3.2.2.1.1 Piaget's theory: language depends on thought Quiz: AQA Psychology, Unit 6

The 20 questions

1. According to Piaget, what does a child need before they can produce language that names things?

   • Grammatical rules taught directly by parents through repeated correction of errors
   • A large vocabulary memorised by listening to adults talk at home
   • Concepts they have already developed through their own active experience
   • Specific sounds imitated from adults, without any need to understand what they mean

2. Piaget's theory states that cognitive development comes before language. Which order of stages is correct?

   • Preoperational, sensorimotor, formal operational, then concrete operational
   • Sensorimotor, concrete operational, preoperational, then formal operational
   • Sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operational, then formal operational
   • Concrete operational, sensorimotor, preoperational, then formal operational

3. In which of Piaget's stages does a child begin to use symbols, such as words, to represent objects?

   • The sensorimotor stage, roughly the first two years, based on physical action
   • The preoperational stage, roughly ages two to seven, with early symbolic thinking
   • The concrete operational stage, roughly ages seven to eleven, with logical reasoning
   • The formal operational stage, roughly ages eleven and above, with abstract reasoning

4. A two-year-old knows a toy is still behind a cushion when hidden, and asks where it went. Which Piagetian idea is most relevant?

   • Reversibility, mentally undoing an action to return to the start of a problem
   • Conservation, understanding that the amount of toys stays the same when rearranged
   • Egocentrism, seeing the situation only from one's own viewpoint
   • Object permanence, a mental representation of the toy when it is not visible

5. Piaget's view suggests a child's word for a new object is learned only when the child has which of the following?

   • Heard the word repeated at least ten times by an adult in the same situation
   • Formed the underlying concept the word refers to, through their own experience
   • Been able to read the word written on a card next to the object in that setting
   • Learned the grammar rules that apply to the word in a sentence

6. A child understands the concept of 'more' before learning the word 'more'. Which view does this best support?

   • The view that language and thought develop completely separately with no link
   • The Sapir-Whorf view that the words learned determine how a child thinks about quantity
   • The view that all language is innate, so no words ever need to be learned
   • Piaget's view that thought develops first and language follows

7. Which term describes the stage in which children cannot yet see a situation from another person's point of view?

   • Reversibility, typical of the concrete operational stage in Piaget's theory
   • Abstract reasoning, typical of the formal operational stage in adolescence
   • Egocentrism, typical of the preoperational stage in Piaget's theory
   • Conservation, typical of the concrete operational stage in Piaget's theory

8. Why does Piaget's view predict that teaching new words will not by itself create new understanding?

   • Words can only label concepts the child has already built through experience
   • Language is produced only by motor areas of the brain, so vocabulary does not affect understanding
   • Children learn words only from other children, so adults' teaching has no effect
   • Children cannot remember words for longer than a few minutes, so teaching is forgotten

9. Which is a criticism of Piaget's view that language depends on thought?

   • Thought is produced entirely by language, so cognitive development has no separate stages
   • Children never think before they speak, so their thinking depends entirely on the words given
   • Thought and language develop at exactly the same rate in every child in every culture
   • Language may help shape thinking, so the two may influence each other in both directions

10. A baby of nine months who has not yet developed object permanence will most likely do which of the following?

    • Describe to an adult where the toy is hidden, using a short sentence about its position
    • Search under the cloth as soon as the toy disappears, showing a clear memory of where it went
    • Stop searching for a toy once a cloth covers it, as if the toy no longer exists
    • Say the word 'toy' to ask the adult to remove the cloth so the toy can be seen

11. Piaget believed a child's language is shaped mainly by which process?

    • A genetically fixed grammar that unfolds automatically at a set age
    • Active exploration and interaction with the world, which builds the thinking language expresses
    • Adults rewarding correct grammar, whether or not the child understands the meaning
    • Repeated imitation of adult speech without needing to understand the ideas

12. A child who has not yet understood that the amount of water stays the same when poured into a taller glass is in which stage?

    • The preoperational stage, since conservation of quantity has not yet developed
    • The sensorimotor stage, since the child is still learning to reach and grasp objects
    • The concrete operational stage, since the child can mentally reverse actions and conserve quantity
    • The formal operational stage, since the child can now reason about abstract hypotheses

13. What does the term 'schema' mean in Piaget's theory?

    • A physical part of the brain that stores memories and sends signals between neurons
    • A type of speech sound produced during the early stages of learning to talk
    • A mental framework of organised knowledge that helps a child categorise experiences
    • A written rule learned at school for reading words and forming sentences correctly

14. A child calls all four-legged animals 'dog'. What process does Piaget's theory describe this as?

    • Egocentrism, assuming everyone names animals in exactly the same way
    • Underextension, applying a word to too few objects because the concept is too narrow
    • Conservation, understanding that the number of animals stays the same when rearranged
    • Overextension, applying a word to too many objects while the concept is developing

15. A researcher finds children learn a word for a concept before the concept shows up in their play. What would most challenge Piaget's view?

    • Evidence that children learn words more slowly from pictures than from hearing them spoken
    • Evidence that language can lead thought, against the view that concepts come first
    • Evidence that children reach the formal operational stage earlier in some families
    • Evidence that children use fewer words when they are tired at the end of the school day

16. Which age range does Piaget give for the sensorimotor stage?

    • About eleven years and older, reasoning about abstract ideas and hypotheses
    • About two to seven years, using symbols such as words but reasoning in a limited way
    • About seven to eleven years, conserving and reversing operations on concrete objects
    • Birth to about two years, learning through sensory input and physical action

17. Which statement about Piaget's idea of 'readiness' is most accurate?

    • A child is ready to learn a concept when their stage of development allows them to understand it
    • A child is ready when they can recite a long list of related words from memory
    • A child is ready once an adult has explained the concept clearly at least once
    • A child is ready only after turning seven, whatever their prior experience of the world

18. Which phrase best describes Piaget's view of the relationship between language and thought?

    • Language comes first, and thought develops only after the grammar and vocabulary are learned
    • Language and thought are the same process, so a child cannot have one without the other
    • Thought comes first, and language develops to express the thinking already formed
    • Thought and language develop independently, with no relationship between stage and word use

19. A teacher uses hands-on sorting with a six-year-old to build the idea of groups before naming them. Which principle does this reflect?

    • Learning should start from concrete experience, with vocabulary labelling what is understood
    • Learning should start from abstract rules, with group names memorised before any hands-on work
    • Learning should start from grammar drills, with sentence structures taught before concepts
    • Learning should start from reading texts, with vocabulary built before any physical activity

20. Which is an accurate limitation of Piaget's theory, as often discussed in psychology?

    • It claims children can reason abstractly from birth, which no research supports
    • It states language has no role at all in cognitive development, which is now widely accepted
    • It may underestimate how early children understand some concepts and how much language supports thinking
    • It proposes all children reach each stage at exactly the same age, which studies confirm

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