Deck 11: Developmental Theories

Question 1

A nurse works on a pediatric unit and is using a psychosocial developmental approach to child care. In which order from the first to the last will the nurse place the developmental stages?
1) Initiative versus guilt
2) Trust versus mistrust
3) Industry versus inferiority
4) Identity versus role confusion
5) Autonomy versus shame and doubt

A) 2, 5, 3, 1, 4
B) 2, 1, 3, 5, 4
C) 2, 3, 1, 5, 4
D) 2, 5, 1, 3, 4

Answer 1

2, 5, 1, 3, 4

Question 2

A nurse is measuring an infant's head circumference and height. Which area is the nurse assessing?

A) Moral development
B) Cognitive development
C) Biophysical development
D) Psychosocial development

Answer 2

Biophysical development

Question 3

A patient follows all the instructions a nurse provides because the patient wants to be perceived as a "good" patient. How should the nurse interpret this information according to moral development?

A) The patient is in postformal thought reasoning.
B) The patient is in postconventional reasoning.
C) The patient is in preconventional reasoning.
D) The patient is in conventional reasoning.

Answer 3

The patient is in conventional reasoning.

Question 4

The nurse is caring for a 14-year-old patient in the hospital. Which goal will be priority?

A) Maintain industry
B) Maintain identity
C) Maintain intimacy
D) Maintain initiative

Question 5

Which action should the nurse take when teaching a 5-year-old patient about a scheduled surgery?

A) Do not discuss the procedure with the child to decrease anxiety.
B) Let the child know the surgery will be at 9:00 AM in the morning.
C) Insist that the parents wait outside the room to ensure privacy of the child.
D) Allow the child to touch and hold medical equipment such as thermometers.

Question 6

A nurse is using Jean Piaget's developmental theory to focus on cognitive development. Which area will the nurse assess in this patient?

A) Latency
B) Formal operations
C) Intimacy versus isolation
D) The postconventional level

Question 7

The nurse is teaching a young-adult couple about promoting the health and psychosocial development of their 8-year-old child. Which information from the parent indicates a correct understanding of the teaching?

A) "We will provide consistent, devoted relationships to meet needs."
B) "We will limit choices and provide punishment for mistakes."
C) "We will provide proper support for learning new skills."
D) "We will instill a strong identity of who our child is."

Question 8

A nurse is assessing a 17-year-old adolescent's cognitive development. Which behavior indicates the adolescent has reached formal operations?

A) Uses play to understand surroundings
B) Discusses the topic of justice in society
C) Hits other students to deal with environmental change
D) Questions where the ice is hiding when ice has melted in a drink

Question 9

A nurse is working with a patient who wants needs to be met and is impatient and demanding when these needs are not met immediately. How should the nurse interpret this finding according to Freud?

A) The id is functioning.
B) The ego is functioning.
C) The superego is functioning.
D) The Oedipus complex is functioning.

Question 10

An 18-month-old patient is brought into the clinic for evaluation because the parent is concerned. The 18-month-old child hits siblings and says only "No" when communicating verbally. Which recommendation by the nurse will be best for this situation?

A) Assure the mother that the child is developmentally within specified norms.
B) Encourage the mother to seek psychological counseling for the child.
C) Consult the social worker because the child is hitting other children.
D) Remove all toys from the child's room until this behavior ceases.

Question 11

The nurse is teaching the parents of a 3-year-old child who is at risk for developmental delays. Which instruction will the nurse include in the teaching plan?

A) Insist that your child discuss various points of view.
B) Encourage play as your child is exploring the surroundings.
C) Discuss world events with your child to foster language development.
D) Actively encourage your child to read lengthy books to foster reading abilities.

Question 12

A nurse is caring for a 4-year-old patient. Which object will the nurse allow the child to play with safely to foster cognitive development?

A) The pump administering intravenous fluids
B) A book to read alone in a quiet place
C) The blood pressure cuff
D) A baseball bat

Question 13

A nurse is assessing an 18-month-old toddler. The nurse distinguishes normal from abnormal findings by remembering Gesell's theory of development. Which information will the nurse consider?

A) Growth in humans is determined solely by heredity.
B) Environmental influence does not influence development.
C) The cephalocaudal pattern describes the sequence in which growth is fastest at the top.
D) Gene activity influences development but does not affect the sequence of development.

Question 14

A nurse is using the proximodistal pattern to assess an infant's growth and development as normal. Which assessment finding will the nurse determine as normal?

A) Bangs objects before turns
B) Lifts head before grasps
C) Walks before crawls
D) Laughs before coos

Question 15

A nurse is caring for a young adult after surgery. Which action by the nurse will be priority?

A) Allow involvement of peers
B) Allow involvement of partner
C) Allow involvement of volunteer activities
D) Allow involvement of consistent schedule

Question 16

A formerly independent older adult becomes severely withdrawn upon admission to a nursing home. Which action should the nurse take first?

A) Offer a reward to the patient for participation in all events.
B) Encourage the patient to eat meals in the dining room with others.
C) Allow the patient to incorporate personal belongings into the room.
D) Advise the patient of the importance of attending mandatory activities.

Question 17

When caring for a middle-aged adult exhibiting maladaptive coping skills, the nurse is trying to determine the cause of the patient's behavior. Which information from a growth and development perspective should the nurse consider when planning care?

A) Individuals have uniform patterns of growth and development.
B) Culture usually has no effect on predictable patterns of growth and development.
C) Health is promoted based on how many developmental failures a patient experiences.
D) When individuals experience repeated developmental failures, inadequacies sometimes result.

Question 18

A nurse takes the history of a middle-aged patient in a health clinic. Which information indicates the patient has achieved generativity?

A) Married for 30 years
B) Teaches preschoolers
C) Has no regrets with life choices
D) Cares for aging parents after work

Question 19

A nurse is developing a plan of care concerning growth and development for a hospitalized adolescent. What should the nurse do? (Select all that apply.)

A) Apply developmental theories when making observations of the adolescent's patterns of growth and development.
B) Compare the adolescent's assessment findings versus normal findings.
C) Recognize her own (the nurse's) moral developmental level.
D) Stick with one developmental theory for consistency.
E) Apply a unidimensional life span perspective.

Question 20

Which question will be most appropriate for a nurse to ask when assessing an adult patient for growth and developmental delays?

A) "How many times per week do you exercise?"
B) "Are you able to stand on one foot for 5 seconds?"
C) "Would you please describe your usual activities during the day?"
D) "How many hours a day do you spend watching television or sitting in front of a computer?"

Question 21

A nurse is assessing temperaments of children. Which terms should the nurse use to describe findings? (Select all that apply.)

A) The easy child
B) The defiant child
C) The difficult child
D) The slow-to-warm up child
E) The momma's boy or daddy's girl