Question 1

According to Piaget, the stage of cognitive development between 2 and 7 years of age, in which the child learns to use language as a means of exploring the world, is the ______ stage.
A) concrete operations
B) sensorimotor
C) preoperational
D) formal operations
E) postformal operations

Accepted Answer

The preoperational stage is characterized by the use of symbols, such as language, to represent objects and ideas. During this stage, children develop a sense of egocentrism and struggle with concepts such as conservation and reversibility. This stage typically lasts from age 2 to 7.

Question 2

Young infants cannot appreciate the carnival game in which a pea seems to disappear from under a walnut because they have not yet developed a sense of
A) conservation.
B) object permanence.
C) centration.
D) egocentrism.
E) reversibility

Accepted Answer

Object permanence is the understanding that an object continues to exist even if it is not visible to the observer. This means that young infants do not yet have the ability to track the movement of an object, like a pea under a walnut, because they have not yet developed object permanence. Conservation (A) is the understanding that the amount of an object remains the same even if its appearance changes. Centration (C) is the tendency to focus on only one aspect of a situation and ignore others. Egocentrism (D) is the inability to take another person's point of view. Reversibility (E) is the understanding that a process can be reversed to restore the original state. None of these concepts are directly related to the infant's inability to appreciate the carnival game.

Question 3

Ron, a toddler, takes a picture and puts it to the receiver of a phone in order to "show" it to his grandmother. This example illustrates
A) disoriented attachment.
B) conservation.
C) object permanence.
D) egocentrism.
E) reversibility

Accepted Answer

Ron's behavior illustrates egocentrism, a concept from Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Egocentrism refers to the inability to differentiate between one's own perspective and someone else's perspective. In this case, Ron assumes that his grandmother can see the picture through the phone just because he can see it, not understanding that his perspective is different from his grandmother's.

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of animistic thought?
A) An object ceases to exist when hidden from sight.
B) A child is unwilling to share their toys.
C) A child sucks on a nipple.
D) A child chooses a tall thin glass of milk over a short, wide glass of milk.
E) After witnessing a traffic accident, a child refers to a damaged fender as an "Owie."

Accepted Answer

Referring to a damaged car fender as "Owie" shows that the child is attributing human-like emotions to the inanimate object, which is an example of animistic thought. The other choices do not involve attributing human-like qualities to non-living things or objects.

Question 5

Larry, a 10-year-old, first sees two identical glasses with water at the same level; then, the water from one of the short, wide glasses is poured into a taller, thinner glass. Larry will likely conclude that
A) there is more water in the taller, thinner glass.
B) there is more water in the shorter, wider glass.
C) there are equal amounts of water in the shorter, wider and taller, thinner glasses.
D) there are equal amounts of water in the two identical glasses only.
E) all of the glasses have the same amount of water

Accepted Answer

At the age of 10, children like Larry have typically developed the ability to understand the concept of conservation of quantity. This means they can recognize that the amount of water remains the same regardless of the shape of the container it's in.

Question 6

In Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development between 7 and 11 years of age, in which an individual becomes capable of logical thought processes but is not yet capable of abstract thinking, is the ______ stage.
A) concrete operations
B) sensorimotor
C) preoperational
D) formal operations
E) postformal operations

Accepted Answer

The concrete operations stage in Piaget's theory occurs between 7 and 11 years of age and is characterized by the ability to think logically about concrete objects and events. However, abstract thinking, which is a hallmark of the formal operations stage, does not yet develop until adolescence. The sensorimotor and preoperational stages occur earlier in development, and postformal operations is a later stage that some theorists propose may occur after formal operations.

Question 7

Ethan, a three year old, asks his mom to cut a pizza pie into twelve rather than eight pieces because he is "really hungry." On the basis of this example, it is most appropriate to conclude that Ethan
A) understands object permanence.
B) does not understand object permanence.
C) understands conservation.
D) does not understand conservation.
E) understands the personal fable

Accepted Answer

Ethan's request for more pieces showing that he prioritizes the quantity over the size, which suggests that he does not understand conservation, the basic principle that properties such as mass or volume do not change despite changes in appearance.

Question 8

________ is a term used by Piaget to refer to a child's inability to take another's perspective and see the world through someone else's eyes.
A) Egocentrism
B) Conservation
C) Abstract thinking
D) Centration
E) Imprinting

Accepted Answer

Piaget used the term egocentrism to describe a child's inability to understand that others may have different perspectives, thoughts, and feelings than their own. This manifests in a child's inability to take another's perspective and see the world through someone else's eyes.

