Cognitive Development

Question 1

According to Piaget’s constructivist theory of cognitive development, the innate drive towards a state of cognitive equilibrium that provides the motivation for cognitive development is called.

Answer 1

Equilibration

Question 2

According to Piaget’s constructivist theory of cognitive development, when disequilibrium occurs, equilibrium is restored through two complimentary processes known together as…

Answer 2

Adaptation

Question 3

According to Piaget’s constructivist theory of cognitive development, this form of adaptation occurs when a child applies an existing cognitive schema to a new object or situation.

Answer 3

Assimilation

Question 4

According to Piaget’s constructivist theory of cognitive development, this form of adaptation occurs when a child modifies an existing cognitive schema to a new object or situation.

Answer 4

Accommodation

Question 5

According to Piaget’s constructivist theory of cognitive development, there are four universal stages of development, which are…

Answer 5

• Sensorimotor
• Preoperational
• Concrete operational
• Formal operational

Question 6

According to Piaget’s constructivist theory of cognitive development, this stage of development which involve the following primary accomplishments:

• Object permanence
• Representational (symbolic) thought
• Make-believe (pretend or symbolic) play
• Deferred imitation

Answer 6

Sensorimotor stage (age 0-2)

Question 7

According to Piaget’s constructivist theory of cognitive development, this stage of development which involve:

• cognitive increases but are limited by transductive reasoning and egocentrism, leading to magical thinking and animism
• children at this stage cannot conserve due to centration and irreversibility

Answer 7

Preoperational (2-7 years)

Question 8

According to Piaget’s constructivist theory of cognitive development, this stage of development which involve:

• logical thinking about perceived situations
• decentration
• reversibility

Answer 8

Concrete operational stage (7-12)

Question 9

According to Piaget’s constructivist theory of cognitive development, this stage of development which involve:

• imaginal reasoning about hypothetical situations
• Propositional thought

Answer 9

Formal operational stage (12+)

Question 10

According to Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of cognitive development, all learning occurs on two levels. In order, they are:

Answer 10

Interpersonal and then intrapersonal.

Question 11

According to Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of cognitive development, learning is optimal when it occurs within the child’s _____________. This includes make-believe (symbolic) play that allows them to try out new roles and behaviors, as well as appropriate assistance provided by others (scaffolding).

Answer 11

Zone of proximal development

Question 12

According to Vygotsky’s sociocultural theory of cognitive development, when a child utters words aloud to themself as a guide to their actions, this is called ______ and it is associated with grater effectiveness in problem solving.

Answer 12

Private speech

Question 13

This term refers to the phenomenon of most adults not being able to recall information from prior to approximately 3-4 years of age.

Answer 13

Childhood amnesia

Question 14

Research has found that, when older adults are asked to recall important events from their lives, the largest number of recalled events occurred during the ten-year period prior to being tested and the second largest number of recalled events occurred when they were between the ages of about 15 and 25. This is known as _______.

Answer 14

Reminiscence bump

Question 15

Studies have consistently found that older adults experience the greatest age-related decline in _____ memory, followed by the working memory aspect of _____ memory.

Answer 15

Recent long-term (secondary); short-term

Question 16

Studies in older adults found that the storage aspect of _____ memory and _____ memory are relatively unaffected by increasing age.

Answer 16

Short-term (primary); and remote long-term (tertiary)

Question 17

This is also referred to as explicit memory and includes episodic and semantic memory which consist of, respectively, memories for autobiographical events and memories for facts, concepts, and other kinds of knowledge.

Answer 17

Declarative memory

Question 18

This is also referred to as implicit memory and consists of procedural memory (memory for learned skills and actions), memories created by classical conditioning, and memories affected by priming (in which prior exposure to a stimulus increases subsequent recognition of that stimulus).

Answer 18

Nondeclarative memory

Question 19

Studies have found that the optimal time is related to differences in circadian rhythms and that peak circadian arousal and task performance is in the morning for older adults and in the late afternoon and evening for younger adults. This is known as:

Answer 19

synchronicity effect