Deck 8: Cognitive Development: Piaget and Vygotsky

Question 1

The mental activity of cognition includes all of the following EXCEPT

A) learning.
B) memory.
C) attention.
D) pragmatics.

Answer 1

pragmatics.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is true according to Piaget's theory of cognitive development?

A) Children are passive in the process of organizing knowledge.
B) Children play an active role in organizing and structuring knowledge.
C) Children are unable to benefit from environmental experiences.
D) Children modify their knowledge only with the help of more knowledgeable others.

Answer 2

Children play an active role in organizing and structuring knowledge.

Question 3

Casey likes to play with blocks and he has several different kinds: square wooden ones, large waffle-like ones, small plastic ones that easily interlock, as well as a variety of other types. At first Casey just referred to these objects as "blocks." Now, when his mom suggests he play with his blocks, he replies, "Which ones?" Piaget would interpret his response to indicate that Casey

A) has assimilated different types of blocks into his schema for blocks.
B) has accommodated his schema for blocks to differentiate among types of blocks.
C) has memorized the different types of blocks available.
D) has forgotten that he has blocks.

Answer 3

has accommodated his schema for blocks to differentiate among types of blocks.

Question 4

According to Piaget's theory, cognitive structures that form a basis for organizing behavior are

A) cognitive maps.
B) schemata.
C) operations.
D) expectations.

Question 5

Early in his career, Piaget was interested in epistemology, which is the study of

A) culture.
B) knowledge.
C) religion.
D) the brain.

Question 6

Jesse recently learned the word "cookie" to identify his recognition of vanilla wafers. However, he also says, "cookie" when given pretzels, crackers, small pieces of bread, and even large French fries. According to Piaget, Jesse is

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

Question 7

Which of the following statements is true?

A) Schemata do not differ among children.
B) Schemata are physical entities in the brain.
C) Schemata change as children develop.
D) Schemata exclude motor function.

Question 8

Early on in the development of his theory of cognitive development, Piaget made use of which method(s)?

A) Survey research
B) Controlled experimentation
C) Interviews and observation
D) Ethnography and focus groups

Question 9

According to Piaget, basic reflexes such as grasping, kicking, and looking help infants to

A) form bonds with caregivers.
B) engage with and learn about the world.
C) make their needs known to others.
D) control their environment.

Question 10

When the child adjusts his schemata to fit a new experience, the child is

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

Question 11

Accommodation occurs when one attempts to understand new information by

A) applying existing schemata to the new experience.
B) changing existing schemata in order to fit the new experience.
C) reversing existing schemata based on the new contradictory experience.
D) ignoring the new experience.

Question 12

According to Piaget, what is the process by which simple mental structures are combined into more complex systems?

A) Organization
B) Adaptation
C) Schema combination
D) Accommodation

Question 13

The two processes of adaptation are

A) assimilation and organization.
B) organization and adaptation.
C) assimilation and conservation.
D) assimilation and accommodation.

Question 14

The first operations are formed when

A) reflexes are replaced by purposeful physical activities.
B) physical activities become internalized as a part of an organized mental structure.
C) adolescents are able to think abstractly.
D) children are able to conserve.

Question 15

The goal of Piaget's theory of cognitive development is

A) to discover how children think about the world and how changes in their thinking come about.
B) to explain how brain development controls cognitive development.
C) to discover cultural influences on a child's cognitive development.
D) to explain how social experience leads to increasing levels of cognitive competence.

Question 16

During early infancy, schemata take the form of

A) symbol systems.
B) mental images.
C) fantasies.
D) innate reflexes.

Question 17

As a young man working in the laboratory of Alfred Binet, Piaget became interested in how children

A) arrive at the correct answers on intelligence tests.
B) arrive at the incorrect answers on intelligence tests.
C) understand what was being asked of them on intelligence tests.
D) pay attention during intelligence tests.

Question 18

_______ refers to mental activity and behavior through which human beings acquire, remember, and learn to use knowledge.

A) Education
B) Cognition
C) Learning
D) Retention

Question 19

Piaget's theory and research on the study of cognitive development came to the United States in the 1960s and

A) was discounted by developmental psychologists.
B) was largely guided by other theories of psychological development, such as Freud's.
C) was mainly focused on infant cognition.
D) was an alternative to behaviorism.

