Development

Question 1

What are the three main parts of the brain that develop early?

Answer 1

The forebrain, midbrain, and hindbrain.

Question 2

What does the forebrain do?

Answer 2

Controls higher thinking, emotions, and voluntary actions.

Question 3

What does the midbrain do?

Answer 3

Connects the forebrain and hindbrain, and controls sensory processing and movement.

Question 4

What does the hindbrain do?

Answer 4

Regulates basic life functions like breathing, heart rate, and coordination.

Question 5

What is the role of the cerebellum?

Answer 5

It controls balance, coordination, and fine motor skills.

Question 6

What does the medulla control?

Answer 6

Involuntary functions such as breathing, digestion, and heart rate.

Question 7

What are Piaget’s four stages of cognitive development?

Answer 7

• Sensorimotor (0-2 years)
• Pre-operational (2-7 years)
• Concrete operational (7-11 years)
• Formal operational (11+ years)

Question 8

What happens in the sensorimotor stage?

Answer 8

Infants learn through senses and movement, and develop object permanence.

Question 9

What happens in the pre-operational stage?

Answer 9

Children are egocentric, struggle with conservation, and use symbolic thinking.

Question 10

What happens in the concrete operational stage?

Answer 10

Children develop logical thinking and understand conservation but struggle with abstract ideas.

Question 11

What happens in the formal operational stage?

Answer 11

Children develop abstract thinking and problem-solving skills.

Question 12

What is a schema in Piaget’s theory?

Answer 12

A mental framework that helps interpret and understand the world.

Question 13

What is assimilation?

Answer 13

Adding new experiences to existing schemas without changing them.

Question 14

What is accommodation?

Answer 14

Modifying or creating new schemas when new information doesn’t fit existing ones.

Question 15

What is equilibrium?

Answer 15

The balance between assimilation and accommodation, leading to learning.

Question 16

What is a strength of Piaget’s theory?

Answer 16

It was influential in education and helped develop child-centered learning.

Question 17

What is a weakness of Piaget’s theory?

Answer 17

It underestimates children’s abilities—some develop faster than he suggested.

Question 18

What is a fixed mindset?

Answer 18

The belief that intelligence and ability are unchangeable.

Question 19

What is a growth mindset?

Answer 19

The belief that intelligence and ability can improve with effort.

Question 20

What is the role of effort in learning, according to Dweck?

Answer 20

Students who believe effort leads to success are more likely to improve.

Question 21

What is a strength of Dweck’s theory?

Answer 21

It helps encourage persistence and motivation in students.

Question 22

What is a weakness of Dweck’s theory?

Answer 22

It oversimplifies learning and ignores other factors like environment.

Question 23

What is Willingham’s main idea about learning?

Answer 23

Factual knowledge precedes skill—you need knowledge before applying skills.

Question 24

Why is practice and effort important in learning?

Answer 24

It helps strengthen neural connections and improves memory.

Question 25

Give one strategy to support cognitive development.

Answer 25

Teachers should help students understand key facts before solving problems.

Question 26

Give one strategy to support physical development.

Answer 26

Practice motor skills gradually and in small steps.

Question 27

Give one strategy to support social development.

Answer 27

Encourage role models and teach appropriate behavior.

Question 28

What is a strength of Willingham’s theory?

Answer 28

It is based on scientific evidence about how memory works.

Question 29

What is a weakness of Willingham’s theory?

Answer 29

It ignores individual learning differences, like learning styles.

Question 30

What was the aim of the Three Mountains Task?

Answer 30

To test whether children were egocentric.

Question 31

What was the result of Three Mountains Task study?

Answer 31

Younger children (pre-operational stage) were egocentric, while older children could see other perspectives.

Question 32

What was a weakness of the Three Mountains Task study?

Answer 32

It was too abstract, and Hughes’ Policeman Task showed children could take perspectives earlier.

Question 33

What was the aim of Gunderson et al.’s (2013) study?

Answer 33

To investigate if parental praise given to children aged 1-3 years old affects their motivation and mindset later in life.

Question 34

What were the two types of praise studied in Gunderson et al.’s (2013) study?

Answer 34

1. *Process praise* – Focuses on effort and strategies (e.g., "You worked really hard!") 2. *Person praise* – Focuses on fixed traits (e.g., "You're so smart!")

Question 35

What did the Gunderson et al.’s (2013) study find?

Answer 35

Children who received process praise were more likely to develop a growth mindset.

Question 36

What is a strength of Gunderson et al.'s study?

Answer 36

It was a longitudinal study, meaning it observed real changes over time.

Question 37

What was a weakness of the Gunderson et al.’s (2013) study?

Answer 37

The sample size was small, making it harder to generalize findings.

Question 38

How does Gunderson et al.’s (2013) study relate to Dweck’s Mindset Theory?

Answer 38

It supports the idea that praise affects mindset—children develop either a fixed or growth mindset based on feedback.

Question 39

What is morality?

Answer 39

A system of beliefs about what is right and wrong.

Question 40

What are Kohlberg’s three levels of moral development?

Answer 40

1. **Pre-conventional** – Morality based on punishment/reward. 2. **Conventional** – Morality based on societal rules. 3. **Post-conventional** – Morality based on personal ethics.

Question 41

How does Piaget’s cognitive development theory relate to morality?

Answer 41

As children’s thinking skills improve, they can consider different moral viewpoints.

Question 42

What happens in pre-conventional morality?

Answer 42

Children make moral decisions based on punishment and reward.

Question 43

What happens in conventional morality?

Answer 43

People follow society’s rules and expectations to gain approval.

Question 44

What happens in post-conventional morality?

Answer 44

Moral reasoning is based on personal principles and justice rather than laws.

Question 45

What is the relationship between morality and development?

Answer 45

As cognitive development progresses, children develop more sophisticated moral reasoning.

Question 46

What is an alternative explanation for moral development besides Kohlberg’s theory?

Answer 46

**Social Learning Theory** (Bandura) suggests morality develops through observing role models.