Problem Solving & Transfer
Elenor, a six-year-old child, is eating dinner with her family. She points to her pregnant mother’s round belly and says, “Mommy, you better not eat any dessert. You’ll make it too crowded for the new baby in there.” Elenor has constructed a(n) ___ of what it means to be pregnant.
a. task analysis
b. syllogism
c. analogy
d. mental model
d. mental model
Which of the following is true about learning goals (mastery goals) versus performance goals (ego goals) regarding task selection?
a. Learning goals encourage students to seek challenges that help them develop their own competencies
b. Performance goals lead students to seek out more challenging tasks available
c. Performance goals prioritize the intrinsic enjoyment and fulfilling of the tasks
d. Learning goals lead students to avoid tasks where they might appear incompetent
a. Learning goals encourage students to seek challenges that help them develop their own competencies
Zimmerman (2008) argues that Self-Regulation (SR) is a cyclical and multi-phase process. Which phase when students form their goals and plans?
a. Forethought phase
b. Performance phase
c. Reflection phase
d. All of them
a. Forethought phase
When asked to describe herself, Desta, a three-year-old child, is likely to say, “___.”
a. I’m three
b. I’m smart
c. I’m friendly
d. I’m pretty
a. I’m three
Hansen is reading his favorite book. He gets to the word “fantastic,” and he stops to sound it out, “Fan-tas-tic.” Hansen is using the word-identification strategy known as ___.
a. phonological recoding
b. visually based retrieval
c. lexical access
d. proposition integration
a. phonological recoding
Maria is reading a complex logic puzzle. Before attempting any solution, she identifies what the puzzle is asking, what information is given, and what kinds of strategies might help her solve it. Which cognitive process is Maria primarily using?
a. Encoding
b. Task analysis
c. Mental model construction
d. Procedural execution
b. Task analysis
Which of the following best explains the role of social relationships in student motivation?
a. Social relationships are not relevant to motivation since academic goals are mainly individualistic and competitive
b. Positive social relationships in the classroom can increase students’ motivation and academic performance, particularly when students feel connected and supported
c. Peer interactions in the classroom negatively affect motivation by introducing competition and rivalry
d. Social relationships have no impact on motivation in educational settings
b. Positive social relationships in the classroom can increase students’ motivation and academic performance, particularly when students feel connected and supported
The influential three-factor model of Executive Function (EF) proposed by Miyake et al. (2000) includes which of the following components?
a. Planning, organization, and motor skills
b. Language, memory, and attention
c. Emotion regulation, motivation, and grit
d. Shifting, updating, and inhibition
d. Shifting, updating, and inhibition
Most children, even older kids, celebrate Christmas, believe in Santa Claus because ___.
a. they do not understand the distinction between fantasy and reality
b. they create imaginary characters to add richness to their social worlds
c. their parents and communities support the belief
d. they do not understand that pretense involves mental representations
c. their parents and communities support the belief
Which of the following is a third-grade student most likely to say is larger than 0.57?
a. .400
b. .50
c. .57
d. .6
a. .400
Which of the following is the first problem-solving tool that children use?
a. mom
b. calculator
c. paper and pencil
d. spoon
a. mom
Which of the following values can describe this thought process best: I want to strive for a 4.0 GPA in college, so that I can obtain a well-paid job after graduation.
a. Attainment value
b. Intrinsic value
c. Utility value
d. Cost
c. Utility value
Which emotional regulation strategy involves changing the way one thinks about a situation to reduce its emotional impact?
a. Self-medication
b. Anger-suppression
c. Cognitive reappraisal
d. Metacognitive calibration
c. Cognitive reappraisal
What is NOT a key component of a representational theory of mind?
a. Understanding intentions
b. Understanding beliefs
c. Understanding desires
d. Understanding physical objects
d. Understanding physical objects
Greta is a seven-year-old student in a rural area who has never been to a large city. As part of her math homework, she has to solve a word problem that asks students to calculate subway fare based on the distance traveled and the time of day traveled. Which part of this problem is Greta most likely to struggle with?
a. the wording of the problem
b. figuring out the fare for the time of day
c. the urban context of the problem
d. figuring out the distance
c. the urban context of the problem
Which of the following is true about scientific and logical reasoning?
a. Adults always interpret information accurately
b. Young children understand the differences between inductive and deductive reasoning
c. Many young adults do not understand that theories are interpretive frameworks
d. Classroom instruction cannot help improve scientific or logical reasoning
c. Many young adults do not understand that theories are interpretive frameworks
In a classroom with a competitive goal structure, what is the typical attitude of students toward their peers’ performance?
a. They want their peers to succeed because rewards are based on the group’s average
b.They want other students to perform poorly so that they have a better chance at the top rewards
c. They don’t care how well others perform as long as they reach their own goals
d. They focus entirely on the strategies (process) rather than the final grades (product)
b.They want other students to perform poorly so that they have a better chance at the top rewards
Vygotsky's theory suggests that children initially start as "other-regulated." What mechanism allows them to eventually become self-regulated?
a. The innate drive to toward local equilibration
b. Avoidance of inner speech to prevent distractions
c. Parental assistance fades away and child gains mastery
d. Biological maturation of the parietal lobe
c. Parental assistance fades away and child gains mastery
When describing Superman, a preschool child is likely to focus on ___, and an older child is likely to focus on ___.
a. his superhero outfit and cape, his muscles
b. his superhero outfit and cape, his desire to help other people
c. his desire to help other people, his muscles
d. his desire to help other people, his superhero outfit and cape
b. his superhero outfit and cape, his desire to help other people
Which of the following does NOT influence the development of reading comprehension?
a. automatization of word identification
b. increases in working-memory capacity
c. increases in content knowledge
d. increases in the size of the visual cortex
d. increases in the size of the visual cortex
For analogical reasoning, which of the following is most critical to recognize?
a. similarities in surface features
b. similarity in casual features
c. similarities in structural features
d. differences in surface features
c. similarities in structural features
Research on motivation has shown that people engage in a variety of metacognitive processes to inform their motivations. Which of the following is not considered a metacognitive process that would inform one’s motivation?
a. Noticing that you are understanding information
b. Appraising your actions
c. Evaluating outcomes
d. Having intelligence
d. Having intelligence
In the context of the plus-minus task used to measure shifting, what does a faster response time on the alternating phase relative to the single-operation phases imply?
a. Greater ease in shifting between different mental sets
b. Higher levels of inhibitory control
c. Improved working memory
d. Superior long-term memory for mathematical facts
a. Greater ease in shifting between different mental sets
Jonah and Grace are three years old. Together, they work to build a tower of painted wooden blocks. Jonah shows Grace a way to choose which color to use next, and Grace shows Jonah how to carefully add a block at the top. Jonah and Grace are learning primarily through ___.
a. shared intentionality
b. natural pedagogy
c. selective trust
d. imitation
a. shared intentionality
What does the "knowledge-transforming strategy" involve for more developed and mature writers?
a. deciding what information to convey
b. deciding how to convey information to the anticipated audience
c. both a and b
d. neither a nor b
c. both a and b