Question 1

Latoya talks to herself frequently, especially when trying to solve a difficult problem. Lev Vygotsky would say that Latoya is

Accepted Answer

Lev Vygotsky believed that private speech, or talking to oneself, is a tool that children use to plan, guide, and monitor their behavior. Private speech is a natural part of cognitive development and helps children to internalize their thoughts and actions. Therefore, Latoya's habit of talking to herself frequently is a sign that she is using private speech to enhance her problem-solving abilities.

Question 2

When adults are working with young children, they often provide a lot of hints, assistance, instruction, and other support to help the children succeed. Then, as the children demonstrate that they can do more for themselves, the adults begin to withdraw their hints, assistance, and instruction. This shows that the adults are often aware of children's

Accepted Answer

The concept of providing support and then gradually withdrawing it as the child demonstrates more independence and competence is closely tied to the zone of proximal development, which refers to the range of tasks that a child can perform with guidance or assistance from an adult or more skilled peer.

Question 3

The zone of proximal development (ZPD) is a term for

Accepted Answer

The zone of proximal development (ZPD) refers to the range of tasks that a learner can accomplish with guidance and support from more knowledgeable individuals, such as parents or teachers. It is based on the idea that there is a difference between what a person can do on their own and what they can do with assistance, and that this zone of proximal development is where learning and development are most likely to occur. The ZPD is not a measure of cognitive ability, interpersonal skills, or social relationship-building skills and abilities.

Question 4

Centration refers to the

Accepted Answer

Centration refers to the tendency to focus attention on one characteristic or aspect of an object, situation or person, while neglecting other important features. This type of thinking is typical of young children who are in the preoperational stage of development, and is related to their inability to carry out mental operations. Children who exhibit centration may, for example, focus exclusively on the height of a glass of water and fail to realize that the amount of water remains the same if the glass is poured into a wider container.

Question 5

During the ________ substage of preoperational thought, children seem very sure about their knowledge but do not know how they know what they know.

Accepted Answer

During the intuitive thought substage, children rely on their perception and immediate thoughts to draw conclusions and make decisions. They have strong beliefs and seem confident about their knowledge, but they lack the cognitive ability to explain how they arrived at their conclusions. This substage occurs between the ages of 4 and 7 in the preoperational stage of cognitive development.

Question 6

Howie and his little sister Faye are each given one large cookie. Their mother breaks Faye's cookie into four pieces to help her eat it more easily. Howie immediately begins to cry, saying that it isn't fair for Faye to get so many cookies when he has only one. Howie is showing

Accepted Answer

Howie is demonstrating a lack of conservation, as he is focused only on the quantity of cookies each person has, and is not taking into account the fact that Faye's cookie was broken into smaller pieces.

Question 7

When engaging in the process of scaffolding, the teacher's role is to

Accepted Answer

Scaffolding is a technique in which the teacher gives the necessary support to the child as they learn new skills, gradually decreasing the amount of support as the child becomes more proficient. The teacher's role is to provide instruction and guidance, but also to foster independence and allow the child to take on more responsibility for their own learning. This approach helps the child develop confidence and competence in their abilities.

Question 8

Jason, who is 4 years old, spends a lot of time talking to himself while he is processing information. According to Lev Vygotsky,

Accepted Answer

Lev Vygotsky believed that private speech, also known as self-talk, is a normal part of cognitive development and serves as a tool for children to regulate their own behavior and internalize information. Research has shown that children who use private speech are more socially competent and perform better on cognitive tasks than children who do not. Therefore, Jason's behavior is normal and should be encouraged as a helpful tool for his development.

Question 9

Which of the following terms, introduced by Vygotsky, refers to the child's cognitive skills that are in the process of maturing and can be accomplished only with the assistance of a more-skilled person?

Accepted Answer

The term introduced by Vygotsky that refers to the child's cognitive skills that are in the process of maturing and can be accomplished only with the assistance of a more-skilled person is the zone of proximal development.

Question 10

Regarding cognitive development, which of the following terms describes the changing level of support over the course of a teaching session, with the more-skilled person adjusting guidance to fit the child's current performance level?

Accepted Answer

The term that describes the changing level of support over the course of a teaching session, with the more-skilled person adjusting guidance to fit the child's current performance level, is known as scaffolding.

