C HAPTER 11: D EVELOPMENTAL T HEORIES
Potter: Fundamentals of Nursing, 11th Edition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A nurse is caring for a 4 -year-old patient. Which object will the nurse
allow the child to play with safel y to foster cognitive d evelopment?
a. The pump administering intravenous fluids
b. A book to read alone in a quiet place
c. The blood pressure cuff
d. A baseball bat
ANS: C
Children should be allowed to play with any equipment that is safe,
like a blood pressure cuff. A 4 -year-old child would be in the
preoperational period of cognitive development. Children at this stage
are still egocentric. Play is very important to foster cognitive
development. The IV pump and bat are not safe pieces of equipment for
a 4-year-old child to play with. A 4-year-old child is of preschool age
and more than likel y is not able to read yet. Also, the book does not
allow for any human interaction and communication if he or she reads
alone.
DIF: Anal yze (anal ysis) OBJ: Define and compare
developmental theories. TOP: Planning MSC: Health
Promotion and Maintenance
,2. A patient follows all the instructions a nurse provides because the patient
wants to be perceived as a “good” patient. How should the nurse interpret
this information according to moral development?
a. The patient is in postformal thought reasoning.
b. The patient is in postconventional reasoning.
c. The patient is in preconventional reasoning.
d. The patient is in conventional reasoning.
ANS: D
The patient is in conventional reasoning, specificall y stage 3: Good
Bo y-Nice Girl Orientation. The patient wants to win approval from the
nurse by “being good.” Developmentalists proposed a fifth stage of
cognitive (not moral) development termed postformal thought. Within
this stage, adults demonstrate the abilit y to recogn ize that answers vary
from situation to situation and that solutions need to be sensible. The
person finds a balance between basic human rights and obligations and
societal rules and regulations in the level of postconventional
reasoning. Individuals move away from moral decisions based on
authorit y or conformit y to groups to define their own moral values and
principles. Preconventional reasoning is the premoral level, in which
there is limited cognitive thinking and the individual’s thinking is
primaril y egocentric. At this stage, thinking is mostl y based on likes
and pleasures.
DIF: Appl y (application) OBJ: Appl y developmental
theories when planning interventions in the care of patients
throughout the life span. TOP: Assessment MSC: Psychosocial
Integrit y
3. An 18-month-old patient is brought into the clinic for evaluation because
, the parent is concerned because the child hits siblings and says onl y “No”
when communicating verball y. Which recommendation by the nurse will
be best for this situation?
a. Assure the mother that the child is developmentall y within specified
norms.
b. Encourage the mother to seek psychological counseling for the
child.
c. Consult the social worker because the child is hitting other children.
d. Remove all toys from the child’s room until this behavior ceases.
ANS: A
Assure the mother that the child is displaying normal behavior. At 18
months, the child is in the sensorimotor period of development. Piaget
describes hitting, looking, grasping, and kicking as normal schemas to
deal with the environment. The social worker does not need to be
consulted in this case nor is psychological counseling warranted,
because the child is exhibiting normal behaviors. Play is an important
part of all children’s development. Removing toys and the opportunit y
to play with them may actuall y hinder the child’s development.
DIF: Anal yze (anal ysis) OBJ: Discuss nursing implications for
the application of developmental principles to patient care. TOP:
Implementation MSC: Health Promotion and Maintenance
4. A formerl y independent older adult becomes severel y withdrawn upon
admission to a nursing home. Which action should the nurse take first?
a. Offer a reward to the patient for participation in all events.
b. Encourage the patient to eat meals in the dining room with others .
c. Allow the patient to incorporate personal belongings into the room.
d. Advise the patient of the importance of attending mandatory
Potter: Fundamentals of Nursing, 11th Edition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. A nurse is caring for a 4 -year-old patient. Which object will the nurse
allow the child to play with safel y to foster cognitive d evelopment?
a. The pump administering intravenous fluids
b. A book to read alone in a quiet place
c. The blood pressure cuff
d. A baseball bat
ANS: C
Children should be allowed to play with any equipment that is safe,
like a blood pressure cuff. A 4 -year-old child would be in the
preoperational period of cognitive development. Children at this stage
are still egocentric. Play is very important to foster cognitive
development. The IV pump and bat are not safe pieces of equipment for
a 4-year-old child to play with. A 4-year-old child is of preschool age
and more than likel y is not able to read yet. Also, the book does not
allow for any human interaction and communication if he or she reads
alone.
DIF: Anal yze (anal ysis) OBJ: Define and compare
developmental theories. TOP: Planning MSC: Health
Promotion and Maintenance
,2. A patient follows all the instructions a nurse provides because the patient
wants to be perceived as a “good” patient. How should the nurse interpret
this information according to moral development?
a. The patient is in postformal thought reasoning.
b. The patient is in postconventional reasoning.
c. The patient is in preconventional reasoning.
d. The patient is in conventional reasoning.
ANS: D
The patient is in conventional reasoning, specificall y stage 3: Good
Bo y-Nice Girl Orientation. The patient wants to win approval from the
nurse by “being good.” Developmentalists proposed a fifth stage of
cognitive (not moral) development termed postformal thought. Within
this stage, adults demonstrate the abilit y to recogn ize that answers vary
from situation to situation and that solutions need to be sensible. The
person finds a balance between basic human rights and obligations and
societal rules and regulations in the level of postconventional
reasoning. Individuals move away from moral decisions based on
authorit y or conformit y to groups to define their own moral values and
principles. Preconventional reasoning is the premoral level, in which
there is limited cognitive thinking and the individual’s thinking is
primaril y egocentric. At this stage, thinking is mostl y based on likes
and pleasures.
DIF: Appl y (application) OBJ: Appl y developmental
theories when planning interventions in the care of patients
throughout the life span. TOP: Assessment MSC: Psychosocial
Integrit y
3. An 18-month-old patient is brought into the clinic for evaluation because
, the parent is concerned because the child hits siblings and says onl y “No”
when communicating verball y. Which recommendation by the nurse will
be best for this situation?
a. Assure the mother that the child is developmentall y within specified
norms.
b. Encourage the mother to seek psychological counseling for the
child.
c. Consult the social worker because the child is hitting other children.
d. Remove all toys from the child’s room until this behavior ceases.
ANS: A
Assure the mother that the child is displaying normal behavior. At 18
months, the child is in the sensorimotor period of development. Piaget
describes hitting, looking, grasping, and kicking as normal schemas to
deal with the environment. The social worker does not need to be
consulted in this case nor is psychological counseling warranted,
because the child is exhibiting normal behaviors. Play is an important
part of all children’s development. Removing toys and the opportunit y
to play with them may actuall y hinder the child’s development.
DIF: Anal yze (anal ysis) OBJ: Discuss nursing implications for
the application of developmental principles to patient care. TOP:
Implementation MSC: Health Promotion and Maintenance
4. A formerl y independent older adult becomes severel y withdrawn upon
admission to a nursing home. Which action should the nurse take first?
a. Offer a reward to the patient for participation in all events.
b. Encourage the patient to eat meals in the dining room with others .
c. Allow the patient to incorporate personal belongings into the room.
d. Advise the patient of the importance of attending mandatory
