Question 1

Heidi has a series of events that she follows every morning: she takes a shower, dresses, eats breakfast, and rides the bus to school. Her memory of this sequence of events would most likely be organized in the form of:

Accepted Answer

A script is a standard sequence of events that comprise a familiar event. Because this example clearly emphasizes the events associated with "morning events before school," it would be considered a good example of a script, even though other control processes might be involved.

Question 2

Which of the following would be LEAST likely to contribute positively to the development of literacy?

Accepted Answer

Several factors contribute to the development of literacy, but a common feature is that the child is able to progress at his or her own speed and without formal expectations or pressure to perform in a particular way.

Question 3

Memory for routine events, such as getting ready for bed, is most likely to be organized by using:

Accepted Answer

Scripts are standard sequences of events that comprise a familiar event, such as getting ready for bed. Although other memory strategies can be employed in remembering routine events, because the question emphasizes the memory for routine events and it gives an example that would involve a script, the choice of scripts is the best answer for this question.

Question 4

Nine-year-old Kimberly is presented with a list of words to memorize. She groups the words by common features. For instance, she groups the words "dog," "cat," and "horse" as animals. What strategy does she use to help her remember the list?

Accepted Answer

Organization typically involves categorization of similar items, which is what this example describes. Mental imagery involves imagination, scripts rely on memory of common events, and semantic elaboration involves logical inferences about things that would have occurred, even if such things were not experienced directly.

Question 5

Remembering the details about a family dinner, such as helping set the table, washing hands before eating, saying grace at the dinner table, eating the food, and clearing off the dishes, best illustrates what memory control process?

Accepted Answer

A script is a standard sequence of events that comprise a familiar event. Because this example clearly emphasizes the events associated with "family dinners," it would be considered a good example of a script, even though other control processes might be involved.

Question 6

Restructuring the material to be learned so that it is arranged categorically is the major feature of the control process called:

Accepted Answer

The control process of organizing the material to be learned into categories is referred to as organization. This approach helps learners to identify relationships between the information, making it easier to recall and apply in new contexts. The other options, such as scripts, mental imagery, and semantic elaboration, are control processes that relate to the encoding and retrieval of information in memory but do not specifically involve categorizing the material.

Question 7

The essential idea encompassed by the term emergent literacy is that:

Accepted Answer

According to the concept of emergent literacy, the skills associated with oral and written language acquisition begin to develop in infancy and gradually improve over a period of years.

Question 8

The first tests of intelligence were developed in France by:

Accepted Answer

Alfred Binet and his colleague Theodore Simon developed the first intelligence test in France in the early 1900s, known as the Binet-Simon Scale.

Question 9

Which of the following is the most accurate statement about the whole-language viewpoint about literacy?

Accepted Answer

The whole-language view is based on the idea that literacy skills begin in infancy with understanding of spoken language, and these early skills are modified through experience with language to become more complex and to transition into speaking and writing. This view also emphasizes that language learning occurs in a sociocultural context and that language learning occurs naturally, without the need of formal expectations or rewards.

Question 10

Samuel tells his little brother an elaborate story about imaginary creatures with three heads and sharp tails who can fly like helicopters by rotating a huge wing that comes out of their back. Samuel's ability to imagine these creatures and describe them to his brother is a good example of which of the following control processes?

Accepted Answer

The best answer is mental imagery, since this example emphasizes Samuel's ability to construct a mental image of an imaginary object. Semantic elaboration emphasizes the use of logical inferences, and Samuel's memory does not rely on logic about missing information. Samuel's ability to describe an imaginary creature also does not emphasize the organization of his memory, nor does it emphasize common events associated with a particular event, which is the core concept associated with memory scripts.

Question 11

The original purpose for developing the first intelligence tests in the early part of the twentieth century was:

Accepted Answer

Although intelligence tests have served to select gifted children, they have been used to support discriminatory policies and practices, and they do help researchers understand the relationships between intelligence and wide range of other variables, their original purpose in France was to allow the government to select children who would be less likely to benefit from formal education.

Question 12

Jude learns the concept of subtraction by forming a picture in his mind of removing blocks from one stack and adding them to another stack. His memory strategy is best considered an example of the use of:

Accepted Answer

Mental imagery involves the ability to construct mental images, which is what this example emphasizes. Rehearsal involves repetition of to-be-remembered events; organization emphasizes categorization of information into meaningful units; and semantic elaboration the ability to make logical inferences about missing information.

Question 13

Eleven-year-old Susan overheard her father say, "I drove to the store." She is able to infer the presence of a car even though he never mentioned the word. This example best illustrates what memory strategy?

Accepted Answer

Although retrieval of information is involved in any memory problem, it is not the central event here, nor is organization (since categorization is not the central aspect of this problem). Mental imagery is involved, since Susan must be able to create a mental image of driving to the store, but the example focuses not only on her ability to imagine the scene but also on her ability to logically infer that there was a car involved. Thus, because the central point of the example pertains to logical inference, semantic elaboration is the best answer to this question.

Question 14

44 The intellectual process that allows people to monitor their own thoughts and thinking processes is called:

Accepted Answer

The process described is metacognition, which refers to the ability to monitor one's own thought processes and thinking strategies. Option A (control process) is too broad and could refer to any process that involves exerting control over one's thoughts or behavior. Option C (mental elaboration) refers to a specific cognitive process involved in remembering and processing information, but is not directly related to metacognition. Option D (personal script) refers to a person's internalized set of expectations and beliefs about how certain situations or interactions should unfold, and is also not directly related to metacognition.

Question 15

Suppose that 7-year-old Anna is having trouble learning to read in school. Her teacher investigates how her family encourages reading, how her friends interact with her during play, and how she uses oral language to communicate. The teacher concludes that her reading will likely develop in its own time, and encourages Anna to continue to interact verbally. The teacher's approach would be very compatible with which of the following points of view?

Accepted Answer

The whole-language viewpoint emphasizes the role of social interactions in developing literacy, and also suggests that reading emerges from earlier language skills of speaking and understanding. The metacognitive, preoperational, and formal operational "viewpoints" are not meaningful in this context, since they do not pertain directly to literacy.

Question 16

Maria is asked to create and tell a story about how a lost dog was able to find its home. She talks and talks about the dog, and about its home, but is never able to figure out how to end the story or what would be required to make the story complete. In terms of her control processes, her problem in finishing her work would be described as a failure of:

Accepted Answer

This example points to Maria's lack of awareness about what the problem involves and what a correct solution requires. Thus, she in not able to "think about her thinking," which is the essence of metacognition. Motivation is not a problem, as evidenced by her continued effort. The example does not indicate that she has trouble remembering (retrieval) or repeating relevant details (rehearsal).

Question 17

Suppose that Lucy is 6 years old and she is answers the same number of questions on an intelligence test as the average 8-year-old. Her mental age would be:

Accepted Answer

Mental age is determined according to the number of questions a person answers correctly and has nothing to do with a person's chronological age. If a person answers the same number of questions correctly as the average 8-year-old, that person's mental age is 8 years, irrespective of how old the person is.

Question 18

The term literacy refers to:

Accepted Answer

Literacy specifically refers to the skills involved in reading and writing, such as the ability to read and comprehend written texts, as well as the ability to write effectively. While other options may pertain to cognitive processes or abilities, they are not synonymous with literacy.

Question 19

Whole-language theorists focus on the concept of:

Accepted Answer

Whole-language theorists emphasize emergent literacy, which emphasizes that literacy learning is a natural process that begins in early childhood as children interact with their environment and develop language and cognitive skills.

Question 20

According to whole-language theory, the skills associated with oral and written language acquisition develop over a period of years, beginning in:

Accepted Answer

According to whole-language theory, language acquisition begins in infancy and the skills associated with it develop over a period of years, gradually improving with age and experience.

Quiz 8: Middle Childhood: Physical and Cognitive Development