Psychology in Context

Question 1

What is Statistical Infrequency?

Answer 1

Its a way to describe abnormality as it follows how often it is seen. Any usual behaviour is ‘normal’ and any unusual behaviour is ‘abnormal’.

Question 2

How is Statistical Infrequency Measured?

Answer 2

1 SD is 68% of population
2 SD is 95% of poplulation
3 SD is 99.7% of population

Question 3

What are the strengths and limitations of deviation of social norms used to define abnormality?

Answer 3

Strenths- Has real life application in diganosing APD
Limitations- Cultural relavatism, Social norms vary generation to generation, Can lead to human right abuses.

Question 4

What is failure to function adquately?

Answer 4

People not following the unwritten rules on how to present yourself within society.

Question 5

What is a weakness of Failure to Function Adequately?

Answer 5

Hard to say whether its FFA or just deviation from social norms
Someone has to say whether someone is distressed or distresssing some pts may claim to be distressed but are judged as not.
Very objective to the individual.

Question 6

What is a weakness of a deviation from ideal mental health?

Answer 6

Sets unrealistically high standards of mental health.

Question 7

What are the behavioural characteristics of Phobias?

Answer 7

Panic
Aviodance
Endurance

Question 8

What are the emotional chartacteristics of Phobias?

Answer 8

Anxiety
Emotional responses are unrecognisable

Question 9

What are the Cognative Characteristic of Phobias?

Answer 9

Selective attention to the phobic stimulus
Irrational beliefs
Cognative Distortions

Question 10

How are Phobias learnt?

Answer 10

Learnt through association/classical conditioning, eg. The noise (UCS) creates fear (UCR) and when paired with a mouse(NS) the NS and UCS become associated so the mouse becomes the CS causing fear CR without the loud noise.

Question 11

How are Phobias maintained?

Answer 11

Operant Conditioning
OC occurs when behaviour is reinforced or punished. Reinforcement strengthens behaviour. Whenever we aviod a phobic stimulus we escape the fear and anxiety and so are negatively reinforced and the phobia is maintained.

Question 12

What are the 3 parts of Systematic Deviation?

Answer 12

The anxiety hierarchy
Relaxation methods
Exposure to the phobic stimulus when pts are relaxed

Question 13

What are the key characteristics of Flooding?

Answer 13

Exposing pts to their phobic stimuli with no build up to most feared situation
Flooding session are longer than SD
Only one session needed

Question 14

What are behavioural characteristics of OCD?

Answer 14

Complusions
Avoidance

Question 15

What are the emotional characteristics of OCD?

Answer 15

Anxiety and distress
Accompanying depression
Guilt and Disgust

Question 16

What are the Cognitive characteristics of OCD?

Answer 16

Obsessive thoughts
Cognitive stratergies to deal with obsessions ie Praying due to torment of obsessive guilt
Insight into excessive anxiety

Question 17

What are the biological explanations of OCD?

Answer 17

Genetic Explanation-> Passing on genetic vunerability
Candidate Genes-> 5H1-D beta implicated transport of serotonin across body
OCD is polygenic -> Caused by several genes meta analysis found up to 230 different genes
Different types of OCD-> One group of genes may cause OCD in one person but different in others

Question 18

What are the Neural Explanations of OCD?

Answer 18

The role of serotonin-> In some cases OCD can be explained by a reduction in the functioning of the serotonin system in the brain
Decision making systems->OCD can be associated with the abnormal functioning of the lateral parts of the frontal lobe. Parahippocampel gryus associated with processing unpleasant emotions funtions abnormally in OCD.

Question 19

What is the funtion of a SSRI to treat OCD?

Answer 19

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors work on serotonin levels in the brain preventing their re-absorption and breakdown so increase levels in the synapse and continue to stimulate post synaptic neurons. To compensate for the low levels.

Question 20

What are the alternatives to SSRI’s?

Answer 20

Tricyclics- these have same effects on the serotonin systems as SSRI’s but has more severe side effects.
Sertonin noradrenalin reuptake inhibitors (SNRI’s) - newer anti depressant drugs have also been used to treat OCD. These are a second line of defence for pts who failed to respond to SSRI’s.

Question 21

What are the behavioural characteristics of depression?

Answer 21

Anxiety levels
Disruption to sleep and eating behaviour
Agression and self harm

Question 22

What are the Emotional characteristics of Depression?

Answer 22

Lowered Mood
Anger
Lowered self esteem

Question 23

What are the Cognitive Characteristics Of Depression?

Answer 23

Poor concentration
Attending to and dwelling on the negative
Absolutist thinking

Question 24

What are the three parts of Becks cognative theory of Depression?

Answer 24

Faulty Information Thinking
Negative Self Schemas
The Negative Triad

Question 25

What is the Negative Triad?

Answer 25

Negative view of world Negative view of self Negative view of future

Question 26

What does Ellis ABC model consist of?

Answer 26

Activating Event-Irrational thoughts are triggered Beliefs-Range of Irrational Beliefs Consequences-Emotional and Behavioural consequences

Question 27

What does Cognative Behaviour Therapy consist of?

Answer 27

Collaborative assessment where the pt and therpist work together Jointly identify goals or therapy andd construct a plan to achieve them The central task is to identify negative and irrational thoughts then to readress them into better places.

Question 28

What does Becks cognative therapy consist of?

Answer 28

Aims to identify automatic thoughts about the world, the self and the future and to challenge them/ reality test. Might be set homework of documenting enjoyed events or people being nice to them. This may be used against them in future sessions to challenge negative beliefs.

Question 29

What is Ellis' REBT?

Answer 29

Rational Emotive Behaviour Therapy. Involve an arguement with intention of changing irrational beliefs and breaking the link between negative life events and depression.