Chapter 3: 3.4-3.5

Question 1

Emerging adulthood

Answer 1

A socially accepted period of extended adolescence that is now quite common in Western and Westernized societies.

Question 2

Biological predisposition

Answer 2

The presumed hereditary readiness of humans to learn certain skills, such as how to use language or a readiness to behave in particular ways.

Question 3

Signals

Answer 3

In early language development, behaviors, such as touching, vocalizing, gazing, or smiling, that allow nonverbal interaction and turn-taking between parent and child.

Question 4

Motherese (parentese)

Answer 4

A pattern of speech used when talking to infants, marked by a higher-pitched voice; short, simple sentences; repetition; slower speech; and exaggerated voice inflections.

Question 5

Schema

Answer 5

A mental structure composed of an organized learned body
of knowledge or skills about a particular topic, according to Piaget.

Question 6

Assimilation

Answer 6

The application of an established schema to new
objects or problems, according to Piaget.

Question 7

Accommodation (learning)

Answer 7

Modification of an established
schema to fit a new object or problem, according to Piaget

Question 8

Sensorimotor stage

Answer 8

Piaget’s initial stage of development, when the infant’s mental activity is only sensory perception and motor skills.

Question 9

Object permanence

Answer 9

Recognizing that physical things continue to exist, even when they are no longer visible.

Question 10

Preoperational stage

Answer 10

Piaget’s second stage of cognitive development, characterized by the use of symbols and illogical thought.

Question 11

Transformation (Piagetian)

Answer 11

The mental ability to change the shape or form of a substance (such as clay or water) and to perceive that its volume remains the same

Question 12

Egocentrism

Answer 12

The belief that everyone sees exactly what you see in
the physical world, or that they think about the world in the same way that you do.

Question 13

Theory of mind

Answer 13

The understanding that people have mental states, such as thoughts, beliefs, and intentions and that other people’s mental states can be different from one’s own

Question 14

Concrete operational stage

Answer 14

Piaget’s third stage of cognitive
development, characterized by logical thought.

Question 15

Conservation

Answer 15

Piaget’s term for the awareness that physical quantities stay constant despite changes in shape or appearance.

Question 16

Formal operational stage

Answer 16

Piaget’s fourth stage of cognitive
development, characterized by the ability to engage in thinking that includes abstract, theoretical, and hypothetical ideas.

Question 17

Zone of proximal development

Answer 17

A term referring to the range
of tasks that a child cannot yet master alone, but that she or he can accomplish with the guidance of a more capable partner

Question 18

Scaffolding

Answer 18

The process of adjusting instruction so that it is
responsive to a beginner’s behavior and supports the beginner’s efforts to understand a problem or gain a mental skill.

Question 19

Moral development

Answer 19

The development of values that, along with appropriate emotions and cognitions, guide responsible behavior.

Question 20

Preconventional moral reasoning

Answer 20

Moral thinking based on the
consequences of one’s choices or actions (punishment, reward, or an exchange of favors).

Question 21

Conventional moral reasoning

Answer 21

Moral thinking based on a
desire to please others or to follow accepted rules and values.

Question 22

Postconventional moral reasoning

Answer 22

Moral thinking based on
carefully examined and self-chosen moral principles