Question 1

How did Piaget explain why preschool-age children in the preoperational stage make errors on tasks requiring conservation?

Accepted Answer

Piaget explained that preschool-age children in the preoperational stage tend to focus on one aspect of a situation (centration) and ignore other relevant features, leading to errors in tasks requiring conservation.

Question 2

In the later years of the preoperational stage,children show an understanding that certain things stay the same,regardless of changes in shape,size,and appearance.What is this realization called?

Accepted Answer

This realization is called "identity," which is the understanding that certain characteristics of objects remain the same despite changes in their form or appearance.

Question 3

Which term did Jean Piaget use to refer to the understanding that quantity is unrelated to the arrangement and physical appearance of objects?

Accepted Answer

Conservation refers to the understanding that quantity is unrelated to the arrangement and physical appearance of objects.

Question 4

Which Piagetian term refers to the period of cognitive development that occurs between ages 7 and 12,and is characterized by the active and appropriate use of logic?

Accepted Answer

The concrete operational stage is the Piagetian term for the period of cognitive development between ages 7 and 12, characterized by the development of logical thought.

Question 5

Madelaine is working to teach her 4-year-old daughter Eliza how to count.She places ten pennies in one row with very little space between the pennies,and eight pennies in another row with more space between the pennies.Then Madelaine asks Eliza which row has more pennies.Eliza chooses the second row,even though she knows that ten is more than eight.What is Eliza's response an example of?

Accepted Answer

Eliza's response is an example of centration, where she focuses on one aspect of a situation (the spacing of the pennies) and ignores other relevant aspects (the actual number of pennies). This is typical of the preoperational stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development.

Question 6

The "beginnings of thought" substage of Piaget's sensorimotor period occurs during which age range?

Accepted Answer

The "beginnings of thought" substage, also known as the sixth substage of Piaget's sensorimotor period, occurs from 18 to 24 months. During this stage, children begin to develop symbolic thought and can form mental representations of objects.

Question 7

Three-year-old Wendy is playing hide-and-seek with some older children.However,instead of running to find a hiding place away from the other children,Wendy simply covers her eyes and stands in place.Wendy is demonstrating which Piagetian concept?

Accepted Answer

Wendy is demonstrating egocentrism, a concept in Piaget's theory where young children are unable to see things from perspectives other than their own. She believes that by covering her eyes, others cannot see her, reflecting her own perspective.

Question 8

In 4-year-old Amanda's preschool class,the group discussion focused on airplanes.After that,Amanda considered herself an expert on airplanes and believed she knew everything there was to know about the subject,even though she was unable to provide a reasonable explanation about why she thought she knew so much.Amanda is demonstrating which Piagetian concept?

Accepted Answer

Amanda is demonstrating "intuitive thought," a stage in Piaget's theory where children believe they know things without logical reasoning, often based on their own intuition or perception.

Question 9

Seven-year-old Marvin and four-year-old Edgar are sitting at the table as their mother pours milk into their glasses.Both glasses are the same size and shape.However,Marvin's mother notices a chip on the lip of his glass,and decides that it is safer if she pours that milk into another glass.The new glass is shorter and much wider,and when she pours the milk into the new glass Edgar laughs and says that now he has more milk than Marvin.However,Marvin is not upset because he knows that he still got the same amount of milk.Which Piagetian principle is Marvin demonstrating?

Accepted Answer

Marvin is demonstrating the principle of conservation, which is part of Piaget's concrete operational stage. Conservation is the understanding that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or appearance.

Question 10

The tertiary circular reactions stage,substage 5 of Piaget's sensorimotor period,occurs during which age range?

Accepted Answer

Tertiary circular reactions, substage 5 of Piaget's sensorimotor period, occur from 12 to 18 months, where infants experiment with new actions to see different outcomes.

Question 11

Which term refers to a child's capacity to take multiple aspects of a situation into account?

Accepted Answer

Decentering is the ability to consider multiple aspects of a situation, which develops during the concrete operational stage of cognitive development.

Question 12

Reggie watched as his son Maurice dropped a toy elf repeatedly.Maurice varied the position from which he dropped the elf,and carefully looked each time to see where it fell.What is Maurice's behavior an example of?

Accepted Answer

Maurice's behavior is an example of Substage 5: Tertiary circular reactions, where infants experiment with new actions to see different outcomes, showing curiosity and intentionality in their actions.

Question 13

Children in the preoperational stage of development fall into which age range?

Accepted Answer

The preoperational stage of development, as defined by Jean Piaget, typically falls within the age range of 2 to 7 years.

Question 14

Jean Piaget believed that a child's preschool years fit entirely in a single stage of cognitive development.What is this stage called?

Accepted Answer

Piaget's preoperational stage is the second stage of cognitive development, which occurs from about 2 to 7 years of age. During this stage, children are able to use symbols and language to represent their thoughts, but they are not yet able to think logically or concretely.

Question 15

According to Piaget,what is a central aspect of the preoperational stage?

Accepted Answer

The preoperational stage, according to Piaget, is characterized by the development of symbolic function, where children begin to use symbols, such as words and images, to represent objects and experiences.

Question 16

Which term describes the process of concentrating on one limited aspect of a stimulus and ignoring other aspects?

Accepted Answer

Concentration is the process of focusing on one limited aspect of a stimulus and ignoring other aspects.

Question 17

According to Piaget,what is the major accomplishment of the "beginnings of thought" substage of the sensorimotor period?

Accepted Answer

The "beginnings of thought" substage, which occurs around 18-24 months, is characterized by the development of mental representation, allowing children to think about objects and events that are not immediately present.

Question 18

If a 4½-year-old child is asked to draw a person who is first standing upright and then has fallen down,the child is likely to draw the figure in the vertical position,and then the figure lying in the horizontal position with no other intermediate pictures to demonstrate the person falling.This child would be showing a lack of understanding of what Piagetian concept?

Accepted Answer

The child is showing a lack of understanding of transformation, which is the ability to understand the process of change from one state to another. In this case, the child does not depict the intermediate stages of the person falling.

Question 19

What does concrete operational thought fundamentally involve?

Accepted Answer

Concrete operational thought involves applying logical operations to solve problems, as it is characterized by the ability to think logically about concrete events and understand the concept of conservation.

Question 20

Thinking that does not take into account other viewpoints is also referred to by which term?

Accepted Answer

Egocentric thought refers to thinking that does not take into account other viewpoints, often seen in early childhood development.

Quiz 5: Cognitive Growth: Piaget and Vygotsky