Question 1

When a preoperational child, Delores, is asked if she has a sister, Delores replies, "Yes." Then, when asked further, "What's her name," Delores states, "Mary." Then Delores is asked if Mary has a sister, and Delores replies, "No." This conversational exchange reflects Delores' preoperational limitation in reasoning known as

Accepted Answer

Preoperational children often struggle with irreversibility, which is the inability to mentally reverse a sequence of events or logical operations. Delores cannot reverse the idea that if she has a sister, then her sister must also have a sister.

Question 2

Children may master some form of conservation before others. Piaget called this

Accepted Answer

Piaget observed that children may demonstrate conservation in one area before another, which he called "horizontal decalage." This means that while a child may understand conservation of liquid volume, they may not yet understand conservation of number or mass. Option A, irreversibility, refers to the understanding that some changes can be reversed while others cannot, which is a related but distinct concept. Option C, abnormal, is not a concept related to Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Option D, egocentric, refers to the tendency of young children to view the world only from their own perspective, which is also a related but distinct concept.

Question 3

Which of the following is one of the reasons why children in the preoperational stage cannot conserve?

Accepted Answer

Children in the preoperational stage, according to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, cannot conserve because they focus on the end state rather than the transformation. This means they pay more attention to the outcome of an action (like the appearance of water in a taller, narrower glass versus a shorter, wider one) without understanding that the quantity remains the same despite the change in shape or appearance.

Question 4

propose that infants are born with learning mechanisms that are biologically prepared

Accepted Answer

Research in developmental psychology supports the notion that infants are born with learning mechanisms that are biologically prepared to rapidly learn some of the critical features of their environment. For example, infants are predisposed to pay attention to human faces and voices, to distinguish between animate and inanimate objects, and to infer basic physical principles such as object permanence. These learning mechanisms do not require extensive experience or explicit instruction, but rather reflect a species-specific genetic endowment.

Question 5

Piaget divides the preoperational phase into two substages: the __________ period (2 to 4 years) and the __________ period (4 to 7 years).

Accepted Answer

Piaget's preoperational stage is divided into two substages: the preconceptual period (ages 2 to 4) and the intuitive period (ages 4 to 7). This division reflects the developmental progression in children's thinking during these years.

Question 6

Sonya, who is 3 years old, is playing with her many dolls and stuffed animals. Sonya believes the dolls talk to each other and can feel when she hugs them. Sonya is probably engaging in

Accepted Answer

Sonya is exhibiting animistic thinking, which is the belief that inanimate objects have lifelike qualities such as thoughts and feelings.

Question 7

Recently, researchers have found that children as young as 3 years old can identify the correct perspective from different positions in the three-mountain task if they make the task more accessible and comprehensible to young children. Which of the following is not one of the changes to the tasks, which results in better comprehension of the task for young children?

Accepted Answer

The three-mountain task originally designed by Jean Piaget was meant to assess children's ability to understand perspectives different from their own. Modifications such as making the mountains more distinctive (A), allowing children to physically manipulate a model to show their understanding (B), and contextualizing the task with a relatable scenario involving dolls (D) have been found to improve young children's performance. However, asking children to close their eyes and imagine the three mountains (C) is not mentioned as a modification that improves comprehension, as it still relies heavily on abstract thought and visualization skills, which are challenging for very young children.

Question 8

One of the most significant accomplishments of the preoperational child is the rapid acquisition of the

Accepted Answer

The preoperational child's ability to use symbols and represent objects and events through words, images, and gestures is a significant accomplishment in cognitive development. This symbolic function is evident in pretend play, language acquisition, and mental imagery. The preoperational child can also use symbols to represent aspects of the environment that are not immediately present.

Question 9

In the preconceptual stage, children often attribute life and living characteristics to inanimate objects. This is known as

Accepted Answer

Animistic thinking refers to the tendency for children to attribute life and living characteristics to inanimate objects, such as believing that a stuffed animal has feelings or a toy car can think and make decisions. This is a common behavior in the preconceptual stage of development. Choices A, B, and D do not accurately describe this behavior.

Question 10

Bonnie, age 4, is a very bright and imitative child. The other day, Grandma took Bonnie for a car ride where Bonnie saw a train speeding down the tracks. Today, Bonnie has a set of blocks she is pushing while saying, "Choo-choo, toot-toot." Bonnie is probably in what stage of development, according to Piaget?

Accepted Answer

Bonnie is likely in the Preoperational stage of development according to Piaget, which occurs from approximately 2 to 7 years of age. This stage is characterized by symbolic thinking, allowing children to use symbols or objects to represent something else, as Bonnie is doing with the blocks to represent a train.

Question 11

Wayne is pretty good at certain things, such as solving problems and counting up to 20 objects; however, he is not very good at explaining why he solves problems in particular ways. Wayne is probably still in what substage of development?

Accepted Answer

Wayne's abilities and limitations suggest he is in the Intuitive substage of the preoperational period, where children can solve problems and count objects but struggle to explain their reasoning processes.

Question 12

Jay believes that the world revolves around him and that the universe was created for him. Jay has a lot of difficulty seeing any point of view besides his own. This egocentricity is characteristic of what substage of the preoperational stage of development?

Accepted Answer

The preconceptual substage is characterized by egocentrism, in which children have difficulty seeing things from other points of view and tend to believe that everyone sees things the same way they do. This is the stage where children begin to use symbols and language to represent objects and events, but do not yet understand logical principles or the perspectives of others. Therefore, Jay's egocentric beliefs are most likely indicative of the preconceptual substage of development.

Question 13

Cross-cultural research on conservation suggests that

Accepted Answer

Cross-cultural research suggests that experience with particular materials is related to conservation abilities. Specifically, the more experience individuals have with particular materials, the sooner they are able to understand conservation with those materials.

Question 14

In Western societies, children usually acquire ________ conservation before ________ conservation.

Accepted Answer

In Western societies, children usually acquire conservation of number before conservation of volume. Conservation of number refers to the understanding that a quantity remains the same even if its appearance changes, while conservation of volume refers to the understanding that the amount of a substance remains the same even if its shape changes. Research has shown that children typically acquire conservation of number around the age of 6 or 7, while conservation of volume is typically acquired later, around the age of 9 or 10.

Question 15

Sophie has been shown two short, wide, transparent cylinders that contain equal amounts of water. The researcher now pours the liquid from one cylinder into a tall, thin cylinder. Sophie is asked which container has more liquid, and she replies that the tall container has the most, indicating a developmental error also known as an inability to

Accepted Answer

Sophie is demonstrating an inability to conserve, which means she is unable to understand that even though the liquid has changed shape, the amount remains the same. This is a common developmental error in young children. Choice A (reverse) does not accurately describe the error being made in this scenario.

Question 16

Piaget developed a three-mountain task to test children's ability to see things from the perspective of others. This task tested children for

Accepted Answer

Piaget's three-mountain task was designed to test children's ability to take others' perspectives by asking them to describe what a doll sitting on a mountain could see. The task demonstrated that young children are often egocentric in their thinking and have difficulty seeing things from the viewpoint of others. Therefore, the purpose of this task was to determine children's level of egocentrism rather than their analytical skills, object permanence, or perception.

Question 17

According to Piaget, preoperational reasoning is characterized by

Accepted Answer

Piaget believed that children in the preoperational stage of development lack the ability to understand the concept of reversibility, or the idea that things can be undone or returned to their original state. This is evident in their thinking about various tasks, such as pouring water between two different sized glasses, where they often cannot comprehend that the amount of water remains the same regardless of the container it is in.

Question 18

John and Jodie, both 4 years old, have the belief that the universe is organized and created for them and that everything is and should be centered around them. According to Piaget, this type of thought is called

Accepted Answer

Egocentrism refers to the belief that one's own perspective is the only perspective or that everything revolves around oneself. Piaget identified this as a characteristic of preoperational thought in young children. Vanity, delusion, and wish-fulfillment do not accurately capture this concept.

