Question 1

Theory of mind develops more rapidly when a child has younger siblings.

Accepted Answer

Theory of mind tends to develop more rapidly in children with older siblings, as interactions with older siblings can provide more complex social and cognitive challenges that stimulate theory of mind development.

Question 2

The process by which people learn from others who lead their experiences and explorations is called guided participation.

Accepted Answer

Guided participation refers to learning from others who guide and lead one's experiences and explorations.

Question 3

Vygotsky believed that cognitive growth was a process of individual discovery, propelled by experience and biological maturation.

Accepted Answer

Vygotsky believed that cognitive growth was a socially mediated process, propelled by interaction with more knowledgeable others and cultural tools.

Question 4

The temporary, sensitive structure provided by others to a developing child who is learning new skills is known as the zone of proximal development.

Accepted Answer

The zone of proximal development refers to the difference between what a learner can do without help and what they can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner. It is not a structure but a concept describing potential learning.

Question 5

For a long time, developmentalists such as Piaget overestimated children's thinking skills.

Accepted Answer

Piaget is actually known for underestimating children's thinking skills, as later research found that children could perform certain cognitive tasks at earlier ages than Piaget's stages of cognitive development suggested.

Question 6

The best time to learn a second language is in early childhood.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that the earlier a child is exposed to a second language, the better they will become at mastering it. Children's brains are more adaptable and able to acquire language skills more easily during early childhood.

Question 7

A theory of mind is one's own personal understanding of the complex interaction among emotions, perceptions, thoughts, and intentions in oneself and others.

Accepted Answer

This is the definition of a theory of mind. It involves understanding and attributing mental states to oneself and others in order to predict and interpret behavior.

Question 8

The results of a study in which 3- to 6-year-old children copied adults who waved a red stick before using it to open a box revealed that scaffolding occurs through observation as well as explicit guidance.

Accepted Answer

The statement confirms that the study found evidence for scaffolding through observation as well as explicit guidance. Therefore, the statement is true.

Question 9

The charting of new vocabulary words by associating them with already-known words is called fast-mapping.

Accepted Answer

Fast-mapping is the process of quickly establishing connections between new vocabulary words and existing knowledge or concepts.

Question 10

Ten-year-old Sarah and 5-year-old Haley were making a special birthday card for their grandmother. As Sarah patiently showed Haley how to carefully glue the lace around the card's edges, she provided scaffolding for Haley.

Accepted Answer

This statement indicates that Sarah was providing support and guidance (scaffolding) to Haley as she learned the skill of gluing lace to the card.

Question 11

The underlying factor that allows the development of theory of mind is static reasoning.

Accepted Answer

Static reasoning involves thinking about the world in fixed terms and may inhibit the development of theory of mind, which requires an understanding that others can hold beliefs and perspectives different from our own. A more flexible and dynamic form of reasoning, such as propositional reasoning, is typically necessary for the development of theory of mind.

Question 12

Conservation refers to a child's assumption that the world is unchanging.

Accepted Answer

Conservation, in the context of cognitive development in children, refers to the understanding that certain properties of objects or substances remain unchanged even when their outward appearance changes, not to an assumption that the world is unchanging.

Question 13

By age 6, many children have a vocabulary of about 10,000 words.

Accepted Answer

By age 6, most children have a vocabulary of around 10,000 words.

Question 14

Interactive reading with preschoolers has been found to reduce their reading abilities in elementary school.

Accepted Answer

This statement is false. Interactive reading with preschoolers has been found to have a positive impact on their reading abilities in elementary school. It helps them develop vocabulary, language skills, and comprehension abilities.

Question 15

Overregularization is a sign of increased verbal knowledge.

Accepted Answer

Overregularization occurs when children apply general grammatical rules too broadly, indicating they are learning and internalizing the language's rules, thus showing an increase in their verbal knowledge.

Question 16

Piaget introduced the concept of scaffolding, a learning process that involves mentors who guide the child.

Accepted Answer

Scaffolding was actually introduced by Lev Vygotsky, not Jean Piaget. Vygotsky believed that more knowledgeable others (such as teachers, parents, or peers) could provide support and guidance to learners, enabling them to accomplish tasks beyond their current level of development.

Question 17

The development of theory of mind has been demonstrated across cultures.

Accepted Answer

The development of theory of mind has been found to occur across different cultures. Studies have shown that children from various cultural backgrounds develop an understanding of mental states, such as beliefs and desires, at similar ages and in similar ways.

Question 18

The "vocabulary explosion" typically occurs at about 1 year of age.

Accepted Answer

The "vocabulary explosion" typically occurs between 18 to 24 months of age, when toddlers rapidly acquire new words.

Question 19

Children display evidence of fast-mapping before age 1.

Accepted Answer

Fast-mapping, the ability to quickly learn new words and their meanings, typically begins to develop around 18 months of age, not before age 1.

Question 20

Overimitation is demonstrated when 2- to 6-year-old children imitate adult actions that are irrelevant, time-consuming, and inefficient.

Accepted Answer

Overimitation refers to the tendency of children to imitate adult actions even when those actions are irrelevant or unnecessary. These actions may be time-consuming or inefficient, but children still imitate them because they see adults doing them.

Quiz 9: Early Childhood: Cognitive Development