Question 1

Daryl has a ball of Silly Putty. His 6-year-old son, Mason, watches as Daryl flattens the Silly Putty into a thin "pancake." When Daryl asks Mason if there is now more Silly Putty, Mason replies "Yes" because he has _____.

Accepted Answer

Mason's response indicates that he has not yet mastered the concept of conservation, which is the understanding that even if the appearance of an object changes, its amount remains the same. In this case, flattening the Silly Putty into a thin layer changes its appearance, but not its overall amount.

Question 2

Evelyn dropped a tiny spot of ketchup on her pants during lunch. Even though her teacher was able to completely remove the spot, Evelyn is crying hysterically and says that she wants to go home because her outfit is ruined. Her behavior demonstrates the characteristic of preoperational thought known as _____.

Accepted Answer

Irreversibility is the inability to understand that a transformation can be reversed. In this case, Evelyn is unable to understand that the ketchup spot can be removed and that her outfit is not ruined.

Question 3

A child's inability to understand that undoing a sequence of events will bring about the original situation is called _____.

Accepted Answer

Irreversibility refers to the inability of children in the preoperational stage to understand that reversing a sequence of events will return things to their original state. They cannot mentally "undo" an action or series of actions.

Question 4

According to Vygotsky, guided participation requires that a child _____.

Accepted Answer

Guided participation requires interaction with a mentor, who provides support and scaffolding for the child to accomplish a task. This involves the mentor giving step-by-step instructions and feedback, as well as modeling the desired behavior. It is not about discovering solutions on one's own, nor is it about being taught by other children.

Question 5

Skills that the child can accomplish with assistance but can't yet perform independently are part of _____.

Accepted Answer

The description best fits the concept of the zone of proximal development, which refers to the range of skills that a child can perform with guidance and support from a more knowledgeable individual, but not yet on their own. Private speech refers to the use of language by children to regulate their own behavior or thought processes. The gap between heredity and learning is a theoretical construct that attempts to explain how genetic and environmental factors interact in the development of a child's abilities. Distal development refers to the growth of abilities that are not directly observable, such as cognitive or emotional development.

Question 6

The characteristic of preoperational thought in which a young child thinks that nothing changes is called _____.

Accepted Answer

Static reasoning is the characteristic of preoperational thought in which a young child thinks that nothing changes. Animism refers to the belief that inanimate objects have feelings and thoughts like humans. Conservation is the understanding that physical characteristics of objects remain the same despite changes in their appearance, and centration is the tendency to focus on only one aspect of a situation while neglecting others.

Question 7

After her haircut was complete, Tania began crying inconsolably. "You turned me into a boy!" she cried. Which obstacle to logic was Tania demonstrating?

Accepted Answer

Tania's focus on appearance is causing her to view a short haircut as a masculine trait, which demonstrates an obstacle to logical thinking.

Question 8

According to Vygotsky, a child's first guided participation is provided by a guide who is likely a(n) _____.

Accepted Answer

Vygotsky believed that parents are the primary guides for a child's first experiences of guided participation, as they provide support, coaching and encouragement to help the child learn and develop. While other individuals such as classmates, teachers and siblings can also serve as guides, Vygotsky emphasized the importance of the child's close relationships with adults in facilitating cognitive growth.

Question 9

Four-year-old Jonathan is sitting at the lunch counter next to his sister Erin. They are having hot dogs for lunch. When his mom cuts Jonathan's hot dog into five pieces and Erin's into six pieces, Jonathan protests, "Erin has more than me!" Which ability does Jonathan not yet demonstrate?

Accepted Answer

Jonathan does not yet understand the concept of conservation, which means that objects stay the same even if their appearance changes. In this case, despite the fact that Erin's hot dog was cut into more pieces, they both still have the same amount of hot dog overall.

Question 10

A child who is unable to read a picture book independently gets help from an adult to accomplish the task. This assistance will only be effective if the _____.

Accepted Answer

The child will benefit most from assistance that is within their zone of proximal development (ZPD), the range of tasks that a child cannot yet perform independently but can accomplish with guidance and support. Offering assistance that is too easy or too challenging will not be as effective in helping the child learn and develop their reading skills. Age (B) and cognitive stage (C) are not as relevant in determining effective assistance as the child's ZPD. While a warm and gentle manner (A) can be helpful, it is not as crucial as offering assistance within the child's ZPD.

