Practice: Cognition and Cognitive Development
Knowledge Check: Cognition and Cognitive Development
Topic 1: Cognition & Developmental Factors
Q1: “Metacognition” is best defined as:
A) Thinking about others’ thoughts
B) Thinking about one’s own thinking process
C) Memorizing a list of words
D) Solving a math problem
Q2: Which type of thinking is most strongly associated with “Creativity”?
A) Convergent Thinking
B) Divergent Thinking
C) Concrete Thinking
D) Rote Memorization
Q3: The mental process of interpreting sensory information to give it meaning is called:
A) Sensation
B) Perception
C) Attention
D) Retention
Q4: In “Problem Solving,” the first step according to John Dewey is:
A) Analyzing the problem
B) Identifying and defining the problem
C) Collecting data
D) Formulating a hypothesis
Q5: Reasoning that proceeds from general principles to specific examples is known as:
A) Inductive Reasoning
B) Deductive Reasoning
C) Creative Reasoning
D) Speculative Reasoning
Q6: “Attention” that requires conscious effort and will-power is called:
A) Voluntary (Volitional) Attention
B) Involuntary (Non-volitional) Attention
C) Habitual Attention
D) Reflexive Attention
Q7: Which cognitive factor involves the ability to form mental images of things not present to the senses?
A) Memory
B) Perception
C) Imagination
D) Sensation
Q8: “Brainstorming” is a technique primarily used to foster:
A) Discipline
B) Creativity and Idea Generation
C) Handwriting speed
D) Rote learning
Q9: The term “Cognition” is derived from the Latin word ‘Cognoscere’, which means:
A) To act
B) To know
C) To feel
D) To run
Q10: “Out of the box” thinking is a characteristic of:
A) Lateral Thinking
B) Vertical Thinking
C) Logic
D) Memory
Topic 2: Intelligence & Individual Differences
Q11: Who proposed the “Two-Factor Theory” of intelligence (g-factor and s-factor)?
A) Alfred Binet
B) Charles Spearman
C) E.L. Thorndike
D) Howard Gardner
Q12: The formula for calculating Intelligence Quotient (IQ) is:
A) (Mental Age / Chronological Age) x 100
B) (Chronological Age / Mental Age) x 100
C) (Mental Age x Chronological Age) / 100
D) Mental Age – Chronological Age
Q13: J.P. Guilford’s “Structure of Intellect” (SOI) model classifies intelligence into how many dimensions?
A) Two (Verbal, Non-verbal)
B) Three (Operations, Contents, Products)
C) Seven (Primary abilities)
D) Eight (Multiple intelligences)
Q14: According to Howard Gardner’s Theory of Multiple Intelligences, a poet is likely to have high:
A) Spatial Intelligence
B) Linguistic Intelligence
C) Kinesthetic Intelligence
D) Logical-Mathematical Intelligence
Q15: Who is credited with creating the first practical intelligence test in 1905?
A) Francis Galton
B) Alfred Binet and Theodore Simon
C) David Wechsler
D) William Stern
Q16: Which psychologist proposed the “Group Factor Theory” (Primary Mental Abilities – PMA)?
A) Louis L. Thurstone
B) Robert Sternberg
C) Raymond Cattell
D) Jean Piaget
Q17: “Bhatia’s Battery” is a famous intelligence test in India. It is a:
A) Verbal Test
B) Performance Test
C) Written Essay
D) Personality Test
Q18: An IQ score of 90-109 is generally classified as:
A) Superior
B) Average
C) Borderline
D) Gifted
Q19: “Fluid Intelligence” (gf), the ability to solve new problems, was proposed by:
A) Raymond Cattell
B) B.F. Skinner
C) John Dewey
D) Pavlov
Q20: The “Triarchic Theory of Intelligence” (Componential, Experiential, Contextual) was proposed by:
A) Robert Sternberg
B) Jean Piaget
C) Howard Gardner
D) Daniel Goleman
Topic 3: Perspectives (Piaget, Vygotsky) & Concept Formation
Q21: According to Piaget, “Schema” refers to:
A) A teaching method
B) The organized structures of knowledge/mental models
C) Physical growth
D) Genetic code
Q22: Lev Vygotsky’s “Zone of Proximal Development” (ZPD) is the gap between:
A) What a child knows and what they want to know
B) What a child can do alone and what they can do with help
C) Home and School
D) Infancy and Adulthood
Q23: Jerome Bruner’s three modes of representation are:
A) Enactive, Iconic, Symbolic
B) Sensory, Motor, Logical
C) Pre-operational, Concrete, Formal
D) Visual, Auditory, Kinesthetic
Q24: In Piaget’s theory, the ability to understand that mass/volume remains the same despite changes in shape (Conservation) develops in which stage?
A) Sensorimotor
B) Pre-operational
C) Concrete Operational
D) Formal Operational
Q25: The term “Scaffolding” (providing temporary support) is associated with which theory?
A) Classical Conditioning
B) Social Constructivism (Vygotsky)
C) Psychoanalysis
D) Behaviorism
Q26: According to Piaget, “Assimilation” is the process of:
A) Changing existing schemas to fit new information
B) Fitting new information into existing schemas
C) Forgetting information
D) Ignoring new information
Q27: “Concept Formation” typically follows which order?
A) Discrimination -> Generalization -> Abstraction
B) Observation -> Analysis -> Comparison -> Abstraction -> Generalization
C) Naming -> Definition -> Observation
D) Generalization -> Observation -> Naming
Q28: Who introduced the concept of “Discovery Learning”?
A) B.F. Skinner
B) Jerome Bruner
C) John Watson
D) Ivan Pavlov
Q29: “Egocentrism” (inability to see another’s perspective) is a key feature of which Piagetian stage?
A) Sensorimotor
B) Pre-operational
C) Concrete Operational
D) Formal Operational
Q30: Vygotsky believed that “Private Speech” (talking to oneself) serves the function of:
A) Egocentrism and immaturity
B) Self-regulation and guiding one’s own thinking
C) Distracting others
D) Language disorder
Topic 4: Learning Processes & Behaviorism
Q31: Who is considered the “Father of Behaviorism”?
A) William James
B) J.B. Watson
C) Sigmund Freud
D) Kurt Lewin
Q32: In Thorndike’s “Trial and Error” learning, the “Law of Effect” states that:
A) Practice makes perfect
B) Responses followed by satisfaction are strengthened
C) Learning depends on maturity
D) Learning is sudden
Q33: “Operant Conditioning” is associated with:
A) Ivan Pavlov
B) B.F. Skinner
C) Wolfgang Kohler
D) Albert Bandura
Q34: In Pavlov’s experiment with the dog, the “Bell” started as a Neutral Stimulus and became a:
A) Unconditioned Stimulus (UCS)
B) Conditioned Stimulus (CS)
C) Conditioned Response (CR)
D) Natural Stimulus
Q35: “Programmed Instruction” (Teaching Machines) is a direct educational application of:
A) Classical Conditioning
B) Operant Conditioning
C) Insight Learning
D) Humanism
Q36: The disappearance of a learned response when reinforcement is withheld is called:
A) Generalization
B) Extinction
C) Discrimination
D) Spontaneous Recovery
Q37: Wolfgang Kohler’s experiment with the chimpanzee ‘Sultan’ demonstrated:
A) Trial and Error
B) Insight Learning
C) Conditioning
D) Imitation
Q38: In learning, “Transfer of Training” refers to:
A) Moving to a new school
B) The influence of prior learning on new learning
C) Forgetting old habits
D) Teacher training
Q39: “Negative Reinforcement” in Skinner’s theory means:
A) Giving a punishment
B) Removing an unpleasant stimulus to increase behavior
C) Ignoring the child
D) Decreasing a behavior
Q40: Which law of Thorndike emphasizes that “we learn what we are ready to learn”?
A) Law of Effect
B) Law of Exercise
C) Law of Readiness
D) Law of Intensity
Topic 5: Thought, Building Ideas & Experiential Learning
Q41: “Concept Maps,” a tool for organizing and representing knowledge, were developed by:
A) Jean Piaget
B) Joseph Novak
C) B.F. Skinner
D) David Ausubel
Q42: “Experiential Learning Theory” (ELT) is most famously associated with the cycle proposed by:
A) David Kolb
B) John Dewey
C) Lev Vygotsky
D) Maria Montessori
Q43: In a Constructivist classroom, the teacher’s role is primarily that of a:
A) Dictator
B) Passive Observer
C) Facilitator
D) Information Transmitter
Q44: “Graphic Organizers” (like Venn diagrams, T-charts) are used to:
A) Decorate the class
B) Make connections and visualize relationships between concepts
C) Keep students busy
D) Test handwriting
Q45: “Building on children’s existing ideas” is a core principle of:
A) Rote Learning
B) Behaviorism
C) Constructivism
D) Classical Conditioning
Q46: “Big Ideas” in curriculum design refer to:
A) Long sentences
B) Core concepts and principles that connect different topics
C) Difficult questions
D) Large textbooks
Q47: The relationship between “Thought” and “Language” according to Vygotsky is:
A) They are unrelated
B) Thought comes first, Language later (Piaget’s view)
C) They start independently and merge around age 3 to form verbal thought
D) Language is only for communication
Q48: “Structuralism” in education emphasizes:
A) The structure of the school building
B) Understanding the fundamental structure of a subject
C) Strict discipline
D) Physical education
Q49: “Making Meaning” implies that learning is:
A) A passive absorption of facts
B) An active process of interpreting and understanding experience
C) Copying from the board
D) Listening silently
Q50: Which strategy is most effective for activating prior knowledge?
A) Lecture method
B) K-W-L Charts (Know, Want to know, Learned)
C) Silent reading
D) Giving a test immediately