Q&A Hero

Q: Object permanence is the: A. intentional, goal-directed action of infants. B. understanding that things continue to exist even when they cannot be seen or acted upon. C. cognitive achievement of the preoperational period. D. inability to distinguish between animate and inanimate objects.

Q: Before Piaget, children were generally thought of as: A. having their own logic and ways of knowing that change with time. B. actively constructing knowledge through interactions with the environment. C. passively shaped and molded by the environment. D. little scientists.

Q: Which of the following is a criticism of Piagets findings on object permanence? A. Mental representation of objects occurs earlier than Piaget suggested. B. Babies may not lack object permanence but rather lack the memory skills or motor skills to demonstrate their understanding. C. both of these D. neither of these

Q: Piaget initially studied childrens reasoning processes by using the ______ method. A. clinical interview B. experimental C. survey D. naturalistic observation

Q: All but which of the following are limitations of preoperational thought? A. egocentrism B. centration C. representational thinking D. animism

Q: Robert is the parent of a newborn. According to Piagets theory, Robert should expect his son to develop cognitively in which order? A. sensorimotor, preoperations, formal operations, concrete operations B. sensorimotor, preoperations, concrete operations, formal operations C. preoperations, formal operations, concrete operations, sensorimotor D. preoperations, sensorimotor, concrete operations, formal operations

Q: Jacqueline Piaget had a temper tantrum a day after she observed another child having one. Jacquelines father said this is an example of: A. symbolic representation. B. deferred imitation. C. object permanence. D. egocentrism.

Q: ______ are sets of physical actions, mental operations, concepts, or theories that people use to organize and acquire information about their world. A. Circular reactions B. Accommodations C. Assimilations D. Schemes

Q: You are a teacher of four-year-olds in preschool. Approximately how many words would you expect most children in your class to have in their vocabulary? A. 500 B. 1,000 C. 2,000 D. 4,000

Q: As children progress through Piagets stages, they: A. increase in their ability to use complex and abstract schemes. B. construct new schemes and reorganize existing schemes. C. both of these D. neither of these

Q: Emily, who is 5 years old, draws pictures of houses, animals, and people. Which stage of drawing is she most likely to be in? A. placement stage B. basic shapes C. design stage D. pictorial stage

Q: Two-year-old Jordan understands that balls roll and blocks do not roll. This is an example of ______ knowledge. A. logico-mathematical B. physical C. social D. innate

Q: As a kindergarten math teacher in the United States, you are aware of the differences in learning place value between Asian and U.S. children. Which of the following is a strategy you can use to help your students grasp place value concepts more effectively? A. Use counting words that resemble Asian languages, for example saying ten-one instead of eleven. B . Provide opportunities for your students to organize large numbers of items into units of ten. C. Use math manipulatives. D. All of these.

Q: According to Piaget, observation and experimentation are involved in developing ______ knowledge, and mental constructions and abstractions are involved in the development of ______ knowledge. A. physical/logico-mathematical B. physical/social C. social/logico-mathematical D. logico-mathematical/physical

Q: Piaget suggests that ______ are the two basic principles that guide childrens intellectual development. A. assimilation and accommodation B. reflective abstraction and equilibration C. organization and adaptation D. scaffolding and zone of proximal development

Q: Describe three genetic diseases and/or disorders, including a discussion of the mode of inheritance and incidence. Describe two prenatal tests that can help identify these disorders.

Q: Describe the three stages of prenatal development. How does the environment influence prenatal development? Discuss the possible effects of three teratogens.

Q: Given that the human brain is not fully mature until early adulthood, discuss various aspects of development at each of the following stages: infancy, early childhood, middle childhood, adolescence. What are some implications of this pattern of development for educators?

Q: Give an accurate account of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dispelling some of the myths that often surround the condition. What are some of the challenges faced by educators working with children with ADHD, and describe some of the effective treatments strategies.

Q: Adolescent response to puberty is affected by: A. the nature of pubertal changes. B. the timing of pubertal changes. C. societal expectations for their behavior during puberty. D. all of these.

Q: Define puberty and describe its typical pattern for males and females in adolescence. What is the psychological impact of puberty? What are the effects of early and late physical maturation?

Q: As a high school teacher, your best strategy for reducing conflict between you and your students is to: A. establish stricter rules and guidelines. B. be their friend. C. use humor to deflect conflicts. D. allow them some independence and control in the classroom.

