched with interest. When Olivia dropped objects, she was __________ them to her sensorimotor dropping scheme.

A) accommodating
B) equalizing
C) organizing
D) assimilating

Question 5

Piaget based the substages of sensorimotor development on __________.

A) interviews with parents and children
B) observations of a large sample of young children
C) observations of his own three children
D) field experiments with toddlers and preschoolers

Question 6

In Piaget's Substage __________, 8- to 12-month-olds can engage in intentional, or goal-directed, behavior.

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 7

According to Piaget, adaptation involves __________.

A) creating new schemes
B) using our current schemes to interpret the external world
C) building schemes through direct interaction with the environment
D) adjusting old schemes after noticing that our current ways of thinking are not working

Question 8

Piaget believed that infants and toddlers __________.

A) carry out many activities inside their heads
B) "think" with their eyes, ears, and hands
C) assimilate more than they accommodate
D) are incapable of constructing schemes

Question 9

Piaget's __________ stage is the most complex period of development.

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

Question 10

When children are not changing much cognitively, they __________ more than they __________.

A) accommodate; organize
B) organize; assimilate
C) assimilate; accommodate
D) organize; adapt

Question 11

Two-year-old Laura dropped a block into her toy box. She then dropped a cup, a car, and a doll-some gently, and some with force. Laura's modification of her dropping scheme is an example of __________.

A) equilibrium
B) organization
C) accommodation
D) assimilation

Question 12

Six-month-old Eva dropped her teething ring in a fairly rigid way, simply letting go and watching it with interest. This example demonstrates Piaget's belief that at first, schemes are __________.

A) sensorimotor action patterns
B) deliberate and creative
C) preoperational thought
D) disorganized and random

Question 13

Baby Arshleen accidentally made a smacking sound after feeding. Then she tried to repeat it many times. Based on this activity, Arshleen was in Substage __________ of Piaget's sensorimotor substages.

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 14

During times of rapid cognitive change, children __________.

A) are in a state of disequilibrium
B) assimilate more than they accommodate
C) are likely to construct inefficient schemes
D) balance assimilation and accommodation

Question 15

The circular reaction initially centers on __________.

A) the manipulation of objects
B) internal depictions of events
C) the infant's own motor activity
D) imitation of familiar behaviors

Question 16

Baby Andrew accidentally kicked his mobile, producing music. Andrew then repeatedly kicked his leg to repeat the effect, gradually forming a new kicking scheme. Andrew was in which of Piaget's sensorimotor substages?

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 17

In Piaget's theory, each time the back-and-forth movement between equilibrium and disequilibrium occurs, __________.

A) children temporarily regress to a previous stage
B) less effective schemes are produced
C) children adapt more than they organize
D) more effective schemes are produced

Question 18

According to cognitive-developmental theory, a scheme is __________.

A) an internal process that occurs apart from any contact with the environment
B) the understanding that objects continue to exist when out of sight
C) the ability to copy the behavior of others
D) an organized way of making sense of experience

Question 19

Nine-month-old Avery can retrieve his ball when his mother hides it under a blanket. Avery has begun to master __________.

A) the tertiary circular reaction
B) reflexive schemes
C) object permanence
D) deferred imitation

Question 20

A __________ is a means of building schemes in which an infant who has stumbled onto a new experience caused by his or her own motor activity tries to repeat the event again and again.

A) sensorimotor reflex
B) circular reaction
C) mental representation
D) goal-directed behavior

Question 21

Core knowledge theorists argue that __________.

A) babies construct all mental representations out of sensorimotor activity
B) newborns begin life with a set of biases for attending to certain information
C) babies are born with core domains of thought that permit a ready grasp of information
D) complex mental activities have their origins in social interaction with more mature members of society

Question 22

A group of 2-year-olds watches through a window while a live adult hides an object in an adjoining room. Another group watches the same event on a video screen. Which of the following is likely to occur?

A) Children in the direct viewing condition will retrieve the toy easily, while those in the video condition will have difficulty.
B) Children in the video condition will retrieve the toy easily, while those in the direct viewing condition will have difficulty.
C) Both groups of children will have difficulty retrieving the toy.
D) Children in both groups will be able to retrieve the toy easily.

Question 23

Follow-up research on Piaget's sensorimotor stage yields broad agreement that __________.

