PECT Child Development and Learning Theories 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Bronfenbrenner's ecological model places the family and classroom in which system?
- Macrosystem
- Exosystem
- Mesosystem
- Microsystem (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Microsystem
The microsystem includes the immediate environments—family, school, and peers—that directly affect a child.
Question 2: A PreK-4 child who uses a stick as a pretend sword is demonstrating:
- Parallel play
- Symbolic/representational thinking (Correct answer)
- Animism
- Centration
Correct answer: Symbolic/representational thinking
Using an object to stand for something else is symbolic thinking, a hallmark of the preoperational stage.
Question 3: Which term describes a child's inability to see a situation from another's perspective in early childhood?
- Egocentrism (Correct answer)
- Narcissism
- Animism
- Irreversibility
Correct answer: Egocentrism
Egocentrism is Piaget's term for a young child's difficulty understanding that others have different viewpoints.
Question 4: Scaffolding in early childhood education means:
- Building physical structures in class
- Providing temporary support adjusted to the child's current ability (Correct answer)
- Teaching using strict behavioral rewards
- Grouping children by skill level permanently
Correct answer: Providing temporary support adjusted to the child's current ability
Scaffolding, derived from Vygotsky's work, involves offering adjustable support that is gradually withdrawn as competence grows.
Question 5: Which attachment style describes a child who is distressed when a caregiver leaves and easily comforted upon return?
- Anxious-avoidant
- Disorganized
- Secure (Correct answer)
- Anxious-ambivalent
Correct answer: Secure
Securely attached children show distress at separation but are readily soothed upon reunion, reflecting trust in the caregiver.
Question 6: Conservation, the understanding that quantity stays the same despite changes in appearance, typically develops during which Piagetian stage?
- Sensorimotor
- Preoperational
- Concrete operational (Correct answer)
- Formal operational
Correct answer: Concrete operational
Children in the concrete operational stage (ages 7–11) master conservation of number, mass, and volume.
PECT Child Development and Learning Theories 2
Bronfenbrenner's ecological model places the family and classroom in which system?