Question 1

Steve, Kim, Darren, and Vinit have been asked to make drawings of all the life forms that might occur on another planet.According to Piaget, the most novel, creative ideas of life forms are likely to come from the child in which stage of cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

During the formal operational stage, children begin to think abstractly and reason about hypothetical problems. Piaget believed that in this stage, individuals are capable of using deductive logic and understanding abstract ideas, which would enable them to imagine and creatively think about life forms on another planet.

Question 2

In terms of problem solving, what marks the fifth stage of the sensorimotor period?

Accepted Answer

The fifth stage of the sensorimotor period, according to Piaget, is characterized by children engaging in overt trial-and-error behaviors to explore the properties of objects. This stage is known as the "tertiary circular reactions" stage.

Question 3

What does the term horizontal décalage refer to with respect to the acquisition of complex mental concepts?

Accepted Answer

Horizontal décalage refers to the observation that the acquisition of complex mental concepts does not occur in a single, uniform step across different domains but rather shows uneven developmental progress, with skills in one area developing at a different rate than those in another.

Question 4

Michelle is an 8-year-old who shows an understanding of seriation, class-inclusion, and conservation of number and amount but fails to understand other types of conservation problems.According to Piaget, what is the term for this behaviour and what does it indicate about Michelle's cognitive development relative to the average child?

Accepted Answer

Horizontal décalage refers to the observation in Piaget's theory of cognitive development that children acquire the ability to solve different types of problems within a stage at different times. Michelle's understanding of some concepts but not others within the same stage of cognitive development (concrete operational stage, typically ages 7 to 11) is indicative of horizontal décalage. This suggests she is developing within the normative range for her age.

Question 5

Mastering which cognitive process is the hallmark achievement of the concrete operational period?

Accepted Answer

Conservation is the cognitive process that is considered the hallmark achievement of the concrete operational period, according to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development. This stage typically occurs between the ages of 7 and 11 years old, and conservation refers to the understanding that certain properties of objects, such as volume, mass, and number, remain the same despite changes in the forms or arrangements of the objects.

Question 6

Destiny is trying to put her books onto her new bookshelves, but she is having trouble deciding how to best group them.She knows she could put all of her picture books together and all of her harder-to-read books together, or she could put all of her books about horses together, even though some books about horses are picture books and others are harder.Based on this information, what cognitive operation is Destiny beginning to understand?

Accepted Answer

Destiny is beginning to understand classification, which involves grouping objects based on common characteristics. In this scenario, she considers grouping books either by their level of difficulty (picture books vs. harder-to-read books) or by their subject matter (books about horses), demonstrating an understanding of how items can be categorized based on different attributes.

Question 7

Which process did Piaget propose to explain why people respond in new ways to changes in the environment?

Accepted Answer

Accommodation is the process proposed by Piaget to explain how people adapt their responses to new information or changes in the environment by altering their existing cognitive structures.

Question 8

According to Vygotsky, what does the term zone of proximal development refer to?

Accepted Answer

The zone of proximal development, according to Vygotsky, 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. This concept emphasizes the importance of social interaction in learning and development.

Question 9

Camilla and Frank both teach Grade 4 students.Camilla most often uses cooperative learning activities, whereas Frank most often uses independent, discovery-based activities.Based on this information, with which cognitive theorist would Camilla and Frank most likely agree?

Accepted Answer

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

Question 10

According to Piaget, which stage of development occurs between birth and 2 years of age?

Accepted Answer

According to Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development, the sensorimotor stage is the first stage, occurring from birth to approximately 2 years of age. During this period, infants learn about the world through their senses and actions.

Question 11

Which statement best summarizes the research findings of Rogoff and her colleagues regarding guided participation?

Accepted Answer

Rogoff and her colleagues found that in traditional communities, where guided participation is more common, children develop better observation skills. This is because they often learn through nonverbal means, such as observing and participating in community activities, rather than through direct instruction.

Question 12

According to Vygotsky, developmental studies comparing various animal species would be most appropriate for which type of research?

Accepted Answer

Vygotsky's theory suggests that phylogenetic research, which examines the evolutionary development and diversification of a species, is appropriate for comparing various animal species.

Question 13

According to Piaget, what is the neonate's main sensorimotor activity?

Accepted Answer

Piaget believed that in the sensorimotor stage, which includes infancy from birth to about 2 years of age, neonates primarily engage in exercising innate reflexes. This is how they start to interact with and learn about their environment.

Question 14

Some theorists believe that cognitive development is a complex multifaceted process in which children gradually acquire skills from many content areas.This belief challenges which of Piaget's claims?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Some theorists believe that cognitive development is...

Question 15

What is the Piagetian term for the mental structures that the child uses as a basis for responding to either old or new experiences?

Accepted Answer

Schemes, according to Piaget, are the mental structures that individuals use to organize their knowledge and interpret the world around them. They serve as the basis for understanding and responding to experiences, both familiar and new.

Question 16

According to Piaget, which cognitive skill first emerges during the formal operational period?

Accepted Answer

Deductive reasoning first emerges during the formal operational period, according to Piaget. This stage, typically beginning around age 12, involves the ability to think abstractly, logically, and systematically, including the capability to use deductive reasoning to develop hypotheses and systematically test them.

Question 17

Based on what you know about the development of a belief-desire theory of mind, what would you predict about cross-cultural differences in the emergence of this ability?

Accepted Answer

It is likely to be delayed in cultures that lack the social supports for its emergence.

Question 18

Based on the findings of recent research, what characterises the children who gain the most from collaborative learning situations with their peers?

Accepted Answer

Children who are initially less competent than their learning partners tend to gain the most from collaborative learning, as they have more to learn and benefit from the guidance and knowledge of their more competent peers.

Question 19

In comparing Vygotsky's and Piaget's views of cognitive development, which statement would be most accurate?

Accepted Answer

Vygotsky emphasized the role of social and cultural context in cognitive development, suggesting that both the course and content of intellectual growth are influenced by these factors, making them less universal than Piaget's stage-based theory.

Question 20

What is one criticism that has been raised concerning Piaget's theory?

Accepted Answer

Piaget's theory has been criticized for suggesting sharp, distinct transitions between different stages of cognitive development, which many believe does not accurately reflect the more gradual and overlapping nature of cognitive development in children.

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