Topic 3.4: Cognitive Development Across the Lifespan

What is the primary focus of Jean Piaget's theory of cognitive development?

• The influence of language

• The role of social interactions

• The impact of cultural context

• A series of distinct stages

According to Piaget, what is the process of modifying a schema to include new information called?

• Assimilation

• Accommodation

• Equilibration

• Conservation

During which stage do children begin to understand that their movements are tied to sensory satisfaction?

• Sensorimotor stage

• Formal operational stage

• Concrete operational stage

• Preoperational stage

What is the term for the understanding that objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen?

• Animism

• Conservation

• Object permanence

• Egocentrism

What is a characteristic behavior of children in the preoperational stage?

• Abstract reasoning

• Stranger anxiety

• Pretend play

• Logical operations

What is the belief that inanimate objects have feelings and humanlike qualities called?

• Conservation

• Assimilation

• Animism

• Egocentrism

What is the term for a child's inability to see a situation from another's point of view?

• Egocentrism

• Animism

• Object permanence

• Accommodation

Which test is used to determine if children have acquired a theory of mind?

• Binet's intelligence test

• Piaget's conservation task

• Sally–Anne test

• Vygotsky's social interaction test

What cognitive ability begins to decline after middle age?

• Problem-solving ability

• Accumulated intelligence

• Perceptual skills

• Language learning

What mnemonic device helps remember the difference between assimilation and accommodation?

• Double m's for 'modifies memory' and double c's for 'changes concept'

• Double a's for 'always adapting' and double c's for 'constant change'

• Double s's for 'stays the same' and double c's for 'creates change'

• Double i's for 'integrates information' and double c's for 'categorizes change'