Practice Q&A 1
PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR CHAPTERS 5-7:
COGNITIVE, SOCIOEMOTIONAL, AND PHYSICAL
DEVELOPMENT IN INFANCY AND EARLY CHILDHOOD
ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
PSY 341: Developmental Psychology
Chapter 5 Practice Q& A: Cognitive Development in Infancy:
1. Multiple Choice: According to Piaget, what is the term for adjusting old schemes to fit new
information?
A. Organization
B. Assimilation
C. Equilibration
D. Accommodation
Answer: D
Explanation: Accommodation involves modifying existing mental structures to incorporate new
experiences.
2. Multiple Choice: In which sensorimotor substage do infants begin to repeat actions that trigger
interesting external events?
A. Secondary circular reactions
B. Coordination of secondary circular reactions
C. Primary circular reactions
D. Simple reflexes
Answer: A
Practice Q&A 2
Explanation: Between 4-8 months, infants repeat actions, like shaking a rattle, for their
interesting effects.
3. Fill-in-the-Blank: Piaget's mechanism for shifting between cognitive stages is called ________.
Answer: equilibration
Explanation: Equilibration resolves cognitive conflict, driving progression to more advanced
stages.
4. True / False: Piaget believed infants could mentally represent objects before they developed
object permanence.
Answer: False
Explanation: Object permanence develops before full internalized mental representation in
Piaget's view.
5. Question–Answer: What term describes an infant's mistake of searching for a hidden object in
its previous location (A) instead of a new one (B)?
Answer: A-not-B error (or AB error)
Explanation: This error is linked to memory or habit in Piaget's substage 4.
6. Multiple Choice: The "core knowledge approach" to infant cognition emphasizes the role of
what?
A. Extensive parental teaching
B. Domain-specific innate knowledge systems
C. General learning mechanisms
D. Sensorimotor exploration
Answer: B
Explanation: This theory argues infants possess evolved, innate knowledge in areas like objects
and number.
7. True / False: Research using violation-of-expectations methods proves infants have conscious
knowledge of hidden objects.
Answer: False
Explanation: Such methods show perceptual surprise, but conscious, actionable knowledge may
develop later.
Practice Q&A 3
8. Fill-in-the-Blank: ________ memory involves conscious recollection, while ________ memory
involves automatic skills.
Answer: Explicit; implicit
Explanation: Explicit memory is for facts/events. Implicit memory is for procedures.
9. Multiple Choice: What did Meltzoff's research on newborn imitation demonstrate?
A. Imitation is purely reflexive.
B. Imitation requires weeks of learning.
C. Infants show flexible, adaptive imitation soon after birth.
D. Imitation does not occur before 6 months.
Answer: C
Explanation: Meltzoff found early imitation involves matching behaviors with adaptability.
11. Multiple Choice: Which concept involves grouping isolated behaviors into a higher-order
system?
A. Assimilation
B. Accommodation
C. Organization
D. Equilibration
Answer: C
Explanation: Organization is the cognitive process of linking schemes into coherent systems.
12. Multiple Choice: In which substage does intentionality, or goal-directed behavior, first appear?
A. Tertiary circular reactions
B. Secondary circular reactions
C. Coordination of secondary circular reactions
D. Internalization of schemes
Answer: C
Explanation: Between 8-12 months, infants coordinate schemes to achieve intended outcomes.
13. Fill-in-the-Blank: The understanding that objects exist independently of one's perception is
called ________.
Answer: object permanence
Explanation: This is a key cognitive milestone of the sensorimotor stage.
Practice Q&A 4
14. True / False: According to Piaget, primary circular reactions are focused on external objects.
Answer: False
Explanation: Primary circular reactions focus on the infant's own body, not external objects.
15. Question–Answer: What are the two main components of Bayley-III scales administered
directly to the infant?
Answer: Cognitive scale and Motor scale (Language scale is also direct; accept cognitive,
language, motor)
Explanation: The Bayley-III's direct assessment measures cognitive, language, and motor
abilities.
16. Multiple Choice: An infant's ability to produce endless novel sentences demonstrates which
property of language?
A. Phonology
B. Infinite Generativity
C. Semantics
D. Pragmatics
Answer: B
Explanation: Infinite generativity allows creation of novel utterances from finite rules and
words.
17. True / False: Child-directed speech is characterized by a lower pitch and complex sentences.
Answer: False
Explanation: Child-directed speech uses a higher pitch and simpler words and sentences.
18. Fill-in-the-Blank: The language rule system governing sentence structure is called ________.
Answer: syntax
Explanation: Syntax involves the rules for combining words into grammatically correct
sentences.
19. Question–Answer: What term describes the use of short, precise word combinations, like
"Mommy go," by toddlers?
Answer: Telegraphic speech
Explanation: This early speech omps non-essential grammatical markers, focusing on key
words.
Practice Q&A 5
21. Multiple Choice: Chomsky's concept of a LAD (Language Acquisition Device) emphasizes
which factor?
A. Social interaction
B. Parental reinforcement
C. Biological prewiring
D. Imitative learning
Answer: C
Explanation: The LAD is a theoretical innate mechanism for detecting and learning language
rules.
22. Multiple Choice: Research by Hart and Risley linked larger toddler vocabularies to what?
A. Watching educational TV
B. Higher family socioeconomic status (SES)
C. Attending daycare early
D. Having older siblings
Answer: B
Explanation: Their study found more and richer language input in higher-SES professional
families.
23. Fill-in-the-Blank: In the context of attention, ________ involves two people focusing on the
same object.
Answer: joint attention
Explanation: Joint attention requires shared focus and is vital for social learning and language.
24. True / False: Deferred imitation, according to Piaget, is possible only after 18 months of age.
Answer: True (from Piaget's view)
Explanation: Piaget tied deferred imitation to the internalization of schemes in substage 6.
25. Question–Answer: What is the primary focus of the "tertiary circular reactions" substage?
Answer: Experimentation and novelty (or exploring object properties)
Explanation: Infants actively experiment to discover new effects, showing curiosity.
26. Multiple Choice: Which method assesses infant intelligence by measuring looking time at novel
vs. familiar stimuli?
A. Gesell Developmental Schedule
Practice Q&A 6
B. Bayley Scales
C. Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence
D. Violation-of-expectations
Answer: C
Explanation: The Fagan Test evaluates information processing via habituation/novelty
preferences.
27. True / False: The Bayley Scales' DQ (Developmental Quotient) strongly predicts childhood IQ
scores.
Answer: False
Explanation: Global infant DQ/IQ scores correlate poorly with later childhood IQ.
28. Fill-in-the-Blank: The language rule system concerned with word meaning is ________.
Answer: semantics
Explanation: Semantics deals with the meanings of words, phrases, and sentences.
29. Question–Answer: What is the term for an infant's repetition of vowel-like sounds (e.g., "ooo")
at 2-4 months?
Answer: Cooing
Explanation: Cooing involves pleasant, vowel-based sounds made during early interactions.
31. Multiple Choice: In Jean Mandler's view, what type of categorization precedes conceptual
categorization?
A. Perceptual categorization
B. Symbolic categorization
C. Habitual categorization
D. Social categorization
Answer: A
Explanation: She argued infants first categorize by perceptual features before true conceptual
understanding.
32. Multiple Choice: Which process is crucial for encoding information into memory?
A. Equilibration
B. Accommodation
C. Attention
Practice Q&A 7
D. Assimilation
Answer: C
Explanation: Attention determines what information is processed and encoded for storage.
33. Fill-in-the-Blank: The ________ is a brain structure critical for the development of explicit
memory in infancy.
Answer: hippocampus
Explanation: The hippocampus, along with the frontal lobes, supports explicit memory
formation.
34. True / False: Infantile amnesia is likely due to the immaturity of the brain's temporal lobes at
birth.
Answer: False
Explanation: Infantile amnesia is more linked to the immaturity of the prefrontal lobes.
35. Question–Answer: What are the two types of schemes Piaget associated with the sensorimotor
period?
Answer: Behavioral schemes (infancy) and Mental schemes (childhood)
Explanation: Early schemes are action-based; later schemes become more cognitive and
representational.
36. Multiple Choice: An infant extends the word "doggie" to all four-legged animals. This is an
example of what?
A. Underextension
B. Overextension
C. Telegraphic speech
D. Babbling
Answer: B
Explanation: Overextension applies a word too broadly to inappropriate referents.
37. True / False: Operant conditioning studies show infants cannot learn associations before 6
months.
Answer: False
Explanation: Operant conditioning (e.g., kicking to move a mobile) is demonstrated in young
infants.
Practice Q&A 8
38. Fill-in-the-Blank: The language system governing sounds and their combinations is ________.
Answer: phonology
Explanation: Phonology involves the inventory of sounds and the rules for combining them in a
language.
39. Question–Answer: What is the term for the sharp increase in word learning that often begins
around 18 months?
Answer: Vocabulary spurt
Explanation: This period marks a rapid acceleration in the rate of new word acquisition.
40. Multiple Choice: What did Kuhl's research on phoneme perception demonstrate about 6-12
month olds?
A. They become universal linguists.
B. They lose ability to distinguish non-native sounds.
C. They begin to babble in sentences.
D. They prefer their father's voice.
Answer: B
Explanation: Perception narrows to the phonemic contrasts relevant to the infant's native
language.
41. Multiple Choice: What is the main cognitive achievement of Piaget's sensorimotor Substage 4?
A. Development of object permanence
B. Internalization of symbols
C. Coordination of schemes for intentional goals
D. Primary circular reactions
Answer: A
Explanation: Substage 4 involves coordinating vision and touch to act intentionally on the
world.
42. Multiple Choice: Researchers use habituation measures primarily to study what in infants?
A. Social bonding
B. Perceptual abilities and memory
C. Motor skill development
D. Language production
Practice Q&A 9
Answer: C
Explanation: Habituation and dishabituation indicate what infants can perceive, remember, and
recognize as novel.
43. Fill-in-the-Blank: The system of meaningful units (like prefixes and suffixes) in word formation
is called ________.
Answer: morphology
Explanation: Morphology involves morphemes, the smallest units of meaning in a language.
44. True / False: Piaget's explanation of the A-not-B error as a pure cognitive limitation is fully
supported by later research.
Answer: False
Explanation: Research suggests the error may involve memory failures or motor habit, not just
cognitive stage.
45. Question–Answer: What is the term for the specialized, high-pitched speech style adults use
with infants?
Answer: Child-directed speech (or "motherese")
Explanation: This speech style captures infant attention and aids language learning.
46. Multiple Choice: Which concept refers to an infant's ability to imitate an action seen hours or
days earlier?
A. Primary circular reaction
B. Deferred imitation
C. Social referencing
D. Visual tracking
Answer: B
Explanation: Deferred imitation demonstrates recall and mental representation of past events.
47. True / False: The Broca's area of the brain is primarily responsible for language comprehension.
Answer: False
Explanation: Broca's area is involved in speech production. Wernicke's area handles
comprehension.
48. Fill-in-the-Blank: In language development, the practical rules for social use in context are
called ________.
Practice Q&A 10
Answer: pragmatics
Explanation: Pragmatics governs how language is used appropriately in different social
situations.
49. Question–Answer: According to Piaget, what is the primary basis for infant learning during the
sensorimotor stage?
Answer: Sensory experiences coordinated with motor actions
Explanation: Infants learn by physically acting upon and perceiving their environment.
50. Multiple Choice: What did research by Rowe & Goldin-Meadow (2009) link to a child's later
vocabulary size?
A. Amount of parental pointing gestures
B. The age when babbling began
C. Exposure to multiple languages
D. Watching educational videos
Answer: A
Explanation: More parental gesturing (like pointing) was associated with larger child
vocabularies.
51. Multiple Choice: The "violation of expectations" method is used to infer what about infants?
A. Their motor coordination
B. Their innate reflexes
C. Their perceptual expectations about the world
D. Their emotional attachments
Answer: C
Explanation: Longer looking at "impossible" events suggests infants hold expectations about
physical laws.
52. Multiple Choice: Which language milestone typically occurs last in the sequence below?
A. Babbling
B. First word
C. Cooing
D. Vocabulary spurt
Answer: D
Practice Q&A 11
Explanation: The vocabulary spurt (rapid word learning) follows first words, which follow
babbling and cooing.
53. Fill-in-the-Blank: The loss or impairment of language ability due to brain damage is called
________.
Answer: aphasia
Explanation: Aphasia results from damage to language-processing areas like Broca's or
Wernicke's.
54. True / False: Explicit memory is fully functional and mature at birth.
Answer: False
Explanation: Explicit memory develops gradually, relying on the maturation of the
hippocampus and frontal lobes.
55. Question–Answer: What term describes an infant's focused mental engagement with a single
object or event?
Answer: Sustained attention (or focused attention)
Explanation: This allows for deeper processing and learning about a stimulus.
56. Multiple Choice: In the nature-nurture debate on language, the interactionist view emphasizes
what?
A. Language is entirely innate (nature).
B. Language is entirely learned (nurture).
C. Both biological capacity and environmental experience are essential.
D. Neither biology nor experience plays a significant role.
Answer: C
Explanation: The interactionist perspective stresses the indispensable contribution of both
factors.
57. True / False: The Bayley Scales of Infant Development are designed to predict adult career
success.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Bayley Scales assess current developmental status, not long-term predictions.
58. Fill-in-the-Blank: An infant's mental structures for organizing knowledge are called ________.
Answer: schemes
Practice Q&A 12
Explanation: Schemes are the basic building blocks of thinking, starting as action-based in
infancy.
59. Question–Answer: What is the term for applying a word too narrowly (e.g., using "car" only for
the family car)?
Answer: Underextension
Explanation: Underextension restricts a word's use to a subset of its appropriate referents.
60. Multiple Choice: What key finding challenged Piaget's timeline for object permanence?
A. Infants show stranger anxiety earlier.
B. Infants look longer at impossible physical events.
C. Infants can crawl earlier than he thought.
D. Infants prefer their mother's voice at birth.
Answer: B
Explanation: Violation-of-expectations research suggests awareness of object properties
emerges before 8 months.
61. Multiple Choice: Which sensorimotor substage involves the "experimenting" to discover new
properties of objects?
A. Simple reflexes
B. Secondary circular reactions
C. Tertiary circular reactions
D. Internalization of schemes
Answer: C
Explanation: In substage 5, infants actively vary actions to see different outcomes, showing
curiosity.
62. Multiple Choice: What is a primary function of babbling for infants?
A. To express complex emotions
B. To practice sound production and communicate
C. To obey parental commands
D. To develop fine motor skills
Answer: B
Explanation: Babbling allows infants to exercise their vocal apparatus and engage socially.
Practice Q&A 13
63. Fill-in-the-Blank: The concept that infants are born with innate knowledge in specific domains
is the ________ approach.
Answer: core knowledge
Explanation: This nativist view argues for evolved, domain-specific foundational knowledge.
64. True / False: According to Piaget, "organization" is an external process taught by parents.
Answer: False
Explanation: Organization is an internal cognitive process of linking and systematizing
schemes.
65. Question–Answer: What did the research of Huttenlocher and colleagues link to an infant's
vocabulary growth?
A. The amount the mother talked to the infant
B. The number of siblings
C. The infant's birth weight
D. The type of solid food introduced
Answer: A
Explanation: They found that more maternal speech was associated with larger infant
vocabularies.
66. Multiple Choice: Which brain structure's maturation is closely tied to improvements in explicit
memory during infancy?
A. Cerebellum
B. Broca's area
C. Hippocampus
D. Occipital lobe
Answer: C
Explanation: The hippocampus plays a central role in the formation of explicit memories.
67. True / False: Telegraphic speech includes grammatical function words like "the" and "is."
Answer: False
Explanation: Telegraphic speech omits such function words, using only content-rich words.
68. Fill-in-the-Blank: The process of changing one's speech to match a child's interest and expand
on it is called ________.
Practice Q&A 14
Answer: recasting (or expanding)
Explanation: Recasting rephrases a child's utterance into a more complex or question form.
69. Question–Answer: In Piaget's theory, what process involves using an existing scheme to
understand a new object?
Answer: Assimilation
Explanation: Assimilation fits new experiences into current mental structures.
70. Multiple Choice: What does the "still-face paradigm" primarily study in infant development?
A. Object permanence
B. Social and emotional expectations
C. Motor milestone achievement
D. Auditory discrimination
Answer: B
Explanation: It studies infant reactions when a caregiver becomes unresponsive, revealing
social expectations.
71. Multiple Choice: Which language rule system would govern the difference between "The dog
bit the man" and "The man bit the dog"?
A. Phonology
B. Semantics
C. Pragmatics
D. Syntax
Answer: D
Explanation: Syntax involves word order, which changes the meaning in these sentences.
72. Multiple Choice: What is a key criticism of Spelke's core knowledge approach?
A. It underestimates the role of early sensory experience.
B. It overestimates infant memory capacity.
C. It ignores motor development.
D. It focuses too much on social learning.
Answer: A
Explanation: Critics argue that core knowledge findings may reflect rapid learning from
experience, not just innate knowledge.
Practice Q&A 15
73. Fill-in-the-Blank: The developmental assessment that yields a DQ (Developmental Quotient)
was created by ________.
Answer: Arnold Gesell
Explanation: Gesell developed an early scale to distinguish typical from atypical infant
development.
74. True / False: Infants can distinguish the phonemes of all languages equally well at 12 months
old.
Answer: False
Explanation: By 12 months, perception has tuned to the native language, reducing non-native
phoneme discrimination.
75. Question–Answer: What is the term for memory that is unconscious and involves skills and
routines?
Answer: Implicit memory
Explanation: Implicit memory operates automatically, without conscious recall.
76. Multiple Choice: Which concept best describes an infant's shift from looking at everything to
focusing on novel stimuli?
A. Accommodation
B. Dishabituation
C. Assimilation
D. Organization
Answer: B
Explanation: Dishabituation is the recovery of attention when a new stimulus is presented.
77. True / False: The Fagan Test of Infant Intelligence is a strong predictor of later childhood IQ.
Answer: True
Explanation: Information-processing measures like the Fagan Test correlate better with later IQ
than global developmental scores.
78. Fill-in-the-Blank: Piaget's first sensorimotor substage, dominated by innate responses like
sucking, is ________.
Answer: simple reflexes
Explanation: This initial substage involves the coordination of sensation and action via reflexes.
Practice Q&A 16
79. Question–Answer: What do we call the ability to produce an infinite number of sentences from
a finite set of rules?
Answer: Infinite generativity
Explanation: This fundamental property of language allows for endless creative expression.
80. Multiple Choice: What is a central theme of modern infant cognitive research compared to
Piaget's view?
A. Infants are less competent than Piaget thought.
B. Development is more stage-like.
C. Infants are more cognitively competent at earlier ages.
D. Biology is irrelevant to cognitive development.
Answer: C
Explanation: Contemporary research often finds cognitive abilities, like object knowledge,
emerging earlier than Piaget proposed.
CHAPTER 6 PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
1. Fill-in-the-Blank
According to Erikson, the primary developmental conflict in the first year of life is ______
versus mistrust.
Answer: trust
Explanation: Erikson proposed that infants must resolve the trust vs. mistrust stage to develop a
sense of security.
2. Fill-in-the-Blank
The ______ cry is characterized by a rhythmic pattern of crying, brief silence, and a higher-
pitched whistle.
Practice Q&A 17
Answer: basic
Explanation: The basic cry follows a predictable rhythm distinct from anger or pain cries.
3. Fill-in-the-Blank
A smile that occurs in response to an external stimulus, such as a face, is called a ______ smile.
Answer: social
Explanation: Social smiles emerge around 2 months and are directed toward social stimuli.
4. True / False
Infants can experience jealousy during the first 6 months of life.
Answer: False
Explanation: Many experts argue that self-conscious emotions like jealousy require cognitive
maturity unlikely in the first year.
5. True / False
Secure attachment is the most common classification across all studied cultures.
Answer: True
Explanation: Cross-cultural research consistently shows secure attachment as the predominant
pattern.
6. Multiple Choice
What term describes an infant's distress when a caregiver leaves?
A) Stranger anxiety
B) Separation protest
C) Social referencing
D) Goodness of fit
Answer: Separation protest
Explanation: Separation protest specifically refers to crying or distress upon caregiver
departure, typically peaking around 15 months.
7. Multiple Choice
Which temperament category did Chess and Thomas describe as generally positive, adaptable,
and regular in routines?
Practice Q&A 18
A) Difficult
B) Easy
C) Slow-to-warm-up
D) Inhibited
Answer: Easy
Explanation: An "easy child" is characterized by a positive mood, regular routines, and easy
adaptation to new experiences.
8. Multiple Choice
Mary Rothbart's temperament dimension that includes "fear, frustration, sadness, and
discomfort" is called:
A) Extraversion/surgency
B) Effortful control
C) Negative affectivity
D) Behavioral inhibition
Answer: Negative affectivity
Explanation: This dimension encompasses negative emotions like fear, frustration, sadness, and
discomfort.
9. Multiple Choice
The "Strange Situation" assessment was developed to measure:
A) Temperament
B) Social referencing
C) Attachment
D) Emotional regulation
Answer: Attachment
Explanation: The Strange Situation is an observational measure designed to classify infant
attachment styles.
10. Question–Answer
What is the term for the process where infants "read" emotional cues from others to guide their
own actions?
Practice Q&A 19
Answer: Social referencing
Explanation: Social referencing involves using others' emotional expressions to interpret
ambiguous situations.
11. Question–Answer
Which brain structure is implicated in the physiological basis of an inhibited temperament?
Answer: Amygdala
Explanation: The amygdala's excitability is linked to fear and inhibition responses in infants.
15. Multiple Choice
Which parental behavior is most consistently associated with the development of a secure
attachment?
A) Structured discipline
B) Sensitive responsiveness
C) High intellectual stimulation
D) Promotion of independence
Answer: Sensitive responsiveness
Explanation: Sensitive, responsive caregiving is the strongest predictor of secure attachment.
17. Question–Answer
How does the concept of reciprocal socialization challenge traditional views of parent-child
influence?
Answer: It emphasizes bidirectional influence; children socialize parents as much as parents
socialize children.
Explanation: This perspective views development as a mutual, interactive process rather than a
one-way transmission.
18. Question–Answer
Synthesize biological and environmental influences on emotional development in infancy.
Answer: Biology provides the foundational capacity for emotions, while relationships and
culture shape emotional expression and regulation.
Explanation: Brain maturation enables basic emotions, but caregiving interactions and cultural
norms refine emotional experiences.
Practice Q&A 20
19. Question–Answer
Explain how social context can moderate the impact of a "difficult" temperament on
development.
Answer: High-quality, sensitive caregiving can create a better fit, reducing negative outcomes
associated with a difficult temperament.
Explanation: Environmental support can buffer potential risks, highlighting the interaction
between innate disposition and experience.
20. Multiple Choice
A researcher finds that infants in a culture valuing interdependence show less separation protest.
This best illustrates the role of:
A) Goodness of fit
B) Social referencing
C) Cultural norms in emotional expression
D) Genetic determinism
Answer: Cultural norms in emotional expression
Explanation: Cultural values shape caregiving practices and developmental expectations,
affecting behaviors like separation protest.
21. Multiple Choice
Which finding from the NICHD child-care study best supports the argument for prioritizing
quality over quantity of care?
A) More hours in care predicted higher language scores
B) High-quality care buffered negative effects for low-income children
C) Center-based care was universally superior to home-based care
D) Parental income had no effect on care quality accessed
Answer: High-quality care buffered negative effects for low-income children
Explanation: The study found high-quality care was linked to better outcomes, regardless of
quantity, especially for vulnerable children.
23. Fill-in-the-Blank
The self-conscious emotion that requires awareness of oneself as separate from others is ______.
Practice Q&A 21
Answer: embarrassment
Explanation: Embarrassment is considered a self-conscious emotion, emerging in the second
year as self-awareness develops.
24. Fill-in-the-Blank
In Harlow's surrogate mother experiments, infant monkeys preferred the ______ mother,
demonstrating the importance of contact comfort.
Answer: cloth
Explanation: The monkeys spent more time with the comforting cloth mother, even when the
wire mother provided food.
