Deck 6: Cognitive Developmental Approaches

Question 1

Cole kicks his legs when he listens to his lullaby CD at bedtime.When he wakes in the morning, he starts kicking in an attempt to start the music.This is an example of a:

A)prespeech request.
B)secondary circular reaction.
C)habit.
D)primary circular reaction.

Answer 1

primary circular reaction.

Question 2

Nine-year-old AJ enjoys participating in organized sports.He is developing an idea of belonging to a team.AJ's concept of being a team member is an example of a(n):

A)abstract model symbol.
B)accommodation.
C)scheme.
D)assimilation.

Answer 2

scheme.

Question 3

Infants develop behavioral schemes, whereas children develop _____ schemes.

A)mental
B)adaptive
C)physical
D)cognitive

Answer 3

mental

Question 4

Lexi calls every animal she sees a cat.This is an example of:

A)zone of proximal development.
B)assimilation.
C)accommodation.
D)scaffolding.

Question 5

Which of the following is the correct order of Piaget's cognitive developmental stages?

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

Question 6

Piaget's stages signify:

A)qualitative differences in cognition.
B)quantitative changes in cognition.
C)higher levels of social interactive learning.
D)thought-scaffolding processes.

Question 7

According to Piaget, what is a child's motivation for change?

A)an internal search for equilibrium
B)biological desires
C)assimilation and accommodation
D)consequences of behavior

Question 8

Rooting and sucking occur during the first sensorimotor substage called:

A)first habits and primary circular reactions.
B)simple reflexes.
C)complex reflexes.
D)primary circular reactions.

Question 9

Tim understands that vehicles may be cars, buses, trucks, or vans.This is an example of:

A)zone of proximal development.
B)assimilation.
C)accommodation.
D)scaffolding.

Question 10

Daniel is confused when his mother prompts him to say hello to a person he doesn't know, because he understands the "don't talk to strangers" rule.Daniel is in:

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

Question 11

Which of Piaget's stages lasts from birth to about 2 years of age?

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

Question 12

A scheme based on a reflex that has become completely separate from its eliciting stimulus is called a:

A)primitive symbol.
B)simple reaction.
C)habit.
D)primary circular reaction.

Question 13

Matthew has scattered ideas about how to compete in different sports.He is slowly constructing a concept of playing on a team.According to Piaget, Matthew is:

A)calibrating.
B)assimilating.
C)accommodating.
D)organizing.

Question 14

The cognitive process of assimilation occurs when individuals:

A)adjust old schemes to fit new information.
B)ignore information contradicting previous knowledge.
C)try to balance conflicting information.
D)use their existing schemes to deal with new information or experiences.

Question 15

What is the main difference between a reflex and a habit?

A)Habits developed for evolutionary survival purposes.Reflexes are developed for cognitive stimulation.
B)Habits require an eliciting stimulus.
C)Habits do not require an eliciting stimulus.
D)There is not a difference.The terms may be used interchangeably.

Question 16

When 3-week-old Kierra is held horizontally, she turns her head toward the adult and starts sucking.This is an example of which sensorimotor substage?

A)secondary circular reactions
B)first habits
C)coordination of secondary circular reactions
D)primary circular reaction

Question 17

Cognitive conflict in trying to understand the world is called:

A)disequilibrium.
B)equilibrium.
C)accommodation.
D)organization.

Question 18

Eventually children learn not to put everything in their mouths.This is an example of:

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

Question 19

Devin plays in the sand for the first time.Instead of digging in it, he tries to scoop and throw it, just like he plays with water in his bathtub.This is an example of:

A)cognition.
B)assimilation.
C)organization.
D)accommodation.

Question 20

The cognitive process of accommodation occurs when individuals:

A)adjust old schemes to fit new information.
B)ignore information contradicting previous knowledge.
C)try to balance conflicting information.
D)use their existing schemes to deal with new information or experiences.

Question 21

The research of Spelke and Baillargeon shows that infants as young as 3 or 4 months old are capable of object permanence.Critics question whether an infant's _____ is a valid measure of object permanence.

A)sucking strength and speed
B)heart rate
C)longer looking time
D)longer napping time

Question 22

Angie asks her grandmother over the phone, "Do you like my new shirt that I'm wearing?" This is an example of:

A)egocentrism.
B)animism.
C)conservation.
D)centration.

Question 23

Gabbi bangs her spoon on her highchair to indicate that she would like more Cheerios.Her spoon is a symbol of eating.Gabbi is in which sensorimotor substage?

