chap 3

Question 1

reliability

Answer 1

degree to which a measurement is consistent, for example, over time or among different raters

Question 2

validity

Answer 2

degree to which a technique measures what it purports to measure

Question 3

standarization

Answer 3

process of establishing specific requirements to ensure a measurement technique is used consistently

Question 4

clinical assessment

Answer 4

systematic evaluation of psychological, biological, and social factors in someone with a possible psychological disorder

Question 5

diagnosis

Answer 5

process of determining whether a presenting problem meets established criteria for a specific psychological disorder

Question 6

mental status exam

Answer 6

preliminary test of a client’s judgment, orientation to time and place, and emotional state

Question 7

behavioral assessment

Answer 7

measurement, observation, and evaluation of the client’s thoughts, feelings, and actions in an actual situation

Question 8

self-monitoring

Answer 8

action by which clients observe and record their own behaviors

Question 9

projective test

Answer 9

measure that presents ambiguous stimuli to clients, assuming their responses will reveal their unconscious conflicts

Question 10

personality inventories

Answer 10

set of self-report questionnaires that assess someone’s traits

Question 11

intelligence quotient (IQ)

Answer 11

score that estimates a person’s deviation from average test performance

Question 12

neuropsychological test

Answer 12

assessment of brain and nervous system functioning by measuring an individual’s performance on behavioral tasks

Question 13

false positive

Answer 13

assessment error in which pathology is reported when none is actually present

Question 14

false negative

Answer 14

assessment error in which no pathology is noted when one is actually present

Question 15

neuroimaging

Answer 15

sophisticated computer-aided procedure that allows nonintrusive examination of nervous system structure and function

Question 16

psychophysiological assessment

Answer 16

measurement of changes in the nervous system reflecting mental or emotional events

Question 17

electroencephalogram (EEG)

Answer 17

measure of activity patterns in the brain, taken through electrodes placed on the scalp

Question 18

idiographic strategy

Answer 18

close and detailed investigation of an individual emphasizing what makes that person unique

Question 19

nomothetic strategy

Answer 19

examination of multiple people with the same disorder to note similarities and develop general laws

Question 20

classification

Answer 20

assignment of objects or people to categories on the basis of shared characteristics

Question 21

taxonomy

Answer 21

system of naming and classification in science

Question 22

nosology

Answer 22

classification and naming system for medical and psychological phenomena

Question 23

nomenclature

Answer 23

in a naming system, the actual labels or names that are applied

Question 24

classical (or pure) categorical approach

Answer 24

classification method founded on the assumption of clear-cut differences among disorders, each with a different cause

Question 25

dimensional approach

Answer 25

method of categorizing characteristics on a continuum rather than a binary, either-or, or all-or-none basis

Question 26

prototypical approach

Answer 26

system for categorizing disorders using essential, defining characteristics plus a range of other characteristics

Question 27

familial aggregation

Answer 27

extent to which a disorder is found among a patient's relatives

Question 28

comorbidity

Answer 28

presence of two or more disorders in an individual at the same time

Question 29

labeling

Answer 29

application of a name to a phenomenon or a pattern of behavior