CBIS Human Development and Behavior 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A TBI survivor repeatedly observes a therapist model a task but cannot reproduce it independently. According to Bandura, which component of observational learning is most impaired?
- Attention
- Retention
- Motor reproduction (Correct answer)
- Motivation
Correct answer: Motor reproduction
Motor reproduction refers to the ability to physically perform an observed action; TBI-related motor or praxis deficits can disrupt this even when attention and retention are intact.
Question 2: Which temperament dimension identified by Thomas and Chess most strongly predicts adjustment difficulties following pediatric TBI?
- High activity level alone
- Slow-to-warm-up temperament
- Difficult temperament with high intensity and low adaptability (Correct answer)
- Easy temperament with high rhythmicity
Correct answer: Difficult temperament with high intensity and low adaptability
Difficult temperament—characterized by high emotional intensity and poor adaptability—amplifies adjustment problems after pediatric TBI.
Question 3: When a TBI survivor struggles to understand sarcasm and nonliteral language, this deficit is best categorized as impairment in:
- Phonological processing
- Theory of Mind (Correct answer)
- Semantic memory
- Procedural memory
Correct answer: Theory of Mind
Theory of Mind enables understanding of others' mental states and nonliteral communication; TBI commonly disrupts this social-cognitive ability.
Question 4: Which Piagetian concept explains why a 6-year-old with TBI cannot yet understand that the volume of liquid stays the same when poured into a differently shaped container?
- Object permanence
- Conservation (Correct answer)
- Seriation
- Class inclusion
Correct answer: Conservation
Conservation is the Piagetian milestone typically achieved in concrete operations (ages 7-11); a 6-year-old has not yet consolidated this concept regardless of TBI.
Question 5: Bronfenbrenner's ecological model would classify the relationship between a TBI survivor's school and their medical rehabilitation team as part of which system?
- Microsystem
- Mesosystem (Correct answer)
- Exosystem
- Macrosystem
Correct answer: Mesosystem
The mesosystem encompasses interactions between two microsystems (e.g., school and healthcare), which directly affect the individual's recovery context.
Question 6: A CBIS practitioner observing that a survivor's family speaks only of 'getting back to normal' is most concerned about which psychological concept impeding rehabilitation acceptance?
- Denial as a grief stage (Correct answer)
- Learned helplessness
- Conditioned avoidance
- Reciprocal determinism
Correct answer: Denial as a grief stage
Denial is the initial stage in grief models (e.g., Kübler-Ross) where family members refuse to accept the permanence of the survivor's changes, impeding realistic goal-setting.
Question 7: Which neurodevelopmental concept explains why adolescent TBI survivors are at heightened risk for impulsive decision-making compared to adults with equivalent injuries?
- Synaptic pruning completion in adolescence
- Limbic-prefrontal imbalance due to incomplete myelination (Correct answer)
- Lower baseline cortisol in teens
- Greater hippocampal neurogenesis in adults
Correct answer: Limbic-prefrontal imbalance due to incomplete myelination
The adolescent brain has a mature, reactive limbic system but an incompletely myelinated prefrontal cortex, creating a regulatory imbalance that TBI worsens.
CBIS Human Development and Behavior 3
A TBI survivor repeatedly observes a therapist model a task but cannot reproduce it independently.
According to Bandura, which component of observational learning is most impaired?