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Quiz Session - Attempts With Random Questions

NBCC NCE Exam Questions

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21.

Which of the following was Piaget's conclusion regarding his formal operational stage?

  • Most people do not really reach it

  • Most people navigate it successfully

  • Most people substitute other items for this stage

  • Most men reach this stage, but women generally do not 

Correct answer: Most people do not really reach it

Jean Piaget conceptualized human development, particularly in children, as a process in which sensory capability was joined with cognition to produce milestones in one's ability to function and navigate the environment. The last stage of his model, formal operational, is one in which a child can perform abstract reasoning and deduction to solve problems. Piaget believed that most people do not really reach this stage.

Piaget did not detail a gender disparity at this stage. 

22.

Which of the following is a change from the DSM-IV-TR to the DSM-5?

  • Removal of the multiaxial system

  • Removal of V codes

  • Addition of a chapter on bipolar disorders

  • Addition of a Not Otherwise Specified option

Correct answer: Removal of the multiaxial system

The DSM-5 was published in 2013 and includes many changes to the previous version, the DSM-IV-TR. One of the most significant changes is the removal of the multiaxial classification system. Additional changes to the newest DSM include the expansion of the list of V codes, the replacement of Not Otherwise Specified with Unspecified Disorder or Other Specified Disorder, and many changes to the classification of disorders. There is a chapter on bipolar disorders in both the DSM-IV-TR and the DSM-5.

23.

When asked what she does for work, an individual replies, "I'm a psychologist." This is an example of all the following, except:

  • Lifestyle

  • Occupation

  • Career

  • Job

Correct answer: Lifestyle

There are many career-related definitions used both in society and in the field of career counseling. 

"Lifestyle" refers to an individual's general preference in regard to career, living space, family, leisure, and other factors.

"Occupation" is a definable work activity, and "job" is one person in one position doing certain tasks.

"Career" has several different definitions, but ranges from the series of occupations one has to all the work roles someone engages in. A woman defining herself as a psychologist refers to her occupation, job, and career, but not necessarily to her lifestyle.

24.

Frederick has just lost his grandfather, with whom he was very close. If Frederick engages in introjection, which of the following is a likely behavior? 

  • He will take on aspects of his grandfather's personality 

  • He will forget about his grandfather 

  • He will become hostile at the mention of his grandfather 

  • He will insist that his grandfather is still around in some way

Correct answer: He will take on aspects of his grandfather's personality 

Defense mechanisms are ways in which the psyche protects itself from unwanted disruptions to its equilibrium. If Frederick engages in introjection, he is most likely to take on aspects of his grandfather's personality in an attempt to ward off grief. 

Forgetting about his grandfather might signal repression. Becoming hostile at the mention of his grandfather would not necessarily be a defense mechanism. Insisting that his grandfather is still around in some way would be classic denial. 

25.

A career counselor administers Holland's Vocational Preference Inventory to a client, whose results indicate he would best be suited for a social or artistic career. Which of the following career choices falls into one of these categories?

  • Editor

  • Salesperson

  • Auto mechanic

  • Accountant

Correct answer: Editor

John Holland's career theory is structural in approach, but he believes that career choice is an expression of personality. He identified six personality types that develop due to parental influences, genetic factors, and the environment. These types include realistic (explicit tasks requiring physical work, e.g., mechanic), investigative (intellectual and prefers systematic, creative activities), artistic (imaginative), social (enjoys interacting with and helping others), enterprising (prefers leadership roles), and conventional (practical and ordered). Examples of social careers are teachers and social workers, and examples of artistic careers are artists and editors. Sales personnel fall into the enterprising category, auto mechanic is the realistic style, and accountant is the conventional style.

26.

How are substance use disorders ranked for severity in the DSM-5?

  • Mild, moderate, severe

  • Acute, pervasive, remission

  • Beginning, middle, end-stage

  • Recurring, novel, mediated 

Correct answer: Mild, moderate, severe

The diagnostic category of substance-related and addictive disorders contains the 10 substance-specific disorders that have chiefly warranted clinical attention, from inhalant-related disorders to cannabis-related disorders and so on. These diagnoses share a ranked severity based on the number of symptoms present, so a person's substance use problem is ranked as either mild, moderate, or severe.

The other choices do not represent the severity ranks of these disorders found in the DSM-5.

27.

