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abnormal psychology > midterm 1 > Flashcards

midterm 1 Flashcards

1
Q

What are the influences contributing to psychopathology?

A

Psychological, biological, social and integrative

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2
Q

Diathesis-stress model

A

A theory that mental disorders develop due to a biological vulnerability combined with environmental stressors.

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3
Q

Diathesis-stress model: Distal threat and proximal threat

A

Distal: A past factor that contributes to psychopathology.
Proximal: A present factor contributing to psychopathology.

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4
Q

Psychodynamic Appraoch

A

Id (unconscious) Superego (learned social rules) Ego (conscious self, balances id and superego)

Psychosexual stages of developmental (Oral, Anal, Phallic, Latency, Genital)

Defense Mechanisms protect the ego:

Rationalization – Justifying behaviors.

Projection – Attributing personal faults to others.

Reaction Formation – Expressing the opposite of true feelings.

Sublimation – Redirecting impulses into socially acceptable activities.

Psychoanalytic Therapy includes techniques like free association, dream analysis, and transference interpretation.

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5
Q

Behavioral Approach

A

Classical conditioning: explains phobias (dog, little albert, initial vs future encounters)

Operant Conditioning shapes behavior through reinforcement and punishment: (REINFORCE: anorexia, people could reinforce and compliment you after losing your first 5 pounds, then you continue to lose more weight for compliments and validation, PUNISHMENT: decreases likelihood of behavior)

Observational Learning (learning by watching others) influences behaviors.

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6
Q

Cognitive appraoches

A
  • Thoughts are central to everything, it can influence mood and behaviors and vice versa
  • If cognitions are distorted in a maladaptive way, can lead to disorders

Learned Helplessness: could explain depression ( boss at your job is rude, and just accept the fact their boss will continue to be this way and don’t venture out to find a new job or speak up about it)

Attributional style: Internal vs. external (Do you blame yourself or do you blame your problems on outside forces), stable/unstable (Do we look at your inability in solving problems as something ongoing or something that’s current), Global/specific (Do I generalize? Can I not solve this problem vs I can not solve problems (in general)

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7
Q

Humanist/existential approach and treatment

A
  • Humans strives for Self-actualization (achieving one’s full potential including creative actvities)
  • congruence (when a person’s ideal self is consistent to their actual experiences

incongruence (when a person’a ideal self is not consistent with what happens in their life)

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8
Q

Genetic influence

A
  • Looking at genetics through behavioral patterns

-Family history, adoptive, and twin studies

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9
Q

Syphilis and General Paresis

A
  • if you get syphilis once, wont get it again
  • Fredrich Von Esmarch: r injected 9 patients who had general paresis with syphilis
  • germs can cause psychopathology, strong link between physical and mental illness
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10
Q

Brain sturcture and function

A

Amgydala: emotion center, threat detection/fear learning, aniexty and PTSD

Hippocampus: memory center, integrate sensory cues with memory, PTSD

Prefrontal cortex (PFC): executive control center, top down control of emotional responses (uses logic to regulate emotions)

Phineas Gage: frontal lobe got damaged –> it changed his personality, linking that parts of the brain are in charge of certain functions

Schnizophrenia: ventricles are enalrged and aysmmetry in the brain

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11
Q

Neuotransmitters

A

Glutamate: Primary excitatory neurotransmitter

GABA: Primary inhibitory neurotransmitter

Serotonin (5HT): Plays a role in many regulatory processes (behavior, mood, thoughts)

Norepinephrine: autonomic nervous system, mediates arousal

Dopamine: Plays a role in positive affect and rewards systems

Endogenous opioids: Pain regulation, modulating stress response

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12
Q

Social approach and treatment

A

SES, race, gender, access to healthcare, and cultural influences affect mental health

Treatment implications: Modify interpersonal relationships - interpersonal therapy, social skills training

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13
Q

Integrative approaches (not one approach is enough)

A

Biopsychosocial model:

Biological factor - focus on psychiatry

Psychological factor - focus of psychology

Social factors - focus of social work

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14
Q

endocrine - hormones

A

sympathetic/adrenal response - Short-term stress response (fight or flight), releases Epinephrine and norepinephrine, aniexty, PTSD

HPA Axis (hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical), long term stress response, releases cortisol (stress hormome), if in constant stress = depression, generalized anixiety

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15
Q

Treatment Implications

A

Case Conceptualization

  • The clinician’s theoretical orientation
  • The client’s preferences
  • The available research evidence

ex: biological option may not work, but CBT maybe more effective

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16
Q

Assessing Psychological Disorders:

A
  • Clinical interviews
  • Observation techniques
  • Rating scales/symptoms inventories
  • Objective tests
  • Projective tests
  • Neuroimaging
  • Psychophysiological assessments
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17
Q

Clinical Interviews

A
  • patients sit down with clinican
  • unstructured interview
  • semi-structured interview
  • strcutured interview

types of questions:
- pre-determined, follow-up, closed, and open

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18
Q

observsation techniques

A

observers:
- clinican
- family member
-significant others
- patient self-observation

settings
- daily life
- lab
clinic
simulated

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19
Q

mental status exam

A
  • appearance
  • arousal
  • cognition
  • behavior
  • mood
  • affect
  • demeanor
  • speech
  • attention
  • eye contact
  • thought
  • thought content
  • thought process
  • insight
  • judgement
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20
Q

Self Report Tests

A
  • rating scales/symptom inventories
  • Beck Depression inventory
  • MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory)
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21
Q

Neurological tests: tests on..? what specific tests?

