Chapter 3 Flashcards
Which groups is mental illness more common in?
- young (15-24 yrs)
- poor
- women
Which steps are made by a psychologist to diagnose a disease for a patient?
There are two steps.
First step: assessment. In assessment, there is
1. interview with the patient
2. medical tests
3. questionnaires
Second step: diagnosis. In diagnosis, the psychologist uses a checklist from the DSM-5. If there are enough points on the checklist, then the patient is diagnosed.
What are reliability and validity?
Reliability - gives same result every time
Validity - does what it says
What is an example of validity?
A questionnaire is valid if it measures what it says it measures. So, if a questionnaire for depression gives higher scores for people who are depressed and lower scores for people who are not depressed, then it is valid.
What are the kinds of validity?
- face validity
- content validity
- construct validity
- criterion-related validity
What is construct validity?
Construct validity is when a questionnaire measures the construct (concept) it says it measures.
What is an example of construct validity?
A questionnaire that was developed to diagnose depression has construct validity if it does successfully measure the construct of depression.
What is face validity?
when something looks like it measures what is says it measures
What are the types of reliability?
- test-test reliability
- internal consistency
- inter-rater reliability
What is test-retest reliability?
when a test that is done twice on the same person with time in-between, and the result does not change
What is internal consistency?
when multiple questions on the questionnaire that measure the same thing have similar answers
What is inter-rater reliability?
when two different psychologists give the same diagnosis
What is content validity?
when there are questions about every possible symptom
What is criterion-related validity?
when a test has the expected result compared to some other measure (e.g. outcome or another test)
What are the sub-types of criterion-related validity?
- predictive
- concurrent
- convergent
- discriminant
What is concurrent validity?
when a new test gives similar results to an old test that is already valid
What is convergent validity?
when two tests that are supposed to measure similar things give similar results (e.g. a person scores highly on two tests of mathematical ability)
What are the issues with the DSM-5?
- categorical
- comorbidity - disorders can occur together
- gender bias - women diagnosed as “crazy”
- cultural bias - West/East and Rich/Poor
- politics - homosexuality, pharmaceutical industry
What is predictive validity?
when a questionnaire predicts some outcomes or events in a person’s life (e.g. depression predicts likelihood to commit suicide)
What is discriminant validity?
when two tests that are supposed to measure different things give different results
What is operationalization?
when a construct is defined more specifically so that it can be measured
What is a construct?
abstract idea that is not directly measurable or even well-defined
What are the two kinds of definitions of a disorder?
- conceptual definition - general understanding
- operational definition - based on specific criteria (e.g. checklist or questionnaire)
What are the two approaches to classification?
- categorical - normal/abnormal
- dimensional - mild, moderate, severe
