Question 1

The acquisition of reversibility is a cornerstone of which stage of Piagetian development?
A)sensorimotor
B)preoperational
C)concrete operational
D)formal operational

Accepted Answer

The acquisition of reversibility is a major milestone in the concrete operational stage, which occurs between the ages of 7 and 12 years old. This is when children begin to understand that actions can be reversed, and they start to master the concept of conservation (i.e., understanding that the quantity or amount of an object does not change even if its appearance does).

Question 2

Which of the following illustrates the Piagetian concept of horizontal décalage?
A)A child attains object permanence.
B)A child acquires the ability to conserve number before being able to conserve volume.
C)A child is able to mentally reverse actions.
D)A child is able to engage in symbolic function.

Accepted Answer

Horizontal décalage is the idea that cognitive abilities do not develop all at once or simultaneously. Instead, they develop in stages, with each stage building upon the previous one. In this case, a child may be able to conserve number before being able to conserve volume, even though both require the same underlying concept of conservation. This illustrates the concept of horizontal décalage. The other answer choices do not involve a progression or unevenness in cognitive development.

Question 3

George is presented with two identical beakers,and then watches as the experimenter pours liquid from one beaker into a third beaker,which is taller and thinner than the first two.This is a test to see if George has achieved
A)conservation.
B)seriation.
C)classification.
D)object permanence.

Accepted Answer

Conservation is the understanding that even if the appearance of a substance changes, its quantity remains the same. In this scenario, if George has achieved conservation, he would understand that the amount of liquid is still the same even though it appears to be less in the taller and thinner beaker.

Question 4

When assessing the cognitive abilities of children,Dr.Jones finds that Ralph has the ability to conserve length but is still fooled by conservation of mass tasks.As a Piagetian,which term would Dr.Jones use to describe this phenomenon?
A)equilibration
B)disequilibration
C)adolescent egocentrism
D)horizontal décalage

Accepted Answer

The term "horizontal décalage" refers to the phenomenon in which children may conserve one aspect of a task (such as length) but not another (such as mass), even though both require the same cognitive ability. This is consistent with Dr. Jones' observation of Ralph's abilities. Options A and B refer to Piaget's concept of cognitive equilibrium and disequilibrium, which describe the process of cognitive growth and adaptation. Option C refers to a different concept, adolescent egocentrism, which occurs during the formal operational stage and involves the belief that one's own experiences and perspectives are the only ones that exist.

Question 5

What type of reasoning characterizes the concrete operational thinker?
A)logical
B)intuitive
C)abstract
D)hypothetical

Accepted Answer

The concrete operational thinker is characterized by logical reasoning. They are able to think logically about concrete objects and events, such as understanding conservation of mass and volume. However, they may struggle with abstract or hypothetical concepts.

Question 6

The focusing of attention on one characteristic to the exclusion of all others is called
A)animism.
B)centration.
C)egocentrism.
D)irreversibility.

Accepted Answer

This is a description of centration, which is a characteristic of preoperational thinking in Piaget's theory of cognitive development. Centration means focusing on one aspect of a situation or object and ignoring all other aspects.

Question 7

Who is best identified as being in the intuitive stage of development?
A)Dan, who can remember a list of five shopping items
B)Sue, who keeps annoying her parents by asking, "How come...?"
C)Keith, who hit his sister, yet is only worried about what is going to happen to him
D)Missy, whose imaginary friend helps her deal with traumatic events

Accepted Answer

Sue's constant questioning and curiosity are characteristic of the intuitive stage, which occurs in early childhood. This stage is marked by an increased interest in exploring the environment and seeking explanations for how things work. The other options do not demonstrate these characteristics. Dan's ability to remember a list of items is indicative of the sensorimotor stage, which occurs in infancy. Keith's concern only for himself is characteristic of the preoperational stage, which occurs in early childhood. Missy's use of an imaginary friend as a coping mechanism is also characteristic of the preoperational stage.

Question 8

All but which one of the following relates to Piaget's intuitive thought stage?
A)Tommy, who is 9-years old and is starting to develop his own ideas about the world
B)Mary, who is 4-years old, has simple ideas, and is not very good at thinking things out
C)Joan, who is 5-years old and has difficulty understanding events she knows are taking place but which she cannot see
D)Rao, who is 6-years old and fantasizes ideas that have little resemblance to reality

Accepted Answer

Piaget's intuitive thought stage typically occurs between the ages of 2 and 7. Choices B, C, and D describe behaviors and characteristics of children within this age range, showing limited logical reasoning and a focus on intuition and imagination. Choice A, describing Tommy who is 9 years old, does not fit into this stage as children of this age are usually transitioning into the concrete operational stage, where they develop more logical and organized ways of thinking.

