Chapter 07: Cognition
1. Which of the following is the best description of a schema?
a.
An organized way of thinking or acting that allows us to interpret our experiences
b.
A standard way of solving a problem in the fewest possible steps
c.
Changing our experiences in order to adapt to our environment
d.
Interpreting new experiences by using previously stored information
2. Which of the following is an example of a behavioral schema?
a.
Using a block to represent a car
b.
Asking about grandma even when she’s not present
c.
Grasping a block or a bottle of milk
d.
Calling the dog by the cat’s name
3. Which of the following is an example of a symbolic schema?
a.
b.
c.
d.
4. Piaget refers to the process of combining existing schemas into new and more complex ones as
a.
centration.
b.
transitivity.
c.
guided participation.
d.
organization.
5. Adam has a schema for saying, “Hi.” He has a second schema for holding out his hand. He has another schema for
making eye contact. With time, Adam is able to combine the simple schemas into a complex structure of a greeting (i.e.,
simultaneously making eye contact, saying “Hi,” and holding out his hand to be shaken). According to Piaget, Adam is
demonstrating
a.
organization.
b.
hypothetical-deductive reasoning.
c.
reversibility.
d.
class inclusion.
6. Assimilation is best defined as the process in which
a.
a conditioned stimulus becomes an unconditioned stimulus.
b.
multiple schemas are combined into single schemata.
c.
we interpret new experiences in terms of existing schemas.
d.
the unconscious mind impacts the conscious mind.
7. Eighteen-month-old Miguel is visiting a theme park for the first time. At the park, he sees some zebras, an animal with
which he is unfamiliar. Despite this, he looks at the animals and shouts, “Look at the horses!” He had previously formed a
mental schema for horses. Piaget would say that Miguel’s reaction best demonstrates the concept of
a.
accommodation.
b.
reversibility.
c.
assimilation.
d.
formal thought.
8. Which of the following is the best example of assimilation?
a.
Naming your dog Barney after the famous purple Barney on TV, even though you know that’s not your dog’s
name.
b.
Changing the name of your dog after finding out that a classmate has a dog with the same name
c.
Pretending that your dog is a horse
d.
Naming the first dog you meet, “Spot,” and then calling all other dogs that you meet “Spot”
9. Jerry likes to play with his stuffed animals, dragging them around the house by their arms, ears, or tails. Jerry tries to do
this with Tiger the cat one day, but he hisses and runs off, leaving Jerry perplexed and crying. Jerry’s original attempt to
play with the cat best illustrates the concept of
a.
accommodation.
b.
assimilation.
c.
disequilibrium.
d.
fixation
10. Accommodation is best defined as
a.
the process of modifying existing schema to better fit a new schema.
b.
knowing an object continues to exist even after it has left your sensory range.
c.
thinking that everyone else possesses the same experiences as you.
d.
using scientific logic to solve all problems.
11. Mabel always thought of herself as being incapable when it came to fixing things. She easily developed the habit of
asking her husband to do even the simplest “fix-it” tasks, such as changing a light bulb. Then one day Mabel got a flat tire
on a country road, and managed to change the tire on her own. From then on she felt much more capable, and started to
fix more things around the house. This best illustrates
a.
accommodation.
b.
assimilation.
c.
disequilibrium.
d.
fixation.
12. According to Piaget, when our internal thoughts are consistent with the evidence we are receiving from the world, we
are experiencing
a.
plasticity.
b.
equilibrium.
c.
cognitive dissonance.
d.
fixation.
13. Which statement best describes Piaget’s theory on intelligence?
a.
Intelligence develops as the result of the interactions of classical and operant conditioning.
b.
Intelligence develops as the result of interactions between biologically based individuals and an environment.
c.
Intelligence is solely the product of the interaction of genetic predispositions with biological maturation.
d.
Intelligence is solely the product of sociocultural experiences.