Question 20

Operations are schemata-based on

A) reflexes.
B) physical activities.
C) internal mental activities.
D) knowledge gained from other individuals.

Question 21

Research on event knowledge during infancy relies on which method?

A) Structured interviews with parents
B) Measurement of habituation
C) Violation-of-expectation method
D) Stimulus-response method

Question 22

Little Malcolm, at 16 months, loves to place his toy cars and blocks on the coffee table and push them off, just to watch them fall to the floor. Malcolm's curiosity has led him to experiment with other objects, such as his mother's cookie jar, in his fascination with falling objects. Malcolm is probably in what substage of the sensorimotor stage of development?

A) Reflex activity
B) Primary circular reactions
C) Secondary circular reactions
D) Tertiary circular reactions

Question 23

Alice's 3-month-old baby, Joshua, finds sucking his fingers very pleasurable after accidentally placing his hand in his mouth one day before nap time. Joshua now prefers to suck on his fingers instead of his blue pacifier. Joshua is most likely in which substage of Piaget's sensorimotor stage of development?

A) Reflex activity
B) Primary circular reactions
C) Secondary circular reactions
D) Coordination of secondary circular reactions

Question 24

Beverly's baby, Grant, at the age of 6 months loves to shake his yellow rattle, which makes soft sounds interesting to Grant. This child is probably in what substage of Piaget's sensorimotor stage of development?

A) Reflex activity
B) Primary circular reactions
C) Secondary circular reactions
D) Tertiary circular reactions

Question 25

During the substage of Piaget's sensorimotor stage called tertiary circular reactions, children first begin to

A) combine schemata to achieve a goal.
B) act as "little scientists."
C) demonstrate intentional behavior.
D) engage in internal problem solving.

Question 26

Piaget believed that children do not possess operations until

A) after they begin to perform primary circular reactions.
B) they are a few days old.
C) they are able to represent the world in their mind and use symbols.
D) they reach adolescence.

Question 27

When a child is able to imitate a complex behavior exhibited by a model at a previous time, the child is capable of

A) delayed responses.
B) deferred imitation.
C) postponed cognitions.
D) delay of gratification.

Question 28

The stage "the invention of new means by mental combination" is characterized by the beginnings of

A) symbolic thought.
B) conservation.
C) adaptation.
D) intentional behavior.

Question 29

One of the major achievements of Piaget's sensorimotor stage is the development of the concept of

A) conservation.
B) abstract thinking.
C) the self.
D) object permanence.

Question 30

An underlying principle of Piaget's developmental stage theory is that

A) all children pass through the same sequence of the stages, but the rate of passage through the stages varies.
B) the sequence of the stages can vary for each child, but the rate of passage through the stages is the same for all children.
C) both the sequence of the stages and rate at which children pass through the stages varies, depending on the child.
D) both the sequence of the stages and the rate of passage through the stages is the same for all children.

Question 31

Which of the following is NOT a core knowledge system during infancy?

A) Understanding if an item is missing from a group
B) Understanding that some objects can be put inside other objects
C) Understanding how to solve multi-step problems relating to physical objects
D) Understanding that some objects can be hidden behind other objects

Question 32

In order to evaluate infants' knowledge of object permanence, Baillargeon tested whether

A) infants would search for a hidden object.
B) infants would look longer at an impossible event.
C) infants would show distress when they could not find a hidden object.
D) infants would show surprise when a toy was taken away from them.

Question 33

Which one of the following stages does NOT occur during the sensorimotor stage of development?

A) Primary circular reactions
B) Preconceptual period
C) Coordination of secondary circular reactions
D) Tertiary circular reactions

Question 34

During the sensorimotor stage of development, the child shifts

A) from being reflexive to using symbolic thought.
B) from being circular to integrating new information.
C) from being concrete to being abstract.
D) from being idealistic to being realistic.

Question 35

Which of the following is the correct order of Piaget's stages of intellectual development?

