Human Development, Diversity,& Behavior in the Environment
In which stage of cognitive development do imaginary friends MOST often emerge?
A.Formal operations
B.Preoperational
C.Sensorimotor
B. Preoperational
Piaget defined four stages of cognitive development. They are sensorimotor, preoperational, concrete operations, and formal operations. The preoperational stage begins at about age 2 and ends at about age 7. It is characterized by magical thinking. Imaginary friends often emerge in this stage, when reality is not firm, and can last into elementary school.
In order to meet the mandates imposed by the Tarasoff decision, a social worker would need to:
A.Notify authorities about imminent danger likely to be imposed by a client
B.Seek inpatient hospitalization if a client displays behavior dangerous to self or other.
C.Identify risk factors that may be present in a client that will result in dangerousness to others
Answer: A. Notify authorities about imminent danger likely to be imposed by a client
Since the Tarasoff case in 1974, duty to warn has become an important concept in social work. Being able to protect potential victims from harm and protecting clients from self-harm are ethical obligations. Duty to warn means that social workers must verbally tell authorities and/or intended victims that there is a foreseeable danger of violence. In addition, social workers have a duty to protect, so social workers who determine that their clients present a serious danger of violence to others have an obligation to use reasonable care to protect the intended victims against danger. This may entail police notification or other necessary steps.
A client reports to a social worker that he is having problems with his wife because he feels that she does not care about him. The social worker discovers that this belief by the husband stems from his belief that she is always distracted when he speaks. The social worker challenges and helps him replace this thought with an alternative one that she “does care, but just has a lot of other demands for her attention.” Which approach is the social worker using to address the husband’s issues?
A.Operant conditioning
B.Cognitive behavioral therapy
C.Ego psychology
Answer: B. Cognitive behavioral therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy aims to change patterns of thinking or behavior that are responsible for clients’ difficulties. In this approach, the social worker assists clients to change attitudes and behaviors by focusing on thoughts, images, beliefs, and attitudes that are held (cognitive processes) and replacing distorted thinking patterns with healthy ones (cognitive restructuring).
A social worker receives a call from a former girlfriend who is now married and is having trouble dealing with the recent death of her mother. The former girlfriend would like to see the social worker for counseling. The social worker has not seen the former girlfriend in more than 10 years. In order to handle this situation appropriately, the social worker should:
A.Begin treatment immediately as more than a decade has passed since the relationship
B.Contact the social work licensing board to determine if regulation allows this treatment
C.Inform the former girlfriend that the social worker cannot treat her
Answer: C. Inform the former girlfriend that the social worker cannot treat her
Social workers should not provide clinical services to individuals with whom they have had prior intimate relationships. Providing clinical services to a former girlfriend has the potential to be harmful to her and the past relationship may be difficult for the social worker and the former girlfriend to maintain appropriate professional boundaries.
Which of the following is MOST critical for successful engagement in interdisciplinary collaboration by social workers?
A.Leveraging individual resources to bring to the collaborative process
B.Remembering that collaboration is not needed for all decisions
C.Acknowledging that others may have different personal and professional values
Answer: C. Acknowledging that others may have different personal and professional values
Interdisciplinary collaboration in social work practice is often difficult and requires great skill. Social science research brings understanding that each person in a collaborative process has a set of biases, values, and assumptions. Individuals have maps or mental models inside their heads that create meaning for experiences. These mental models carry many assumptions, values, and expectations which result in individuals having somewhat different mental models of how collaborative processes will proceed.
Shared values and goals are a foundational part of the overarching mental structure that drives collaborative efforts. Therefore, it is important to evaluate personal goals and values and to make them explicitly conscious as part of a dualistic pursuit of self-knowledge and knowledge of others’ mental models. Reflection or frequent inquiry to recognize personal and professional values and priorities is critical. Lack of awareness of these hot buttons, or emotional drivers, limits the ability to proactively respond to difficult situations in constructive ways.
A man is seeing a social worker because he is struggling to “find himself” as his children have become adults and left the family home. He feels that his job has become mundane, and he is feeling “bored with life.” Which stage of psychosocial development BEST describes the client’s feelings?
A.Generativity versus stagnation
B.Industry versus inferiority
C.Intimacy versus isolation
Answer: A. Generativity versus stagnation
During middle adulthood, individuals establish careers, settle down within relationships, begin families, and develop a sense of being a part of the bigger picture. They give back to society through raising children, being productive at work, and becoming involved in community activities and organizations. By failing to achieve these objectives, individuals become stagnant and feel unproductive.
Which of the following is a therapeutic advantage of injectable antipsychotic medications?
