Question 1

When a young child learns to help fold laundry and put clothes away, cultural information is being transmitted. According to Vygotsky's view, this is best considered to be an example of:
A) conservation
B) guided participation
C) social referencing
D) synchrony

Accepted Answer

Most theorists today believe that the child's understanding of the world is embedded in cultural knowledge. All cultures initiate children into activities through guided participation, and such interactions with others provide important information and guidance for children as they develop their cognitive abilities. Vygotsky emphasized that much of children's cognitive growth takes place through guided participation, in what is called the zone of proximal development.

Question 2

One way of describing Piaget's and Vygotsky's views of childhood would be to note that Piaget saw children as ___________ whereas Vygotsky saw them as ____________.
A) competent; incompetent
B) little scientists; apprentices
C) egocentric; sociocentric
D) preoperational; postoperational

Accepted Answer

Piaget viewed children as "little scientists," learning through interactions with their physical environment. According to Vygotsky, children's thinking and social skills develop by participating in activities that are slightly beyond their competence, provided they are given the assistance of others who are more skilled and knowledgeable. In other words, Vygotsky saw children as learning through apprenticeships with more skilled others.

Question 3

If Lark is asked to tell her teacher what she had for breakfast that morning, this task would best be considered an example of:
A) creative recollection
B) recall
C) recognition
D) encoding

Accepted Answer

Recall refers to the ability to retrieve stored information and memories with or without cues or prompts.

Question 4

The best example of a recall task would be:
A) selecting the same type of pizza that you ordered the last time you had pizza
B) answering a multiple choice question like this one
C) looking at a picture and identifying the people who you had met at a party and those who were not there
D) remembering where you parked your car in the parking lot at the shopping center

Accepted Answer

Recall refers to the ability to retrieve stored information and memories with or without cues or prompts.

Question 5

According to Lev Vygotsky, the process by which more experienced people transmit cultural information to children is called:
A) conservation
B) synchrony
C) guided participation
D) social referencing

Accepted Answer

Lev Vygotsky referred to the process by which more experienced people transmit cultural information to children as guided participation.

Question 6

The best example of a recognition task would be:
A) an essay test question
B) a short-answer test question
C) a multiple-choice test question
D) remembering to write one's

Accepted Answer

Recognition refers to the ability to correctly identify objects or situations previously experienced when they appear again.

Question 7

If you gave children a recall test and a recognition test, which group of children would probably perform the best?
A) younger children who had a recall test
B) younger children who had a recognition test
C) older children who had a recall test
D) older children who had a recognition test

Accepted Answer

In one classic study that compared recall versus recognition performance of younger and older children, in the recognition task where many objects were shown only once to children between the ages of 2 and 5, even the youngest children could correctly point to 81% of the objects as having been seen before; the older children recognized 92% of the objects. However, when children between the ages of 2 and 4 were asked to recall objects by naming them, 3-year-olds could name only 22% of the items and 4-year-olds only 40% (W. Schneider & Bjorklund, 1998). Subsequent research also has shown that younger children can be more easily lured away from correct recognitions by misleading questions.

Question 8

The best example of a recognition task would be:
A) remembering what one had from breakfast
B) remembering one's phone number
C) choosing the same tie from the closet that one wore yesterday
D) reciting the Pledge of Allegiance without making a mistake

Accepted Answer

Recognition refers to the ability to correctly identify objects or situations previously experienced when they appear again.

Question 9

Generalizing from research presented in the text, which of the following memory strategies would most likely lead a young child to the best recall of a group of common household items?
A) remembering that the items are all stored in the same place (e.g., in the junk drawer)
B) remembering that the items all begin with the same letter (e.g., the letter "b")
C) remembering that the items are all about the same size (e.g., all the size of a baseball)
D) remembering that the items are all used for the same purpose (e.g., that they are all containers that hold things)

Accepted Answer

As noted in the text, learning strategies that do appear to enhance children's ability to remember often involve organizing information according to spatial, rather than concept-related, cues.

Question 10

The difference between the child's actual developmental level and that child's potential level of development if guided by adults or older peers is called the:
A) intelligence quotient
B) intellectual gap
C) zone of potential development
D) zone of proximal development

Accepted Answer

The zone of proximal development is the difference between what a child can do on their own compared to what they can do with assistance from adults or older peers. This concept was developed by Lev Vygotsky, a famous developmental psychologist, who believed that children's learning and development are greatly influenced by social interactions and guidance from more knowledgeable individuals. Therefore, the zone of proximal development is an important concept in understanding how children learn and grow with the help of others.

Question 11

If you are presented with a series of photos and asked to select the photos of only those people who were in your high school graduating class, this task would primarily involve:
A) recall
B) relearning
C) recognition
D) functional subordination

Accepted Answer

Recognition refers to the ability to correctly identify objects or situations previously experienced when they appear again.

Question 12

Larsen states that he likes to give his students just enough "hints" so that they can figure out how to solve a difficult problem with a minimum of guidance. Dr. Larsen's approach best demonstrates the concept of:
A) automaticity
B) symbolic representation
C) conservation
D) scaffolding

Accepted Answer

Scaffolding refers to the progressive structuring of tasks by parents or others so that the level of task difficulty is appropriate.

Question 13

If you gave children a recall test and a recognition test, which group of children would probably perform the worst?
A) younger children who had a recall test
B) younger children who had a recognition test
C) older children who had a recall test
D) older children who had a recognition test

Accepted Answer

In one classic study that compared recall versus recognition performance of younger and older children, in the recognition task where many objects were shown only once to children between the ages of 2 and 5, even the youngest children could correctly point to 81% of the objects as having been seen before; the older children recognized 92% of the objects. However, when children between the ages of 2 and 4 were asked to recall objects by naming them, 3-year-olds could name only 22% of the items and 4-year-olds only 40% (W. Schneider & Bjorklund, 1998). Subsequent research also has shown that younger children can be more easily lured away from correct recognitions by misleading questions.

