CPT Child Growth and Development 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: At approximately what age do most children develop the ability to use scissors independently to cut along a straight line?
- 18–24 months
- 2–3 years
- 4–5 years (Correct answer)
- 6–7 years
Correct answer: 4–5 years
Most children can cut along a straight line with scissors between ages 4 and 5, as fine motor skills and hand-eye coordination become more refined.
Question 2: Which theorist emphasized that children construct knowledge through active interaction with their environment?
- B.F. Skinner
- Jean Piaget (Correct answer)
- Albert Bandura
- Lev Vygotsky
Correct answer: Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget's constructivist theory holds that children actively build their understanding of the world through hands-on exploration and experience.
Question 3: A child who watches a peer share toys and then begins sharing toys herself is demonstrating learning through:
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
- Observational learning (Correct answer)
- Maturation
Correct answer: Observational learning
Observational learning (or modeling), central to Bandura's Social Learning Theory, occurs when children learn behaviors by watching and imitating others.
Question 4: Which of the following is a characteristic of language development known as 'overextension'?
- Using a word too narrowly, such as only calling the family dog 'dog'
- Using a word too broadly, such as calling all men 'daddy' (Correct answer)
- Combining two words to form simple sentences
- Repeating the last word of an adult's sentence
Correct answer: Using a word too broadly, such as calling all men 'daddy'
Overextension occurs when a child applies a word beyond its correct meaning, using it for a broader range of objects or people than is appropriate.
Question 5: A preschool teacher wants to support children's emotional regulation. Which strategy is most developmentally appropriate?
- Telling children to stop crying immediately
- Labeling and validating children's feelings, then helping them problem-solve (Correct answer)
- Ignoring emotional outbursts to avoid reinforcing them
- Sending upset children to a time-out corner until calm
Correct answer: Labeling and validating children's feelings, then helping them problem-solve
Labeling emotions and validating feelings builds emotional literacy and helps children develop self-regulation skills over time.
Question 6: Which of the following milestones is typically achieved first in gross motor development?
- Hopping on one foot
- Jumping from a step (Correct answer)
- Catching a bounced ball
- Skipping
Correct answer: Jumping from a step
Jumping from a step (around age 2–3) typically develops before hopping on one foot, catching a bounced ball, or skipping, which emerge later in preschool years.
Question 7: Which brain structure, sometimes called the 'emotional brain,' plays a key role in children's fear and stress responses?
- Prefrontal cortex
- Cerebellum
- Amygdala (Correct answer)
- Hippocampus
Correct answer: Amygdala
The amygdala processes emotional responses, including fear and stress, and is significantly shaped by early childhood experiences.
CPT Child Growth and Development 3
At approximately what age do most children develop the ability to use scissors independently to cut along a straight line?