Question 9

Elka is 9 years old. She has been working on her science project which places different dinosaurs into different periods of time. Which stage of cognitive development is she most likely in?
A) preoperational
B) formal operations
C) sensorimotor
D) concrete operations
E) postformal oeprations

Accepted Answer

The concrete operations stage of cognitive development typically occurs between ages 7 and 12, during which children become capable of logical and concrete thinking. Elka's ability to organize dinosaurs into different periods of time suggests she has reached this stage.

Question 10

Piaget would use the concept of ________ to explain why a child would state that "my G.I. Joe is hungry."
A) centration
B) animistic thinking
C) assimilation
D) accommodation
E) egocentrism

Accepted Answer

Piaget's concept of animistic thinking refers to a child's tendency to attribute human-like qualities to inanimate objects. Therefore, a child stating that their G.I. Joe is hungry is an example of animistic thinking, which Piaget would use to explain this behavior.

Question 11

Which of the following is a limitation on the cognitive life of children in Piaget's preoperational stage?
A) abstract concepts
B) object permanence
C) hypothetical thinking
D) centration
E) animism

Accepted Answer

Centration, the tendency to focus on only one aspect of a situation, is a limitation on the cognitive life of children in Piaget's preoperational stage. Children in this stage have difficulty understanding that the same amount of liquid in two different shaped glasses is still the same amount, for example, because they are focused only on the height, not the width or shape, of the glass. They are also limited in their ability to understand conservation, which is the concept that certain properties (such as volume or number) remain unchanged despite changes in appearance.

Question 12

A child who has not mastered object permanence believes that
A) not all grown-up men are fathers.
B) two small pieces of pizza are better than one large piece.
C) everyone is thinking about the child.
D) a hidden doll no longer exists.
E) rain occurs when the clouds are sad.

Accepted Answer

Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight. A child who has not mastered object permanence believes that a hidden doll no longer exists, which is option D. The other options are unrelated to object permanence.

Question 13

What term is used to describe a child's inability to see the world through anyone else's eyes except his or her own?
A) disparity
B) narcissism
C) egocentrism
D) autonomy
E) industry

Accepted Answer

Egocentrism is the term used to describe a child's inability to see the world through anyone else's eyes except his or her own. It is a stage of cognitive development in which a child is unable to understand that other people have different perspectives, thoughts, and feelings.

Question 14

Donna is so focused on the idea of having a "big bowl" of ice cream that she refuses to eat ice cream off a plate, even though the plate has more ice cream. Her refusal is an example of
A) egocentrism.
B) conservation.
C) animistic thinking.
D) centration.
E) object permanence.

Accepted Answer

Donna's refusal to eat ice cream off a plate, despite it having more ice cream, is an example of centration. She is focused on only one aspect, the size of the bowl, and cannot consider other factors, such as the amount of ice cream.

Question 15

Elijah is a 3 year old little boy who likes to spread his peas and carrots all over his plate. After spreading out his food, he asks for more. His mom pushes all the food together and Elijah continues to eat. Which period of cognitive development is Elijah in?
A) egocentrism
B) sensorimotor
C) preoperational
D) accommodation
E) assimilation

Accepted Answer

Elijah's behavior of spreading out his peas and carrots and then asking for more indicates that he is in the preoperational stage of cognitive development. This stage is characterized by egocentrism and difficulty understanding conservation, which means that objects can be transformed or re-arranged without changing their basic properties. Elijah's behavior of spreading out his food and asking for more shows that he has not yet grasped this concept of conservation and is focused on his subjective experience of the food on his plate rather than the objective reality of the amount of food he has.

Question 16

In which of Piaget's stages does the child develop conservation?
A) sensorimotor
B) preoperational
C) formal operational
D) concrete operational
E) postformal operational

Accepted Answer

Conservation is the understanding that despite changes in appearance, the basic properties of an object remain the same. This concept is acquired during Piaget's concrete operational stage, which generally spans from 7 to 11 years old. Prior to this stage, in Piaget's preoperational stage, children struggle with conservation tasks because they lack the mental operations and logical reasoning skills to understand that changing an object's appearance does not change its fundamental properties.

Question 17

According to Piaget, the ability to understand that simply changing the appearance of an object does not change the object's nature is known as
A) object permanence.
B) conservation.
C) centration.
D) reversibility.
E) animism

Accepted Answer

Conservation refers to the understanding that even if the shape or appearance of an object changes, the underlying quantity remains the same. Piaget believed that children develop this ability around the age of 7, after the preoperational stage. Object permanence refers to the understanding that objects exist even if they are out of sight. Centration refers to the tendency to focus on one aspect of a problem and ignore others. Reversibility refers to the ability to mentally reverse an action. Animism refers to the belief that inanimate objects have feelings and intentions.