A)internalization of schemes
B)secondary circular reactions
C)simple reflexes
D)object permanence

Question 24

Piaget labeled his second stage preoperational thought, meaning that children in this phase:

A)cannot yet use internalized actions to do mentally what they used to only do physically.
B)do not use symbolic thought beyond connections of sensory information and physical action.
C)do not yet use their imaginations.
D)have well-organized and logical conceptual thoughts.

Question 25

Baby Alec fusses when his brother takes away a toy.Alec has developed:

A)egocentrism.
B)equilibrium.
C)adaptation.
D)object permanence.

Question 26

The preoperational stage lasts from ages:

A)3 to 5.
B)4 to 7.
C)2 to 4.
D)2 to 7.

Question 27

Baby Dennis sees a ball on the floor.He picks it up, looks at it carefully, and then bangs it on the ground.He picks it up again, holds it over his head, and drops it.Then he picks it up and throws it.Dennis continues playing for several minutes.Dennis is in which of Piaget's sensorimotor substages?

A)primary circular reactions
B)secondary circular reactions
C)coordination of secondary circular reactions
D)tertiary circular reactions

Question 28

Object permanence is important because it means that infants are able to:

A)mentally represent objects.
B)coordinate sensory stimuli with physical actions.
C)physically manipulate objects in their environment.
D)physically explore the varying properties of objects in their environment.

Question 29

Madeline leaves her 3-month-old son with a childcare provider.Piaget would argue that Madeline's son does not miss Madeline because he has not developed:

A)attachment.
B)object permanence.
C)stranger anxiety.
D)equilibrium.

Question 30

Which of the following would be impossible without object permanence?

A)rehabituation after the removal of a familiar toy
B)recognizing a parent after a short absence
C)differentiating between your mother and your father
D)thinking of your mother while she is at work

Question 31

Karl covers his stuffed toys before bedtime to make sure they are not cold.This is an example of:

A)egocentricism.
B)animism.
C)conservation.
D)centration.

Question 32

Five-year-old Marta draws a picture with purple, blue, green, yellow, and brown."It's a boat on the ocean at sunset, with whales jumping all around it!" she explains.Marta is showing evidence of:

A)animism.
B)conservation.
C)intuitive thought.
D)symbolic function.

Question 33

Todd loves the toys on his infant bouncer seat and hits them frequently for the sake of experiencing fascination.He is in which sensorimotor substage?

A)object-oriented
B)complex reflexes
C)primary circular reactions
D)secondary circular reactions

Question 34

Animism and egocentrism represent limitations in the preoperational child's thinking, because they indicate an inability to:

A)think symbolically.
B)center attention on one characteristic.
C)distinguish among different perspectives.
D)reflect on the rationale underlying thought.

Question 35

Mimi crawls into the hallway to look for her mother after she leaves the room.According to Piaget, this shows Mimi is capable of:

A)symbolic manipulation.
B)infinite generativity.
C)telegraphic thinking.
D)object permanence.

Question 36

Baby Kale sees a Lego on the floor.He picks it up and looks at it while turning it around and moving it from one hand to the other.Kale is in which of Piaget's sensorimotor substages?

A)primary circular reactions
B)secondary circular reactions
C)coordination of secondary circular reactions
D)tertiary circular reactions

Question 37

Trent watches his mother hide a block under one of two cups and lifts the correct cup to retrieve the block.When his mother hides the block under the other cup, he still lifts the original cup to search for the block.Trent has demonstrated a(n):

A)A-not-B error.
B)lack of object permanence.
C)habituation to the block.
D)cognitive delay in memory processing.

Question 38

When her mother takes away her stuffed rabbit, Barbara looks to her toy box rather than behind her mother's back.Barbara has committed a(n):

A)object permanence error.
B)A-not-B error.
C)tertiary circular reaction.
D)symbolic search.

Question 39

Why does the finding that 4-month-old infants have intermodal perception challenge Piaget's theory?

A)Piaget argued that young infants do not have the ability to coordinate sensory information from multiple sources.
B)Piaget believed that this ability was present at birth.
C)Piaget discounted many infant behaviors indicating intermodal perception as coincidental and random.
D)Piaget believed that infants relied primarily on vision to build cognitive ability throughout the first year of life.

Question 40

Adam cries that the tree root tripped him.This is an example of:

A)egocentric thought.
B)conservation.
C)animism.
D)centration.

Question 41

According to Piaget, which of the following is characteristic of a child in the preoperational stage?