Question 19

Piaget may have underestimated children's ability to understand physical concepts because of his over-reliance on using

Accepted Answer

Piaget emphasized the importance of motor activity in children's cognitive development and used it as a way to gauge their understanding of physical concepts. However, this approach may have led him to underestimate children's abilities, as research has shown that young children are capable of understanding abstract concepts without first needing to physically interact with them.

Question 20

Two characteristics of the preconceptual stage are

Accepted Answer

The preconceptual stage (ages 2-4) is characterized by animistic thinking (attributing life to inanimate objects) and egocentricity (inability to see things from another person's perspective). Conservation of quantity and abstract thinking emerge later in the concrete operational stage (ages 7-11). Reflexive behaviors and imitation are also present in the preconceptual stage, but they are not defining characteristics of this stage. Focus on process and features may be present in all developmental stages.

Quiz 8: Cognitive Development: Piaget and Vygotsky

Children may master some form of conservation before others. Piaget called this

Which of the following is one of the reasons why children in the preoperational stage cannot conserve?

propose that infants are born with learning mechanisms that are biologically prepared

Piaget divides the preoperational phase into two substages: the period (2 to 4 years) and the period (4 to 7 years) .

Sonya, who is 3 years old, is playing with her many dolls and stuffed animals. Sonya believes the dolls talk to each other and can feel when she hugs them. Sonya is probably engaging in

One of the most significant accomplishments of the preoperational child is the rapid acquisition of the

In the preconceptual stage, children often attribute life and living characteristics to inanimate objects. This is known as

Wayne is pretty good at certain things, such as solving problems and counting up to 20 objects; however, he is not very good at explaining why he solves problems in particular ways. Wayne is probably still in what substage of development?

Jay believes that the world revolves around him and that the universe was created for him. Jay has a lot of difficulty seeing any point of view besides his own. This egocentricity is characteristic of what substage of the preoperational stage of development?

Cross-cultural research on conservation suggests that

In Western societies, children usually acquire conservation before conservation.

Piaget developed a three-mountain task to test children's ability to see things from the perspective of others. This task tested children for

According to Piaget, preoperational reasoning is characterized by

John and Jodie, both 4 years old, have the belief that the universe is organized and created for them and that everything is and should be centered around them. According to Piaget, this type of thought is called

Piaget may have underestimated children's ability to understand physical concepts because of his over-reliance on using

Two characteristics of the preconceptual stage are

Quiz 8: Cognitive Development: Piaget and Vygotsky

Children may master some form of conservation before others. Piaget called this

Which of the following is one of the reasons why children in the preoperational stage cannot conserve?

propose that infants are born with learning mechanisms that are biologically prepared

Piaget divides the preoperational phase into two substages: the __________ period (2 to 4 years) and the __________ period (4 to 7 years) .

Sonya, who is 3 years old, is playing with her many dolls and stuffed animals. Sonya believes the dolls talk to each other and can feel when she hugs them. Sonya is probably engaging in

One of the most significant accomplishments of the preoperational child is the rapid acquisition of the

In the preconceptual stage, children often attribute life and living characteristics to inanimate objects. This is known as

Wayne is pretty good at certain things, such as solving problems and counting up to 20 objects; however, he is not very good at explaining why he solves problems in particular ways. Wayne is probably still in what substage of development?

Jay believes that the world revolves around him and that the universe was created for him. Jay has a lot of difficulty seeing any point of view besides his own. This egocentricity is characteristic of what substage of the preoperational stage of development?

Cross-cultural research on conservation suggests that

In Western societies, children usually acquire ________ conservation before ________ conservation.

Piaget developed a three-mountain task to test children's ability to see things from the perspective of others. This task tested children for

According to Piaget, preoperational reasoning is characterized by

John and Jodie, both 4 years old, have the belief that the universe is organized and created for them and that everything is and should be centered around them. According to Piaget, this type of thought is called

Piaget may have underestimated children's ability to understand physical concepts because of his over-reliance on using

Two characteristics of the preconceptual stage are

Piaget divides the preoperational phase into two substages: the period (2 to 4 years) and the period (4 to 7 years) .

In Western societies, children usually acquire conservation before conservation.