During a session with a client, a counselor notices that the client has not bathed in several days and looks unkempt. The client makes statements such as "it would be better if I weren't around" and tells the counselor that they would use a gun that is now in their house to kill herself if they felt hopeless enough. When the counselor asks the client whether they might end their own life soon, the client replies that they aren't sure. What is the best option for the counselor at this time?

  • Inform the client of the counselor's duty to protect them, and advise them to go to the closest crisis center or hospital

  • Give the client her personal number and instruct the client to call counselor when and if they decide to commit suicide

  • Call the client's close family members and friends so they can provide 24/7 observation

  • Call law enforcement so they can take the client to be evaluated

Correct answer: Inform the client of the counselor's duty to protect them, and advise them to go to the closest crisis center or hospital

Counselors should be knowledgeable in assessing for suicide risk. There are several warning signs of suicide, including previous attempts, verbal threats of suicide, having a plan in place and access to fatal means, depression and hopelessness, giving belongings away, and a history of drug or alcohol abuse. Counselors who determine that clients are an imminent danger to themselves (or others) are obligated to protect the client. The counselor in this question should advise the client to seek emergency treatment at a hospital or crisis center; if the client refuses to seek treatment then the counselor may be required to obtain an involuntary commitment.

28.

A counselor is interested in running more groups for clients who suffer from depression. Which of the following would be the best example of a goal this type of group might have?

  • Learn how to interact with others in ways that relieve depressive symptoms

  • Explore group members' childhoods for answers to current depressive states

  • Decrease suicidal thoughts and self-harming behaviors

  • Learn how to talk with family members about what it is like to have depression

Correct answer: Learn how to interact with others in ways that relieve depressive symptoms

There are many goals group members may work toward, depending on the type and topic of the group. Some general goals of group counseling include learning to trust oneself and others, finding alternative ways of resolving conflict, increasing self-direction, learning more effective social skills, and making plans for changing behaviors and being held accountable. Exploring childhoods, decreasing suicidal thoughts, and learning how to talk with family members are excellent goals for individual psychotherapy. Group counseling can help those suffering from depression to learn how their interpersonal skills and moods affect others, and hopefully to learn ways of interacting with others that will alleviate depressive symptoms.

29.

Which of the following would be the best working definition of phenomenology as it applies to counseling?

  • The client's subjective experience of events 

  • The client's perception of their mood

  • The client's beliefs about others 

  • The client's subjective experience of relationships 

Correct answer: The client's subjective experience of events 

Phenomenology as it applies to counseling refers to the client's inner, subjective experience of events and circumstances. Since this differs dramatically from individual to individual and forms the ground of the person's whole experience, it is a useful subject to address in counseling.

Phenomenology does not refer to the client's perception of their mood, their beliefs, or specifically their experience of relationships. 

30.

Which of the following is an example of unobtrusive measurement?

  • Reviewing a client's existing medical records

  • Sending a questionnaire asking about a client's eating habits

  • Meeting with a family for an initial therapy session

  • Having a diagnostic interview with a young child

Correct answer: Reviewing a client's existing medical records

When collecting data, researchers may be intrusive or unobtrusive. Intrusive methods refer to times when clients know that they are the subject of observation and/or data collection. Unobtrusive methods refer to times when the individuals are unaware that data is being collected, such as when you review a client's existing records.

31.

In which style of counseling would goals include the overcoming of inferiority as a barrier?

  • Adlerian 

  • Rogerian

  • Freudian 

  • Transactional analysis

Correct answer: Adlerian 

The technique of individual psychology as popularized by Alfred Adler seeks to help a client overcome their sense of inferiority and achieve a sense of superiority while identifying appropriate interests.

Rogerian techniques focus more on self-realization. Freudian techniques involve the deep exploration of inner conflict. Transactional analysis deals with relational dynamics and their impact on the self. 

32.

Which of the following would be the best example of a baseline behavior as expressed in behaviorism? 

  • A person's normal functioning before an intervention 

  • A person's normal functioning after an intervention

  • A person's dysfunction after an intervention 

  • A person's improvement after an intervention

Correct answer: A person's normal functioning before an intervention 

A baseline behavior, in the language of behaviorism, refers to the steady state of existing, (i.e., "normal" behavior that exists before an intervention is attempted).

The concept does not refer to post-intervention status. 

33.

Which of the following is an accurate statement per social comparison theory?