Q: Provide an in-depth discussion of one of the following special health concerns for childhood and adolescence: eating disorders, substance abuse, sexual activity, depression. Your discussion should include a description of the concern, incidence, causes, and effects of the concern, as well as implications for educators.

Q: Dawn and Matt are parents of an early-maturing daughter, Susan. Based on research discussed in the text, what advice would you give them? A. Encourage Susan to become involved with older peers, as they are at her same level of maturity. B. Feel confident that Susan is likely to have high self-esteem, as she has a body that fits the societal idea of feminine beauty, compared to her late-maturing peers. C. both of these D. neither of these

Q: The constructivist approach to teaching involves all but which of the following? A. The teacher helps to focus the students attention. B. The teacher poses questions. C. The teacher tries to stretch the students thinking. D. The teacher directly transmits information to the student.

Q: During the past year, 13-year-old Amelia experienced a 25 percent increase in her body weight. This weight gain was associated with an increase in watching television, as well as decreased physical activity. Which eating disorder does Amelia have? A. menarche B. anorexia C. bulimia D. obesity

Q: Which statement is consistent with Piagets perspective on cognitive development in children? A. Cognitive development represents changes in the cultural tools children use to construct their knowledge of the world. B. Cognitive development involves major changes in the way information and knowledge is organized by children. C. Both statements are consistent with Piagets theory. D. Neither statement is consistent with Piagets theory.

Q: As a future high school teacher, you hope to increase your students sense of school connectedness. To accomplish your goal, you should: A. make every attempt to treat your students fairly. B. encourage your students to participate in school-sponsored activities. C. maintain an emotional distance from your students. D. both treat your students fairly and encourage them to participate in school-sponsored activities.

Q: Seventeen-year-old Sally engages in a pattern of binge eating followed by vomiting and laxatives to purge the food she has consumed. Sallys disorder is called: A. anorexia. B. bulimia. C. obesity. D. resiliency.

Q: Among adolescents, the most abused illicit drug is: A. alcohol. B. cocaine. C. tobacco. D. marijuana.

Q: Project Dare is a popular school-based program focused on reducing: A. sexual activity. B. drug use. C. eating disorders. D. suicide.

Q: At a recent party, 15-year-old Toby drank seven beers in a row. Tobys behavior is best described as: A. alcoholism. B. substance abuse. C. binge drinking. D. bulimia.

Q: By the twelfth grade, what percentage of teens report having had sexual intercourse? A. 33 B. 45 C. 65 D. 80

Q: As a school administrator designing a sex education program for your school district, you should do all of the following except: A. include training on decision-making and interpersonal skills needed to assert oneself in sexual matters and situations. B. provide information about sexuality and contraceptives. C. begin your program in the junior and senior years of high school. D. have a school-based health clinic where students can obtain contraceptives.

Q: Regarding suicide, which of the following statements is false? A. Suicide rates are higher among Native American adolescents than other ethnic groups. B. Homosexual youths are at greater risk for suicide than heterosexual youth. C. Because of their higher rates of depression, girls make more suicide attempts and commit suicide more often than boys. D. Suicide is the second leading cause of death among adolescents.

Q: Which of the following statements regarding language and communication disorders is true? A. Children with communication disorders experience numerous academic problems because language is critical in shaping cognitive development. B. Many students with communication disorders experience social interaction problems. C. IDEA stipulates that children between the ages of 3 and 5 years who need special services for communication disorders should receive them. D. All of these statements are true.

Q: Research demonstrates that how a child is perceived by others can be influences by: A. the childs attractiveness. B. the childs physical size. C. both the childs attractiveness and physical size. D. neither the childs attractiveness nor physical size.

Q: As a new teacher at Friendship Elementary School, you discover that 15 percent of the children are receiving medication for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. This discovery: A. shocks you, since you would expect only about 7 percent of the children to be receiving treatment for ADHD. B. surprises you, since this rate of ADHD students is lower than the national average. C. doesnt surprise you, since this is about the same percentage of students who are diagnosed with ADHD at a national level. D. doesnt concern you, as you are unlikely to interact with students who have ADHD.

Q: At puberty, females experience an increase in ______, and males experience an increase in ______. A. estrogen/estrogen B. estrogen/testosterone C. testosterone/estrogen D. testosterone/testosterone

Q: Which of the following statements is a misconception about ADHD? A. ADHD typically continues into adulthood. B. All children with ADHD are hyperactive. C. ADHD is most likely the result of hereditary factors. D. A highly structured classroom is recommended for students with ADHD.

