Brainscape's Knowledge GenomeTM


Top Flashcards (Certified)
All Flashcards

Psychology (Comprehensive) > Psychopathology (Paper 1) ✓ > Flashcards

Psychopathology (Paper 1) ✓ Flashcards

Friday 16th May - 9:15 → 11:15 (49 cards)

Start Studying
1
Q

4x definitions of abnormality

A
  • Deviation from social norms
  • Failure to function adequately
  • Statistical infrequency
  • Deviation from ideal mental health
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
2
Q

Deviation from social norms

A

When an individual breaches the expected way of behaving in society

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
3
Q

3- deviation from social norms

A
  • Lifestyle choices are not a sign of abnormality
  • Social norms change over time and place
  • Definition could be used as a form of social control
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
4
Q

Failure to function adequately

A

Being unable to manage tasks necessary in everyday life
- Personal distress
- Maladaptive behaviour
- Unpredictability
- Observer discomfort
- Violation of moral and ideal standards
- Irrationality

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
5
Q

+/2- failure to function adequately

A

+ Prac app: individuals can access treatment
- Doesn’t take an individual’s circumstances into account
- Not clear how extreme the behaviour has to be

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
6
Q

Statistical infrequency

A

Behaviour that is very rare is regarded as abnormal

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
7
Q

+/3- statistical infrequency

A

+ useful part of clinical assessments in the real world
- Doesn’t account for desirability
- Some abnormal behaviour is not rare
- Cut off point between normal and abnormal is subjective

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
8
Q

Deviation from ideal mental health

A

1.Positive self attitudes
2. Self actualisation
3. Resistance to stress
4. Autonomy
5. Having an accurate perception of reality
6. Mastery of the environment

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
9
Q

+/3- deviation from ideal mental health

A

+ Offers a positive approach to identifying mental illness
- Not clear how many criteria need to be lacking
- Culturally biased: based on western ideas of self fulfilment
- Represents an idealised set of expectations

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
10
Q

Definition of a phobia

A

an extreme and irrational fear of a specific stimulus that produces a conscious avoidance of the source of the fear

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
11
Q

3x behavioural characteristics of phobias

A
  • Avoidance of fear
  • Fainting or freezing
  • These behaviours interfere with other daily activities
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
12
Q

2x emotional characteristics of phobias

A
  • Excessive, unreasonable, and persistent fear
  • These feelings are in response to the presence of the fear
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
13
Q

3x cognitive characteristics of phobias

A
  • Recognition of irrational nature of fear
  • Can’t be helped by rational argument
  • Selective attention to phobic stimulus
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
14
Q

Two process model

A
  1. Acquisition through classical conditioning
    - Individual associates 2 stimuli with one another when they occur at the same time
  2. Maintenance through operant conditioning
    - likelihood of a behaviour being repeated depends on the consequences of that behaviour
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
15
Q

2+/2- behavioural approach to explaining phobias

A

+ Evidence to support (Little albert)
+ Useful practical applications as behavioural therapies have been developed
- Not all phobias appear following a bad experience
- Heavily focussed on nurture

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
16
Q

Systematic desensitisation

A

Gradual exposure to individual’s feared situation

  1. relaxation techniques are taught to the individual
  2. Individual creates a hierarchy of fear ranked from least to most frightening
  3. Individual uses relaxation techniques while being gradually exposed to each scenario on hierarchy
How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
17
Q

+/- effectiveness of SD

A

+ McGrath: 75% of people were successfully treated by SD
- Not all aspects of the process are equally effective (in vitro < effective than in vivo)

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
18
Q

+/- appropriateness of SD

A

+ More ethical method of treating phobias
- Does not treat underlying causes of phobias

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
19
Q

Flooding

A

Involves full and immediate exposure to an individual’s feared stimulus
One long session where they are exposed to the phobia at it’s worst while using relaxation techniques
Eventually their anxiety levels come down

How well did you know this?
1
Not at all
2
3
4
5
Perfectly
20
Q

+/- Flooding

Study These Flashcards
A

+ Kaplin: 65% of ppts showed no symptoms 4 years later
- Traumatic experience for patients

21
Q

+/- behavioural treatments in general

Study These Flashcards
A

+ Relatively fast and require less effort on the part of the individual
+ Positive effect on the economy
- Could do more damage than good if ppt withdraws

22
Q

Definition of depression

Study These Flashcards
A

a mood disorder that causes a persistent feeling of sadness and loss of interest

23
Q

4x behavioural characteristics of depression

Study These Flashcards
A
  • Reduced energy and tiredness
  • Insomnia
  • Reduced appetite
  • Irritable/ verbally or physically aggressive
24
Q

