Chapter 4—The Emergence of Thought and Language: Cognitive Development in Infancy and Early Childhood
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Piaget described a scheme as a psychological structure that
a. organizes experience.
b. is used in language but not thought.
c. we lose as we age.
d. is only found in those with a set of personal values.
Answer: A
2. Mia likes to kick soccer balls. She has developed a mental structure for kicking that may
be applied to different situations. This mental structure for kicking would best be described as
a. egocentrism.
b. a scheme.
c. an intonation.
d. an expressive style.
Answer: B
3. Between early and later childhood, schemes tend to have more ______ properties.
a. functional
b. conceptual
c. object-based
d. abstract
Answer: D
4. Piaget used the term ____ to describe the process by which new experiences are easily
incorporated into existing schemes.
a. accommodation
b. scaffolding
c. assimilation
d. secondary
Answer: C
5. Nolan has a scheme for throwing baseballs that he can apply successfully to throwing
small rocks or other types of balls. This successful application would best be described as
a. assimilation.
b. animism.
c. accommodation.
d. egocentrism.
Answer: A
6. According to Piaget, when a scheme is modified based on some experience, ____ has
occurred.
a. assimilation
b. animism
c. accommodation
d. egocentrism
Answer: C
7. Sylvester has just learned how to pick up his cat named Chester, who likes to be picked up
and does not put up any struggle. Later, Sylvester tries to pick up another cat named Thai,
who scratches when held. The fact that Sylvester learns to leave Thai alone after he has been
scratched provides a good example of
a. animism.
b. habituation.
c. centration.
d. accommodation.
Answer: D
8. Salvador has a scheme for drawing with a crayon that had to be changed in order to learn
how to paint a picture with a brush. This adaptation is an example of
a. animism.
b. egocentrism.
c. assimilation.
d. accommodation.
Answer: D
9. Piaget saw equilibration as a balance between
a. primary and secondary circular reactions.
b. assimilation and accommodation.
c. thought and language.
d. social and cognitive skills.
Answer: B
10. In order to overcome a state of disequilibrium, a child must
a. engage in hypothetical deductive reasoning.
b. become more egocentric.
c. reorganize his or her schemes.
d. develop a strong orienting response.
Answer: C
11. When first attempting to learn English as a second language, Olga spends a great deal of
time converting similar English sounds into Russian equivalents. Later, she spends more time
generating new, non-Russian language ideas. Piaget would describe this change as involving
a. equilibration.
b. the one-to-one principle.
c. habituation.
d. implosion.
Answer: A
12. Dr. Eco has a strong belief that global warming is a theoretical myth. In recent years,
however, the increased rate of polar ice cap melt has forced him to alter his theory, and he is
now a strong advocate against greenhouse pollutants. A Piagetian would most likely describe
Dr. Eco’s theoretical conversion in terms of
a. the one-to-one principle.
b. overextension.
c. equilibration.
d. abstract thinking.
Answer: C
13. What is the correct sequence (from first to last) of Piaget’s stages of cognitive
development?
a. Preoperational, concrete operational, sensorimotor, formal operational
b. Sensorimotor, preoperational, formal operational, concrete operational
c. Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, formal operational
d. Preoperational, sensorimotor, formal operational, concrete operational
Answer: C
14. According to Piaget, which statement is true regarding stages of thinking?
a. Sensorimotor and preoperational thinking must be completed before the concrete
operational stage, but not before formal operational thinking.
b. Sensorimotor and preoperational thinking must be completed before the formal operational
stage, but not before concrete operational thinking.
c. Thinking alternates between stages throughout development.
d. All stages must be accomplished in the correct order.
Answer: D
15. Bob is a normally developing 18-month-old. According to Piaget, Bob is most likely in
the ____ period of cognitive development.
a. formal operational
b. sensorimotor
c. concrete operational
d. preoperational
Answer: B
16. Piaget argued that the first reactions by newborns were
a. indicators of an innate understanding of appearance as reality.
b. abstract.
c. indicators of an innate understanding of object permanence.
d. reflexive.
Answer: D
17. Piagetians believe that an average child would first demonstrate the onset of intentional
behavior when he or she is approximately
a. 18 hours old.
b. 8 weeks old.
c. 8 months old.
d. 18 months old.
Answer: C
18. Baby Lee has just discovered that banging on a big pot produces a loud sound. He then
decides to bang on a small pot to see what happens. A Piagetian would predict that such
active experimentation with the environment would be most likely to first emerge in a child
who is
a. 12 hours old.
b. 24 days old.
c. 12 months old.
d. 24 months old.
Answer: C
19. The phrase “out of sight, out of mind” best exemplifies the Piagetian concept of
a. tertiary circular reaction.
b. the one-to-one principle.
c. fast mapping.
d. object permanence.
Answer: D
20. Six-month-old Teddy is playing with his favorite toy, a stuffed bear. Suddenly a blanket
falls off the shelf and covers his bear. According to Piaget, Teddy would most likely
a. both reach for and search for the bear.
b. neither reach for nor search for the bear.
c. reach for but not search for the bear.
d. Search for but not reach for the bear.
Answer: B
21. Tonka is actively playing with his toy truck when his mom accidentally drops a towel she
is carrying directly on top of the vehicle. As soon as the vehicle is covered, Tonka turns his
head away and calmly begins playing with another toy. Tonka’s reaction best illustrates a lack
of
a. object permanence.
b. accommodation.
c. reversibility.
d. inner speech.
Answer: A
22. Adam waves “bye-bye” when he leaves the room and pretends to eat imaginary food. In
other words, Adam is
a. using symbols.
b. exhibiting a primary circular reaction.
c. exercising reflexes.
d. exhibiting a secondary circular reaction.
Answer: A
23. As a Piagetian, Avery would consider ____ the highest accomplishment of the
sensorimotor period of development.
a. exercising reflexes
b. egocentrism
c. using symbols
d. experimentation
Answer: C
24. According to Piaget, which normally developing child would most likely have just begun
to engage in preoperational thinking?
a. A 12-month-old
b. A 24-month-old
c. A 36-month-old
d. A 48-month-old
Answer: B
25. Piaget used the term ____ to describe the difficulty children often have in taking another
person’s perspective.
a. animism
b. scaffolding
c. a tertiary circular reaction
d. egocentrism
Answer: D
26. Preoperational thinker Blake has edged his way close to the top rim of the Grand Canyon.
His mother then asks him, “What do you think someone at the bottom of the canyon looking
up at top you would see?” Given the egocentric nature of his thought, Blake’s most likely
response would be
a. “the sky.”
b. “the same thing I see.”
c. “a bunch of little people looking down at me.”
d. “I have no idea.”
Answer: B
27. Piaget used the three-mountain problem to assess a child’s level of
a. object permanence.
b. scaffolding.
c. animism.
d. egocentrism.
Answer: D
28. Animism occurs when lifelike properties are attributed to
a. humans.
b. inanimate objects.
c. animals.
d. cartoon characters like Bugs Bunny or Homer Simpson.
Answer: C
29. When Andy bumps into a table, he says to it, “You bumped into me because you’re
mean.” Andy is exhibiting
a. the cardinality principle.
b. animism.
c. irreversibility.
d. egocentrism.
Answer: B
30. When asked to describe why storm clouds travel so slowly in the sky, Sirius gives several
interesting answers. Which of her answers provides the best example of animism?
a. “Since they have no legs, they have to crawl.”
b. “If they were going the other way, they would go faster.”
c. “Because the wind does not blow as high way up in the sky.”
d. “The dark parts of the cloud are heavier and slow it down.”
Answer: A
31. In the children’s television show Pee Wee’s Playhouse, the floor, globe, and chair could
talk, move, and had their own personalities. The fact that many young children view such
objects as being “alive” is consistent with the Piagetian concept of
a. intonation.
b. irreversibility.
c. observational learning.
d. animism.
Answer: D
32. The defining characteristic of centration is ____ thought.
a. abstract
b. narrowly focused
c. a lack of object permanent
d. overextension
Answer: B
33. Donny’s mother has just poured two glasses of orange juice, one for Donny and one for
his sister. After they are poured, Donny becomes very upset that he got less juice than his
sister. Their mother points out that while Donny’s glass is short, it is also wider, and thus both
children have the same amount. Donny continues to protest, arguing that his juice is shorter,
thus he has less juice. Piaget would explain Donny’s behavior as being the result of
a. animism.
b. centration.
c. intonation.
d. a primary circular reaction.
Answer: B
34. The conservation of liquid task directly assesses a child’s level of
a. intelligence.
b. habituation.
c. animism.
d. centration.
Answer: D
35. During a power outage, Blair does not want to finish eating her vanilla ice cream because,
as she put it, “When the lights went out, the ice cream turned black, and I don’t like black ice
cream!” Blair is in the ____ stage of development.
a. concrete operational
b. formal operational
c. sensorimotor
d. preoperational
Answer: D
36. Michael, who is a preoperational thinker, watches as a movie character appears to turn
from a nice teenager into a werewolf. What is Michael’s most likely reaction?
a. Laughter, since he realizes that it is all a fake
b. Nothing, since he would likely not notice the change
c. Terror, since he likely believes that the individual has actually become a werewolf
d. Confidence, since he now realizes that despite the apparent physical change, it is still the
same nice individual
Answer: C
37. Trevor is visiting his dad’s office on a take-your-son-to-work day. Just after they arrive,
Trevor’s dad’s boss bursts into the room and screams at the dad about a poorly written report
he submitted. All the time that he is being berated, Trevor’s dad keeps smiling. Once the boss
has left, Trevor turns to his dad and says, “You really must like it when your boss hollers at
you.” Trevor’s lack of understanding that one’s internal state may not match an external state
is best explained by the concept of
a. appearance as reality.
b. egocentrism.
c. expressive style.
d. autobiographical memory.
Answer: A
38. Which statement concerning Piaget’s theory is true?
a. Piaget’s theory has been the source of ideas for teachers and stimulated a great deal of
research.
b. Piaget’s theory was never useful for teachers but did stimulate a great deal of research.
c. Piaget’s theory has been the source of ideas for teachers but never stimulated research.
d. Piaget’s theory was never useful for teachers and never stimulated research.
Answer: A
39. Which is not a Piagetian-based implication for teaching?
a. Teachers should provide answers rather than letting students find them on their own.
b. The best teaching experiences are those slightly ahead of a child’s current level of thinking.
c. In order to promote learning, teachers should provide materials with which students can
make their own discoveries.
d. Letting students make mistakes is OK, as cognitive development tends to occur when
children become aware of errors in their own thinking.
Answer: A
40. One criticism of Piaget’s theory is that it
a. overestimates the cognitive abilities of both infants and adolescents.
b. underestimates the cognitive abilities of both infants and adolescents.
c. overestimates the cognitive abilities of infants and underestimates the abilities of
adolescents.
d. underestimates the cognitive abilities of infants and overestimates the abilities of
adolescents.
Answer: D
41. Which is a legitimate criticism of Piaget’s theory?
a. Too much emphasis on unconscious thoughts
b. Too much emphasis on children as “computing machines” (complete with software)
c. Not enough emphasis on sociocultural influences
d. Not enough emphasis on stages of development
Answer: C
42. Which child does Piaget’s theory have the most difficulty explaining?
a. Ivy, who has mastered the conservation and three-mountain tasks
b. Rose, who fails both the conservation and three-mountain tasks
c. Daisy, who has mastered the conservation task but fails the three-mountain task
d. Flora, who not only has mastered the conservation and three-mountain tasks but can
explain the intricacies of these tasks to others
Answer: C
43. The theory that human infants are born with a rudimentary knowledge of the world and
they use their experience to expand this knowledge underlies the ____ hypothesis.
a. egocentric
b. overgeneralization
c. tabula rasa
d. core knowledge
Answer: D
44. Which best exemplifies the core knowledge hypothesis?
a. The fact that 3-week-old Gene appears to innately understand that three objects are more
than two objects.
b. The fact that 10-year-old Paul has the math skills of a 30-year-old.
c. The fact that 5-month-old Ace loves to kiss his mother but not his father.
d. The fact that 6-year-old Peter’s early music abilities have not improved in spite of intensive
training.
Answer: A
45. Research with “possible” and “impossible” events has led to the conclusion that infants
a. are born with object permanence.
b. develop an understanding of object permanence at a younger age than was predicted by
Piaget.
c. develop an understanding of object permanence at the exact age that was predicted by
Piaget.
d. develop an understanding of object permanence at an older age than was predicted by
Piaget.
Answer: B
46. Four-week-old Dixie appears to understand that when you push a cup over the edge of a
table, the cup will fall to the ground. Such an understanding would provide support for the
concept of
a. naive physics.
b. animism.
c. the stable-order principle.
d. overregularization.
Answer: A
47. Houdini is a normally developing one-year-old watching a magic act. The magician he is
observing has just rolled a ball into what looks like a solid wall. However, when the ball
reached the wall, the ball appeared to roll through it. According to research findings by
Baillargeon, one would expect that Houdini’s most likely reaction would involve
a. disinterest and immediate looking away.
b. surprise, yet immediate looking away.
c. disinterest, yet the infant will stare at the spot the ball appeared to go through the wall.
d. surprise, and the infant will stare at the spot the ball appeared to go through the wall.
Answer: D
48. Seven-month-old LeBron appears to possess a sense of “naive physics.” Which of
LeBron’s actions would indicate that he does possess this sense?
a. His surprise when he sees a basketball go through a hoop
b. His surprise when he drops a ball and it falls to the floor
c. His surprise when he hears his dad cheering while watching a basketball game on
television
d. His surprise when a basketball appears to be hanging in mid air when it is not attached to a
string or other supporting device
Answer: D
49. How many of the following beliefs would be part of the “naive biology” of a typical
preschooler: understanding that things grow, understanding realizing that children often
resemble parents, understanding that some illness can be inherited, understanding that the
insides of animals are different that the insides of inanimate objects?
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
Answer: D
50. Most preschoolers believe that
a. both animate (e.g., a puppy) and inanimate (e.g., a stuffed cat) objects can only be repaired
by humans.
b. both animate (e.g., a puppy) and inanimate (e.g., a stuffed cat) objects can repair
themselves.
c. animate objects (e.g., a puppy) can heal themselves, but inanimate objects (e.g., a stuffed
cat) need to be repaired by humans.
d. inanimate objects (e.g., a stuffed cat) can repair themselves, but animate objects (e.g., a
puppy) need to be healed by humans.
Answer: C
51. The fundamental premise of teleological explanations is that living things
a. have unseen souls.
b. have free will.
c. are superior to inanimate things.
d. exist for a purpose.
Answer: D
52. When five-year-old Monarch says, “Butterflies exist to make the world more beautiful for
people to look at,” she is providing a great example of
a. the core knowledge hypothesis.
b. a teleological explanation.
c. an orienting response.
d. intersubjectivity.
Answer: B
53. The belief that all living things have an unseen essence that gives them identity is referred
to as
a. ordinality.
b. essentialism.
c. animism.
d. the cardinality principle.
Answer: B
54. Which statement best exemplifies the concept of essentialism?
a. “The purpose of popcorn is to make kids happy when they are at the movies.”
b. “If your parent says ‘no,’ then you should not do it.”
c. “A monkey raised by people will become a human.”
d. “Fish have a special ‘fishiness’ that allows them to breath underwater.”
Answer: D
55. As an information-processing theorist, Dr. Tonic is most likely to conceptualize human
cognitive development as a(n)
a. butterfly that evolves from one qualitative level of processing to the next.
b. computer that develops a larger “hard drive memory” and a “faster central processing
unit.”
c. iceberg in which little processing can be seen, but a great deal is occurring at the
unconscious level.
d. mechanical calculator, unaffected by biological factors.
Answer: B
56. An information-processing theorist would most likely conceptualize all built-in neural
structures that assist the operations of the mind as
a. mental hardware.
b. private speech.
c. mental software.
d. psychodynamic mechanisms.
Answer: A
57. By definition, attention determines
a. general intelligence.
b. the attainment of formal operational thought.
c. which sensory information receives additional cognitive processing.
d. the belief in animism.
Answer: C
58. Although the sound is unfamiliar, when six-month-old Cagney sees the flashing lights on
the police car, she keeps her eyes locked on the lights. She also begins to show a decrease in
heart rate. Which concept best explains Cagney’s reaction?
a. Operant conditioning
b. An orienting response
c. Habituation
d. The stable-order principle
Answer: B
59. Orienting responses tend to occur to _____ stimuli.
a. weak and familiar
b. weak and unfamiliar
c. strong and familiar
d. strong and unfamiliar
Answer: D
60. ____ could be defined as a diminished response to a familiar stimulus.
a. Orienting response
b. Centration
c. Habituation
d. Attention
Answer: C
61. Which is the best example of habituation?
a. Turning your head to listen to a passing jet
b. Tasting sushi for the first time and liking it
c. Focusing your eyes on one of those “3-D” art pictures until the 3-D image pops into view
d. Being bothered by the feel of a watch the first time it is on your wrist and then getting so
used to it that you forget it’s there
Answer: D
62. Pavlov’s research involving a dog, salivation, and a bell is correctly associated with ____
theory.
a. operant conditioning
b. information-processing
c. classical conditioning
d. Piagetian
Answer: C
63. Like most one-year-olds, Antoine sucks reflexively when a sucker is placed in his mouth.
For the past few days, Antoine’s mother has turned on the television as she gives Antoine his
daily sucker. Today, Antoine’s mother turns on the television but does not have a sucker to
give Antoine. Much to her surprise, Antoine begins to make a sucking motion despite having
no sucker. Which theory best explains Antoine’s behavior?
a. Operant conditioning
b. Information processing
c. Classical conditioning
d. Piagetian
Answer: C
64. ____ theory places the greatest emphasis on the relationship between consequences and
the probability of a behavior reoccurring in the future.
a. Operant conditioning
b. Information-processing
c. Classical conditioning
d. Piagetian
Answer: A
65. Meltzoff and Moore’s controversial finding that three-week-olds would stick out their
tongues to match an adult performing the same act has been used to support the notion of
early life
a. imitation.
b. centration.
c. orienting response.
d. habituation.
Answer: A
66. One-year-old Payton notices that when his dad, Archie, is watching football on television,
he shouts at the screen. The next time a football game come on, Payton shouts at the screen.
Payton’s behavior best exemplifies
a. a lack of object permanence.
b. operant conditioning.
c. habituation.
d. imitation.
Answer: D
67. Memory research suggests that
a. at three months, infants start to successfully remember events that occurred several days
before.
b. infants seldom forget past events over time.
c. “reminders” do not enhance infant memory.
d. at six months, infants start to successfully remember events that occurred several days
before.
Answer: A
68. While visiting a zoo, five-month-old Simba is frightened by a roaring lion and starts to
cry. By the time Simba is one year old, he appears to have forgotten this event and actually
enjoys movies with lions. Based on memory research, how might you get Simba to exhibit
the original fear response?
a. Show him a picture of a lion
b. Bring him back to the zoo
c. Have one of his brothers roar like a lion
d. There is nothing you can do to generate the pervious reaction
Answer: B
69. Improvements in infant memory that occur around six months after birth may be the
result of development in the ____ area of the brain.
a. hippocampus
b. frontal cortex
c. hypothalamus
d. occipital lobe
Answer: A
70. A memory for some significant life event is called a(n) ____ memory.
a. autobiographical
b. general knowledge
c. intonation
d. semantic
Answer: A
71. Which is the best example of a question designed to assess autobiographical memory?
a. What is the capital of Wisconsin?
b. Who taught you how to ride a bike?
c. Where is the queen initially located on a chessboard?
d. When was Abraham Lincoln elected president?
Answer: B
72. Theory on the emergence of autobiographical memory suggests that in order to improve
the autobiographical memory skills of his or her child, a parent would most likely
a. give the child multivitamins that include vitamin B.
b. begin to encourage the child to talk about what happened at school each day.
c. emphasize the importance of the one-to-one principle.
d. teach children how to solve conservation tasks.
Answer: B
73. Why do children in Asian countries like China or Japan tend to recall less from their early
years than children from North American countries?
a. They are actively encouraged to not dwell on their pasts.
b. They are not given the same amount of opportunities to talk with parents about past events.
c. They have slightly different brains that are less effective at autobiographical memory but
superior in procedural memory.
d. They have a less “rich” childhood since they come from such poor countries.
Answer: B
74. What can be done to improve the credibility of the testimony of a child?
a. Question the child many times to make sure the child is convinced of the events
b. Convince the child that the people asking her questions are important people who are only
trying to help her remember what happened
c. Use questions that test a number of different explanations concerning the event
d. There is no need to improve credibility, since the memories of children are actually less
fragile than the memories of adults
Answer: C
75. Research shows that infants as young as ____ can differentiate two objects from three
objects.
a. 1 month old
b. 5 months old
c. 1 year old
d. 2 years old
Answer: B
76. Eleven-month-old Oreo loves cookies. One day he sees his mother putting cookies into
cups for a party. As he is watching, his mom puts one cookie into the first two cups, two
cookies into the next two cups, and three cookies into the last two cups. If Oreo is a normally
developing 10-month-old who likes cookies, he would most likely reach for
a. a cup located nearest his left hand.
b. the first cup in which he saw a cookie being placed.
c. a cup with three cookies.
d. the darkest-colored cup.
Answer: C
77. The ____ principle of counting states that there must be only one number name for each
item counted.
a. one-to-one
b. stable-order
c. habituation
d. cardinality
Answer: A
78. The following three-year-olds are asked to count the number of fingers they have on their
left hand. Assuming that they each have five fingers, who best illustrates the one-to-one
principle?
a. Chandler, who says, “1, 4, 2!”
b. Monica, who says, “5, 3, 1, blastoff!”
c. Phoebe, who says, “One hand has five fingers.”
d. Ross, who says, “1, 2, C, D, F.”
