Question 1

Girls typically experience the adolescent growth spurt _____ than do boys.

Accepted Answer

Girls typically experience the adolescent growth spurt about 2 years earlier than boys. This is a general pattern observed in human development, where girls often begin puberty and its associated growth spurts before boys do.

Question 2

According to Erikson, the first stage of a child's psychosocial development is the _____ stage.

Accepted Answer

Erikson's first stage of psychosocial development is called trust-versus-mistrust, which occurs during infancy. During this stage, infants develop a sense of trust or mistrust in the world around them based on their interactions with their primary caregiver(s). The other answer choices are stages that occur later in life, such as the id-versus-ego stage (which is part of Freud's psychosexual development theory) and Erikson's intimacy-versus-isolation stage (which occurs during young adulthood). The autonomy-versus-shame-and-doubt stage is also part of Erikson's theory, but it occurs during the second stage of psychosocial development (toddlerhood).

Question 3

Dawn is 1 week of age. Ellis is 6 years of age. Fritzi is 9 years of age. Girard is 15 years of age. In the context of the stages of development suggested by Piaget, which of the following pairs is correctly matched?

Accepted Answer

Dawn, being 1 week old, is in the sensorimotor stage according to Piaget's stages of cognitive development, which spans from birth to about 2 years of age.

Question 4

Some Western legal systems consider either 7 or 8 as the age at which a child attains reason. Is such a designation defensible from a Piagetian standpoint?

Accepted Answer

During the concrete operational period (7-11 years old), children do acquire basic reasoning skills, such as understanding conservation, classification, and seriation. Therefore, designating 7 or 8 as the age at which a child attains reason can be defensible from a Piagetian standpoint.

Question 5

Bonnie is 3 months old. Her parents are inconsistent in attending to her needs. Sometimes they are very attentive, feeding her promptly when she cries and comforting her when she seems upset. At other times, Bonnie cries for a long time before her parents attend to her. Based on Erikson's theory, it is likely that Bonnie will develop:

Accepted Answer

According to Erikson's theory of psychosocial development, infants develop a sense of either trust or mistrust based on the consistency and responsiveness of their caregivers. Inconsistent attending to Bonnie's needs may lead her to feel less secure and develop a general sense of mistrust.

Question 6

Two children are participating in a memory research: Heather, a preschooler, and Illeana, a sixth grader. When the children fail a particular recall task, the researcher asks each child what she might do to succeed at the task the next time. Heather suggests that she would simply try again; Illeana proposes that she would try to write the items down. The difference in the girls' responses most clearly illustrates an increase in _____ during childhood.

Accepted Answer

Metacognitive ability refers to the awareness and understanding of one's own cognitive processes, including memory. Illeana's response indicates that she has developed the ability to evaluate her own memory strategies and make effective changes, whereas Heather's response suggests a more simplistic approach without this metacognitive awareness. Memory capacity may be a factor in the children's ability to complete the recall task, but it is not the focus of the question. Operational thinking and proximal development may be related to cognitive development in childhood more broadly, but they are not directly related to the difference in the children's responses to the recall task.

Question 7

A child demonstrates that she understands the idea of object permanence and egocentrism but fails to understand the concept of conservation. In the context of the Piagetian stages, she is most likely in the _____ stage.

Accepted Answer

Object permanence and egocentrism are concepts learned in the sensorimotor stage, while conservation is a concept learned in the concrete operational stage. Therefore, if the child has mastered object permanence and egocentrism but struggles with conservation, she is likely in the preoperational stage.

Question 8

Twelve-year-old Nathaniel was having trouble solving the word problems in his math homework. However, when his dad helped him by reading the problems aloud and emphasizing the important information, Nathaniel could solve all the problems correctly. Which of the following concepts is being illustrated in this scenario?

Accepted Answer

Nathaniel's dad's help exemplifies Vygotsky's concept of the zone of proximal development, which takes into account the difference between what a learner can do independently and what they can do with guidance and assistance from someone more skilled. Nathaniel was able to solve the problems with his dad's help, showing that he is in his zone of proximal development for those specific word problems.

Question 9

Which of the following constructs primarily reflects that "nature" is more influential than "nurture"?

Accepted Answer

Temperament is the best choice as it refers to a person's innate personality traits and behavioral tendencies, which are believed to be largely predetermined by genetics and biology, and therefore reflects that "nature" is more influential than "nurture." The other options (attachment style, choice of mother tongue, and choice of friends) are more influenced by environmental factors and experiences, and therefore reflect a greater influence of "nurture."

Question 10

According to Piaget, mastery of the principle of conservation marks the beginning of the _____ stage of development.

