Question 1

Which of the following terms refers to the process of organizing and making meaning of experience?

Accepted Answer

Cognition refers to the mental process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses. The process of organizing and making meaning of experience is a cognitive process. Equilibrium refers to a state of balance or stability, repression is a defense mechanism that involves pushing unpleasant thoughts or feelings into the unconscious, and ethology is the scientific study of animal behavior.

Question 2

According to Piaget, organisms strive to achieve a balance of organized structures that provides effective ways of interacting with the environment. This is known as ________?

Accepted Answer

Piaget's theory of cognitive development emphasizes the importance of achieving a state of equilibrium, where individuals balance their existing cognitive structures with new experiences and information from the environment. This leads to the development of new cognitive structures and an increased ability to adapt to the environment.

Question 3

Why did Piaget prefer the term schemes rather than the term concepts to discuss the organization of thoughts?

Accepted Answer

Piaget preferred the term schemes because it can be used to describe interrelated groups of actions as well as ideas, which is useful especially when describing infant intelligence.

Question 4

What is the adaptive value of cognitive organization?

Accepted Answer

Cognitive organization reduces the amount of information needed to respond to stimuli by categorizing and simplifying information, making it easier to process and react efficiently.

Question 5

Which of the following statements best characterizes how Piaget thought about stages of cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

Piaget believed that cognitive development progresses through a series of stages, each with a qualitatively distinct organization of thought and problem-solving skills. These stages emerge through periods of disequilibrium as the child actively seeks to achieve a new level of equilibrium. Piaget believed that these stages were universal, meaning they could be observed across different cultures and content areas, and that they occurred at roughly the same chronological age periods. Therefore, all of the above statements truest characterize Piaget's perspective on stages of cognitive development.

Question 6

Which of the stages of cognitive development relies most on the physical exploration of objects?

Accepted Answer

Sensorimotor intelligence, which occurs from birth to around age 2, is characterized by the child's reliance on physical exploration of objects to learn about the world around them. They learn through their senses and movements, such as putting objects in their mouth or shaking them to see what happens. The other stages (preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational) are more focused on mental reasoning and abstract thinking.

Question 7

At each stage of development, a process occurs which takes the person from a position of relative ________ to a greater ability to take into account the actions, motives, and features of objects and peopl?

Accepted Answer

The process described in the question is related to the concept of overcoming egocentrism. Egocentrism refers to the tendency to perceive and interpret the world in terms of one's own experiences and perspectives, without taking into account the perspectives of others. Overcoming egocentrism is a key aspect of cognitive development, as it allows individuals to better understand and interact with other people and objects in the world. The other answer choices (reality testing, classification, efficacy) are not directly related to this process of overcoming egocentrism.

Question 8

What methodology did Piaget use in his research on children's cognition?

Accepted Answer

Piaget used a combination of methods in his research on children's cognition, including observations of his own children, posing problems to watch how children solve them and questioning them about their solutions, as well as interviewing children about various aspects of their experiences.

Question 9

Piaget's writings inspired research and theory in the field of moral development. Theories of moral development typically support the view that as children's cognitive capacities mature, they are increasingly likely to appreciate that moral principles are based on _______ rather than on ______?

Accepted Answer

Piaget's theory of moral development proposed that children's moral reasoning develops from a heteronomous stage, where rules are seen as fixed and external, to an autonomous stage, where rules are seen as mutable and based on social agreement. Therefore, theories of moral development typically support the view that as children's cognitive capacities mature, they are increasingly likely to appreciate that moral principles are based on social agreements rather than on fixed rules.

Question 10

In his extensive research and theory of moral development, Kohlberg proposed three levels of moral reasoning. Which of the levels is characterized by an acceptance of moral principles that are viewed as part of a person's own ideology, rather than simply being imposed by the social order?

Accepted Answer

Postconventional morality is characterized by an individual's view that moral principles are based on universal principles of justice, equality, and respect for human dignity. These principles are seen as part of a person's own ideology and are not dependent on the expectations of society or any authority figure.