A.Injectable medications reduce medication noncompliance
B.Injectable medications can be used in addition to oral administration of other medications
C.Injectable medications are less expensive than oral medications
Answer: A. Injectable medications reduce medication noncompliance
Clients who receive their antipsychotic medications via injection are more likely to continue their medications than those who take them orally. Since injectable medications are usually only needed once or twice per month, it may be easier to remember these appointments than taking pills several times a day. This consistency in medication compliance may result in fewer hospitalizations and few symptom relapses. The cost of the medications is not a therapeutic consideration. While injectable medications can be used in addition to oral administration, there is no therapeutic advantage stated.
In which of the following phases of child development is rapprochement a subphase?
A.Normal symbiotic
B.Object constancy
C.Separation–individuation
Answer: C. Separation–individuation
Rapprochement occurs between 15 and 24 months. In this subphase of separation–individuation, the child once again becomes close to the mother. The child realizes that physical mobility demonstrates psychic separateness from the mother and may want her in sight.
Therapy sessions conducted by social workers in an agency are frequently audiotaped for review by their supervisors. These tapes are destroyed upon client terminations and are used only for supervisory purposes, not shared with others outside the agency. The standard consent form used by the agency states that social workers will receive supervision and client information may be disclosed with supervisors to ensure service quality. To avoid making clients feel uncomfortable, taping is not discussed with them, but consent forms are read by the social worker to clients who sign them. Which of the following statements BEST describes this situation?
A.Ethical because it is done as part of supervision to ensure service quality
B.Unethical because informed consent for audiotaping has not been obtained
C.Ethical because the tapes are destroyed upon termination
Answer: B. Unethical because informed consent for audiotaping has not been obtained
Social workers should obtain clients’ informed consent before audio or video recording clients or permitting observation of services to clients by a third party. The consent forms should explicitly state that the sessions will be audiotaped and have information about who will listen to the recordings, how they will be stored, what will happen to the tapes after treatment has ended, and so forth. The risks and benefits associated with audio or video recording should also be reviewed with clients to get their informed consent. The permission of the client to make these recordings cannot be assumed or taken for granted as part of standard language about supervision on a consent form.
A hospital social worker is asked by a supervisor to serve on a task group with representatives from all departments. A decision is proposed which the social worker feels will limit the self-determination of clients. There is strong support for the decision so it will easily get the votes needed for approval. In this situation, the social worker should:
A.Refrain from voting to signify concern over the proposed action
B.Speak to the supervisor about objections to the group’s decision
C.Vote against the proposition after explaining the reason for the concern
Answer: C. Vote against the proposition after explaining the reason for the concern
Central to successful interdisciplinary collaboration is dialogue among members. Dialogue is a communications process that facilitates thinking and questioning together. In dialogue, conversations focus on surfacing assumptions, goals, and values, and summarizing disparate ideas in search of connections. This type of strategic conversation allows for further exploration and clarification of different vantage points, thus allowing for the development of new knowledge. Information sharing is increased and expertise within the group begins to surface, leading to a new valuation of difference as a context for innovation.
Listening to and observing team members to recognize their values, goals, and ways of communicating are critical actions to engage in if mutually beneficial partnerships are to develop. This takes time and effort. Formal and informal interactions can be opportunities for learning about the diversity of styles and perceptions within a team.
The current context of different mental models of collaboration and status differences between team members, combined with the need to communicate regularly to reach agreements, reflects the complexity of skill and effort needed for effective collaboration. There are no easy answers or shortcuts.
A couple comes in to see a social worker because of their destructive pattern of fighting. The husband complains that his wife is always nagging him to do things around the house and suggests that he will get them done if she just stops complaining. Which of the following behavioral techniques does the husband state will improve his behavior?
A.Negative punishment
B.Positive punishment
C.Negative reinforcement
Answer: C. Negative reinforcement
Negative reinforcement is the removal of an aversive (negative) stimulus with the goal of increasing the targeted behavior. The husband says that he will do more around the house (targeted behavior) if the wife stops (removes) the nagging (negative stimulus).
A client reports that the client is under the surveillance of the police and that they have been following her for days, as well as listening in on her phone conversations. There is no other evidence to support this belief. What is MOST likely the basis of the client’s report?
A.Hypomanic state
B.Delusion
C.Hallucination
Answer: B. Delusion
A delusion is a false or erroneous belief that usually involves a misinterpretation of perceptions or experiences. A delusion is a belief that is held despite evidence to the contrary. A hallucination involves the senses. An auditory hallucination—hearing something that is not said—is the most common type. In this vignette, the client had a false, fixed belief despite a lack of supporting evidence, but there was no indication that it resulted from seeing or hearing anything that would support these beliefs. Hypomania is a condition characterized by a period of abnormally elevated, extreme changes in mood or emotions, energy level or activity level. Hypomania does not have to include delusional thoughts.
A social worker receives a referral to provide case management to a family who just immigrated from another country and needs to be linked to services to meet their basic needs. The 13-year-old daughter in the family speaks English in addition to her native language, which is exclusively spoken by the parents. The social worker, who only understands and speaks English, accepts the referral. Which BEST describes this action by the social worker?
A.Ethical because the daughter will be available to translate for the parents
B.Ethical because the services are time-limited and nonclinical in nature
C.Unethical because the social worker cannot speak to or understand all family members
Answer: C. Unethical because the social worker cannot speak to or understand all family members
Because the parents do not speak or understand English, the social worker should arrange for a qualified interpreter or translator. The use of the daughter to translate for her parents is not appropriate because the parents may be apprehensive to identify the family’s true needs to their daughter. In addition, the social worker will only learn what the parents say through the daughter. Valuable information may be omitted or lost. Lastly, the daughter also may not communicate what the social worker is saying in a manner that is appropriate or accurate.
A social worker believes that there may be an ethical dilemma in his agency. According to steps in ethical problem solving, the social worker should FIRST consult:
A.A supervisor
B.The professional ethical code
C.The policies and procedures of the agency
Answer: B. The professional ethical code
The first step in ethical problem solving is to identify ethical standards, as defined by the professional NASW Code of Ethics, which may be compromised. The social worker should not rely on his supervisor to determine whether there is an ethical issue or dilemma. The supervisor may not even be a social worker. By referring directly to the NASW Code of Ethics, the social worker can better weigh ethical issues in light of key social work values and principles, which are explicitly stated in this document.
Which BEST describes the ethical mandates about social and political action by social workers?
A.Social and political action is strictly prohibited by social workers
B.Social workers should engage in social and political action that seeks to ensure that clients have equal access to and expanded choice for needed resources
C.Social and political action must be done by all clients to change the conditions that have contributed to their problems
Answer: B. Social workers should engage in social and political action that seeks to ensure that clients have equal access to and expanded choice for needed resources
Social and political action involves a social worker’s ethical responsibility to broader society. Social workers should engage in social and political action that seeks to ensure that people have equal access to and expanded choice for needed resources. Social workers should promote conditions that encourage respect for cultural and social diversity.
Although empowering clients and educating them about the value of social and political action are important, the NASW Code of Ethics does not mandate client behavior but serves as a guide for social workers’ actions.
Which of the following is a physical symptom associated with Wernicke’s encephalopathy or Korsakoff’s syndrome?
A.Memory loss
B.Confusion
C.Coordination problems
Answer: C. Coordination problems
Wernicke’s encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome (sometimes called “Wet Brain”) are disorders associated with chronic abuse of alcohol. They are caused by a thiamine (vitamin B1) deficiency resulting from the chronic consumption of alcohol. Korsakoff’s syndrome or Korsakoff’s psychosis tends to develop as Wernicke’s symptoms go away. Wernicke’s encephalopathy causes brain damage in lower parts of the brain called the thalamus and hypothalamus. Korsakoff’s psychosis results from permanent damage to areas of the brain involved with memory. Symptoms of Wernicke’s encephalopathy include confusion and loss of mental activity that can progress to coma and death, loss of muscle coordination that can cause leg tremor, and/or vision changes such as abnormal eye movements. Symptoms of Korsakoff’s syndrome include inability to form new memories or even seeing or hearing things that are not really there. All the response choices are associated with Wernicke’s encephalopathy and Korsakoff’s syndrome but only coordination problems are physical symptoms which is the focus of the question.
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Which of the following is a neurotransmitter in the brain that is responsible for maintaining mood balance and depression?
A.Serotonin
B.Acetylcholine
C.Ketamine
Answer: A. Serotonin
Serotonin is a chemical created by the human body that works as a neurotransmitter. It is responsible for maintaining mood balance. An association is made between serotonin and depression. It is unclear if decreased levels of serotonin contribute to depression or depression causes a decrease in serotonin levels. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a classification of antidepressants.
Which is the MOST important reason that self-monitoring is used as a social work technique?
A.Clients are the most reliable sources of information
B.Clients better understand the causes and frequency of the problem behaviors
C.Clients collecting data is based on the principles of self-determination
Answer: B. Clients better understand the causes and frequency of the problem behaviors
Self-monitoring consists of clients systematically observing their own behavior. Most clients are not entirely aware of the extent to which they engage in various behaviors and/or antecedents or consequences of their actions. When clients are provided with the opportunity to observe their own behaviors carefully, dramatic changes often occur by the mere monitoring of the behaviors themselves. The incorrect response choices are important but are not directly linked to use of client self-monitoring.
Which of the following statements is accurate regarding physical contact between social workers and clients?
A.Contact should be culturally sensitive, considering the customs, beliefs, and traditions of clients
B.Contact should only occur with adult clients and not children
C.Contact should only occur after rules for such contact have been established
Answer: A. Contact should be culturally sensitive, considering the customs, beliefs, and traditions of clients
The standards that govern social work practice address the use of physical contact with clients. Social workers should not engage in physical contact with clients when there is a possibility of psychological harm as a result of the contact (such as cradling or caressing clients). Physical contact or other activities of a sexual nature with clients are clearly not allowed by social workers. The NASW Code of Ethics does not limit physical contact to only adult clients. However, social workers must clearly evaluate the appropriateness of having physical contact with children, especially because many of the youth served have experienced trauma. There do not need to be “rules” established to govern physical contact though setting clear, appropriate, and culturally sensitive “boundaries” that govern physical contact are essential for professional practice.
A social worker is asked by a community governing body to assist with developing youth programs aimed at reducing youth violence, school truancy, vandalism, and drug usage. In order to be effective, the social worker should FIRST:
A.Work with the community to prioritize the youth problems to be addressed
B.Collect data on the magnitude of the need that has to be addressed in program design
C.Determine why youth problems are now seen as a priority for the governing body
Answer: A. Work with the community to prioritize the youth problems to be addressed
Community organization and development are methods of intervention that focus on addressing social problems. Social workers assist communities in identifying problems, causes, and solutions aimed at improving the lives of community members. Basic tenets of these activities require full participation of community members in the change and development efforts.
In the vignette, there are many broad reasons cited for the development of youth programs. In order to be most effective, the social worker should FIRST help community members prioritize the youth problems to be addressed; without a more defined focus, the program will not be successful. It would be impossible for a single youth program to positively address all the problems noted, so the social worker should initially work to narrow the goals of the program, thereby increasing its likelihood of success.
A client has dilated pupils, appears jittery, and complains that “he just needs to get some sleep.” Which of the following substances is the client MOST likely using?
A.Cocaine
B.Heroin
C.Marijuana
Answer: A. Cocaine
Cocaine use is indicated by dilated pupils, hyperactivity, euphoria, anxiety, and/or excessive talking. Heroin use is indicated by contracted pupils, sleeping at unusual times, sweating, vomiting, twitching, and/or loss of appetite. Marijuana use is indicated by glassy, red eyes; inappropriate laughter; and/or loss of interest/motivation.
Which of the following statements is accurate with regard to a diagnosis of conduct disorder?
A.Symptoms must cause significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning
B.Symptoms must occur in childhood, preferably before the age of 12
C.At least one symptom must be present in the last 18 months
Answer: A. Symptoms must cause significant impairment in social, academic, or occupational functioning
Conduct disorder is repetitive and persistent pattern of behavior in which the basic rights of others or major age-appropriate societal norms or rules are violated, as manifested by the presence of three (or more) criteria in the past 12 months, with at least one criterion present in the past 6 months. Although conduct disorder can be diagnosed in adults, symptoms usually already emerge in childhood or adolescence, though they do not need to be present before age 12.
According to object relations theory, at about which age does the normal symbiotic phase of development end?
A.5 months
B.2 years
C.2 weeks
Answer: A. 5 months
The normal symbiotic phase ends at about 5 months of age. The child is now aware of the mother, but there is not a sense of individuality. The child and mother are one, and there is a barrier between them and the rest of the world.
What are a social worker’s ethical obligations for record release when sued by a client for malpractice?
A.A social worker should never release any information about treatment
B.A social worker should claim privilege so the courts understand that the information is confidential
C.A social worker should release only information related to the nature of the lawsuit
Answer: C. A social worker should release only information related to the nature of the lawsuit
Social workers are allowed to defend themselves when sued by clients. Such a defense usually involves releasing information related to treatment. However, social workers should limit the information released to that which is relevant to the allegations in the lawsuit.
What is the PRIMARY difference between common and statutory law?
A.Common law is voluntary and does not need to be followed whereas statutory law requires compliance
B.Common law governs federal rules whereas statutory law applies to state policies
C.Statutory law is made by a legislative body whereas common law is made by judges
Answer: C. Statutory law is made by a legislative body whereas common law is made by judges
Statutory law is set by “statutes” or laws made by legislatures, locally or on the state or federal levels. Common law is made by judges. It is created by the courts deciding cases. When a court decides a case, it sets a “precedent” or binding example that other courts follow. When a large number of judges decide the same kind of case or question of law in the same way, the decision becomes “common law.”