AP Psychology P1 M15 Pre-Quiz

Why might a child in the preoperational stage struggle to understand someone else’s opinion in a disagreement?

They are egocentric and cannot easily adopt another person’s perspective

What is the Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD)?

The range between what a learner can do independently and what they can do with help

An adult quickly learns the rules of new card game and explains them to others. What does this scenario illustrate?

Fluid intelligence

A teacher observes that a student can reserve steps in a math problem to check their work. Which stage is this student likely in?

Concrete operational

Why does the concept of critical periods matter in early childhood development?

Certain skills may not develop properly if the brain misses key experiences during this time

In the concrete operational stage, children begin to understand that quantity remains the same even when appearance changes. What is this ability called?

Conservation

How might cultural expectations influence cognitive development according to Vygotsky?

Culture shapes what is learned and how it is taught, guiding cognitive growth through shared tools and practices

What does object permanence refer to?

Understanding that objects still exit even when they are out of sight

What is crystallized intelligence?

The use of learned knowledge and experience

How does the formal operational stage differ most from earlier stages of development?

It includes abstract and hypothetical thinking

During which cognitive development stage do children first begin to use language and symbols to represent objects?

Preoperational

A child sees a zebra for the first time and calls it a horse. Which cognitive process is the child using?

Assimilation

What does the term scaffolding refer in Vygotsky’s theory?

Temporary support given to help a learner achieve a task

A child changes their understanding of dog after meeting a breed they’ve never seen before. What process are they demonstrating?

Accomodation

A child believes their toy is sad because it was left alone. What concept does this best illustrate?

Animism

In what way does internal self-talk demonstrate a psychological function of language?

It shows how language supports problem-solving and reasoning

A child points at a ball while saying “ball.” What does this behavior illustrate about language development?

The use of gestures alongside verbal language to communicate meaning

What does it mean when someone says that language is symbolic?

Words stand for things but don’t physically resemble them

A multilingual child combines rules from two languages in one sentence. What might this suggest about language development?

Children actively experiment with syntax and semantics as part of cognitive growth

A toddler says “want juice” to request a drink. This is an example of what stage of language development?

Telegraphic speech

How does the concept of shared meaning apply to communication within a language group?

Everyone agrees on what words mean, enabling mutual understanding

A child says “goed” instead of “went” when telling a story. What language error is this?

Overgeneralization

What is the smallest unit of sound in a language called?

Phoneme

Which of the following is a key feature of language that allows people to create new sentences from a limited set of words and rules?

Creativity

What does the term semantics refer to in language?

The meaning of words and phrases

How might a psychologist explain the connection between language development and identity?

Language helps individuals label experiences, form memories, and express personal narratives

What stage of language development typically involves vowel-like sounds and begins around 6-8 weeks of age?

Cooing