Question 1

Research on building memory suggests that
A) children learn how to structure personally significant memories in narrative form by conversing about them with adults.
B) fuzzy traces are more likely than verbatim memories to be forgotten.
C) children begin to talk about the past with others sometime during their third year.
D) scripts often clutter long-term memory with unimportant information.

Accepted Answer

Research suggests that children learn how to structure personally significant memories in narrative form by conversing about them with adults.

Answer: B 
 Fuzzy traces are more likely than verbatim memories to be forgotten.

Answer: C 
 Research suggests that children begin to talk about the past with others sometime during their third year.

Answer: D 
 Scripts are mental frameworks for organizing and interpreting information, and they actually help to streamline memory by reducing the amount of information that needs to be stored in long-term memory. They do not clutter memory with unimportant information.

Question 2

After returning from a cousin's birthday party, Malik asks his 4-year-old son, "What was the first thing you did at the party?" "Why didn't Jarrod open his presents before you ate cake?" "I thought the clown was really funny. What did you think?" Malik is using a(n) __________ narrative style.
A) repetitive
B) utilization
C) elaborative
D) emergent

Accepted Answer

Malik is using elaborative narrative style as he is asking open-ended questions and encouraging his son to expand on his experiences and memories from the birthday party. He is not simply repeating the same questions or using a pre-determined structure (repetitive style) or engaging in problem-solving or goal-oriented conversation (utilization style) or following the lead of his son's responses (emergent style).

Question 3

By age 10, most children
A) reach a broad understanding and awareness of the ways that knowledge is acquired.
B) are unable to consistently make mental inferences.
C) distinguish mental activities on the basis of certainty of knowledge.
D) grasp the interrelatedness of cognitive processes.

Accepted Answer

The answer of By age 10, most children
A) reach a...

Question 4

Fatima wants her 3-year-old son Jamal to tell his grandfather about his recent trip to the beach. To elicit his recall, Fatima asks, "What did we do at the beach?" "What did you play with?" "What did we do there?" This represents a(n) __________ narrative style.
A) deliberative
B) repetitive
C) reconstructive
D) elaborative

Accepted Answer

The answer of Fatima wants her 3-year-old son Jamal to...

Question 5

Research has shown that most preschoolers
A) do not use the words "think," "remember," or "pretend."
B) have a complete grasp of cognitive processes.
C) believe that an event can be known without being directly observed.
D) often insist that they have always known information they just learned.

Accepted Answer

Preschoolers often exhibit a cognitive phenomenon known as "the illusion of knowledge," where they may insist they have always known information they just learned, due to their developing understanding of memory and knowledge acquisition.

Question 6

Research on eyewitness memory suggests that younger children are prone to memory errors because they
A) are more likely than older children to disagree with a yes-or-no question.
B) tend to report gist rather than verbatim information about their experiences.
C) have trouble recalling highly stressful events.
D) are especially poor at source-monitoring.

Accepted Answer

Younger children are especially poor at source-monitoring, which makes them more prone to memory errors as they may confuse the source of their memories or mix up details from different events.

Question 7

Which of the following statements is supported by research on memory?
A) Boys tend to produce better organized and more complex personal memories than girls.
B) Preschoolers who experience the repetitive style produce more organized and detailed personal stories than preschoolers who experience the elaborative style.
C) Preschoolers who experience the elaborative style recall more information about past events than preschoolers who experience the repetitive style.
D) Asian adults report their first memory, on average, earlier than Western adults.

Accepted Answer

Research has found that preschoolers who experience the elaborative style (where the adult asks open-ended questions and encourages the child to provide more details) recall more information about past events than preschoolers who experience the repetitive style (where the adult asks the same questions repeatedly). This is supported by studies such as the Deese-Roediger-McDermott paradigm. The other statements are not supported by research.

Question 8

Six-year-old Nafiz is giving testimony about domestic violence he witnessed. Which of the following techniques is most likely to result in response consistency and accuracy in his testimony?
A) The prosecutor interrupts Nafiz's denials about certain events.
B) The prosecutor suggests incorrect "facts" about what actually occurred.
C) The prosecutor uses a nonconfrontational questioning style.
D) The prosecutor reinforces Nafiz for giving the desired answers.

