MCAT Social and Behavioral Sciences : MCAT Social and Behavioral
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for MCAT Social and Behavioral Sciences
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Example Questions
Example Question #1 : Cognitive Development
A father has two identical juice boxes. He pours one into a tall, skinny cup for his daughter Sarah, and one into a short, wide cup for his son Max. Max begins crying, insisting that Sarah got more juice.
According to Piaget's stages of cognitive development, which stage must Max meet in order to understand that he and Sarah received the same amount of juice?
Concrete operational stage
Object permanence stage
Formal operational stage
Sensorimotor stage
Preoperational stage
Concrete operational stage
The concept being addressed in this question is the principle of conservation, in which children learn that quantity stays the same even with changes in shape. The best example is when pouring the same amount of liquid into containers of varying shapes. Children learn this principle in Piaget's concrete operational stage (ages 7 to 11).
The other listed stages in Piaget’s model are incorrect. The sensorimotor stage is from infancy to age 2, during which they learn the principle of object permanence—objects continue to exist even when they cannot be seen. The preoperational stage is from ages 2 to 7. It is when children learn that symbols and language can be used to represent things; however, they still cannot use logical reasoning. The final stage is the formal operational stage, from age 12 through adulthood. Abstract and moral reasoning develop during this stage.
Example Question #1 : Other Cognition Principles
A correlation coefficient of is the amount of the variance in the dependent variable unexplained by the levels of the independent variable alleged to produce the effect under study. A correlation coefficient of 0.3 leaves what percent of the variance in the dependent variable unexplained by the independent variable?
If the correlation coefficient is 0.3, then the proportion of variance explained by the independent variable is 9 percent.
In other words, the correlation coefficient is denoted as follows:
The explained variance is found using the following formula:
Thus, 81% of the variance remains unexplained by variations in the independent variable.
Example Question #1 : Other Cognition Principles
Which of the following lobes of the brain is involved in executive functions such as self-control, planning, reasoning, and abstract thought?
Parietal lobe
Frontal lobe
Temporal lobe
Occipital lobe
Frontal lobe
While all lobes of the brain directly influence each other and intercommunicate, the "frontal lobe" is the area of the brain most directly involved in executive functions such as self-control, planning, reasoning, and abstract thought.
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