Question 11

Social cognition is the study of development of knowledge about the self and others. One topic included in the study of social cognition is called "theory of mind." What is meant by "theory of mind"?

Accepted Answer

Theory of mind refers to the ability to understand and attribute mental states (such as beliefs, desires, and emotions) to oneself and others, and to realize that others can have different perspectives, knowledge, and beliefs than oneself. It is a key cognitive skill that develops during childhood and enables individuals to make inferences about others' thoughts, intentions, and behaviors.

Question 12

Underlying the maturation of cognition is the changing capacity of the brain to perceive, organize, store, and retrieve information. The field of ____________ links cognitive capacities to neurological processe?

Accepted Answer

Information processing is the field that links cognitive capacities to neurological processes. Option A (sensorimotor intelligence) refers to the early stage of cognitive development, while option C (gene transfer) and D (selective attention) are not directly related to the link between cognitive capacities and neurological processes.

Question 13

Which term refers to cognitive capacities including working memory, planning and organizing, and the ability to resist distractions and inhibit inappropriate impulses?

Accepted Answer

The term that refers to cognitive capacities including working memory, planning and organizing, and the ability to resist distractions and inhibit inappropriate impulses is executive functions. Perceptual defense refers to the unconscious filtering out of stimuli that are considered undesirable or threatening. Social perspective taking is the ability to understand and consider the thoughts, feelings, and perspectives of others. Adaptive self-regulation refers to the ability to adjust one's behavior according to the demands of the situation.

Question 14

In what way does Robbie Case's theory of central conceptual structures differ from Piaget's theory of cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

Robbie Case sees conceptual structures linked to specific domains such as arithmetic and social interactions rather than operations that underlie broad stages of development. This is different from Piaget's theory which emphasizes broad stages of development that underlie all aspects of cognitive development.

Question 15

Which of the following is a characteristic of postformal thought?

Accepted Answer

Postformal thought involves the ability to see contradictions and complexity in situations, and to work through them by integrating conflicting thoughts, emotions, and experiences. It also involves a more flexible approach to problem-solving, rather than relying solely on logic and science, and a willingness to consider multiple approaches and ideas. Choice A is more characteristic of formal operational thought, while choice B and D are not characteristics of postformal thought.

Question 16

Which term refers to a range of processes and strategies used to assess and monitor knowledge? It includes the "feeling of knowing" that accompanies problem solving, the ability to distinguish ideas about which we are confident from those which we doub?

Accepted Answer

The term that refers to a range of processes and strategies used to assess and monitor knowledge, including the ability to distinguish ideas about which we are confident from those which we doubt, is metacognition. This is the process of thinking about one's own thinking, which includes awareness of one's own knowledge and control of one's cognitive processes. It is an important element of successful learning and problem-solving.

Question 17

Imagine that a child is playing with blocks. Are the blocks similar or different? If the child focuses on two red blocks, the blocks are similar; if the child focuses on a rectangle and a square, the blocks are different. The idea of "similar and different" are examples of __________?

Accepted Answer

The concept of "similar and different" falls under the category of logico-mathematical knowledge, which is a key aspect of Piaget's stage theory of cognitive development.

Question 18

According to cognitive developmental theory, what factors place individuals at risk at specific periods of the life span?

Accepted Answer

According to cognitive developmental theory, individuals are at risk at specific periods of life due to factors such as sensory and motor delays in infancy, a lack of physical stimulation and restrictions on exploration, and instruction that focuses on rote memorization rather than discovery learning. Therefore, the best choice is D, as all of these factors can contribute to developmental risk.

Question 19

Discuss and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of cognitive developmental theory.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Discuss and evaluate the strengths and weaknesses...

Question 20

Explain how Robbie Case's theory of central conceptual structures attempts to expand upon Piaget's theory? Given Case's approach, is Piaget's theory still adequate?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Explain how Robbie Case's theory of central...

Quiz 4: Cognitive Developmental Theory