Deck 9: Growth and Development Throughout the Lifespan

Question 1

A nurse recognizes that the physical size and functioning of a person is called

A) Moral development.
B) Physical development.
C) Cognitive development.
D) Psychosocial development.

Answer 1

Physical development.

Question 2

A nurse recognizes that the increase in complexity of skills performed by a person is called

A) Growth.
B) Regression.
C) Ambivalence.
D) Development.

Answer 2

Development.

Question 3

When performing a physical assessment on a neonate, a nurse notes a triangular-shaped soft area that is not yet fused together toward the back of the top of the head. The nurse should

A) Notify the health-care provider.
B) Assess the neonate's vital signs.
C) Document this as a normal assessment finding.
D) Document this as an abnormal assessment finding.

Answer 3

Document this as a normal assessment finding.

Question 4

The mother of a 1-year-old child asks a nurse how much her child should weigh. The nurse asks the mother what the child weighed at birth. The mother responds that the child weighed 7 pounds and 8 ounces at birth. The nurse tells the mother that the child's weight at 1 year of age should be

A) 21.5 pounds.
B) 22.5 pounds.
C) 23.5 pounds.
D) 24.5 pounds.

Question 5

The psychoanalyst who theorized that psychosocial development occurs throughout one's life in distinct stages is

A) Jean Piaget.
B) Erik Erikson.
C) James Fowler.
D) Lawrence Kohlberg.

Question 6

A nurse intervenes when he or she observes a student nurse who is caring for a toddler

A) Encourage the toddler to feed herself.
B) Guide the toddler gently if she makes a mistake.
C) Offer the toddler unlimited choices on what time to go to bed.
D) Ask the toddler if she would like to wear the red shirt or the blue shirt.

Question 7

A nurse recognizes that the ability to think at higher levels and develop a value system that differentiates right from wrong is called

A) Moral development.
B) Physical development.
C) Cognitive development.
D) Psychosocial development.

Question 8

A nurse recognizes that the type of development that occurs throughout one's life in distinct stages, each stage requiring that specific tasks must be mastered, is called

A) Moral development.
B) Physical development.
C) Cognitive development.
D) Psychosocial development.

Question 9

A nurse is caring for a patient who has been attending a local university to earn a law degree. The patient states, "I want to earn my degree so that I can fight for justice and human rights for people throughout the world." The nurse recognizes that the patient is in which stage of Lawrence Kohlberg's moral development theory?

A) Conventional morality
B) Preoperational morality
C) Preconventional morality
D) Postconventional morality

Question 10

A nurse is caring for a child who wants his parents to buy him a cat when he gets better. The parents refuse because they are both allergic to cat hair. The child states, "That's not fair. I want a cat." The nurse recognizes that the child is in which stage of Lawrence Kohlberg's moral development theory?

A) Conventional morality
B) Preoperational morality
C) Preconventional morality
D) Postconventional morality

Question 11

The developmental psychologist who defined faith as a universal concern that is a process of developing trust and who developed six stages of spiritual development is

A) Jean Piaget.
B) Erik Erikson.
C) James Fowler.
D) Lawrence Kohlberg.

Question 12

A nurse instructs a postpartum patient who wishes to breastfeed to gently touch the infant's cheek that is closest to her breast to cause the infant to turn toward the breast and open his or her mouth to find milk. The nurse explains to the patient this will elicit the

A) Moro reflex.
B) Rooting reflex.
C) Sucking reflex.
D) Babinski reflex.

Question 13

An adolescent volunteers to read to hospitalized children without being paid. The nurse recognizes that the adolescent is in which stage of Lawrence Kohlberg's moral development theory?

A) Conventional morality
B) Preoperational morality
C) Preconventional morality
D) Postconventional morality

Question 14

A nurse recognizes that the term for the physical changes that occur in the size of human beings is

A) Growth.
B) Spirituality.
C) Regression.
D) Development.

Question 15

The American psychologist who acknowledged that not all people reach all stages of moral development and who based his theory on preconventional morality, conventional morality, and postconventional morality is

A) Jean Piaget.
B) Erik Erikson.
C) James Fowler.
D) Lawrence Kohlberg.

Question 16

A nursing instructor supervises a student nurse who is administering an intramuscular analgesic medication to a school-age child. The nursing instructor intervenes when the student nurse tells the child:

A) "My injections don't hurt."
B) "This will only hurt for a little while."
C) "This will feel like a prick and will hurt a little."
D) "This medication will help take your pain away."

Question 17

A nurse recognizes that how an individual learns is called

A) Moral development.
B) Physical development.
C) Cognitive development.
D) Psychosocial development.

Question 18

When teaching a student nurse about performing an assessment on a neonate, a nurse strokes the sole of the infant's foot, which causes fanning of the toes while the great toe pulls upward. The nurse teaches the student nurse that this assessment finding is

A) Indicative of cerebral edema.
B) A normal assessment finding.
C) Indicative of a genetic anomaly.
D) An abnormal assessment finding.

Question 19

The psychologist who theorized that cognitive development occurs from birth to adolescence in an orderly sequence of four stages is

A) Jean Piaget.
B) Erik Erikson.
C) James Fowler.
D) Lawrence Kohlberg.

Question 20

When supervising a certified nursing assistant (CNA) caring for a toddler, a nurse intervenes when

A) The CNA leaves the toddler alone in the bathtub.
B) The CNA feeds the toddler pieces of cheese for a snack.
C) The CNA removes small objects from the toddler's crib.
D) The CNA puts the crib side rails up when the toddler is resting.