A) Concrete; sensorimotor; formal; preoperational
B) Preoperational; sensorimotor; formal; concrete
C) Sensorimotor; preoperational; concrete; formal
D) Formal, preoperational; sensorimotor; concrete

Question 36

Object permanence is the ability acquired when the child recognizes

A) that an object still exists even though it is out of the child's sight.
B) that the amount of a substance is permanent even though the shape of the substance can change.
C) that his parents will never abandon him.
D) that she can control the objects in her environment.

Question 37

During the substage of Piaget's sensorimotor stage called coordination of secondary circular reactions, children can combine schemata to

A) achieve a goal and solve a problem.
B) better understand how a phenomenon works.
C) evoke a greater response from caregivers.
D) demonstrate the emotions they are feeling.

Question 38

Ray, age 5 months, watches as his father places his stuffed teddy bear beneath his baby blanket during a game of peek-a-boo. His father notices, however, that Ray forgets about the bear if it is hidden for more than a few seconds. Ray has not yet developed

A) conceptualization.
B) reality.
C) object permanence.
D) memory.

Question 39

Penny's new baby, Trevor, is 3 weeks old. Trevor finds natural satisfaction and contentment by sucking on the nipple of his bottle. Trevor is in what substage of Piaget's sensorimotor stage of development?

A) Reflex activity
B) Primary circular reactions
C) Coordination of secondary schemata
D) Tertiary circular reactions

Question 40

According to Piaget's theory, cognitive development is based on changes in intellectual structures that result from

A) environmental influences that shape development.
B) biological maturation of the brain.
C) innate predispositions to actively seek knowledge, organize knowledge, and adapt experiences in certain ways.
D) stimulus-response sequences that are generalized.

Question 41

When a preoperational child, Delores, is asked if she has a sister, Delores replies, "Yes." Then, when asked further, "What's her name," Delores states, "Mary." Then Delores is asked if Mary has a sister, and Delores replies, "No." This conversational exchange reflects Delores' preoperational limitation in reasoning known as

A) irreversibility.
B) conservation.
C) centration.
D) intuition.

Question 42

Children may master some form of conservation before others. Piaget called this

A) irreversibility.
B) horizontal decalage.
C) abnormal.
D) egocentric.

Question 43

Which of the following is one of the reasons why children in the preoperational stage cannot conserve?

A) They focus on the transformation rather than the end state.
B) They focus on the end state rather than the transformation.
C) They focus on the reversing the problem rather than the end state.
D) They focus on several dimensions of an object or situation at a time

Question 44

propose that infants are born with learning mechanisms that are biologically prepared

A) to rapidly learn some of the critical features of their environment.
B) to rapidly learn to solve complex problems within the first year of life.
C) to respond to stimuli that are pleasurable.
D) to form concepts about physical objects faster than concepts of social information.

Question 45

Piaget divides the preoperational phase into two substages: the __________ period (2 to 4 years) and the __________ period (4 to 7 years).

A) intuitive; preconceptual
B) preconceptual; intuitive
C) conceptual; formal
D) intuitive; organizational

Question 46

Sonya, who is 3 years old, is playing with her many dolls and stuffed animals. Sonya believes the dolls talk to each other and can feel when she hugs them. Sonya is probably engaging in

A) animistic thinking.
B) projection.
C) reaction formation.
D) role reversal.

Question 47

Recently, researchers have found that children as young as 3 years old can identify the correct perspective from different positions in the three-mountain task if they make the task more accessible and comprehensible to young children. Which of the following is not one of the changes to the tasks, which results in better comprehension of the task for young children?

A) Making the three sides of the mountain more distinctive
B) Allowing the children to rotate a small model to show their answer rather than choose from drawings
C) Telling children to close their eyes and imagine the three mountains before they answer the questions
D) Using dolls and asking questions about where a boy doll could hide so that a policeman doll could not find him

Question 48

One of the most significant accomplishments of the preoperational child is the rapid acquisition of the

A) symbolic function.
B) social function.
C) motor function.
D) egocentric function.

Question 49

In the preconceptual stage, children often attribute life and living characteristics to inanimate objects. This is known as

A) creative thinking.
B) egocentricity.
C) animistic thinking.
D) disturbed thinking.

