Topic 5: Physical and Cognitive Development in Early Childhood

Question 1

________ occurs when neurons that are seldom stimulated lose their connective fibers.

Cortical overproduction
Synaptic pruning
Cerebral dominance
Lateralization

Answer 1

Synaptic pruning

Question 2

Piaget believed that through ________, young children practice and strengthen newly acquired representational schemes.

talking with others
chance encounters
artistic expression
make-believe play

Answer 2

make-believe play

Question 3

According to Vygotsky, children’s learning takes place ________.

within the zone of proximal development
through independent activity
through reinforcement and punishment
primarily through acting on the environment

Answer 3

within the zone of proximal development

Question 4

In child-centered preschool and kindergarten programs, ________.

teachers rely on repetition and drill
teachers structure children’s learning
children learn through formal lessons
much learning takes place through play

Answer 4

much learning takes place through play

Question 5

researcher shows 3-year-old Emilia two small boxes—a familiar crayon box and a plain, unmarked box. When the researcher asks Emilia to pick the box with the crayons in it, Emilia picks the familiar box. The researcher then shows Emilia that the familiar box is empty and the unmarked box contains crayons. Finally, the researcher introduces Emilia to a puppet named Betty and asks, “Where do you think Betty will look for the crayons?” The researcher is testing Emilia’s grasp of ________.

irreversibility
conservation
class inclusion
false beliefs

Answer 5

false beliefs

Question 6

Between ages 2 and 6, the brain increases from 70 of its adult weight to …, percent.

90
100
80

Answer 6

90

Question 7

Children experience rapid growth of ……. from early to middle childhood in prefrontal-cortical areas devoted to executive function.
Language skills expand rapidly in early childhood.

Answer 7

Neurons

Question 8

The cerebellum, a structure at the rear and base of the brain, aids in balance and control of body movement.

Cerebellum
Reticular formation
Synapses
Neuron

The hippocampus, which plays a vital role in memory and in images of space that help us find our way, undergoes rapid synapse formation and myelination in the second half of the first year.
Production of synapses and myelination of the corpus callosum peak between 3 and 6 years.

Answer 8

cerebellum

Question 9

The ………….., which maintains alertness and consciousness, generates synapses and myelinates from infancy into the twenties.

Cerebellum
Reticular formation
hippocampu
Neuron

Answer 9

Reticular formation

Question 10

The …….. an inner brain structure that plays a central role in processing of novelty and emotional information, forms connections with the prefrontal cortex and myelinates throughout childhood and adolescence.

Reticular formation
hippocampus
amygdala

Answer 10

amygdala

Question 11

The ……….., which plays a vital role in memory and in images of space that help us find our way, undergoes rapid synapse formation and myelination in the second half of the first year.

Cerebellum
hippocampus
amygdala

Answer 11

hippocampus

Question 12

Production of synapses and myelination of the ……………..peak between 3 and 6 years.

corpus callosum
Neurons
Neurotrnsmitters

Answer 12

corpus callosum

Question 13

The ……………., located at the base of the brain, releases two hormones that induce growth: growth hormone (GH) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH).

pituitary gland
corpus callosum
Thyroid

Answer 13

pituitary gland,

Question 14

By age ….., children’s gaits become smooth and rhythmic, enabling them to run, jump, hop, gallop, and skip.

2
6
8

Answer 14

2

Question 15

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is defined by

Developing fine and gross motor skills
Characterised by multiple disturbances of gross and fine motor control.
Is normal; in all children under 5

Answer 15

Characterised by multiple disturbances of gross and fine motor control.

Question 16

what does this describe:

Gross motor disturbances - poor timing and impaired balance, resulting in tripping over one’s feet.
Fine Motor symptoms =-problems with manipulation and dexterity which can interfere with handwriting and many activities of daily life

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
Attachment Disorder
Delayed Information Processing

Answer 16

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)

Question 17

What are the below symptoms describing?

an also include impaired control of the vocal apparatus - difficulty suppressing breathing and salivation while speaking.

or timing and impaired balance, resulting in tripping over one’s feet.

problems with manipulation and dexterity which can interfere with handwriting and many activities of daily life.

