CDC Piaget & Erikson Developmental Stages 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Both Piaget and Erikson would agree that development during the preschool years (ages 3–6) involves a child who is primarily:
- Developing abstract reasoning and hypothetical thinking
- Exploring the world through active play and imagination (Correct answer)
- Mastering conservation of liquid and number
- Achieving formal logic and systematic problem-solving
Correct answer: Exploring the world through active play and imagination
Piaget's preoperational stage and Erikson's Initiative vs. Guilt stage both characterize the preschool years as driven by imaginative, symbolic play and active exploration.
Question 2: A daycare worker consistently responds promptly and warmly to an infant's cries. According to Erikson, this practice primarily fosters:
- Initiative
- Industry
- Basic trust (Correct answer)
- Autonomy
Correct answer: Basic trust
Reliable, sensitive caregiving during infancy builds the sense of basic trust—the positive outcome of Erikson's first stage.
Question 3: Piaget's formal operational stage begins approximately at age 11. Which Erikson stage overlaps with this period?
- Industry vs. Inferiority
- Identity vs. Role Confusion (Correct answer)
- Intimacy vs. Isolation
- Generativity vs. Stagnation
Correct answer: Identity vs. Role Confusion
Identity vs. Role Confusion covers ages 12–18, overlapping with formal operational thinking that begins around age 11.
Question 4: Which Piagetian concept explains why a 3-year-old focuses only on the height of water in a glass rather than considering both height and width simultaneously?
- Reversibility
- Centration (Correct answer)
- Accommodation
- Decentration
Correct answer: Centration
Centration is the preoperational tendency to focus on only one aspect of a situation at a time, ignoring other relevant dimensions.
Question 5: According to Erikson, the virtue of 'will' (or willpower) is the positive outcome of which stage?
- Trust vs. Mistrust
- Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (Correct answer)
- Initiative vs. Guilt
- Industry vs. Inferiority
Correct answer: Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt
Successfully navigating Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt (ages 1–3) produces the virtue of will—the ability to make choices freely and with self-restraint.
Question 6: A 6-year-old understands that a ball of clay still has the same amount of clay whether it is rolled flat or shaped into a snake. This demonstrates Piaget's concept of:
- Animism
- Conservation (Correct answer)
- Centration
- Egocentrism
Correct answer: Conservation
Conservation is the concrete operational understanding that physical properties (mass, volume, number) remain constant despite changes in appearance.
Question 7: In a daycare setting, which practice best supports toddlers in Erikson's Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt stage?
- Completing tasks for children to avoid frustration
- Providing structured choices and allowing safe self-help skills (Correct answer)
- Encouraging competition to build confidence
- Focusing primarily on group conformity and following rules
Correct answer: Providing structured choices and allowing safe self-help skills
Offering limited choices and supporting self-help tasks (like dressing or feeding) builds toddler autonomy without overwhelming them.
CDC Piaget & Erikson Developmental Stages 5
Both Piaget and Erikson would agree that development during the preschool years (ages 3–6) involves a child who is primarily: