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PSYC5002 > L2-4: Causes of Mental Disorders > Flashcards

L2-4: Causes of Mental Disorders Flashcards

1
Q

Operant conditioning is also known as

A

instrumental conditioning

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2
Q

what is negative reinforcement in operant conditioning

A

Negative reinforcement: performing an action removes an aversive event (i.e., rat pushes button to stop electric shock) > more likely to repeat it

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3
Q

True of false. Psychotherapy and biological therapy both work by changing brain function

A

true

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4
Q

Explain classical conditioning through example of little albert

A

Little albert liked rat.

Then behaviourist banged a pot behind child and rat multiple times.

Baby learns to fear rat.

Apparently as an adult child had major issues with rats, but also thing like fur coats and beards.

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5
Q

What is the relationship between brain structure abnormalities and bipolar I disorder

A

Regions of reduced cortical thickness

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6
Q

What is relationship between dopamine and schizophrenia

A
  • People with schizophrenia are synthesising too much dopamine
  • Antipsychotic drugs block dopamine receptors and are effective against psychosis
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7
Q

Does environment play a key role in development of psychopathology? If so, how?

A

Yes. Early life experiences influence subsequent psychopathological tendencies

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8
Q

True of false. Mental Illness tends to run in families

A

True

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9
Q

What is black-and-white thinking according to Beck

A

Cognitive distortion

  • Black-and-white thinking: viewing a situation in only two categories instead of on a continuum.
    • “If I can’t answer one of the questions, the presentation will be a total failure.”
    • As opposed to, if I mess up a question, I might lose a mark, but I could still get 9/10
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10
Q

True of false. Behaviourists arose in response/opposition to Freud

A

True

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11
Q

What is the relationship between two types of alleles (val/met) on the COMT genotype, cannabis use in adolescence, and schizophrenia

A
  • Met/met – if you smoke cannabis in adolescence risk factor is relatively unchanged
  • Val/val – if you smoke cannabis in adolescence risk factor greatly increases
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12
Q

Explain thought processes after an unsuccessful job interview through Beck’s depressed cognitive style

A
  • Global: “I screw up everything I try”
  • Stable: “I’m always terrible at interviews”
  • Internal: “I flunked it because I’m stupid”
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13
Q

Projection is one of Freud’s defence mechanisms. Explain this in relation to being rejected for a bank loan.

A
  • Projection = attributing one’s own unacceptable impulses to another person
    • E.g., when being rejected for a loan, unconscious thinks, I want to kill this bank manager. Ego flips this message and supresses unacceptable impulses by thinking “I think my bank manager hates me”
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14
Q

What is emotional reasoning according to Beck

A

Cognitive distortion

  • Emotional reasoning: belief that your feelings shed more light on what is true than objective evidence
    • “I feel afraid when flying in planes, therefore planes must be dangerous”
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15
Q

What is the relationship between serotonin and depression

A
  • PET studys have examined the binding potential to a serotonin receptor
  • Binding potential is higher in controls than people with MDD
  • SSRI’s most commonly used for treatment of MDD due to blocking reuptake of serotonin = more in cleft to bind to receptors
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16
Q

what is positive reinforcement in operant conditioning

A

Positive reinforcement: performing an action produces a reward (i.e., rat pushes button and gets food) > more likely to repeat it

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17
Q

What is the impact of short and long alleles of the serotonin transporter gene (SHTT) on rates of MDD

A

If you have long/long, rates of depression stay low even with severe maltreatment, but if you have short/short risk of MD episode much higher when faced with severe maltreatment

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18
Q

What are the three levels of depressed cognitive style

A

Global

Stable

Internal

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19
Q

How does operant conditioning maintain symptoms in anxiety disorders

A
  • Negative reinforcement: safety behaviours prevent fear from being extinguished
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20
Q

What is the cause of mental disorders according to behavioural accounts

A

maladaptive learned responses

21
Q

How did Beck understand MDD (cognitive model)

A

People with MDD view negative events through a maladaptive prism called ‘depressed cognitive style’

22
Q

Explain role of twin studies in determining genetics of psychopathology

A

MZ twins v. DZ twins – by comparing the rates or concordance you get an estimate of rate of genetic influence

higher rate of concordance between MZ twins shows that there is a level of genetic influence.

23
Q

What are the three ABC’s of Beck’s model

A
  • A = Activating Event (negative)
  • B = Beliefs
  • C = Consequences
24
Q

What are the four key limitations of biological accounts of mental illness

A
  • Even the most highly heritable mental disorder is a long way off being entirely heritable.
  • Mental disorders are invariably polygenetic – No single gene has found to be responsible for any mental disorder.
  • No 100% reliable biomarkers for any mental disorders
  • Biomarkers for psychopathology are only sensitive enough to distinguish between groups, not between individuals.
25
Q

What is operant conditioning?

A

learning through consequences of our own actions: law of effect

Law of effect: Responses that produce a satisfying effect are more likely to be repeated

26
Q

For Freud, mental disorders arise from unconscious conflict and .…………

A

the overuse of defense mechanisms

i.e., projection: a man with unconscious aggressive impulses may believe that others want to hurt him – paranoia

27
Q

Define id, super ego, ego

A
  • Id (unconscious) > Sexual and aggressive drives
  • Superego (largely unconscious) > moral principles instilled by parents and culture
  • Ego (partly conscious) > Moderates conflict between the Id and the Superego
28
Q

What did Beck call the maladaptive prism of thought in people with MDD

A

depressed cognitive style

29
Q

Cognitive models suggest that we ______ events through the lens of our _______ and _______

A

evaluate

beliefs and cognitions

30
Q

Explain Insel experiment with rhesus monekys and benzos

A
  • Group 1 had free access to food and toys: control over their lives
  • Group 2 only got access to food and toys when group 1 did: no control over their lives
  • Both groups given a benzodiazepine inverse agonist (anti-Valium) – tends to make people on edge
  • Group 1 monkeys reacted with anger
  • Group 2 monkeys reacted with fear
    • Control/no control led to development of different emotional responses
31
Q

Because biological accounts of psychopathology are incomplete, we also need to look at environmental factors. i.e., we have to take an _________ approach

A

integrative

32
Q

What is relationship between abnormal brain function in OCD

A

Hyperactivity in the anterior cingulate. Anterior cingulate is implicated in error measurement. So over active error response in this area, might lead people to continually believe the stove has been left on and lead them to check it again.

33
Q

Operant conditioning underlies lots of mental disorders through the ________ of _______ ________

A

reinforcement of maladaptive behaviours

34
Q

Which disorders do genes play a larger role in and which disorders do genes play a smaller role in

A
35
Q

What is the diathesis-stress model

A
  • Individuals have genetic and biological vulnerabilities for developing mental disorders
  • These vulnerabilities may become activated in the presence of certain environmental stressors
  • The greater the underlying vulnerability, the less stress needed to trigger the disorder
36
Q

Cognitive accounts of mental disorders arose in response to the _______ because….

A

behaviourists – because we are not just rats in cages, the relationship between events and consequences is not as direct as humans

37
Q

What are cognitive distortions according to Beck. Give three examples

A

logical fallacies

Personalization: believing others are behaving negatively because of you

Black-and-white thinking: viewing a situation in only two categories instead of on a continuum.

Emotional reasoning: belief that your feelings shed more light on what is true than objective evidence

38
Q

what is the cause of mental disorders according to cognitive accounts

A

maladaptive cognitions and beliefs

39
Q

Explain Freud’s defence mechanisms

A
  • Key idea: unresolved unconscious conflicts cause stress on the Ego
  • Defence mechanisms allow the Ego to discharge some of the Id’s energy without allowing the unconscious impulses into consciousness.
40
Q

What is the reaction formation defence mechanism, according to freud

A
  • Reaction Formation = converting unconscious impulses into their opposites. i.e., unconscious attraction to other men, resulting in hatred for gay men.
41
Q

What are the three main psychological models of mental disorders

A
  • Psychoanalytic accounts
  • Behavioural accounts
  • Cognitive accounts
42
Q

How would cognitive models explain different responses to seeing a bear in the woods based on peoples different evaluations of the event through the lens of their own beliefs and cognitions

A

seeing a bear in the woods may be terrifying to most, but if you are a trained park ranger who has spent weeks looking for that bear, you may feel happy or relieved.

43
Q

What is the cause of mental disorders according to psychoanalytic accounts

A

unconscious conflicts

44
Q

True of false. Talk therapy alone can change brain function

A

True

45
Q

What is personalisation according to Beck

A

Cognitive distortion

  • Personalization: believing others are behaving negatively because of you
    • “The repairman was rude to me because I said something wrong”
    • As opposed to, well maybe he’s a jerk or is tired/had a rough day
46
Q

Is there any evidence for Freud’s reaction formation. Explain with a study discussed in lecture.

A
  • Adams et al., (1996) recruited homophobic vs. non-homophobic heterosexual men
  • Showed them heterosexual, lesbian and homosexual pornography, while measuring changes in penile circumference
  • Homophobic men showed significantly greater increase in penile circumference to homosexual pornography than did non-homophobic men
47
Q

Explain how operant conditioning is at work in substance use disorders

A
  • Positive reinforcement: take drugs to feel good
  • Negative reinforcement: take drugs to avoid feeling bad
48
Q

What are the four key categories and sub categories attributed to causing mental disorders

A
  1. Biological factors
    o Genes
    o Neurochemistry
    o Brian structure
    o Brain function
  2. Environmental factors
  3. Biological x Environmental factors
  4. Psychological factors/causes of mental disorders
49
Q

Is classical conditioning related to behavioural or cognitive models?

A

behavioural models

PSYC5002 (9 decks)

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