NCE Practice Test with explanations
Questions and Answers Graded A+
Susie is playing with blocks and is trying to build a tower; she tries but cannot build a
tower. Susie's mother helps her build a four-block tower. Later, Susie builds a four-block
tower without her mother's help. According to Vygotsky, the inability to build the tower
on
her own is known as:
a. scaffolding
b. the zone of proximal development
c. assisted discovery
d. learning by imitation - answerb. the zone of proximal development
"Scaffolding" is a term used by Vygotsky that explains what Susie's mother is doing.
She is adjusting her level of support to Susie based on Susie's level of performance.
The zone of proximal development involves a range of tasks that are too difficult for the
child to do alone but possible to do with the help of adults or other, more-skilled
children. "Assisted discovery" is another term used by Vygotsky to describe learning
situations that a teacher sets up within a classroom so that children are guided into
discovering learning. Learning by imitation is a type of learning that involves a child
watching someone perform a task and later performing the task by herself.
According to Erickson, when an individual fails to develop a strong sense of identity, the
individual will have troubles with the development of:
a. autonomy
b. initiative
c. intimacy
d. integrity - answerc. . intimacy
In Erickson's theory of psychosocial development, individuals who fail to achieve the
goal of the lower level of development will have problems attaining the developmental
task at the next stage of development. In the example above, the individual failed to
achieve identity, which occurs during adolescence. Therefore, in young adulthood, the
individual will have problems attaining intimacy, which is the developmental task to be
achieved at this level. For autonomy, the individual would have to have failed to attain
basic trust; for initiative, the individual would have to have failed to attain autonomy; and
for integrity, the individual would have to have failed to attain generativity.
,Which of the following is the correct sequence of stages in Freud's theory of personality
development?
a. Oral, genital, latency, anal, phallic
b. Genital, anal, phallic, oral, latency
c. Latency, phallic, oral, anal, genital
d. Oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital - answerd. Oral, anal, phallic, latency, genital
The best way to remember Freud's psychosexual stages of development is to think
about what key tasks individuals do throughout childhood. The first thing infants do is
suck (oral). Next, babies begin toilet training (anal), then discover the difference
between boys and girls (phallic). Next, children spend time growing physically and
cognitively but are latent in the psychosexual realm (not focusing on anything sexual);
finally, puberty sets in and they begin to think about sex again and are focused on their
own genitals.
Jacob's father tells Jacob to clean his room. When Jacob asks why, his father responds,
"Because I said so." The father's response is most representative of which parenting
style?
a. Uninvolved
b. Authoritarian
c. Authoritative
d. Permissive - answerb. Authoritarian
The authoritarian parenting style uses coercive techniques and psychological control to
discipline children, whereas the authoritative parenting style emphasizes some control
but allows for some independence. The uninvolved parenting style rarely uses any
control and the parent seems to be indifferent to the child's level of independence. In the
permissive parenting style, the parents are typically overindulgent with the child. They
exert very little control and are lenient when it comes to granting independence to the
child.
Harry Harlow used baby monkeys and several different kinds of "surrogate mothers" to
investigate which factors are important in early development and attachment. According
to his findings, baby monkeys:
a. preferred a soft terrycloth "mother" to a wire-mesh "mother" that held a bottle
b. preferred a wire-mesh "mother" that held a bottle to a soft terrycloth "mother"
c. showed no preference
d. preferred neither "mother" - answera. preferred a soft terrycloth "mother" to a wire-
mesh "mother" that held a bottle
In Harry Harlow's experiments, he found that baby monkeys preferred physical comfort
to hunger satisfaction. In other words, the baby monkeys wanted to be close to a soft
terrycloth "mother" rather than a wire-mesh "mother," even though the latter presented
,food. Therefore, attachment involves more than hunger satisfaction. It involves having
close contact with a "loving" caregiver.
Which of the following is a myth about suicide in the United States?
a. Male suicide is four times higher than that among females.
b. It occurs in age groups of 90 years and up.
c. Psychiatrists, physicians, and dentists are most prone.
d. Asking someone about suicide may push that person over the edge. - answerd.
Asking someone about suicide may push that person over the edge.
If someone is thinking about suicide, asking that person about suicide will not plant the
seed or push her into committing suicide. It is important that as a counselor, you ask
clients about suicide so that they can get the help they need. It is necessary to assess
suicidality whenever you suspect that someone is contemplating it or behaving in ways
that may suggest that she is contemplating it. It is best practice to assess for suicidality
at each session with your clients. Suicide knows no age boundaries. Females attempt
suicide at a rate three times higher than males, but males are successful more often,
usually because
they use more lethal methods than females.
Cody does what his parents say because he doesn't want to lose his television
privileges.
This is an example of what level in Kohlberg's theory of moral development?
a. Integrity versus despair
b. Preconventional
c. Conventional
d. Postconventional - answerb. Preconventional
Integrity versus despair is one of the stages in Erickson's psychosocial developmental
theory. Kohlberg postulated that in the first level, preconventional, individuals are
concerned with consequences imposed upon them for wrongdoing. Thus, in the
example, Cody wanted to avoid being punished by having his television privileges taken
away. At the conventional level, an individual wants to conform to societal rules so that
authority rules and order is maintained. At the postconventional level, individuals define
morality in terms of universal values and altruism.
Josie likes to play peek-a-boo with her little brother, Jack. According to Piaget, Jack
finds this game fun because he has acquired ____________, which is one of the
primary tasks of the sensorimotor stage of cognitive development.
a. conservation
b. dual representation
c. object permanence
d. reversibility - answerc. object permanence
, Piaget proposed that there are four stages of cognitive development. The first stage is
the sensorimotor stage, whereby the infant or toddler recognizes that even though
something is out of sight, it still exists. Piaget's second stage of cognitive development
is the preoperational stage (early childhood years) in which children begin to recognize
that something can be an object as well as a symbol (dual representation). The third
stage of cognitive development according to Piaget is called the concrete operational
stage, during which children 6 to 11 years old develop the capacity of both conservation
(object
permanence, or the understanding that physical characteristics of objects remain the
same even if the appearance is different) and reversibility (the ability to think through a
series of steps and then to reverse the process mentally).
The theorist associated with bonding and attachment is:
a. Bowlby
b. Adler
c. Freud
d. Piaget - answera. Bowlby
When you think about attachment and bonding, think about John Bowlby (1907- 1990).
Adler is associated with birth order and family constellation, while Freud is
associated with psychosexual development. Piaget is associated with cognitive
development.
Henry, a 72-year-old widower, reminisces with his daughter about his life. He talks
about his successes and regrets. This is an example of Erikson's:
a. intimacy stage
b. generativity stage
c. industry stage
d. ego integrity stage - answerd. ego integrity stage
One of the clues in this example is Henry's age. Another clue is Henry's discussion
about his life successes and regrets, not finding another mate, being successful in
school, or contributing to society. Erikson's generativity stage involves middle-aged
adults who are launching their children, dealing with an empty nest, and working toward
retirement. His ego integrity stage involves older adults who review their lives, looking at
successes and regrets.
When it comes to displaying aggression, girls more often engage in ____________
aggression than boys.
a. hostile
b. instrumental
c. relational
