Question 1

Research studies examining the information-processing speeds of children have consistently found that processing speeds improve ______________ with age, and that the most rapid rate of change occurs between the ages of __________.
A)continuously; 4 and 6
B)discontinuously; 10 and 14
C)continuously; 8 and 12
D)discontinuously; 5 and 9

Accepted Answer

Processing speeds improve continuously with age, and the most rapid rate of change occurs between the ages of 8 and 12.

Question 2

Children can perform basic mental operations such as reversibility and conservation that concern problems with tangible objects and situations in the _________ stage.
A)concrete operational
B)preoperational
C)formal operational
D)operational

Accepted Answer

Children can perform basic mental operations on concrete objects during the concrete operational stage, according to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development. This stage typically occurs between the ages of 7 and 11.

Question 3

Children in the _________ stage, the last of Piaget's stages, are able to think logically and systematically about both concrete and abstract problems, form hypotheses, and test them in thoughtful ways.
A)concrete operational
B)preoperational
C)formal operational
D)operational

Accepted Answer

The formal operational stage is the last of Jean Piaget's stages of cognitive development, where children (typically from around age 12 onwards) develop the ability to think abstractly, logically, and systematically, including the ability to form hypotheses and test them.

Question 4

Susan is a young child and she happens to know that fish swim. One day at the zoo, Susan sees a penguin swimming in a pool. Susan turns to her mother and says, "Look, the black-and-white fish is swimming!" The fact that Susan calls the penguin a fish illustrates ___________.
A)the process of accommodation
B)the process of assimilation
C)egocentric thinking
D)a failure to understand object permanence

Accepted Answer

Susan is using the process of assimilation, where she incorporates new information (seeing a penguin swim) into her existing schema (knowledge that fish swim) without modifying her existing schema to accommodate the new information.

Question 5

All of the following would be considered as examples of cognitive limitations that are characteristic of Jean Piaget's preoperational stage, EXCEPT ___________.
A)transformation
B)the lack of object permanence
C)egocentrism
D)the lack of conservation

Accepted Answer

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

Question 6

Infants understand their world primarily through sensory experiences and physical interactions with objects in the _________ stage. During this stage, ________ is achieved.
A)sensitive period; permanence
B)sensorimotor; accommodation
C)preoperational; assimilation
D)sensorimotor; object permanence

Accepted Answer

In the sensorimotor stage, infants explore and understand the world through their senses and actions. During this stage, they achieve object permanence, which is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched.

Question 7

The concept of a zone of proximal development is most closely associated with which of the following theorists?
A)Jean Piaget
B)Lev Vygotsky
C)Lawrence Kohlberg
D)Erik Erickson

Accepted Answer

The concept of a zone of proximal development is most closely associated with Lev Vygotsky. It refers to the difference between what a learner can do without help and what he or she can achieve with guidance and encouragement from a skilled partner.

Question 8

Results from studies examining the information-processing abilities of young children are often used to argue that cognitive development is _____________.
A)determined by sensitive periods
B)schema-driven
C)discontinuous and in stages
D)continuous and gradual

Accepted Answer

Research on young children's information-processing abilities often supports the view that cognitive development is continuous and gradual, rather than occurring in distinct stages.

Question 9

The process by which new experiences are incorporated into existing schemas is called __________, and the process by which new experiences cause existing schemas to change is called __________.
A)accommodation; assimilation
B)observation; schematization
C)assimilation; accommodation
D)accommodation; observation

Accepted Answer

Assimilation involves incorporating new experiences into existing schemas, while accommodation refers to adjusting existing schemas to better fit new experiences.

Question 10

Children are able to easily solve the conservation problems that confused them earlier in life during the _______________ stage of cognitive development.
A)sensorimotor
B)preoperational
C)concrete operational
D)conventional

Accepted Answer

Children are able to solve conservation problems during the concrete operational stage of cognitive development, typically occurring between ages 7 and 11, where they start to think logically about concrete events.

Question 11

A person's beliefs about the "mind" and their ability to understand other people's mental states is referred to by the theory of ______________.
A)accommodation
B)metacognition
C)mind
D)egocentrism

Accepted Answer

The theory of mind refers to the ability to understand and attribute mental states—beliefs, intents, desires, emotions, knowledge, etc.—to oneself and others and to understand that others have beliefs, desires, and intentions that are different from one's own.

Question 12

Consistent with the concept of _____________________, a study found that children over age three who grew up with older brothers or sisters performed _________ on a cognitive task than did children with no siblings or younger siblings.
A)a zone of proximal development; better
B)egocentrism; worse
C)conservation; better
D)irreversibility; worse

Accepted Answer

The concept of a zone of proximal development, introduced by Lev Vygotsky, suggests that children learn more effectively with the guidance of someone more knowledgeable, such as older siblings, hence performing better on cognitive tasks.

Question 13

The stage in which children represent the world symbolically through words and mental images, but do not yet understand basic mental operations or rules is called the ___________.
A)concrete operational stage
B)preoperational stage
C)formal operational stage
D)conservation stage

Accepted Answer

The preoperational stage, as described by Jean Piaget, is the stage (from approximately age 2 to 7) where children start to engage in symbolic play and learn to manipulate symbols, but they do not yet understand concrete logic.

