Lesson 4.3.4.1

4.3.4.1 Piaget's theory of cognitive development Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 3

20 questions

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Lesson 4.3.4.1, Piaget's theory of cognitive development: 20 multiple choice questions for the AQA Psychology (7182), Unit 3: Issues and options in Psychology, written with Revision Ninja.

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The 20 questions

  1. In Piaget's theory, what is a schema?

    • A physical structure in the brain that stores memories of specific events
    • A chemical that transmits signals between neurons
    • A mental framework or category of knowledge used to understand and respond to experiences
    • A group of children of the same age who learn together in school

  2. What is assimilation in Piaget's theory?

    • Forgetting information that cannot be placed in any schema
    • Fitting new information into an existing schema
    • Restoring balance after a conflict between two schemas
    • Changing an existing schema to fit new information that does not match

  3. What is accommodation in Piaget's theory?

    • Repeating a behaviour until it becomes automatic
    • Changing an existing schema, or creating a new one, when new information does not fit
    • Fitting new information into a schema without any change
    • Ignoring information that conflicts with a child's expectations

  4. What is equilibration in Piaget's theory?

    • The process of restoring balance between assimilation and accommodation when cognitive conflict arises
    • The process of keeping all schemas unchanged throughout life
    • The process by which children copy the behaviour of adults
    • The process of storing information in long-term memory

  5. Which is the first of Piaget's stages of intellectual development?

    • The sensorimotor stage, from birth to about two years
    • The pre-operational stage, from two to seven years
    • The formal operational stage, from eleven years onwards
    • The concrete operational stage, from seven to eleven years

  6. Which Piagetian stage covers approximately ages two to seven and features symbolic thought and egocentrism?

    • The sensorimotor stage
    • The concrete operational stage
    • The pre-operational stage
    • The formal operational stage

  7. Which stage involves the development of conservation and class inclusion?

    • The formal operational stage
    • The sensorimotor stage
    • The concrete operational stage
    • The pre-operational stage

  8. What is object permanence?

    • The understanding that an object continues to exist when it cannot be seen
    • The understanding that an object's weight does not change when its shape changes
    • The understanding that objects can change colour without changing identity
    • The understanding that a rule can be applied to all categories of objects

  9. What is conservation in Piaget's theory?

    • The understanding that a person's gender stays the same over time
    • The understanding that the world is seen from one's own point of view
    • The understanding that quantity stays the same when only its appearance changes
    • The understanding that one category includes a smaller category

  10. What is egocentrism in Piaget's theory?

    • A tendency to focus on the emotional needs of others
    • A tendency to form schemas by reading books
    • A tendency to focus on the wellbeing of one's family
    • Difficulty in seeing the world from another person's point of view

  11. What is class inclusion in Piaget's theory?

    • The understanding that a subset is included within a larger category and can be compared with it
    • The understanding that all categories are equal in size
    • The understanding that a child belongs to a particular social group
    • The understanding that objects must be placed in separate boxes

  12. In Piaget's theory, which stage is characterised by abstract and hypothetical reasoning?

    • The concrete operational stage
    • The formal operational stage
    • The pre-operational stage
    • The sensorimotor stage

  13. A child at the sensorimotor stage searches for a toy under a blanket after watching it being hidden. What does this show?

    • Formal operational thinking
    • Full conservation of quantity
    • Gender constancy
    • Emerging object permanence

  14. A child is shown two identical rows of counters, then one row is spread out. The child says the longer row has more counters. Which stage is this child most likely in?

    • Sensorimotor, because the child is touching the counters
    • Formal operational, because the child is reasoning about the spacing
    • Concrete operational, because the child is using abstract logic
    • Pre-operational, because the child has not yet developed conservation

  15. A child who says a cup of water has the same amount after it is poured into a tall, thin glass has most likely reached which stage?

    • The sensorimotor stage with egocentrism
    • The sensorimotor stage
    • The concrete operational stage
    • The pre-operational stage

  16. A critique of Piaget's theory is that it may have underestimated children's abilities. Which study supports this criticism?

    • Piaget's original three mountains study with older children
    • Baillargeon's violation of expectation research with infants
    • Kohlberg's stage interviews about moral dilemmas
    • Bandura's study of children imitating a model

  17. Which evaluation of Piaget's theory is most appropriate?

    • It applies only to adults and not to children
    • It is influential and describes development as active, but it may underestimate children's abilities and the role of social factors
    • It is completely rejected because no evidence supports any of its claims
    • It is fully accurate and shows the same timing in every child in every culture

  18. A child says that a mountain looks the same from every side because she cannot picture another view. Which Piagetian concept is shown?

    • Conservation
    • Egocentrism
    • Reversibility at the formal stage
    • Class inclusion

  19. Why is the process of equilibration important in Piaget's theory?

    • It keeps all schemas fixed throughout development
    • It drives the child to resolve conflict between existing schemas and new experience, which causes development
    • It determines the child's genetic inheritance
    • It explains how a child copies adult language directly

  20. A toddler who calls all four-legged animals 'dogs' is most likely showing which process?

    • Equilibration, because the child is in a state of balance
    • Accommodation, because the child has changed a schema
    • Assimilation, because new animals are fitted into an existing schema
    • Conservation, because the child understands quantity

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