Which statement reflects core knowledge theories?

• A. Distinctive domains of knowledge, some acquired early
• B. General intelligence explains all learning
• C. Only language is learned early
• D. Learning is random and unstructured

Answer: (A)

Core knowledge theories hold that people come with distinct, domain-specific knowledge systems, and that some of this foundational understanding is present early in life to help scaffold later learning. The statement that best reflects this idea says knowledge is organized into distinctive domains, with some acquired early. That captures the idea of specialized cognitive modules—such as those related to objects, agents, numbers, or basic biology—emanating or stabilizing early, and guiding how children interpret and learn about the world.

Contrast: suggesting that general intelligence explains all learning reduces complex development to a single factor; claiming only language is learned early ignores the multiple domains core knowledge theories emphasize; and proposing that learning is random and unstructured contradicts the organized, domain-specific framework these theories propose.