Child Development & Learning Theories Flashcards
7 cards from real CPT 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
What is 'joint attention,' and why is it significant in early childhood development?
Answer: A shared focus between child and caregiver on the same object or event, foundational for language and social development
Joint attention—when a caregiver and child coordinate attention on the same thing—is a key precursor to language acquisition and social understanding.
Which stage of play, identified by Mildred Parten, involves children assigning roles, sharing materials, and working toward a common goal?
Answer: Cooperative play
Cooperative play is the most socially complex stage, where children organize roles and rules to achieve a shared goal, typically emerging around age 4–5.
A preschool teacher reads aloud while pointing to each word and asking 'What comes next?' before turning pages. Which theory underpins this emergent literacy strategy?
Answer: Socioconstructivist theory
Socioconstructivist theory, rooted in Vygotsky's ideas, emphasizes co-construction of knowledge through social interaction and guided literacy experiences.
What is 'object permanence,' and at what Piagetian stage does it fully develop?
Answer: Understanding that objects continue to exist when out of sight; sensorimotor stage
Object permanence is the understanding that objects exist even when not visible, and it develops during the sensorimotor stage (birth to age 2).
Which of the following is an example of 'intrinsic motivation' in a preschool child?
Answer: A child builds a tower repeatedly because she enjoys the challenge
Intrinsic motivation comes from internal satisfaction or enjoyment rather than external rewards or punishments.
In Bandura's Social Learning Theory, what are the four processes required for observational learning to occur?
Answer: Attention, retention, reproduction, motivation
Bandura identified attention (noticing the model), retention (remembering), reproduction (performing the behavior), and motivation (desire to imitate) as the four key processes.
Which developmental principle states that motor skills develop from the center of the body outward to the extremities?
Answer: Proximodistal principle
The proximodistal principle describes development proceeding from the body's core outward, so trunk control develops before finger dexterity.