Question 1

Which age below is INCORRECTLY labeled with a developmental stage, in Piaget's theory

Accepted Answer

Piaget's theory does not include an "oral-sensory stage." This term is more closely associated with Erik Erikson's stages of psychosocial development. Piaget's stages are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational.

Question 2

In its discussion of habituation, your text notes that when infants pay attention to a stimulus, their heart rate increases. Increased heart rate may therefore serve as a(n) _________ definition of "paying attention."

Accepted Answer

Operational definitions specify the procedures used to measure or manipulate a variable. In this context, using increased heart rate as a measure for "paying attention" is an operational definition because it provides a specific, observable, and measurable criterion for determining when attention occurs.

Question 3

In Piaget's theory, the mental models children use to interpret and guide their experiences are called _________.

Accepted Answer

Schemas are the term Piaget used to describe the mental models or frameworks that children use to organize and interpret their experiences.

Question 4

The habituation technique for studying infant perception is based on the finding that infants will:

Accepted Answer

The habituation technique relies on the observation that infants (like adults) show decreased interest or responsiveness to stimuli that are repeated. When infants are repeatedly exposed to the same stimulus, they eventually pay less attention to it, indicating they have become habituated. This technique is used to study infant perception by introducing new stimuli after habituation to see if the infant's interest increases, suggesting they perceive the new stimulus as different.

Question 5

According to Piaget, the process of fitting new experiences into existing schemata is called _________, whereas the process of changing or modifying existing schemata to make sense of new experiences is called ________.

Accepted Answer

According to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, assimilation involves integrating new experiences into existing cognitive structures (schemata), while accommodation refers to altering existing schemata or creating new ones in response to new information or experiences.

Question 6

Which of the following best describes the Moro reflex

Accepted Answer

The Moro reflex is an infantile reflex normally present in all infants/young babies as a response to a sudden loss of support, where the infant feels as if it is falling. The reflex involves the infant spreading out the arms (abduction), unspreading the arms (adduction), and usually crying.

Question 7

When an object touches baby Geraldine's palm, she closes her fist tightly around it if the object is lifted up, Geraldine hangs on and is lifted up with it. Geraldine is demonstrating:

Accepted Answer

Geraldine is demonstrating the grasping reflex, which is an involuntary movement that babies exhibit when an object touches the palm of their hand, causing them to close their fist around the object. This reflex is present from birth and typically fades around 5 to 6 months of age.

Question 8

"I am a prominent early American. I proposed that the newborn experiences the world as a 'blooming, buzzing confusion.' Who am I"

Accepted Answer

William James is the early American psychologist who proposed that the newborn experiences the world as a "blooming, buzzing confusion." This concept is part of his broader work on psychology and philosophy.

Question 9

Melanie presents infants with the same red light repeatedly until the infants quit looking at it. She then presents a new, slightly different colored light and records whether the infants resume responding. This is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Melanie is using the habituation procedure, which involves presenting the same stimulus repeatedly until the response (in this case, looking) decreases or stops. When a new stimulus is introduced and the response resumes, it indicates that the infant can discriminate between the old and new stimuli, a key aspect of habituation studies.

Question 10

Which of the following is the correct definition of the withdrawal reflex

Accepted Answer

The withdrawal reflex is a spinal reflex intended to protect the body from damaging stimuli. It is a rapid response to a painful stimulus, such as a pin prick, leading to the immediate withdrawal of the body part from the source of pain. In this case, an infant flexing its leg in response to a soft pin prick on the sole of its foot is an example of the withdrawal reflex.

Question 11

Four-year-old Darlene is exploring one day and she finds a bottle of vitamins in a cabinet. They look just like the candies she got for Halloween so she eats them all. Darlene's error illustrates the process that Piaget termed:

Accepted Answer

Darlene's mistake is an example of assimilation, where she integrates new information (the appearance of the vitamins) into her existing schema (candies) without differentiating between the two. This is why she thought the vitamins were candies and ate them all.

Question 12

Dawn is 1 year old. Ellis is 5 years old. Fritzi is 9 years old. Girard is 15 years old. Which child is correctly matched with the stage that she is likely in

Accepted Answer

Dawn, at 1 year old, is in the sensorimotor stage according to Jean Piaget's stages of cognitive development, which spans from birth to about 2 years of age.

Question 13

Research examining the perceptual abilities of newborn and very young infants has:

Accepted Answer

Research on infant perceptual abilities has shown that infants are much more capable of organized perception than what William James described as a "blooming, buzzing confusion." Studies have demonstrated that infants can distinguish between different sensory inputs, recognize patterns, and show preferences for certain stimuli, indicating a level of perceptual organization that contradicts the idea of a chaotic sensory experience.

Question 14

Which of the following is the correct definition of the tonic neck reflex.

Accepted Answer

The tonic neck reflex, also known as the "fencer's pose," occurs when an infant is laid on its back and turns its head to one side. The arm on the side to which the head is turned extends, while the opposite arm bends at the elbow. This reflex is a normal response in newborns and typically disappears by 6 months of age.

Question 15

Which of the following sequences accurately reflects the order of Piaget's stages of cognitive development from birth through adolescence

Accepted Answer

Piaget's stages of cognitive development progress from the sensorimotor stage (birth to about 2 years), to the preoperational stage (2 to about 7 years), then to the concrete operational stage (7 to about 11 years), and finally to the formal operational stage (from about 12 years and onward).

Question 16

The field of cognitive development is greatly indebted to the seminal work of the Swiss scholar ____________.

Accepted Answer

Jean Piaget is most renowned for his contributions to the field of cognitive development, particularly his theory of cognitive development stages.

Question 17

Four-year-old Hope thought her next-door neighbor's new pet rabbit was a kitty-cat until she realized that it hopped instead of walked and it didn't purr. The change in Hope's understanding of her neighbor's new pet illustrates the process that Piaget called:

Accepted Answer

Hope's change in understanding from thinking the pet was a kitty-cat to recognizing it as a rabbit after observing its different behaviors illustrates accommodation. This is when new information leads to the modification of existing cognitive schemas to incorporate new information.

Question 18

Among adults, a fear of flying is thought to reflect a fear of falling, or loss of support. In infancy, the ________ reflex protects the infant from falling.

Accepted Answer

The Moro reflex is an infantile reflex that is sometimes referred to as the startle reflex. This reflex is triggered when an infant feels a loss of support, causing the baby to react by spreading their arms (abduction), unspreading their arms (adduction), and usually crying. This reflex is thought to be a protective measure, simulating how an infant might cling to their mother. It is a response to the sensation of falling and is present at birth, typically disappearing around 4 to 6 months of age.

Question 19

As psychologists use the term, to "habituate" means:

Accepted Answer

Habituation refers to the process of becoming accustomed or desensitized to a stimulus through repeated exposure.

Question 20

Imagine that an infant is shown a blue-colored card over repeatedly until the infant stops watching the card. If the color of the card is now changed to green, and the infant starts watching again, researchers can infer that the infant:

Accepted Answer

The infant's renewed interest in the card after the color change indicates that they can perceive the difference between the two colors, which is a demonstration of discrimination ability, not necessarily preference.

Quiz 6: Growing and Developing