A
  • neurocognitive impairments
  • learning disabilites
    neurodevelopmental disorders

Tests on:
- intelligence
-memory
- attention
- executive functioning
- language

  • clock test
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22
Q

Projective tests

A
  • developed in psychoanalytic theory, the unconsious is “projected” onto the stimulus

tests:
- house, tree, person test
- ink blot test
- thematic apperception test

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23
Q

Neuroimaging of brain function

A

MRI or fMRI

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24
Q

psychophysiological assessment

A
  • Most commonly used in research, rarely used in diagnosis

tests:
- skin conductance
- heart rate
- respiration

25
Concepts in measurement
- reliability - validity - standarization
26
measurement reliability
- inter-rater reliability - test-retest reliability
27
measurement validity (is what we are testing for valid?)
- content validity - predictive validity - concurrent validity - criterion validity
28
29
diagnosis
- the act of identifying a disorder from its signs and symptoms - Summarize information - Treatment and intervention planning - Professional communication - Scientific study - Financial
30
comorbidity
- High comorbidity is the not the exception, Meaning very likely for someone to have another disorder - treatment planning, and prioritizing what is treated first (substance vs anxiety)
31
an adaquate assessment should what?
- focus on person (their life, social context) - long term personality characteristics
32
categorial approach
- clarity and simplicity - standardization - practical use - legal and administrative benefits disadvantages: - oversimplify - risk of stigmatization - limited flexibility
33
dimensional approach
- more variation - prevents over-simplification - better reflection of continuity - flexibility for treatment - can help identify subclinical symptoms (not just clinical symptoms) cons: - complex - lack of standarization - over-emphasis - potential for "overdiagnosis" what to look for in approach: - perceptual reality testing - social reality testing - object relations - identity - impulse control
34
clinicians and psychopathology:
Rosenhan: Believed that people should not have been so quick to be diagnosed with schizophrenia in remission Spitzer: Did not agree with rosenhan Found it rare to be diagnosed with schizophrenia in remission declaration of hawaii: helped to reconcile member countries on issues of misuse of psychiatry.
35
Susannah Cahalan
- Was diagnosed with Schizoaffective disorder - Inflammation in her brain, someone with a psychiatric disorder would not draw the clock just on the right side (so she actually had neurological disorder)
36
psychological influence
- behaviors - cognitions - emotionas they all circle back to each other
37
Basic research concepts:
- Scientific method - Testability - Internal and external validity - Statistical vs clinical significance
38
type I vs type II error
type I: You conclude there is a significant effect when there isn't one. type II: You miss a significant effect that is actually present
39
research methods in abnormal psych
- case studies - correlational studies - experimental designs
40
case studies
In-depth, qualitative examination of abnormal psychology from one single patient (Phineas Gage and H.M.) pros: - sends us into direction of knowledge - helps us where to direct our research w/ unique data cons: - external validity - can not base research around case studies
41
single subject experiments
Intensive, quantitative measurement of one individual pros: track patient overtime, see how interventions affect outcome cons: - external validity - confounding variable, there could be other influences outside of experiment you cant account for
42
why is science important?
- empirical - objective, self-correcting - identify, detect, isolate, and reveal complex relationships
43
Facilitated communication (FC)
- A type of therapy invented for autism
44
basic and applied research
Basic research: creation and testing of a theory (animal lab studies) Applied research: addresses practical problems/questions; our interest in translating our knowledge toward goals of everyday life (is CBT effective at decreasing depression in adolescent males?)
45
operational definition
A definition of a theoretical concept that is stated in terms of concrete, observable procedures or measured that are used in an experiment
46
variables
independent: Variable in experiment that's being manipulated/compared dependent: The outcome/importance of the measure Extraneous/confounding variable: Variable that may have an impact on the relationship between the independent and dependent variables (participant, situational)
47
Randomized controlled studies
- We cannot experiment on the same people in different situations - RCTs can help wash out extraneous variable
48
experimental design
- RCT - independent variable (comparative, placebo control, waitlist control) - dependent variable - control variable (Variables controlled for in the statistical analysis)
49
correlational studies
pros: - Clinical disorders cannot be experimentally manipulated - large sample size cons: - confounding variables - directionality issues - coincidence
50
Criteria for Causation
Strength Consistency Specificity Temporality Gradient response Plausibility Coherence Analogy
51
Methods to help establish causation
- Longitudinal studies - Experimental manipulation - Experimental research
52
Longitudinal
- Follow same group of participants over long period of time, and collect data over time - Repeated measurements - expensive - large attrition rates
53
Experimental manipulation
- Do something to see if you can change something Example: does violent video game increase aggressive behavior - could involve hindsight bias
54
epidemiological methods
- Natural experiments - Heritability studies - Meta-analyses
55
natural experiment
When condition is assigned by nature 1944 (WW2) - Dutch hunger famine study (refused to build railroads under nazi rule) → schizophrenia Pregnant women, observed the trimesters, those going through this period, the child develops schizophrenia, if mother is famished, could be more likely for child to be schizophrenic
56
Heritability studies
Used to determine genetic contributions to risk of disorder -twin, twin-adoption, family studies, adoption
57
Meta-analyses
- Studies can have individual variability - Meta-analyses: combines the results of many studies - Good studies are repeatable
58
Ethics guidelines:
- Informed consent - Freedom to withdraw - Confidentiality - Do not harm - Debriefing
59
Institutional Review Board (IRB):
- Each university, review center will have their own IRB board - All studies must be submitted and preapproved - researcher must demonstrate the risk of harm is compelling

abnormal psychology (3 decks)

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