25. Fill-in-the-Blank
The match between a child's temperament and environmental demands is called ______.
Answer: goodness of fit
Explanation: Goodness of fit describes how well a child's temperament aligns with the
expectations and structure of their environment.
26. True / False
A baby's anger cry is characterized by a sudden, long, initial loud cry without preliminary
moaning.
Answer: False
Explanation: This describes the pain cry. The anger cry is a variation of the basic cry with more
forced air.
27. True / False
The still-face paradigm is used to study infant reactions to a caregiver's sudden
unresponsiveness.
Answer: True
Explanation: This method assesses infant social expectations and emotional regulation by
having the caregiver adopt a neutral, still expression.
28. Multiple Choice
Which emotion is considered a primary emotion?
Practice Q&A 22
A) Pride
B) Jealousy
C) Fear
D) Guilt
Answer: Fear
Explanation: Primary emotions like fear, joy, and anger are present early and do not require
self-awareness.
29. Multiple Choice
What is the primary focus of Erikson's autonomy versus shame and doubt stage?
A) Developing trust in caregivers
B) Establishing a sense of self
C) Gaining independence and self-control
D) Forming peer relationships
Answer: Gaining independence and self-control
Explanation: This stage in the second year centers on the toddler's push for autonomy through
emerging motor and mental skills.
30. Multiple Choice
An infant who shows little distress when a caregiver leaves and avoids contact upon their return
is classified as:
A) Securely attached
B) Insecure avoidant
C) Insecure resistant
D) Insecure disorganized
Answer: Insecure avoidant
Explanation: Avoidant infants show minimal distress during separation and actively avoid the
caregiver upon reunion.
31. Multiple Choice
What developmental milestone is assessed using the "mirror technique" with rouge?
A) Theory of mind
Practice Q&A 23
B) Self-recognition
C) Social referencing
D) Emotional regulation
Answer: Self-recognition
Explanation: Increased touching of a rouge mark on one's own nose after seeing it in a mirror
indicates self-recognition.
32. Question–Answer
What are the three broad dimensions of temperament in Rothbart and Bates' classification?
Answer: Extraversion/surgency, Negative affectivity, and Effortful control.
Explanation: This model categorizes temperament based on these three overarching dimensions
of behavioral style.
33. Question–Answer
What is the key difference between a reflexive smile and a social smile?
Answer: A reflexive smile is not tied to external stimuli, while a social smile is a response to
social cues.
Explanation: Reflexive smiles occur spontaneously, often during sleep, whereas social smiles
are directed toward people.
34. True / False
In the NICHD child-care study, the quantity of child care was a stronger predictor of child
outcomes than the quality of care.
Answer: False
Explanation: The study found that the quality of child care was more consistently linked to
developmental outcomes than the number of hours spent in care.
35. Multiple Choice
How does the concept of an "internal working model" connect early attachment to later
development?
A) It serves as a template for future social relationships.
B) It determines cognitive processing speed.
C) It fixes temperament traits permanently.
Practice Q&A 24
D) It predicts academic achievement directly.
Answer: It serves as a template for future social relationships.
Explanation: The internal working model is a cognitive framework based on early attachment
that guides expectations in later relationships.
36. Multiple Choice
Which factor best explains cultural variations in the display of stranger anxiety?
A) Genetic differences in amygdala size
B) Universal maturation of the hippocampus
C) Differences in parenting practices and social norms
D) The age at which self-recognition develops
Answer: Differences in parenting practices and social norms
Explanation: Cultural contexts, such as how much infants are accustomed to strangers,
influence the intensity and timing of stranger anxiety.
37. Multiple Choice
The relationship between maternal sensitivity and secure attachment is best described as:
A) Causal and deterministic
B) Consistent but not exceptionally strong
C) Irrelevant in collectivistic cultures
D) The only factor that matters
Answer: Consistent but not exceptionally strong
Explanation: While maternal sensitivity is a key predictor, the correlation is moderate,
indicating other factors also contribute to attachment security.
38. Fill-in-the-Blank
Reciprocal socialization suggests that development is a ______ process between parent and
child.
Answer: bidirectional
Explanation: This concept emphasizes that influence flows in both directions within the parent-
child relationship.
Practice Q&A 25
39. Question–Answer
How do "easy," "difficult," and "slow-to-warm-up" temperament styles relate to the concept of
parenting challenges?
Answer: "Difficult" temperaments often pose more immediate parenting challenges in Western
societies, requiring greater adaptability from caregivers.
Explanation: A child's behavioral style influences parental stress and the strategies needed to
achieve a good fit.
40. Question–Answer
Critique the assertion that early attachment style permanently determines an individual's social
competence.
Answer: While influential, early attachment is not deterministic; later experiences, caregiving
consistency, and environmental supports can modify developmental pathways.
Explanation: Longitudinal studies show life events and subsequent relationships can alter the
trajectory suggested by early attachment.
41. Question–Answer
Integrate evidence from Harlow's monkeys and Bowlby's theory to explain the foundations of
attachment.
Answer: Both highlight that attachment is driven by needs for comfort and security, not just
biological needs like feeding, and is essential for survival and emotional bonding.
Explanation: Harlow demonstrated contact comfort's importance, while Bowlby provided an
evolutionary framework for attachment as an adaptive system.
42. Multiple Choice
A study shows that toddlers with high effortful control adapt well to structured preschool. This
finding best supports the importance of:
A) Extraversion/surgency
B) Goodness of fit
C) Social referencing
D) Reflexive smiling
Answer: Goodness of fit
Practice Q&A 26
Explanation: The child's temperamental capacity for self-regulation matches the environmental
demand for structure, illustrating good fit.
43. Multiple Choice
Considering the interplay of nature and nurture in temperament, what is the most accurate
statement?
A) Temperament is entirely genetic and fixed at birth.
B) Experience can modify but not fundamentally alter a child's inherited temperamental biases.
C) Parenting completely overrides biological predispositions.
D) Temperament has no biological basis.
Answer: Experience can modify but not fundamentally alter a child's inherited temperamental
biases.
Explanation: Children inherit physiological predispositions, but caregiving and experience
shape how these temperaments are expressed.
44. True / False
The primary purpose of the "Bringing Home Baby" workshop is to teach parents infant CPR and
first aid.
Answer: False
Explanation: The workshop focuses on strengthening the couple's relationship and parenting
skills, not medical training.
45. Fill-in-the-Blank
The phase of attachment from 7 to 24 months, where babies actively seek contact with
caregivers, is Bowlby's Phase ______.
Answer: 3
Explanation: Bowlby’s third phase involves specific attachments and active proximity-seeking
due to developing locomotor skills.
46. Fill-in-the-Blank
A child who reacts negatively, cries frequently, and has irregular routines fits Chess and Thomas'
______ child category.
Answer: difficult
Practice Q&A 27
Explanation: The difficult child shows negative mood, poor adaptability, and irregular
biological rhythms.
47. Fill-in-the-Blank
______ is an infant's fear and wariness of unfamiliar people, typically emerging in the second
half of the first year.
Answer: Stranger anxiety
Explanation: Stranger anxiety is a normative fear response that peaks around 9-12 months.
48. True / False
The Duchenne marker refers to mouth opening during intense smiling.
Answer: False
Explanation: The Duchenne marker involves constriction of the muscles around the eyes
(orbicularis oculi), not mouth opening.
49. True / False
Paternal interactions with infants are more often centered on play rather than caregiving
activities.
Answer: True
Explanation: Fathers typically engage in more physical, arousing play, while mothers more
frequently handle caregiving tasks.
50. Multiple Choice
What is the primary emotional function of an infant's cry in the first months?
A) To manipulate parents
B) To communicate distress and needs
C) To exercise lung capacity
D) To initiate social smiling
Answer: To communicate distress and needs
Explanation: Crying is a key communicative signal for hunger, discomfort, or pain, eliciting
caregiver response.
Practice Q&A 28
51. Multiple Choice
Which self-conscious emotion is likely to appear last in infancy?
A) Embarrassment
B) Jealousy
C) Pride
D) Empathy
Answer: Pride
Explanation: Pride requires an understanding of standards and evaluation, typically emerging in
the second year after simpler self-conscious emotions.
52. Multiple Choice
What does the "still-face paradigm" demonstrate about infant social expectations?
A) Infants expect toys to move on their own
B) Infants expect caregivers to be emotionally responsive
C) Infants prefer strangers over parents
D) Infants do not notice changes in expression
Answer: Infants expect caregivers to be emotionally responsive
Explanation: Infants show distress when a caregiver becomes suddenly unresponsive, indicating
an expectation for social engagement.
53. Multiple Choice
Which parental leave type is specifically designed for fathers?
A) Maternity leave
B) Paternity leave
C) Family leave
D) Child-rearing leave
Answer: Paternity leave
Explanation: Paternity leave is a brief, often gender-specific leave intended for fathers around
the time of birth.
54. Question–Answer
In Ainsworth’s Strange Situation, what behavior characterizes an insecure resistant baby upon
Practice Q&A 29
reunion?
Answer: Clinging combined with resistance, such as pushing away or kicking.
Explanation: Resistant infants show ambivalence—they seek contact but are angry and cannot
be soothed easily.
55. Question–Answer
What are the two main components of high-quality child care for infants?
Answer: Sensitive, responsive caregiver interactions and a safe, stimulating physical
environment.
Explanation: Quality is defined by relational warmth and attentiveness, plus age-appropriate
resources and safety.
56. True / False
Twin studies suggest heredity has a weak influence on temperament differences.
Answer: False
Explanation: Twin and adoption studies indicate a moderate hereditary influence on individual
differences in temperament.
57. Multiple Choice
How does the development of locomotion (crawling, walking) influence socioemotional
development?
A) It decreases stranger anxiety by expanding social circles.
B) It allows the infant to initiate social interactions more independently.
C) It reduces the need for attachment by promoting self-sufficiency.
D) It delays the onset of self-conscious emotions.
Answer: It allows the infant to initiate social interactions more independently.
Explanation: Motor skills give infants agency to approach or retreat from social partners,
changing the dynamics of social exchange.
58. Multiple Choice
Which statement best describes the link between infant fearfulness and later development?
A) Early fear predicts later anxiety disorders without exception.
B) Early fear is unrelated to any later outcomes.
Practice Q&A 30
C) Early fear is linked to lower aggression and higher empathy in childhood.
D) Early fear only matters if the infant is insecurely attached.
Answer: Early fear is linked to lower aggression and higher empathy in childhood.
Explanation: Research indicates that fearful infants may develop greater behavioral inhibition
and sensitivity, correlating with prosocial traits.
59. Multiple Choice
Why might German infants show higher rates of avoidant attachment in the Strange Situation
compared to U.S. infants?
A) German mothers are less sensitive.
B) German parenting values early independence.
C) German infants have a genetic predisposition to avoidance.
D) The Strange Situation is administered differently in Germany.
Answer: German parenting values early independence.
Explanation: Cultural norms that encourage self-reliance may lead to behaviors classified as
avoidant in the Strange Situation context.
60. Fill-in-the-Blank
The process where a caregiver supports an infant's efforts by timing interactions to allow turn-
taking is called ______.
Answer: scaffolding
Explanation: Scaffolding involves adjusting support to fit the child's current ability, promoting
skill development within social interaction.
61. Question–Answer
How does the concept of "mutual synchrony" differ from simple imitation in caregiver-infant
interaction?
Answer: Mutual synchrony involves coordinated, reciprocal timing of behaviors within an
interaction, while imitation is merely copying a specific action.
Explanation: Synchrony is a dynamic, ongoing matching of emotional and behavioral states,
foundational for communication and attachment.
Practice Q&A 31
62. Question–Answer
Evaluate the claim that child care inevitably harms the infant-mother attachment relationship.
Answer: The claim is overstated; high-quality child care does not harm attachment, especially
when combined with sensitive parenting at home.
Explanation: Research shows attachment security depends more on parenting quality and child-
care quality than on the mere use of nonmaternal care.
63. Question–Answer
Synthesize the roles of biology and culture in the development of emotional expression.
Answer: Biology sets the capacity for universal emotional expressions, while cultural display
rules shape how, when, and to whom emotions are shown.
Explanation: For example, all infants can smile, but cultural norms influence the frequency and
contexts of smiling.
64. Multiple Choice
A researcher studying the impact of divorce finds it disrupts earlier secure attachment
classifications. This finding best highlights the importance of:
A) Genetic determinism of attachment
B) The enduring stability of infant attachment
C) Later experience in modifying developmental pathways
D) The irrelevance of family structure
Answer: Later experience in modifying developmental pathways
Explanation: Significant life events like parental divorce can alter relationship patterns, showing
attachment is not fixed in infancy.
65. Multiple Choice
If a difficult toddler is enrolled in a highly structured, predictable child-care program and thrives,
which concept is most clearly demonstrated?
A) Social referencing
B) Goodness of fit
C) Stranger anxiety
D) Reciprocal socialization
Practice Q&A 32
Answer: Goodness of fit
Explanation: The child’s temperament (needing predictability) matches the environment’s
structure, leading to positive adjustment.
66. True / False
According to Erikson, successful resolution of the autonomy vs. shame and doubt stage leads to
a permanent sense of independence.
Answer: False
Explanation: Erikson’s stages are recurring themes; a sense of autonomy can be challenged or
reinforced at later life stages.
67. Fill-in-the-Blank
The ______ paradigm involves a caregiver alternating between interactive and suddenly still,
unresponsive behavior.
Answer: still-face
Explanation: This experimental method is used to assess infant social expectations and
regulatory responses.
68. Fill-in-the-Blank
An insecure ______ baby in the Strange Situation appears dazed, confused, or fearful upon the
caregiver's return.
Answer: disorganized
Explanation: Disorganized attachment is characterized by a lack of coherent strategy, often seen
in stressful or frightening caregiving contexts.
69. Fill-in-the-Blank
The emotion of ______ is considered a primary emotion according to Michael Lewis.
Answer: anger (or joy, fear, sadness, surprise, disgust, interest)
Explanation: Primary emotions are those present in early infancy, such as anger, joy, fear,
sadness, surprise, disgust, and interest.
70. True / False
Anticipatory smiling at 9 months is linked to higher parental ratings of social competence at age
Practice Q&A 33
2½.
Answer: True
Explanation: Anticipatory smiling—smiling at an object then at a social partner—is an early
index of social communication skill.
71. True / False
The NICHD study found that most child care in the first three years of life was of high quality.
Answer: False
Explanation: The study concluded that a majority of child care in the U.S. was of unacceptably
low quality.
72. Multiple Choice
What is the key difference between primary and self-conscious emotions?
A) Primary emotions are positive; self-conscious emotions are negative.
B) Primary emotions require self-awareness; self-conscious emotions do not.
C) Primary emotions emerge earlier and do not require self-awareness.
D) Only self-conscious emotions have a biological basis.
Answer: Primary emotions emerge earlier and do not require self-awareness.
Explanation: Primary emotions appear in the first months, while self-conscious emotions
emerge in the second year alongside self-recognition.
73. Multiple Choice
Which of the following is a characteristic of high-quality infant child care?
A) Large group sizes for peer interaction
B) Low caregiver-to-child ratios
C) Emphasis on early academic instruction
D) Minimal verbal interaction to prevent overstimulation
Answer: Low caregiver-to-child ratios
Explanation: Low ratios allow caregivers to provide more individualized attention and
responsive interaction.
74. Multiple Choice
In Rothbart's model, which dimension includes "attentional focusing and shifting"?
Practice Q&A 34
A) Extraversion/surgency
B) Negative affectivity
C) Effortful control
D) Behavioral inhibition
Answer: Effortful control
Explanation: Effortful control (self-regulation) involves the ability to focus and shift attention
and inhibit impulses.
75. Multiple Choice
What did the NICHD study reveal about the relationship between child-care quality and maternal
sensitivity?
A) Child-care quality is more important than maternal sensitivity.
B) Maternal sensitivity effects are weakened by child care.
C) Both independently contribute to child outcomes.
D) They are unrelated.
Answer: Both independently contribute to child outcomes.
Explanation: Both high-quality care and sensitive parenting are significant, additive predictors
of positive development.
76. Question–Answer
What are the four phases of attachment according to Bowlby?
Answer: 1) Preattachment (birth-2 months), 2) Attachment-in-the-making (2-7 months), 3)
Clear-cut attachment (7-24 months), 4) Formation of a reciprocal relationship (24 months+).
Explanation: Bowlby outlined a phase model from indiscriminate social responsiveness to a
goal-corrected partnership.
77. Question–Answer
What is the main criticism that Jerome Kagan levels against the overemphasis on infant
attachment?
Answer: He argues that infants are resilient, and genetic/temperamental factors are more
important than attachment style for long-term outcomes.
Practice Q&A 35
Explanation: Kagan stresses the adaptive capacity of infants and the significant role of innate
temperament.
78. True / False
Social referencing first becomes reliable in the second year of life.
Answer: True
Explanation: While it begins late in the first year, infants become more consistent and active in
checking emotional cues during the second year.
79. Multiple Choice
How does the development of joint attention relate to social understanding?
A) It is unrelated to social cognition.
B) It signals understanding that others have intentional, goal-directed focus.
C) It primarily enhances visual acuity.
D) It reduces separation protest.
Answer: It signals understanding that others have intentional, goal-directed focus.
Explanation: Joint attention involves sharing a point of reference, indicating awareness of
another's perceptual state and intentions.
80. Multiple Choice
Which finding best illustrates a gene-environment interaction in attachment?
A) All infants with insensitive mothers become insecurely attached.
B) Disorganized attachment occurred only when infants had a specific gene variant AND
mothers were low in responsiveness.
C) Secure attachment is equally likely across all genotypes.
D) Temperament is completely determined by genes.
Answer: Disorganized attachment occurred only when infants had a specific gene variant AND
mothers were low in responsiveness.
Explanation: This shows a conditional effect where a genetic susceptibility only leads to a
negative outcome in a specific environmental context.
81. Multiple Choice
Why might Japanese infants show more resistant attachment in the Strange Situation?
Practice Q&A 36
A) They are genetically more anxious.
B) They are rarely separated from their mothers, making the procedure unusually stressful.
C) Japanese mothers are universally insensitive.
D) The classification system is biased against Asian infants.
Answer: They are rarely separated from their mothers, making the procedure unusually stressful.
Explanation: Cultural caregiving practices make the separations of the Strange Situation a novel
and heightened stressor, affecting behavior.
82. Fill-in-the-Blank
In Belsky's model of family subsystems, a(n) ______ effect occurs when marital conflict reduces
parenting effectiveness, indirectly affecting the child.
Answer: indirect
Explanation: An indirect effect means one relationship (marital) influences another (parent-
child), which then impacts the child.
83. Question–Answer
How does "scaffolding" by a caregiver support an infant's emotional regulation?
Answer: The caregiver modulates the intensity and pace of interaction, helping the infant
manage arousal levels before they become overwhelming.
Explanation: By providing well-timed support, caregivers help infants learn to tolerate and
regulate emotional states.
84. Question–Answer
Integrate the roles of the family system and child care as social contexts influencing infant
development.
Answer: The family provides the primary emotional foundation and models for relationships,
while child care offers additional socialization, peer interaction, and learning opportunities; their
combined quality shapes outcomes.
Explanation: Optimal development often depends on positive experiences in both
microsystems, not one or the other.
85. Question–Answer
Defend or refute: "Temperament is destiny" in socioemotional development.
Practice Q&A 37
Answer: Refute. Temperament is a predisposition, not destiny. Its impact is shaped by the
caregiving environment (goodness of fit), experiences, and the child’s own developing self-
regulation.
Explanation: A difficult temperament can lead to positive outcomes with supportive parenting,
illustrating the power of nurture.
86. Multiple Choice
A program that coaches mothers of irritable infants to read and respond to their cues more
sensitively is based on changing:
A) The infant's genetics
B) The infant's primary emotions
C) The goodness of fit
D) The infant's stranger anxiety
Answer: The goodness of fit
Explanation: The intervention aims to improve the match between the child's temperament and
the parent's caregiving style.
87. Multiple Choice
Which conclusion about infant socioemotional development is most strongly supported by cross-
cultural research?
A) Developmental milestones occur on identical schedules worldwide.
B) Secure attachment is universal, but its behavioral expression varies.
C) All cultures value independence in the second year equally.
D) Stranger anxiety is absent in collectivistic cultures.
Answer: Secure attachment is universal, but its behavioral expression varies.
Explanation: The need for a secure base is universal, but behaviors like proximity-seeking or
exploration are shaped by cultural norms.
88. True / False
The transition to parenthood invariably leads to a decline in marital satisfaction.
Answer: False
Practice Q&A 38
Explanation: While many couples experience increased stress, a significant portion report stable
or even improved marital quality after becoming parents.
89. Fill-in-the-Blank
The ______ is an observational measure involving a series of separations and reunions with a
caregiver and a stranger.
Answer: Strange Situation
Explanation: This is Ainsworth's structured laboratory procedure for assessing infant
attachment security.
90. Fill-in-the-Blank
The ability to minimize the intensity and duration of emotional reactions is called emotional
______.
Answer: regulation
Explanation: Emotional regulation involves processes used to manage and modify emotional
experiences and expressions.
91. Fill-in-the-Blank
Chess and Thomas found that approximately ______ percent of children in their study did not fit
the easy, difficult, or slow-to-warm-up categories.
Answer: 35
Explanation: Their longitudinal study showed that 35% of children displayed a mix of
characteristics not captured by the three main types.
92. True / False
The internal working model is a cognitive representation of the self, caregiver, and their
relationship.
Answer: True
Explanation: Bowlby proposed this mental model, formed through early attachment
experiences, guides expectations in future relationships.
93. True / False
"Goodness of fit" is a concept primarily used in the study of infant motor development.
Practice Q&A 39
Answer: False
Explanation: It is a concept in temperament research, describing the match between a child's
temperament and environmental demands.
94. Multiple Choice
Which of the following is a self-conscious emotion?
A) Surprise
B) Fear
C) Guilt
D) Disgust
Answer: Guilt
Explanation: Guilt requires self-awareness and an understanding of social standards, emerging
in the second year.
95. Multiple Choice
What is the primary focus of face-to-face play in early infancy?
A) Teaching language
B) Establishing reciprocal social interaction
C) Promoting motor skills
D) Reducing separation protest
Answer: Establishing reciprocal social interaction
Explanation: These interactions, rich with vocalizations and gestures, build the foundation for
social communication and bonding.
96. Multiple Choice
Which of the following best describes the "pain cry"?
A) A rhythmic cry with a brief silence
B) A cry with more forced air through vocal cords
C) A sudden, long, loud cry without preliminary moaning
D) A silent cry with facial grimacing
Answer: A sudden, long, loud cry without preliminary moaning
Practice Q&A 40
Explanation: The pain cry is a distinct pattern elicited by high-intensity stimuli like a sudden
pinch or shot.
97. Multiple Choice
According to Erikson, what is the positive outcome of the autonomy vs. shame and doubt stage?
A) Hope
B) Will
C) Purpose
D) Competence
Answer: Will
Explanation: Successfully navigating this toddler stage leads to a sense of will, or the
determination to exercise free choice.
98. Question–Answer
What are the two main types of infant smiles described in the chapter?
Answer: Reflexive smile and Social smile.
Explanation: Reflexive smiles are spontaneous (early infancy), while social smiles are elicited
by external social stimuli (from about 2 months).
99. Question–Answer
What does the term "insecure disorganized" attachment indicate about the infant's behavior in the
Strange Situation?
Answer: The infant shows a lack of a coherent strategy, appearing disoriented, dazed, or
exhibiting contradictory behaviors (e.g., approaching then freezing).
Explanation: This pattern is often associated with frightening or severely inconsistent
caregiving.
100. True / False
The "Bringing Home Baby" project workshop was designed to improve parents' financial
planning skills.
Answer: False
Explanation: The workshop focuses on strengthening the couple's relationship and developing
parenting skills, not financial management.
Practice Q&A 41
101. Multiple Choice
How does the concept of "reciprocal socialization" relate to family systems theory?
A) It supports the idea of linear, parent-to-child influence.
B) It aligns with the view of the family as a constellation of bidirectional subsystems.
C) It suggests children have no influence until adolescence.
D) It contradicts the idea of mutual influence within the family.
Answer: It aligns with the view of the family as a constellation of bidirectional subsystems.
Explanation: Both concepts emphasize that influence is mutual among all family members, not
a one-way street.
102. Multiple Choice
The finding that East Asian infants display less frequent positive and negative emotions than
non-Latino White infants best demonstrates the influence of:
A) Genetic differences in emotional capacity
B) Universal maturational timelines
C) Cultural display rules and parenting practices
D) Differences in prenatal nutrition
Answer: Cultural display rules and parenting practices
Explanation: Culture shapes how emotions are expressed and socialized from a very early age.
103. Multiple Choice
If a toddler says, "Feel bad. Dog scare," what aspect of development is this demonstrating?
A) Theory of mind
B) Emotional regulation through language
C) Separation protest
D) Social referencing
Answer: Emotional regulation through language
Explanation: Using words to label feelings and their causes is a key step in developing
emotional self-regulation.
104. Fill-in-the-Blank
Bowlby argued that both infants and their primary caregivers are biologically ______ to form
Practice Q&A 42
attachments.
Answer: predisposed
Explanation: His ethological theory posits that attachment behaviors are innate, evolutionary
adaptations that promote survival.
105. Question–Answer
How does the "goodness of fit" concept apply to the parenting advice for a "difficult" child?
Answer: It suggests parents should adapt their expectations and environment to better match the
child's temperamental style, rather than trying to force the child to change.
Explanation: For example, providing more predictable routines for an irregular child can create
a better fit and reduce conflict.
106. Question–Answer
Contrast the views of John Watson and Mary Ainsworth on how to respond to infant crying.
Answer: Watson warned that soothing rewards and increases crying, while Ainsworth argued
that prompt, comforting responses in the first year build trust and secure attachment.
Explanation: This represents a historical shift from behaviorist to attachment-based perspectives
on caregiving.
107. Question–Answer
Synthesize research on paternal caregiving to argue for or against the necessity of a "primary"
attachment figure.
Answer: Research shows fathers can be equally sensitive and form secure attachments, and
cultures utilize multiple caregivers. This argues against the necessity of a single primary figure,
emphasizing instead the importance of consistent, nurturing relationships.
Explanation: The key is the quality of care, not the gender or singular identity of the caregiver.
108. Multiple Choice
A policy maker uses the NICHD study to argue for investing in child-care quality over
expanding paid parental leave. Which finding best supports this position?
A) Quantity of care was unrelated to all outcomes.
B) High-quality care benefited children, especially from low-income families.
C) Most parents prefer to use center-based care.
Practice Q&A 43
D) Parental leave policies are too expensive.
Answer: High-quality care benefited children, especially from low-income families.
Explanation: This evidence shows that improving child-care quality can be a targeted, effective
intervention for at-risk children.
109. Multiple Choice
Considering the interplay of attachment and temperament, what is the most likely explanation for
a child who is both inhibited (per Kagan) and securely attached?
A) This combination is impossible.
B) The parents have successfully created a secure base that accepts the child's wary style.
C) The child's genetics override parenting effects.
D) The attachment classification must be incorrect.
Answer: The parents have successfully created a secure base that accepts the child's wary style.
Explanation: Secure attachment provides a foundation of safety from which an inhibited child
can cautiously explore, demonstrating that attachment security and behavioral inhibition are not
mutually exclusive.
110. True / False
The development of effortful control (self-regulation) is solely dependent on the maturation of
the prefrontal cortex.
Answer: False
Explanation: While brain maturation is necessary, the development of effortful control is also
significantly shaped by caregiving experiences and environmental support.
111. Fill-in-the-Blank
In the context of child care, a low child-to-______ ratio is a key indicator of quality.
Answer: caregiver (or adult/staff)
Explanation: Lower ratios allow caregivers to be more responsive and attentive to individual
children's needs.
112. Fill-in-the-Blank
The phase from 2 to 7 months in Bowlby's attachment model is called ______.
Answer: attachment-in-the-making
Practice Q&A 44
Explanation: In this phase, infants begin to distinguish familiar from unfamiliar people and
direct their attachment behaviors more selectively.
113. Fill-in-the-Blank
______ involves individual differences in how quickly an emotion is shown, how strong it is,
and how long it lasts.
Answer: Temperament
Explanation: This definition highlights the stylistic, rather than content-based, differences in
emotional responding.
114. True / False
All primary emotions are present at birth.
Answer: False
Explanation: Primary emotions develop over the first 6 months; for example, fear (stranger
anxiety) emerges around 6-8 months.
115. True / False
Scaffolding is a form of reciprocal socialization.
Answer: True
Explanation: Scaffolding, where a caregiver supports a child's learning, is a specific,
bidirectional interaction within the broader process of reciprocal socialization.
116. Multiple Choice
Which parental leave type could be used to care for an ill child?
A) Maternity leave
B) Paternity leave
C) Family leave
D) Child-rearing leave
Answer: Family leave
Explanation: Family leave is often structured to cover various care needs beyond the birth of a
new child.
Practice Q&A 45
117. Multiple Choice
What is a key characteristic of an insecure avoidant baby in the Strange Situation?
A) Intense distress upon separation
B) Clinging and anger upon reunion
C) Little interaction with and avoidance of the caregiver
D) Dazed, confused expressions
Answer: Little interaction with and avoidance of the caregiver
Explanation: Avoidant infants minimize attachment behaviors, showing little distress when the
caregiver leaves and avoiding contact upon return.
118. Multiple Choice
What does the mirror technique with rouge assess?
A) Visual acuity
B) Self-recognition
C) Social referencing ability
D) Attachment security
Answer: Self-recognition
Explanation: If the infant touches their own nose upon seeing the rouge in the mirror, it
suggests recognition of the self as an independent entity.
119. Multiple Choice
Which dimension in Rothbart's model is Kagan's concept of "inhibition to the unfamiliar" most
closely related to?
A) Extraversion/surgency
B) Negative affectivity
C) Effortful control
D) Positive affectivity
Answer: Negative affectivity
Explanation: Inhibited children show high levels of fear and discomfort in novel situations, core
aspects of negative affectivity.
Practice Q&A 46
120. Question–Answer
What are the three basic types of infant cries?
Answer: Basic cry, Anger cry, and Pain cry.
Explanation: These cries differ in their acoustic patterns and are linked to different internal
states.
121. Question–Answer
According to the text, what is one reason why mothers might be more responsive to the crying of
irritable girls than irritable boys?
Answer: Gender-based expectations and socialization; parents may perceive and respond to
emotionality differently based on the child's sex.
Explanation: This reflects how cultural gender norms can shape parenting behaviors from
infancy.
122. True / False
The development of locomotion decreases an infant's ability to initiate social interactions.
Answer: False
Explanation: Locomotion (crawling, walking) significantly increases an infant's ability to
independently initiate social contact and exploration.
123. Multiple Choice
How are the concepts of "joint attention" and "social referencing" related?
A) They are the same thing.
B) Joint attention is necessary for social referencing to occur.
C) Social referencing develops before joint attention.
D) They are unrelated cognitive skills.
Answer: Joint attention is necessary for social referencing to occur.
Explanation: To read an emotional cue from someone (social referencing), the infant must first
share a focus of attention with that person (joint attention).
124. Multiple Choice
The finding that stay-at-home fathers sometimes feel ostracized at playgrounds best illustrates
the power of:
Practice Q&A 47
A) Genetic influences on parenting
B) Cultural norms and gender stereotypes
C) The Strange Situation's cultural bias
D) Family leave policies
Answer: Cultural norms and gender stereotypes
Explanation: Social expectations about gender roles in caregiving can create isolation for
fathers who deviate from the traditional norm.
125. Multiple Choice
If a child's secure attachment at 1 year predicts better peer relations at age 5, but only when
parenting remains supportive, this demonstrates:
A) The instability of attachment
B) The continuous and interactive nature of developmental influences
C) The primacy of infant attachment over all else
D) A simple cause-and-effect relationship
Answer: The continuous and interactive nature of developmental influences
Explanation: Early experiences set a pathway, but ongoing environmental support is needed to
maintain positive development.
126. Fill-in-the-Blank
In Belsky's model, a father's stressful job affecting his mood, which then affects his parenting, is
an example of a(n) ______ effect on the child.
Answer: indirect
Explanation: The stressor (job) affects one subsystem (marital/individual), which then affects
another (parenting), indirectly impacting the child.
127. Question–Answer
How does the concept of "goodness of fit" provide a more nuanced view than simply labeling a
child as "difficult"?
Answer: It shifts focus from a static child trait to the dynamic interaction between the child and
their environment. A "difficult" temperament may only be problematic in a poorly matched
environment.
Practice Q&A 48
Explanation: This perspective encourages changes in the environment or expectations, rather
than solely trying to change the child.
128. Question–Answer
Evaluate the statement: "The Strange Situation is a universal and unbiased tool for measuring
attachment."
Answer: The statement is flawed. While it identifies meaningful patterns, the Strange Situation's
reliance on specific separations and reunions may be more or less stressful depending on cultural
caregiving norms, potentially biasing classifications.
Explanation: Cross-cultural differences in attachment classifications highlight the procedure's
embeddedness in Western middle-class practices.
129. Question–Answer
Integrate evidence from temperament and attachment research to explain why two siblings raised
in the same family might have different attachment classifications.
Answer: Differences could arise from innate temperamental variations (e.g., one is more
distress-prone), leading to different caregiving challenges and interactions, or from differential
treatment by parents.
Explanation: This illustrates the complex interplay of child effects (temperament) and
relationship-specific history within a family system.
130. Multiple Choice
A community implements a program offering high-quality, subsidized infant child care. Based
on research, what is the most likely outcome for low-income families?
A) A decrease in children's school readiness
B) An increase in insecure attachment for all participants
C) Improvements in children's language and social development
D) No significant effects on child development
Answer: Improvements in children's language and social development
Explanation: Research, like the NICHD study, indicates that access to high-quality care can
provide significant developmental benefits, particularly for children from disadvantaged
backgrounds.
Practice Q&A 49
131. Multiple Choice
Which scenario best represents "reciprocal socialization"?
A) A mother feeds her baby on a strict schedule.
B) A baby coos, the mother smiles, the baby coos again.
C) A father ignores his crying infant.
D) A stranger administers the Strange Situation.
Answer: A baby coos, the mother smiles, the baby coos again.
Explanation: This back-and-forth, mutually responsive exchange is the essence of reciprocal
socialization.
132. True / False
Personality development in infancy is complete by the end of the second year.
Answer: False
Explanation: Personality begins to form in infancy with traits like trust and autonomy, but it
continues to develop and change across the entire lifespan.
Practice Q&A 50
CHAPTER 7 PRACTICE QUESTIONS AND NASWER: Physical and Cognitive
Development in Early Childhood
1. Multiple Choice
According to Jean Jacques Rousseau, what is the value of a child spending early years in play
and running about?
A) It builds academic foundations
B) It is a waste of critical learning time
C) It is the child's way of being truly busy and happy
D) It prevents proper social development
Answer: C
Explanation: Rousseau valued early childhood happiness and saw play as the child's important
occupation.
2. Fill-in-the-Blank
The Reggio Emilia approach prioritizes admission for children of single parents and children
with __________.
Answer: disabilities
Explanation: The Reggio Emilia program gives priority in admission to these groups before
considering other children.
3. Multiple Choice
What physical change during early childhood results in better hand-eye coordination?
A) Increased muscle mass
B) Slowing of height growth
C) Continued myelination of axons
D) Loss of baby teeth
Answer: D
Explanation: Myelination of neural pathways improves the speed and efficiency of nerve
signals, enhancing coordination.
4. True / False
During early childhood, girls have more muscle tissue than boys.
Practice Q&A 51
Answer: False
Explanation: Boys have more muscle tissue; girls have more fatty tissue during early childhood.
5. Question–Answer
What are the two main contributors to height differences in children worldwide according to
Meredith (1978)?
Answer: Ethnic origin and nutrition.
Explanation: Meredith's review concluded that genetic background and dietary factors are
primary influences on height.