Question 11

A child is shown two identical tall containers, both half-filled with water. The water from one container is then poured into a short, wide container. If the child states that both containers still have the same amount of water, then the child understands the concept of _____.

Accepted Answer

The child understands the concept of conservation, which means they have the ability to understand that even though the water is in a different container, the amount remains the same.

Question 12

Jake's father takes him to the barber for his first real haircut. At first, Jake is excited; but as soon as the barber makes the first cut in his hair, Jake becomes very upset and tells his father to make the barber stop. In spite of his father's efforts to assure him that his hair will grow back, Jake is devastated. Jake is exhibiting the characteristic known as _____.

Accepted Answer

Irreversibility refers to the preoperational child's difficulty in understanding that an action can be done and then undone, or that something can be restored to its original state after a change has occurred. Jake's inability to comprehend that his hair can grow back after being cut demonstrates this concept.

Question 13

Irreversibility refers to the preoperational child's tendency to _____.

Accepted Answer

Irreversibility refers to the preoperational child's belief that what has been done cannot be undone. This means that they cannot understand the concept of reversibility, which is the ability to mentally reverse an action or operation. For example, they may believe that a flattened piece of clay cannot be returned to its original form, or that pouring water from a short, wide glass into a tall, narrow glass somehow changes the amount of water present.

Question 14

When children assume that the world is unchanging, they engage in _____.

Accepted Answer

Static reasoning is a cognitive limitation that is characterized by believing that the world is unchanging. This leads children to make erroneous judgments and assumptions about reality. Magical thinking (A) is a belief in supernatural powers and events that are not based on rationality or evidence. Centration (C) is the tendency to focus on only one aspect of a situation while neglecting other important features. A focus on appearance (D) is the tendency to believe that outward appearances are an accurate reflection of underlying realities.

Question 15

Jennie sees her third-grade teacher in the grocery store and is shocked to see her outside of school. This shock is likely due to Jennie's _____.

Accepted Answer

Static reasoning is the correct answer because it involves the belief that the world is unchanging. Jennie is surprised to see her teacher in a different context because she has not yet understood that people have lives outside of their roles at school.

Question 16

Beverly and her mother were shopping for a birthday gift for Beverly's father. "How about this? Daddy would love it!" Beverly exclaimed, showing her mother a pink and purple toy horse with flowing mane and tail. Beverly's belief that her father would enjoy a toy that she herself would enjoy is an example of _____.

Accepted Answer

Beverly's belief that her father would enjoy a toy that she herself would enjoy is an example of egocentrism, which is the tendency for children to view the world from their own perspective and assume that others share their preferences and opinions.

Question 17

A preschool child thinks that a tall 20-year-old man is older than a short 40-year-old man. This is an example of _____.

Accepted Answer

This is an example of focus on appearance, where the child is primarily judging the age of the individuals based on their physical characteristics rather than their actual chronological age.

Question 18

The Piagetian term for a particular type of centration in which a child thinks about the world only from his or her personal perspective is _____.

Accepted Answer

Egocentrism is the Piagetian term for a particular type of centration in which a child thinks about the world only from his or her personal perspective. Static reasoning refers to the belief that the world is unchanging, irreversibility refers to the inability to mentally reverse a sequence of events or restore a transformed object to its original state, and conservatism refers to the tendency to cling to familiar ways of thinking and behaving and resist change.

Question 19

Each time Juan puts a puzzle together, his father gives him a little less help. Which theorist would be pleased with Juan's father?

Accepted Answer

Vygotsky's theory emphasizes the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) and scaffolding, where a more knowledgeable other (in this case, Juan's father) provides support to the learner (Juan) that is gradually withdrawn as the learner becomes more competent. This approach aligns with Juan's father giving him progressively less help with puzzles.

Question 20

Researchers now believe that Piaget underestimated cognition in infancy and _____ cognition in early childhood.

Accepted Answer

Piaget is often criticized for underestimating cognitive abilities in infancy and also for underestimating them in early childhood, suggesting that children are more capable at earlier ages than he proposed.

Quiz 9: Early Childhood: Cognitive Development