Question 50

Bonnie, age 4, is a very bright and imitative child. The other day, Grandma took Bonnie for a car ride where Bonnie saw a train speeding down the tracks. Today, Bonnie has a set of blocks she is pushing while saying, "Choo-choo, toot-toot." Bonnie is probably in what stage of development, according to Piaget?

A) Sensorimotor
B) Preoperational
C) Imaginative
D) Symbolic

Question 51

Wayne is pretty good at certain things, such as solving problems and counting up to 20 objects; however, he is not very good at explaining why he solves problems in particular ways. Wayne is probably still in what substage of development?

A) Intuitive substage of the preoperational period
B) Preconceptual substage of the preoperational period
C) Concrete operational substage
D) Formal operational substage

Question 52

Jay believes that the world revolves around him and that the universe was created for him. Jay has a lot of difficulty seeing any point of view besides his own. This egocentricity is characteristic of what substage of the preoperational stage of development?

A) Intuitive substage
B) Preconceptual substage
C) Concrete substage
D) Formal substage

Question 53

Cross-cultural research on conservation suggests that

A) the amount of experience individuals have with particular materials is unrelated to conservation abilities.
B) the more experience individuals have with particular materials, the sooner they are able to understand conservation with those materials.
C) the order in which children can conserve various substances is the same across cultures.
D) conservation of liquid occurs first in all cultures, but conservation of other substances varies across cultures.

Question 54

In Western societies, children usually acquire ________ conservation before ________ conservation.

A) number; volume
B) volume; mass
C) area; length
D) weight; number

Question 55

Sophie has been shown two short, wide, transparent cylinders that contain equal amounts of water. The researcher now pours the liquid from one cylinder into a tall, thin cylinder. Sophie is asked which container has more liquid, and she replies that the tall container has the most, indicating a developmental error also known as an inability to

A) reverse.
B) conserve.
C) remember.
D) seriate.

Question 56

Piaget developed a three-mountain task to test children's ability to see things from the perspective of others. This task tested children for

A) analytical skills.
B) object permanence.
C) egocentrism.
D) perception.

Question 57

According to Piaget, preoperational reasoning is characterized by

A) abstract logic.
B) conservation.
C) irreversibility.
D) concrete understanding.

Question 58

John and Jodie, both 4 years old, have the belief that the universe is organized and created for them and that everything is and should be centered around them. According to Piaget, this type of thought is called

A) vanity.
B) delusion.
C) wish-fulfillment.
D) egocentrism.

Question 59

Piaget may have underestimated children's ability to understand physical concepts because of his over-reliance on using

A) motor activity to gauge children's cognitive abilities.
B) emotional reactions to gauge children's cognitive abilities.
C) controlled experimentation to test children's cognitive abilities.
D) observation of behavior in natural settings.

Question 60

Two characteristics of the preconceptual stage are

A) animistic thinking and egocentricity.
B) a full undertanding of conservation and abstract thought.
C) reflexive behaviors and imitation.
D) focus on process and features.

Question 61

Vygotsky's view on innate abilities attributed the child with

A) no innate abilities.
B) only innate abilities that were supported by the child's culture.
C) innate abilities such as attention, perception, and memory.
D) innate abilities such as reflexes.

Question 62

Cross-cultural research on the development of cognitive abilities suggests that cultures value and develop those skills that

A) are useful in the daily activities required in their cultural settings.
B) are universally needed for human survival.
C) allow humans to achieve higher levels of cognition than other primates.
D) were taught to us by our ancestors even if they are no longer relevant to our daily lives.

Question 63

Recent research in the area of conservation has consistently found that

A) Piaget overestimated the capacities of young children.
B) Piaget underestimated the capacities of young children.
C) Piaget was correct in the timelines he established for conservation.
D) Piaget did not clearly describe conservation.

Question 64

For Vygotsky, development is best understood

A) as a product of social interaction.
B) as a product of individual improvement.
C) as a series of distinct stages, each characterized by different functions.
D) as the biological unfolding of the organism.

Question 65

Which of the following is true of the impact of Piaget's theory on cognitive development?

