Abnormal Exam 1 Study Guide

Question 1

Abnormal Definition

Answer 1

a combination of personal distress, psychological dysfunction, deviance from social norms, dangerousness to self and others, and costlines to society

Question 2

What are the 4 D’s of abnormal behavior?

Answer 2

deviance, distress, dysfunction, and danger

Question 3

What is Deviance?

Answer 3

violation of a society’s ideas about proper function; in this case it isn’t something that is different

Question 4

What is Distress?

Answer 4

behavior must be personally distressing before it can be labeled as abnormal

Question 5

What is Dysfunctional?

Answer 5

it interferes with daily functioning

Question 6

What is Danger?

Answer 6

may be dangerous to oneself or others

Question 7

What are the pros of labeling/diagnosing people?

Answer 7

-nomenclature helps is structure information
-promotes research
-direct treatment
-allows for reimbursement

Question 8

What are the cons of labeling/diagnosing people?

Answer 8

-loss of information regarding individual
-stigma associated with diagnosis
-stereotypes based on diagnosis
-labeling can be impact of self concept

Question 9

What is epidemiology?

Answer 9

the study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or health related behaviors in a given population

Question 10

What is incidence?

Answer 10

the number of new cases in a population over a given period of time

Question 11

What is prevalence?

Answer 11

the number of active cases in a population during any given period of time

Question 12

How is prevalence expressed?

Answer 12

percentages

Question 13

Case Study Research

Answer 13

-a specific individual observed and described in detail
-subject to bias of the author of the case study
-low generalizability
-famous example: little Albert

Question 14

Control Group

Answer 14

doesn’t receive anything

Question 15

Experimental Group

Answer 15

receives something

Question 16

Correlational Research

Answer 16

one must be aware that if two variables are correlated, there are multiple possible reasons for this; correlation does not mean causation

Question 17

ABAB Research

Answer 17

-single case experimental design can also be used to make causal inferences individual cases
-ABAB designs involve alternating baseline condition with treatment condition

Question 18

What does Diathesis?

Answer 18

relatively distal necessary or contributory cause that is not sufficient to cause the disorder

Question 19

What is stress?

Answer 19

the response of an individual to demands perceived as taxing

Question 20

Resilience

Answer 20

the ability to adapt successfully to even very difficult circumstances

Question 21

Protective Factors

Answer 21

-influences that modify a person’s response to environmental stressors, making adverse consequences less likely

Question 22

Dopamine

Answer 22

control voluntary movements and is associated with reward

Question 23

Serotonin

Answer 23

regulates pain, sleep cycle, and digestion; leads to a stable mood

Question 24

Norepinephrine

Answer 24

increases the heart rate and blood pressure and regulates mood

Question 25

Cortisol

Answer 25

helps the body deal with stress

Question 26

Neural Plasticity

Answer 26

-subtle deficiencies of brain function may causes some mental disorders -it appears that genetic programs for brain development are not as rigid and deterministic as was once believed

Question 27

Defense Mechanisms

Answer 27

in place to protect us from this pain but considered maladaptive if they are misused and become out primary way of dealing with stress

Question 28

Classical Conditioning

Answer 28

linking together two types of stimuli

Question 29

Instrumental Conditioning

Answer 29

behavior is modified by the reinforcing effects of the resulting consequence

Question 30

Observational Learning

Answer 30

we learn by observing the world around us

Question 31

What are inadequate parenting styles?

Answer 31

-they can make children vulnerable to psychopathology -it can stem from parental psychopathology and parental warmth and control

Question 32

Parental Warmth and Control

Answer 32

authoritative parenting tends to produce less problematic behavior in children than authoritarian, permissive/indulgent or neglectful/uninvolved parenting

Question 33

Standardization Testing

Answer 33

these are a way to make sure every patient is being test the same way

Question 34

Validity

Answer 34

we want to make sure the test measures what it says it measures

Question 35

Types of validity

Answer 35

-descriptive: comparing results to the gold standard -predictive: when a tool accurately predicts what will happen in the future

Question 36

Reliability

Answer 36

consistent

Question 37

Types of reliability

Answer 37

-interrater: if one professional says one thing and another says another thing, ensuring that two different raters are consistent in their assessment of patients -test-retest: take the test one day and then take it again a day later, answers should be consistent

Question 38

Positron Emission Tomography

Answer 38

used to study the brain's chemistry. images are produced that yield information about the functioning of the brain

Question 39

Magnetic Resonance Imaging

Answer 39

provides 3D imagines of the brain or other body structures using magnetic fields and computers

Question 40

Computed Tomography

Answer 40

involves taking x-rays of the brain at different angles and is used to diagnose brain damage caused by head injuries or brain tumors

Question 41

Pro for projective assessment

Answer 41

-it is helpful for providing supplementary information

Question 42

Cons for projective assessment

Answer 42

-it has rarely demonstrated much reliability or validity -it may be biased against minority ethnic groups

Question 43

Pro for objective assessment

Answer 43

-it is cost effective

Question 44

Con for objective assessment

Answer 44

-it may be too mechanistic and required to much reading ability and cooperation

Question 45

Naturalistic Observation

Answer 45

observing someone/animals in their environment

Question 46

Laboratory Observation

Answer 46

observing the organism in a more controlled or artificial setting where the experimenter can use sophisticated equipment and videotape the session to examine later

Question 47

What does MMPI stand for?

Answer 47

Minnesota multiphase personality inventory

Question 48

MMPI

Answer 48

-consists of more than 500 self statements that can be answered "true",or "false", or "cannot say" -statements describe physical concerns, mood, morale, attitudes toward religion, sex, and social activities, and psychological symptoms

Question 49

Comorbidity

Answer 49

the presence of more than one disorder at the same time