Question 1

A child wants a toy that is too big to be pulled straight through the bars of her crib. She studies the toy for some time and then grabs it, turns it sideways, and fits it through the bars. This child is using
A) primary circular reaction.
B) invention of new means through mental combinations.
C) secondary circular reactions.
D) coordination of secondary schemes.

Accepted Answer

The child is demonstrating the ability to solve a problem by mentally working through possible solutions and then applying one, which is characteristic of the invention of new means through mental combinations. This indicates a level of cognitive development where the child can envision actions mentally without having to rely on trial and error physically.

Question 2

What ability would not be necessary for object permanence to occur?
A) Memory
B) Understanding the connection between what can be seen and not seen
C) The ability to form mental representations
D) Centration

Accepted Answer

Centration, which is the focus on one aspect of a situation while ignoring others, is not necessary for object permanence. Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched, and it relies on memory, understanding the connection between visibility and invisibility, and the ability to form mental representations, rather than on centration.

Question 3

At what age will a child begin to mentally represent objects?
A) 6-8 months
B) 18-24 months
C) 12-18 months
D) Not until 24-36 months

Accepted Answer

The answer of At what age will a child begin...

Question 4

Jocelyn watches as her mother puts her toys in a basket. Two weeks later, after never having engaged in this behavior, Jocelyn attempts to put her toys in the basket. This illustrates
A) object permanence.
B) assimilation.
C) deferred imitation.
D) the A-Not-B error.

Accepted Answer

Deferred imitation is when a child observes someone perform an action and then, after a delay, imitates the action. Jocelyn's behavior of putting her toys in a basket two weeks after observing her mother do the same is a clear example of deferred imitation.

Question 5

What does the phrase "A not B error" mean?
A) Children will not search for hidden objects unless given an incentive.
B) Children will randomly search for hidden objects, but will quickly become frustrated and give up.
C) A child may reach for a hidden object where it has always been, yet still reach there even when they see the toy hidden somewhere else.
D) A child will search for a hidden toy but will quickly become distracted by other, more interesting objects.

Accepted Answer

The "A not B error" refers to a phenomenon observed in developmental psychology where a child, after repeatedly finding a hidden object in one location (A), will continue to search for it in that same location even after observing it being hidden in a different location (B). This error typically occurs in infants around 8 to 12 months old and is thought to reflect the developing understanding of object permanence and memory.

Question 6

Object permanence refers to
A) an understanding that changes in shape do not change the object.
B) a realization that objects can look different, but still be the same.
C) recognition that things continue exist even when they are out of sight.
D) the recognition that once an object is put in a given position it must stay there forever.

Accepted Answer

Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be observed (seen, heard, touched, smelled, or sensed in any way). This is a fundamental concept studied in the field of developmental psychology, attributing to infants' ability to understand the existence of objects beyond their immediate sensory perception.

Question 7

Which substage of sensorimotor development serves as a transition to the symbolic thought of the next stage?
A) Tertiary circular reaction
B) Secondary circular reaction
C) Invention of new means through mental combinations
D) Coordination of secondary schemes

Accepted Answer

In the substage of "Invention of new means through mental combinations," children begin to solve problems through symbolic thought rather than trial and error, marking a transition to the symbolic thought characteristic of the next stage of development.

Question 8

Piaget may have underestimated infants' cognitive competence. For example, more recent research finds that infants develop object permanence, as well as , earlier than Piaget hypothesized.
A) accommodation
B) deferred imitation
C) simple reflexes
D) trial-and-error problem solving

Accepted Answer

More recent research has shown that infants can engage in deferred imitation (reproducing the behavior of models after a delay) at a much younger age than Piaget originally proposed. This indicates that infants have a more advanced cognitive competence, including memory and the ability to form mental representations, earlier than Piaget believed.

Question 9

What is the earliest age that a rudimentary knowledge of object permanence has been found?
A) At birth
B) 2 ½ to 3 ½ months
C) 8-10 months
D) 12-14 months

Accepted Answer

Studies in developmental psychology suggest that infants start to develop a rudimentary understanding of object permanence between 2 ½ to 3 ½ months of age. This is when they begin to understand that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or touched.

Question 10

If an infant cries when the mother puts her down and walks away, and then stops crying when the mother picks the infant back up, does this represent an understanding of object permanence?
A) Yes
B) No
C) Yes, but only if the child is at least 2 months old
D) Not necessarily; it depends upon whether the child has a mental representation of the mother

Accepted Answer

The answer of If an infant cries when the mother...

Question 11

Deferred imitation means
A) the child can mimic only within 5 seconds what he/she has seen.
B) children can imitate from the moment they are born.
C) a child has a mental representation in mind long before the behavior is imitated.
D) imitation is a more automatic process than was assumed in the past.

Accepted Answer

Deferred imitation involves a child remembering a behavior and imitating it later, indicating the presence of mental representation.

Question 12

When we evaluate Piaget's theory, we can conclude that
A) infant cognitive development occurs in discrete stages and at the ages put forth by Piaget.
B) his theory does not hold true cross-culturally.
C) subsequent research shows children develop cognitive skills much later than Piaget proposed.
D) his theory has been supported in terms of the sequence and pattern of events across different cultures.

