Glossary 5

Question 1

The field concerned with the nature and development of mental disorders

Answer 1

psychopathology.

Question 2

A personality syndrome related to antisocial personality disorder but defined by an absence of emotion, impulsivity, manipulativeness, and irresponsibility.

Answer 2

psychopathy.

Question 3

The discipline concerned with the bodily changes that accompany psychological events

Answer 3

psychophysiology.

Question 4

A primarily verbal means of helping troubled individuals change their thoughts, feelings, and behaviour to reduce distress and to achieve greater life satisfaction.

Answer 4

psychotherapy.

Question 5

Delusions or hallucinations characterising a subtype of episodes of major depressive disorder or mania. Also used to refer to positive symptoms of schizophrenia

Answer 5

psychotic features.

Question 6

A method of assigning people to groups by chance (e.g., using a flip of a coin). The procedure helps to ensure that groups are comparable before the experimental manipulation begins

Answer 6

random assignment.

Question 7

Studies in which clients are randomly assigned to receive either active treatment or a comparison (a placebo condition involving no treatment or an active-treatment control group that receives another treatment); experimental treatment studies, where the independent variable is the treatment type and the dependent variable is client outcome

Answer 7

randomised controlled trials (RCTs).

Question 8

Term applied to bipolar disorders if the person has experienced at least four episodes within the past year

Answer 8

rapid cycling.

Question 9

A cognitive restructuring behaviour therapy introduced by Albert Ellis and based on the assumption that much disordered behaviour is rooted in absolutistic, unrealistic demands and goals, such as, “I must be universally loved”.

Answer 9

rational-emotive behaviour therapy (REBT).

Question 10

The phenomenon wherein behaviour changes because it is being observed

Answer 10

reactivity.

Question 11

In psychoanalytic theory, the manner in which the ego delays gratification and otherwise deals with the environment in a planned, rational fashion.

Answer 11

reality principle.

Question 12

A protein embedded in a neural cell membrane that interacts with one or more neurotransmitters. Nonneural receptor proteins include hormone receptors.

Answer 12

receptor.

Question 13

The genetic predisposition for an individual to seek out certain environments that increase the risk of developing a particular disorder. Compare gene-environment interaction

Answer 13

reciprocal gene-environment interaction.

Question 14

The extent to which a test, measurement, or classification system produces the same scientific observation each time it is applied. Reliability types include test-retest, the relationship between the scores that a person achieves when he or she takes the same test twice; interrater, the relationship between the judgments that at least two raters make independently about a phenomenon; split-half, the relationship between two halves of an assessment instrument that have been determined to be equivalent; alternate-form, the relationship between scores achieved by people when they complete two versions of a test that are judged to be equivalent; and internal consistency, the degree to which different items of an assessment are related to one another.

Answer 14

reliability.

Question 15

The fourth and final stage of the sexual response cycle, characterised by an abatement of muscle tension, relaxation, and a sense of well-being.

Answer 15

resolution phase.

Question 16

Cellular process by which released neurotransmitters are taken back into the presynaptic cell, terminating their present postsynaptic effect but making them available for subsequent modulation of nerve impulse transmission

Answer 16

reuptake.

Question 17

An experimental design in which behaviour is measured during a baseline period (A), during a period when a treatment is introduced (B), during the reinstatement of the conditions that prevailed in the baseline period (A), and finally during a reintroduction of the treatment (B); commonly used in operant research to isolate cause-effect relationships

Answer 17

reversal (ABAB) designs.

Question 18

System of brain structures involved in the motivation to pursue rewards. Believed to be involved in depression, mania, schizophrenia, and substance use disorders

Answer 18

reward system.

Question 19

A condition or variable that increases the likelihood of developing a disorder

Answer 19

risk factor.

Question 20

A projective test in which the examinee is instructed to interpret a series of 10 inkblots reproduced on cards

Answer 20

Rorschach Inkblot Test.

Question 21

Repetitive thought about why a person is experiencing a negative mood

Answer 21

rumination.

Question 22

Behaviours used to avoid experiencing anxiety in feared situations, such as the tendency of people with social phobia to avoid looking at other people (so as to avoid perceiving negative feedback) or the tendency of people with panic disorder to avoid exercise (so as to avoid somatic arousal that could trigger a panic attack)

Answer 22

safety behaviours.