Q: Which of the following statements about gender differences in physical development is false? A. Boys experience more growth in the size and capacity of their hearts and lungs. B. Gender differences in athletic abilities are best explained by biological differences between females and males. C. Boys have a higher muscle-to-fat ratio than do girls. D. Girls experience the growth spurt about two years earlier than boys.

Q: According to the DSM indicators for ADHD, all but which of the following are examples of problems with impulse control? A. blurting out answers before questions have been completed B. difficulty awaiting ones turn C. fidgeting with hands or feet or squirming in ones seat D. interrupting or intruding on others

Q: Given the research on adolescent sleep needs, if you were a school administrator, how would you adjust the typical pattern of school starting times in the U.S. today? A. begin school a little earlier B. begin school much earlier C. begin school later. D. keep the starting time the same

Q: Children with ADHD have shown the most improvement with which approach? A. medical management, including the use of drugs B. behavioral management practices at school and home C. psychological counseling D. the multimodal method, including medical treatment, behavior management, and psychological counseling

Q: All but which of the following are low-prevalence categories of exceptionality? A. severe and multiple disabilities B. physical disabilities C. deafness or hearing impairment D. communication disorders

Q: Congenital disorders are physical disabilities that are: A. resulting from unknown causes. B. caused by an accident. C. present at birth. D. caused by infancy and childhood diseases.

Q: Which of the following statements regarding autism is false? A. About 70 percent of autistic children have some degree of mental retardation. B. Autism is more common in girls than in boys, but when boys have the disorder they tend to have more severe symptoms. C. Autism is a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain. D. Children with high-functioning autism tend to be placed in regular classrooms.

Q: All but which of the following are examples of gross-motor skills? A. climbing up stair steps B. assembling a puzzle C. riding a bicycle D. playing dodge ball

Q: Ben can use his thumb and index finger to pick up small objects. This ability is called: A. the pincer grasp. B. hand dominance. C. the palmar grasp reflex. D. a proximal-distal pattern.

Q: By what age are most children ready to master cursive writing? A. 4 years B. 6 years C. 7 years D. 9 years

Q: Gender differences in motor skills during the childhood years are best explained by: A. practice and experience. B. interest. C. inborn differences between females and males. D. both practice/experience and interest.

Q: Research shows that regular breaks for physical activity and social interaction ______ elementary schoolchildrens attention to cognitively demanding tasks. A. decreases B. increases C. has no effect on D. none of these; the effect of breaks on attention has not been studied

Q: As a preschool teacher, you are required to provide more supervision for your students than the fifth- and sixth-grade teachers. This is because: A. there is a higher chance of injury for the age group you teach. B. preschool teachers typically get assigned more difficult tasks than teachers of older children. C. younger children are more likely to bicker and fight than older children. D. younger children are more easily distracted.

Q: Experts suggest that children should begin organized sports activities around age: A. 4 or 5 years, since their participation provides a foundation for learning teamwork skills. B. 6 or 7 years, when children are able to engage in cooperative play and have sufficiently developed motor skills. C. 8 or 9 years, so that children can reap the benefits of increased self-confidence and popularity. D. none of these

Q: You work as a preschool teacher. You notice that one of your 3-year-old students shows little interest in playing with peers or in combining toys and objects in imaginative play. The student had difficulty pronouncing words so that they are understandable. Based on your knowledge of special needs, you suspect that this student might have: A. a specific learning disability. B. a language and communication disorder. C. mental retardation. D. attention deficit disorder.

Q: The ______ principle states that growth starts at the head and moves downward. A. cephalocaudal B. proximal-distal C. puberty D. menarche

Q: A ______ is any environmental substance or disease that causes abnormal development of a fetus. A. teratogen B. genotype C. cephalocaudal pattern D. secular trend

Q: Regarding high-risk infants, which of the following statements is false? A. While prematurity and low birth weight are risk factors in a childs development, only the causes of low birth weight are well understood. B. In elementary school, children with low birth weights are more likely to have mild learning disabilities, attention problems, and language delays. C. More money is spent in the United States on preventing low birth weight than on keeping low-birth-weight infants alive. D. The U.S. infant mortality rate ranks highest among industrialized countries.

Q: The tiny gaps between neurons are called: A. neurotransmitters. B. myelination. C. plasticity. D. synapses.

Q: The ______ is to emotional response as the ______ is to balance and coordination. A. cerebellum/hippocampus B. amygdala/cerebellum C. hippocampus/corpus callosum D. frontal lobe/parietal lobe

Q: Psychologists use the term ______ to describe the ability of the young brain to change and adapt. A. habituation B. lateralization C. hemispheric specialization D. plasticity

Q: Which of the following statements regarding brain development is true? A. The right hemisphere of the brain controls language processes, whereas the left hemisphere processes spatial and visual information. B. The brains plasticity increases with age. C. The human brain is most open to change during early development. D. Researchers have found a link between hemispheric specialization and learning disabilities.

Q: As a new parent, you should expect your infant to prefer: A. stimuli that are familiar rather than new and complex. B. stimuli that are patterned over human faces. C. both familiar stimuli and patterned stimuli. D. neither familiar stimuli nor patterned stimuli.

Q: Dr. Gladstone is using the visual cliff to conduct an experiment on infant perceptual development. Which area of development is Dr. Gladstone studying? A. depth perception B. auditory perception C. taste perception D. touch sensitivity

Q: Which of the following statements regarding learning disabilities is true? A. Learning disabilities are partially caused by the childs lack of motivation and effort. B. Learning disabilities can be due to temporary causes. C. Children with learning disabilities typically have below average intelligence. D. All three statements are false.

Q: A child is not considered to have a learning disability if his or her learning difficulties can be attributed to: A. visual, hearing, or motor handicaps. B. emotional disturbances. C. a disordered home environment. D. any of these

Q: Chuck, a 13-year-old, has a learning disability for which he receives special services at school. When he was 5, it is likely that Chuck exhibited which developmental abnormality? A. problems with arousal, attention, and alertness B. difficulties with drawing, cutting, and printing letters C. speech delays and poor phonology D. delays in fine- and gross-motor skills

Q: Debbie, who is above average in intelligence, has difficulty composing complete, grammatical sentences. Additionally, she has problems spelling and learning vocabulary words. What type of specific learning disability does Debbie have? A. developmental mathematics disability B. developmental reading disability C. developmental writing disability D. none of these

Q: Claire, whose baby is at 13 weeks of gestation, is having a prenatal test. Her doctor inserts a hollow tube into the area surrounding the embryo and removes some material for genetic testing. Which procedure is Claire experiencing? A. ultrasound B. chorionic villi sampling C. amniocentesis D. alpha-fetoprotein testing

Q: Which statement regarding children with specific learning disabilities is true? A. Students with specific learning disabilities seldom experience social and emotional problems. B. Children with specific learning disabilities often attribute their successes to factors within their control. C. both of these D. neither of these

Q: During which stage of prenatal development does the zygote travel down the fallopian tube and implant itself on the uterine wall? A. embryonic B. fetal C. germinal D. mitosis

Q: Caroline just received an A on her social studies essay. Which of the following statements reflects Caroline exhibiting an external locus of control? A. I studied the topic really hard. B. I have good writing skills, which helped me prepare a good essay. C. Im so smart! D. I was really lucky!

Q: Which embryonic layer becomes the nervous system and skin? A. mesoderm B. ectoderm C. endoderm D. teratogen

Q: Screening for language and communication disorders is most common in: A. prekindergarten. B. kindergarten. C. second grade. D. fifth grade.

Q: Tristan has just visited her obstetrician, where she was able to hear her babys heartbeat. She has also begun to feel the baby moving. In which week of pregnancy would you estimate Tristan to be? A. 3 to 4 weeks B. 8 to 12 weeks C. 20 weeks D. 30 weeks

Q: Describe the typical differences in math and science performance between students in Japan and students in the United States. What does research suggest regarding the causes of these differences? List the three lessons suggested by James Stigler and his colleagues based on their videotape study of mathematics classrooms.

Q: Discuss four factors that are influencing the current status of children and adolescents in American society today. What are the implications of these trends for schools?

Q: Compare and contrast cognitive and contextual theories of child development. Which theory do you think best explains child development? Why?

Q: What is action research? Discuss the steps involved in action research. Describe the action research study at Billabong Elementary discussed in the text.

Q: Which of the following statements regarding prenatal development is false? A. It covers the period from conception to birth. B. It follows a universal pattern. C. It is directed mainly by environmental influences. D. It is divided into three major stages.