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Chapter 6
Quick Quiz
1. Piaget’s theory of cognitive development is a stage theory, which means that Piaget views development as
a. continuous. c. passive.
b. discontinuous. d. quantitative.
2. During the sensorimotor period of development, children’s thinking progresses from simple reflex actions to
a. symbolic processing. c. mental operations.
b. narrowly focused thought known as centration. d. abstract, hypothetical thinking.
3. All of the following are educational applications of Piaget’s theory EXCEPT
a. teachers should facilitate, rather than direct children’s learning.
b. teachers should be sensitive to children’s readiness to learn.
c. teachers should use worksheets, drill and practice, and rote memorization to encourage thinking.
d. teachers should emphasize exploration and interaction.
4. Lake is two years old and Hayley is 13 years old. According to his critics, Piaget is likely to
a. underestimate Lake’s cognitive abilities because he is a boy and overestimate Hayley’s cognitive abilities
because she is a girl.
b. underestimate Lake’s cognitive abilities because he is a young child and overestimate Hayley’s cognitive
abilities because she is an adolescent.
c. overestimate Lake’s cognitive abilities because he is a boy and underestimate Hayley’s cognitive abilities
because she is a girl.
d. overestimate Lake’s cognitive abilities because he is a young child and underestimate Hayley’s cognitive
abilities because she is an adolescent.
5. According to Vygotsky, interactions in which cognitive growth results from children’s involvement in
structured activities with others who have more skill than they do are called
a. intersubjectivity. c. private speech.
b. the zone of proximal development. d. guided participation.
6. Who is most likely to have a working memory with the most capacity?
a. Alan who is one year old c. Jonah who is 10 years old
b. Carlie who is five years old d. Corina who is 18 years old
7. Executive functioning is defined by all of the following EXCEPT
a. automatic processing. c. planning.
b. inhibitory processes. d. cognitive flexibility.
8. Children typically have determined that animate objects are self-propelled, can move in irregular paths, and act
to achieve goals by about
a. six to eight months of age. c. two to three years of age.
b. 12 to 15 months of age. d. four to five years of age.
9. Informal beliefs about other people and their behavior are part of children’s theory of
a. naïve biology. c. naïve psychology.
b. naïve physics. d. mind.
10. A naïve understanding of the relations between mind and behavior is known as a theory of
a. naïve biology. c. naïve psychology.
b. naïve physics. d. mind.
Chapter 6 Quick Quiz Answers
1. Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
2. Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
3. Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
4. Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
5. Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6. Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
7. Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
8. Chapter Module: Understanding in Core Domains
9. Chapter Module: Understanding in Core Domains
10. Chapter Module: Understanding in Core Domains
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Chapter 6
Theories of Cognitive Development
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
6.1 Piaget was trained as a
a. psychologist. c. biologist.
b. medical doctor. d. neurologist.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.2 Piaget’s primary approach to investigating the origins of knowledge involved
a. debate. c. experiments with children.
b. introspection. d. discussion with other scientists.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.3 According to Piaget
a. children will not be curious unless parents provide a stimulating environment.
b. children create theories about how the world works.
c. children are capable of abstract thought from the time they are born.
d. children’s thinking is very similar to adult’s thinking.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.4 Piaget thought children were like
a. little scientists. c. blank slates.
b. miniature adults. d. computers.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.5 Six-month-old Nydia has been exclusively breastfed since birth. Thus, she has never drunk from a bottle.
The first time Nydia is offered the bottle, she tries to suck on it the same way she is used to sucking.
However, her old sucking behavior is not successful with the bottle. She has to adapt her sucking in order
to get sufficient milk from the bottle. Nydia’s new understanding of how to suck on the bottle is an
indication that she has engaged in which of the following Piagetian processes?
a. accommodation c. schemes
b. assimilation d. conservation
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.6 According to Piaget, more advanced mental structures would not develop without
a. reinforcement. c. imitation.
b. short-term storage space. d. disequilibrium.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.7 Who is experiencing disequilibrium?
a. Becky, who is doing much more accommodating than assimilating
b. Sandy, who is doing more assimilating than accommodating
c. Jane, who is doing equal amounts of assimilating and accommodating
d. Carla, who is not doing any assimilating or accommodating
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.8 Which of the following is the correct order of Piaget’s stages?
a. sensorimotor, concrete operational, preoperational, and formal operational
b. sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, and formal operational
c. sensorimotor, preoperational, formal operational, and concrete operational
d. the order varies from individual to individual
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.9 Each new stage of cognitive development
a. is fundamentally the same as the previous stage.
b. is marked by a distinctive way of thinking about and understanding the world.
