LSP Child & Adolescent Psychology 4 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A mandated reporter licensed psychologist learns that a 10-year-old client discloses ongoing physical abuse by a parent. The psychologist's first obligation is to:
- Consult with a supervisor before reporting
- Inform the parents of the disclosure
- File a report with child protective services (Correct answer)
- Document the disclosure and continue therapy
Correct answer: File a report with child protective services
Mandated reporters are legally required to report suspected child abuse to CPS immediately; consulting supervisors may follow but does not replace reporting.
Question 2: Which of the following best describes the developmental phenomenon of 'object permanence'?
- Understanding that objects have permanent names
- Knowing that objects continue to exist when out of sight (Correct answer)
- Ability to mentally rotate objects in space
- Recognizing that object quantity is unchanged despite rearrangement
Correct answer: Knowing that objects continue to exist when out of sight
Object permanence, emerging around 8–12 months in Piaget's sensorimotor stage, is the understanding that objects persist even when not directly perceived.
Question 3: A 13-year-old with a history of trauma exhibits hypervigilance, nightmares, emotional numbing, and avoids discussing the event for 3 months. The most appropriate diagnosis is:
- Acute Stress Disorder
- Adjustment Disorder with Anxiety
- PTSD (Correct answer)
- Reactive Attachment Disorder
Correct answer: PTSD
PTSD requires symptoms lasting more than 1 month across intrusion, avoidance, negative cognition/mood, and arousal clusters following a traumatic event.
Question 4: Diana Baumrind's research on parenting styles originally identified three styles. Which style did Maccoby and Martin later add?
- Permissive-Indulgent
- Authoritative
- Uninvolved (Neglectful) (Correct answer)
- Strict-Controlling
Correct answer: Uninvolved (Neglectful)
Maccoby and Martin expanded Baumrind's three styles into a 2×2 model, adding the Uninvolved/Neglectful style (low responsiveness, low demandingness).
Question 5: A 6-year-old is referred for selective mutism. She speaks freely at home but is completely silent at school for 4 months. Which intervention has the strongest evidence base?
- Play therapy
- Psychodynamic therapy
- Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy with behavioral exposure (Correct answer)
- Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
Correct answer: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy with behavioral exposure
CBT with behavioral exposure, including graduated exposure to speaking situations, is the most empirically supported treatment for selective mutism.
Question 6: According to Kohlberg, a teenager who follows rules primarily to avoid punishment is operating at which level of moral development?
- Conventional — Law and Order
- Postconventional — Social Contract
- Preconventional — Punishment-Obedience (Correct answer)
- Conventional — Good Boy/Good Girl
Correct answer: Preconventional — Punishment-Obedience
Stage 1 of Kohlberg's Preconventional level is defined by obedience motivated solely by avoidance of punishment rather than internalized values.
Question 7: Which of the following assessment instruments is specifically designed to diagnose autism spectrum disorder through direct behavioral observation?
- CBCL (Child Behavior Checklist)
- ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) (Correct answer)
- WISC-V (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children)
- BASC-3 (Behavior Assessment System for Children)
Correct answer: ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule)
The ADOS-2 is a semi-structured, standardized observational assessment considered the gold standard for ASD diagnosis.
LSP Child & Adolescent Psychology 4
A mandated reporter licensed psychologist learns that a 10-year-old client discloses ongoing physical abuse by a parent.
The psychologist's first obligation is to: