Question 1

Anthony knows that not everyone goes to college and those who do are not guaranteed to graduate. From this he decided that college is probably difficult as well as time consuming. What type of logic did Anthony use to draw these conclusions?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Anthony knows that not everyone goes to...

Question 2

Which of the following represents the key contrast between Piaget's and Siegler's views on children's cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

Piaget's theory emphasizes the role of age in determining cognitive development, while Siegler's theory focuses on the role of experience and learning.

Question 3

Which of the following terms applies to thinking about how to think?

Accepted Answer

Metacognition refers to thinking about one's own thinking processes, including reflection, planning, decision making, and problem solving. It involves awareness and control over one's own cognitive processes. The other options are related to cognitive processes in general, but do not specifically refer to thinking about thinking.

Question 4

Which of the following is the best example of a child's use of deductive logic?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is the best...

Question 5

In support of the hypothesis that improved processing efficiency accounts for cognitive development, researchers have found that children's thinking and response time

Accepted Answer

The statement that children's thinking and response time get faster with age supports the hypothesis that improved processing efficiency accounts for cognitive development. This suggests that as children's brains mature and they gain more experience, they become better able to process information quickly and efficiently.

Question 6

Which of the following is the best example of a child's use of inductive logic?

Accepted Answer

Inductive logic involves making generalizations based on specific observations. Imani's conclusion about his teacher's kindness from a single observation is an example of inductive reasoning.

Question 7

To help himself remember the colors of the visible spectrum, Cam said, "ROY G BIV," where each color is represented by a letter. This is an example of the use of which of the following?

Accepted Answer

The use of "ROY G BIV" is an example of mnemonic, which is a memory aid that helps people remember information.

Question 8

In Robert Siegler's research on problem solving, children who use Rule I

Accepted Answer

Children who use Rule I take into account only one dimension of a problem, as opposed to calculating and estimating using multiple dimensions or characteristics (as in Rule II) or using a formula to systematically compare relevant factors (as in Rule III). Special cognitive training may not necessarily be required for children to move beyond Rule I, as they may develop more advanced problem-solving skills naturally with age and increasing experience.

Question 9

Which of the following best defines deductive logic?

Accepted Answer

Deductive logic involves starting with a general principle or premise, and then using that to reach a specific conclusion. It requires the ability to use logical reasoning to make predictions based on this starting point.

Question 10

Which of the following is an example of what Piaget termed concrete operations?

Accepted Answer

Concrete operations is a stage in Piaget's cognitive development theory, in which children are able to think logically about concrete events and objects. Reversibility is a key characteristic of this stage, in which children are able to mentally reverse actions or ideas. Abstract thinking, automaticity, and centration are not examples of concrete operations.

Question 11

Which one of the following questions would be the focus of psychologists who use the information-processing perspective to understand children's cognitive development?

Accepted Answer

The information-processing perspective focuses on how children process, store, and retrieve information. Therefore, understanding how short-term memory capacity changes with age would be a key question for psychologists using this perspective to understand cognitive development.

Question 12

A child who understands conservation of mass or volume would, of necessity, also understand which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Reversibility refers to the ability to mentally reverse actions. Conservation of mass or volume involves mentally reversing actions such as pouring water from one container into another and then pouring it back. Therefore, understanding conservation of mass or volume requires the ability to mentally reverse actions, which is a component of reversibility. Animism refers to the belief that objects have feelings and thoughts, object permanence refers to the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they can’t be seen, and metaphors and analogies refer to language and abstract thinking, none of which are necessarily related to conservation of mass or volume.

Question 13

To help herself remember the items she was to get from the market, Anna repeated the five-item list over and over under her breath. This is an example of which information-processing strategy?

Accepted Answer

Rehearsal is the information-processing strategy where we repeat information over and over to aid in its storage and later retrieval. This is exactly what Anna is doing with the five-item list, making C the correct answer. Mnemonics involve using acronyms or other memory aids to remember information, systematic searching involves methodically searching for information, and organization involves grouping related information together for easier recall. While some of these strategies may also be helpful in remembering a shopping list, rehearsal is the specific strategy being employed in this example.

Question 14

If Doreen understands class inclusion, then she understands

Accepted Answer

Class inclusion involves understanding that one category can be a subset of another category. In the example given, understanding that dogs are a type of mammal and mammals are a type of animal shows an understanding of class inclusion.

Question 15

When the teacher asked, "How many inches are there in 1 mile?" Carmen answered without having to pause to compute the number of inches in a foot. Carmen's skill is an example of which cognitive ability?

Accepted Answer

Carmen's ability to answer without having to pause to compute the number of inches in a foot suggests that she has developed automaticity in her cognitive processing for this particular knowledge area. Automaticity refers to the ability to perform a task or recall information with little to no conscious effort or attention.

Question 16

Which of the following best defines inductive logic?

Accepted Answer

Inductive logic involves using specific observations or experiences to develop general principles or theories. This is the opposite of deductive logic, which involves using a general principle to make a specific prediction. Option B describes deductive logic, while options C and D are unrelated to the concept of inductive logic.

Question 17

Which of the following is considered to be the basis of children's cognitive development, according to most theorists?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Which of the following is considered to...

Question 18

Siegler suggests that children's cognitive development occurs with which of the following?

Accepted Answer

Siegler's theory of cognitive development emphasizes the importance of children acquiring basic rules or strategies that they can apply to new problems on the basis of experience. This idea is known as the rule assessment approach to cognitive development. Siegler argues that children develop more sophisticated and flexible strategies as they become more experienced with a wide range of problems, leading to improvements in their cognitive abilities over time. While metacognition (C) and improved efficiency of cognitive processing (D) are also important factors in cognitive development, Siegler places greater emphasis on the acquisition and application of basic cognitive strategies. The onset of abstract thinking skills (B) is an important feature of cognitive development, but this is more commonly associated with Piaget's stage theory of cognitive development than with Siegler's rule assessment approach.

Question 19

A child who can tell you what study methods work best for different subjects or what subjects are hardest for her to learn would be displaying which of the following skills?

Accepted Answer

Metacognition refers to the ability to think about one's own thinking, including knowledge of one's own cognitive processes, abilities, and limitations. The ability to identify effective study methods for different subjects and recognize which subjects are more challenging displays a strong sense of metacognition.

Question 20

Which of the following terms do developmentalists use to refer to the ability to make efficient use of short-term memory capacity?

Accepted Answer

Developmentalists refer to the ability to make efficient use of short-term memory capacity as processing efficiency.

Quiz 9: Physical and Cognitive Development in Middle Childhood