Stages and phases
Little Amy insists her teddy bear needs a nightlight because it's afraid of the dark. This belief exemplifies?
What is animism?
During a family video call, 3-year-old Jasper excitedly describes his new toy dinosaur in detail, but doesn't pause or adjust his speech when the video connection drops. His parents notice he continues talking for several minutes, unaware no one can hear him. This behavior best illustrates:
What is egocentric speech?
During storytime, a child listens attentively to a 10-minute story without looking away or getting distracted. What ability is the child demonstrating?
sustained attention
In a classroom survey, students were asked to name who they like playing with the most. Some students received many positive nominations, while others received none. What kind of sociometric measure is being used here?
sociometric assessment
A child realizes that their friend may not know where the toy is hidden because they were not in the room. What concept is this an example of?
Theory of mind
A child is eager to start a new art project and confidently makes decisions on what to paint. This behavior reflects which stage of Erikson's psychosocial development?
initiative vs. guilt
A child is sitting on the floor, moving around aimlessly and occasionally picking up toys but not playing with them in any focused way. What type of play is this?
unoccupied play
A 7-year-old is able to understand that even though two cups have different shapes, they can still hold the same amount of liquid. What stage of Piaget’s cognitive development does this represent?
concrete operational
A student compares two websites for a school project and determines that one is more reliable because it cites multiple sources. What critical thinking skill is the student using?
judging the credibility of a source
A child’s performance in school is shaped by their interactions with teachers, peers, and their home environment. What model helps explain the influence of these different contexts on a child's life?
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems model
Julia is 8 years old and spends her afternoons organizing games with her friends, building forts, and working on her school projects. When she successfully finishes a project, her teacher praises her hard work, and she feels proud of her accomplishments. What sense is Julia developing according to Erikson’s theory?
industry
During hide-and-seek, 4-year-old Tim closes his eyes and believes no one can see him. Tim is demonstrating:
What is egocentrism?
Seven-year-old Mia is trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle. As she works, she quietly says, "The sky pieces go up here. Castle pieces in the middle." Her mother notices Mia's speed increases when she whispers to herself. According to Vygotsky, Mia's whispers represent:
What is private speech?
This type of attention allows 7-year-old Zoe to focus on her teacher's voice while ignoring the noise from the playground outside.
What is selective attention?
When 8-year-old Liam groups his vocabulary words by categories (animals, colors, actions) to remember them better, he's using this memory strategy.
What is clustering?
When a child observes that the sun rises every morning, they develop the idea that the sun moves around the Earth. What does this illustrate about children’s reasoning during early childhood?
theory-theory
A preschooler who successfully completes small tasks, like cleaning up their toys, builds confidence in their abilities. This is an example of developing what aspect of the self?
self-esteem
A child is watching their classmates play in the sandbox and occasionally comments, “You should build a taller tower,” but doesn’t join in. What type of play is this?
onlooker play
A child is able to switch between sorting blocks by color and then by shape without getting confused. This demonstrates what cognitive ability?
cognitive flexibility
A child laughs at a joke that plays with the double meaning of a word. What type of language skill is this?
play on words
A teacher creates a welcoming environment by encouraging positive communication between parents and the school. This is an example of which system in Bronfenbrenner’s model?
mesosystem
After losing a race to a faster classmate, Ben starts thinking that he’s not good at sports anymore. He begins skipping recess to avoid feeling like a failure. How has this comparison to his peer affected his overall sense of self?
it has lowered his self-esteem due to the social comparison
Preschooler Jake believes that wearing his "lucky" socks caused his team to win the game. This illustrates:
What is transductive reasoning?
Nine-year-old Tyler is learning to play chess. Initially, he verbalizes each potential move out loud. Over time, his parents notice he speaks less during games, occasionally moving his lips silently before making a move. In crucial moments, he pauses thoughtfully without any visible signs of speech. This progression demonstrates:
What is the internalization of private speech
(or the transition from private speech to inner speech)?
When 5-year-old Ethan struggles to both color a picture and listen to a story at the same time, he's demonstrating difficulty with this type of attention:
What is divided attention?
A preschooler says “mouses” instead of “mice,” applying a general grammatical rule incorrectly. What is this an example of?
overregularization
A child says, "I’m a girl, and I like to play with dolls." This statement reflects which aspect of self-awareness?
categorical self
Anna is liked by many of her classmates, and they frequently choose her to play in group activities. She’s friendly and cooperative. What kind of popularity does Anna exhibit?
popular-prosocial
A group of children are playing with building blocks, handing them to each other and sharing ideas, but they are each building separate towers. What type of play is this?
associative play
David consistently struggles with math, and as a result, he avoids his math homework because he believes no matter how hard he tries, he will fail. What is the connection between David’s belief and his behavior?
