Chapter 3

Question 1

maturation

Answer 1

Process by which abilities develop through genetically based development with limited influence from the environment.

Question 2

assimilation

Answer 2

the cognitive process that occurs when new information is altered to fit an existing scheme.

Question 3

accommodation

Answer 3

The cognitive process that occurs when a scheme is changed to adapt to new information.

Question 4

sensorimotor stage

Answer 4

Cognitive stage in first 2 years of life that involves learning how to coordinate the activities of the senses with motor activities.

Question 5

preoperational stage

Answer 5

Cognitive stage from ages 2 to 7 during which the child becomes capable of representing the world symbolically - for example through the use of language- but is till very limited in ability to use mental operations.

Question 6

concrete operations

Answer 6

Cognitive stage form ages 7 to 11 in which children learn to use mental operations but are limited to applying them to concrete, observable situations rather than hypothetical situations.

Question 7

formal operations

Answer 7

Capable of THINKING LOGICALLY and abstractly, capable of formulating hypotheses and testing them systematically; thinking is more complex, and can think about thinking (metacognition).

Ages 11-15/20

Question 8

metacognition

Answer 8

the capacity for “thinking about thinking” that allows adolescence and adults to reason about their thought process monitor them.

Question 9

individual differences

Answer 9

Approach to research that focuses on how individuals differ within a group, for example, in performance on IQ tests.

Question 10

postformal thinking

Answer 10

The type of thinking beyond formal operations, involving greater awareness of the complexity of real-life situations, such as in the use of pragmatism and reflective judgement.

Question 11

pragmatism

Answer 11

Type of thinking that involves adapting logically thinking to the practical constraints of real-life situations.

Question 12

reflective judgement

Answer 12

The capacity to evaluate the accuracy and logical coherence of evidence and arguments.

Question 13

social cognition

Answer 13

How people think about other people, social relationships, and social institutions.

Question 14

perspective talking

Answer 14

The ability to understand the thoughts and feelings of others.

Question 15

adolescence egocentrism

Answer 15

Type of egocentrism in which adolescence have difficulty distinguishing their thinking about their own thoughts from their thinking about the thoughts of others.

Question 16

imaginary audience

Answer 16

Belief that others are acutely aware of and attentive to one’s appearance and behavior.

Question 17

personal fable

Answer 17

A belief in one’s personal uniqueness, often including a sense of invulnerability to the consequences of taking risks.

“won’t happen to me”

Question 18

optimistic bias

Answer 18

The tendency to assume that accidents, diseases, and other misfortunes are more likely to happen to other people than to one’s self.

Adolescence have a much stronger optimistic bias than adults.

Question 19

hypothetical-deductive reasoning

Answer 19

Piaget’s term for the process by which the formal operational thinker systematically tests possible solutions to a problem and arrives at an answer that can be defined and explained.

Question 20

egocentrism

Answer 20

EXTREME self consciousness.
Believe others are as interested in you as you are.
Profound sense of uniqueness.

Question 21

pseudostupidity

Answer 21

“Over” reasoning.

Complicated reasoning for simple problems.

Question 22

mutual perspective talking

Answer 22

Stage of perspective talking, often found in early adolescence, in which persons understand that their perspective talking interactions with others are mutual, in the sense that each side realizes that the other can take their perspective.

Question 23

scaffolding

Answer 23

The degree of assistance provided to the learner in the zone of proximal development, gradually decreasing as the learners skills develop.

Question 24

zone of proximal development

Answer 24

The gap between how competently a person performs a task alone and when guided by an adult or more competent peer.

Question 25

guided participation

Answer 25

The teaching interaction between two people (often an adult and a child or adolescent) as they participate in a culturally valued activity.

Question 26

hypocrisy

Answer 26

Ridicule others for “stupid” behavior.

Engage in the “stupid” behavior or endorse it.