Question 23

A mental structure for organizing information about the world.

Answer 23

schema.

Question 24

Diagnosis applied when a patient has symptoms of both mood disorder and either schizophreniform disorder or schizophrenia

Answer 24

schizoaffective disorder.

Question 25

A personality disorder defined by emotional aloofness; indifference to the praise, criticism, and feelings of others; maintenance of few, if any, close friendships; and solitary interests

Answer 25

schizoid personality disorder.

Question 26

A disorder characterised by disturbances in thought, emotion, and behaviour; disordered thinking in which ideas are not logically related; delusional beliefs, faulty perception, such as hallucinations; disturbances in attention; disturbances in motor activity; blunted expression of emotion; reduced desire for interpersonal relations and withdrawal from people; diminished motivation and anticipatory pleasure. See also schizoaffective disorder, schizophreniform disorder, and brief psychotic disorder

Answer 26

schizophrenia.

Question 27

Diagnosis given to people who have all the symptoms of schizophrenia for more than 2 weeks but less than 6 months. Compare brief psychotic disorder

Answer 27

schizophreniform disorder.

Question 28

Personality disorder defined by eccentricity, oddities of thought and perception (magical thinking, illusions, depersonalisation, realisation), digressive speech involving overelaborations, and social isolation; under stress, behavior may appear psychotic.

Answer 28

schizotypal personality disorder.

Question 29

A subtype of mood disorders in which episodes consistently occur at the same time of year; in the most common form, major depressive episodes consistently occur in the winter.

Answer 29

seasonal affective disorder.

Question 30

Intracellular molecules whose levels are increased by sustained activity of neurotransmitter, for example, receptors, and which affect the resting states of ion channels or regulate gene expression of receptor molecules, thus modulating the cells sensitivity to neurotransmitter.

Answer 30

second messengers.

Question 31

Any of several drugs, such as clozapine, used to treat schizophrenia that produce fewer motor side effects than traditional antipsychotics while reducing positive and disorganised symptoms at least as effectively; may, however be associated with increased and serious side effects of other varieties

Answer 31

second-generation antipsychotic drugs

Question 32

Also referred to as environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), the smoke from the burning end of a cigarette; contains higher concentrations of ammonia, carbon monoxide, nicotine, and tar than the smoke inhaled by the smoker

Answer 32

secondhand smoke.

Question 33

Drugs that slow bodily activities, especially those of the central nervous system; used to reduce pain and tension and to induce relaxation and sleep

Answer 33

sedatives.

Question 34

The tendency for less healthy individuals to die more quickly, which leads to biased samples in long-term follow-up studies.

Answer 34

selective mortality.

Question 35

A specific form of serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs) with less effect on dopamine and norepinephrine levels; SSRIs inhibit the reuptake of serotonin into the presynaptic neuron, so that serotonin levels in the cleft are sustained for a longer period of time

Answer 35

selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs)

Question 36

In behavioural assessment, a procedure whereby the individual observes and reports certain aspects of his or her own behaviour, thoughts, or emotions

Answer 36

self-monitoring.

Question 37

A term applied to exercises prescribed at the beginning of the Masters and Johnson sex therapy program, in which partners are instructed to fondle each other to give pleasure but to refrain from intercourse, thus reducing anxiety about sexual performance.

Answer 37

sensate focus.

Question 38

A disorder in which the child feels intense fear and distress when away from someone on whom he or she is very dependent.

Answer 38

separation anxiety disorder.

Question 39

In the subcortical region of the brain, the area anterior to the thalamus

Answer 39

septal area.

Question 40

A neurotransmitter of the central nervous system whose disturbances apparently figure in depression

Answer 40

serotonin.

Question 41

Any of various drugs that inhibit the presynaptic reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin, thereby prolonging its effects on postsynaptic neurons

Answer 41

serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs).

Question 42

A particular gene critical to the gene-environment interactions that apparently contribute to the development of depression.

Answer 42

serotonin transporter gene.

Question 43

Any of various drugs that inhibit the presynaptic reuptake of serotonin and norepinephrine, such that both neurotransmitters will have more prolonged effects on postsynaptic neurons.

Answer 43

serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs)

Question 44

An operation removing existing genitalia and constructing a substitute for the genitals of the opposite sex.

Answer 44

sex-reassignment surgery.