Accepted Answer

Piaget's theory of cognitive development states that mastery of the principle of conservation marks the beginning of the concrete operational stage of development. In this stage, children can think logically about concrete objects and events and understand that physical properties such as mass, volume, and number remain the same even when they are rearranged or transformed in some way. This stage typically lasts from ages 7 to 12.

Question 11

To stop baby Rudy from crying for a sharp knife on the kitchen table, his mother put it in her apron pocket. "Out of sight, out of mind," she said, and it worked. Rudy's mother has capitalized on his lack of the concept of:

Accepted Answer

Rudy's mother has taken advantage of his lack of understanding of object permanence, which means the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight. By hiding the knife in her apron pocket, Rudy can no longer see the knife and it is "out of mind" for him.

Question 12

During the sensorimotor period:

Accepted Answer

During the sensorimotor period, children's understanding is mainly based on their basic sensory and motor abilities, as they learn through exploring and manipulating objects in their environment. They have not yet developed the ability to consider hypothetical outcomes or make logical deductions, and mental operations are tied to actual objects in the real world. While they do develop the concept of reversibility during this period, it is not their main focus.

Question 13

During the Vietnam War, Michael moved from the United States to Canada to avoid the draft. He didn't want to go to war because he was afraid he might be killed or seriously injured. Michael's reasons for not going to war reflect the _____ stage of moral reasoning established by Kohlberg.

Accepted Answer

Michael's reasons for not going to war because of fear of death or injury reflect the preconventional stage of moral reasoning according to Kohlberg. This stage is characterized by a focus on self-interest and avoiding negative personal consequences, rather than adherence to societal rules or ethical principles.

Question 14

Mrs. Weston asks Colin if he wants his sandwich in one piece or cut into two pieces. Colin tells her to keep it in one piece because he isn't hungry enough to eat two pieces. In the context of Piaget's theory, Colin's answer suggests that he does not:

Accepted Answer

Colin's response indicates a lack of understanding of the concept of conservation. Conservation is the understanding that changing the shape or arrangement of a substance does not alter its fundamental properties. By choosing to keep the sandwich in one piece, Colin is indicating that he does not recognize that cutting the sandwich into two pieces does not change the amount of food he has. This is characteristic of preoperational thinking, according to Piaget's theory.

Question 15

Which of the following sequences accurately reflects the order of Piaget's stages of cognitive development, from birth through adolescence?

Accepted Answer

Piaget's stages of cognitive development, in order, are Sensorimotor (birth-2 years), Preoperational (2-7 years), Concrete Operational (7-11 years), and Formal Operational (11 years-adulthood). Choice C accurately reflects this order.

Question 16

Jay complains to his father that he wants more juice than he has. His father takes the juice Jay has in his glass and pours it into a taller but narrower glass. Jay is now content that he has more juice. Jay has failed to grasp the concept of:

Accepted Answer

Jay has failed to understand the concept of conservation, which refers to the understanding that the amount of a substance remains the same even when its appearance is changed. In this case, Jay thinks he has more juice because the taller glass gives the illusion of having more liquid, when in reality, it is the same amount as before. This lack of understanding of conservation is a common developmental milestone that children typically overcome as they grow older.

Question 17

Which of the following accurately reflects a positive aspect of Erikson's theory of psychosocial development?

Accepted Answer

Erikson's theory covered the entire lifespan of an individual, from infancy to old age. This is a positive aspect of his theory as it recognizes that development is a lifelong process and that people continue to go through different stages and challenges throughout their lives. Additionally, this comprehensive approach allows for a better understanding of the complexities and intricacies of human development.

Question 18

Preschoolers can hold only 2 or 3 chunks of information in short-term memory, 5-year-olds can hold four, and 7-year-olds can hold _____.

Accepted Answer

7-year-olds can hold 5 chunks of information in short-term memory, reflecting the gradual increase in capacity with age.

Question 19

Hailey's parents demand that she follow their instructions without asking any question. Isabella's parents are firm as well, but they are more likely to reason with her and explain the consequences of her behavior. In Baumrind's terms, Hailey's parents are _____, while Isabella's parents are _____.

Accepted Answer

Hailey's parents are described as demanding obedience without questioning, which is a characteristic of authoritarian parenting. Isabella's parents, on the other hand, are described as firm but willing to reason with their child and explain consequences, which is a characteristic of authoritative parenting.

Question 20

Edward is 8 years of age and is currently in the second grade. In the context of the theory propagated by Piaget, Edward is in the _____ stage of cognitive development.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Edward is 8 years of age and...

Quiz 8: Making Decisions and Solving Problems