NCMHCE Lifespan Development in Counseling 3 ā Questions and Answers
Question 1: A counselor is assessing attachment in a 14-month-old observed in the Strange Situation procedure. The child explores freely with the caregiver present but shows distress at separation and is easily soothed upon return. This BEST reflects which attachment style?
- Anxious-ambivalent
- Avoidant
- Disorganized
- Secure (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Secure
Secure attachment is characterized by using the caregiver as a safe base, showing distress during separation, and being easily soothed upon reunion.
Question 2: A client shares that as a child, their caregiver was unpredictably responsiveāsometimes warm, sometimes dismissive. As an adult, the client is preoccupied with relationships and fears abandonment. This MOST likely reflects which adult attachment style?
- Secure
- Dismissing-avoidant
- Fearful-avoidant
- Preoccupied-anxious (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Preoccupied-anxious
Preoccupied-anxious attachment in adults stems from inconsistent early caregiving and manifests as heightened concern about relationships and fear of abandonment.
Question 3: Piaget described the stage in which children can think logically about concrete objects but struggle with abstract reasoning. This stage spans approximately ages:
- 0ā2 years
- 2ā7 years
- 7ā11 years (Correct answer)
- 12 years and up
Correct answer: 7ā11 years
The concrete operational stage (ages 7ā11) allows logical thinking about tangible objects but not yet hypothetical or abstract concepts.
Question 4: An 8-year-old client understands that when clay is reshaped, the amount remains the same. According to Piaget, this child has mastered which cognitive concept?
- Object permanence
- Conservation (Correct answer)
- Egocentrism
- Seriation
Correct answer: Conservation
Conservation is the understanding that quantity remains unchanged despite changes in shape or appearance, mastered during the concrete operational stage.
Question 5: A counselor working with grieving clients uses Worden's Tasks of Mourning model. Which task involves adjusting to a world without the deceased and developing new roles?
- Accepting the reality of the loss
- Processing the pain of grief
- Adjusting to a changed world (Correct answer)
- Finding an enduring connection while embarking on a new life
Correct answer: Adjusting to a changed world
Worden's third taskāadjusting to a changed worldāinvolves adapting to new roles, identities, and responsibilities after the loss.
Question 6: Vygotsky's Zone of Proximal Development (ZPD) refers to:
- The range of tasks a child can do independently
- The gap between what a child can do alone and with guidance (Correct answer)
- A child's maximum potential intellectual capacity
- The social context in which all learning occurs
Correct answer: The gap between what a child can do alone and with guidance
The ZPD is the difference between what a learner can do independently and what they can achieve with skilled guidance or collaboration.
Question 7: A counselor is helping a 55-year-old client who recently retired and feels purposeless. According to Erikson, this client is struggling with which polarity?
- Ego integrity vs. despair
- Intimacy vs. isolation
- Generativity vs. stagnation (Correct answer)
- Identity vs. role confusion
Correct answer: Generativity vs. stagnation
Generativity vs. stagnation (middle adulthood) involves contributing to society and future generations; retirement can trigger stagnation if new purpose is not found.
NCMHCE Lifespan Development in Counseling 3
A counselor is assessing attachment in a 14-month-old observed in the Strange Situation procedure.
The child explores freely with the caregiver present but shows distress at separation and is easily soothed upon return.
This BEST reflects which attachment style?