Question 1

Imagine that a young child is able to show conservation on a test of cognitive development. However, she has difficulty with hypothetical problem solving and abstract reasoning. According to Piaget, this child is in the

Accepted Answer

The child is in the concrete operational stage, where they can understand conservation but struggle with abstract reasoning and hypothetical problem solving, which are characteristics of the formal operational stage.

Question 2

Young children like stuffed toys. They like to hold them close and squeeze them. Most likely, this is because the toy provides

Accepted Answer

Young children are comforted by the tactile sensation of holding and squeezing stuffed toys, which provides them with contact comfort, a concept identified by psychologist Harry Harlow in his studies with rhesus monkeys.

Question 3

Parents often like to dress little girls in pink clothes and little boys in blue clothes. While seemingly inconsequential, this actually is a clear example of

Accepted Answer

This is an example of sex-typing, which refers to the process by which children are socialized into their gender roles, often through cultural norms like clothing colors.

Question 4

You suspect that a young child is in Piaget's formal operational stage. Which of the following would you look for to confirm your suspicion?

Accepted Answer

The formal operational stage, according to Piaget, is characterized by the ability to think abstractly, logically, and systematically, and to form hypotheses.

Question 5

Mia is having trouble with the concept of "odd and even numbers." Her teacher helps Mia by getting her to count to 10. The teacher notes that she started with an odd number (1), then went to an even number (2), and then alternated, odd, even, odd, even until she hit the number 10. Mia finally gets it. According to Vygotsky and his work on social context, Mia understood because the teacher moved Mia into

Accepted Answer

The zone of proximal development is the concept introduced by Vygotsky, which 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. The teacher helped Mia understand odd and even numbers by guiding her through the counting process.

Question 6

The research on Kohlberg's theory of moral reasoning would suggest all of the following EXCEPT

Accepted Answer

Kohlberg's theory has been criticized for having a male bias, not a female bias. It was Carol Gilligan who argued that Kohlberg's theory did not adequately represent female moral reasoning, suggesting that women might place more emphasis on care and responsibility.

Question 7

You suspect that a young child is in Piaget's sensorimotor stage. Which of the following would you look for to confirm your suspicion?

Accepted Answer

In Piaget's sensorimotor stage, children typically lack object permanence, which is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched.

Question 8

Juan (a six-year old) is not able to solve a conservation problem on his own. But when his teacher explains the solution to him, he understands and can solve these problems. According to Vygotsky, the teacher was able to move Juan forward due to

Accepted Answer

The zone of proximal development (ZPD) is a concept developed by Vygotsky, which 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. The teacher's explanation helped Juan solve the problem, indicating that the task was within his ZPD.

Question 9

An adolescent is going through a search for identity. She wants to establish an identity and is currently experiencing a crisis, but it has not been resolved. According to Marcia's work on identity status, this adolescent is in the stage of

Accepted Answer

According to Marcia's theory, the moratorium stage is characterized by an active exploration of identity options and experiencing a crisis, but without having made a commitment to any particular identity yet.

Question 10

A teenager who believes that she is always "on stage" and that everybody will notice how she looks and what she does is demonstrating one of the two presumed parts of adolescent egocentrism called

Accepted Answer

The concept of the "imaginary audience" refers to adolescents' belief that others are constantly watching and evaluating them, which is a part of adolescent egocentrism.

Question 11

Professor Lee is interested in the cognitive development of children. So she looks at the problem solving strategies in a group of six-year olds and then tests them again every year until they are 10. Professor Lee's research uses a

Accepted Answer

Professor Lee's research uses a longitudinal design because she studies the same group of children over a period of time, testing them annually from ages six to ten.

Question 12

Imagine that a young child is able to show object permanence, but fails at a conservation task. According to Piaget, this child is in the

Accepted Answer

According to Piaget, object permanence is developed in the sensorimotor stage, but conservation tasks are typically mastered in the concrete operational stage. A child who shows object permanence but fails at conservation tasks is in the preoperational stage.

Question 13

Josh is considering streaming movies from a BitTorrent site rather than paying a cable company for each movie. He finally decides that he will not do this because if he gets caught, he will be in trouble. According to Kohlberg, Josh is in which stage of moral development?

Accepted Answer

Josh's decision is based on avoiding punishment, which aligns with the preconventional stage of moral development according to Kohlberg.

Question 14

Jena has high self-esteem, is a high achiever at school, and demonstrates very few conduct problems. Most likely, the parenting style used by her parents was

Accepted Answer

Authoritative parenting is characterized by high responsiveness and high demands, which often leads to children having high self-esteem, academic success, and fewer behavioral problems.

Question 15

According to Piaget, young children who show egocentrism are in the

Accepted Answer

Egocentrism is a characteristic of the preoperational stage, which occurs from ages 2 to 7, where children have difficulty seeing things from perspectives other than their own.

Question 16

You suspect that a young child is in Piaget's preoperational stage. Which of the following would you look for to confirm your suspicion?

Accepted Answer

In Piaget's preoperational stage, children typically struggle with tasks that require understanding different perspectives, such as the three-mountain problem.

Question 17

You encounter a new group of humans living in the jungles of New Guinea. As you observe infant development, which of the following predictions would you make?

Accepted Answer

Growth in infants typically follows a cephalocaudal pattern, meaning it progresses from the head downwards through the body.

Question 18

Josh is considering streaming movies from a BitTorrent site rather than paying a cable company for each movie. He finally decides that he will not do this because even though he would save money, it is not ethical to infringe of the copyright of others. According to Kohlberg, Josh is in which stage of moral development?

Accepted Answer

Josh's decision is based on ethical principles and a sense of justice, which aligns with the postconventional stage of moral development according to Kohlberg.

Question 19

Imagine that a young child fails to show object permanence when tested for cognitive development. According to Piaget, this child is in the

Accepted Answer

According to Piaget, object permanence is developed during the sensorimotor stage, which occurs from birth to about 2 years of age. If a child fails to show object permanence, they are likely still in this stage.

Question 20

Professor Lee is interested in the cognitive development of children. So she compares the problem solving strategies of a group of six-year olds with those of a group of twelve-year olds. Professor Lee's research uses a

Accepted Answer

Professor Lee's research uses a cross-sectional design because she is comparing different age groups at a single point in time.

Quiz 12: Development Over the Lifespan