Child Development & Learning Theories Flashcards
7 cards from real CCP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Child Development & Learning Theories flashcards as text
Which attachment style, identified by Mary Ainsworth, describes a child who shows little distress when a caregiver leaves and ignores them upon return?
Answer: Avoidant attachment
Avoidant attachment is characterized by minimal distress at separation and indifference or avoidance toward the caregiver upon reunion.
Howard Gardner's theory of Multiple Intelligences suggests that child care providers should:
Answer: Offer diverse activities that engage different types of intelligence
Gardner proposed at least eight intelligences, so quality programs offer varied experiences — music, movement, art, nature — to support all learners.
According to Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which need must be met FIRST before a child can benefit from learning activities?
Answer: Physiological needs
Maslow's hierarchy places physiological needs — food, sleep, warmth — at the base; they must be satisfied before higher-level needs can motivate behavior.
The 'whole child' approach in early childhood education emphasizes:
Answer: Addressing cognitive, social, emotional, and physical development together
The whole child approach recognizes that healthy development across all domains — cognitive, social-emotional, physical — is interconnected and equally important.
In Piaget's concrete operational stage (ages 7–11), children typically master which skill?
Answer: Conservation of number and volume
Conservation — understanding that quantity stays the same despite changes in appearance — is a hallmark achievement of the concrete operational stage.
A child care provider uses puppets to help children act out emotions. This strategy BEST supports which area of development?
Answer: Social-emotional learning
Using puppets to enact emotions helps children identify, name, and express feelings, which is central to social-emotional learning.
Which statement about brain development in the first three years of life is MOST accurate?
Answer: Early experiences shape neural connections, with unused synapses pruned over time
Experience-dependent synaptic pruning means that stimulating, responsive care strengthens connections while rarely-used ones are eliminated, shaping lifelong brain architecture.