Accepted Answer

Using a nonconfrontational questioning style is the most effective technique to elicit response consistency and accuracy in the testimony of a child witness. Interrupting, suggesting incorrect facts, and reinforcing for desired answers can all lead to response bias or falsification.

Question 9

Nine-year-old Kael has difficulty putting what he knows about thinking into action because he is not yet proficient at
A) metacognition.
B) cognitive self-regulation.
C) constructing mental inferences.
D) constructing a theory of mind.

Accepted Answer

Cognitive self-regulation involves the ability to control and monitor one's own thinking processes, which includes planning, prioritizing, and monitoring progress. This ability typically develops as children get older, so it is likely that Kael is still developing this skill. Metacognition (A) refers to being aware of one's own thinking and understanding, constructing mental inferences (C) involves using information to draw conclusions, and constructing a theory of mind (D) involves understanding that others have separate thoughts and emotions. While these are all important cognitive skills, they do not directly relate to Kael's difficulty putting his thinking into action.

Question 10

Preschoolers view the mind as a(n)
A) symbol-manipulating system through which information from the environment flows.
B) tool for reconstructing isolated bits of information.
C) extension of their parents' mind.
D) passive container of information.

Accepted Answer

Preschoolers tend to view the mind as a passive container of information, where knowledge is acquired and stored. They do not yet understand the mind as an active, symbol-manipulating system.

Question 11

Most investigations into theory of mind address children's ability to
A) detect their own and other people's perceptions, feelings, desires, and beliefs.
B) keep track of the sources of information in memory.
C) monitor progress toward a goal and redirect unsuccessful efforts.
D) use mnemonic strategies on tests of memory.

Accepted Answer

Theory of mind refers to one's ability to understand and attribute mental states to oneself and others, including perceptions, feelings, desires, beliefs, and intentions. Therefore, investigations into theory of mind focus on how children develop this ability to detect and understand mental states in themselves and others.

Question 12

Research on children's eyewitness testimony shows that
A) most preschoolers are unable to disclose forensically relevant details without the use of leading questions.
B) a warm, supportive interview tone fosters accurate recall.
C) preschoolers almost always provide false information in their testimonies.
D) children who go to "court school" are at high risk for being misled by a biased interviewer.

Accepted Answer

Research on children's eyewitness testimony has shown that a warm, supportive interview tone fosters accurate recall. This is because children are more likely to feel comfortable and safe sharing information when they feel they have a positive relationship with the interviewer.

Question 13

Which of the following statements is true about preschoolers?
A) They are often confused by subtle distinctions between mental states, such as "know" and "forget."
B) They believe their mental activity is busiest while they wait, look at pictures, listen to stories, or read books.
C) They understand that when a person shows no obvious cues that he or she is thinking, mental activity is still occurring.
D) They focus on the process of thinking rather than on the outcomes.

Accepted Answer

Preschoolers often struggle to distinguish between mental states, such as knowing versus forgetting. This is because they have not yet fully developed their theory of mind, which is the ability to understand that others can have beliefs, desires, and intentions that differ from their own.

Question 14

Theory of mind research indicates that by age 3, children realize that
A) doing well on a task depends on focusing attention.
B) a person reading a book or looking at pictures is thinking.
C) thinking takes place inside their heads.
D) if you "know" something you are more certain than if you "guessed."

Accepted Answer

By age 3, children begin to understand that thinking is an internal process that takes place inside their heads.

Question 15

Ten-year-old Martine is reading a story. When she gets to a difficult section, she does not slow down. Martine has not yet mastered
A) cognitive self-regulation.
B) theory of mind.
C) metacognition.
D) cognitive inhibition.

Accepted Answer

Martine's inability to adjust her reading strategy when encountering difficult sections indicates a lack of cognitive self-regulation, which involves monitoring and controlling one's cognitive processes.

Question 16

Studies of infantile amnesia suggest that the advent of __________ contributes to the end of infantile amnesia.
A) implicit memory
B) automization
C) a clear self-image
D) phonological awareness

Accepted Answer

A clear self-image, which typically begins to emerge around age 2, is thought to play a role in ending infantile amnesia. As children develop a sense of themselves as distinct individuals, they may begin to use autobiographical memory, which is intimately tied to self-awareness and the ability to mentally time travel back to events in one's personal past. This helps to explain why few memories from the first two years of life tend to endure into adulthood. The other options do not have as clear a relationship to the end of infantile amnesia.