6. Multiple Choice
By age 6, the brain has reached about what percentage of its adult size?
A) 75%
B) 85%
C) 95%
D) 100%
Answer: B
Explanation: By age 6, the brain attains approximately 95% of adult brain size, though internal
development continues.
7. Fill-in-the-Blank
Piaget’s preoperational stage is characterized by the child’s inability to perform reversible mental
actions, known as __________.
Answer: operations
Explanation: Operations are reversible mental actions that children in the preoperational stage
cannot yet execute.
8. Multiple Choice
Which substage of preoperational thought involves children asking many “why” questions?
A) Symbolic function substage
B) Concrete operational substage
C) Intuitive thought substage
D) Formal operational substage
Practice Q&A 52
Answer: A
Explanation: The intuitive thought substage (ages 4–7) is marked by primitive reasoning and
numerous “why” questions.
9. True / False
Centration refers to the ability to focus on multiple aspects of a problem simultaneously.
Answer: False
Explanation: Centration is the tendency to focus on one salient feature while ignoring other
relevant aspects.
10. Question–Answer
According to Vygotsky, what is the zone of proximal development (ZPD)?
Answer: The range of tasks a child cannot do alone but can accomplish with guidance.
Explanation: The ZPD captures skills in the process of maturing, requiring assistance from a
more skilled person.
11. Multiple Choice
In Vygotsky’s theory, private speech serves primarily to:
A) Communicate with others
B) Entertain the child
C) Plan, guide, and monitor behavior
D) Practice pronunciation
Answer: C
Explanation: Vygotsky viewed private speech as a tool for self-regulation and problem-solving.
12. Multiple Choice
Which attention type involves focused, extended engagement with a task or object?
A) Executive attention
B) Selective attention
C) Sustained attention
D) Divided attention
Answer: A
Explanation: Sustained attention is the ability to maintain focus on an activity over time.
Practice Q&A 53
13. Fill-in-the-Blank
The memory component in which information is retained for up to 30 seconds without rehearsal
is called __________ memory.
Answer: short-term
Explanation: Short-term memory holds limited information briefly unless rehearsed.
14. True / False
Preschool children are less suggestible than older children when recalling events.
Answer: False
Explanation: Preschoolers are the most suggestible age group regarding memory and leading
questions.
15. Question–Answer
What term describes deliberate mental activities used to improve information processing?
Answer: Strategies
Explanation: Strategies are conscious techniques like rehearsal or organization to enhance
memory.
16. Multiple Choice
A child’s understanding that others can hold false beliefs is a key milestone in:
A) Moral reasoning
B) Theory of mind
C) Concrete operations
D) Pragmatic development
Answer: D
Explanation: Understanding false beliefs indicates development of theory of mind—awareness
of others’ mental states.
17. Multiple Choice
Which language rule system involves the sounds of speech?
A) Morphology
B) Syntax
C) Phonology
Practice Q&A 54
D) Semantics
Answer: B
Explanation: Phonology is the system of sounds in a language.
18. Fill-in-the-Blank
In Berko’s classic “wug” test, children were asked to apply morphological rules to __________
words.
Answer: made-up
Explanation: Berko used nonsense words to show children internalize morphological rules
without prior memorization.
19. True / False
Pragmatics refers to the rules for combining words into sentences.
Answer: False
Explanation: Pragmatics involves the social and contextual use of language, not sentence
structure.
20. Question–Answer
What are two home factors linked to better emergent literacy in low-income families?
Answer: Frequency of being read to and quality of maternal engagement.
Explanation: Home literacy experiences and stimulating interactions support early literacy
skills.
21. Multiple Choice
The child-centered kindergarten emphasizes education of:
A) Academic skills only
B) The whole child
C) Social conformity
D) Competitive achievement
Answer: B
Explanation: This approach addresses physical, cognitive, and socioemotional development
holistically.
Practice Q&A 55
22. Fill-in-the-Blank
The __________ approach allows children considerable freedom in choosing activities with the
teacher as facilitator.
Answer: Montessori
Explanation: The Montessori method encourages self-directed learning in a prepared
environment.
23. Multiple Choice
Developmentally appropriate practice (DAP) is based on:
A) Age-appropriateness only
B) Individual-appropriateness only
C) Both age- and individual-appropriateness
D) Standardized test scores
Answer: A
Explanation: DAP considers typical developmental patterns (age) and each child’s uniqueness
(individual).
24. True / False
Project Head Start is a universal preschool program for all U.S. children.
Answer: False
Explanation: Head Start is a compensatory program for children from low-income families.
25. Question–Answer
What long-term benefits were found for adults who attended the Perry Preschool program?
Answer: Higher graduation rates, more employment, less criminal activity, and greater home
ownership.
Explanation: The high-quality Perry program showed lasting positive outcomes into adulthood.
26. Multiple Choice
What is a primary cause of death for children aged 1 to 4 in the United States?
A) Cancer
B) Cardiovascular disease
C) Motor vehicle accidents
Practice Q&A 56
D) Infectious diseases
Answer: A
Explanation: Motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for young children in the
U.S.
27. Fill-in-the-Blank
The process by which nerve cells are covered with a layer of fat cells is called __________.
Answer: myelination
Explanation: Myelination insulates axons, increasing the speed of neural transmission.
28. Multiple Choice
During early childhood, average yearly growth in height is about:
A) 1 inch
B) 2.5 inches
C) 4 inches
D) 6 inches
Answer: C
Explanation: Children grow an average of 2.5 inches per year during early childhood.
29. True / False
The frontal lobes show the most rapid brain growth between ages 3 and 6.
Answer: True
Explanation: This frontal lobe growth is linked to improvements in planning and attention.
30. Question–Answer
What are gross motor skills?
Answer: Abilities involving large muscle movements, like running and jumping.
Explanation: Gross motor skills involve the coordination of large muscle groups for whole-body
movement.
31. Multiple Choice
At what age do children typically begin to show pride in physical accomplishments like
jumping?
Practice Q&A 57
A) 2 years
B) 3 years
C) 4 years
D) 5 years
Answer: B
Explanation: Three-year-olds enjoy simple movements and take pride in showing their physical
abilities.
32. Multiple Choice
What is a common sleep problem in early childhood?
A) Sleepwalking
B) Narcolepsy
C) Insomnia
D) All of the above
Answer: D
Explanation: Young children can experience various sleep problems, including those listed.
33. Fill-in-the-Blank
Children who are at or above the 85th percentile for BMI are classified as at risk for being
__________.
Answer: overweight
Explanation: The CDC uses BMI percentiles to categorize weight status in children.
34. True / False
Routine physical activity for preschoolers should total about one hour per day.
Answer: False
Explanation: Guidelines recommend two hours daily: one structured and one unstructured.
35. Question–Answer
What is iron deficiency anemia, and who is most at risk?
Answer: A nutritional problem causing fatigue, most common in young children from low-
income families.
Practice Q&A 58
Explanation: It results from inadequate intake of iron-rich foods like meats and dark green
vegetables.
36. Multiple Choice
What factor increases a child's risk for lead poisoning?
A) High socioeconomic status
B) Living in poverty
C) Attending preschool
D) Having older siblings
Answer: D
Explanation: Poverty is linked to older housing with lead paint, increasing poisoning risk.
37. Fill-in-the-Blank
In Piaget's three mountains task, a child's selection of their own view demonstrates __________.
Answer: egocentrism
Explanation: Egocentrism is the inability to distinguish one's own perspective from another's.
38. Multiple Choice
Animism is the belief that:
A) Animals are smarter than humans
B) Inanimate objects have lifelike qualities
C) Dreams are real events
D) Thoughts can control objects
Answer: B
Explanation: Animism attributes life and consciousness to non-living things.
39. True / False
Conservation is the understanding that altering appearance does not change quantity.
Answer: True
Explanation: Conservation involves recognizing that basic properties remain constant despite
perceptual changes.
Practice Q&A 59
40. Question–Answer
What did Rochel Gelman's research suggest about conservation skills?
Answer: They appear earlier than Piaget thought when attention is directed to relevant task
features.
Explanation: Gelman showed that improving a child's attention could lead to successful
conservation.
41. Multiple Choice
Scaffolding in education refers to:
A) Building physical structures for play
B) Changing support levels to match learner needs
C) Using standardized tests
D) Grouping children by ability
Answer: B
Explanation: Scaffolding involves adjusting guidance as a child's competence increases.
42. Multiple Choice
Tools of the Mind is an educational curriculum grounded in whose theory?
A) Piaget
B) Vygotsky
C) Erikson
D) Skinner
Answer: D
Explanation: The curriculum is based on Vygotsky's sociocultural theory and emphasizes self-
regulation.
43. Fill-in-the-Blank
The __________ approach emphasizes that knowledge is mutually built through social
interaction.
Answer: social constructivist
Explanation: This approach, associated with Vygotsky, highlights learning within social and
cultural contexts.
Practice Q&A 60
44. True / False
Executive attention involves planning and dealing with novel situations.
Answer: True
Explanation: Executive attention manages goal-directed behavior and complex cognitive tasks.
45. Question–Answer
What typically happens to memory span between ages 2 and 7?
Answer: It increases from about 2 digits to about 5 digits.
Explanation: Short-term memory capacity expands significantly during early childhood.
46. Multiple Choice
Why are preschoolers' memories sometimes inaccurate in legal settings?
A) They have no long-term memory
B) They are highly susceptible to suggestion
C) They intentionally lie
D) They confuse dreams with reality
Answer: B
Explanation: Young children's recall can be easily distorted by misleading questions and
interviewer bias.
47. Fill-in-the-Blank
The awareness of one's own and others' mental processes is called __________.
Answer: theory of mind
Explanation: Theory of mind involves understanding that people have thoughts, beliefs, and
desires.
48. Multiple Choice
At what age do most children begin to understand false beliefs?
A) 2 years
B) 3 years
C) 5 years
D) 7 years
Practice Q&A 61
Answer: A
Explanation: Most children pass false-belief tasks, like the Sally-Anne test, around age 5.
49. True / False
Children with autism typically have advanced theory of mind skills.
Answer: False
Explanation: Autism is often characterized by significant challenges in understanding others'
mental states.
50. Question–Answer
What is overgeneralization in language development?
Answer: Applying a grammatical rule too broadly, like saying "goed" instead of "went."
Explanation: It shows the child has learned a rule but not yet its exceptions.
51. Multiple Choice
Rapid vocabulary growth in early childhood is estimated at:
A) One new word per day
B) One new word per waking hour
C) Ten new words per week
D) Fifty new words per month
Answer: B
Explanation: Children learn roughly one new word every waking hour during this period.
52. Multiple Choice
When do children learn to adapt their speech style to different listeners?
A) Around 2–3 years
B) Around 4–5 years
C) Around 6–7 years
D) In adolescence
Answer: D
Explanation: By age 4 or 5, children start to adjust their speech for listeners like adults versus
peers.
Practice Q&A 62
53. Fill-in-the-Blank
The __________ controversy debates child-centered versus academic instruction in early
education.
Answer: curriculum
Explanation: This debate centers on what and how young children should be taught.
54. True / False
Universal preschool is a non-controversial, universally implemented policy in the U.S.
Answer: False
Explanation: Its value, cost, and necessity for all children are subjects of ongoing debate.
55. Question–Answer
What was a key finding of the national evaluation of Head Start (Puma et al., 2010)?
Answer: It had a positive influence on language and cognitive development.
Explanation: The evaluation showed initial benefits, though some effects diminished over time.
56. Multiple Choice
What characterizes the body proportions of a 5-year-old compared to a 2-year-old?
A) Shorter trunk and legs
B) Longer trunk and legs
C) Larger head relative to body
D) No significant difference
Answer: B
Explanation: The preschool child's trunk and limbs lengthen, reducing the top-heavy look of
toddlerhood.
57. Fill-in-the-Blank
__________ is the focusing of attention on one characteristic to the exclusion of others.
Answer: Centration
Explanation: Centration limits preoperational children's thinking in tasks like conservation.
58. Multiple Choice
What is a significant change in fine motor skills by age 5?
