Question 1

Describe two similarities and two differences between Piaget's theory and core-knowledge theories. Provide examples to support your statements.

Accepted Answer

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Question 2

Each day, each of us solves a variety of problems, including finding lost keys, remembering a friend's phone number, figuring out what to get Dad for Father's Day, and so on. Think about a recent problem, small or large, that you have recently had to solve. Do a task analysis of your problem solving. Be sure to describe your goals, subgoals, and relevant facts, as well as any inferences you had to make or biases you had. Also be sure to describe any errors you made in your processing.

Accepted Answer

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Question 3

When children are in the sensorimotor stage, they are:

Accepted Answer

The sensorimotor stage, according to Piaget's theory of cognitive development, occurs from birth to approximately 2 years of age, where infants learn about the world through their sensory experiences and motor actions.

Question 4

Michael turns a blanket into a cape. His teddy bear becomes his trusted sidekick. The oversized refrigerator box is Michael's spaceship. According to Piaget, what characteristic is Michael displaying?

Accepted Answer

Michael is displaying symbolic representation, which is the ability to use objects, words, or actions to represent other objects, words, or actions, as seen in his imaginative play.

Question 5

Task analyses, analyses of cognitive processes, and a general view of children as problem solvers are all characteristic of:

Accepted Answer

Information-processing theories focus on the mental processes involved in learning and problem solving, and view children as active problem solvers who construct knowledge through their interactions with the environment.

Question 6

Information-processing theories suggest that teachers _____to help their students learn?

Accepted Answer

Information-processing theories emphasize understanding the specific processes involved in learning, so task analysis to identify specific difficulties aligns with this approach.

Question 7

During what Piagetian stage can a child first take another's perspective as well as his own in a situation such as the three-mountains task?

Accepted Answer

In the concrete operational stage, children develop the ability to take another's perspective, which is demonstrated in tasks like the three-mountains task.

Question 8

Describe the three main components of memory discussed in the text. Describe how these three components related to your studying for this exam.

Accepted Answer

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Question 9

Dynamic-systems theories suggest that teachers _____to help their students learn.

Accepted Answer

Dynamic-systems theories suggest that teachers provide behavioral experiences that are considered to be necessary in order for learning to occur.

Question 10

There are only two cookies left in the cookie jar. One of the cookies is broken into two pieces. Janet, age 4, begins to cry when her brother Justin gets the broken cookie. According to Piagetian theory, what is the most likely cause of Janet's distress?

Accepted Answer

According to Piagetian theory, children in the preoperational stage (ages 2-7) often do not understand the conservation concept, which is the idea that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or appearance. Janet likely perceives the broken cookie as more because it is in two pieces.

Question 11

Describe how Piagetian theory explains the A-not-B error and how the dynamic-systems approach explains it. Then select another experiment used by Piaget to demonstrate the limitations of children's cognition at a particular age, and suggest what conclusions might be drawn if one instead looked at the problem from a dynamic-systems perspective.

Accepted Answer

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Question 12

Describe how infants' ability to form mental representations develops over the first two years of life. Give an example of a mental representation infants are typically able to make at 8 months, at 12 months, at 18 months, and at 24 months.

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Question 13

Sharon has learned how to press the buttons on the television remote control. She finds the touch-tone phone sitting on the coffee table. She begins pressing the buttons much like she would the remote control buttons. According to Piagetian theory, this is an example of:

Accepted Answer

Assimilation is when new experiences are incorporated into existing schemas. Sharon is using her existing schema of pressing buttons on a remote to interact with the phone.

Question 14

According to dynamic-systems theories, _____is NOT related to children's selection among alternative approaches to a problem.

Accepted Answer

Dynamic-systems theories emphasize factors like efficiency, novelty, and relative success in selecting problem-solving approaches, but not similarity to other approaches.

Question 15

Discuss the perspective of dynamic-systems theories on how action and thinking are related. Be sure to indicate whether action shapes thinking or thinking shapes actions or both. Provide at least one example to support your answer.

Accepted Answer

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Question 16

What is the process by which children balance assimilation and accommodation to create a stable understanding of their world?

Accepted Answer

Equilibration is the process by which children balance assimilation and accommodation to create a stable understanding of their world.

Question 17

Are there any domains of knowledge that you believe are central from an evolutionary perspective and yet are not considered central from within the core- knowledge perspective? If so, make an argument for the learning mechanism that you believe is innate to humans. If not, explain why you believe that only the domains considered central from within the core- knowledge perspective are important from an evolutionary standpoint.

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Question 18

Both Steven, age 5, and his sister Susan, age 9, have been presented with a task in which they are shown pictures of both plants and animals. They are asked to remember which pictures are of plants. Steven is unable to distinguish the pictures, while Susan does so successfully. Which strategy has Susan used?

Accepted Answer

Susan likely used selective attention, which involves focusing on relevant information (pictures of plants) while ignoring irrelevant information (pictures of animals).

Question 19

Brad and Tom are studying for their child development exam. Brad claims that basic parts of the information- processing theory include content knowledge, assimilation, strategies, and basic processes. Tom tells Brad that one of these parts is not correct. Which part should Tom identify as not correct?

Accepted Answer

Assimilation is a concept from Piaget's theory of cognitive development, not a basic part of the information-processing theory.

Question 20

Describe the typical behavior of a 6-year-old child on a test of the conservation concept. Discuss two benefits and two limitations of Piaget's theory for explaining this result.

Accepted Answer

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Quiz 4: Theories of Cognitive Development