c. occurs every two years during childhood.
d. can be skipped by children who are smarter than their peers.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.10 According to Piaget, preschoolers are in the __________ period of cognitive development.
a. preoperational c. sensorimotor
b. concrete operational d. formal operational
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.11 According to Piaget, a seven- to 11-year-old child is in the __________ period.
a. preoperational c. formal operational
b. conservational d. concrete operational
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.12 Which of the following would violate the principles of Piaget’s theory?
a. if identical twins reached the preoperational stage at different times
b. if more intelligent children went through the stages faster than less intelligent children
c. if a gifted child skipped the concrete operational stage and went directly to the formal operational stage
d. if a child went through a revolutionary change of thought at two years of age
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.13 Moses knows that even though he cannot see his favorite blanket, it still exists. Moses understands the
concept of
a. assimilation. c. object permanence.
b. accommodation. d. equilibrium.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.14 According to Piaget, infants do not have a full understanding of object permanence until
a. six month of age. c. 12 months of age.
b. six months of age. d. 18 months of age.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.15 According to Piaget, most infants begin to use symbols at about
a. birth to one month. c. eight months.
b. four months. d. 18 months.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.16 Which of the following abilities marks the end of the sensorimotor period?
a. the ability to use mental symbols c. talking
b. walking d. the decline of egocentrism
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.17 When infants begin using __________, they are then able to mentally anticipate consequences, rather than
having to perform them.
a. object permanence c. means to achieve ends
b. reflexes d. symbols
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.18 Which infant is using mental symbols?
a. Eric, who is kicking his leg over and over
b. Dan, who is squeezing different toys to see if they squeak
c. Roger, who is climbing up on a chair to reach a toy on a shelf
d. Peter, who is saying “Vrrrrroooommm!” and moving his hand like a car
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.19 If an infant watches while a toy that has been hidden in one location is then hidden in a new location, most
eight- to 10-month-olds
a. cannot find the toy.
b. cannot decide whether to look for the toy in the old or the new location.
c. look for the toy in the old location, indicating that they do not understand that objects exist
independently.
d. look for the toy in the new location, indicating that they understand that objects exist independently.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.20 Piaget’s __________ stage is characterized by the child’s use of symbols to represent objects and events.
a. formal operational c. concrete operational
b. sensorimotor d. preoperational
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.21 The inability of the young child to grasp the fact that his or her view of the world, both literally and
figuratively, may be but one of many is known as
a. animism. c. egocentrism.
b. conservation. d. intellectual realism.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.22 When preoperational children are asked to identify different perspectives of model mountains on a table,
which of the following characteristics of preoperational thought do they demonstrate?
a. egocentrism c. centration
b. animism d. intellectual realism
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
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6.23 __________ would best explain why Joey thinks that when he sees Winnie the Pooh on TV and shows him
a picture that Winnie the Pooh can see the picture just like he can.
a. Centration c. Appearance as reality
b. Animism d. Egocentrism
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.24 Jacob and his mother are driving home from school. Jacob, who is sitting in the back seat behind his
mother, is telling a story about his foot getting hurt. Of course, his mother, who is driving, cannot see his
foot, but Jacob keeps pointing to his foot, saying, “Mommy, see where I have my boo–boo?” Jacob is
suffering from
a. conservation. c. centration.
b. a lack of object permanence. d. egocentrism.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.25 “The swings are sad today because I couldn’t play on them because it is raining.” This statement is an
example of what Piagetian concept that is typical of preoperational children?
a. animism c. mental operations
b. centration d. accommodation
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.26 __________ is like tunnel vision.
a. Egocentrism c. Centration
b. Symbolic processing d. Animism
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.27 Centration is characterized by
a. difficulty in seeing the world from another’s outlook.
b. crediting inanimate objects with real-life properties.
c. believing an object’s appearance tells what the object is really like.
d. focusing on one aspect of a problem, while ignoring other relevant aspects of the problem.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.28 Piaget used __________ experiments to see whether children realized that characteristics of objects
remained the same despite changes in physical appearance.
a. circular reaction c. deductive reasoning
b. conservation d. equilibration
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.29 In a conservation of liquid experiment, Victoria is shown two identical beakers filled with the same amount
of juice. The juice from one of the beakers is poured into a taller, thinner beaker. Victoria now thinks there
is more juice in the tall, thin beaker than in the original beaker. Victoria appears to be in Piaget’s
__________ stage of cognitive development.
a. preoperational c. sensorimotor
b. concrete operational d. formal operational
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.30 Preoperational children’s incorrect responses on conservation tasks are best explained by the __________,
which is characteristic of their thought.
a. egocentrism c. centered thinking
b. deductive reasoning d. animism
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.31 According to Piaget, the concrete operational child
a. cannot reverse mental operations.
b. cannot solve conservation tasks.
c. thinks in a way that is limited to the tangible and real.
d. doesn’t know that appearances can be deceiving.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.32 During Piaget’s __________ stage, children begin using mental operations to solve problems.
a. formal operational c. sensorimotor
b. concrete operational d. preoperational
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.33 __________ are strategies and rules that make thinking more systematic and more powerful.
a. Circular reactions c. Mental operations
b. Symbolic processes d. Scaffolds
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
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6.34 Which characteristic of the concrete operational child’s thinking allows him or her to solve Piaget’s
conservation problem?
a. reversible mental operations c. egocentrism
b. hypothetical thinking d. animism
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.35 __________ thought is rule-oriented and logical, but limited to the tangible and real.
a. Sensorimotor c. Preoperational
b. Formal operational d. Concrete operational
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.36 During Piaget’s __________ stage, individuals become capable of abstract, hypothetical thought and
deductive reasoning.
a. concrete operational c. preoperational
b. formal operational d. sensorimotor
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.37 Who is likely to be able to answer a hypothetical question such as, “What would happen if no one had to
work anymore?”
a. preoperational thinkers only c. concrete operational thinkers only
b. formal operational thinkers only d. concrete operational and formal operational thinkers
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.38 The formal operational child approaches problems by
a. forming hypotheses and systematically evaluating all possibilities.
b. trial-and-error.
c. relying on past experience.
d. using centration.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.39 When formal operational thinkers are faced with a problem, such as figuring out what combination of clear
liquids will produce a blue liquid, they will
a. haphazardly mix liquids to find the correct combination.
b. become confused and irritated.
c. systematically test hypotheses about different combinations of liquids.
d. concentrate on trying to pour the liquids without spilling them.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.40 When concrete operational and formal operational thinkers are asked to combine a number of clear liquids
to produce a blue liquid
a. neither the concrete operational child, nor the formal operational adolescent, test the combinations of
liquids in a systematic manner.
b. only the concrete operational child tests the combinations of liquids in a systematic manner.
c. only the formal operational child tests the combinations of liquids in a systematic manner.
d. both the concrete operational child and the formal operational adolescent test the combinations of liquids
in a systematic manner.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.41 Two children are asked the following question: If you could jump into a swimming pool filled with any
substance, what substance would you want the pool to be filled with? Vincent answers: “Water — that’s
what pools are filled with.” Ted, on the other hand, answers: “Cool — I would want the pool filled with
red Jello.” Which of the following statements is correct regarding Vincent and Ted?
a. Ted and Vincent are both in the concrete-operational stage.
b. Ted and Vincent are both in the formal-operational stage.
c. Ted is in the concrete-operational stage and Vincent is in the formal-operational stage.
d. Vincent is in the concrete-operational stage and Ted is in the formal–operational stage.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.42 Which of the following is characteristic of formal operational thought?
a. animism c. deductive reasoning
b. centration d. reasoning that is limited to the tangible and real
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.43 Consider the following:
Premise 1: If an animal barks, it is a dog.
Premise 2: A snail barks.
The concrete operational child would fail to draw the conclusion that “a snail is a dog” because his or her
conclusions are based on
a. tertiary circular reactions. c. deductive reasoning.
b. experience. d. egocentrism.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.44 Suppose a child is given these two facts: (1) If you hit a glass with a feather — the glass will break, and (2)
Jason hit a glass with a feather. Which of the following statements is CORRECT?
a. Children in both the concrete– and formal-operational periods will come to the correct conclusion — “the
glass broke.”
b. A child in the concrete-operational period will come to an incorrect conclusion (“the glass didn’t break
because feathers can’t break glass”) whereas a child in the formal–operational period will come to a
correct conclusion (“the glass broke”).
c. A child in the formal-operational period will come to an incorrect conclusion (“the glass didn’t break
because feathers can’t break glass”) whereas a child in the concrete-operational period will come to a
correct conclusion (“the glass broke”).
d. Children in both the concrete– and formal-operational periods will come to an incorrect conclusion —
“the glass didn’t break because feathers can’t break glass.”
