Chapter 7 – Complex Cognitive Process

1. In a science lesson on heat, Ms. Jones explains that heat is the result of molecules moving
back and forth very quickly and that gases are heated more quickly than liquids. The next
day she asks her class the following four questions. Which one requires a complex
cognitive process?

a. “Who can remember yesterday’s discussion about heat?”

b. “What is heat?”

c. “Which one is heated more quickly—a gas or a liquid?”

d. “Why is it cooler near the ocean on a hot summer day?”

2. Many children lack metacognitive knowledge. This is reflected in the fact that they:

a. Don’t know very much about how to learn

b. Have difficulty with such mathematical concepts as proportions and negative

numbers

c. Tend to be easily distracted from their schoolwork

d. Don’t perform very well on intelligence test items requiring abstract thought

3. Jeffrey needs to study for an upcoming exam. He does a number of things to prepare for
the exam, four of which are listed below. Three of these illustrate metacognition. Which
one reflects little or no any metacognitive activity?

a. He allocates adequate study time for the exam.

b. He directs his eyes to the first page of his textbook.

c. He identifies a suitable mnemonic technique that will help him remember a difficult
piece of information.

d. He tests himself to see if he is sufficiently prepared for the exam.

4. In which one of the following examples is metacognition most clearly illustrated?

a. Mary knows all the letters of the alphabet before she begins kindergarten.

b. Fran knows how much of a book she is likely to remember a month later.

c. At age 6, Billy can read fourth-grade-level books.

d. Alex has a photographic memory that enables him to remember almost everything he
sees.
5. Which one of the following is the best illustration of metacognition?

a. Andrea is studying for a spelling test. She writes each spelling word five times in her
nicest handwriting.

b. Betsy stays up late studying for a geography test. The following morning in school,
she is too tired to think straight during the test.

c. Connie is preparing to take the SAT Reasoning Test, so she checks out an SAT
preparation book from the local library and reads it from cover to cover.

d. Dolly is studying for a history test. She knows that she has trouble with dates, so she
checks herself by giving herself a short quiz after each chapter.

Chapter 8 – Learning and Cognition in Context

1. A theory of learning that focuses on how individuals' physical, social, and/or cultural
surroundings support learning, development, and behavior is referred to as:

a. socio-cultural theory.
b. situated learning theory.
c. contextual theory.
d. distributed cognition theory.

2. Leyla's biology teacher is doing a great job of not only teaching biology to his students but also
teaching them how to learn biology, that is, how to study, test themselves, take better notes,
review notes more often, and read a few sections of the biology text each night. Leyla is
thrilled with her grades in biology but is not doing well in most of her other classes. It appears
as if Leyla is not using what she is "learning about learning" in her other classes, such as social
studies, language arts, and Spanish. Leyla is experiencing:

a. situated cognition.
b. negative transfer.
c. distributed cognition.
d. contextual learning.

3. A major benefit to teaching study skills as part of each course taught rather than in a
standalone "study skills" course is to avoid:

a. situated learning.
b. negative transfer.
c. distributed cognition.
d. contextual learning.

4. Miranda's writing has vastly improved as a result of using a computer to write first drafts,
generous use of copying and pasting in revisions and getting her ideas "down" quickly (and
revise more often as revising is now easier). The fact that Miranda's writing has improved as a
result of a physical object and technology in her culture is an example of:
 a. socio-cultural learning.
b. situated learning.
c. contextual learning.
d. distributed cognition.

5. Which one of the following scenarios best reflects the basic idea of social constructivism?

a. Two students discuss possible interpretations of the proverb, “We only know the
worth of water when the well is dry.”

b. A teacher assigns a laboratory activity using cumbersome equipment that students

can operate successfully only by working in pairs.

c. When a student borrows a classmate’s marker without asking and then forgets to put
the cap back on, leaving it dried out and useless by the following morning, her
teacher reminds her of one of the class rules: “Respect your classmates’ property.”

d. Four students in a study group divide a reading assignment into four sections. Each
student reads a section and then teaches the material to the other group members.