Answer: D
79. The ____ principle of counting states that number names must be counted in the same
sequence.
a. one-to-one
b. stable-order
c. habituation
d. cardinality
Answer: B
80. While counting four objects, Yoshiko says “1, 2, 4, 8” one time and “2, 1, 4, 8” the next
time. This demonstrates that Yoshiko has failed to master the ____ principle of counting.
a. stable-order
b. cardinality
c. one-to-one
d. habituation
Answer: A
81. According to the ____ principle of counting, the last number in a counting sequence
differs from previous numbers and denotes the total number of objects being counted.
a. stable-order
b. cardinality
c. one-to-one
d. habituation
Answer: B
82. Tucker is asked to count the toes on his left foot and report the total. Tucker says, “1, 4, 5,
2, 3. There are three!” Tucker is demonstrating the ____ principle of counting.
a. one-to-one
b. stable-order
c. organization
d. cardinality
Answer: D
83. When asked to count the four soda bottles placed in from of him, three-year-old Eli says,
“1, 3, 4, there are 4!” When asked to count the bottles a second time, he says, “2, 5, 7, 4, there
are 4!” Eli’s counting skills demonstrate that he is capable of demonstrating the _____
principle of counting.
a. one-to-one
b. cardinality
c. organization
d. stable-order
Answer: B
84. Which number illustrates the fact that in English, numbers do not all follow a regular
naming pattern, thus making learning to count more difficult in English than in some other
number systems?
a. 1
b. 11
c. 21
d. 31
Answer: B
85. Yuki has recently emigrated from China to the United States. Because she was taught the
traditional method of counting in her culture, when she is shown 31 items and asked how
many there are, she would likely respond,
a. “3 plus 1.”
b. “30 plus 1.”
c. “3-10-1.”
d. “10-10-3.”
Answer: C
86. How did Piaget and Vygotsky view the “journey” of cognitive development?
a. Both saw children as making the journey alone.
b. Piaget saw the journey as involving an apprenticeship driven by collaboration with others,
while Vygotsky saw children as making the journey alone.
c. Vygotsky saw the journey as involving an apprenticeship driven by collaboration with
others, while Piaget saw children as making the journey alone.
d. Both saw the journey as involving an apprenticeship driven by collaboration with others.
Answer: C
87. The mutual shared understanding among participants in an activity is referred to as
a. intersubjectivity.
b. essentialism.
c. fast-mapping.
d. accommodation.
Answer: A
88. Which best exemplifies intersubjectivity?
a. The fact that identical twins sometimes appear to know what the other twin is thinking
b. The fact that most students who are good at math are also good at English
c. The fact that all members of the soccer team know that the main point is to kick a ball into
a goal
d. The fact that culture influences thought and thought influences culture
Answer: C
89. According to the principle of guided participation, cognitive growth results from
a. biological maturation.
b. interactions with a more skilled individual.
c. independent learning.
d. application of operant conditioning principles.
Answer: B
90. How would a parent utilize guided participation to improve the math skills of her child?
a. Encourage him or her to play a math-based computer game
b. Buy him or her a study guide on math
c. Encourage him or her to find and solve math problems in everyday life (e.g., the number of
eggs in a carton)
d. Have him or her play a series of math games with a more math-skilled sibling
Answer: D
91. Francesca does a pretty good job of completing spelling problems but does much better if
she is given direction by her teacher. The difference between what Francesca can do alone
and with assistance is best defined in terms of her
a. orienting response.
b. animism.
c. one-to-one principle.
d. zone of proximal development.
Answer: D
92. Dr. Gunga is attempting to determine the zone of proximal development for Dinn when
Dinn works on complex mazes. In order to do so, Dr. Gunga must measure Dinn’s personal
performance on the maze and
a. Dinn’s performance on several other Piagetian tasks.
b. Dinn’s maze performance when assisted by a skilled helper.
c. Dinn’s peers’ performance on the same maze.
d. how well Dinn performed on the same maze earlier in his life.
Answer: B
93. If you believed in the concept of the zone of proximal development, what advice should
you give to a child who is attempting to learn how to throw a ball?
a. Tell the child to do it by him- or herself
b. Tell the child to ask a friend who knows how to throw well to help him or her out
c. Tell the child how easy the task is (even if it is hard)
d. You would say nothing, as advice will simply confuse the child
Answer: B
94. Scaffolding involves a teaching style in which assistance is always
a. from peers.
b. nonverbal.
c. done in informal settings.
d. based on the level of the learner’s needs.
Answer: D
95. Federer is trying to implement a scaffolding style into his teaching of tennis to Venus,
who is having difficulty, and to Serena, who is doing very well. To do this, Federer must
a. be sure to praise both students for their effort, not for their successes.
b. discourage private speech in both students.
c. give Venus more assistance and give Serena less assistance.
d. promote cooperation rather than competition between the two students.
Answer: C
96. Jesse is trying to teach his younger brother James how to be a “fast gun.” Before they
start, Jesse reminds himself that James will need a lot of direction at first, but it is critical to
not give more help than is needed. Jesse’s plan provides an excellent example of the strategy
of
a. scaffolding.
b. overextension.
c. orienting response.
d. the one-to-one principle.
Answer: A
97. According to Vygotsky, private speech is aimed at
a. self-esteem.
b. self-efficacy.
c. self-doubt.
d. self-regulation.
Answer: D
98. While attempting to correctly answer this question, you notice that you are mentally
commenting to yourself about its level of difficulty. Vygotsky would refer to these internal
mental remarks as
a. private speech.
b. scaffolding.
c. an orienting response.
d. overextension.
Answer: A
99. According to Vygotsky, ____ speech is another term for thought.
a. private
b. inner
c. telegraphic
d. tertiary
Answer: B
100. Which child is most likely using private speech during a piano lesson?
a. Wolfgang, who is practicing a very easy song
b. Sebastian, who is not making any mistakes
c. Johann, who is playing a new, difficult song for the first time
d. Giuseppe, who is already a concert pianist
Answer: C
101. The unique sounds that are combined to create spoken words are called
a. morphemes.
b. extensions.
c. phonemes.
d. grammatics.
Answer: C
102. How many phonemes are in the word “test?”
a. 1
b. 2
c. 3
d. 4
Answer: D
103. Which is the best example of a phoneme?
a. The consonant sound “d”
b. The overall sound of the word “dog”
c. The words “the dog ran”
d. The sentence, “The dog ran out of the rain”
Answer: A
104. In what way are newborns more linguistically sophisticated than the average adult?
a. They can auditorily distinguish between more phonemes.
b. They can produce more phonemes.
c. They do not habituate to new phonemes.
d. Newborns have no linguistic advantages over adults.
Answer: A
105. Which is a key cue used by infants when attempting to identify whether a sound
represents a word?
a. They focus on sounds that repeat (e.g., gaga).
b. They focus on sounds that are stressed during speech.
c. They focus on the sound with the least number of phonemes.
d. They focus on the sounds made by other infants.
Answer: B
106. Barry walks up to his nine-month-old son and says (very slowly and with major
fluctuations in his voice’s pitch and loudness), “Ohhhhhhhhh, are you Daddy’s little
baaaaaaaby?” Barry is illustrating
a. scaffolding.
b. telegraphic speech.
c. overextension.
d. infant-directed speech.
Answer: D
107. Motherese is also known as ____ speech.
a. private
b. inner
c. telegraphic
d. infant-directed
Answer: D
108. When dealing with young infants, why is infant-directed speech preferred over normal
adult speech?
a. Infants have an easier time producing infant-directed speech.
b. Infants pay more attention to infant-directed speech.
c. Infants prefer the rapid pace of infant-directed speech.
d. Infants like infant-directed speech because it lacks the confusing changes of pitch found in
normal adult speech.
Answer: B
109. Which speech sound is always a single vowel-like sound?
a. Phoneme
b. Babble
c. Coo
d. Morpheme
Answer: C
110. When three-month-old Rosita says “ahhhhhhhh,” she is
a. producing telegraphic speech.
b. cooing.
c. babbling.
d. producing infant-directed speech.
Answer: B
111. Which best describes a linguistic babble?
a. Contains neither a vowel nor a consonant sound
b. Contains only a vowel sound
c. Contains only a consonant sound
d. Contains both a vowel and a consonant sound
Answer: D
112. When six-month-old Gabby says “tatatata,” she is
a. cooing.
b. using telegraphic speech.
c. babbling.
d. engaging in private speech.
Answer: C
113. Linguistic intonation is best described as a variation in sound
a. pitch.
b. meaning.
c. length.
d. comprehension.
Answer: A
114. Infant Timmy has been babbling for several months. What is his next likely linguistic
milestone?
a. Cooing
b. Telegraphic speech
c. First word
d. Intonation
Answer: C
115. Thirteen-month-old Hermes has begun to raise the pitch of his voice at the end of a
babble. If Hermes is being raised by English-speaking parents, his behavior may reflect the
precursor of his ability to
a. ask a question.
b. produce infant-directed speech.
c. make a declarative statement.
d. coo.
Answer: A
116. Which is most likely to be the first word that a one-year-old will utter?
a. “Hot”
b. “Papa”
c. “Rattle”
d. “Two”
Answer: B
117. As a typical two-year-old, Webster would have a vocabulary of
a. about 10 words.
b. a few hundred words.
c. about 1,000 words.
d. several thousand words.
Answer: B
118. The processes in which children acquire new words at such a speed that they cannot be
considering all meanings for the new word is called
a. telegraphic speech.
b. quick time.
c. habituation
d. fast-mapping.
Answer: D
119. Two-year-old Ariel’s parents recently bought her an aquarium and have begun to point at
the moving animals and call them “fish.” Despite having only heard the word “fish” a few
times, Ariel appears to realize that the term refers to those little moving things in the tank.
Ariel’s behavior is best explained by
a. infant-directed speech.
b. the one-to-one principle.
c. fast-mapping.
d. the cardinality principle.
Answer: C
120. Macintosh is trying to get his grandson to learn the word “apple.” His attempt involves
looking at an apple on a tree, making sure that his grandson is also looking, and then saying
“apple.” Macintosh’s effort to teach his grandson is clearly based on
a. motherese.
b. the innate orienting response.
c. fast-mapping.
d. joint attention.
Answer: D
121. When two-year-old Paco is visiting his grandpa’s farm, he sees his first chicken. His
grandpa points to the funny red growth on the chicken’s head and says, “It is called a comb.”
What will Paco’s most likely reaction be the next time he sees a chicken?
a. He will refer to all barnyard birds as “chickens.”
b. He will refer to the bird as a “comb.”
c. He will refer to the bird as a “chicken.”
d. He will refer to the crest on the bird’s head as a “comb.”
Answer: B
122. Three-year-old Hamid knows what the words “cat” and “dog” mean. One day his
babysitter comes in with a box of kittens and a hamster and says, “Isn’t he furry?” Since
Hamid does not know the words “hamster” and “furry,” he will most likely
a. classify the hamster as a “cat.”
b. classify the hamster as a “dog.”
c. classify the hamster as a “furry.”
d. be unable to come up with a label for the hamster.
Answer: C
123. Five-year-old Brian hears the sentence, “Brian, quit clowning around.” He knows all the
other words, but he has never heard the word “clowning” before. The fact that he understands
that the word “clowning” must be referring to what he is currently doing is best explained as
involving _____ cues.
a. sentence
b. pictorial
c. kinetic
d. parallax
Answer: A
124. Which is the best example of underextension?
a. Referring to a train as a “choo-choo”
b. Referring to all vehicles having four wheels as “trucks”
c. Using a single-word utterance (“car”) rather than telegraphic speech (“let’s ride in the car”)
d. Referring to the family cat as a “kitty” but not using the same name for any other animal
(including other cats)
Answer: D
125. While visiting her grandma, Winona becomes somewhat restless. In an attempt to
comfort Winona, her grandmother says, “Why don’t you play with the doll in my bedroom?”
Winona goes to get the doll but returns crying and says, “That’s not doll. Doll has red hair
and sleeps in my room.” Winona’s behavior is best explained by
a. the cardinality principle.
b. the primary circular reaction effect.
c. telegraphic speech.
d. underextension.
Answer: D
126. When a word is used too broadly, ____ is taking place.
a. scaffolding
b. babbling
c. equilibration
d. overextension
Answer: D
127. Ed knows what a horse is but has never seen nor heard of a camel. When Ed sees his
first camel, he says “horsey.” Ed’s reaction is best explained by the process of
a. overextension.
b. babbling.
c. underextension.
d. infant-directed speech.
Answer: A
128. What would be the most effective way to assess phonological memory in a two-yearold?
a. Say the name of a neighbor and ask her to name another neighbor.
b. Ask her to spell the word “dog.”
c. Say the word “kitty” and have her immediately repeat the word.
d. Ask her the name of her favorite toy.
Answer: C
129. Eighteen-month old Quentin’s large vocabulary appears to be due to his ability to recall
and repeat any word that he just heard. This indicates that Quentin has an excellent ____
memory.
a. autobiographical
b. phonological
c. episodic
d. procedural
Answer: B
130. The best predictor of a large vocabulary in a young child is
a. exposure to a high-quality language environment.
b. parental IQ level.
c. the quality of a child’s motor skills.
d. preschool attendance.
Answer: A
131. A child whose vocabulary is dominated by names of objects, actions, or persons is said
to have a(n) ____ style.
a. nonsymbolic
b. expressive
c. referential
d. overextended
Answer: C
132. Two-year-old Sam’s limited vocabulary consists of words like “book,” “dog,” and “hat.”
Apparently, Sam
a. has a referential style.
b. is nonsymbolic.
c. has an expressive style.
d. is unable to use phonemes
Answer: A
133. Jeanne has just learned to talk and often says things like “I want it” or “Come here” or
“Where did he go?” Jeanne is exhibiting
a. infant-directed speech.
b. an expressive style.
c. a referential style.
d. babbling.
Answer: B
134. Which statement by a young child would indicate that she is using an expressive style?
a. “Two plus two equals four.”
b. “That animal is called a horse.”
c. “Let’s play.”
d. “Baba dada.”
Answer: C
135. Preschoolers who watch the television show Sesame Street have been shown to ____ in
kindergarten than children who have not watched the show.
a. be less social
b. be more violent
c. have larger vocabularies
d. have less inner speech
Answer: C
136. Which statement by a 17-month-old best represents telegraphic speech?
a. “Go.”
b. “Go store.”
c. “I go to the store.”
d. “Can we go to the store?”
Answer: B
137. Rather than saying the kitten fell in the bathtub, young Morris says, “Kitty wet,” which
leaves Morris’s mother to wonder about the nature of the liquid on or coming out of the cat.
This linguistic limitation is known as
a. overextension.
b. fast-mapping.
c. telegraphic speech.
d. referential style.
Answer: C
138. A grammatical morpheme is a word or word ending that makes a sentence
grammatically
a. correct.
b. overextended.
c. underextended.
d. overregularized.
Answer: A
139. Which is an example of a grammatical morpheme?
a. “Fish”
b. “-ing”
c. “Fishing”
d. “Fisherman”
Answer: B
140. Applying rules to a word that is actually an exception to the rule constitutes
a. fast-mapping.
b. telegraphic speech.
c. overregularization.
d. cardinality.
Answer: C
141. Which is the best example of overregularization?
a. Saying “horse” instead of “hose”
b. Saying “houses” instead of “homes”
c. Saying “flunked” instead of “failed”
d. Saying “runned” instead of “ran”
Answer: D
142. When discussing the acquisition of grammar, which type of theorist would be most
likely to say, “Context and genetics are overrated, what really matters is imitation and
reinforcement?”
a. A social-interaction theorist
b. A behaviorist
c. A cognitive theorist
d. A linguistic approach theorist
Answer: B
143. Which evidence provides the strongest support for the “linguistic approach” to grammar
acquisition?
a. The fact that nonhuman animals can be easily taught to use language
b. The fact that there is no real “critical period” for language acquisition
c. The fact that the left hemisphere of the brain appears to be critical to linguistic
development
d. The fact that bilingual children struggle with grammar
Answer: C
144. Which person’s advice is most consistent with the three key elements of effective oral
communication?
a. Fred, who says, “People should talk as much as possible, so the other person feels no
pressure to talk.”
b. Barney, who says, “Be sure to tell the speaker if her remarks don’t make sense.”
c. Wilma, who says, “Your primary concern is making sure what you are saying makes sense
to yourself.”
d. Betty, who says, “A good time to be thinking about what you are going to say next is when
the other person is talking.”
