Question 1

Little Tomas can see a toy horse inside a plastic toy barn on the floor. His mom on the other side of the room cannot see into the barn. When asked what his mom can see Tomas describes she can see a brown horse inside the barn. What cognitive limitation of young children does this situation present?

Accepted Answer

Young children often exhibit egocentrism, which is the inability to differentiate between their own perspective and that of others. Tomas assumes his mom can see the horse because he can see it, demonstrating egocentrism.

Question 2

Judy DeLoache used a scale model to hide a toy under a toy couch identical to a life-size couch in the room. A 4-year-old could find the real toy under the life-size couch after realizing the scale model was a copy of the room. According to DeLoache, why were 30-month-olds unable to find the toy in the same way?

Accepted Answer

30-month-olds lack dual representational skills, which means they struggle to understand that the scale model can represent both a toy and a real room simultaneously.

Question 3

In a lab, a child was asked to cover her eyes. When asked if her mom can still see her, the child said: "no because my eyes are closed" What is this thought process referred to as?

Accepted Answer

Egocentrism is a developmental stage where children believe that others see the world exactly as they do, which is why the child thinks her mom can't see her if she can't see her mom.

Question 4

A child is upset because she wants to go to sleep but the sun won't "turn off" because the time is 8:30 and that is her bedtime. How would Piaget explain this thought process?

Accepted Answer

Piaget would explain this thought process as precausal thinking, which is characteristic of the preoperational stage where children attribute human-like intentions to inanimate objects or natural phenomena, such as thinking the sun can be "turned off."

Question 5

What strategy might children use to help recall a series of numbers or facts?

Accepted Answer

Rehearsal is a common strategy used by children to help memorize and recall information by repeatedly practicing or reviewing the material.

Question 6

A 6-year-old child who is visiting a restaurant expects a waiter to bring over a menu, describe the specials, take orders, and then serve food. What does this understanding reflect?

Accepted Answer

This understanding reflects "scripts," which are a type of schema in semantic memory that involve knowledge about the typical sequence of events in common situations, like dining at a restaurant.

Question 7

Jamal, who is 32, cannot remember who his teacher was when he was 7 years old, but he remembers specific, vivid details from his classroom and the day he fell and needed to get stitches. What kind of memory has Jamal stored?

Accepted Answer

Episodic memory involves the recollection of specific events, situations, and experiences, such as Jamal's vivid memories of his classroom and the incident when he was 7 years old.

Question 8

Ashton has a hard time learning the alphabet and is behind the class. The teacher notices Ashton also has no supplies for school and wears the same outfit repeatedly. What conclusion could be drawn from this connection?

Accepted Answer

Poverty conditions can affect a child's ability to learn due to lack of resources and support, which is suggested by Ashton having no supplies and wearing the same outfit repeatedly.

Question 9

A care center teaches preschool-aged children executive function skills such as improved memory, self-control, and attention. One reading task requires turn-taking. Selena holds a card with an ear because it is her turn to listen. Maria holds the card with a mouth because it is her turn to read the story. This inhibitory control task is part of which curriculum?

Accepted Answer

The Tools of the Mind curriculum focuses on developing executive function skills in young children, including inhibitory control, through activities like turn-taking.

Question 10

Why might children from different cultural communities differ in executive functioning skills and abilities?

Accepted Answer

Cultural differences in parenting styles and values can influence the development of executive functioning skills in children.

Question 11

Children understood that stranger "A" knew how to fix a toy but did not know what the tools were called. Stranger "B" knew the names of things but couldn't fix them. The children were later more likely to turn to Stranger B for the label of an object they had never seen because.

Accepted Answer

The children perceived Stranger B as a reliable source for naming objects because Stranger B demonstrated knowledge of object names, which is relevant when seeking labels.

Question 12

A study by Corriveau and Harris (2009) found 3-year-olds preferred to side with family members (familiarity) in an object-naming experiment, even if the family member was wrong. Comparatively, older children as young as 4 were more willing to disagree with familiar caregivers and favored someone who provided accurate information to them. What could explain this phenomenon?

Accepted Answer

Older children can weigh reliability against familiarity, showing a developmental shift in how they assess the credibility of information sources.

Question 13

Theory of Mind refers to which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Theory of Mind is the ability to understand that others have their own beliefs, desires, intentions, and perspectives that are different from one's own.

Question 14

Wimmer and Perner (1993) created a task in which a child places an object in one cupboard and leaves the room. Then, the child's mother comes in and moves the object to another cupboard. Children between the ages of 3 and 9 are shown this scene and asked where they expect the child would look for the object upon returning to the room. Which response describes typical responses to this question?

Accepted Answer

Younger children typically lack the theory of mind to understand that the child would not know the object was moved, so they expect the child to look in the new location. Older children understand the concept of false beliefs and expect the child to look in the original location.

Question 15

According to some researchers, in the false-belief task, a key requirement is for children to remember where the original object was placed and where it was moved to. Researcher's attribute which of the following as a possible explanation for such age-related improvements?

Accepted Answer

Growing skills in executive functioning are believed to contribute to age-related improvements in tasks like the false-belief task, as they involve memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control.

Question 16

One hypothesis on children's growing theory of mind is that with development, children modify their reasoning about the causes of behaviors in themselves and others. What is this explanation called?

Accepted Answer

The "theory-theory" is the hypothesis that children develop their understanding of the world, including the causes of behaviors, by forming and revising theories, similar to how scientists work.

Question 17

Researchers have found that theory of mind can actually help children with deception and persuasion. Which explanation best explains this connection?

Accepted Answer

Theory of mind allows children to understand that others have different beliefs and perspectives, enabling them to manipulate those beliefs through deception.

Question 18

_______ predicts preschoolers' theory-of-mind performance.

Accepted Answer

Parental sensitivity is linked to better theory-of-mind performance in preschoolers as it involves understanding and responding to a child's mental states, which can enhance the child's ability to understand others' perspectives.

Question 19

Individuals with younger siblings are more likely to lie (O'Connor & Evans, 2018). What does this mean in terms of social-cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

Having siblings, especially younger ones, provides more opportunities for social interactions and perspective-taking, which can enhance theory-of-mind skills, a key component in understanding others' beliefs and intentions, and thus may lead to more advanced social-cognitive development, including the ability to lie.

Question 20

Which statement best captures school influences on children's social-cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

Teachers play a crucial role in promoting children's theory of mind understanding by exposing them to mental state talk, which helps them understand others' perspectives and emotions.

Quiz 9: Cognitive and Language Development in Early Childhood