Question 14

An infant who interprets the world primarily through the physical interactions with objects is most likely in Jean Piaget's ____________ stage.
A)preconventional
B)concrete operational
C)preoperational
D)sensorimotor

Accepted Answer

Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage is the first of his four stages of cognitive development, occurring from birth to about 2 years of age. During this stage, infants learn about the world through their senses and their actions, such as looking, touching, sucking, and grasping.

Question 15

While Piaget only investigated children's independent exploration of the physical world, Vygotsky investigated how ___________.
A)the brain matures
B)sociocultural factors interact with the brain's biological maturation
C)the brain's maturity is influenced by teratogens
D)social development relates to cognitive stages

Accepted Answer

Vygotsky's theory emphasizes the fundamental role of social interaction in the development of cognition, suggesting that community and culture play a central part in shaping cognitive development, unlike Piaget's focus on individual exploration and stages.

Question 16

Which of the following is most strongly associated with Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of cognitive development?
A)Object permanence
B)Conservation
C)Egocentrism
D)Transformation

Accepted Answer

Object permanence is most strongly associated with Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of cognitive development, which occurs from birth to about 2 years of age. This is when infants learn that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched.

Question 17

A young child driving past a farm sees a cow and says, "Doggie!" the older sibling, who used to do the same thing when they were the same age, informs the child that this isn't a dog but is actually a cow. In fitting the cow into a pre-existing schema, the child shows that indicates using the process of ____________. Because the sibling was able to modify their schemas and create a new one for cows, the sibling is demonstrating the use of _______________.
A)assimilation; assimilation as well
B)accommodation; accommodation as well
C)assimilation; accommodation
D)accommodation; assimilation

Accepted Answer

The child is using assimilation by incorporating the cow into an existing schema (that for dogs), while the older sibling demonstrates accommodation by adjusting their schema to differentiate cows from dogs.

Question 18

Jean Piaget proposed that children's thinking changes in a ________ manner with age, and it differs from the way that adults think.
A)quantitative
B)continuous
C)qualitative
D)meditative

Accepted Answer

Jean Piaget proposed that children's thinking changes in a qualitative manner with age, meaning that the nature or kind of thinking changes, not just the amount or degree. This is different from a quantitative change, which would imply more or less of the same type of thinking.

Question 19

Which of the following placements of a hypothetical third eye would be most characteristic of a child in the concrete operational stage?
A)between her other two eyes
B)on her hand
C)on the back of her head
D)on top of her head

Accepted Answer

In the concrete operational stage, children think more logically about concrete and literal concepts. Placing a third eye between the other two eyes reflects a logical, realistic approach to enhancing vision, characteristic of this stage.

Question 20

Research has determined that children in various cultures progress through Jean Piaget's stages in ___________ and that children learn many cognitive skills at a(n) ___________ age than Piaget originally assumed.
A)the same order; earlier
B)the same order; later
C)different orders; earlier
D)different orders; later

Accepted Answer

Research supports that children across different cultures progress through Piaget's stages in the same sequence, but they often acquire cognitive skills at an earlier age than Piaget initially proposed.

Quiz 12: Development Over the Lifespan

Research studies examining the information-processing speeds of children have consistently found that processing speeds improve ____ with age, and that the most rapid rate of change occurs between the ages of .

Children can perform basic mental operations such as reversibility and conservation that concern problems with tangible objects and situations in the _________ stage.

Children in the _________ stage, the last of Piaget's stages, are able to think logically and systematically about both concrete and abstract problems, form hypotheses, and test them in thoughtful ways.

Susan is a young child and she happens to know that fish swim. One day at the zoo, Susan sees a penguin swimming in a pool. Susan turns to her mother and says, "Look, the black-and-white fish is swimming!" The fact that Susan calls the penguin a fish illustrates ___________.

All of the following would be considered as examples of cognitive limitations that are characteristic of Jean Piaget's preoperational stage, EXCEPT ___________.

Infants understand their world primarily through sensory experiences and physical interactions with objects in the _ stage. During this stage, is achieved.

The concept of a zone of proximal development is most closely associated with which of the following theorists?

Results from studies examining the information-processing abilities of young children are often used to argue that cognitive development is _____________.

The process by which new experiences are incorporated into existing schemas is called , and the process by which new experiences cause existing schemas to change is called .

Children are able to easily solve the conservation problems that confused them earlier in life during the _______________ stage of cognitive development.

A person's beliefs about the "mind" and their ability to understand other people's mental states is referred to by the theory of ______________.

Consistent with the concept of _____________, a study found that children over age three who grew up with older brothers or sisters performed _ on a cognitive task than did children with no siblings or younger siblings.

The stage in which children represent the world symbolically through words and mental images, but do not yet understand basic mental operations or rules is called the ___________.

An infant who interprets the world primarily through the physical interactions with objects is most likely in Jean Piaget's ____________ stage.

While Piaget only investigated children's independent exploration of the physical world, Vygotsky investigated how ___________.

Which of the following is most strongly associated with Jean Piaget's sensorimotor stage of cognitive development?

Jean Piaget proposed that children's thinking changes in a ________ manner with age, and it differs from the way that adults think.

Which of the following placements of a hypothetical third eye would be most characteristic of a child in the concrete operational stage?

Research has determined that children in various cultures progress through Jean Piaget's stages in _ and that children learn many cognitive skills at a(n) _ age than Piaget originally assumed.