Cognitive Development

According to Piaget, what is an important accomplishment at the preoperational stage?

• Conserving mass and weight

• Thinking symbolically

• Testing hypotheses

• Thinking logically

A student understands that a deflated balloon can be inflated with air. According to Piaget, which cognitive level is this student demonstrating?

• Sensorimotor

• Preoperational

• Concrete operational

• Formal operational

According to Vygotsky, what should a teacher do to help a student move through the zone of proximal development?

• Provide instructional scaffolding

• Provide instruction at the current level

• Encourage self-direction activities

• Encourage discovery learning

Which behavior would Piaget classify as characteristic of the concrete operational cognitive development stage?

• Explaining the commutative property in addition

• Explaining the concept of religious freedom

• Using theorems to develop geometric proofs

• Providing evidence to prove a thesis statement

According to Vygotsky's theory, which child is experiencing learning from "a more knowledgeable other?"

• A child reading a story to a younger sister

• A child watching parents brush their teeth

• A child playing a game with a sibling

• A child practicing spelling words with a friend

A teacher pours juice for Alice in a tall, narrow glass and for William in a short, squat glass. Although both glasses contain the same amount of juice, William exclaims, "Hey! No Fair! I have less than Alice!" Which of Piaget's developmental stages is William in?

• Formal operational

• Preoperational

• Concrete operational

• Sensorimotor

Diego knows that a horse is a large animal with four legs, a tail, and body hair. The first time he sees a cow, he calls it a horse. The word "horse" fits with Diego's schema for the characteristics of a cow.

• True

• False

Which statement accurately summarizes Vygotsky's thinking on cognitive development?

• There is little relationship between language and cognitive development

• Children learn best when they are left alone to make new discoveries

• Much learning occurs via social interaction

• Higher mental functions are innate

As Mei sits at a table alone drawing a picture of a house, she says aloud, "First I will draw a square. Now I will add the roof. I will put a chimney on top. Then I will put in some windows." Mei is engaging in social speech.

• True

• False

What is the zone of proximal development?

• The level of development far beyond where a learner is currently functioning

• The level of development just below where a learner is currently functioning

• The level of development just above where a learner is currently functioning

• The level of development a learner has currently achieved