SSW Child Development 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which attachment style is associated with children who are distressed when the caregiver leaves but are not comforted upon return, often displaying anger or resistance?
- Secure attachment
- Avoidant attachment
- Anxious-ambivalent attachment (Correct answer)
- Disorganized attachment
Correct answer: Anxious-ambivalent attachment
Anxious-ambivalent (resistant) attachment involves separation distress and an inability to be soothed upon reunion, reflecting inconsistent caregiving.
Question 2: According to Vygotsky, the zone of proximal development (ZPD) refers to:
- Tasks a child can do independently
- The gap between what a child can do alone and with guidance (Correct answer)
- The age at which formal operations begin
- Peer-influenced learning outside the classroom
Correct answer: The gap between what a child can do alone and with guidance
The ZPD is the range of tasks a child can perform with adult or peer support but not yet independently, highlighting the role of social interaction in learning.
Question 3: A school social worker is assessing a 14-year-old who is experimenting with different identities and questioning family values. According to Erikson, this is most characteristic of:
- Industry vs. Inferiority stage
- Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt stage
- Generativity vs. Stagnation stage
- Identity vs. Role Confusion stage (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Identity vs. Role Confusion stage
Erikson's Identity vs. Role Confusion stage occurs during adolescence and involves exploring and committing to a sense of self.
Question 4: Which type of play involves children playing alongside each other without interacting or sharing materials?
- Cooperative play
- Associative play
- Parallel play (Correct answer)
- Solitary play
Correct answer: Parallel play
Parallel play, common in toddlers, involves playing near peers with similar materials but without coordinating activities or interacting directly.
Question 5: Research on authoritative parenting shows that children raised in this style tend to exhibit:
- High obedience but low self-esteem
- High social competence and academic achievement (Correct answer)
- High impulsivity and low self-regulation
- Low social engagement and high anxiety
Correct answer: High social competence and academic achievement
Authoritative parenting, characterized by warmth, structure, and autonomy support, is consistently linked to high social competence and academic outcomes.
Question 6: A child who experienced early neglect and later shows indiscriminate friendliness with strangers may be displaying signs of:
- Reactive attachment disorder (RAD)
- Disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED) (Correct answer)
- Separation anxiety disorder
- Social communication disorder
Correct answer: Disinhibited social engagement disorder (DSED)
DSED is characterized by indiscriminate social behavior with unfamiliar adults, often resulting from early deprivation or unstable caregiving environments.
Question 7: The concept of 'goodness of fit' in child development refers to:
- A child's IQ aligning with educational expectations
- The match between a child's temperament and the demands of the environment (Correct answer)
- Peer acceptance in the classroom setting
- A child's physical health relative to developmental norms
Correct answer: The match between a child's temperament and the demands of the environment
Goodness of fit describes how well a child's temperamental style aligns with environmental expectations, affecting emotional and behavioral outcomes.
SSW Child Development 3
Which attachment style is associated with children who are distressed when the caregiver leaves but are not comforted upon return, often displaying anger or resistance?