Chapter 4

Question 1

Clinical assessment

Answer 1

collection of relevant information on a client- done to draw some conclusion on issue. Used to determine how and why a person is behaving abnormally and how that person may be helped. Also used to evaluate progress of treatment.

Question 2

idiographic

Answer 2

understanding of behaviour of about an individual

Question 3

nomothetic

Answer 3

broad understanding. (researchers).

Question 4

characteristics of assessment tools

Answer 4

standardization, reliability, validity.

They fall under 3 categories - clinical interviews, tests, observations

Question 5

standardization

Answer 5

process by which a test is administered to a large group of people whose performance then serves as a standard or norm against which any individuals score can be measured.

Question 6

reliability

Answer 6

a measure of the consistency of test or research results

Question 7

validity

Answer 7

the accuracy of a test’s or study’s results; the extent to which the test or study actually measures or shows what it claims.

Question 8

structured interviews

Answer 8

the clinician asks prepared questions. may have an interview schedule.

Question 9

unstructured interviews

Answer 9

the clinician asks open ended questions

Question 10

types of assessments

Answer 10

clinical interviews, tests, and observations.

Question 11

mental status exam

Answer 11

set of questions and observations that systematically evaluate the client’s awareness, orientation with regard to time and place, attention span, memory, judgement, insight, thought processes, mood, and appearance.

Question 12

limitations of clinical interviews

Answer 12

the information is preselected by the client. they tell you what they want you to know. clients can have faulty memories or distorted perception, there can be interviewer bias. clients respond differently to different interviewers.

Question 13

clinical tests

Answer 13

devices used for gathering information about specific aspects of a person’s psychological functioning, from which broader information can be inferred.

Question 14

most popular clinical tests

Answer 14

projective tests, personality inventories, response inventories, psychophysiological tests, neurological and neurophysiological tests, and intelligence tests.

Question 15

personality inventories

Answer 15

questions about behavior, beliefs, and feelings. MMPI 2. easier and cheaper than projective tests & objectively scored and standardized. seems to have greater validity. measured traits cannot often be directly examined.

Question 16

Response inventories self reported.

Answer 16

focus on specific area of functioning. affective inventories (Beck), cognitive, social. only some of them have been subjected to standardization, reliability, and validity. often are created as need arises without accuracy testing.

Question 17

psychophysiological tests

Answer 17

measure physical responses as an indicator of psychological problems. polygraph. requires expensive equipment with lots of maintenance. can be inaccurate and unreliable.

Question 18

neurological tests

Answer 18

directly assess brain function by assessing brain structure and activity. CAT scan, MRI, PET scan, EEG. sometimes unable to detect subtle brain abnormalities

Question 19

neurophysiological tests

Answer 19

detects brain impairment by measuring cognitive, perceptual, and motor performance. bender visual gestalt motor test.

Question 20

intelligence tests

Answer 20

measure “intellectual ability”. composed of a series of tests assessing verbal and nonverbal skills. IQ, WAIS, WISC, Stanford-Binet. low motivation and anxiety can influence scores. can contain cultural bias.

Question 21

clinical observations

Answer 21

systematic observation of behavior.

Question 22

naturalistic observations

Answer 22

observe in natural surroundings

Question 23

analog observations

Answer 23

observe in structured setting i.e clinical setting or lab often by using special equipment such as one-way mirror or video camera. observing children interscting with their parents, married couples settling disagreements, speech anxious ppl giving a speech, fearful ppl. faced with fearful object.

Question 24

self monitoring observations

Answer 24

record own behavior and circumstances surrounding.

Question 25

diagnosis

Answer 25

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

Question 26

syndrome

Answer 26

a cluster of symptoms that usually occur together

Question 27

classification system

Answer 27

list of disorders and descriptions of symptoms with guidelines for making appropriate diagnoses.

Question 28

purposes for classifying

Answer 28

allows for diagnosis, allows for study of the problem, allows for communication.

Question 29

DSM V major changes

Answer 29

categorical information, dimensional information (severity), additional information (like medical conditions)

Question 30

2 validity tests

Answer 30

1. Test–retest reliability – yields the same results every time it is given to the same people
2. Interrater reliability – different judges independently agree on how to score and interpret a particular tool

Question 31

3 types of validity

Answer 31

1. FACE VALIDITY a tool appears to measure what it is supposed to measure; does not necessarily indicate true validity
2. PREDICTIVE VALIDITY accurately predicts future characteristics or behavior
3. CONCURRENT VALIDITY a tool’s results agree with independent measures assessing similar characteristics or behavior

Question 32

Clinical Interview

Answer 32

First Face-to-face encounter. Used to collect detailed information i.e history.

Question 33

Projective Tests

Answer 33

Require that clients interpret vague stimuli, such as ink blots or ambiguous pictures, or follow open ended instructions such as “draw a person”

Theoretically when clues and instructions are so general ppl. will “project” aspects of their personality into the task.

Used primarily by psychodynamic clinicians to help assess unconscious drives & conflicts they believe to be the root of abnormal functioning.

Question 34

What are the most commonly used projective tests?

Answer 34

Rorschach Test - inkblots
Thematic Apprehension Test (TAT) - B&W Pics
Sentence completion test
Drawings

Question 35

Neuroimaging techniques

Answer 35

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

Question 36

intelligent quotient ( IQ)

Answer 36

An overall score derived from intelligence tests

Question 37

Standardize

Answer 37

assessment tool that is used which follows the same procedures by setting up common steps to be followed when ever it is administered. i.e delivery, questions scoring etc.