Question 1

Which process did Piaget propose to explain why people react to new experiences based on similarities to their past experiences?

Accepted Answer

Piaget proposed the process of assimilation to explain how people incorporate new experiences into their existing frameworks or schemas by identifying similarities to past experiences.

Question 2

A small child explores and taps a rubber ball and learns about the ball's properties via discovery.Which of Piaget's principles does the child's behaviour exemplify?

Accepted Answer

The child's behavior exemplifies constructivism, a principle of Piaget's theory that suggests individuals construct knowledge through their experiences and interactions with the world. In this case, the child is learning about the ball's properties through direct interaction and exploration, which is a core aspect of constructivist learning.

Question 3

Richard has a box of 10 different-sized buttons, and he is not yet able to sort them in order of largest to smallest.Based on Piaget's theory, what has Richard failed to develop?

Accepted Answer

Richard has failed to develop an understanding of the seriation operation, which is the ability to sort objects in an order according to size, color, shape, or any other characteristic.

Question 4

Which statement best summarizes the recent research findings regarding the ability of preschool children to take the perspective of others?

Accepted Answer

Recent research indicates that preschool children do show the ability to take the perspective of others, but this ability is limited and improves significantly as they grow older.

Question 5

According to Robbie Case, children's memory improvements in recall stem from increases in which of the following cognitive components?

Accepted Answer

Robbie Case proposed that improvements in children's memory recall are due to increases in the operating efficiency of the short-term store, which allows them to process and store information more effectively.

Question 6

Which of the following would be a slogan of neonativism?

Accepted Answer

Neonativism posits that humans are born with substantial innate knowledge and abilities, thus the slogan "The newborn arrives with much knowledge" aligns with this perspective.

Question 7

Which of the following is among the key criticisms of Piaget's theory of cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

Piaget has been criticized for underestimating the abilities of children, particularly in the early stages of development. His stages suggest that children are not capable of certain types of thought at certain ages, but subsequent research has shown that with the right kind of environmental stimulation or questioning, children can demonstrate these abilities earlier than Piaget proposed.

Question 8

Four-year-old Hope thought at first that her next-door neighbour's new pet rabbit was a kitten until she realized that it hopped instead of walked and it didn't purr at all.Hope then realized this was not a kitten but was a rabbit.How would Piaget explain Hope's understanding of her neighbour's pet?

Accepted Answer

Hope initially assimilated the new pet into her existing schema for a kitten. When she noticed differences (hopping, no purring), she accommodated her schema to understand it was a rabbit, not a kitten.

Question 9

Roza is currently in the sensorimotor stage of development.According to Piaget, when will her parents know that her object concept is fully mature?

Accepted Answer

According to Piaget, the object concept is fully mature when a child can search for covertly displaced objects. This ability is demonstrated in the sensorimotor stage's final substage (substage 6, beginning around 18 months), indicating the development of object permanence to its fullest extent, where the child understands that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen and can follow their displacement.

Question 10

Which behaviour related to mental states emerges earliest in infancy?

Accepted Answer

Repeating gestures by humans but not by objects indicates an early understanding of intentionality and social cues, which emerges in infancy before self-recognition, discussing mental states, or using gestures to communicate specific intentions like pointing.

Question 11

Rachelle and Sunjai both teach introductory calculus to high school students.Rachelle most often uses cooperative learning activities in her classes, whereas Sunjai most often uses independent, discovery-based activities.Based on this information, with which cognitive theorist would Rachelle and Sunjai most likely agree?

Accepted Answer

Rachelle's use of cooperative learning activities aligns with Vygotsky's emphasis on social interaction in learning, while Sunjai's preference for independent, discovery-based activities aligns with Piaget's focus on individual exploration and discovery.

Question 12

According to Piaget, what form of reasoning first emerges during the formal operational period?

Accepted Answer

Hypothetico-deductive reasoning is the form of reasoning that Piaget identified as emerging during the formal operational period, which typically begins around age 12. This type of reasoning involves the ability to think abstractly, formulate hypotheses, and systematically test them.

Question 13

According to recent research preschoolers are likely to attribute life to which type of inanimate object?

Accepted Answer

Preschoolers tend to attribute life to unfamiliar objects that display autonomous movement, as they may not yet fully understand the criteria that distinguish living from non-living things.

Question 14

John is a professor of mathematics and he is trying to teach basic algebra to his 10-year-old son.Based on your knowledge of concrete-operational thought, will John find it difficult for his son to acquire this skill at this age?

Accepted Answer

At around 10 years old, children are in the concrete operational stage of cognitive development, according to Piaget. This stage is characterized by logical thinking about concrete objects and situations, but children may struggle with abstract concepts like those found in algebra.

Question 15

Which statement describes cognitive behaviour in the sensorimotor period?

Accepted Answer

During the sensorimotor period, which spans from birth to approximately 2 years of age, children's cognitive development revolves around their sensory perceptions and motor activities. They learn about the world by interacting with it directly through their senses and movements.

Question 16

Bjorklund has conjectured that the average 3-year-old has more in common with a 21-year-old adult than with a 12-month-old infant.What aspect of Piagetian thought led him to make this statement?

Accepted Answer

Bjorklund's conjecture likely stems from the concept of symbolic thought, which is a hallmark of Piaget's preoperational stage of cognitive development. By the age of 3, children have begun to engage in symbolic play and can use symbols or objects to represent something else, a cognitive ability that is much more similar to that of adults than to the more concrete operational thinking of a 12-month-old infant.

Question 17

What would be an overall slogan of Vygotsky's theory?

Accepted Answer

Vygotsky's theory emphasizes the social context of learning, suggesting that children develop cognitively through interactions with more knowledgeable others in their community. This is encapsulated in the idea that "The child develops among others."

Question 18

Which of Piaget's cognitive stages is most strongly dependent on level of education?

Accepted Answer

The formal operational stage, which typically emerges around age 11 and continues into adulthood, is most strongly dependent on level of education. This stage involves the development of abstract thinking and the ability to systematically plan for the future and reason about hypothetical situations, skills that are often developed and refined through formal education.

Question 19

What type of motions are involved in secondary circular reactions?

Accepted Answer

Secondary circular reactions involve repetitive actions that are focused on external objects, as infants begin to interact with their environment and learn about the effects of their actions on the world around them.

Question 20

What are children taught when they undergo identity training?

Accepted Answer

Identity training teaches children that an object remains the same despite changes in its appearance, helping them understand the concept of object permanence and constancy.

Quiz 8: Cognitive Development: Piagets Theory, Cases Neo-Piagetian Theory, and Vygotskys Sociocultural Viewpoint