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.45 In contrast to concrete operational thinkers, formal operational thinkers
a. can reach counterfactual conclusions. c. do not confuse appearances with reality.
b. can use mental operations. d. are not centered in their thinking.
i
6.46 Which of the following is NOT characteristic of formal operational thinking?
a. abstract thinking c. deductive reasoning
b. hypothetical reasoning d. centration
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.47 According to Piaget, cognitive development is complete when the __________ period is reached.
a. concrete operational c. formal operational
b. preoperational d. sensorimotor
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.48 Piaget’s theory
a. stimulated research in the area of cognitive development.
b. viewed children as playing a passive role in their development.
c. does not provide useful ideas for fostering children’s development.
d. has not had a lasting impact on the field of child development research.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
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6.49 The view of children as active participants in their own development who systematically create ever more
sophisticated understandings of their worlds is referred to as
a. the zone of proximal development. c. constructivism.
b. the core knowledge hypothesis. d. the theory of mind.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.50 Piaget’s view of cognitive development has some straightforward implications for teaching practices.
Which teaching strategy is NOT an application of Piaget’s theory?
a. Teachers should provide children with materials that will allow them to discover for themselves how the
world works.
b. Teachers should tailor instruction to individual students.
c. Teachers should correct children’s mistakes directly, so that children don’t waste time worrying about
their errors.
d. Teachers should provide children with educational experiences that are slightly ahead of the children’s
current level of thinking.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.51 Teaching suggestions based on Piaget’s theory include
a. teaching at a level slightly ahead of children’s current level of thinking.
b. using lectures to tell children how the world works.
c. not allowing children to see their mistakes.
d. using flashcards to drill facts.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.52 Which of the following is an implication of Piaget’s theory for teaching practices?
a. Teachers should tell children facts that they can absorb passively.
b. Children should be encouraged to look at the consistency of their own thinking and to sort out any
inconsistencies.
c. The best teaching experiences are slightly behind a child’s current level of thinking.
d. Teachers should construct a child’s understanding of the world.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.53 The best way to summarize research that has examined alternative explanations of children’s performance
on Piagetian tasks would be to say that
a. in almost every instance, Piaget’s explanation is strongly supported.
b. in many instances, children’s performance is better explained using concepts that are not part of
Piaget’s theory.
c. Piaget’s description of object permanence must be revised, but his accounts of conservation are strongly
supported.
d. when Piaget’s tasks are modified, they are usually not solved until children are older than the ages
predicted by Piaget’s theory.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.54 According to Piaget, each stage of cognitive development involves consistent thought across different
tasks. Recent research has found
a. very consistent performance across tasks as Piaget would predict.
b. very consistent performance across tasks only in concrete operational children.
c. inconsistent performance across tasks only in formal operational adolescents.
d. inconsistent performance across tasks contrary to Piaget’s predictions.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.55 Which of the following is NOT a weakness of Piaget’s theory?
a. Piaget’s theory overestimates cognitive competencies in infants and young children and underestimates
cognitive competencies in adolescents.
b. Piaget’s theory is vague with respect to processes and mechanisms of change.
c. Piaget’s stage model does not account for variability in children’s performance.
d. Piaget’s theory undervalues the influence of sociocultural environment on cognitive development.
Chapter Module: Setting the Stage: Piaget’s Theory
6.56 According to Vygotsky, development is optimal when
a. the child learns independently.
b. a child is guided by someone with more skill.
c. someone with more skill does NOT interfere by trying to structure a task for the child.
d. the amount of assistance given exceeds the amount that the child needs.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.57 When Gavin and his father solve puzzles together, they share an understanding of the goals of the activity
and their roles in solving the puzzles. This illustrates the concept of
a. intersubjectivity. c. zone of proximal development.
b. deductive reasoning. d. guided participation.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
189
6.58 The zone of proximal development refers to
a. the highest level of achievement a child can reach by himself.
b. the difference between what a child can do with and without help.
c. a teaching style that matches the amount of assistance to the learner’s need.
d. comments not intended for others, but intended to help children regulate their own behavior.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.59 __________ refers to a teaching style that matches the amount of assistance to the learner’s needs.
a. The zone of proximal development c. Scaffolding
b. Private speech d. Hypothetical reasoning
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.60 Which of the following is the best example of scaffolding?
a. Marco decides not to ask his son for help, because he knows his son does not have much patience.
b. Linda makes her son, Paul, go to bed early because Paul swore at school.
c. Roberto buys his daughter ice cream when she rides her two-wheel bike successfully.
d. Aubrey helps her daughter prepare meatloaf for dinner — she gives her specific instructions and
simplifies whenever possible.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.61 Private speech
a. eventually becomes inner speech.
b. involves talking aloud to others.
c. is more likely to occur while performing easy tasks than difficult tasks.
d. occurs before children’s behavior is regulated by speech from other people.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.62 A child coloring in a coloring book says out loud to herself, “Stay inside the lines. Water is blue and the
fish are red.” This is an example of
a. the zone of proximal development. c. scaffolding.
b. private speech. d. inner speech.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.63 According to Vygotsky’s theory, teachers should place an emphasis on learning as a cooperative activity.
