Pediatric Nurse Exam Pediatric Nurse Growth and Development Milestones 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: According to Piaget, what cognitive stage is a 7-year-old child in?
- Sensorimotor
- Preoperational
- Concrete operational (Correct answer)
- Formal operational
Correct answer: Concrete operational
Children ages 7–11 are in Piaget's concrete operational stage, during which they develop logical thinking about concrete objects.
Question 2: A 15-month-old uses 3–5 words and walks independently. Which additional milestone would be expected at this age?
- Runs well
- Uses a spoon alone
- Says 'mama' and 'dada' specifically (Correct answer)
- Climbs stairs alternating feet
Correct answer: Says 'mama' and 'dada' specifically
By 12–15 months, infants typically say 'mama' and 'dada' with meaning in addition to a few other words.
Question 3: An infant demonstrates object permanence. What is the earliest age this concept typically emerges?
- 2 months
- 4 months
- 8 months (Correct answer)
- 12 months
Correct answer: 8 months
Object permanence begins to emerge around 8–9 months, when infants understand that objects still exist when out of sight.
Question 4: Which weight milestone is expected for a full-term infant by 6 months of age?
- Doubles birth weight (Correct answer)
- Triples birth weight
- Gains 1 pound per month
- Reaches 10 kg
Correct answer: Doubles birth weight
Infants are expected to double their birth weight by approximately 4–6 months of age.
Question 5: A nurse is assessing a 3-year-old who plays alongside but not with other children. What type of play is this?
- Cooperative play
- Parallel play (Correct answer)
- Solitary play
- Associative play
Correct answer: Parallel play
Parallel play, in which children play near each other without direct interaction, is typical of toddlers and early preschoolers.
Question 6: What is the expected head circumference growth rate during the first year of life?
- 1 cm per month for 12 months
- 2 cm per month for 3 months, then 1 cm per month
- 0.5 cm per month throughout
- Rapid in first 6 months, then slows (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Rapid in first 6 months, then slows
Head circumference grows rapidly in the first 6 months (~1.5 cm/month) and then slows to about 0.5 cm/month in the second 6 months.
Question 7: A school-age child understands that the volume of water remains the same when poured into a different-shaped container. Which Piagetian concept does this demonstrate?
- Egocentrism
- Conservation (Correct answer)
- Animism
- Centration
Correct answer: Conservation
Conservation is the understanding that quantity stays the same despite changes in shape or arrangement, mastered in the concrete operational stage.
Pediatric Nurse Exam Pediatric Nurse Growth and Development Milestones 3
According to Piaget, what cognitive stage is a 7-year-old child in?