Cognitive Perspective

Question 1

The Cognitive Perspective in developmental psychology primarily focuses on the analysis of _____.

Answer 1

thought processes

Question 2

According to the Organismic Model, are people viewed as active or reactive participants in their development?

Answer 2

Active

Question 3

Jean Piaget’s theory describes cognitive development as a series of _____.

Answer 3

qualitatively distinct stages

Question 4

Concept: Schema

Answer 4

Definition: An organized pattern of thought or behavior used to interpret and understand the world.

Question 5

In Piaget’s theory, the tendency to create categories or systems of knowledge is called _____.

Answer 5

Organization

Question 6

Piagetian Process: Adaptation

Answer 6

Definition: The process of handling new information in light of what is already known.

Question 7

Term: Assimilation

Answer 7

Definition: Taking in new information and incorporating it into existing cognitive structures.

Question 8

Term: Accommodation

Answer 8

Definition: Adjusting one’s cognitive structures to fit new information.

Question 9

The drive to achieve a balance between cognitive structures and new experiences is known as _____.

Answer 9

Equilibration

Question 10

What is the age range for Piaget’s Sensorimotor Stage?

Answer 10

Birth to 2 years

Question 11

What is the primary method infants use to learn during the Sensorimotor Stage?

Answer 11

Sensory and motor activity

Question 12

In the Sensorimotor Stage, what is a ‘circular reaction’?

Answer 12

An infant’s reproduction of an event originally discovered by chance.

Question 13

Which Sensorimotor substage involves infants exercising inborn reflexes and gaining some control over them?

Answer 13

Substage 1: Use of Reflexes

Question 14

Which Sensorimotor substage (1-4 months) focuses on the repetition of pleasurable actions discovered by chance, centered on the infant’s own body?

Answer 14

Substage 2: Primary Circular Reactions

Question 15

Which Sensorimotor substage (4-8 months) involves the repetition of actions to trigger a response outside the infant’s own body?

Answer 15

Substage 3: Secondary Circular Reactions

Question 16

Substage 4 of the Sensorimotor stage (8-12 months) is characterized by behavior that is deliberate and _____.

Answer 16

goal-oriented (or purposeful)

Question 17

Which Sensorimotor substage (12-18 months) is known as the ‘little scientist’ phase due to trial-and-error experimentation?

Answer 17

Substage 5: Tertiary Circular Reactions

Question 18

What signifies the transition from the Sensorimotor to the Preoperational stage in Substage 6?

Answer 18

The development of representational ability (symbolic thought).

Question 19

The realization that an object or person continues to exist when out of sight is called _____.

Answer 19

Object Permanence

Question 20

What is the ‘A-not-B error’ in Piagetian theory?

Answer 20

The tendency for infants to look for an object in the first hiding place even after seeing it moved.

Question 21

The reproduction of an observed behavior after the passage of time is known as _____.

Answer 21

Deferred Imitation

Question 22

Concept: Pictorial Competence

Answer 22

Definition: The ability to understand that pictures are symbols of something else.

Question 23

What is a ‘scale error’ in toddlers?

Answer 23

A momentary misperception of the relative sizes of objects (e.g., trying to sit in a dollhouse chair).

Question 24

Why do children under age 3 often fail tasks involving scale models according to the Dual Representation Hypothesis?

Answer 24

They struggle to mentally represent an object and its symbolic nature simultaneously.

Question 25

What is the age range for Piaget's Preoperational Stage?

Answer 25

2 to 7 years

Question 26

The 'Symbolic Function' in the Preoperational stage allows children to think about things in the absence of _____.

Answer 26

sensory or motor cues

Question 27

In the Preoperational stage, what is 'transductive reasoning'?

Answer 27

The tendency to mentally link particular phenomena, whether or not there is a logical causal relationship.

Question 28

Term: Identities (Piaget)

Answer 28

Definition: The understanding that people and things are basically the same even if they change in outward appearance.

Question 29

Term: Animism

Answer 29

Definition: The belief that inanimate objects have lifelike characteristics or feelings.

Question 30

The belief that environmental characteristics (like mountains or rain) are created by human actions is called _____.

Answer 30

Artificialism

Question 31

Piagetian Concept: Centration

Answer 31

Definition: The tendency to focus on one aspect of a situation and neglect others.

Question 32

In Piaget's theory, the inability to consider another person's point of view is known as _____.

Answer 32

Egocentrism

Question 33

What task did Piaget use to measure egocentrism in preoperational children?

Answer 33

The Three-Mountain Task

Question 34

Term: Conservation

Answer 34

Definition: The understanding that the quantity of an object remains the same despite changes in its appearance.

Question 35

Preoperational children fail conservation tasks because they lack the ability to _____, or focus on multiple dimensions at once.

Answer 35

decenter

Question 36

The failure to understand that an action can be undone to restore the original situation is called _____.

Answer 36

Irreversibility

Question 37

Concept: Theory of Mind

Answer 37

Definition: The awareness of one's own mental states and the understanding that others have different beliefs and intentions.

Question 38

At what approximate age do children generally begin to understand that others can have 'false beliefs'?

Answer 38

4 to 5 years

Question 39

What is the age range for Piaget's Concrete Operational Stage?

Answer 39

7 to 11 years

Question 40

Logical thinking in the Concrete Operational stage is limited to _____.

Answer 40

real, concrete situations (here and now)

Question 41

Piagetian Skill: Seriation

Answer 41

Definition: The ability to arrange objects in a series according to one or more dimensions (e.g., length or weight).

Question 42

What is 'Transitive Inference'?

Answer 42

Understanding the relationship between two objects by knowing the relationship of each to a third (e.g., if $A < B$ and $B < C$, then $A < C$).

Question 43

Term: Class Inclusion

Answer 43

Definition: The ability to understand the relationship between a whole and its parts (e.g., more flowers than roses).

Question 44

Type of Logic: Inductive Reasoning

Answer 44

Definition: Reasoning that moves from particular observations to a general conclusion about a class.

Question 45

Piaget believed that children in the Concrete Operational stage develop _____ reasoning, but cannot yet use _____ reasoning.

Answer 45

inductive; deductive

Question 46

What is the age range for Piaget's Formal Operational Stage?

Answer 46

11 years through adulthood

Question 47

What is the hallmark cognitive achievement of the Formal Operational stage?

Answer 47

Capacity for abstract thought

Question 48

Term: Hypothetical-Deductive Reasoning

Answer 48

Definition: A methodical, scientific approach to problem solving that involves developing and testing hypotheses.

Question 49

How does 'Deductive Reasoning' differ from 'Inductive Reasoning'?

Answer 49

Deductive reasoning moves from a general premise to a conclusion about a specific member.

Question 50

According to David Elkind, the belief of adolescents that they are special and their experience is unique is called the _____.

Answer 50

Personal Fable

Question 51

Adolescent Concept: Imaginary Audience

Answer 51

Definition: The assumption that everyone else is thinking about and observing them as much as they are.

Question 52

Postformal Thought is characterized by 'Dialectic Thinking,' which means it relies on logic as well as _____.

Answer 52

subjective experience and intuition

Question 53

What is the core emphasis of Lev Vygotsky's Sociocultural Theory?

Answer 53

Cognitive development as a collaborative process shaped by social and cultural contexts.

Question 54

Vygotsky's Concept: Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)

Answer 54

Definition: The gap between what a child can do alone and what they can accomplish with guidance.

Question 55

The temporary support or guidance provided to a learner to help them master a task is called _____.

Answer 55

Scaffolding

Question 56

In Vygotsky's theory, who is the 'More Knowledgeable Other' (MKO)?

Answer 56

An individual with a higher level of skill or understanding who provides guidance.

Question 57

How does Vygotsky's view of 'Private Speech' differ from Piaget's 'Egocentric Speech'?

Answer 57

Vygotsky viewed it as a tool for self-regulation and learning, whereas Piaget saw it as a sign of cognitive immaturity.

Question 58

Vygotsky's Language Stage: Social Speech

Answer 58

Age/Function: Starts at age 2; used for external communication with others.

Question 59

Vygotsky's Language Stage: Private Speech

Answer 59

Age/Function: Starts at age 3; directed to the self to serve an intellectual and problem-solving function.

Question 60

What happens to Private Speech around age 7 according to Vygotsky?

Answer 60

It 'goes underground' and transforms into silent inner speech for self-regulation.

Question 61

Contrast: Social Constructivism vs. Cognitive Constructivism

Answer 61

Social (Vygotsky) emphasizes social interaction in learning; Cognitive (Piaget) emphasizes individual discovery.

Question 62

Term: Guided Participation (Vygotsky)

Answer 62

Definition: Mutual interaction with adults that helps structure a child's activities and bridges the gap in understanding.

Question 63

In Piaget's theory, what is the role of language in cognitive development?

Answer 63

Language has a minimal role; cognition primarily directs language.

Question 64

In Vygotsky's theory, what is the role of language in cognitive development?

Answer 64

Language plays a major and powerful role in shaping thought.

Question 65

Which theory emphasizes the importance of universal stages of development: Piaget or Vygotsky?

Answer 65

Piaget

Question 66

According to Vygotsky, cognitive development is _____ across cultures.

Answer 66

different (variable depending on cultural tools)

Question 67

According to Piaget, cognitive development is _____ across cultures.

Answer 67

mostly universal

Question 68

What is the 'Zone of Actual Development' (ZAD)?

Answer 68

The level of tasks a learner can already perform independently.

Question 69

In the Contextual Perspective, Bronfenbrenner's theory is known as the _____.

Answer 69

Bioecological Theory

Question 70

Concept: Reciprocal Determinism (Bandura)

Answer 70

Definition: The bidirectional interplay between a person's personality, their behavior, and the environment.

Question 71

Piagetian Concept: Symbolic Schema

Answer 71

Definition: The ability to think about objects without their physical presence.

Question 72

What is the name of the cognitive system in Fuzzy-Trace Theory that represents the 'meaning or theme' of an event?

Answer 72

Gist-situational (or Gist-intuitional)

Question 73

In Fuzzy-Trace Theory, what is 'Verbatim Analytical' processing?

Answer 73

Cognitive processing that represents the specific details of an event.

Question 74

The awareness of one's own mental processes is called _____.

Answer 74

Metacognition

Question 75

Piaget's stage where children develop logical but not abstract thinking is the _____ Operational stage.

Answer 75

Concrete

Question 76

What Piagetian limitation is demonstrated when a child believes a taller glass has more juice than a wider glass of the same volume?

Answer 76

Centration

Question 77

In Piaget's view, a child who believes a car is 'hungry' for gas is exhibiting _____.

Answer 77

Animism

Question 78

The 'Three Interrelated Cognitive Processes' that drive growth in Piaget's theory are Organization, Adaptation, and _____.

Answer 78

Equilibration

Question 79

Term: Fast Mapping

Answer 79

Definition: The process by which a child absorbs the meaning of a new word after hearing it once or twice.

Question 80

What is the 'Pragmatics' of language?

Answer 80

The practical knowledge of how to use language to communicate effectively in different contexts.