PSY 717 - Chapter 1

Gisela is a 6-year-old Peruvian girl who lives with her family on a farm in a rural village. She often helps her father take produce to a market to sell. She does not know how to read, but she understands the cost of items and can make change without errors. Sophie is a 6-year-old who lives in the US. She is in the 1^st grade, is making great progress in learning to read and write, and is gaining skill in computer use. What is the best way to explain the development of these two children?

• The progression of cognitive development is not universal; it is different for children in different cultures.

• The processes involved in cognitive development are similar across cultures, but the specific kinds of knowledge acquired may differ depending upon children’s culture.   

• The content of children’s knowledge is similar across cultures, but the processes involved in cognitive development differ depending upon children’s culture

• Cognitive development is the same for all children, regardless of culture.

An attempt to forestall the development of problems by promoting health and wellness in the general population is called

• tertiary prevention.

• secondary prevention.

• primary prevention.

• mediation.

The idea that children’s development is affected by biological factors, and that biological factors are also affected by the environment and experience, is part of

• developmental stage theories

• incremental developmental theories

• social learning theories

• multidimensional systems theories

In lifespan developmental theories, significant developmental changes are thought to be largely complete by

• the age of 18.

• the age of 30.

• the age of 50

• death

When does the human brain exhibit plasticity?

• During infancy and early childhood

• Throughout life

• Throughout adolescence

• During adulthood

Seven-month-old Juan and his mother live in a small rented apartment in a large city. Affordable, high quality child care centers are very hard to find in her city. Which level of the environment, according to Bronfenbrenner’s model, is limiting her access to high quality day care in her community?

• Macrosystem

• Exosystem

• Microsystem

• Mesosystem

In Bronfenbrenner’s model, proximal processes refer to

• independent changes in mental processes.

• favorable developmental conditions that are more likely to exist in one particular stage of development than in another.

• reciprocal interactions between an organism and its immediate environment.

• indirect influences on an organism.

Mrs. Washington is conducting her weekly group counseling session for single young adults. Karen, a lonely young professional woman, talks about feeling abandoned by her boyfriend. The other group members listen patiently and respond empathically. Mrs. Washington reflects Karen’s feeling with concern and sensitivity. What would social learning theorists predict about the behavior of others in the group in the next session?

• Group members will be encouraged to self-disclose after observing the positive way Karen’s self-disclosure was received.

• Group members will be discouraged from self-disclosing because they do not want to imitate Karen’s example.

• Karen’s behavior will have no effect on other members of the group.

• Group members will scapegoat Karen for her self-absorption.

Which of the following helpers is most likely to have an implicit “incrementalist” belief about intelligence?

• A counselor who recommends a strategy of academic skill building for a client who is experiencing academic problems.

• A therapist who helps the client adjust to the limitations of his academic ability.

• A school counselor who bases the decision about which career information to provide on the client’s intelligence test results.

• A counselor who develops a program to track elementary school-aged children in classes that reflect their academic achievement.

Dr. Jones encountered a problem with a new client in therapy. Using the model of reflective practice described in Chapter 1, what is the sequence of steps he should use in order to work with this client effectively?

• Reflect on what has worked best in his own personal experience and apply that knowledge to the client’s problem.

• Reflect on well-established theories; apply the theoretical knowledge to the individual's case; and then test out new ways of thinking about the problem if prior theory does not suffice.

• Apply experience-based knowledge first, and then use theory-based knowledge.

• First test out any method by subjecting it to rigorous scientific experimentation and then apply it for use with the client.