CDC Piaget & Erikson Developmental Stages 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A 4-year-old insists that a tall, thin glass has more juice than a short, wide glass even after watching the juice being poured. This illustrates Piaget's concept of:
- Object permanence
- Lack of conservation (Correct answer)
- Animism
- Centration
Correct answer: Lack of conservation
Lack of conservation means the child does not yet understand that quantity remains the same despite changes in appearance.
Question 2: According to Erikson, successfully resolving the 'Industry vs. Inferiority' stage results in a child developing a sense of:
- Autonomy
- Competence (Correct answer)
- Identity
- Purpose
Correct answer: Competence
The virtue gained from resolving Industry vs. Inferiority (ages 6–12) is competence—a belief in one's own abilities.
Question 3: Which Piagetian concept describes a toddler's belief that stuffed animals and dolls have feelings and intentions?
- Egocentrism
- Animism (Correct answer)
- Symbolism
- Assimilation
Correct answer: Animism
Animism is the preoperational tendency to attribute life and feelings to inanimate objects.
Question 4: A daycare provider notices that an 18-month-old searches for a toy hidden under a blanket. According to Piaget, this child has developed:
- Deferred imitation
- Object permanence (Correct answer)
- Conservation
- Symbolic play
Correct answer: Object permanence
Object permanence—knowing objects exist even when out of sight—typically emerges around 8–12 months and is well established by 18 months.
Question 5: Erikson's stage of 'Initiative vs. Guilt' corresponds most closely to Piaget's:
- Sensorimotor stage
- Preoperational stage (Correct answer)
- Concrete operational stage
- Formal operational stage
Correct answer: Preoperational stage
Both Initiative vs. Guilt (ages 3–6) and Piaget's preoperational stage (ages 2–7) cover the preschool years.
Question 6: When a child incorporates a new experience into an existing mental framework without changing the framework, Piaget called this:
- Accommodation
- Assimilation (Correct answer)
- Equilibration
- Schema revision
Correct answer: Assimilation
Assimilation is the process of fitting new information into an existing schema without modifying it.
Question 7: According to Erikson, what is the primary psychological task for infants during the first year of life?
- Developing autonomy through exploration
- Establishing basic trust through consistent caregiving (Correct answer)
- Forming a sense of initiative through play
- Building industry through skill acquisition
Correct answer: Establishing basic trust through consistent caregiving
The Trust vs. Mistrust stage (birth–1 year) centers on whether caregivers reliably meet the infant's needs.
CDC Piaget & Erikson Developmental Stages 2
A 4-year-old insists that a tall, thin glass has more juice than a short, wide glass even after watching the juice being poured.
This illustrates Piaget's concept of: