Question 1

Schemes refer to

Accepted Answer

Schemes are mental representations that organize knowledge. They are used to help individuals understand and interpret new experiences based on their existing understanding and knowledge.

Question 2

For cognitive change to occur, identify the two processes that must work in concert as a child experiences considerable movement between the states of cognitive equilibrium and disequilibrium.

Accepted Answer

The two processes that must work in concert as a child experiences considerable movement between the states of cognitive equilibrium and disequilibrium are assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation is the process of incorporating new information into existing mental schemas, while accommodation is the process of modifying existing schemas to fit new information. Together, assimilation and accommodation facilitate cognitive change and allow the child to achieve a new state of equilibrium.

Question 3

Ruth, an infant, sucked everything that touched her lips and also sucked nearby objects. A few months later, she learned that certain objects such as her mother's breasts or a milk bottle can be sucked but other objects such as spoons, her toys, or her blanket cannot be sucked. In the context of Jean Piaget's theory of infant development, the cognitive processes most likely responsible for Ruth's actions are

Accepted Answer

Ruth's learning to differentiate between objects that can be sucked and those that cannot be sucked is an example of the cognitive processes of assimilation and accommodation. Assimilation occurs when a child incorporates new experiences into their existing mental schemas, and accommodation occurs when a child modifies their existing mental schemas to fit new experiences. In Ruth's case, she assimilated the act of sucking into her existing schema for objects that can be sucked, but through trial and error, she accommodated her schema to include only certain objects that can actually be sucked.

Question 4

Which of the following substages of Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of development corresponds to the first month after birth?

Accepted Answer

The first month after birth corresponds to the simple reflexes substage of the sensorimotor stage of development, as infants at this stage rely mainly on automatic reflexes such as sucking, rooting, and grasping. This stage lasts from birth to around one month of age.

Question 5

Alice, who is three weeks old, sucks everything that touches her lips. After a few weeks, her mother observes that she has started to suck even if a nipple or bottle is only nearby and not touching her lips. In the context of Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of development, Alice is most likely in the sensorimotor substage known as

Accepted Answer

The answer of Alice, who is three weeks old, sucks...

Question 6

Three-year-old Jesse used to call all moving vehicles "car." He now accurately categorizes moving vehicles into trucks, cars, motorcycles, and buses. Jesse has ________ to fit new information into his existing scheme.

Accepted Answer

Accommodation refers to the process of modifying existing schemas to fit new information. In this case, Jesse has modified his concept of "car" to include more specific categories like trucks, cars, motorcycles, and buses.

Question 7

Baby Elise has developed a sucking scheme. She knows that to get food, she must suck on her mother's breast. Now, her mother has begun to introduce solid foods with a spoon. Elise immediately sucks on the spoon. This is an example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of assimilation. Elise has taken her existing scheme of sucking to obtain food and applied it to a new object, the spoon. She is assimilating the spoon into her existing schema.

Question 8

Piaget divided the sensorimotor stage of development into ________ substages.

Accepted Answer

Piaget divided the sensorimotor stage of development into six substages, which describe the progression of a child's cognitive development from birth to about two years of age.

Question 9

Benji has started calling his father "dad," but he also calls all the men that he sees "dad." According to Piaget, this error is due to the phenomenon of

Accepted Answer

According to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, assimilation is the process of incorporating new information into existing schemas, which are mental frameworks or structures that help individuals understand and organize their experiences. In this case, Benji has a schema for a father figure, which includes the term "dad." However, he has not yet fully differentiated the concept of "dad" from individual men who share some characteristics with his father, so he is applying the term more broadly. This is an example of assimilation, where Benji incorporates new information (seeing other men) into his existing schema (father figure) without fully understanding the differences between them.

Question 10

Josh is three months old. His mother observes that he sucks even when there is no bottle or nipple present nearby and even in the absence of any object touching his lips. In the context of Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of development, Josh is most likely in the ________ sensorimotor substage.

Accepted Answer

In the first habits and primary circular reactions substage (which occurs between 1-4 months), infants begin to coordinate sensation and movement more intentionally. They also start to repeat actions that have favorable outcomes. Josh's sucking behavior is an example of a primary circular reaction, where he is repeating a pleasurable action (sucking) on his own body.