Answer: B
145. Which best describes proper linguistic turn-taking behavior?
a. Attempt to alternate as speaker and listener.
b. Only speak when spoken to.
c. The more you know, the longer it is proper to speak.
d. Try to nod approvingly when another person is taking a turn speaking.
Answer: A
TRUE/FALSE
1. During accommodation, a new experience is incorporated into an existing scheme without
modification.
Answer: False
2. The sensorimotor period of thinking lasts from about age two to age six years old.
Answer: False
3. Object permanence involves understanding that something exists even when it is out of our
sensory awareness.
Answer: True
4. The inability to see the world from any perspective but your own is called egocentrism.
Answer: True
5. Preoperational children often think in a manner consistent with the idea that appearance is
reality.
Answer: True
6. Piaget is often criticized for overestimating the impact of sociocultural factors on cognitive
development.
Answer: False
7. The core knowledge hypothesis is very compatible with notions of naive physics and naive
biology.
Answer: True
8. A commitment to a teleological explanation means believing that all living things exist for
a purpose.
Answer: True
9. Orienting responses are often triggered by either unfamiliar or strong stimuli.
Answer: True
10. The salivation response elicited by Pavlov’s dogs is best explained by the principles of
operant conditioning.
Answer: False
11. Research shows that as early as two months of age, infants can recall past events.
Answer: True
12. The quality of an autobiographical memory can be influenced by culture.
Answer: True
13. A good way to improve the eyewitness testimony of children is to warn them that an
interviewer may sometimes try to trick them.
Answer: True
14. A child using the one-to-one principle to count would always begin counting starting with
the number one.
Answer: False
15. An individual using guided participation would pair up a less skilled student with a more
skilled student on some structured activity.
Answer: True
16. Private speech is a form of verbal communication a child uses when talking to his or her
best friend.
Answer: False
17. The unique sounds that can be joined to create words are called phonemes.
Answer: True
18. Newborns appear to have the ability to hear the entire range of phonemes for every
language on Earth.
Answer: True
19. Coo sounds are composed of a single consonant sound.
Answer: False
20. During underextension, a word is used too broadly.
Answer: False
21. Phonological memory is defined as the ability to recall a visual image after the passage of
time.
Answer: False
22. An expressive style vocabulary consists of many names for people, objects, and actions.
Answer: False
23. In English, “-ing” and “-ed” represent grammatical morphemes.
Answer: True
24. According to the linguist perspective, children are born with some mechanism that
simplifies the acquisition of grammar.
Answer: True
25. Effective oral communication involves taking turns and paying attention to other
speakers.
Answer: True
COMPLETION
1. Piaget referred to the psychological structures that organize experience as _____.
Answer: schemes
2. According to Piaget, when a new experience is readily incorporated into an existing
scheme, _____ is occurring.
Answer: assimilation
3. The belief that an inanimate object has lifelike properties is called _____.
Answer: animism
4. The core _____ hypothesis suggests that infants are born with a rudimentary understanding
of the world.
Answer: knowledge
5. The belief that all living organisms have an unseen essence that gives them an identity is
called _____.
Answer: essentialism
6. Information-processing theorists use the term “mental _____” when referring to the neural
structures built into the mind.
Answer: hardware
7. When presented with a strong or unfamiliar stimulus, humans will automatically attend to
the stimulus. This reaction is referred to as a(n) _____ response.
Answer: orienting
8. A diminishing response to a familiar stimulus is called _____.
Answer: habituation
9. _____ conditioning occurs when a neutral stimulus comes to elicit a response originally
produced by a different stimulus.
Answer: Classical
10. A memory for an event in your own life is called a(n) _____ memory.
Answer: autobiographical
11. According to the _____ principle, number names need to be counted in the same order.
Answer: stable-order
12. Vygotsky referred to the difference between what a child can do on his or her own and
with assistance using the phrase “zone of _____ development.”
Answer: proximal
13. A teacher gauging the amount of assistance needed to match a learner’s needs is using a
technique called _____.
Answer: scaffolding
14. A(n) _____ is an early infant vowel-like sound.
Answer: coo
15. When a child applies rules to words that are exceptions, the error is referred to as a(n)
_____.
Answer: overregularization
ESSAY
11. Provide an example of how egocentrism, animism, centration, and appearance as reality
might affect the actions or thoughts of a child.
Answer: An egocentric child would see the world only through his eyes. Thus, if Child-A
likes the color blue and asks Child-B what that child’s favorite color is, Child-A would expect
the answer from Child-B to be blue. Animism is the belief that inanimate objects have the
characteristics of living organisms. Thus, a child might be concerned that a car sitting in the
sun might get a sunburn. Centration involves a narrow focus of thought. For example, a child
may be upset that she did not get enough ice cream if it is served in a very big bowl rather
than a smaller bowl (i.e., the more empty space in the bowl, the less ice cream in the bowl).
The idea of appearance as reality is based on the idea that what you see is what you get. For
example, if you show a child a glass of water and put a drop of red food coloring in it, he will
easily believe that the glass now contained cherry juice.
12. Bonds is trying to teach his son Barry to hit a baseball (a task that Barry has never before
attempted). How might the concept of a zone of proximal development come into play in this
situation, and what technique might Bonds use to improve his son’s performance?
Answer: The zone of proximal development is an estimate of the difference between what
Barry can do alone and what Barry can do with assistance. Thus, the first step in the process
would be to let Barry hit and see how well he does. If he is excellent, then no intervention is
necessary. If he needs assistance, Bonds might try guided participation in which he would
pair his son with a more skilled hitter in a batting task.
Test Bank for Human Development : A Life-Span View
Robert V Kail, John C Cavanaugh
9781111834111, 9781337554831