Question 11

Centration leads a child to

Accepted Answer

Centration is the tendency of young children to focus on only one feature of an object and ignore all other features. This means that they cannot consider multiple characteristics of an object at one time.

Question 12

A child is shown two identical balls of clay. One of the balls is then rolled out into the shape of a string and the child is asked which has more clay, the ball or the string. This process is a test of

Accepted Answer

This test is specifically designed to assess a child's understanding of conservation, which refers to the understanding that the amount or quantity of a substance remains the same even if the physical appearance changes. By comparing the ball and string, the child is being asked if they recognize that the clay is still the same amount, even though its shape has changed. The other options (animism, self-consciousness, and egocentrism) are not relevant to this particular test.

Question 13

The focusing of attention on one characteristic to the exclusion of others is called

Accepted Answer

The term that refers to focusing on one characteristic to the exclusion of others is centration. Centration is seen in young children who cannot consider multiple aspects of a situation simultaneously, which can lead to errors in thinking and problem-solving. For example, a child who is presented with two glasses of different sizes but the same amount of liquid may focus only on the height of the liquid and believe that the taller glass has more liquid, ignoring the width of each glass.

Question 14

Four-year-old Doug is driving his parents crazy with all his questions. He asks why everything is the way it is, then why things aren't some other way. His parents might be comforted to know that such questioning is characteristic of the

Accepted Answer

The intuitive thought substage, which occurs between ages 4 and 7 according to Piaget's cognitive development theory, is characterized by increased curiosity and questioning about the world. Children at this stage begin to use more complex mental symbols and can think about things that are not immediately present. Doug's questioning behavior is in line with this stage of development.

Question 15

Which of the following terms refers to awareness that an object's or a substance's basic properties stay the same even though its appearance has been altered?

Accepted Answer

Conservation refers to children's understanding that certain attributes of an object or substance, such as its mass or volume, remain the same even when superficial features, such as shape or arrangement, change.

Question 16

The concept that an object's or a substance's basic properties stay the same even though its appearance has been altered is known as

Accepted Answer

Conservation refers to the understanding that an object or substance's basic properties remain the same even when its appearance is altered.

Question 17

Scaffolding means

Accepted Answer

Scaffolding refers to gradually reducing the level of support provided to a learner as they become more capable of completing tasks independently. It involves adjusting the level of challenge to match the learner's abilities and gradually increasing the difficulty as their skills improve. This approach helps learners develop the skills and knowledge they need to work independently, rather than relying on others to do things for them. The concept was originally introduced in the field of education, but it can be applied to a wide range of contexts, including workplace training and personal development. Option A is incorrect because scaffolding is not intended to be a permanent form of support. Option B is incorrect because doing things for others does not help them develop their own skills, and is therefore not an example of scaffolding. Option D is incorrect because scaffolding is specifically designed to help learners work within their zone of proximal development, which is the range of tasks that they can complete with support but could not manage alone.

Question 18

Researchers have found that children who use private speech are

Accepted Answer

Studies have shown that children who use private speech are more attentive and are able to improve their performance because it helps them organize their thoughts and focus on the task at hand. Private speech also allows children to scaffold their own learning, guiding themselves through a problem and ultimately reaching the upper end of their zone of proximal development.

Question 19

In one of the tasks devised by Piaget, a child is shown two identical beakers filled to the same level with liquid. Next, the liquid from one beaker is poured into a third beaker, which is taller and thinner than the first two. Then, the child is asked if the amount of liquid in the tall, thin beaker is equal to that which remains in one of the original beakers. The child's awareness of which of the followings concepts is tested by this task?

Accepted Answer

This task tests a child's understanding of conservation, which refers to the idea that even if the appearance of an object changes, its quantity remains the same. In this case, the amount of liquid is conserved despite being poured into a taller, thinner container. This task is often used as a measure of cognitive development in children, as younger children may believe that the amount of liquid has changed because the appearance of the container has changed.

Question 20

Young children use language to plan, guide, and monitor their behavior. This use of language for self-regulation is called ________ speech.

Accepted Answer

Private speech is the use of language for self-regulation, in which children talk to themselves or use whisper-like vocalizations to guide their own actions and thoughts. Inner speech, on the other hand, is internalized private speech that is not audible. Inherent and cognitive speech are not commonly used terms in developmental psychology.

Quiz 9: Cognitive Development in Early Childhood