Question 14

Rickie can't figure out how to solve a math problem. His teacher gives Rickie a "hint" that helps him think a little differently about the problem, and now he solves it. Rickie's teacher has used a technique best described as:
A) scaffolding
B) proximal development
C) conservation
D) symbolic representation

Accepted Answer

Scaffolding refers to the progressive structuring of tasks by parents or others so that the level of task difficulty is appropriate.

Question 15

In comparison to Piaget's view of cognitive development, Lev Vygotsky's view put more emphasis on:
A) gender differences between boys and girls
B) whether children were raised in one-parent versus two-parent families
C) social factors involved in learning
D) egocentrism

Accepted Answer

As noted in the text, a limitation of Piaget's perspective is its rather narrow focus on the problem-solving aspects of cognitive development. Many contemporary theorists view cognitive developmental processes as also being social in nature, and they emphasize the important ways in which others in the child's environment influence the development of the child's thought processes. According to Vygotsky, children's thinking and social skills develop by participating in activities that are slightly beyond their competence, provided they are given the assistance of others who are more skilled and knowledgeable.

Question 16

According to the information-processing theory of memory, when a person is actively thinking about a problem, what part of the memory system is at work?
A) the encoding mechanism
B) the short-term memory
C) the long-term memory
D) the synaptic memory

Accepted Answer

When a person is actively thinking about a problem, they are using their short-term memory to hold and manipulate information in the present moment. The encoding mechanism is responsible for transferring information into long-term memory, which is not necessary for problem-solving in the moment. The synaptic memory refers to the physical changes in the connections between neurons that occur when memories are formed, and is not directly involved in active thinking or problem-solving.

Question 17

According to the information-processing view of memory, human memory operates much like:
A) a television camera
B) a telephone
C) a computer
D) a refrigerator

Accepted Answer

The information-processing view of memory suggests that human memory works much like a computer. Similar to how a computer processes, stores, and retrieves information, the brain processes, stores, and retrieves memories. This view emphasizes the importance of attention, encoding, storage, and retrieval processes in memory formation and consolidation.

Question 18

Which of the following would define the lowest point in a child's zone of proximal development, according to Vygotsky?
A) the problem is too hard for the child to solve, even with help
B) the child can solve the problem with no help from anyone
C) the child can solve the problem, but only if someone helps with the solution
D) the child can solve the problem without help 50% of the time

Accepted Answer

The lowest point in a child's zone of proximal development, according to Vygotsky, is when the child can solve the problem with no help from anyone. This indicates tasks that are within the child's current abilities and do not require assistance, thus not contributing to learning in the zone of proximal development.

Question 19

According to the text, memory processes reach nearly adult capabilities by about what age?
A) age 2 years
B) age 5 years
C) age 7 years
D) age 10 years

Accepted Answer

The text states that "by about age 7, memory processes reach nearly adult capabilities."

Question 20

Which of the following would define the highest point in a child's zone of proximal development, according to Vygotsky?
A) The problem is too hard for the child to solve, even with help.
B) The child can solve the problem with no help from anyone.
C) The child can solve the problem, but only if someone helps with the solution.
D) The child can solve the problem without help 50% of the time.

Accepted Answer

According to Vygotsky, the highest point in a child's zone of proximal development is when the child can solve a problem with the help of someone who is more knowledgeable or skilled than them, but cannot solve the problem on their own. This indicates that the child has the potential to learn and develop beyond their current ability level, but still requires support and guidance to do so. Choice C describes this scenario, whereas the other options either involve the problem being too difficult or too easy for the child.

Quiz 6: Early Childhood: Physical, Cognitive, and Language Development

When a young child learns to help fold laundry and put clothes away, cultural information is being transmitted. According to Vygotsky's view, this is best considered to be an example of:

One way of describing Piaget's and Vygotsky's views of childhood would be to note that Piaget saw children as _ whereas Vygotsky saw them as __.

If Lark is asked to tell her teacher what she had for breakfast that morning, this task would best be considered an example of:

The best example of a recall task would be:

According to Lev Vygotsky, the process by which more experienced people transmit cultural information to children is called:

The best example of a recognition task would be:

If you gave children a recall test and a recognition test, which group of children would probably perform the best?

The best example of a recognition task would be:

Generalizing from research presented in the text, which of the following memory strategies would most likely lead a young child to the best recall of a group of common household items?

The difference between the child's actual developmental level and that child's potential level of development if guided by adults or older peers is called the:

If you are presented with a series of photos and asked to select the photos of only those people who were in your high school graduating class, this task would primarily involve:

Larsen states that he likes to give his students just enough "hints" so that they can figure out how to solve a difficult problem with a minimum of guidance. Dr. Larsen's approach best demonstrates the concept of:

If you gave children a recall test and a recognition test, which group of children would probably perform the worst?

Rickie can't figure out how to solve a math problem. His teacher gives Rickie a "hint" that helps him think a little differently about the problem, and now he solves it. Rickie's teacher has used a technique best described as:

In comparison to Piaget's view of cognitive development, Lev Vygotsky's view put more emphasis on:

According to the information-processing theory of memory, when a person is actively thinking about a problem, what part of the memory system is at work?

According to the information-processing view of memory, human memory operates much like:

Which of the following would define the lowest point in a child's zone of proximal development, according to Vygotsky?

According to the text, memory processes reach nearly adult capabilities by about what age?

Which of the following would define the highest point in a child's zone of proximal development, according to Vygotsky?