14. The key characteristic of a primary circular reaction is that they are
a.
repeated actions related to one’s own body that originally happened by chance.
b.
a one-time event related to one’s own body that originally happened by chance.
c.
repeated actions related to one’s own body that originally happened by choice.
d.
a one-time event related to one’s own body that originally happened by choice.
15. A _____ circular reaction is a repetitive action that involves something in an infant’s external environment.
a.
transitory
b.
primary
c.
secondary
d.
tertiary
16. Once while she was about to take a nap, baby Carolyn accidentally sucked on her blanket. Now she repeatedly sucks
on the blanket when she’s going to sleep. This new behavior is an example of
a.
coordination of secondary schemes.
b.
a primary circular reaction.
c.
a secondary circular reaction.
d.
a tertiary circular reaction.
17. Kevin is enjoying a fine lunch in his high chair. He picks up a handful of spaghetti and stuffs it in his mouth. Next, he
picks up two handfuls and shoves them in his ears. The next handful goes in his hair, and the one after that is casually
thrown on the floor. As his motivation appears to be simply the novelty of each of these acts, Kevin’s behavior would best
be categorized as a
a.
secondary circular reaction.
b.
primary circular reaction.
c.
tertiary circular reaction.
d.
beginning of thought.
18. Which infant behavior best demonstrates object permanence?
a.
Reaching for a toy you were enjoying after it has been put in a toy box
b.
Repeatedly swiping at a mobile hanging over your crib
c.
Crying when someone grabs a toy out of your hand
d.
Trying to grab a toy that you can see, but is just out of reach
19. Which of the following is an example of the A not B error?
a.
inability to realize that a bowl of ice cream has the same amount when the ice cream has melted
b.
tendency to search for an object in a place where it was last found rather than in a new hiding place
c.
failing to convert a formal operations schema into an dialectical hypothesis
d.
engaging in private dialogue on a task rather than getting help from a more skilled person
20. Five-year-old Rajon is playing with his baby sister, Andrea. He takes Andrea’s teddy bear and hides it behind a pillow
while she watches. Andrea quickly finds the bear. Then Rajon puts teddy in a bag, dumps teddy behind a chair, and then
brings out the empty bag. Andrea looks inside the bag, is surprised when it’s not there but doesn’t look for teddy behind
the chair. According to Piaget, Andrea
a.
lacks object permanence.
b.
is playing to an imaginary audience.
c.
is committing the A not B error.
d.
is a formal operational thinker.
21. Piaget contended that in infancy,
a.
reaching was a developmental precursor of looking.
b.
reaching and looking represented the same activity.
c.
looking was a developmental precursor of reaching.
d.
reaching and looking were unrelated behaviors.
22. The “crowning achievement” of the sensorimotor stage is the ability to
a.
display secondary circular reactions.
b.
deal with a purely abstract task.
c.
conserve.
d.
construct mental symbols to guide behavior.
23. Which of the following demonstrates that a child has developed symbolic capacity?
a.
a child who uses a cooking pan as a hat
b.
a child who has names for favorite stuffed animals
c.
a child who is comforted by thumb-sucking
d.
a child who waves hello and goodbye
24. Imaginary companions are most likely to first develop during the _____ stage of development.
a.
formal operations
b.
concrete operations
c.
sensorimotor
d.
preoperational
25. Four-year-old Sanjay has invented an imaginary companion, an invisible octopus named Squiggles. How would a
proponent of Piaget’s theories most likely react to Sanjay’s behavior?
a.
He might suspect that Sanjay is cognitively and socially advanced.
b.
He would see it as a sign of possible mental illness.
c.
He would suggest that Sanjay cannot decenter from an object.
d.
He would state that it is impossible for a pre-school child to create imaginary companions.
26. Focusing on the most obvious features of an object or situation is referred to as
a.
perceptual salience.
b.
symbolic capacity.
c.
schema coordination.
d.
class inclusion.
27. Jenny watches her mom pull two cookies out of the pantry. Her mom places one whole cookie on a plate and then
breaks up the other into three pieces and places it on another plate. Asked to choose between the two cookies of equal
size, one whole, and one broken, Jenny takes the broken cookie, saying that three cookies are better than one. Piaget
would say that Jenny lacks
a.
centration.
b.
object permanence.
c.
seriation.
d.
conservation.
28. Piaget’s concept of “decentration” refers to the inability to
a.
focus on more than one dimension of a problem at one time.
b.
mentally reverse simple operations.
c.
understand that the amount of something remains the same regardless of a change in shape or position.
d.
take another person’s point of view.
29. While watching a pizza being cut into 10 pieces, eight-year-old Rogerio suddenly realizes that the 10 pieces of pizza
are actually the same amount as the original one pizza. This realization best reflects the process of
a.
reversibility.
b.
A not B error.
c.
seriation.
d.
static thought.
30. Billy always walks to kindergarten. His mom always picks him up at school after kindergarten on her way home from
work. One day, mom asks Billy to walk home from kindergarten by himself. Billy insists he does not know how to walk
home from kindergarten—he only knows how to walk to kindergarten. Which cognitive operation does Billy apparently
lack?
a.
Centration
b.
Equilibration
c.
Reversibility
d.
Transformation
31. Oscar, a college student, is checking seven-year-old Gracie to see what cognitive skills she has. He asks her to do
some basic conservation tasks. Gracie has correctly responded that there is still the same amount of clay, whether it is in a
round ball or rolled out into a tube shape. When Oscar asks why, Gracie demonstrates how the tube-shaped piece of clay
can be rolled back into a ball. This shows that she has a good grasp of
a.
assimilation.
b.
transformational thought.
c.
equilibrium.
d.
primary circular reactions.
32. While observing her mother bake cookies, Juanita ignores the process by which eggs, flour, and sugar are combined
and baked, but focuses on the end product of a cookie. Juanita’s thought best exemplifies
a.
conservation.
b.
class inclusion.
c.
reversibility.
d.
static thought.
33. When her mommy is sick in bed, Jenna brings her a pacifier and a rattle, thinking these will help mommy feel better
since they always make Jenna feel better. Jenna’s behavior best demonstrates
a.
centration
b.
egocentrism.
c.
animism.
d.
formal thought.
34. Oksana is excited when she receives a telephone call from her granny on her birthday. When granny asks how old she
is, Oksana holds up three fingers in front of the phone. Oksana’s belief that because she can see her fingers, so can
granny, reflects Piaget’s concept of
a.
centration.
b.
egocentrism.
c.
animism.
d.
formal thought.
35. A preoperational thinker is most likely to exhibit _____ thought.
a.
decentration
b.
reversible
c.
static
d.
transformational
36. Jack is taking a class on Piaget, and as part of an assignment, he is “testing” some youngsters on various tasks. He
gives four-year-old Meg a bag of white and striped marbles. They discuss the fact that marbles are made of glass. Meg
counts the marbles—7 whites and 18 stripes. Jack asks, “Are there more striped marbles or more glass marbles?” Meg
answers, “There are more striped marbles.” This demonstrates Meg’s difficulty with
a.
class inclusion.
b.
conservation.
c.
identity.
d.
transformations.
37. Four-year-old Kaya is given a puppet and told to teach it all of the names that she can think of for certain animals and
food items. At one point, she is asked the following questions about a lion: “Is it an animal?” and “Is it a type of cat?” Her
correct response of “yes” to both questions indicates that Kaya understands
a.
object permanence.
b.
seriation.
c.
hypothetical-deductive reasoning.
d.
classification hierarchies.
38. For the first time in his young life, Glenn is able to look at photos of aquatic animals and classify them as mammals or
fish. He is also able to order them from smallest to largest. These skills indicate that Glenn has likely just entered the
_____ stage of cognitive development.
a.
formal operations
b.
sensorimotor
c.
preoperational
d.
concrete operations
39. Seriation involves
a.
the realization that properties of objects do not change even though appearance might be altered.
b.
understanding that subclasses are included in the whole class.
c.
understanding the difference between big and small.
d.
mentally arranging elements along a quantifiable scale.
40. Amber can quickly and accurately arrange crayons from lightest to darkest. This demonstrates a capacity for
a.
animism.
b.
centration.
c.
seriation.
d.
transitional thinking.
41. “Pete is older than Jill, and Jill is older than Pat. Who is older, Pete or Pat?” The ability to solve problems such as this
demonstrates competence in
a.
decentration.
b.
identity.
c.
centration.
d.
transitivity.
42. During which stage of development would a person first be able to understand that her dad is a parent, an uncle, and
someone’s son (i.e., understand class inclusion)?
a.
Formal operations
b.
Sensorimotor
c.
Concrete operations
d.
Preoperational
43. One key difference between formal operational thought and concrete operational thought is that formal operational
thinkers
a.
show more centration.
b.
can apply thoughts to real objects.
c.
can solve conservation tasks.
d.
can think about hypotheticals.
44. Concerning mental actions, concrete operations are to formal operations as
a.
objects are to ideas.
b.
knowing is to doing.
c.
imagined is to real.
d.
centration is to decentration.
45. A researcher asked students of different ages, “What would the world be like if there was no gravity?” According to
Piaget’s theory, which one of the following answers would most likely be heard from an adolescent in the formal
operational stage?
a.
There is gravity, so this is a useless exercise.
b.
Things would fall.
c.
We would have to redesign classrooms with desks on the ceiling.
d.
I wouldn’t like it if there was no gravity.
46. Which of Gibson’s statements indicates that he is engaging in hypothetical-deductive reasoning?
a.
“I can still hear the sound of that guitar after the string has been strummed.”
b.
“A guitar is just a larger version of a mandolin.”
c.
“I bet that my guitar looks exactly like the one you have.”
d.
“If string length matters, then a short string should make a different sound than a long string.”
47. Which cognitive skill would a formal operations thinker possess that a concrete operational thinker would lack?
a.
Hypothetical-deductive reasoning
b.
Seriation
c.
Transformational thought
d.
Class inclusion
48. Formal operational thinking differs from Piaget’s other stages in that a formal thinker gains the ability to
a.
think systematically about abstract concepts.
b.
mentally manipulate objects that they can see.
c.
understand the symbols used in language.
d.
form mental schemas.
49. By late adolescence, most individuals
a.
replace intuitive reasoning with scientific reasoning.
b.
replace scientific reasoning with intuitive reasoning.
c.
abandon both scientific reasoning and intuitive reasoning strategies.
d.
utilize both scientific reasoning and intuitive reasoning strategies.
50. Patrick was born and raised in the midwestern United States. He’s always been told that seafood tastes terrible so he
has avoided it. One day while visiting the East Coast, he goes into a restaurant that features lobster. Patrick tells himself,
“That lobster smells good and many people eat seafood, so they can’t be terrible to eat. I think I’ll order one.” Patrick’s
decision to eat the seafood would best be explained by Piaget’s concept of
a.
reversibility
b.
decontextualization
c.
animism
d.
personal fable
51. Paris spends the last week of summer vacation at the mall, looking for just the right outfit for the first day of 10th
grade. Finally, she finds something she likes, and feels sure that everyone will notice her smashing outfit! This is an
example of adolescent
a.
class inclusion.
b.
reversibility.
c.
egocentrism.
d.
transitivity.
52. Kameko has just gotten her hair trimmed, and even though it doesn’t look very different than before, she is sure
everyone in homeroom will notice a big change and be focusing on her hair all day. This is an example of
a.
imaginary audience.
b.
personal fable.
c.
hypothetical-deductive reasoning.
d.
relativistic thinking.