Question 21

Toddlers are famous for throwing "temper tantrums" when they do not get their way or get their needs and wants met immediately. When such tantrums occur, it is best for a nurse to

A) Offer the toddler some ice cream if he or she calms down.
B) Meet the toddler's needs and wants immediately.
C) Remove the toddler to a quiet place away from the situation.
D) Scold the toddler in a stern tone of voice.

Question 22

Adolescence includes a period of rapid growth referred to as puberty. During this period, girls develop breasts and boys develop facial hair. A nurse identifies these changes as a normal stage of

A) Physical development.
B) Psychosocial development.
C) Cognitive development.
D) Moral development.

Question 23

When helping teens understand how to prevent accidents and injuries, a nurse should caution them about which of the following?

A) Experimentation
B) Water safety
C) Internet social networking
D) Stranger danger
E) Firearms

Question 24

A young couple that is about to start a family is discussing motor vehicle safety with a nurse. The nurse intervenes when one of them says:

A) "Motor vehicle accidents are a cause of injury and death among toddlers."
B) "Vigilance must be used when driving in areas where toddlers may be playing."
C) "The use of a car seat becomes optional once the child grows out of the infant stage."
D) "I always look for small children when I am backing up or pulling into a driveway."

Question 25

An instructor is teaching students the importance of understanding the changes brought about by aging that are not indicative of disease. The instructor points out that additional instruction is required when a student says:

A) "Men and women will no longer have a need for sexual intimacy."
B) "Blood flow and oxygen use in the brain will decrease."
C) "There will be a decrease in bone density."
D) "Bladder capacity will decrease because of loss of muscle tone."

Question 26

According to Piaget, young school-age children, up to age 7 years, are making a transition to concrete operational thought. A nurse identifies that an example of this would be

A) A child, upon hearing a parent arrange for a babysitter, becoming upset because it means his or her parents are going to leave for the evening.
B) A child becoming more secure about the limits of his or her acceptable behavior.
C) A child no longer believing that an adult dressed in a mouse suit is a giant mouse.
D) A child becoming interested in politics, environmental issues, and social justice.

Question 27

An elderly male patient is displaying a fearful attitude toward the nurse. The patient has multiple unexplained bruises, and several old fractures appear on his x-ray that were never treated. The nurse suspects that

A) The patient may have been abused by a caregiver.
B) The patient may be suffering from poor balance.
C) The patient may have been injured on the job.
D) The patient may have dementia.

Question 28

A nurse is caring for a 13-year-old adolescent girl. The patient is complaining of cramps and has stained her sheets with blood. She is scared and crying because this has never happened to her before. The nurse identifies this as ____________________, or the beginning of the patient's menstrual periods and reassures the patient.

Question 29

The mother of a 9-year-old boy becomes concerned when he will not stop crying or clinging to her. A nurse explains to the mother that the child may be showing signs of ____________________, or a returning to earlier behaviors that may occur in school-age children when they feel insecure and threatened by treatments.

Question 30

A nursing instructor is explaining safety issues for preschoolers and school-age children. The instructor realizes that a student requires additional instruction when the student begins focusing on

A) Playground safety.
B) Choking prevention.
C) Stranger danger.
D) Water safety.

Question 31

When caring for a hospitalized adolescent, a nurse should do which of the following?

A) Talk down to the adolescent.
B) Treat the adolescent with respect.
C) Encourage peers to visit.
D) Insist that a parent be present during examinations and procedures.
E) Assume that the adolescent has no knowledge of his or her illness.

Question 32

The mother of a 9-year-old boy is concerned that her son is gaining weight too quickly for his age. The nurse explains to the mother that between the ages of 5 and 12, her child should be gaining

A) 2 to 4 pounds per year.
B) 4 to 6 pounds per year.

C) 7 to 10 pounds per year.

D) 9 to 12 pounds per year.

Question 33

While educating a class of nursing students, an instructor teaches that growth occurs in which of the following patterns?

A) Orderly
B) Predictable
C) Disorganized
D) Proximodistal
E) Cephalocaudal

Question 34

When a nurse sees an infant picking up items and immediately putting them in his or her mouth, the nurse identifies that the infant is encouraging cognitive development through

A) Egocentric experiences.
B) Sensorimotor experiences.
C) Formal operational thinking.
D) Concrete operational thought.

Question 35

A nurse witnesses a young patient watching his older sibling and then imitating everything the older sibling does. The nurse identifies this as an example of the cognitive development of

A) Infants.
B) School-age children.
C) Toddlers.
D) Adolescents.

Question 36

A nurse explains to the parents of a newborn baby that their child possesses several automatic responses controlled by the central nervous system, called ____________________, that help the baby survive.

Question 37

A young adult is bragging to a nurse that she never gets sick and has not needed to see a doctor for years. The nurse explains to the patient that even when she feels healthy, she should have physical examinations and screenings

A) Every 6 months.
B) Once a year.
C) Every other year.
D) Every 5 years.

Question 38

Children in preschool often learn from pretending, role-playing, and exploring the identities of adults in various positions, such as nurses, doctors, teachers, police, firefighters, and others who serve as role models. A nurse identifies this type of behavior is an example of

A) Cognitive development.
B) Moral development.
C) Psychosocial development.
D) Physical development.

Question 39

A nurse explains to young parents that adolescence is a time of conflict, and that wise parents expect older adolescents to pull away, to be somewhat critical of them, and to feel ____________________ toward them, or have opposing feelings about them.