David’s low self-efficacy is reducing his motivation to attempt the math work
During a group activity, a child proposes three different ways to solve a math problem and helps their classmates figure out which approach would be the most efficient. What critical thinking process is this child using to analyze and improve the solution?
evaluating solutions
Research has shown that children in classrooms where teachers hold gender stereotypes about academic abilities are more likely to mirror those beliefs in their performance. What long-term impact might this have on students’ academic self-efficacy?
decreased self-efficacy and reduced academic performance in stereotyped subjects
A child argues that the man should steal the medicine because “he loves his wife and doesn’t want to lose her.” What stage of moral reasoning is the child in?
preconventional morality, stage 2 (seeking rewards)
Ten-year-old Aria designs an experiment to test which type of soil helps plants grow fastest, controlling for other variables. This shows she's developed: A:
What are hypothetico-deductive reasoning skills?
In a junior cooking class, the instructor teaches knife skills differently to each age group. For 8-year-olds, she holds their hands and guides the cutting motion. For 10-year-olds, she demonstrates and supervises closely. For 12-year-olds, she provides verbal instructions and observes from a distance. This differentiated approach best exemplifies:
What is scaffolding within the Zone of Proximal Development?
When 5-year-old Noah resists the urge to look at a distracting toy while completing a puzzle, he's demonstrating this cognitive skill related to attention.
What is inhibitory control?
A teacher helps a child learn to build a tower with blocks by showing them how and offering guidance. What theory of development explains how this social interaction helps the child learn?
social constructivism
A child incorrectly applies a learned word to too many things, such as calling all men "daddy." What cognitive bias is this?
mutual-exclusivity bias
In a family where the parents struggle with communication, two siblings frequently argue and fight over toys. What factor might be influencing the negative interactions between the siblings?
the quality of the parent-child relationship
David, a 7-year-old, expects his friend to share toys with him, but when his friend doesn’t share, David feels upset and says they’re no longer friends. What stage of friendship is David in?
fair-weather cooperation
A child knows how to use a memory strategy, like repeating words to remember them, but doesn’t apply it unless prompted by the teacher. What type of deficiency is this?
production deficiency
A child learning a new language rule, such as using "ran" instead of "runned," is able to quickly apply this rule when writing and speaking. How does this illustrate their ability to adapt to language learning?
ability to learn grammar rules more quickly
A student consistently waits a few seconds before answering a question, leading the teacher to move on to another student too quickly. In the student’s culture, longer wait times are considered polite. What cultural difference is at play here?
different expectations for wait time
A teenager argues that the man shouldn’t steal the drug because “stealing is against the law, and laws should be followed to keep society in order.” What stage of Kohlberg’s model is this?
conventional morality, stage 4 (law and order)
In a study, children from a family of bakers show a better understanding of weight conservation when working with dough compared to their peers. This finding supports the criticism that Piaget:
What is "underestimated the influence of specific experiences"?
Six-year-old Leo is practicing writing his name. He slowly says each letter as he writes: "L...E...O." When he makes a mistake, he mutters, "No, that's not right," and tries again. According to Vygotsky, Leo's verbalization serves as:
What is a self-regulation tool through private speech?
While coloring and talking to a friend, a child struggles to focus on both tasks at the same time. What is one reason divided attention is difficult for this child?
their brain is not yet fully developed to handle multiple attention tasks
A child learns how to solve puzzles by trying different pieces until they fit, learning from their own experiences. Which theory explains how this child is learning?
cognitive constructivism
A bilingual child, who speaks both English and Spanish, is better at expressing themselves in English. However, they excel at ignoring irrelevant information in a noisy classroom. What cognitive skill is helping them manage distractions?
inhibitory control
A child receives a small toy as a reward but is told that if they wait until the end of the day, they can trade it for a bigger, more exciting toy. The child decides to wait. What ability is being demonstrated?
delayed gratification
As siblings grow older, their conflicts tend to shift from fighting over toys to disagreements about what activities to do. What type of conflict becomes more common in middle childhood?
control over social situations, such as what games to play or disagreements about facts or opinions
A child recalls new information more easily because it connects with something they already know, such as when learning about animals after visiting the zoo. What is this an example of?
knowledge base
While reading a challenging book, a child comes across the word "metamorphosis." Even though they’ve never seen this word before, they understand its meaning because the context describes a caterpillar turning into a butterfly. This shift in understanding shows that older children:
Are gaining a more sophisticated grasp of language and vocabulary
A parent from a lower socioeconomic background expresses concerns about school policies, but the teacher is less responsive compared to how they respond to wealthier parents. What factor is affecting the teacher’s reaction?
teacher bias against parents with lower family capital
Jake, a 12-year-old, accepts that his friend enjoys different hobbies and has other friends, but he still values their friendship and isn’t jealous. What stage of friendship is Jake in?
autonomous interdependence