Gordon Biddle, Early Childhood Education Instructor Resource
Chapter 4: Learning Theories
Test Bank
1. ____________ is the process of change and movement in all domains of a child’s existence.
2. ____________ are passed on to us by our parents, and they impact every aspect of human
development.
3. A systematic statement comprised of principles, generalizations, and assumptions that helps to
frame our understanding, interpretation, and explanation of learning and development is called a
4. Children’s motivation to understand the inner workings of the world around them is the very
essence of the ____________ view of learning.
5. Who emphasized the importance of providing learning experiences for students that were
interactive and thoroughly engaging?
6. Who studied how one’s interactions in the environment influence development?
7. Any consequence that follows a behavior and increases the likelihood of the behavior being
repeated is referred to as
8. According to _________, there are eight stages of psychosocial development, which begin at
birth and end in the twilight years of the adult’s life.
9. Children’s inability to consider other perspectives is defined as
10. The young child’s ability to internalize visual experiences and maintain mental imagery of
things not present is
11. The fact that something remains the same regardless of changes in its form or appearance is
called
12. The ability to understand that reversing an action or process restores it to its original state is
called
13. Children between the ages of 2 and 6 are said to possess what Piaget referred to as
______________ intelligence.
14. The ability to imitate the behavior of others who are not present is called
15. The process of acting out common, everyday experiences and imaginary activities is called
16. The changing level of support during a teaching-learning situation is called
17. The theorist who was aware of the importance of caring adults in the lives of young children
when he developed his theory was
18. Which of the following systems is the innermost level and comprises the child’s immediate
environment?
19. Which of the following systems consists of events that might influence the child’s
development but only indirectly?
20. Which of the following systems represents culture and subcultures in which the child lives,
including the ideals, values, and traditions?
21. Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs was prompted by his work with primates.
22. Each child’s unique interactions with the world precipitate his or her thoughts and reactions.
23. During the autonomy versus guilt period, children learn to trust their primary caregivers to
address their basic needs.
24. The changing level of support during a teaching-learning situation is called scaffolding.
25. There are no age differences in the way children reason and think about their worlds.
26. Genes determine a person’s physical traits and also have an effect on an individual’s growth
and development.
27. Piaget firmly believed that children construct their knowledge of the world by using what
they already know to interpret novel experiences and events.
28. Genes have the final say in what each individual will ultimately become.
29. Developmentalists use the term metacognition to describe when individuals engage in
thinking about thinking.
30. Our ability to learn does not begin until the ages of 5 or 6 years of age.
31. Preschool-age children are not egocentric with regard to their thinking ability.
32. Differentiate between the sociocultural perspective of Vygotsky and that of Piaget.
33. Jean Piaget’s preoccupation with how children acquire knowledge led him to distinguish
between three types of knowledge. List and describe these three types of knowledge.
34. Compare and contrast the differences between classical conditioning and operant
conditioning.
35. Diagram and explain Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs.
36. Discuss collaborative learning and why it helps young children learn.
37. List and describe each of Erikson’s four stages of psychosocial development.
38. Briefly explain object permanence.
39. Vygotsky devised the term zone of proximal development to further explain the
internalization process. What is this?
40. Differentiate between assimilation and accommodation.
41. Define goal-directed behavior and explain what the child would be doing.