Given this, which of the following should teachers avoid?
190
a. Teachers should provide students with opportunities for peer tutoring.
b. Teachers should encourage students to work together on group projects.
c. Teachers should encourage students to work together to achieve common goals.
d. Teachers should direct their students’ learning.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.64 The concepts of scaffolding, private speech, and the zone of proximal development are most closely
associated with
a. Piaget. c. neo-Piagetian theories.
b. Vygotsky. d. the theory of mind.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.65 The computer is used as a metaphor for the mind in which theory?
a. learning theory c. psychodynamic theory
b. information processing theory d. Piaget’s theory
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.66 Information-processing theorists use a __________ as a model for human cognition.
a. black box c. computer
b. microsystem d. macrosystem
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.67 Information-processing theorists believe that the development of thinking is a result of
a. improvements in mental hardware only that occur with age.
b. improvements in mental software only that occur with age.
c. improvements in both mental hardware and software that occur with age.
d. more sophisticated theories that children create.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.68 Information-processing theorists refer to sensory memory, working memory, and long–term memory
as mental
a. software. c. strategies.
b. hardware. d. operations.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
191
6.69 Sensory memory
a. holds raw, unanalyzed information. c. passes information to long-term memory.
b. is limitless and permanent. d. holds information for many days.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.70 You clench your fist, rapidly open your hand, then rapidly re-clench your fist. After you re-clench your fist,
you momentarily see an image of your fingers extended. That image is stored in
a. working memory. c. sensory memory.
b. long-term memory. d. the information processor.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.71 Working memory
a. holds visual images for a few seconds.
b. is a limitless, permanent storehouse of knowledge.
c. is like a computer’s hard drive.
d. is the site of ongoing cognitive activity.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
Answer: d
6.72 As you read and think about this test question, it is stored in
a. long-term memory. c. sensory memory.
b. working memory. d. the information processor.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.73 Which is most like a computer’s RAM (Random Access Memory)?
a. a memory strategy c. sensory memory
b. long-term memory d. working memory
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.74 Long-term memory
a. is a permanent storehouse of information.
b. is like a computer’s random–access memory (RAM).
c. holds raw, unanalyzed information.
d. is the site of ongoing cognitive activity.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.75 Before you read this question, the name of the first president of the United States was most likely stored
in your
a. information processor. c. long-term memory.
b. sensory memory. d. working memory.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.76 The limitless, permanent storehouse of knowledge in the world is called
a. long-term memory. c. working memory.
b. sensory memory. d. the information processor.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.77 The _______________ moves information from working memory to long-term memory, selects strategies
that are needed to accomplish particular goals, and performs needed responses.
a. central executive. c. inhibitory processor.
b. sensory memory. d. information processor.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.78 Information-processing theorists believe that developmental change occurs
a. as a result of equilibration.
b. in several different forms, rather than by a single mechanism.
c. when mental structures are massively reorganized.
d. in a social context.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.79 How is the cognitive functioning of Rachel, an eight-year-old, likely to compare with Bethany, a 16-year-
old?
a. Rachel will use less efficient strategies.
b. Rachel and Bethany will have the same amount of working memory.
c. Rachel will use more automatic processes.
d. Bethany will process information more slowly.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.80 Compared to an older child, a younger child is likely to use problem-solving strategies that are
a. faster. c. more accurate.
b. less efficient. d. easier.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.81 How do children learn more effective problem-solving strategies?
a. Parents and teachers show children more effective strategies.
b. Children learn strategies by watching more skilled children.
c. Children learn new strategies on their own.
d. Children learn new strategies by instruction from others, observation of others, and self-discovery.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.82 Compared to younger children, older children
a. have more working memory. c. have the same amount of working memory.
b. have less working memory. d. use working memory space less efficiently.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.83 Inhibitory processes
a. prevent task-irrelevant information from entering working memory.
b. decrease steadily during childhood.
c. increase the number of disruptions from irrelevant information.
d. bring the mental tools to mind that are needed for a current task.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.84 ________ prevent(s) task-irrelevant information from entering working memory.
a. Automatic processes c. Infantile amnesia
b. Inhibitory processes d. Mental hardware
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development
6.85 Inhibitory processes, along with planning and cognitive flexibility define
a. working memory. c. executive functioning.
b. automatic processes. d. controlled processes.
Chapter Module: Modern Theories of Cognitive Development