Chapter 5

Question 1

Perception

Answer 1

The cognitive process or organizing, coordinating, and interpreting sensory information.

Question 2

Preforational-looking technique

Answer 2

Technique used to test infant visual perception. If infants consistently look longer at some patterns than at others, researchers infer that the infants can see the difference between these patterns.

Question 3

Habituation-dishabituation technique

Answer 3

Test used to test infant perception. Infants are shown a stimulus repeatedly until they respond less (habituate) to it. Then a new stimulus is presented.

Question 4

Habituation

Answer 4

The tendency of infants to reduce their response to stimuli that are presented repeatedly.

Question 5

Dishabituation

Answer 5

The recovery or increase of infant’s response when a familiar stimulus is replaced by one that is novel.

Question 6

Intermodal perception

Answer 6

The process of combining or interrogating information across sensory modalities.

Question 7

Constructivist view

Answer 7

The view that people construct their own knowledge and understanding of the world by using what they already know and understand to interpret new experiences.

Question 8

Scheme

Answer 8

An organized pattern of physical or mental action.

Question 9

Organization

Answer 9

The tendency to integrate separate elements into increasingly complex higher-order structures.

Question 10

Adaptation

Answer 10

In cognitive development, the process of changing a cognitive structure or the environment (or both) in order to understand the environment.

Question 11

Assimilation

Answer 11

The process of bringing new objects or information into a scheme that already exists.

Question 12

Accommodation

Answer 12

The process of modifying old schemes or creating new ones to better fit assimilated information.

Question 13

Equilibration

Answer 13

The dynamic process of moving between states of cognitive disequilibrium and equilibrium.

Question 14

Reflective abstraction

Answer 14

The process of noticing and thinking about the implications of information and experiences.

Question 15

Sensorimotor thought

Answer 15

Thought that is based only on sensory input and physical (motor) actions.

Question 16

Symbolic (representational) thought

Answer 16

The ability to form symbols (or mental representations) that stand for objects or even in the world.

Question 17

Object permanence

Answer 17

The fact that objects, events, and people continue to exist even when they are out of a child’s direct line of sensory input or motor action.

Question 18

Language

Answer 18

An arbitrary system of symbols (words) that is rule-governed and allows communication about things that are distance in time or space.

Question 19

Learning theory

Answer 19

Theory that sees language as a skilled behavior that children learn through operational conditioning, imitation, and modeling.

Question 20

Nativist theory

Answer 20

Theory that sees language as an innate human capability that develops when language input triggers a “language acquisition device” in the brain.

Question 21

Language acquisition device (LAD)

Answer 21

A brain mechanism in humans that is specialized for acquiring and processing language.

Question 22

Piaget’s cognitive developmental theory

Answer 22

Theory that sees language as one of several abilities that depend on overall cognitive development. Proper cognitive development is a necessary prerequisite for normal language development.

Question 23

Social interactionist theory

Answer 23

Theory proposing that language development results from the interaction of biological and social factors and that social interaction is required.

Question 24

Holophrases

Answer 24

Single words used to express an entire idea or expression.

Question 25

Telegraphic speech

Answer 25

Speech that includes only words that are essential to get the meaning across, leaving out unessential words.