Accepted Answer

Piaget's theory has been supported in terms of the sequence and pattern of cognitive development events across different cultures, although the exact ages may vary.

Question 13

Bettina Pollock and colleagues (2000) found that magpies
A) go from primary to tertiary circular reactions, bypassing secondary circular reactions.
B) hide food, but do not possess object permanence.
C) develop object permanence before hiding food.
D) use deferred imitation.

Accepted Answer

Magpies develop object permanence before they start hiding food, which is a cognitive ability that allows them to understand that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or otherwise sensed. This is crucial for their food hiding behavior, as they need to remember the locations where they hide their food.

Question 14

According to Piaget, children
A) develop the skills that lead to object permanence by 3 months of age.
B) develop an understanding of object permanence all at once.
C) come to understand object permanence even without prior experience.
D) develop object permanence before they develop emotional bonds to specific caregivers.

Accepted Answer

The answer of According to Piaget, children
A) develop the skills...

Question 15

Elliot left his backpack on the bus to school this morning. Even though his backpack is not at school with him, he still knows it exists on the bus. This demonstrates which of Piaget's concepts?
A) Accommodation
B) Object permanence
C) Deferred imitation
D) Shaping

Accepted Answer

Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen, heard, or otherwise sensed. Elliot's awareness that his backpack exists on the bus, despite not being able to see it, illustrates this concept.

Question 16

Leah, a 9-month-old infant, watches as her mother pushes a button on a toy and the toy beeps. Several hours later, Leah pushes the button and the toy beeps. This is an example of
A) deferred imitation.
B) imitation.
C) instrumental learning.
D) classical conditioning.

Accepted Answer

Deferred imitation is when an individual observes an action and then later replicates it without the model present. Leah's ability to push the button hours after observing her mother do it is an example of deferred imitation.

Question 17

Research has found that infants as young as 2.5 months of age have a rudimentary form of object permanence. Why then, do they not actively search for hidden objects until 8 months of age?
A) Coordination of acts does not occur until 8 months.
B) Children do not "look in order to see" until 8 months of age.
C) 8-month-olds do not yet perform primary circular reactions.
D) 8-month-olds lack the ability to assimilate.

Accepted Answer

Infants do not actively search for hidden objects until 8 months of age because the coordination of acts, which is necessary for such search behavior, does not occur until this age.

Question 18

In contrast to Piaget, information-processing theorists focus on
A) unconscious desires and drives.
B) emotional development of the child.
C) how children manipulate or process information.
D) how reinforcements and punishments shape behavior.

Accepted Answer

Information-processing theorists concentrate on the mechanisms of learning and cognition, specifically how children process, store, and retrieve information, differing from Piaget's stages of cognitive development.

Question 19

Piaget's stages of cognitive development
A) have only been documented in Piaget's own children.
B) apply more directly to the cognitive development of girls than boys.
C) apply more directly to the cognitive development of boys than girls.
D) have been documented in children in several different countries.

Accepted Answer

Piaget's stages of cognitive development have been observed and documented in children from various countries, supporting the universality of these stages across different cultures and environments.

Question 20

With tertiary circular reactions,
A) trial and error is used in order to learn how things work.
B) trial and error is not needed.
C) the child will give up if something does not work the first time.
D) the child will rely on someone else to react

Accepted Answer

Tertiary circular reactions, a stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development, involve the infant actively experimenting with objects to see what effects their actions produce, essentially learning through trial and error.

Quiz 6: Infancy-Cognitive-Development

A child wants a toy that is too big to be pulled straight through the bars of her crib. She studies the toy for some time and then grabs it, turns it sideways, and fits it through the bars. This child is using

What ability would not be necessary for object permanence to occur?

At what age will a child begin to mentally represent objects?

Jocelyn watches as her mother puts her toys in a basket. Two weeks later, after never having engaged in this behavior, Jocelyn attempts to put her toys in the basket. This illustrates

What does the phrase "A not B error" mean?

Object permanence refers to

Which substage of sensorimotor development serves as a transition to the symbolic thought of the next stage?

Piaget may have underestimated infants' cognitive competence. For example, more recent research finds that infants develop object permanence, as well as , earlier than Piaget hypothesized.

What is the earliest age that a rudimentary knowledge of object permanence has been found?

If an infant cries when the mother puts her down and walks away, and then stops crying when the mother picks the infant back up, does this represent an understanding of object permanence?

Deferred imitation means

When we evaluate Piaget's theory, we can conclude that

Bettina Pollock and colleagues (2000) found that magpies

According to Piaget, children

Elliot left his backpack on the bus to school this morning. Even though his backpack is not at school with him, he still knows it exists on the bus. This demonstrates which of Piaget's concepts?

Leah, a 9-month-old infant, watches as her mother pushes a button on a toy and the toy beeps. Several hours later, Leah pushes the button and the toy beeps. This is an example of

Research has found that infants as young as 2.5 months of age have a rudimentary form of object permanence. Why then, do they not actively search for hidden objects until 8 months of age?

In contrast to Piaget, information-processing theorists focus on

Piaget's stages of cognitive development

With tertiary circular reactions,