Question 45

A DSM-IV-TR diagnosis involving avoidance of nearly all genital contact with other people. Compare hypoactive sexual desire disorder.

Answer 45

sexual aversion disorder.

Question 46

Dysfunctions in which the appetitive or psychophysiological changes of the normal sexual response cycle are inhibited. Compare hypoactive sexual desire disorder

Answer 46

sexual dysfunctions.

Question 47

A paraphilic disorder defined by a marked preference for obtaining or increasing sexual gratification through subjection to pain or humiliation.

Answer 47

sexual masochism disorder.

Question 48

An individuals emotional, romantic, or sexual attraction toward other people that is stable and enduring.

Answer 48

sexual orientation.

Question 49

The general pattern of sexual physical processes and feelings, made up of four phases; appetitive interest, excitement, orgasm, and resolution.

Answer 49

sexual response cycle.

Question 50

A paraphilic disorder defined by a marked preference for obtaining or increasing sexual gratification by inflicting pain or humiliation on another person.

Answer 50

sexual sadism disorder.

Question 51

Factors that family members have in common, such as income level, child-rearing practices, and parental marital status and quality. Compare non shared environment.

Answer 51

shared environment.

Question 52

A variation in gene sequence. Specifically, differences between people in a single nucleotide (A, T, G, or C) in the DNA sequence of a particular gene.

Answer 52

single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP).

Question 53

A design for an experiment conducted with a single subject. Typically, behaviour is measured within a baseline condition, then during an experimental or treatment condition, and finally within the baseline condition again.

Answer 53

single-case experimental design

Question 54

A collection of fears linked to the presence of other people.

Answer 54

social anxiety disorder (social phobia).

Question 55

An attempt to explain the correlation between social class and schizophrenia by arguing that people with schizophrenia tend to move downward in socioeconomic status. Compare sociogenic hypothesis

Answer 55

social selection hypothesis.

Question 56

The late-life shift in interest away from seeking new social interactions and toward cultivating those few social relationships that matter most, such as with family and close friends

Answer 56

social selectivity.

Question 57

Behaviour therapy procedures, such as modeling and behaviour rehearsal, for teaching individuals how to meet others, talk to them and maintain eye contact, give and receive criticism, offer and accept compliments, make requests and express feelings, and otherwise improve their relations with other people

Answer 57

social skills training.

Question 58

A mental health professional who holds a master of social work (M.S.W) degree.

Answer 58

social worker.

Question 59

Etiological model of dissociative identity disorder that considers the condition to be the result of learning to enact social roles, though not through conscious deception, but in response to suggestion. Compare posttraumatic model (of DID)

Answer 59

sociocognitive model (of DID).

Question 60

An idea that seeks causes in social conditions, for example, that being in a low social class can cause one to become schizophrenic. Compare social selection hypothesis

Answer 60

sociogenic hypothesis.

Question 61

The division of the nervous system that controls muscles under voluntary control. Compare autonomic nervous system.

Answer 61

somatic nervous system.

Question 62

A DSM-5 diagnosis defined by excessive concern and help seeking regarding physical symptoms.

Answer 62

somatic symptom disorder.

Question 63

A group of disorders defined by anxiety about health and excessive focus on physical symptoms.

Answer 63

somatic symptom and related disorders.

Question 64

Field that studies how psychological factors (especially stressors) impact the immune system (adversely)

Answer 64

psychoneuroimmunology.

Question 65

A DSM-IV-TR somatoform disorder, once called Briquet's syndrome, in which the person continually seeks medical help for recurrent and multiple physical symptoms that have no discoverable physical cause, despite a complicated medical history that is dramatically presented. Compare hypochondriasis.

Answer 65

somatisation disorder.

Question 66

DSM-IV-TR disorders in which symptoms suggest a physical problem but have no known physiological cause; believed to be linked to psychological conflicts and needs but not voluntarily assumed. See also somatisation disorder functional neurological disorder, pain disorder, and hypochondriasis.

Answer 66

somatoform disorders.

Question 67

A region of the cortex along the lateral postcentral gyrus that is key in processing the sensation of touch

Answer 67

somatosensory cortex

Question 68

An unwarranted fear and avoidance of a specific object or circumstance, for example, fear of nonpoisonous snakes or fear of heights

Answer 68

specific phobia.

Question 69

As applied by Masters and Johnson, a pattern of behaviour in which the individual's focus on and concern with sexual performance causes him or her to be an observer rather than a participant and thus impedes natural sexual responses.

Answer 69

spectator role.

Question 70

Communication disorder in childhood in which some words sound like baby talk because the person is not able to make certain speech sounds

Answer 70

speech sounds disorder.

Question 71

The process of constructing a normed assessment procedure that meets the various psychometric criteria for reliability and validity.

Answer 71

standardisation

Question 72

A result that has a low probability of having occurred by chance alone and is by convention regarded as important. Compare clinical significance.

Answer 72

statistical significance.

Question 73

The pernicious beliefs and attitudes held by a society, ascribed to groups considered deviant in some manner, such as people with mental illness.

Answer 73

stigma.

Question 74

A drug, such as cocaine, that increases alertness and motor activity and at the same time reduces fatigue allowing an individual to remain awake for an extended period of time.

Answer 74

stimulant.

Question 75

State of an organism subjected to a stressor; can take the form of increased autonomic activity and in the long term can cause breakdown of an organ or development of a mental disorder.

Answer 75

stress.

Question 76

An interview in which the questions are set out in a prescribed fashion for the interviewer; assists professionals in making diagnostic decisions based on standardised criteria.

Answer 76

structured interview.

Question 77

DSM-IV-TR communication disorder of child hood marked by frequent and pronounced verbal dysfluencies, such as repetitions of certain sounds. See also childhood onset fluency disorder

Answer 77

stuttering.

Question 78

A region in the anterior cortex that is part of a network of structures involved in emotion processing; believed to be overly active in major depressive disorder.

Answer 78

subgenual anterior cingulate.

Question 79

Disorders in which drugs such as alcohol and cocaine are abused to such an extent that behaviour becomes maladaptive, social and occupational functioning are impaired, and control or abstinence becomes impossible. Dependence on the drug may be physiological and produce tolerance and withdrawal

Answer 79

substance use disorders

Question 80

Symptoms of a disorder that are clinically significant but do not meet full diagnostic criteria.

Answer 80

subthreshold symptoms.

Question 81

In psychoanalytic theory, the part of the personality that acts as the conscience and reflects society's moral standards as learned from parents and teachers.

Answer 81

superego.

Question 82

The division of the autonomic nervous system that acts on bodily systems - for example, contracting the blood vessels, reducing activity of the intestines, and increasing the heartbeat - to prepare the organism for exertion, emotional stress, or extreme cold. Compare parasympathetic nervous system.

Answer 82

sympathetic nervous system.

Question 83

An observable physiological or psychological manifestation of a disease

Answer 83

symptom.

Question 84

Small gap between two neurons where the nerve signal passes electrically or chemically from the axon of the first to the dendrites, cell body, or axon of the second

Answer 84

synapse.

Question 85

A major behaviour therapy procedure that has a fearful person, while deeply relaxed, imagine a series of progressively more fearsome situations, such that fear is dispelled as a response incompatible with relaxation; useful for treating psychological problems in which anxiety is the principal difficulty.

Answer 85

systematic desensitisation.

Question 86

A muscular disturbance of patients who have taken phenothiazines for a very long time, marked by involuntary motor movements such a smacking and chin wagging.

Answer 86

tardive dyskinesia.

Question 87

A large region of each cerebral hemisphere situated below the lateral sulcus and in front of the occipital lobe; contains primary auditory and general association areas.

Answer 87

temporal lobe.

Question 88

A major brain relay station consisting of two egg-shaped lobes; receives impulses from all sensory areas except the olfactory and transmits them to the cerebrum for higher processing

Answer 88

thalamus.

Question 89

A projective test consisting of black-and-white pictures, each depicting a potentially emotion-laden situation, about each of which the examinee is instructed to make up a story. See also projective hypothesis

Answer 89

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT).

Question 90

A formally stated and coherent set of propositions that explain and logically order a range of phenomena, generating testable predictions or hypotheses

Answer 90

theory.

Question 91

The difficulty in the correlational method of research whereby the relationship between variables may be attributable to a third factor.

Answer 91

third-variable problem.

Question 92

Key feature of obsessive-compulsive disorder; has the paradoxical effect of inducing preoccupation with the object of thought

Answer 92

thought suppression.

Question 93

A possible confound in longitudinal studies whereby conditions at a particular point in time can have a specific effect on a variable that is being studied over time.

Answer 93

time-of-measurement effects.

Question 94

An operant conditioning procedure in which after bad behavior, the person is temporarily removed from a setting where reinforcers can be obtained and placed in a less desirable setting, for example, in a boring room

Answer 94

time-out.

Question 95

A behaviour therapy procedure, based on operant conditioning principles, in which hospitalised patients are given scrip rewards, such as poker chips for socially constructive behaviour. The tokens can be exchanged for desirable items and activities such as cigarettes and extra time away from the ward.

Answer 95

token economy.

Question 96

A physiological process in which greater and greater amounts of an addictive drug are required to produce the same effect. See also addiction.

Answer 96

tolerance.

Question 97

In genetics, the first step in gene expression. A section of DNA sequence is transcribed to RNA; a sequence of DNA synthesizes a copy of RNA.

Answer 97

transcription.

Question 98

The venting of the analysands emotions either positive or negative, by treating the psychoanalyst as the symbolic representative of someone important in the past.

Answer 98

transference.

Question 99

The practice of dressing in the clothing of the opposite sex, for the purpose of sexual arousal

Answer 99

transvestic fetishism.

Question 100

Studies designed to assess whether medical or psychological approaches are efficacious in relieving symptoms of a disorder. See also randomized controlled trials 5

Answer 100

treatment outcome research.

Question 101

A DSM-5 disorder defined by repeated pulling of one's hair that results in hair loss

Answer 101

trichotillomania.

Question 102

A group of antidepressants with molecular structures characterised by three fused rings; interfere with the reuptake of norepinephrine and serotonin

Answer 102

tricyclic antidepressants.

Question 103

Amino acid that is the major precursor of serotonin; experimental depletion has found that a lowered serotonin level causes temporary depressive symptoms in people with a personal or family history of depression.

Answer 103

tryptophan.

Question 104

Research strategy in behaviour genetics in which concordance rates of monozygotic and dizygotic twins are compared

Answer 104

twin method.

Question 105

A state of unawareness without sensation or thought, in psychoanalytic theory, the part of the personality, in particular the id impulses or energy, of which the ego is unaware.

Answer 105

unconscious.

Question 106

A device for measuring physiological signs of sexual arousal in women; the device is shaped like a tampon and is inserted into the vagina to measure increases in blood flow

Answer 106

vaginal plethysmograph.

Question 107

DSM-IV-TR diagnosis defined by painful, spasmodic contractions of the outer third of the vagina, making penetration impossible or extremely difficult.

Answer 107

vaginismus.

Question 108

In research, includes internal, the extent to which results can be confidently attributed to the manipulation of the independent variable, and external, the extent to which results can be generalised to other populations and settings. Validity as applied to psychiatric diagnoses includes concurrent, the extent to which previously undiscovered features are found among patients with the same diagnosis, and predictive, the extent to which predictions can be made about the future behavior of patients with the same diagnosis. Validity as applied to psychological and psychiatric measures includes content validity, the extent to which a measure adequately samples the domain of interest, and criterion, the extent to which a measure is associated in an expected way with some other measure (the criterion). See also construct validity.

Answer 108

validity.

Question 109

A form of dementia caused by cerebrovascular disease, most commonly occurring after strokes. Because the areas of the brain affected by disease can vary, the symptoms of vascular dementia vary as well.

Answer 109

vascular dementia.

Question 110

Cavities deep within the brain, filled with cerebrospinal fluid, that connect to the spinal cord

Answer 110

ventricles.

Question 111

A disorder defined by a marked preference for obtaining sexual gratification by watching others in a state of undress or having sexual relations

Answer 111

voyeuristic disorder.

Question 112

Neural tissue, particularly of the brain and spinal cord, consisting of tracts or bundles of myelinated (sheathed) nerve fibers. Compare gray matter.

Answer 112

white matter.

Question 113

Negative physiological and psychological reactions evidenced when a person suddenly stops taking an addictive drug; cramps, restlessness, and even death are examples. See also addiction.

Answer 113

withdrawal.

Question 114

The subjective sense of knowing that one has achieved closure on an action or thought; theorised to be deficient among persons with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Answer 114

yedasentience.