A)They engage in abstract thought.
B)They can easily sort items based on their size, shape, or appearance.
C)They pass a conservation concept task.
D)They tend to ask a barrage of questions.

Question 42

During Piaget's intuitive thought substage, a child's reasoning is fairly:

A)primitive.
B)advanced.
C)complex.
D)transitory.

Question 43

A child who understands that the amount of clay does not differ when it is stretched into a long strip or rolled into a large ball has grasped the concept of:

A)horizontal decalage.
B)animism.
C)conservation.
D)formal operations.

Question 44

Janie is exhausting her father with a barrage of "why" questions.She is trying to figure out why things are the way they are.Janie is in Piaget's:

A)sensorimotor stage.
B)concrete operations stage.
C)intuitive thought substage.
D)tertiary circular reactions substage.

Question 45

According to Piaget, adolescents differ from younger children in that younger children cannot:

A)solve problems.
B)understand the concept of conservation.
C)deal with concrete operations.
D)systematically and mentally test hypotheses.

Question 46

The concrete operational stage lasts from ages:

A)9 through 16.
B)5 through 11.
C)8 through 14.
D)7 through 11.

Question 47

The formal operational stage appears between ages:

A)5 and 8.
B)7 and 11.
C)11 and 15.
D)13 and 17.

Question 48

Brenda sorts buttons by shape, size, type, or color.Classification is a characteristic of which Piagetian stage?

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

Question 49

Julio understands that he is older than his brother and younger than his sister.This is an example of:

A)seriation.
B)centration.
C)classification.
D)transitivity.

Question 50

"What if the sun were to explode?" asks Alene."But it never has," replies Janis."But what if it DID?" insists Alene.In this example, Alene is exhibiting __________ thought, whereas Janis is showing __________ thought.

A)idealistic; pessimistic
B)concrete; abstract
C)deductive; inductive
D)abstract; concrete

Question 51

Nathan and Sara are eating granola bars.Sara breaks her bar in half.Nathan gets upset because Sara has two granola bars.Nathan has not developed the concept of:

A)centration.
B)conservation.
C)intuitive thought.
D)symbolic function.

Question 52

In explaining the ability to conserve, Piaget focuses on _____.

A)centration
B)attention
C)symbolic thought
D)abstract thought

Question 53

A reversible mental action on a real object is a:

A)formal operation.
B)concrete operation.
C)preoperation.
D)simple reflex.

Question 54

A teacher asks his class to line up according to height.Todd knows that he must be taller than the person he stands in front of and shorter than the person he stands behind.He also recognizes that everyone in front of him is taller than everyone behind him.This is an example of:

A)transitivity.
B)egocentrism.
C)conservation.
D)centration.

Question 55

Cassidy understands that her mother is also her grandparents' daughter, her cousin's aunt, and her uncle's sister.This is an example of:

A)conservation.
B)classification.
C)transitivity.
D)formal operations.

Question 56

Which of the following characterizes the concrete operational stage?

A)Thinking occurs in abstract terms.
B)Understanding is based on sensorimotor experiences.
C)Imitation of the behavior of other people in a child's environment leads to symbolic thought.
D)Logic replaces intuition if it can be applied to a visible example.

Question 57

Focusing attention on one characteristic of an object or concept to the exclusion of all others is:

A)centration.
B)egocentric thought.
C)animism.
D)conservation.

Question 58

indicate as an important factor in a child's performance on conservation tasks?

A)attention
B)intuitive thought
C)animism
D)horizontal decalage

Question 59

The belief in the permanence of certain attributes of objects or situations despite superficial changes is called:

A)appropriation.
B)initiation.
C)affiliation.
D)conservation.

Question 60

Marni thinks about how the world could be if everyone took more personal responsibility for the environment.Marni is in which of Piaget's stages?

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

Question 61

A kindergarten teacher instructs parent volunteers to take a Piagetian approach when interacting with his students during learning center time.He recommends the volunteers:

A)ask only yes or no questions while the children play.
B)allow the children to learn by doing things themselves and ask open-ended questions to stimulate thinking.
C)help children follow and memorize prescribed scripts for each area.
D)speak to the children only to enforce classroom rules.

Question 62

Ms.Skinner espouses Piagetian assessment.Which of the following is she likely to use to evaluate her students?

A)standardized IQ and achievement tests
B)criterion-referenced tests
C)frequent and open-ended reasoning questions
D)rote memorization and recall tests

Question 63

Which of the following is a criticism of Piaget's cognitive development theory?