A) We now know that all children progress through the stages of cognitive development at the same rate.
B) Piaget's ideas lead to a wealth of new research on cognitive development.
C) Piaget discouraged parents and teachers from using active training and instruction to help children learn cognitive tasks.
D) All research that has been conducted on cognitive development refutes Piaget's stages.

Question 66

on the acquisition of cognitive concepts and skills suggests that

A) culture has little influence on cognitive development.
B) European Americans have superior cognitive skills earlier than Native Americans.
C) culture influences the rate of cognitive skill development.
D) culture influences cognitive skill development.

Question 67

One of the most problematic aspects in Piaget's theory of cognitive development is why some children can solve some concrete operational problems, but not others. This concept is referred to as

A) object permanence.
B) horizontal decalage.
C) conservation.
D) attentional deficit.

Question 68

In which one of the following ways does formal operational thought differ from concrete operational thought?

A) Formal operational thought is characterized by greater flexibility of thought.
B) Formal operational thought allows for the use of mental hypotheses testing.
C) Formal operational thought is limited to considering alternatives directly observable in the physical world.
D) Formal operational thought allows for an appreciation of the many possibilities that exist.

Question 69

The shift away from an egocentric orientation is important for all of the following EXCEPT

A) improved communication.
B) the development of moral understanding.
C) empathetic concern for others.
D) improved academic achievement.

Question 70

Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of concrete operations?

A) A decrease in reversibility
B) A decrease in centration
C) A decrease in egocentrism
D) An increase in concrete logic

Question 71

According to Vygotsky, elementary mental functions

A) are biological in basis and emerge spontaneously in children's interaction with the world.
B) are not susceptible to cultural influence.
C) are separate and unrelated to higher mental functions.
D) begin to emerge only after formal schooling begins.

Question 72

Formal operations may occur late or be absent

A) due to the low quality of formal education.
B) because of too much time spent viewing television.
C) because logic is not taught in many schools.
D) in cultures that do not emphasize symbolic skills.

Question 73

Cross-cultural researchers have demonstrated that it is difficult to take measures of a specific task to indicate a child's stage or level of cognitive development because

A) tasks such as those designed by Piaget were too limited to understand children's cognitive development.
B) development does not proceed in stages in most cultures.
C) Piaget's stages are not relevant cross-culturally.
D) different cultures stress different concepts, which are tapped by different tasks.

Question 74

One of the central processes of social cognition is the differentiation of

A) your mother from your father.
B) the self from other objects in the environment.
C) humans from nonhumans.
D) family from nonfamily.

Question 75

Timothy is in preschool. When asked to describe himself, he will probably

A) focus on activities he likes to do.
B) describe himself in terms of personality traits.
C) focus on the thoughts and feelings that make him unique.
D) not be able to provide any description of himself.

Question 76

Tabitha has become interested in thinking about hypothetical situations and wondering about different possibilities that could exist in the future. Which of Piaget's stages is she in?

A) Sensorimotor
B) Preoperational
C) Concrete operations
D) Formal operations

Question 77

The stage of formal operations is different from Piaget's other stages in that

A) some individuals reach formal operations before they reach the other stages.
B) experience solving particular types of problems does not impact when one reaches the stage of formal operations.
C) not all adults in all societies reach the stage of formal operations.
D) almost all individuals reach the stage of formal operations at the same age.

Question 78

Which of the following is NOT one of the important ideas that Piaget introduced to the field of cognitive psychology?

A) Children actively seek and construct knowledge.
B) Development is the product of social interaction between partners.
C) Development follows an invariant sequence.
D) Children's perceptual-motor systems provide important routes to knowledge.

Question 79

Erica is in the concrete operational stage of development. When asked to sort flowers, she will most likely be able to

A) group flowers according to their color, but not according to the type of flower (e.g., group daisies together and roses together).
B) group flowers according to the type of flower (e.g., group daisies together and roses together), but not according to color.
C) group flowers according to the type of flower and the color of the flower.
D) group flowers according to the classification system used by botanists.

Question 80

The false-belief task is often used to investigate children's

A) understanding of object permanence.
B) theory of mind.
C) ability to conserve.
D) understanding of reversibility.