4x emotional characteristics of depression

Study These Flashcards
A
  • Sad, empty , hopeless, worthless
  • Loss of interest in activities previously enjoyed
  • Anger towards others
  • Low self esteem
25
3x cognitive characteristics of depression
- Negative thoughts that do not reflect reality - Irrational focus on 'should, ought, must' - Poor levels of concentration and poor decision making
26
Ellis' ABC model
Activating event Belief system Consequential emotion
27
Cognitive approach to explaining depression
Irrational thoughts and beliefs are the cause of abnormality. Irrationally negative thinking has been suggested as the cause of depression
28
Beck's theory about depression
Depressed individuals feel as they do because their thoughts are biased towards negative interpretations of their lives and feel as though they have no control
29
3 components of Beck's negative triad
- Negative views about the world - Negative views about the future - Negative views about oneself
30
2+/2- cognitive approach to explaining depression
+ Grazioli and terry: women high in cognitive vulnerability were more likely to suffer from post natal depression + Successful therapies have been developed which benefits the economy - Difficult to determine cause and effect between thought process and depression - Does not account for biological evidence that explains depression
31
Process of CBT
Stage 1: Identifying irrational thoughts - Therapist begins a verbal assessment where they identify patterns of negative irrational thinking (thought catching) Stage 2: challenging irrational thoughts - Therapy works to challenge and dispute irrational thoughts by gathering evidence of the truth -Disputing irrational thoughts/ beliefs - Effects of disputing these thoughts - Feelings that are produced as a consequence - 3 methods of disputing: - Empirical disputing (evidence of thoughts) - Pragmatic disputing (whether beliefs are useful) - Logical disputing (whether they are sensible ways to think) Stage 3: Practicing new thoughts/ behaviours to change thinking Role play - Therapist role plays situations to help the person challenge their typical way of thinking and to replace their negative thoughts Behavioural activation - Encouraging client to engage in behaviours that lift mood
32
+/-effectiveness of CBT
+ 80% of ppts responded well to CBT and drug therapy which shows that CBT is as effective as drug therapy - Effectiveness is only down to the quality and competence of therapist
33
2- appropriateness of CBT
- Requires a great deal of motivation and effort - Ignores the circumstances in which a patient is living
34
Definition of OCD
a mental health condition where a person has obsessive thoughts and compulsive activity
35
2 behavioural characteristics of OCD
- Repetitive behaviours are performed to reduce anxiety - Avoidance of situations that may trigger anxiety
36
2 emotional characteristics of OCD
- Anxiety and distress - Shame and embarrassment
37
3 cognitive characteristics of OCD
- Recurrent, intrusive, uncontrollable thoughts - Irrational and distorted beliefs - Obsessions are recognised at some point as being irrational/ excessive
38
COMT gene as an explanation of OCD
- COMT gene is involved in the production of COMT enzyme - COMT enzyme regulates the production of dopamine - One form of COMT gene leads to lower activity of the enzyme - Therefore higher levels of dopamine
39
SERT gene as an explanation for OCD
- SERT gene is involved in the production of a protein that removes serotonin from the synapse - A mutation of this gene leads to higher activity of this protein - Therefore lower levels of serotonin
40
+/- genetic arguments in OCD
+ 68% concordance of OCD in identical twins compared to 31% in non identical twins - No studies with 100% concordance in twins (diathesis stress model)
41
Role of serotonin in OCD
- OCD may be caused by disruption in serotonin levels - This has a knock on effect on regulating the levels of other neurotransmitters (GABA, Dopamine) - Drug therapy evidence indicates a reduction in symptoms of OCD when individuals take anti depressants that increase serotonin activity - Low levels of serotonin are responsible for symptoms of OCD
42
Role of Orbitofrontal cortex, caudate nucleus, and thalamus
Orbitofrontal cortex (hypervigilant in OCD) --> detects threat Thalamus --> triggers fight or flight Caudate nucleus --> changes behaviour
43
The worry circuit in OCD
- Symptoms of OCD arise from structural damage to the brain - Orbitofrontal cortex is responsible for sending worry signals to the thalamus when we are concerned - These signs are usually supressed by the caudate nucleus - If damaged, the caudate nucleus fails to block the signal and the thalamus is alerted - Thalamus then sends signals back to the OFC, creating a circuit - In typical brains, the OFC regulates the transmission of information regarding worrying events between the thalamus and OFC - But in OCD brains, the OFC is impaired and therefore incorrectly regulates the worrying information - This makes it difficult for the individual to pay attention to anything other than the worrying event - Therefore, OCD could be caused by a damaged caudate nucleus
44
+/- Neural explanations of OCD
+ Zohar: drugs which increase serotonin have been beneficial for up to 60% of patients with OCD - Treatment aetiology fallacy: not known if the problems with neurotransmitters are a cause or consequence of OCD
45
+/- Biological approach to explaining OCD
+ Useful practical applications as treatment can be provided - Very difficult to determine cause and effect
46
How do SSRIs work
- Increase the amount of serotonin that passes around the brain - Prevent serotonin that flows from one neuron to the next from being reabsorbed or removed from the system - Leaving greater amounts of serotonin in the synapse - Continuing to stimulate the post synaptic neuron
47
How do benzodiazepines work
- Help to control feelings of extreme anxiety by reducing the level of brain activity - They enhance the action of a neurotransmitter called GABA - GABA is the body's natural form of anxiety relief - When released, GABA has a calming effect on many neurons in the brain - During synaptic transmission, GABA binds with GABA-A receptors on the post synaptic neuron - This opens a channel that increases the flow of chloride ions into the PSN - This makes it more difficult for the PSN to be stimulated by other neurotransmitters - Signals are less likely to be passed from one neuron to the next - BZs enhance this natural process by binding with GABA receptors - This allows more chloride ions to enter the PSN - The neuron is even less responsive to other excitatory neurotransmitters - Further reducing activity in the brain
48
+/- effectiveness of drug therapy
+ Soomro meta analysis: SSRIs were more effective at reducing symptoms of OCD than a placebo - Zohar: only 60% of clients improved with a drug that increased serotonin (individual differences)
49
+/- appropriateness of drug therapy
+ Require little effort on the part of the individual - Many negative side effects so not all people with OCD will be willing to take them

Psychology (Comprehensive) (11 decks)

Brainscape helps you reach your goals faster, through stronger study habits.
© 2025 Bold Learning Solutions. Terms and Conditions