A)Some cognitive abilities emerge earlier and some later than Piaget thought.
B)Adult cognition is far more advanced than Piaget theorized.
C)Enriched environment and training have less developmental impact than Piaget thought.
D)Social interaction is less vital to learning than Piaget believed.

Question 64

Younger children do not engage in the same type of egocentric thought as adolescents, because younger children:

A)cannot think as concretely or systematically.
B)are not as intimidated by what others think of them.
C)are naturally more other-oriented.
D)cannot think abstractly or from another's point of view.

Question 65

Piaget argues that the initial development of formal operations is largely dominated by _____.

A)assimilation
B)accommodation
C)perceptual coupling
D)egocentrism

Question 66

Sophie feels that her parents do not understand her.This is an example of:

A)a personal fable.
B)imagined invincibility.
C)a concrete operation.
D)hypothetical deduction.

Question 67

Which of the following is true of the formal operational stage?

A)Many American children reach this stage before the age of 12.
B)Many American adults never become formal operational thinkers.
C)Adolescent egocentrism often remains well into middle adulthood.
D)The concept of a personal fable occurs in a very small percentage of adolescents.

Question 68

Some adolescents engage in risky behaviors, because they believe they are invulnerable to the negative consequences of these actions.This is an example of:

A)intuitive thought.
B)an imaginary audience.
C)hypothetical deduction.
D)a personal fable.

Question 69

Which of the following stages do children usually enter later than Piaget thought?

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

Question 70

Adolescent egocentrism is characterized by:

A)the inability to take perspective.
B)a heightened self-consciousness.
C)assimilation of others' perspectives into a new self-concept.
D)the ability to engage in speculation about ideal circumstances.

Question 71

Jamal is a 17-year-old high school student.Which of the following statements about his cognitive stage of development is TRUE?

A)Jamal is in the concrete operational stage.
B)Jamal is in the formal operational stage.
C)Jamal will never reach the formal operational stage.
D)Jamal may still think in concrete operational ways and may not become a formal operational thinker.

Question 72

Jillian feels like she is the center of attention and acts as though she were "on stage." This aspect of adolescent egocentrism is known as:

A)hypersensitivity.
B)hypothetical-deductive reasoning.
C)the imaginary audience.
D)the personal fable.

Question 73

Thirteen-year-old Austin fairs well when he plays 20 Questions with his younger brother, because Austin is able to effectively use:

A)hypothetical-deductive reasoning.
B)centration.
C)horizontal decalage.
D)transitivity.

Question 74

Halene is sure that her classmates are staring at her new haircut.This is an example of:

A)a personal fable.
B)intuitive thought.
C)transitivity.
D)an imaginary audience.

Question 75

A mother spends an hour a day instructing her infant with flashcards and video lessons.What would Piaget say the likely result of this instruction will be?

A)Pushing and pressuring the child will result in so much emotional and psychological damage that cognitive development will be slowed.
B)Cognitive development depends on culture and educational level of the parent, not on training.
C)The child's cognitive development will progress at a faster rate than peers.
D)The child's cognitive development will progress similarly to noninstructed peers.

Question 76

Following the homecoming game, a group of senior high school students went to a party where they drank alcohol and drove home.This behavior is MOST likely linked to their adolescent sense of:

A)personal uniqueness.
B)invulnerability.
C)having an imaginary audience.
D)egocentrism.

Question 77

Which of the following BEST characterizes cognitive development according to Jean Piaget?

A)Genetics plays an important role in cognitive development.
B)Children construct their own understandings about how the world works.
C)Children learn about the world from watching the actions and consequences of adults and older children.
D)Children can store an infinite amount of information in their long-term memories.

Question 78

Which of the following teaching methods would a Piagetian science teacher employ?

A)Students would watch a video explaining a scientific concept.
B)The teacher would demonstrate an experiment and explain the conclusions and scientific concepts.
C)After receiving general guidelines, students would design and complete individual science projects and report on findings and learning.
D)Students would follow steps in a prescribed experiment.The class would review conclusions together.

Question 79

While preparing his science project, Carlos systematically tests his best guess on his subject and draws conclusions from the results.What formal operation is he using?

A)hypothetical-deductive reasoning
B)adolescent egocentrism
C)abstract, idealistic thinking
D)methodical assimilation

Question 80

In assessing the ability to conserve, research findings indicate that this skill:

A)is dependent solely on biological maturation.
B)appears at approximately the same age and in the same sequence across cultures.
C)improves with training and practice.
D)is dependent primarily on quality of environment.