Question 1

Pamela is trying to place her rectangular block in the rectangular opening of her "know your shape" toy, but it is too wide to fit. She studies the block for some time and then grabs it, rotates it sideways, and the block successful falls in the opening. What substage of sensorimotor development was Pamela demonstrating?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Pamela is trying to place her rectangular...

Question 2

Theo is 10 months old. His parents overhear him talking to himself in his crib. His language resembles adult speech in sound, with words rising and falling. What term best describes Theo's vocalizations?

Accepted Answer

Theo's vocalizations are best described as intonation, which refers to the rise and fall of the voice in speaking, resembling the sound patterns of adult speech even without forming actual words. This is a common developmental stage before children begin to use meaningful words.

Question 3

Sarah knows that kittens are animals. Her mother tells her that puppies are also animals. Sarah then changes her schema of animals to include puppies. What is Sarah using when she changes her schema to incorporate this new information?

Accepted Answer

Sarah is using accommodation, which is a cognitive process where a person changes their cognitive schema to include new information. This contrasts with assimilation, where new information is integrated into existing schemas without changing them.

Question 4

A child learns to call a dog "bow-wow" and now calls all animals he sees "bow-wow." What is this child's behaviour an example of?

Accepted Answer

This behavior is an example of overextension, which occurs when a child applies a word too broadly, extending its meaning to include objects or concepts that differ from the original object or concept the word was associated with. In this case, the child is using "bow-wow" to refer to all animals, not just dogs.

Question 5

What is the relationship between achievements on sensorimotor tests and other test achievements?

Accepted Answer

Achievements on sensorimotor tests during infancy do not reliably predict later school performance or intelligence. This is because these early tests focus on basic motor skills and sensory interactions, which are foundational but not directly indicative of later cognitive or academic abilities.

Question 6

What is the relationship between MLU and chronological age?

Accepted Answer

As chronological age increases, children's language abilities typically develop, leading to an increase in the mean length of utterance (MLU), which is a measure of linguistic complexity.

Question 7

What is the definition of the referential language style?

Accepted Answer

Referential language style involves using language primarily to label objects, persons, or events in the environment. This style is characterized by a focus on naming or identifying things rather than on social functions of language.

Question 8

What substage of sensorimotor development serves as a transition to the symbolic thought of the next stage?

Accepted Answer

The invention of new means through mental combinations substage is the transition to the symbolic thought of the preoperational stage, as it involves the beginning of mental representation, allowing children to think about actions before performing them and to use symbols to represent objects.

Question 9

Jennifer is eager to know when her son will start babbling. What is her pediatrician most likely to tell her?

Accepted Answer

Babbling typically appears between 6 and 9 months of age, which is a developmental milestone for infants as they experiment with making sounds that resemble speech.

Question 10

Piaget closely observed the activities of children and noted that they tend to experiment with the environment. Because of this behaviour, what did Piaget consider children to be?

Accepted Answer

Piaget considered children to be like little scientists because they actively experiment with their environment to learn about the world around them.

Question 11

What is the definition of a specific nominal?

Accepted Answer

A specific nominal refers to a proper noun, which is a name used for an individual person, place, or organization, distinguished from common nouns which refer to a class of objects.

Question 12

Jennifer is curious about her son's cries and coos. What is her pediatrician most likely to tell her?

Accepted Answer

Cries and coos in infants are innate behaviors that serve as early forms of communication. However, these sounds can be influenced and modified by the infant's experiences and interactions with caregivers, indicating that while the ability to produce these sounds is innate, their specific characteristics and development can be shaped by the environment.

Question 13

What is the definition of the mean length of utterance?

Accepted Answer

The mean length of utterance (MLU) is a measure used in the study of child language acquisition. It calculates the average number of morphemes (the smallest units of meaning in a language, such as words, prefixes, or suffixes) that a child uses in their sentences. This measure helps researchers and clinicians assess a child's language development stage.

Question 14

Lacey is 7 months old. She shakes a rattle so it will make a noise she likes. What is Lacey's action an example of?

Accepted Answer

Lacey's action is an example of a secondary circular reaction, which involves repeating an action to produce a desired outcome, such as shaking a rattle to hear the noise. This typically occurs in infants aged 4 to 8 months.

Question 15

Newborns at only 0.7 to 71 hours old have been found to imitate adults when the adults have done which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Newborns have been observed to imitate adults by opening their mouths or sticking out their tongues, demonstrating an early form of learning and interaction.

Question 16

Habituation is exemplified when an infant does which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Habituation occurs when an individual, including an infant, becomes accustomed to a stimulus after repeated exposure and consequently pays it less attention. Losing interest in a game of peekaboo is an example of habituation because the infant becomes used to the game and no longer finds it as engaging or surprising.

Question 17

A child refers to the "meese" that he saw in the zoo. His mother knows her child saw a moose at the zoo, based on the fact that he knows "geese" refers to more than one goose. What is this child's error an example of?

Accepted Answer

The child's error is an example of overextension, which occurs when a child applies a word's rules too broadly. In this case, the child incorrectly applies the pluralization rule from "geese" (plural of goose) to "moose," resulting in "meese."

Question 18

Olivia has learned to call a toy truck "tru." Now whenever she sees any toy with wheels, she calls it "tru." What is Olivia's response an example of?

Accepted Answer

Olivia's response is an example of overextension, which occurs when a child applies a word more broadly than it is usually applied. In this case, Olivia is using the term "tru" to refer to all toys with wheels, not just toy trucks.

Question 19

Which perspective suggests that parents serve as models for the language development of their children?

Accepted Answer

The social cognitive perspective, as proposed by Albert Bandura, emphasizes the role of observation, imitation, and modeling in learning, including language development. This perspective suggests that children learn language by observing and imitating the speech of their parents and others in their environment.

Question 20

Which scale is included in the Bayley Scales of Infant Development?

Accepted Answer

The Bayley Scales of Infant Development include a behavior rating scale, which assesses the child's behavior during the testing session.

Quiz 5: Infancy: Cognitive Development