Quartz 4

Unit Self-Test

9 min read

Level I Growth and Development — Unit D Self-Test

Module 1: Psychosocial Development

Question 1

Which of the following is not a mechanism by which behavioral responses are learned?

  1. parental instruction ✓
  2. classical conditioning
  3. operant conditioning
  4. observational learning

Correct

That’s correct. The three distinct mechanisms by which behavioral responses are learned are classical conditioning, operant conditioning, and observational learning. Parental instruction could relate to any of these (though observation of what the parent does is more important than what he or she said), but it is not a distinct mechanism.

Question 2

(A) Classical conditioning is particularly important in young children because (B) even young children can generalize from associations between different stimuli.

  1. A true, B true, A and B related ✓
  2. A true, B true, A and B not related
  3. A true, B false
  4. A false, B true
  5. A and B false

Correct

That’s right. The generalization from associations between different stimuli that is the heart of classical conditioning develops before a child is able to manage more complex conditions that exist with operant conditioning and observational learning, so it’s particularly important in young children.

Question 3

(A) The consequence following a given behavior can be a stimulus affecting future behavior because (B) pleasure and praise following a behavior increases the chance of that behavior appearing again.

  1. A true, B true, A and B related
  2. A true, B true, A and B not related ✓
  3. A true, B false
  4. A false, B true
  5. A and B false

Correct

That’s right, both statements are true but they’re not directly related in a cause and effect sense. Whether the consequence of behavior is pleasant or unpleasant, the chance of that behavior appearing again is affected. Pleasure and praise increases it; displeasure or pain decreases it. This, of course, is the heart of operant conditioning.

Question 4

Which of the following consequences is most effective in producing appropriate behavior when a child is receiving dental treatment?

  1. reward ✓
  2. escape
  3. time-out
  4. punishment
  5. they’re equally effective

Correct

That’s right. Providing a reward for desired behavior, whether the reward is a tangible gift or just verbal praise, is by far the most acceptable and effective of the operant conditioning mechanisms in the dental office.

Question 5

Which of the following consequences is least effective in decreasing the chance of inappropriate behavior when a child is receiving dental treatment?

  1. reward
  2. escape
  3. time-out ✓
  4. punishment
  5. they’re equally effective

Correct

That’s right, omission of a reward (time-out) might work in some situations in the dental office, but in the setting of dental treatment it is the least effective of the operant conditioning methods. Reward and escape would reinforce the inappropriate behavior and would not be indicated. Punishment has to be used very carefully, but a mild form of punishment in the form of voice control would be more likely to succeed, and if it did, positive reinforcement of the correct behavior would be used immediately.

Question 6

(A) A child who receives rewards for good behavior at the pediatrician’s office is likely to behave well initially at the dentist’s office because (B) given the similarity of the situation, he or she will anticipate a reward from the dentist as well.

  1. A true, B true, A and B related ✓
  2. A true, B true, A and B not related
  3. A true, B false
  4. A false, B true
  5. A and B false

Correct

That’s correct, a child who is rewarded at the pediatrician’s office is likely to expect a reward from the dentist—and may eventually behave better for the pediatrician than the dentist if he or she doesn’t get it.

Question 7

Which of the following affect the chance that a child who has acquired a behavior (by observing it) will actually display it?

  1. behavior of a parent
  2. behavior of an older sibling
  3. behavior of the peer group
  4. observed punishment for the behavior
  5. observed reward for the behavior
  6. 1, 4, and 5
  7. 2, 3 and 4
  8. 4 and 5
  9. 1, 2 and 3
  10. all of the above ✓

Correct

That’s right, all of these will affect the chance that a behavior acquired by observing it will actually be performed. Parents, older siblings and peers all have an influence as role models, and a child is much more likely to perform a behavior if he or she sees it being rewarded than if it is punished. The performance of the behavior is affected either way.

Question 8

Which of these stages of emotional development is expected at ages 3-6?

  1. development of personal identity
  2. development of autonomy
  3. development of basic trust
  4. development of initiative ✓

Correct

That’s right, the expected stage of emotional development at ages 3-6 is development of initiative. The child should have succeeded by then in establishing basic trust vs mistrust, and in developing autonomy vs shame and mistrust. Development of personal identity occurs during adolescence.