Question 17

Which of the following statements is true regarding metacognitive knowledge?
A) Children younger than age 6 pay attention to the process of thinking rather than the outcomes of thought.
B) Children use private speech to help them acquire academic skills.
C) Children typically rate "good" reasoning as based on weighing of possibilities and gathering of evidence.
D) Children who use private speech during difficult tasks rarely execute effective mental strategies.

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that children around the age of 6 or 7 begin to understand that reasoning involves gathering evidence and weighing possibilities, indicating the development of metacognitive knowledge. Option A is incorrect as research suggests that children under the age of 4 do not have metacognitive knowledge. Option B is incorrect as private speech is used to regulate one's behavior and thought process, but does not necessarily help with academic skills acquisition. Option D is incorrect as studies have shown that children who use private speech during difficult tasks tend to be better at executing effective mental strategies.

Question 18

Sasha says, "I better put my homework in my backpack so that I don't forget to take it in the morning." This demonstrates the successful application of Sasha's
A) short-term memory.
B) cognitive inhibition.
C) metacognitive knowledge.
D) cognitive self-regulation.

Accepted Answer

Sasha is displaying metacognitive knowledge, or the ability to think about and regulate one's own cognitive processes. She is aware of the potential problem of forgetting her homework and is taking steps to prevent this from happening.

Question 19

Research on infantile amnesia suggests that events that happened during the first few years of life are not remembered because
A) most adults repress their early memories.
B) memories are not formed during this time period.
C) early memories erode with the passage of time.
D) early nonverbal memories cannot be translated into language.

Accepted Answer

Early nonverbal memories cannot be translated into language, which is a key reason why events from the first few years of life are often not remembered. This period is characterized by preverbal experiences that individuals later struggle to articulate or recall in the structured format that language requires.

Question 20

Which of the following statements or questions is most likely to be used by a legal professional to increase children's accurate reporting?
A) "You're doing great."
B) "She took your clothes off, didn't she?"
C) "You said there was a man. Was he tall and scary looking?"
D) "Tell me what happened."

Accepted Answer

"Tell me what happened" is an open-ended question that encourages the child to provide a narrative, rather than simply yes/no answers or leading the child in a particular direction. This allows the child to disclose the information in their own words and without any influence from the professional.

Quiz 7: Cognitive Development: an Information-Processing Perspective

Research on building memory suggests that

After returning from a cousin's birthday party, Malik asks his 4-year-old son, "What was the first thing you did at the party?" "Why didn't Jarrod open his presents before you ate cake?" "I thought the clown was really funny. What did you think?" Malik is using a(n) __________ narrative style.

By age 10, most children

Fatima wants her 3-year-old son Jamal to tell his grandfather about his recent trip to the beach. To elicit his recall, Fatima asks, "What did we do at the beach?" "What did you play with?" "What did we do there?" This represents a(n) __________ narrative style.

Research has shown that most preschoolers

Research on eyewitness memory suggests that younger children are prone to memory errors because they

Which of the following statements is supported by research on memory?

Six-year-old Nafiz is giving testimony about domestic violence he witnessed. Which of the following techniques is most likely to result in response consistency and accuracy in his testimony?

Nine-year-old Kael has difficulty putting what he knows about thinking into action because he is not yet proficient at

Preschoolers view the mind as a(n)

Most investigations into theory of mind address children's ability to

Research on children's eyewitness testimony shows that

Which of the following statements is true about preschoolers?

Theory of mind research indicates that by age 3, children realize that

Ten-year-old Martine is reading a story. When she gets to a difficult section, she does not slow down. Martine has not yet mastered

Studies of infantile amnesia suggest that the advent of __________ contributes to the end of infantile amnesia.

Which of the following statements is true regarding metacognitive knowledge?

Sasha says, "I better put my homework in my backpack so that I don't forget to take it in the morning." This demonstrates the successful application of Sasha's

Research on infantile amnesia suggests that events that happened during the first few years of life are not remembered because

Which of the following statements or questions is most likely to be used by a legal professional to increase children's accurate reporting?