Question 9

Conservation and classification are accomplishments of what Piagetian stage of cognitive development?
A)preoperational stage
B)sensorimotor stage
C)concrete operational stage
D)formal operational stage

Accepted Answer

Conservation and classification are accomplishments of the concrete operational stage, which typically occurs between the ages of 7 and 12. During this stage, children develop the ability to think logically and understand concrete concepts such as conservation (understanding that a substance's amount remains the same despite changes in appearance) and classification (grouping objects based on shared characteristics).

Question 10

When 6-year-old Megan spills a glass of pop,she looks down and realizes that the seemingly huge amount of liquid would actually fit back into her small glass.Megan's conclusion provides an excellent example of
A)reversibility.
B)sensorimotor logic.
C)classification.
D)hypothetical.

Accepted Answer

Megan's understanding that the spill could be reversed and put back into the glass demonstrates the concept of reversibility, which is a key characteristic of sensorimotor logic (the stage of cognitive development that children aged 0-2 years old go through). Classification and hypothetical reasoning are more advanced cognitive skills that emerge in later stages of development.

Question 11

___________________________ is the concrete operation that involves ordering stimuli along a quantitative dimension.
A)Seriation
B)Abstraction
C)Logic
D)Transitivity

Accepted Answer

Seriation is the cognitive ability to arrange objects, events, or stimuli in order according to their properties or dimensions, such as size, weight, length, or color. This concrete operation is typically mastered by children around the age of 5-6 years old, during the stage of concrete operational thought, and is an important prerequisite for more advanced mathematical concepts, such as fractions, decimals, and algebra. Abstraction and logic are also important cognitive abilities, but they are not specifically related to seriation. Transitivity, on the other hand, is related to seriation, but it refers to the ability to recognize and infer the logical relationships between elements based on their relative position in a series or sequence.

Question 12

Three-year-old Mary says,"The door made me mad; it pushed my thumb." She is demonstrating
A)animism.
B)centration.
C)egocentrism.
D)irreversibility.

Accepted Answer

Mary is demonstrating animism, which is the belief that inanimate objects have feelings or intentions. In this case, she is attributing the action of pushing her thumb to the door, as if it had malicious intent. Centration refers to the tendency of young children to focus on only one aspect of a situation, egocentrism refers to the inability to understand that others have different perspectives, and irreversibility refers to the inability to mentally reverse actions. None of these concepts are demonstrated in Mary's statement.

Question 13

When asked to discuss weather,4-year-old Willard says,"Rain happens whenever clouds get sad and cry." This statement provides an example of
A)animism.
B)egocentrism.
C)centration.
D)object permanence.

Accepted Answer

Willard's statement demonstrates animism, which is the belief that inanimate objects have feelings or intentions. He is anthropomorphizing the clouds, attributing human emotions to them.

Question 14

According to Piaget,passing what test is a sign that children are at the concrete operational stage?
A)the three-mountains task
B)the conservation-of-liquid task
C)the seriation task
D)the symbolic function task

Accepted Answer

According to Piaget, passing the conservation of liquid task is a sign that children are at the concrete-operational stage. This task involves showing children the same amount of liquid in two different containers of different shapes and asking them whether the amount of liquid is the same or different. Children at the preoperational stage often say the amount is different because the containers look different. In contrast, children at the concrete-operational stage understand that the amount of liquid is the same regardless of the container shape.

Question 15

Two sticks are aligned in front of the child.The child agrees that they are the same length.The experimenter moves one stick to the right,then asks the child if they are equal in length.This is a task for conservation of
A)matter.
B)area.
C)volume.
D)length.

Accepted Answer

This is a task for conservation of length. The experiment involves the manipulation of the spatial arrangement of sticks while maintaining their length, which aligns with the concept of conservation of length.

Question 16

Four-year-old Christopher begins to use primitive reasoning and wants to know the answers to all sorts of questions.He is in what substage of preoperational thought?
A)intuitive thought
B)symbolic function
C)internalization of schemes
D)coordination of secondary circular reactions

Accepted Answer

The stage of intuitive thought is characterized by children between the ages of 4 and 7 using primitive reasoning and wanting to know the answers to all sorts of questions. This aligns with Christopher's behavior.