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)
Intellectual disability
Delayed Information Processing

Answer 17

Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)

Question 18

Piaget’s preoperational stage, spanning the years ………… is marked by an extraordinary increase in representational, or symbolic, activity.

0-6
2-7
9-14

Answer 18

2-7

Question 19

Piaget………….stage

Pretend play detaches from the real-life conditions associated with it,becomes less self-centered, and
includes more complex combinations of schemes.
In sociodramatic play, children display awareness that make-believe is a representational activity. Until about age 3, most children have trouble with dual representation.
Piaget believed that young children’s thinking is rigid and strongly influenced by egocentrism.
………… children are not yet capable of conservation. Their thinking is characterised by centration and irreversibility, and they have difficulty with hierarchical classification.
Researchers have challenged Piaget’s view of pre-schoolers as cognitively deficient, noting that on simplified tasks with familiar objects, 3-year-olds show clear awareness of others’ vantage points.

Sensorimotor
Concrete operational
Adolescense
Preoperational

Answer 19

Preoperational

Question 20

Unlike Piaget, who called children’s self-directed utterances egocentric speech, Vygotsky believed that children speak to themselves for self-guidance. Reflecting Vygotsky’s perspective, children’s self-directed speech is now called ……….

private speech.
Self talk
Oustpokeness

Answer 20

private speech.

Question 21

……….. believed that children’s learning takes place within the zone of proximal development, in which the adult engages in SCAFFOLDING, adjusting the support offered during a teaching session to fit the child’s current level of performance.

Answer 21

Vygotsky

Question 22

Vygotsky’s theory underscores the power of teaching and the wide cultural variation in children’s cognitive skills.
Vygotsky’s theory says little about how basic motor, perceptual, attention, memory, and problem-solving skills contribute to socially transmitted higher cognitive processes, an area to which ……… paid far more attention.

Answer 22

Piaget

Question 23

The components of …………are closely interrelated in early childhood and contribute vitally to academic and social skills.

executive function
Sociability
Cognitive awareness

Answer 23

executive function

Question 24

………. exerts a negative impact on executive function through maladaptive parenting practices and chronic stress.

Poverty
Poor parenting
Malnutrition

Answer 24

Poverty

Question 25

Preschoolers’ recognition memory is remarkably good, but their recall is much poorer because they are not yet skilled at using ……….

memory strategies.
Brain power
Concentration

Answer 25

memory strategies

Question 26

As representation, memory, and problem solving improve, children start to reflect on their own thought processes and construct a theory of mind, or …………

metacognition.
metercongition
memory strategies

Answer 26

metacognition.

Question 27

Factors that contribute to the development of ……………….include:
• language and verbal reasoning,
• executive function,
• parent–child conversations about mental states,
• make-believe play
• social interaction with siblings, friends, and adults.

Secure Attachment
Emotional regulation
theory of mind

Answer 27

theory of mind

Question 28

Core knowledge theorists believe that to profit from social experiences, children must be biologically prepared to develop a theory of mind. In this view, children with ……… are deficient in the brain mechanisms that enable humans to detect mental states.

Adversity
Austism
Physical disabilities

Answer 28

Austism

Question 29

Many children during early childhood are enrolled in preschool or child care. In child-centered programs, teachers provide activities from which children select, and much learning takes place through play. In ………. programs, teachers structure children’s learning of academic skills through formal lessons.
Research indicates that extensive academic training undermines young children’s motivation and emotional wellbeing.

Maths
Academic
structured

Answer 29

Academic

Question 30

In child development………….
encourage imagination and creativity
Support social and emotional development
Improve language and communication skills
Develop thinking, learning and problem solving abilities
enhance physical development

Choose one of the following:
Pretend Play
Structures learning
Positive parenting techniques

Answer 30

Pretend Play