Practice Q&A 63
A) Ability to turn book pages one at a time
B) Improved command of eye-hand-body coordination
C) Ability to scribble with a crayon
D) Development of a pincer grasp
Answer: B
Explanation: By age 5, children integrate visual guidance with hand and body movements more
smoothly.
59. True / False
The Reggio Emilia approach uses a predetermined, teacher-directed curriculum.
Answer: False
Explanation: It is child-centered and project-based, emerging from children's interests.
60. Question–Answer
What two executive function skills show important advances in early childhood?
Answer: Inhibitory control and working memory.
Explanation: These skills are crucial for self-regulation and cognitive flexibility.
61. Multiple Choice
What does the "looking back" section connect to previous chapters?
A) Socioemotional development in infancy
B) Physical and cognitive development in infancy
C) Adolescent brain development
D) Prenatal development
Answer: B
Explanation: It links the current chapter on early childhood to prior coverage of infant
development.
62. Multiple Choice
Which is NOT a main cause of illness/death for young children in low-income countries?
A) Diarrhea
B) HIV/AIDS
C) Lead poisoning
Practice Q&A 64
D) Malnutrition
Answer: A
Explanation: While a serious problem, lead poisoning is more specific to certain environments;
diarrhea, HIV/AIDS, and malnutrition are widespread causes.
63. Fill-in-the-Blank
Vygotsky believed that all mental functions have __________ origins.
Answer: social
Explanation: Vygotsky's sociocultural theory posits that higher mental processes begin as social
interactions.
64. True / False
Information processing theory focuses on qualitative stages of cognitive development.
Answer: False
Explanation: It focuses on quantitative changes in mental processes like attention and memory,
not discrete stages.
65. Question–Answer
What is the main criticism of the Montessori approach?
Answer: It may neglect socioemotional development and imaginative play.
Explanation: Critics argue the focus on independent work and specific materials limits social
interaction and creativity.
66. Multiple Choice
What is a key feature of high-quality early childhood programs for disadvantaged children?
A) Focus on academics only
B) Low teacher-child ratios
C) Exclusion of parent involvement
D) Use of only direct instruction
Answer: B
Explanation: Low ratios allow for more individualized attention and support, a hallmark of
quality.
Practice Q&A 65
67. Fill-in-the-Blank
The inability to mentally reverse actions is a limitation in Piaget's __________ stage.
Answer: preoperational
Explanation: Preoperational children fail conservation partly because they cannot mentally undo
a transformation.
68. Multiple Choice
What is a primary goal of the "Tools of the Mind" curriculum?
A) Accelerated reading
B) Development of self-regulation
C) Competitive sports skills
D) Foreign language fluency
Answer: D
Explanation: The curriculum emphasizes executive functions and self-regulation through
Vygotskian methods.
69. True / False
Sustained attention is fully mature by the end of early childhood.
Answer: False
Explanation: While improving, sustained attention continues to develop throughout middle
childhood and adolescence.
70. Question–Answer
What does the "Preview" section state is the role of parents and educators?
Answer: To foster children's natural interest in learning by understanding development.
Explanation: The preview emphasizes creating programs based on developmental knowledge to
support learning.
71. Multiple Choice
What does the image of the nerve fiber in Figure 7.1 illustrate?
A) A synapse
B) A myelinated axon
C) A dendrite
Practice Q&A 66
D) A neuron cell body
Answer: B
Explanation: The figure shows an axon insulated by a myelin sheath, which facilitates faster
signal transmission.
72. Multiple Choice
Which factor is linked to young children's sleep problems?
A) High intelligence
B) Being underweight
C) Difficult temperament in infancy
D) Early bedtimes
Answer: A
Explanation: Research links difficult temperament in infancy to later sleep problems like
nightmares.
73. Fill-in-the-Blank
The __________ provides food aid to low-income mothers and children in the U.S.
Answer: WIC program (Women, Infants, and Children)
Explanation: WIC offers nutritional assistance and education to support healthy development.
74. True / False
Parental smoking exposure is linked to children's asthma and wheezing.
Answer: True
Explanation: Secondhand smoke is a significant environmental risk factor for respiratory
problems in children.
75. Question–Answer
What does the "zone of proximal development" metaphorically represent as "buds"?
Answer: Cognitive skills that are in the process of maturing.
Explanation: Vygotsky contrasted these emerging skills ("buds") with fully developed skills
("fruits").
Practice Q&A 67
76. Multiple Choice
What is a major difference between Piaget's and Vygotsky's views on language?
A) Its role in cognitive development
B) Its existence in early childhood
C) Its grammatical structure
D) Its learning speed
Answer: A
Explanation: Vygotsky saw language as a crucial tool for thought; Piaget saw it as reflecting but
not driving thought.
77. Fill-in-the-Blank
Young children's focus on the most noticeable features of a stimulus, regardless of relevance, is
called __________.
Answer: salience
Explanation: Attending to salient over relevant dimensions is a limitation in early childhood
attention.
78. Multiple Choice
What improves the accuracy of young children's long-term recall?
A) Suggestive interviewing
B) Neutral prompts and cues
C) Repeated yes/no questions
D) Interviewer pressure
Answer: B
Explanation: Neutral, non-leading prompts help children accurately retrieve memories without
distortion.
79. True / False
The Kamehameha Elementary Education Program (KEEP) is based on Piaget's theory.
Answer: False
Explanation: KEEP is an example of applying Vygotsky's ideas, particularly the ZPD, in the
classroom.
Practice Q&A 68
80. Question–Answer
What is a key difference between the symbolic drawings of a 3-year-old and an 11-year-old?
Answer: The 3-year-old's is fanciful and inventive; the 11-year-old's is neater, more realistic, but
less inventive.
Explanation: This reflects the shift from preoperational symbolic thought to concrete
operational realism.
81. Multiple Choice
What is the main purpose of the "topical connections" box in the text?
A) To introduce new vocabulary
B) To link chapter content to prior and upcoming chapters
C) To summarize the chapter
D) To provide study questions
Answer: B
Explanation: These boxes create continuity by connecting current material to what was
previously learned and what comes next.
82. Fill-in-the-Blank
The belief that others will see what is in front of their own eyes, not the child's, is an
understanding of __________.
Answer: perception
Explanation: This is an early aspect of theory of mind, recognizing that visual perspectives
differ.
83. Multiple Choice
What did the study by Brown and others (2009) find about preschoolers' outdoor play?
A) They were highly active
B) They were mainly sedentary
C) They engaged in vigorous activity 50% of the time
D) They refused to play outdoors
Practice Q&A 69
Answer: B
Explanation: Observations showed preschoolers were sedentary 89% of the time during outdoor
play.
84. True / False
The "Preview" section suggests that understanding development can help adults stifle children's
natural learning interests.
Answer: False
Explanation: The preview states that understanding development helps foster, not stifle,
children's natural interest in learning.
85. Question–Answer
According to information-processing theory, what improves alongside rehearsal to increase
memory span?
Answer: The speed of processing information.
Explanation: Faster identification and processing of memory items contribute to greater
memory capacity.
86. Multiple Choice
In Figure 7.2, what is the second leading cause of death for U.S. children aged 1-4?
A) Motor vehicle accidents
B) Cancer
C) Cardiovascular disease
D) Lower respiratory diseases
Answer: D
Explanation: After motor vehicle accidents, cancer is the second leading cause of death in this
age group.
87. Fill-in-the-Blank
When 4-year-olds attempt to build a high block tower and often fail, it is often due to excessive
__________.
Practice Q&A 70
Answer: precision
Explanation: Their desire to place each block perfectly can upset the blocks already stacked.
88. Multiple Choice
What is a recommended adult feeding style to promote healthy eating in young children?
A) Restrictive
B) Forceful
C) Sensitive/Responsive
D) Distracted
Answer: A
Explanation: A sensitive/responsive style, where the caregiver is nurturant and responsive to
cues, is recommended.
89. True / False
The text states that early childhood is the only time in the lifespan when the brain shows
dramatic anatomical changes.
Answer: False
Explanation: While dramatic changes occur between 3 and 15, the brain continues to develop
and reorganize beyond early childhood.
90. Question–Answer
What are the two substages of Piaget's preoperational stage?
Answer: The symbolic function substage and the intuitive thought substage.
Explanation: These two substages describe the progression of thought from ages 2 to 7.
91. Multiple Choice
What does the image of the two houses (Figure 7.11) demonstrate about attention?
A) Color preference
B) The planfulness of attention
C) Memory for details
D) Cultural differences in perception
Practice Q&A 71
Answer: D
Explanation: The figure illustrates how older children scan details systematically (planfully),
while younger children do not.
92. Multiple Choice
Which concept refers to children's ability to talk about things not present?
A) Syntax
B) Displacement
C) Overregularization
D) Phonology
Answer: B
Explanation: Displacement is the linguistic ability to refer to things not in the immediate
context (here and now).
93. Fill-in-the-Blank
The National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) establishes guidelines
for __________ practice.
Answer: developmentally appropriate
Explanation: NAEYC is the leading organization promoting developmentally appropriate
practice (DAP) in early education.
94. True / False
The text concludes that controversies in early childhood education have been completely
resolved.
Answer: False
Explanation: The chapter highlights ongoing debates, such as curriculum focus and universal
preschool.
95. Question–Answer
What is one finding from the NICHD study regarding attention at 54 months?
Practice Q&A 72
Answer: Sustained attention at 54 months was linked to school readiness.
Explanation: Better attention skills predicted better achievement and language skills at school
entry.
96. Multiple Choice
Which is NOT a principle of the child-centered kindergarten?
A) Unique developmental patterns
B) Learning through firsthand experience
C) The primary importance of worksheets
D) The extreme importance of play
Answer: C
Explanation: Child-centered kindergartens emphasize active, play-based learning, not passive
worksheet completion.
97. Fill-in-the-Blank
A major theme in Reggio Emilia schools is __________.
Answer: cooperation
Explanation: Cooperation among children, teachers, and parents is a foundational theme of the
approach.
98. Multiple Choice
What does research suggest about the link between sleep problems and overweight status in
children?
A) There is no link
B) Short sleep duration is linked to being overweight
C) More sleep causes overweight
D) Only naps are linked to weight
Answer: B
Explanation: Studies indicate that children who sleep less are more likely to be overweight.
Practice Q&A 73
99. True / False
Piaget believed that private speech was a sign of cognitive immaturity.
Answer: True
Explanation: Piaget termed it "egocentric speech," viewing it as a failure to take the listener's
perspective.
100. Question–Answer
What does the "Reach Your Learning Goals" section at the end of the chapter provide?
Answer: A summary of key takeaways for each learning objective.
Explanation: This section reviews the main points covered under each of the chapter's four
learning goals.
101. Multiple Choice
What is a central image of children in the Reggio Emilia approach?
A) Children as empty vessels
B) Children as competent beings with rights
C) Children as followers of instruction
D) Children as passive learners
Answer: B
Explanation: The approach is built on an image of the child as competent, with the right to
excellent care and education.
102. Multiple Choice
What is a primary cognitive limitation during the intuitive thought substage?
A) Inability to use symbols
B) Lack of curiosity
C) Difficulty answering "what if" questions
D) Perfect logical reasoning
Answer: A
Explanation: Children in this substage have difficulty with hypothetical ("what if") reasoning.
Practice Q&A 74
103. Fill-in-the-Blank
The rapid growth spurts and pruning of brain cells between ages 3 and 15 are examples of
dramatic __________ changes.
Answer: anatomical
Explanation: Brain scans show these physical changes in brain structure during childhood.
104. True / False
Fine motor skills are fully developed by age 3.
Answer: False
Explanation: Fine motor skills show substantial improvement between ages 3 and 5, with
coordination becoming more precise.
105. Question–Answer
What are the two categories in the CDC's classification for children's weight based on BMI
percentiles?
Answer: Overweight (≥95th percentile) and at risk for overweight (≥85th percentile). (Note: The
text also mentions "obese" at ≥97th percentile).
Explanation: The CDC uses specific BMI percentile cut-offs to define weight status categories
in children.
106. Multiple Choice
What does the "looking forward" section connect this chapter to?
A) Prenatal development
B) Socioemotional development in early childhood and cognitive development in middle
childhood
C) Adolescent rebellion
D) Aging and retirement
Answer: B
Explanation: It links this chapter on physical/cognitive development to the next chapter on
socioemotional development, and later to middle childhood.
