TEST BANK FOR Children and their Development, 8th edition Robert V. Kail
Chapter 1-15
Chapter 1 The Science of Child Development
MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS
1. Which philosopher believed that children are born with innate knowledge?
a. Plato
b. Aristotle
c. John Locke
d. Jean-Jacques Rousseau
Answer: a
Rationale: In Plato’s view, children’s experiences simply trigger knowledge they’ve had
since birth.
Topic: Setting the Stage
Children and Their Development, 8e
2
Difficulty: Moderate
Skill: Remember the Facts
Learning Objective: Explain how conceptions of childhood and research on child
development have evolved from antiquity to today.
2. The idea that the mind of the human infant is a tabula rasa at birth reflects the belief that
_______________.
a. experience molds each person into a unique individual
b. children should be left alone so that their good natures can unfold
c. heredity plays a major role in an individual’s development
d. infants cannot think, because their minds are blank
Answer: a
Rationale: John Locke’s idea of a tabula rasa argues poetically that infants are blank slates
on which experience writes.
Topic: Setting the Stage
Difficulty: Moderate
Skill: Understand the Concepts
Learning Objective: Explain how conceptions of childhood and research on child
development have evolved from antiquity to today.
3. Which two philosophers both believed that children were born as blank slates, with
knowledge acquired through experiences?
a. Plato and Aristotle
b. Aristotle and Rousseau
c. Locke and Rousseau
d. Aristotle and Locke
