Chapter 4

Question 1

The process by which people translate incoming information into a form that fits concepts they already understand

Answer 1

Assimilation

Question 2

The process by which people adapt current knowledge structures in response to new experiences.

Answer 2

Accommodation

Question 3

The process by which children (or other people) balance assimilation and accommodation to create stable understanding.

Answer 3

Equilibration

Question 4

the period (from birth to 2 years) within Piaget’s theory in which intelligence is expressed through sensory and motor ability.

Answer 4

Sensorimotor Stage

Question 5

the period (2 to 7 years ) within Piaget’s theory in which children become able to represent their experiences in language, mental imagery, and symbolic thought.

Answer 5

Pre operational stage

Question 6

the period (7-12 years) within Piaget’s theory in which children become able to reason logically about concrete objects and eventsStage

Answer 6

Concrete Operational Stage

Question 7

the period (12 years and beyond) within Piaget’s theory in which people become able to think about abstractions and hypothetical situations

Answer 7

Formal Operational Stage

Question 8

the knowledge that objects continue to exist even when they are out of view

Answer 8

Object Permanence

Question 9

the tendency to reach for a hidden object where it was last found rather than in the new location where it was last hidden

Answer 9

A-not-B error

Question 10

the repetition of other people’s behavior a substantial time after it originally occurred.

Answer 10

Deferred imitation

Question 11

the use of one object to stand for another

Answer 11

symbolic representation

Question 12

the tendency to perceive the world sole from one’s own point of view

Answer 12

egocentrism

Question 13

the tendency to focus on a single, perceptually striking feature of an object or event

Answer 13

centration

Question 14

the idea that merely changing the appearance of objects does not necessarily change other key properties

Answer 14

conservation concept

Question 15

a class of theories that focus on the structure of the cognitive system and the mental activities used to deploy attention and memory to solve problems

Answer 15

information-processing theories

Question 16

the research technique of identifying goals, relevant information in the environment, and potential processing strategies for a problem

Answer 16

task analysis

Question 17

the process of attaining a goal by using a strategy to overcome an obstacle

Answer 17

problem solving

Question 18

memory system that involves actively attending to, gathering, maintaining, storing, and processing information

Answer 18

working memory

Question 19

information retained on an enduring basis

Answer 19

long-term memory

Question 20

the simplest and most frequently used mental activities

Answer 20

basic processes

Question 21

the process of representing in memory information that draws attention or is considered important

Answer 21

encoding

Question 22

the process of repeating information multiple times to aid memory of it

Answer 22

rehearsal

Question 23

the process of intentionally focusing on the information that is most relevant to the current goal

Answer 23

selective attention

Question 24

an information-processing approach that emphasizes the variability of children’s thinking

Answer 24

overlapping-waves theory

Question 25

approaches that emphasize that other people and the surrounding culture contribute greatly to children’s development.

Answer 25

sociocultural theories

Question 26

a process in which more knowledgeable individuals organize activities in ways that allow less knowledgeable people to learn.

Answer 26

guided participation

Question 27

the innumerable products of human ingenuity that enhance thinking.

Answer 27

cultural tools

Question 28

the second phase of Vgotsky’s internalization-of thought process, in which children develop their self-regulation and problem-solving abilities by telling themselves aloud what to do, much as their parents did in the first stage

Answer 28

private speech

Question 29

the mutual understanding that people share during communication

Answer 29

intersubjectivity

Question 30

a process in which social partners intentionally focus on a common referent in the external environment

Answer 30

joint attention