Educational Psychology Principles Flashcards

Piaget's stage of cognitive development during which children develop logical thinking about concrete objects (ages 7–11) is called:

Answer: Concrete operational stage

The concrete operational stage is marked by logical reasoning applied to tangible objects, conservation understanding, and decreased egocentrism.

A test administrator ensures that instructions are read verbatim from a standardized script. This practice primarily protects:

Answer: Standardization and reliability

Verbatim instructions maintain consistent testing conditions across administrations, which is essential for test reliability and valid score comparisons.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs suggests that which level of needs must be met before a student can effectively engage in self-actualization?

Answer: All lower-level needs including physiological, safety, belonging, and esteem

Maslow's hierarchy is sequential; self-actualization (reaching full potential) can only be pursued after physiological, safety, love/belonging, and esteem needs are satisfied.

Which type of validity evidence demonstrates that a test measures the theoretical construct it claims to measure (e.g., 'reading comprehension' vs. 'test-taking speed')?

Answer: Construct validity

Construct validity confirms that the test actually measures the psychological or educational construct it purports to assess, not some other unintended variable.

In operant conditioning, a behavior that increases because it removes an unpleasant stimulus is called:

Answer: Negative reinforcement

Negative reinforcement strengthens behavior by removing an aversive stimulus; for example, a student studies harder to avoid parental criticism.

A student who prepares for a test by teaching the material to a classmate is using which effective learning strategy?

Answer: The protégé effect / elaborative interrogation

Teaching others (the protégé effect) forces deeper processing and identification of knowledge gaps, making it one of the most effective study strategies.

Which psychological principle explains why evenly spreading study sessions over time leads to better long-term retention than studying everything at once?

Answer: The spacing effect

The spacing effect (also called distributed practice) demonstrates that information studied across multiple sessions with time gaps is retained far better than massed (crammed) study.