A) the cognitive changes of infancy are stagelike
B) the cognitive changes of infancy are abrupt
C) all aspects of infant cognition develop together
D) various aspects of infant cognition change unevenly

Question 24

Follow-up research on infant cognitive development suggests that mastery of object permanence __________.

A) is not possible until age 2
B) occurs in Piaget's Substage 4
C) becomes increasingly complex with age
D) develops suddenly, at around 4 months

Question 25

In the violation-of-expectation method, researchers often show babies __________.

A) where to find objects hidden under a cover
B) an expected event and an unexpected event
C) behavior models displaying gross-motor skills
D) a series of similar objects, one at a time

Question 26

In Substage 5 of the sensorimotor period, toddlers __________.

A) create mental representations
B) repeat behaviors with variation
C) repeat chance behaviors largely motivated by basic needs
D) arrive at solutions suddenly rather than through trial-and-error

Question 27

Laboratory research suggests that deferred imitation is __________.

A) possible at birth
B) present at 6 weeks of age
C) not possible until mastery of object permanence
D) a skill that only develops in Western cultures

Question 28

On Monday, 20-month-old Raoul watches his older brother Carlos stir his applesauce with a spoon. On Thursday, Raoul tries to use a spoon to stir his applesauce. Raoul is using a(n) __________ to imitate Carlos's behavior.

A) reflexive scheme
B) primary circular reaction
C) A-not-B search error
D) mental representation

Question 29

Researchers using the violation-of-expectation method may use __________, in which babies are exposed to a physical event until their looking declines.

A) habituation
B) assimilation
C) accommodation
D) imitation

Question 30

In Substage 6 of the sensorimotor period, the ability to create mental representations enables toddlers to __________ and __________.

A) engage in deferred imitation; engage in make-believe play
B) understand object permanence; engage in parallel play
C) engage in deferred imitation; use primary circular reactions
D) engage in functional play; use the violation-of-expectation method

Question 31

Older infants and toddlers are more likely to imitate __________ than __________.

A) adults; children
B) arbitrary; purposeful behaviors on objects
C) purposeful; arbitrary behaviors on objects
D) a series of actions; a single sensorimotor behavior

Question 32

Dr. Takenaki believes that an inherited foundation of linguistic knowledge enables swift language acquisition in early childhood. She also argues that infants' early orientation toward people initiates rapid development of psychological knowledge. Dr. Takenaki is probably a(n) __________ theorist.

A) cognitive-developmental
B) core knowledge
C) information-processing
D) sociocultural

Question 33

Recent research indicates that __________ earlier than Piaget expected.

A) infants actively search for hidden objects
B) the first signs of problem solving by analogy emerge
C) infants master the A-B object search
D) toddlers engage in make-believe play

Question 34

Professor Hellinger believes that babies are born with a set of innate knowledge systems. Professor Hellinger's beliefs are consistent with the __________ perspective.

A) sociocultural
B) core knowledge
C) information-processing
D) sensorimotor

Question 35

In a series of studies using the violation-of-expectation method, Renée Baillargeon and her collaborators claimed to have found evidence for __________.

A) mental representations in babies between 6 and 12 months of age
B) mental representations in babies between 12 and 15 months of age
C) object permanence in the first few months of life
D) tertiary circular reactions in the first few months of life

Question 36

When 12-month-old Trent's dad asks him to get his stuffed bunny, Trent looks at and points to the pillow where the bunny usually rests. Trent is displaying __________.

A) the violation-of-expectation method
B) deferred imitation
C) inferred imitation
D) displaced reference

Question 37

Awareness of object permanence is not yet complete in Piaget's Substage 4 because babies __________.

A) still make the A-not-B search error
B) have schemes with a hit-or-miss quality
C) have schemes that appear as sudden solutions
D) are not yet able to retrieve hidden objects

Question 38

Research suggests that infants __________.

A) can discriminate quantities up to five
B) have basic numerical knowledge
C) can multiply and divide single-digit problems
D) experience cognitive change abruptly

Question 39

The video deficit effect __________.

A) increases around age 3
B) is strongest when toddlers view interactive videos
C) declines around age 2½
D) is strongest when videos are rich in social cues

Question 40

After watching 3-year-old Shana drop her raisins into a cup, 10-month-old Nicholas copies her and drops his raisins into a cup. Nicholas is in Substage __________ of the sensorimotor period substages.

A) 1
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 41

In the second year, attraction to __________ declines and __________ increases.

A) intentional behavior; gazing
B) stimuli; reflexive action
C) novelty; sustained attention
D) goal-directed behavior; memory

Question 42

Which statement about infants' memory processing is true?

A) Infants display recognition but not recall.
B) Infants display recall but not recognition.
C) Infants' memory processing is remarkably similar to that of older children and adults.
D) Infants acquire information slowly and fail to retain it over time.

Question 43

According to Vygotsky, children master activities through __________.

A) joint activities with more mature members of their society
B) interaction with the physical environment
C) operant conditioning and modeling
D) trial and error

Question 44

The __________ is the conscious, reflective part of our mental system.

A) sensory register
B) central executive
C) short-term memory store
D) automatic cognitive processor

Question 45

__________ control(s) attention by inhibiting impulses and by flexibly directing thought and behavior.

A) Automatic processes
B) Working memory
C) Executive function
D) Mirror neurons

Question 46

Four-month-old Michaela groups stimuli on the basis of shape and size. This means that Michaela is able to __________.

A) habituate
B) categorize
C) defer imitation
D) sustain attention

Question 47

Which statement about categorization is true?

A) Not until the preschool years can children categorize flexibly.
B) Toddlers' categorization skills are not evident in their play behaviors.
C) Toddlers' vocabulary growth promotes categorization.
D) Toddlers do not categorize their emotional or social worlds.

Question 48

__________ can be thought of as a "mental workspace" that we use to accomplish many activities in daily life.

A) Automatic processing
B) Sustained attention
C) Working memory
D) The sensory register

Question 49

Measures of executive function in childhood predict __________ in adolescence and adulthood.

A) IQ scores
B) physical and cognitive outcomes
C) social and physical outcomes
D) cognitive and social outcomes

Question 50

In applying the __________ view, researchers analyze each cognitive attainment to see how it results from a complex system of prior accomplishments and the child's current goals.

A) information-processing
B) cognitive-developmental
C) sociocultural
D) dynamic systems

Question 51

__________ are so well-learned that they require no space in working memory and, therefore, permit us to focus on other information while performing them.

A) Executive functions
B) Sensory processes
C) Permanent functions
D) Automatic processes

Question 52

__________ is more challenging than __________.

A) Recall; recognition
B) Recognition; short-term recall
C) Recognition; long-term recall
D) Identification; retrieval

Question 53

Information-processing theorists __________.

A) want to know exactly what individuals of different ages do when faced with a task or problem
B) are satisfied with general concepts, such as assimilation and accommodation, to describe how children think
C) provide a single, unified theory of cognitive development to describe the human cognitive system
D) emphasize that children live in rich social and cultural contexts that affect their cognitive development

Question 54

Research on infantile amnesia suggests that adults typically cannot remember events that happened during the first few years of life because __________.

A) early memories are stored in an explicit memory system that makes recall difficult
B) young children rely too heavily on verbal memory techniques
C) long-term memory does not emerge until around age 7
D) they cannot translate early preverbal memories into language

Question 55

Studies of infantile amnesia suggest that __________ contributes to the end of infantile amnesia.

A) an implicit memory system
B) acquiring mnemonic strategies
C) the development of object permanence
D) the advent of a clear self-image

Question 56

Retention of visual events __________.

A) is adultlike at birth
B) improves greatly with age
C) slowly declines throughout childhood
D) decreases from two items at 6 months to one at 12 months

Question 57

In the information-processing system, information first enters the __________.

A) central executive
B) short-term memory store
C) sensory register
D) long-term memory store

Question 58

In the short-term memory store, __________.

A) information is retained briefly so we can actively "work on" it to reach our goals
B) sights and sounds are represented directly and stored briefly
C) incoming information is coordinated with information already in the system
D) information is permanently stored

Question 59

__________ believed that complex mental activities have their origins in social interaction.

A) Jean Piaget
B) Renée Baillargeon
C) Noam Chomsky
D) Lev Vygotsky

Question 60

Babies' earliest categories are based on __________.

A) common function
B) subtle features
C) common behaviors
D) similar overall appearance

Question 61

The Vygotskian zone of proximal development refers to __________.

A) the adjustment of old schemes after noticing that current ways of thinking are flawed
B) the cognitive discomfort the child feels during times of rapid cognitive change
C) a range of tasks that the child cannot yet handle alone but can do with the help of more skilled partners
D) internal depictions of information that the mind can manipulate

Question 62

Mental tests __________.

A) measure variations in developmental progress
B) focus on the process of cognitive development
C) are accurate indicators of what babies and toddlers understand
D) focus on environmental influences on intelligence

Question 63

__________ is related to advanced play, language, and problem solving in toddlerhood and early childhood.

A) Novelty preference
B) Categorization
C) Scaffolding
D) Displaced reference

Question 64

Dr. Smirnov is interested in measuring infant intelligence as a predictor of preschool mental test performance. He should use __________.

A) a standard adult IQ test
B) an older version of the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development
C) the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment
D) the Bayley-III Cognitive and Language Scales

Question 65

The extent to which parents __________ contributes strongly to early language progress.

A) provide toys or interesting activities for children
B) actively teach children letters and sounds
C) talk to infants and toddlers
D) speak to each other and to other adults

Question 66

Infant intelligence tests are somewhat better at making long-term predictions for __________ babies.

A) extremely high-scoring
B) average- to high-scoring
C) low- to average-scoring
D) extremely low-scoring

Question 67

According to Vygotsky, make-believe, like other complex mental activities, is __________.

A) first learned under the guidance of experts
B) discovered once toddlers are capable of representational schemes
C) a core domain of thought, prewired at birth to support rapid development
D) an automatic process, so well-learned that it requires no space in working memory

Question 68

Two-year-old Carmen is trying to fit pieces into a wooden puzzle form. Carmen's father helps her turn the pieces so they fit snuggly in place. As Carmen's skill improves, her father steps back, letting her try on her own. This example illustrates the concept of __________.

A) novelty preference
B) accommodation
C) sustained attention
D) scaffolding

Question 69

When intelligence tests are standardized, the mean IQ is set at __________.

A) 70
B) 85
C) 100
D) 120

Question 70

The IQs of 96 percent of individuals fall between __________ and __________.

A) 60; 100
B) 70; 130
C) 85; 110
D) 100; 140

Question 71

An intelligence quotient (IQ) __________.

A) cannot be used to determine whether a child is ahead, behind, or on time in average mental development
B) rarely fluctuates between toddlerhood and adolescence or between adolescence and adulthood
C) is expressed as the ratio of an individual's chronological age to his or her mental age
D) indicates the extent to which the raw score deviates from the typical performance of same-age individuals

Question 72

The Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME) is a checklist for __________.

A) determining whether a child is ahead, behind, or on time in mental development
B) gathering information about the quality of a child's home life
C) making long-term predictions about a child's later intelligence
D) measuring cognitive skills, such as object permanence and categorization

Question 73

Herb and Nyla value make-believe as a developmentally beneficial activity. They would like to promote their 18-month-old daughter's play. You can tell them that toddlers' make-believe is more elaborate when __________.

A) they play alone
B) they do not use props
C) adults participate
D) other toddlers participate

Question 74

In contrast to the United States, most European countries __________.

A) do not require that caregivers have special training in child development
B) nationally regulate and fund child care to ensure its quality
C) offer government-subsidized child care only to low-SES families
D) do not regulate the child-care industry

Question 75

__________ sustains the benefits of growing up in an economically advantaged family and can reduce the negative impact of a stressed, poverty-stricken home life.

A) Good child care
B) Even low-quality child care
C) Authoritarian parenting
D) Permissive parenting

Question 76

Most infant tests predict __________.

A) school achievement well
B) later intelligence poorly
C) motor responses poorly
D) adult vocational success well

Question 77

Research consistently shows that infants and young children exposed to __________ child care score lower on measures of __________ skills during the preschool, elementary, and secondary school years.

A) full-time; social, language, and academic
B) poor-quality; cognitive, language, academic, and social
C) developmentally appropriate; cognitive, emotional, and social
D) part-time; emotional, cognitive, social, and language

Question 78

In cultures where play is viewed as solely a child's activity and sibling caregiving is common, make-believe is more frequent and complex with __________ than with __________.

A) older siblings; mothers
B) fathers; older siblings
C) mothers; older siblings
D) non-related agemates; family members

Question 79

Most infant intelligence tests emphasize __________.

A) concepts and memory
B) memory and mental representations
C) perceptual and motor responses
D) attention and categorization

Question 80

Middle-income parents are especially likely to place their children in __________ child-care settings, where quality tends to be lowest.

A) rural
B) family-based
C) for-profit
D) nonprofit