psychopathology

Question 1

What are the four definitions of abnormality?

Answer 1

1 : Statistical infrequency
2: Failure to function adequately.
3: Deviation from social norms.
4: Deviation from ideal mental health.

Question 2

What is meant by statistical infrequency?

Answer 2

Implies that a disorder is abnormal if its frequency is more than 2 standard deviations away.

Question 3

What is meant by failure to function adequately?

Answer 3

Proposed by Rainham et al (1989), it suggests that one is abnormal if a mental state is preventing them from leading a normal life.

Question 4

What is meant by deviation from social norms?

Answer 4

Suggests abnormal behaviour is based upon straying from social norms.

Question 5

What is meant by deviation from ideal mental health?

Answer 5

Jahoda (1958) stated that one was abnormal if they suffered from compromised mental health.

Question 6

What are three cognitive characteristics of phobias?

Answer 6

• Selective attention
• Irrational beliefs
• Cognitive distortions

Question 7

What are three behavioural characteristics of phobias?

Answer 7

• Panic
• Avoidance
• Endurance

Question 8

What are two emotional characteristics of phobias?

Answer 8

• Anxiety
• Distress

Question 9

How are phobias learnt through classical and operant conditioning?

Answer 9

Classical conditioning : Phobias are learnt through association, a neutral stimuli becomes associated with a frightening and traumatic experience.

Operant conditioning : The phobia is maintained through negative reinforcement, those experiencing the phobia, avoid it, which reinforces behaviour.

Question 10

How does the Little Albert study prove regarding classical conditioning and phobias?

Answer 10

Watson and Rayner ( 1920 ).

An neutral stimulus (white rat) became associated with an unconditioned stimulus (loud bang) to prove a conditioned fear response.

Little Albert initally provided no reaction to the rat, instead he reached out and smiled at it, but when he went to reach for it again, he was met with a loud bang. After a few instances of hearing the bang, Albert began to appear distressed at the sight of the rat by itself.

Question 11

What are two behavioural treatments for phobias?

Answer 11

• Systematic desensitisation
• Flooding

Question 12

What is systematic desensitisation?

Answer 12

• A behavioural therapy designed to reduce phobic anxiety through gradual exposure to the stimulus, it relies upon the idea of counter-conditioning.

Question 13

What is flooding?

Answer 13

• A behavioural therapy designed to reduce phobia anxiety in one session, through immediate exposure to the phobic stimulus.

Question 14

What is an AO3 point for systematic desensitisation?

Answer 14

• Gilroy et al followed up with 42 patients treated in 3 sessions of SD, at 3 and 33 months, the SD group showed a reduction in their phobic symptoms.

Question 15

What is an AO3 point for flooding?

Answer 15

Cost effective, one man compared flooding to cognitive therapy and found it to be cheaper as phobias are cured in one session.

Question 16

What are three cognitive characteristics of depression?

Answer 16

• Irrational thinking
• Focus on negative events
• Poor concentration

Question 17

What are three behavioural characteristics of depression?

Answer 17

• Changed acitivity levels.
• Aggression
• Change in sleep pattern

Question 18

What are three emotional characteristics of depression?

Answer 18

• Low self esteem
• Poor mood
• High levels of anger

Question 19

What did Becks propose, regarding cognitive explanations of depression?

Answer 19

Proposed that one has a cognitive vulnerability toward depression, through faulty information processing, negative self-schema and the cognitive triad of negative thoughts.

Question 20

What did Ellis propose, in regard to cognitive explanations of depression?

Answer 20

Proposed that an activating event (A) leads to an irrational belief (B) which results in an emotional consequence (C).

A ——> B ——> C

Question 21

Find an AO3 point for Beck’s cognitive explanation of depression.

Answer 21

Evaluation of 65 pregnant women for cognitive vulnerability and depression before and after birth.

Found links between CV and an increased likelihood of depression.

Question 22

Find an AO3 point for Ellis’ ABC model.

Answer 22

The model cannot explain all types of depression, apart from those with an obvious activating event.

Question 23

What are 2 cognitive treatments of depression?

Answer 23

CBT
REBT

Question 24

What is CBT?

Answer 24

Cognitive Behavioural Therapy

Aims to challenge and identify irrational thoughts, replacing them with more productive behaviours.

Question 25

What is REBT?

Answer 25

Rational Emotional Behaviour Therapy Aims to identify the patients thoughts, and challenge them as irrational.

Question 26

What is supporting evidence of CBT?

Answer 26

March followed a group of 327 adolescents with a main diagnosis of depression. After 36 weeks, 81%-86% were the respective improvement rates for each of the three experimental conditions. CBT ANTI-DEPRESSANTS CBT + ANTI-D

Question 27

What is a biological approach to treating depression?

Answer 27

SSRI's

Question 28

What are SSRI's?

Answer 28

Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors Work by increasing the level of serotonin in the brain by blocking the reuptake of serotonin, which helps improve mood and reduce symptoms of depression.

Question 29

What are cognitive characteristics of OCD?

Answer 29

- Obsessive thoughts - Awareness of irrationality

Question 30

What are behavioural characteristics of OCD?

Answer 30

- Compulsions - Avoidance

Question 31

What are emotional characteristics of OCD?

Answer 31

- Guilt - Disgust

Question 32

What are biological explanations of OCD?

Answer 32

- Genetics - Brain Areas & Brain Development - Biological Processes - Diathesis Stress Model

Question 33

How do genetics explain OCD?

Answer 33

OCD is polygenic, meaning up to 230 genes are involved.

Question 34

How do Brain Areas, and Brain Development explain OCD?

Answer 34

- OCD is linked to abnormal functioning in specific brain areas and imbalances in brain chemistry: Frontal Cortex : Overactive, leading to excessive worry and urges to act. Basal Ganglia : May not filter out obsessive thoughts properly. Thalamus: Overstimulation can cause compulsive behavior loops.

Question 35

How do biological processes explain OCD?

Answer 35

- Imbalances in neurotransmitters ; such as serotonin and dopamine can contribute to OCD.

Question 36

How does the Diathesis Stress Model explain OCD?

Answer 36

Suggests that certain genes leave some people more likely to suffer with OCD.

Question 37

AO3 point for genetics as a biological explanation of OCD.

Answer 37

Nestadt et al found that identical twins, with shared genes, have a higher rate of OCD than fraternal twins. 68% : Identical Twins shared OCD. 31% : Fraternal Twins shared OCD.

Question 38

AO3 point for brain areas as a biological explanation of OCD.

Answer 38

Not all individuals who suffer from OCD react positively to SSRis.

Question 39

AO3 point for hormones as a biological explanation of OCD.

Answer 39

This explanation is criticised as too deterministic, as it suggests OCD is solely due to neuro-transmitter imbalances and neglects others factors.

Question 40

Give a biological treatment for OCD.

Answer 40

Drugs : SSRIs

Question 41

What is a strength of SSRI's?

Answer 41

Cost-effective and non-disruptive, they are a cheaper alternative to psychological treatments.

Question 42

What is a criticism of SSRI's?

Answer 42

Drug therapy often comes with serious side effects, more than 1 in 100 suffer from increased heart rate.