Question 18

Ashani is 18 months old. When her mom leaves her at the babysitter's house, Ashani cries initially. After a few moments, she stops crying because her mom is "out of sight and out of mind." According to Piaget, which period of cognitive development would Ashani be in?
A) sensorimotor
B) preoperational
C) concrete operations
D) formal operations
E) postformal operations

Accepted Answer

Ashani's behavior of crying initially and then stopping once her mother is out of sight is characteristic of the sensorimotor period of cognitive development, which lasts from birth to around 2 years old. During this time, infants develop their senses and motor skills as they explore and interact with their environment. They also start to develop object permanence, the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are not visible, which is demonstrated by Ashani's behavior of stopping crying once her mother is out of sight.

Question 19

Your little brother has a big ball of clay. While he watches, you roll the ball of clay into a long snake-like shape. He begins to cry because he thinks he has less clay now. Which of Piaget's stages is your brother likely to be in?
A) sensorimotor
B) preoperational
C) formal operational
D) concrete operational
E) postformal operational

Accepted Answer

Your brother is likely in the preoperational stage, which is characterized by egocentric thinking and an inability to understand conservation (i.e. that the amount of clay remains the same even if the shape changes). Therefore, your brother believes that he has less clay because the shape has changed. This stage typically occurs between the ages of 2 and 7.

Question 20

Daryl believes that there is more Silly Putty when it is in a ball shape than when John makes it into a big "pancake." Piaget would argue that Daryl has
A) learned object permanence.
B) not mastered conservation.
C) demonstrated egocentrism.
D) animistic thinking.
E) formal operational thought.

Accepted Answer

According to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, children at the preoperational stage (ages 2-7) are not able to understand conservation, which is the principle that a physical quantity does not change even when its appearance changes. Daryl's belief that there is more Silly Putty in a ball shape than in a pancake shape suggests that he has not mastered conservation.

Quiz 7: Development Over the Lifespan

According to Piaget, the stage of cognitive development between 2 and 7 years of age, in which the child learns to use language as a means of exploring the world, is the ______ stage.

Young infants cannot appreciate the carnival game in which a pea seems to disappear from under a walnut because they have not yet developed a sense of

Ron, a toddler, takes a picture and puts it to the receiver of a phone in order to "show" it to his grandmother. This example illustrates

Which of the following is an example of animistic thought?

Larry, a 10-year-old, first sees two identical glasses with water at the same level; then, the water from one of the short, wide glasses is poured into a taller, thinner glass. Larry will likely conclude that

In Piaget's theory, the stage of cognitive development between 7 and 11 years of age, in which an individual becomes capable of logical thought processes but is not yet capable of abstract thinking, is the ______ stage.

Ethan, a three year old, asks his mom to cut a pizza pie into twelve rather than eight pieces because he is "really hungry." On the basis of this example, it is most appropriate to conclude that Ethan

________ is a term used by Piaget to refer to a child's inability to take another's perspective and see the world through someone else's eyes.

Elka is 9 years old. She has been working on her science project which places different dinosaurs into different periods of time. Which stage of cognitive development is she most likely in?

Piaget would use the concept of ________ to explain why a child would state that "my G.I. Joe is hungry."

Which of the following is a limitation on the cognitive life of children in Piaget's preoperational stage?

A child who has not mastered object permanence believes that

What term is used to describe a child's inability to see the world through anyone else's eyes except his or her own?

Donna is so focused on the idea of having a "big bowl" of ice cream that she refuses to eat ice cream off a plate, even though the plate has more ice cream. Her refusal is an example of

Elijah is a 3 year old little boy who likes to spread his peas and carrots all over his plate. After spreading out his food, he asks for more. His mom pushes all the food together and Elijah continues to eat. Which period of cognitive development is Elijah in?

In which of Piaget's stages does the child develop conservation?

According to Piaget, the ability to understand that simply changing the appearance of an object does not change the object's nature is known as

Ashani is 18 months old. When her mom leaves her at the babysitter's house, Ashani cries initially. After a few moments, she stops crying because her mom is "out of sight and out of mind." According to Piaget, which period of cognitive development would Ashani be in?

Your little brother has a big ball of clay. While he watches, you roll the ball of clay into a long snake-like shape. He begins to cry because he thinks he has less clay now. Which of Piaget's stages is your brother likely to be in?

Daryl believes that there is more Silly Putty when it is in a ball shape than when John makes it into a big "pancake." Piaget would argue that Daryl has