Practice test #12 - Middle Childhood: Cognitive Development

Note: These questions are part of a larger data base of questions on Chapter 12 & are selected to represent 
the type of question you should expect on unit exam four. You can, in fact, expect to see many of these very same 
questions on that exam. Exam questions, however, may deal with topics not covered in the self tests or in lectures 
but are discussed in your textbook. You are responsible for the content of your text book plus the content of lectures, 
interactive activities, & material on the web site.

Use these sample questions to test yourself & to practice for the test. 

1. Compared to younger children, children over 6 are

 fatter.
  more egocentric.
   quicker thinkers.
    less teachable.

2. Information-processing theory likens many aspects of human thinking to

 animals.
 computers.
 companies.
 teams.

3. Ignoring distractions & focusing on essential information is called

 intentional learning.
 concentration learning.
 incidental attention.
 selective attention. 

4. Which of the following is the best example of automatization?

 Kurt concentrates intensely while tying his shoes.
 Kyle immediately knows the 6 x 8 = 48.
 Kim chooses a different route to school each day.
 Emma's mother allows her to pick out his clothes each day.

5. Metacognition refers to

 better problem-solving abilities.
 better problem-solving strategies.
 thinking about thinking.
 considering multiple alternatives.

6. All information in the sensory register

 stays for about 10 seconds,
 disappears in half a second or less.
 is passed along to short-term memory.
 is lost, discarded, or transferred to short-term memory.

7. When capable of concrete operational thought, Children

 can reason about abstractions.
 may be misled by appearances.
 are limited to intuitive perceptual focusing.
 can apply their reasoning to real situations.

8. The Piagetian concept that certain characteristics of an object remain the same despite changes in the object's
appearance is

a object permanence.
b reversibility.
c reciprocity.
d identity.

9. Because she understands reversibility, Lillian believes that

 she can rebuild her snowman if she doesn't like it.
 her brother will get in trouble if he breaks something.
 she can wear her clothes inside out.
 adults never grow younger.

10. Which information is most likely to be in your current working memory?

 the answer to this question
 everything you see right now
 where you saw the term "working memory"
 the theme of your favorite tv show.

11. In the ESL approach

 children work with a tutor.
 the goal is to master English in two years.
 the teacher speaks the child's native language to some degree.
 the teacher may not speak the child's native language.

12. Children in Japan & China score higher in Math & Science than Childrenin the US because they

 have higher aptitudes.
 never watch tv.
 spend more time on school work.
 receive more individual attention from their teachers.

13. Many people believe that children learn better in small classes. Research

•  is inconclusive. 
 •  supports this conclusion. 
  •  does not support this conclusion. 
   •  has not been done that would prove or disprove this hypothesis.

14.  The "reading Wars" pit advocates of _________ against advocates of the __________ approach.

•  phonemes; morphemes 
 •  phonics; whole-language 
  •  behaviorism; information-processing theory 
   •  letter-sound correspondences; experience-expectant

15.  In the U.S. ___ % of the school population are English-language learners (ELLs formally called LEPs).

•  2 
 •  4 
  •  10 
   •  15
  
 16. Term for the ability to monitor and ajust one"s cognitive performance - to think about thinking - is

•  pragmatics. 
 •  information processing. 
  •  selective attention. 
   •  metacognition.

17. Which aspect of memory is most likely to change during the school years?

•  sensory memory 
 •  long-term memory 
  •  the speed and efficiency of working memory 
   • all of these aspects change

18. Which theorist believed that culture (tools, customs, and people) teach children best?

•  Pieget 
 •  Vygotsky 
  •  Skinner 
   • Chromsky

19. Which of the following terms does NOT belong with the others?

•  selective attention 
 •  metacognition 
  •  emotional regulation 
   •  knowledge base

20. Research regarding Piaget's theory has found that

•  cognitive development seems to be considerably less affected by socialcultural factors than Piaget's descriptors imply. 
•  the movement to a new level of thinking is much more erratic than Piaget predicted. 
•  there is no dramatic shift in the thinking of children when they reach the age of 5. 
•  all of these statements are true.                        

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                         Topics in Psychology
                               Robert C. Gates