Question 17

_____________________ is part of the _________________ stage indicated by focusing,or centring,attention on one characteristic to the exclusion of all others.
A)Decentration; sensorimotor
B)Animism; preoperational
C)Centrism; preoperational
D)Irreversibility; sensorimotor

Accepted Answer

Centrism is a characteristic of the preoperational stage in which children focus or center their attention on one characteristic and ignore all others. This can lead to errors in problem-solving and an inability to understand conservation, which is the idea that changing the appearance of objects does not change their basic properties. Decentration is the opposite of centrism and is a characteristic of the concrete operational stage. Animism and irreversibility are also characteristic of the preoperational stage, but they do not involve focusing attention on one characteristic to the exclusion of all others. Animism is the belief that inanimate objects have feelings or thoughts, while irreversibility is the idea that an action or event cannot be undone.

Question 18

Whose entire conversational interaction with an adult would likely consist of the question "Why?"
A)a 2-or 3-year-old
B)a 4-or 5-year-old
C)a 7-or 8-year-old
D)a 9-year-old

Accepted Answer

Two and three-year-olds are just beginning to develop their language skills and may not be able to ask "why" as a question, or understand complex answers. By the age of four or five, however, most children have developed language skills and are more curious about the world around them, leading to the frequent use of "why" in their conversations. While older children may still ask "why," their questions may become more specific or focused on particular topics of interest.

Question 19

Which of the following is not a characteristic of preoperational thought?
A)intuitive reasoning
B)egocentrism
C)symbolic thought
D)conservation skills

Accepted Answer

Preoperational thought is characterized by intuitive reasoning, egocentrism, and symbolic thought, but not conservation skills. Children in the preoperational stage struggle with conservation tasks because they are unable to understand that changing the appearance of an object does not change its basic properties, such as mass or volume.

Question 20

While playing with some candy,3-year-old Ruth places five chocolate pieces in one row and another five pieces in an identical row.She then accidentally pushes the end piece of candy in row one away from the rest.After staring at this new "longer" row,she decides to eat it because,"it now has more candy." Ruth's thinking is explained as the result of the inability to conserve
A)area.
B)length.
C)number.
D)volume.

Accepted Answer

Conservation refers to the ability to understand that even if the physical appearance of an object changes, its properties remain the same. In this case, Ruth was unable to conserve the number of candies in each row and only focused on the physical appearance of the longer row having more candy. Therefore, the best choice is C, as Ruth's inability to conserve relates to the number of candies in each row.

Quiz 6: Cognitive Developmental Approaches

The acquisition of reversibility is a cornerstone of which stage of Piagetian development?

Which of the following illustrates the Piagetian concept of horizontal décalage?

George is presented with two identical beakers,and then watches as the experimenter pours liquid from one beaker into a third beaker,which is taller and thinner than the first two.This is a test to see if George has achieved

When assessing the cognitive abilities of children,Dr.Jones finds that Ralph has the ability to conserve length but is still fooled by conservation of mass tasks.As a Piagetian,which term would Dr.Jones use to describe this phenomenon?

What type of reasoning characterizes the concrete operational thinker?

The focusing of attention on one characteristic to the exclusion of all others is called

Who is best identified as being in the intuitive stage of development?

All but which one of the following relates to Piaget's intuitive thought stage?

Conservation and classification are accomplishments of what Piagetian stage of cognitive development?

When 6-year-old Megan spills a glass of pop,she looks down and realizes that the seemingly huge amount of liquid would actually fit back into her small glass.Megan's conclusion provides an excellent example of

___________________________ is the concrete operation that involves ordering stimuli along a quantitative dimension.

Three-year-old Mary says,"The door made me mad; it pushed my thumb." She is demonstrating

When asked to discuss weather,4-year-old Willard says,"Rain happens whenever clouds get sad and cry." This statement provides an example of

According to Piaget,passing what test is a sign that children are at the concrete operational stage?

Two sticks are aligned in front of the child.The child agrees that they are the same length.The experimenter moves one stick to the right,then asks the child if they are equal in length.This is a task for conservation of

Four-year-old Christopher begins to use primitive reasoning and wants to know the answers to all sorts of questions.He is in what substage of preoperational thought?

_____ is part of the _ stage indicated by focusing,or centring,attention on one characteristic to the exclusion of all others.

Whose entire conversational interaction with an adult would likely consist of the question "Why?"

Which of the following is not a characteristic of preoperational thought?