Human Growth and Development Flashcards
7 cards from real MSW practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Human Growth and Development flashcards as text
Which of the following best describes the 'nature vs. nurture' debate in human development?
Answer: The ongoing discussion about the relative contributions of genetics and environment to development
The nature vs. nurture debate concerns the degree to which hereditary factors versus environmental experiences shape human development; most contemporary theorists support an interactionist view.
According to object relations theory, the 'holding environment' created by the caregiver is critical because it:
Answer: Offers a psychological space for the infant to develop a sense of self without being overwhelmed
Winnicott's concept of the holding environment refers to the emotional and psychological support a caregiver provides, allowing the infant to safely develop an integrated sense of self.
A social worker is working with a Latino family where grandparents play a central caregiving role. This reflects which cultural value often prominent in collectivist cultures?
Answer: Familismo
Familismo is a core value in many Latino cultures emphasizing strong family bonds, interdependence, and collective well-being over individual achievement.
According to Freud's psychosexual theory, unresolved conflict during the anal stage may lead to personality traits such as:
Answer: Excessive orderliness, stubbornness, or impulsivity
Freud theorized that fixation at the anal stage could result in either an 'anal-retentive' personality (rigid, orderly) or 'anal-expulsive' personality (messy, impulsive).
The principle of 'conservation' in Piaget's theory refers to a child's understanding that:
Answer: Quantity remains the same despite changes in shape or arrangement
Conservation is the understanding that quantity, volume, or number remains constant despite changes in appearance, and is typically achieved during the concrete operational stage.
Daniel Levinson's theory of adult development is most associated with the concept of:
Answer: Seasons of life and alternating stable and transitional periods
Levinson described adult development as a sequence of stable periods and transitional periods (seasons), including the widely known midlife transition around age 40.
Which of the following is a characteristic of postformal thinking, considered a stage beyond Piaget's formal operations?
Answer: Recognition that knowledge is relative, contextual, and influenced by emotion
Postformal thinking, described by researchers like Labouvie-Vief, involves accepting contradiction, ambiguity, and the role of emotion and context in complex adult reasoning.