  • We judge our behaviors and success by comparison to others 

  • We judge our behaviors and success without comparison to others 

  • We judge our behaviors and success by comparison to others if the comparison is favorable

  • We judge our behaviors and success by comparison to others if the comparison is unfavorable

Correct answer: We judge our behaviors and success by comparison to others 

Social comparison theory, which arose from the research of Leon Festinger, suggests that we judge our behaviors and success by comparison with others. Rather than evaluating our behavior or success with reference to our past, our current progress, or our eventual goals, we tend to compare ourselves first to what we believe about how others are doing.

34.

Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder and premenstrual dysphoric disorder are two diagnoses new to the DSM-5. Under which DSM-5 category do both of these diagnoses fall?

  • Depressive disorders

  • Anxiety disorders

  • Obsessive-compulsive and related disorders

  • Bipolar and related disorders

Correct answer: Depressive disorders

According to the DSM-5, depressive disorders include major depressive disorder, persistent depressive disorder, substance/medication-induced depressive disorder, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), and premenstrual dysphoric disorder. The DMDD diagnosis can only be given to children up to 18 years of age and is meant to decrease the numbers of children who are diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

35.

What is the difference between open and closed groups?

  • Open groups allow members to join after the initial selection, while closed groups do not 

  • Open groups allow members to contribute topics, while closed groups do not 

  • Open groups allow for rotating group leadership, while closed groups do not 

  • Open groups are not clinical in nature, while closed groups are 

Correct answer: Open groups allow members to join after the initial selection, while closed groups do not 

The main difference between open and closed groups is that open groups allow members to join after the initial selection, while closed groups do not.

The distinction is not based on whether group members can contribute topics, leadership changes, or clinical focus. 

36.

A counselor operates from the viewpoint that clients' difficulties often result from problems with interpersonal relationships that originate in the first three years of life. What theory best matches this counselor's approach?

  • Object relations theory

  • Person-centered theory

  • Gestalt theory

  • Transactional analysis

Correct answer: Object relations theory

Object relations theory is based on psychoanalytic concepts, including the belief that early childhood is incredibly relevant to how clients operate within relationships in the present day. Object relations theories teach that, in the first three years of life, infants have the opportunity to develop significant relationships with primary caretakers that will shape their interactions with people throughout their lives.

37.

With what kind of measurement might a researcher use a nonparametric statistic such as a chi-square?

  • Nominal

  • Ordinal

  • Interval

  • Ratio

Correct answer: Nominal

There are four levels of measurement: nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio. Nominal data refers to numbers that represent categories or qualities of the variable, such as race, gender, and age. Nonparametric statistical measures, which are often used with descriptive data, should be used with nominal data.

38.

An individual who has strong social skills, is well-respected, has empathy for others, and understands nonverbal cues is said to possess:

  • high emotional intelligence

  • propinquity

  • poor cognitive abilities

  • paradoxical knowledge

Correct answer: high emotional intelligence

Daniel Goleman proposed that intelligence includes not only cognitive processes, but a comprehensive knowledge of human emotions. This emotional intelligence is seen in those who understand social cues, have empathy for others, develop positive interpersonal relationships, and are self-motivated. Emotional intelligence operates separately from cognitive intelligence, which includes reasoning and thinking processes.

39.

In what type of qualitative research is observer bias particularly important?

  • Ethnography

  • Case study

  • Historical analysis

  • Legal analysis

Correct answer: Ethnography

The purpose of qualitative research is to gather information about naturally occurring events and individuals' and groups' experiences. This is in contrast to quantitative research, which gathers finite data based on structured research designs. Qualitative research can be interactive, consisting of observation and/or interviewing, or noninteractive, occurring through document analysis.

Ethnography is a type of interactive research in which the researcher collects data through interviews and observations about a group or system. It is important for researchers to be particularly sensitive about the impact of observer bias in an ethnography, as bias can affect the observer's interactions with and responses to the individuals they are observing or contacting.

40.

Career counselors often assess the ways individuals use their free time. Which of the following theories is commonly used to determine what types of leisure activities people engage in?

  • Compensatory versus spillover

  • Internal versus external

  • Personal versus social

  • Present versus future

Correct answer: Compensatory versus spillover

Career counselors often classify leisure activities as either compensatory or spillover. Compensatory activities are those that are very different than those done on the job; an example might be a history professor who spends his free time rock-climbing and running marathons. Spillover activities are the same types of activities that are done on the job; an example of spillover might be a psychologist who spends her free time reading books about cognitive development.

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