Practice Q&A 75
107. Fill-in-the-Blank
Vygotsky's theory is described as a __________ approach to development.
Answer: sociocultural
Explanation: Vygotsky emphasized the fundamental role of social interaction and cultural tools
in cognitive development.
108. Multiple Choice
What is a key reason for the variation in Head Start program quality?
A) Uniform federal standards
B) Lack of funding variability
C) Differences in local implementation and staff training
D) All Head Start programs are rated as high quality
Answer: A
Explanation: Program quality can vary significantly from site to site due to differences in
resources, leadership, and teaching.
109. True / False
The chapter suggests that myelin sheath development is complete by the end of early childhood.
Answer: False
Explanation: Myelination continues into adolescence and adulthood, particularly in the frontal
lobes.
110. Question–Answer
According to the text, what is one function of the "Key People" list at the end of the chapter?
Answer: To highlight important theorists and researchers mentioned in the chapter.
Explanation: This list helps students identify and review the contributions of central figures.
111. Multiple Choice
Which factor is NOT listed as enhancing young children's safety in Figure 7.3?
A) Development of social skills
B) Frequent use of personal protection (e.g., bike helmets)
Practice Q&A 76
C) High-fat diet
D) Presence of home safety equipment
Answer: C
Explanation: A high-fat diet is a nutritional concern, not a direct safety enhancement factor.
112. Fill-in-the-Blank
In the conservation task, the preoperational child's incorrect judgment is often due to
__________ on one dimension like height.
Answer: centration
Explanation: The child centers on the most noticeable dimension (e.g., water height) and
ignores others (e.g., width).
113. Multiple Choice
What does the Tools of the Mind curriculum use to improve children's writing?
A) Copying sentences repeatedly
B) Scaffolded writing, where teachers guide message planning
C) Computerized typing programs
D) Memorizing spelling lists
Answer: D
Explanation: Scaffolded writing involves the teacher helping the child plan and represent their
message step-by-step.
114. True / False
The text states that parents should pay for Reggio Emilia programs based on a fixed tuition rate.
Answer: False
Explanation: Parents pay on a sliding scale based on income, making it more accessible.
115. Question–Answer
What does the "zone of proximal development" have that the child can accomplish
independently?
Practice Q&A 77
Answer: Its lower limit.
Explanation: The lower limit of the ZPD is the level of skill the child can reach without help.
116. Multiple Choice
What is a significant change in language semantics during early childhood?
A) Learning the alphabet
B) Dramatic vocabulary growth
C) Mastering a foreign language
D) Losing the ability to hear phonemes
Answer: B
Explanation: Children learn an estimated 14,000 words by first grade, indicating explosive
semantic growth.
117. Fill-in-the-Blank
The Perry Preschool program included weekly __________ visits as part of its intervention.
Answer: home
Explanation: The program's comprehensive design involved direct, weekly contact with the
child's family at home.
118. Multiple Choice
Which statement reflects a criticism of Vygotsky's theory?
A) It overemphasizes the role of language in thinking.
B) It ignores social interaction.
C) It provides too many age-specific details.
D) It underestimates the child's own constructive processes.
Answer: A
Explanation: Some critics argue Vygotsky placed too much emphasis on language as the driver
of thought.
119. True / False
The chapter states that all children who are overweight at age 3 will remain overweight at age 12.
Practice Q&A 78
Answer: False
Explanation: While the risk is high (80% in one study), it is not an absolute certainty for all
children.
120. Question–Answer
What does the "Connect" question following the Physical Changes section ask you to relate?
Answer: It asks to compare sleep recommendations for early childhood with infant sleep
patterns from Chapter 4.
Explanation: These "Connect" questions are designed to help students integrate knowledge
across chapters.
121. Multiple Choice
What is the primary focus of the "Reflect" questions in the chapter?
A) To test factual recall
B) To apply concepts to personal experience
C) To summarize the main points
D) To define key terms
Answer: B
Explanation: "Reflect" questions prompt personal application and consideration of one's own
journey.
122. Multiple Choice
In the context of theory of mind, what do children understand about desires by age 2?
A) Desires are always fulfilled.
B) People will act to get what they want.
C) Desires are unrelated to emotions.
D) All desires are the same for everyone.
Answer: D
Explanation: Toddlers understand that if someone wants something, they will try to obtain it,
linking desire to action.
Practice Q&A 79
123. Fill-in-the-Blank
The Sally-Anne false-belief task assesses a child's understanding that others can have
__________ beliefs.
Answer: false
Explanation: The task tests whether a child understands that someone can hold a belief that
contradicts reality.
124. True / False
The text recommends that mealtimes for young children be full of distractions like TV to keep
them entertained.
Answer: False
Explanation: The text recommends minimizing distractions like TV so children can focus on
eating and the social experience.
125. Question–Answer
What is one of the "topical connections" made between infant development and early childhood
development?
Answer: Myelination in infancy paved the way for visual capacity, while continued myelination
in early childhood improves hand-eye coordination.
Explanation: This connection shows how a biological process (myelination) underlies
advancing skills across developmental periods.
126. Multiple Choice
What is the main goal of "scaffolded writing" in Tools of the Mind?
A) To improve handwriting neatness
B) To help children plan and represent their own messages
C) To teach children to copy letters perfectly
D) To prepare children for standardized tests
Practice Q&A 80
Answer: D
Explanation: Scaffolded writing guides children in formulating and symbolically representing
their own thoughts.
127. Fill-in-the-Blank
The __________ thought substage is so named because children are sure of their knowledge but
unaware of how they know it.
Answer: intuitive
Explanation: Children's reasoning at this stage seems instinctive or "intuitive," without
conscious rationale.
128. Multiple Choice
Which of the following is a major health risk associated with parental smoking?
A) Improved lung capacity in children
B) Children's sleep-disordered breathing
C) Lower risk of asthma
D) Increased appetite
Answer: B
Explanation: A study cited found a link between secondhand smoke exposure and sleep
problems like sleep-disordered breathing.
129. True / False
According to the text, the "move and learn" curriculum was found to decrease preschoolers'
activity levels.
Answer: False
Explanation: The curriculum was found to increase the activity level of 3- to 5-year-olds.
130. Question–Answer
What does the chapter identify as two important advances in attention during early childhood?
Practice Q&A 81
Answer: Executive attention and sustained attention.
Explanation: These two aspects of attention show significant development during the preschool
years.
131. Multiple Choice
What does the chapter suggest about the relationship between exercise and activities for
preschoolers?
A) Meals should be the center of the child's life.
B) Activities should be the center of the child's life.
C) Naps should be the most important part of the day.
D) Screen time should be the main activity.
Answer: B
Explanation: The text states, "The child's life should be centered around activities, not meals."
132. Fill-in-the-Blank
Piaget's three mountains task is a classic demonstration of preoperational __________.
Answer: egocentrism
Explanation: The child's inability to select the doll's view shows they cannot differentiate their
perspective from another's.
133. Multiple Choice
What is a primary finding regarding children with autism and theory of mind?
A) They show advanced false-belief understanding.
B) They often have significant difficulty understanding others' beliefs and emotions.
C) They outperform typically developing children on social cognition tasks.
D) Their theory of mind is unrelated to executive function.
Answer: D
Explanation: A core difficulty in autism involves challenges in understanding the mental states
of others.
Practice Q&A 82
134. True / False
The text states that the U.S. has the lowest rate of child obesity among 34 compared countries.
Answer: False
Explanation: The U.S. had the second highest rate of child obesity in that comparison.
135. Question–Answer
What are the two main causes of death for young children in developing countries, as discussed
in the UNICEF report?
Answer: Diarrhea (from dehydration/malnutrition) and HIV/AIDS. (Also: poverty-related
causes like inadequate health services).
Explanation: The text highlights these as devastating, preventable causes linked to poverty.
136. Multiple Choice
In the "Connect Through Research" feature, what is a potential alternative explanation for theory
of mind deficits in autism?
A) Superior intelligence
B) Problems in other areas like executive functioning or attention
C) Excessive social motivation
D) Overly developed language skills
Answer: B
Explanation: Weaknesses in executive function or general intellectual impairment may
contribute to the social cognitive deficits.
137. Fill-in-the-Blank
In the Key Terms list, the term __________ is defined as the process of nerve cells being
insulated with fat cells.
Answer: myelination
Explanation: This is the correct term matching the provided definition.
138. Multiple Choice
What does the chapter imply about the role of heredity and environment in growth patterns?
Practice Q&A 83
A) Heredity is the sole determinant.
B) Environmental experiences are the sole determinant.
C) Both heredity and environment are involved.
D) Neither plays a significant role.
Answer: A
Explanation: The text states variation is due "to heredity, but environmental experiences were
also involved."
139. True / False
The "Tools of the Mind" curriculum includes a strong emphasis on dramatic play.
Answer: True
Explanation: Dramatic play is a central activity in the curriculum, used to develop self-
regulation and narrative skills.
140. Question–Answer
What does the "Executive attention" system support, according to Rothbart and Gartstein?
Answer: The rapid increases in effortful control during the toddler and preschool years.
Explanation: Advances in executive attention underlie the growing ability to control impulses
and behavior.
141. Multiple Choice
What is a characteristic of preoperational children's problem-solving, according to information-
processing theory?
A) They are highly flexible and goal-directed from age 2.
B) They are stimulus-driven but become capable of flexible, goal-directed solving by early
childhood.
C) They rely exclusively on adult instruction.
D) They avoid problem-solving situations.
Practice Q&A 84
Answer: D
Explanation: The text describes a transformation from stimulus-driven toddlers to children
capable of flexible, goal-directed problem solving.
142. Fill-in-the-Blank
A teaching strategy where the instructor adjusts support to match the learner's current
performance level is called __________.
Answer: scaffolding
Explanation: This is the core concept of scaffolding within Vygotsky's framework.
143. Multiple Choice
What does the text cite as a major benefit of the Reggio Emilia approach?
A) It provides a supportive context for children to explore confidently.
B) It ensures all children learn the same facts.
C) It prioritizes children from wealthy families.
D) It is a teacher-directed model.
Answer: A
Explanation: Experts believe it provides a supportive, stimulating context for competent and
confident exploration.
144. True / False
The text recommends a restrictive feeding style to prevent children from becoming overweight.
Answer: False
Explanation: A restrictive feeding style is actually linked to children being overweight. A
sensitive/responsive style is recommended.
145. Question–Answer
What does the chapter state about the physical activity levels of preschool children during
outdoor play?
Practice Q&A 85
Answer: They are often surprisingly low; children are mainly sedentary even when outdoors.
Explanation: Research indicates they spend most outdoor time in sedentary or light activity, not
moderate to vigorous play.
146. Multiple Choice
What is a key element of the "Connect" questions in each "Review, Connect, Reflect" section?
A) They ask for personal opinions.
B) They integrate material from different chapters.
C) They define vocabulary.
D) They provide new research data.
Answer: B
Explanation: Their purpose is to help students make connections across different sections of the
course material.
147. Fill-in-the-Blank
The ability to think about what other people are thinking about is known as __________
thinking.
Answer: recursive
Explanation: Recursive thinking ("I think that you think that I think...") develops in later
childhood and adolescence.
148. Multiple Choice
What is the significance of the "key terms" section at the end of the chapter?
A) It lists all terms in alphabetical order.
B) It provides page numbers for key concepts.
C) It lists important terminology for review.
D) It offers expanded definitions.
Answer: A
Explanation: It provides a list of important terminology introduced in the chapter for easy
review and study.
Practice Q&A 86
149. True / False
The chapter opening quote from Christopher Morley emphasizes the insignificance of being four
years old.
Answer: False
Explanation: Morley's poem celebrates the unique and innate "poetry" of being four years old.
150. Question–Answer
According to the chapter, what is a critical factor in whether a young child's eyewitness
testimony is accurate?
Answer: The skills and motivation of the interviewer, more than just the child's memory
limitations.
Explanation: The reliability depends heavily on how the child is questioned, not solely on the
child's cognitive abilities.
REFENCE SOURCE
Santrock, J. W. Life-Span Development. McGraw-Hill Education.
