MSW Human Development and Behavior 4 â Questions and Answers
Question 1: In family systems theory, 'triangulation' most accurately refers to:
- A three-generation genogram assessment technique
- The process of a third party being drawn into a dyadic conflict to reduce tension (Correct answer)
- A structural family therapy intervention using spatial positioning
- A research method for cross-validating qualitative data
Correct answer: The process of a third party being drawn into a dyadic conflict to reduce tension
Triangulation occurs when a third person (often a child) is pulled into a two-person conflict to diffuse anxiety, often burdening the third party.
Question 2: Which term describes the phenomenon where children raised together in the same family environment have markedly different personalities, partly due to different peer groups and individual experiences?
- Shared environment effects
- Non-shared environment effects (Correct answer)
- Gene-environment correlation
- Phenotypic plasticity
Correct answer: Non-shared environment effects
Non-shared environmental influencesâunique experiences that differ between siblingsâaccount for much of the personality variation among children in the same family.
Question 3: A social worker is assessing a client with a history of significant early neglect who shows limited empathy and poor impulse control. These deficits are most closely linked to disruption in:
- Late adolescent peer socialization
- Early attachment and right-brain development (Correct answer)
- Formal operational cognitive development
- Conventional moral reasoning acquisition
Correct answer: Early attachment and right-brain development
Early neglect disrupts right-hemisphere development and secure attachment, impairing emotion regulation, empathy, and impulse control.
Question 4: According to Diana Baumrind's parenting styles research, which style is associated with the best outcomes for children's social competence and academic achievement?
- Authoritarian parenting
- Permissive parenting
- Uninvolved parenting
- Authoritative parenting (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Authoritative parenting
Authoritative parentingâhigh warmth combined with consistent boundaries and reasoningâis linked to the best developmental outcomes across multiple domains.
Question 5: The 'age of viability' in prenatal development refers to the gestational age at which:
- The embryo first implants in the uterine wall
- Major organ systems begin to differentiate
- The fetus can potentially survive outside the womb with medical support (Correct answer)
- The neural tube fully closes
Correct answer: The fetus can potentially survive outside the womb with medical support
The age of viability is approximately 22â24 weeks gestation, when the lungs and other systems are sufficiently developed to support survival with medical intervention.
Question 6: Carl Jung's concept of the 'collective unconscious' includes universal inherited archetypes. Which of the following is an example of a Jungian archetype?
- The superego
- The shadow (Correct answer)
- The id
- The persona mask of rational thought
Correct answer: The shadow
The shadow is a Jungian archetype representing the unconscious, darker aspects of the personality that the ego does not identify with.
Question 7: Which of the following best illustrates the concept of 'role exit' as described in adult sociological development?
- A teenager adopting a new peer group identity
- A retired nurse who no longer identifies professionally as a nurse (Correct answer)
- A child developing industry skills in middle childhood
- A young adult forming intimate romantic relationships
Correct answer: A retired nurse who no longer identifies professionally as a nurse
Role exit refers to the process of disengaging from a central social role that has been a core part of one's identity, such as career retirement.
MSW Human Development and Behavior 4
In family systems theory, 'triangulation' most accurately refers to: