Question 1

Nathan, who is three years old, tried to feed a cookie to his sister's hamster and was surprised when the hamster refused to eat the cookie. Because Nathan assumed that hamsters like the same kinds of food as little kids, his schema for hamsters needs to be __________, according to Piaget.

Accepted Answer

Nathan's assumption that hamsters like the same kind of food as little kids shows that he assimilated information about hamsters to fit his existing schema for young children. However, when he encountered information that did not fit his schema (the hamster refusing to eat the cookie), he needs to adjust or "accommodate" his schema to fit this new information. Therefore, option D, "accommodated," is the correct choice.

Question 2

Eli fails to recognize that the aspirin that his mother gave him for a painful toe is not the same as the white Tic Tac mint that she gave him in the car. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Eli's failure to recognize the difference between the aspirin and the Tic Tac mint is an example of assimilation, where he is applying his existing schema for white, small, round objects to both items without distinguishing between them.

Question 3

Newborns typically exhibit

Accepted Answer

Newborns have a preference for certain smells, such as their mother's scent, which helps them to bond with their caregiver. They also have a well-developed sense of taste and can discriminate between different tastes. However, their vision is not fully developed at birth, and their hearing is not sharper than that of the average adult, but rather highly sensitive to high-pitched sounds.

Question 4

Ronnie likes to play with his uncle Steve because his uncle always has new magic tricks. However, Ronnie has difficulty understanding how Steve can be his mother's brother as well as Uncle Steve. Ronnie's thinking is most characteristic of the __________ stage of cognitive development.

Accepted Answer

Ronnie's difficulty understanding how his uncle can be related to both his mother and himself suggests that he has not yet fully developed the concept of hierarchical classification, which is a hallmark of the concrete operational stage. Therefore, his thinking is most characteristic of the preoperational stage.

Question 5

When you go over to visit your friend's new baby, your friend exclaims, "Watch this! Every time I touch his cheek, he turns his mouth towards my finger!" Because you've taken psychology, you know that this phenomenon is called the __________ reflex.

Accepted Answer

The rooting reflex is a natural reflex that babies have, where they turn their head towards anything that touches or strokes their cheek. This reflex helps them find the nipple for feeding.

Question 6

Rachel can sort objects by size or color and can solve simple addition and subtraction problems. However, she cannot think logically about abstract ideas such as freedom and justice. Rachel is most likely in Piaget's __________ stage of cognitive development.

Accepted Answer

Rachel's ability to sort objects by size or color and solve simple addition and subtraction problems indicates that she is in Piaget's concrete operational stage. This stage, typically occurring between ages 7 and 11, is characterized by the development of logical thought concerning concrete objects but a difficulty in understanding abstract or hypothetical concepts, which aligns with Rachel's described abilities and limitations.

Question 7

Veruca's mother is buying breakfast cereal. Even though there is more cereal in the wide plastic containers than in the tall, thin boxes, Veruca cries, "I want the box Mommy because I want more!" According to Piaget, Veruca has not yet mastered __________, which means she is probably in the __________ stage of cognitive development.

Accepted Answer

Veruca's inability to understand conservation (the concept that the amount of a substance remains the same even if its appearance changes) indicates that she is still in the preoperational stage of cognitive development, which is characterized by egocentrism and a limited ability to understand the perspectives of others.

Question 8

Jean Piaget explained that ________ help people to organize past experiences and provide a framework for understanding future events.

Accepted Answer

Schemas are cognitive structures that help individuals organize and interpret information, providing a framework for understanding future events based on past experiences.

Question 9

3-year old Fedelia discovers a red chili-pepper on the floor and calls it "candy." After she puts the chili-pepper in her mouth, she realizes that it is not at all like candy. The next time, she encounters a red pepper of the same size, she says "NO HOT!" and won't touch it. According to Piaget, this change in her understanding of the pepper demonstrates

Accepted Answer

Accommodation is the process of altering one's existing schemas, or ideas, as a result of new information or new experiences. Fedelia changes her understanding of the red pepper after realizing it is not candy.

Question 10

Andrea has a box of crayons. If Andrea is in the preoperational stage described by Piaget, which of the following is she most likely to do with the crayons?

Accepted Answer

In the preoperational stage, children engage in symbolic play and are able to use objects to represent other things, such as drawing pictures.

Question 11

Rashaun watches his toy disappear behind the couch and immediately looks away toward another toy. According to Piaget, Rashaun is most likely age __________ and in the __________ stage.

Accepted Answer

According to Piaget, a child around the age of one is in the sensorimotor stage, where they have not yet developed object permanence, which is why Rashaun looks away when the toy disappears.

Question 12

Hannah's behavior depends largely on reflexes rather than on voluntary control over her movements. Hannah is most likely

Accepted Answer

Infants under four months old primarily rely on reflexes, as their voluntary motor control is not yet fully developed.

Question 13

Babies often enjoy playing "peek a boo" with older children and adults. According to Piaget, when you cover your face the baby may not understand that you still exist behind your hands. If this is correct, the child would be described as

Accepted Answer

According to Piaget, object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen. Babies who enjoy "peek a boo" may not yet have developed this understanding, indicating they lack object permanence.

Question 14

A child sees a piece of bread go down in a toaster, then turns away believing it no longer exists. According to Piaget, this child has not yet achieved __________ and is in the __________ stage of cognitive development.

Accepted Answer

Object permanence is the understanding that an object continues to exist even when it cannot be seen or heard. The child in this scenario believes that the bread no longer exists when they cannot see it. This is a characteristic of the sensorimotor stage of cognitive development, which is the first stage in Piaget's theory of cognitive development.

Question 15

Magdelana is a newborn who lives with both parents and is being breastfed. Which of the following is most likely true about her senses?

Accepted Answer

Newborns have a strong sense of smell and can recognize and prefer their mother's scent, which helps in bonding and feeding.

Question 16

Cathy and Sherri had to finish all of their vegetables before they could have dessert. Cathy complained that Sherri didn't have as much to finish as she did, even though both girls had the same amount (Cathy's vegetables were just more spread out). Cathy's error stems from a failure to understand the concept of

Accepted Answer

Cathy's error is due to a lack of understanding of conservation, which is the concept that quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or arrangement.

Question 17

Shaina started crying because she thought that her brother disappeared, when in fact he just put on his Halloween mask. Piaget would say that Shaina is in the __________ stage and has not yet achieved __________.

Accepted Answer

Shaina is in the sensorimotor stage and has not yet achieved object permanence. Object permanence is the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight. Shaina's brother put on his Halloween mask, which made him look different. Shaina thought that her brother had disappeared because she could not see his face. This shows that Shaina has not yet achieved object permanence.

Question 18

According to Piaget, the end of the sensorimotor stage is marked by

Accepted Answer

The sensorimotor stage, according to Piaget, ends with the development of the ability to form mental representations, which is crucial for the transition to the preoperational stage.

Question 19

Infant Izzie is most likely to stare at

Accepted Answer

Infants are naturally drawn to human faces, especially those of their caregivers, as it helps them bond and learn social cues.

Question 20

Four-year old Tamara goes to see a movie at the theatre with her parents. As the movie begins playing, she is amazed by the size of the screen and tells her parents, "We need to get a TV that big at home." Tamara has fit the movie screen into her "TV" schema through

Accepted Answer

Tamara is using assimilation because she is incorporating the new experience of the large movie screen into her existing schema of a TV without changing the schema itself.

Quiz 9: Human Development