Question 11

Jean Piaget believed that cognition in one stage is ________ that in another stage.

Accepted Answer

Piaget's theory of cognitive development proposed that each stage of development has a qualitatively different way of thinking, meaning that the way a person thinks in one stage is fundamentally different from the way they think in another stage. This contrasts with the idea that cognitive development is only quantitatively different, where the same way of thinking becomes more complex or advanced as a person grows.

Question 12

Which of the following substages of sensorimotor development is characterized by coordination of sensation and action through reflexive behaviors?

Accepted Answer

During the sensorimotor stage of development, the substage of simple reflexes (birth to 1 month) is characterized by the coordination of sensation and action through reflexive behaviors. This period focuses on innate reflexes such as sucking and grasping, allowing the infant to start interacting with the world.

Question 13

Two-year-old Anita has learned the word "dog" to identify the family pet Rover. Now, Anita says the word "dog" when she sees any animal. Anita has ________ these animals into her existing scheme.

Accepted Answer

Anita has assimilated these animals into her existing scheme by using the word "dog" to refer to all animals, which means she is incorporating new experiences into her existing cognitive framework without changing it.

Question 14

The sensorimotor stage of development lasts from birth to about

Accepted Answer

The sensorimotor stage of development lasts from birth to about 2 years of age, according to Piaget's theory of cognitive development. During this stage, infants learn about their surroundings through their senses and motor actions.

Question 15

When children experience cognitive conflict in trying to understand the world, they shift from one stage of thought to the next. The mechanism through which this shift occurs is called

Accepted Answer

Equilibration is the process through which children experience cognitive conflict when they encounter new information that doesn't fit into their existing understanding of the world. This discomfort motivates them to actively seek out new information and adjust their mental schema to accommodate it. This process leads to a shift from one stage of thought to the next. Assimilation, organization, and amalgamation are all important mechanisms in cognitive development, but they do not specifically refer to the process of moving from one stage of thought to the next.

Question 16

Jean Piaget's concept of grouping isolated behaviors into a higher-order system is called

Accepted Answer

Piaget's concept of grouping isolated behaviors into a higher-order system is called organization. Assimilation refers to the process of incorporating new experiences into existing schemas, while equilibration is the process of balancing cognitive schemas with new information. Amalgamation is not a concept used by Piaget.

Question 17

Jean Piaget believed that children

Accepted Answer

Piaget believed in the concept of active construction, where children actively construct their own cognitive worlds through their experiences and interactions with their environment. Piaget's theory emphasizes the importance of children's active participation in their own learning process rather than passively absorbing information from the environment or relying solely on input from their parents.

Question 18

Trenton was playing in a sandbox. He was pouring sand from a short and wide container into a tall and narrow container. When he poured the sand into the tall and narrow container, it appeared as if it had more sand in it. Trenton could not figure out where the extra sand came from and how it got into his container. As Trenton continued to try to solve this puzzle, he experienced considerable movement between states of cognitive ________ and ________ to produce cognitive change.

Accepted Answer

Trenton's experience of confusion and trying to solve a puzzle suggests that he was in a state of cognitive disequilibrium. However, as he continued to think and engage with the problem, he likely reached a state of cognitive equilibrium with a modified understanding of the situation. This process of shifting between states of equilibrium and disequilibrium to produce cognitive change is a key component of Piaget's theory of cognitive development, which is captured by option A. Options B and C do not accurately reflect the process Trenton is experiencing, and option D is not a recognized term in Piaget's theory.

Question 19

________ occurs when children adjust their schemes to take new information and experiences into account.

Accepted Answer

Accommodation is the process of adjusting existing knowledge schemes to take into account new information or experiences.

Question 20

George, a child, sees a hammer in his father's toolbox, but he only has a vague idea about how to use it. He also sees some nails in the toolbox and learns that they can be driven into walls. George later realizes that the hammer is hard and heavy and can be used to drive the nails into walls. In the context of Jean Piaget's theory of infant development, the grouping of knowledge or thoughts by George into a higher-order system is known as

Accepted Answer

George has grouped his knowledge about the hammer and nails into a higher-order system, which is known as organization according to Piaget's theory of infant development. This involves arranging experiences, ideas, and objects into categories and mental schemas that can be used to make sense of the world.

Quiz 5: Cognitive Development in Infancy