Chapter 03 - Clinical Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Question 1

idiographic understanding

Answer 1

an understanding of a particular individual

Question 2

assessment

Answer 2

the process of collecting and interpreting relevant information about a client or research participant

Question 3

standardization

Answer 3

the process in which a test is administered to a large group of people whose performance then serves as a standard or norm against which any individual’s score can be measured

Question 4

reliability

Answer 4

a measure of the consistency of test or research results

Question 5

validity

Answer 5

a measure of the accuracy of a test’s or study’s results

Question 6

clinical interview

Answer 6

a face-to-face encounter

Question 7

mental status exam

Answer 7

a set of interview questions and observations designed to reveal the degree and nature of a client’s abnormal functioning

Question 8

clinical test

Answer 8

a device for gathering information about a few aspects of a person’s psychological functioning from which broader information about the person can be inferred

Question 9

projective test

Answer 9

a test consisting of ambiguous material that people interpret of respond to (inkblots, ambiguous pictures, open-ended instructions)

Question 10

Rorschach test

Answer 10

inkblot test

Question 11

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Answer 11

a pictorial projective test

Question 12

personality inventory

Answer 12

a test, designed to measure broad personality characteristics, consisting of statements about behaviors, beliefs, and feelings that people evaluate as either characteristic or uncharacteristic of them

Question 13

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Answer 13

the most widely used personality inventory in which the participants respond to 500 statements with “true,” “false,” or “cannot say”

Question 14

response inventories

Answer 14

tests that measure a person’s responses in one specific area of functioning, such as affect, social skills, or cognitive processes

Question 15

psychophysiological test

Answer 15

a test that measures physical responses (such as heart rate and muscle tension) as possible indicators of psychological

Question 16

neurological test

Answer 16

a test that directly measures brain structure or activity

Question 17

EEG (electroencephalogram)

Answer 17

a neurological test that records brain waves, the electrical activity that takes place within the brain as a result of neurons firing

Question 18

neuroimaging techniques (brain scans)

Answer 18

neurological tests that provide images of brain structure or activity, such as CT scans, PET scans, and MRIs

Question 19

CAT scan (computerized axial tomography, CT scan)

Answer 19

neurological test in which X-rays of the brain’s structure are taken at different angles and combined

Question 20

PET scan (positron emission tomography)

Answer 20

a computer-produced motion picture of chemical activity throughout the brain

Question 21

MRI (magnetic resonance imaging)

Answer 21

a procedure the uses the magnetic property of certain hydrogen atoms in the brain to create a detailed picture of the brain’s structure

Question 22

fMRI (functional magnetic resonance imaging)

Answer 22

converts MRI pictures of brain structures into detailed pictures of neuron activity

Question 23

neurophysiological test

Answer 23

a test that detects brain impairment by measuring a person’s cognitive, perceptual, and motor performances

Question 24

battery

Answer 24

a series of neuropsychological tests, each targeting a specific skill area

Question 25

intelligence test

Answer 25

a test designed to measure a person’s intellectual ability

Question 26

intelligence quotient (IQ)

Answer 26

an overall score derived from intelligence tests

Question 27

naturalistic observation

Answer 27

a type of observation where clinicians observes clients in their everyday environments

Question 28

analog observation

Answer 28

a type of observation where clinicians observe clients in an artificial setting, such as a clinical office or laboratory

Question 29

self-monitoring

Answer 29

an observation technique in which the clients are instructed to observe themselves

Question 30

diagnosis

Answer 30

a determination that a person’s problems reflect a particular disorder

Question 31

syndrome

Answer 31

a cluster of symptoms that usually occur together

Question 32

classification system

Answer 32

a list of disorders, along with descriptions of symptoms and guidelines for making appropriate diagnoses

Question 33

DSM-5

Answer 33

the most widely used classification system for mental disorders

Question 34

categorical information

Answer 34

refers to the name of the particular category (disorder) indicated by the client’s symptoms

Question 35

dimensional information

Answer 35

a rating of how severe a client’s symptoms are and how dysfunctional the client is across various dimensions of personality

Question 36

empirically supported treatment (evidence-based treatment)

Answer 36

therapy that has received clear research support for a particular disorder and has corresponding treatment guidelines

Question 37

therapy outcome study

Answer 37

study that measures the effects of various treatments

Question 38

rapprochement movement

Answer 38

a movement to identify a set of common factors, or common strategies, that run through all successful therapies

Question 39

common factors (common strategies)

Answer 39

similar things that may run through different types of therapies that have all shown success

Question 40

psychopharmacologist

Answer 40

a psychiatrist who primarily prescribes medications