Question 9

(A) An adolescent who is being pushed by his parents to have orthodontic treatment is likely to become a cooperative patient because (B) his parents are likely to offer rewards for good behavior.

  1. A true, B true, A and B related
  2. A true, B true, A and B not related
  3. A true, B false
  4. A false, B true ✓
  5. A and B false

Correct

That’s right, the first statement is false although the second one frequently is true. An adolescent who is fighting for independence from his parents sometimes makes the orthodontic treatment a battlefield, and refuses to cooperate just to the parents. It’s important for the treatment to be his idea, or at least something he has agreed to. Otherwise orthodontics can be a bad experience for the patient, family and orthodontist.

Question 10

Which of the following are characteristics that an adolescent who never resolved basic trust vs mistrust might display during dental or orthodontic treatment?

  1. frightened
  2. uncooperative
  3. may require voice control for management
  4. can become an acceptable patient after special effort
  5. 1 and 2
  6. 3 and 4
  7. 1,2 and 3
  8. 1,2 and 4 ✓
  9. all the above

Correct

That’s correct. An adolescent like this is likely to be frightened and uncooperative, and can become an acceptable patient after special effort, but he is a poor candidate for any type of punishment in the dental office, even the mild form of voice control. Reassurance and careful management to build up trust are required.

Question 11

Which of the following are characteristics that a mother who never resolved intimacy vs isolation might display when her child needs dental treatment?

  1. difficulty in following directions
  2. missed appointments
  3. self-centered, self-indulgent behavior
  4. appearance of indifference to the child’s needs
  5. 1 and 2
  6. 3 and 4
  7. 1, 2, and 3
  8. 1, 2, and 4
  9. all the above ✓

Correct

That’s right. A mother who never resolved the problems of intimacy vs isolation is likely to show all these characteristics when she deals with a dentist who is treating, or trying to treat, her child.

Question 12

(A) In the preoperational period of cognitive development, it appears that a child’s thought processes are like those of adults because (B) a child at this stage begins to use language in ways similar to adults.

  1. A true, B true, A and B related ✓
  2. A true, B true, A and B not related
  3. A true, B false
  4. A false, B true
  5. A and B false

Correct

That’s right, both statements are true and they’re related. Children at this stage use language in a way similar to adults, and so may seem to be thinking like an adult, but their thought processes are distinctly different. Because they use words to symbolize the appearance of objects, they often do not recognize function or other characteristics, and thus may understand something quite different from a word than an adult would.

Question 13

Which of the following are characteristics of a child in the period of concrete operations?

  1. improved ability to solve problems by reasoning
  2. animism reduced but still present
  3. ability to see another point of view still missing
  4. development of ability to manage abstract concepts
  5. 1 and 2 ✓
  6. 3 and 4
  7. 1, 2, and 3
  8. 1, 2, and 4
  9. all the above

Correct

That’s right, the first two statements are characteristics of the period of concrete operations, while the last two are not. At this time, a child can use a limited number of logical processes, especially when this involves objects that can be handled and manipulated, but still lacks the capacity to deal with abstract concepts. Animism is less important than in the previous stage but still is present, and the ability to see another point of view emerges.

Question 14

At what age does a child typically develop the thought processes that are characteristic of an adult?

  1. 11 ✓
  2. 12
  3. 13
  4. 14
  5. 16

Correct

That’s right, adult thought processes appear at about 11 in most children, and at that point a child should be treated as an adult, not “talked down to”. This doesn’t mean, of course, that he or she will behave like an adult, just that learning now is done in the same fashion as adults.

Question 15

Which of the following are characteristic of an adolescent?

  1. high susceptibility to peer role models
  2. assumption that others will not notice what he or she is doing
  3. feeling of uniqueness
  4. lack of concern about risky behavior
  5. 1 and 2
  6. 3 and 4
  7. 1, 2, and 3
  8. 1, 3, and 4 ✓
  9. all the above

Correct

That’s right, the first, third and last statements are correct but the second one is not. Adolescents have a high susceptibility to peer role models, in part because they assume that others are carefully noticing what they are doing. Their feeling of uniqueness (their personal fable) leads to a lack of concern about risky behavior.

Graph View