Unit 1 Flashcards
(111 cards)
0
Q
Developmental Pathway
A
A concept to describe the sequence and timing of particular behaviors, and to highlight the known and suspected relationships of behaviors over time.
1
Q
Competence
A
The ability to adapt to one’s environment. Children’s competence involves their performance relative to their same-age peers as well as their individual course of development
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Q
Developmental Tasks
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Psychosocial tasks of childhood that reflect broad domains of competence and tell us how children typically progress within each of these domains as they grow.
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Q
Equifinality
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The concept that similar outcomes may stem from different early experiences.
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Q
Externalizing problems
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Problem behaviors that begin during childhood and encompass acting-out behaviors such as aggression and delinquent behaviors
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Q
Internalizing problems
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Problem behaviors that begin during childhood and include anxiety, depression, somatic complaints, and withdrawn behavior.
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Q
Multifinality
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The concept that various outcomes may stem from similar beginnings.
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Q
Nosologies
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Efforts to classify psychiatric disorders into descriptive categories
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Q
Protective Factors
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A variable that precedes a negative outcome a interest and decreases the changes that the outcome will occur.
9
Q
Psychological disorder
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A pattern of behavioral, cognitive, or physical symptoms that includes one or more of the following prominent features: (a) some degree of distress in the subject; (b) behavior indicating some degree of disability; and (c) an increased risk of suffering, death, pain, disability, or an important loss of freedom.
10
Q
Resilience
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The ability to avoid negative outcomes despite being at risk for psychopathology.
11
Q
Risk Factor
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A variable that precedes a negative outcome of interest and increases the chances that the outcome will occur.
12
Q
Stigma
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A cluster of negative attitudes and beliefs that motivates fear, rejection, avoidance, and discrimination against people with mental illnesses.
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Q
Adaptational Failure
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Failure to master or progress in accomplishing developmental milestones
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Q
Attachment
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The process of establishing and maintaining an emotional bond with parents or other significant caregivers. This process is ongoing, typically beginning between 6 and 12 months of age, and provides infants with a secure, consistent base from which to explore and learn about their worlds
15
Q
Behavioral Genetics
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A branch of genetics that investigates possible connections between a genetic predisposition and observed behavior.
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Q
Brain Circuits
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Paths made up of clustered neurons that connect on part of the brain to another.
17
Q
Continuity
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A theoretical position for explaining development which proposes that normal and abnormal developmental changes are gradual and quantitative. Continuity theorists argue that development is an additive process that is ongoing rather than occurring in distinct stages.
18
Q
Cortisol
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A stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands
19
Q
Developmental Cascades
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The process by which a child’s previous interactions and experiences may spread across other systems and alter his or her course of development (somewhat like a chain reaction)
20
Q
Developmental Psychopathology
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An approach to describing and studying disorders of childhood and adolescence in a manner that emphasizes the importance of developmental processes and tasks. This approach uses abnormal development to inform normal development to inform normal development and vice versa
21
Q
Discontinuity of Development
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A theoretical position for explaining development proposing that normal and abnormal developmental changes are abrupt and qualitative. Discontinuity theorists, such as Piaget ad Erikson, argue that children pass through developmental stages that are qualitatively different from each other.
22
Q
Emotion Reactivity
A
A dimension of emotional processes associated with individual differences in the threshold and intensity of emotional experiences
23
Q
Emotion Regulation
A
The process by which emotional arousal is redirected, controlled, or modified to facilitate adaptive functioning
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Epigenetic
The underlying biological changes to genetic structure resulting from environmental factors, such as toxins, diet, stress, and many others.
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Epinephrine
A hormone produced by the adrenal glands that is released into the bloodstream in response to stress in order to energize and prepare the body for a possible threat. This hormone is also known as adrenaline
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Etiology
The study of the causes of disorders. With respect to childhood disorders, etiology considers how biological, psychological, and environmental processes interact
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Family Systems
Theory that the behavior of an individual can be most accurately understood the context of the dynamics of his or her family.
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Frontal Lobes
Area of the brain located at the front of each cerebral hemisphere; responsible for the functions underlying much of our thinking and reasoning abilities, including memory.
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Gene-environment interactions (GxE)
Complex interplay of nature and nurture to account for genetic and environmental influences and their timing.
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Health Promotion
An approach to the prevention of disease that involves education, public policy, and similar actions to promote health
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Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) Axis
A regulatory system of the brain made up of the hypothalamus control center and the pituitary and adrenal glands; it influences a person's response to stress and his or her ability to regulate emotions.
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Interdependent
Applies to the assumption that abnormal child behavior is determined by both the child and his or her environment, and that these two factors are interconnected (see transaction)
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Molecular Genetics
The methods of genetics that directly assess the association between variations in DNA sequences and variations in particular traits. More than an association, variations in genetic sequences are thought to cause the variations in the trait(s). These methods offer more direct support for genetic influences on child psychopathology.
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Neural Plasticity
The malleable nature of the brain, evidenced throughout the course of development (use-dependent). Although infants are born with basic brain differentiation.. That is, certain synapses of the brain are strengthened and stabilized, while others regress and disappear
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Nonshared Environment
A subtype of environmental influences that refers to the environmental factors that produce behavioral differences among siblings living in the same household. Nonshared environmental influence can be estimated and is calculated by subtracting the MZ twin correlation from 1.0
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Organization of Development
The assumption that early patterns of adaptation evolve over time and transform into higher-order functions in a structured manner. For instance, infant eye contact and speech sounds evolve and transform into speech and language.
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Sensitive Periods
Windows of time during which environmental influences on development (both good and bad) are heightened, thus providing enhanced opportunities to learn.
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Shared Environment
A subtype of environmental influences that refers to the environmental factors that produce similarities in developmental outcomes among siblings living in the same household. If siblings are more similar than expected from only their shared genetics, this implies an effect of the environment both siblings share, such as being exposed to marital conflict or poverty, or being parented in a similar manner.
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Social Cognition
A construct to describe how people think about themselves in relation to others, and how they interpret ambiguous events and solve problems
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Social Learning
A theoretical approach to the study of behavior that is interested in both overt behaviors and the role of possible cognitive mediators that may influence such behaviors directly or indirectly
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Temperament
The child's innate reactivity and self-regulation with respect to the domains of emotins, activity level, and attention; the child's organized style of behavior that appears early in development, such as fussiness or fearfulness, that shapes the child's approach to his or her environment and vice versa
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Transaction
The process by which the subject and environment interact in a dynamic fashion to contribute to the expression of a disorder (also see interdependence)
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A-B-A-B Reversal Design
A type of single-case experimental design in which a baseline of behavior is first taken (A), followed by an intervention phase (B), then a return to baseline phase where the intervention is removed (A), and a final phase in which the intervention is reintroduced (B). When changes in behavior are due to the intervention.
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Analogue Research
Research that evaluates a specific variable of interest under conditions that only resemble or approximate the situation to which one wishes to generalize.
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Assent
Evidence of some form of agreement on the part of a child to participate in a research study without the child's having the full understanding of the research that would be needed to give informed consent
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Case Study
An intensive and usually anecdotal observation and analysis of an individual subject
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Cohort
A group of individuals who are followed over time and who experience the same cultural or historical events during the same time period.
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Comorbidity
The overlapping of two or more disorders at a rat that is greater than would be expected by chance alone.
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Correlational Coefficient
A number that describes the degree of association between two variables of interest.
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Cross-Sectional Research
A method of research whereby different individuals at different ages/stages of development are studied at the same point in time.
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Electroencephalogram (EEG)
An electrophysiological measure of brain functioning whereby electrodes are taped to the surface of the subject's scalp to record the electrical activity of the brain. EEG recordings are sensitive to changes in state and emotionality, thereby making them particularly useful for studying social and emotional processes.
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Epidemiological Research
The study of the incidence, prevalence, and co-occurrence of childhood disorders and competencies in clinic-referred and community samples.
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External Validity
The degree to which findings can be generalized or extended to people, settings, times, measures, and characteristics other than the ones in the original study.
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Incidence Rates
The rate at which new cases of a disorder appear over a specified period of time.
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Informed Consent
An indvidual's expressed willingness to participate in a research study, based on his or her understanding of the nature of the research, the potential risks and benefits involved, the expected outcomes, and possible alternatives.
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Internal Validity
The extent to which an intended manipulation of a variable, rather than extraneous influences, accounts for observed results, changes, or group differences.
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Longitudinal Research
A method of research whereby the same individuals are studied at different ages/stages of development.
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Mediator Variables
The process, mechanism, or means through which a variable produces a specific outcome.
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Moderator Variables
A factor that influences the direction or strength of a relationship between variables.
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Multiple-Baseline Design
A single-case experimental design in which the effect of a treatment is shown by demonstrating that behaviors in more than one baseline change as a result of the institution of a treatment.
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Natural Experiment
An experiment in which comparisons are made between preexisting conditions or treatments (i.e., random assignment is not used).
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Naturalistic Observation
The unstructured observation of a child in his or her natural environment.
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Neuroimaging
A menthod of examining the structure and/or function of the brain. Neuroimaging procedures include magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), coaxial tomographic scan (CT), positron emission tomography (PET), function magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), and Diffusion MRI (dMRI)
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Prevalence Rates
The number of cases of a disorder, whether new or previously existing, that are observed during a specified period of time.
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Qualitative Research
Research for which the purpose is to describe, interpret, and understand the phenomenon of interest in the context in which it is experienced.
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Random Assignment
The assignment of research participants to treatment conditions whereby each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to each condition. Random assignment increases the likelihood that characteristics other than the independent variable will be equally distributed across treatment groups.
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Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs)
A design used to evaluate treatment outcomes in which children with a particular problem are randomly assigned to various treatment and controlled conditions.
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Real-time Prospective Designs
A research design in which the research sample is identified and then followed longitudinally over time, with data collected at specified time intervals.
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Reliability
The extent to which the result of an experiment is consistent or repeatable.
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Research
Generally viewed as a systematic way of finding answers to questions--a method of inquiry that follows certain rules.
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Research Designs
Research designs are the strategies used to examine questions of interest. They detail the ways in which a researcher arranges conditions to draw valid inferences about the variables of interest.
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Retrospective Design
A research design in which the research sample is asked to provide information relating to an earlier time period.
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Single-case Experimental Design
A type of research design most frequently used to evaluate the impact of a clinical treatment on a subject's problem. Single-case experimental designs involve repeated assessment of behavior over time, the replication of treatment effects on the same subjects over time, and the subject serving as his or her own control by experiencing all treatment conditions.
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Standardization
The process by which a set of standards or norms is specified for a measurement procedure so that it can be used consistently across different assessments.
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Structured Observation
Observation of a subject, usually occurring in a clinic or laboratory, in which the subject is given specific tasks or instructions to carry out, and researchers look for specific information.
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Treatment Effectiveness
The degree to which a treatment can be shown to work in actual clinical practice, as opposed to controlled laboratory conditions.
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Treatment Efficacy
The degree to which a treatment can produce changes under well-controlled conditions that depart from those typically used in clinical practice.
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True Experiment
An experiment in which the researcher has maximum control over the independent variable or conditions of interest, and in which the researcher can use random assignment of subjects to groups, can include needed control conditions, and can control possible sources of bias.
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Validity
The extent to which a measure actually assesses the dimension or construct that the researcher sets out to measure.
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Behavior Analysis
An effort to identify as many factors as possible that could be contributing to a child's problem behavior, thoughts, and feelings, and to develop hypotheses about which ones are the most important and/or most easily changed.
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Behavioral Assessment
The evaluation of the child's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in specific settings, based on which hypotheses are formulated about the nature of the problem and what can be done about it.
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Best Practice Guidelines
Systematically developed statements to assist practitioners and patients with decisions regarding appropriate treatment(s) for specific clinical conditions.
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Categorical Classification
The diagnostic systems that are primarily based on informed professional consensus, which is an approach that has dominated and continues to dominate the field of child (and adult) psychopathology.
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Classification
A system for representing the major categories or dimensions of child psychopathology and the boundaries and relations among them. One definition of diagnosis is the assignment of cases to categories of the classification system.
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Clinical Assessment
A process of differentiating, defining, and measuring the behaviors, cognitions, and emotions that are of concern, as well as the environmental circumstances that may be contributing to these problems.
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Clinical Description
A summary of unique behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that together make up the features of a given psychological disorder.
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Cultural Compatibility Hypotheses
The hypothesis that treatment is likely to be more effective when compatible with the cultural patterns of the child and family.
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Culture-bound Syndromes
Recurrent patterns of maladaptive behaviors and/or troubling experiences specifically associated with different cultures or localities. These syndromes rarely fit neatly into one Western diagnostic category.
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Developmental History
Information obtained from the parents about potentially significant historical milestones and events that might have a bearing on the child's current difficulties.
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Developmental Tests
Tests used to assess infants and young children that are generally carried out for the purposes of screening, diagnosis, and evaluation of early development.
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Diagnosis
The identification of a disorder from an examination of the symptoms.
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Dimensional Classification
An empirically based approach to the diagnosis and classification of child psychopathology that assumes that there are a number of independent dimensions or traits of behavior and that all children possess these to varying degrees.
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Eclectic
An approach in which has different approaches for children with different problems and circumstances, and that they see most of these approches as having value.
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Family History
Using a background questionnaire or interview, information is obtained from the parents regarding potentially significant developmental milestones and historical events that might have a bearing on the child's current difficulties.
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Ideographic Case Formulation
An approach to case formulation or assessment that emphasizes the detailed representation of the individual child or family as a unique entity. This approach is in contrast to the nomothetic approach, which instead emphasizes the general laws that apply to all individuals.
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Intervention
A broad concept that encompasses many different theories and methods with a range of problem-solving strategies directed at helping the child and family adapt more effectively to their current and future circumstances.
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Maintenance
Efforts to increase adherence to treatment over time in order to prevent a relapse or recurrence of a problem
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Multiaxial System
A classification system consisting of several different domains (axes) of information about the subject that may assist a clinician in planning the treatment of a disorder. The DSM-IV-TR is an example of a multiaxial classification system.
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Multimethod assessment approach
A clinical assessment that emphasizes the importance of obtaining information from different informants, in a variety of settings, using a variety of procedures that include interviews, observations, questionnaires, and tests.
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Neuropsychological assessment
A form of assessment that attempts to link brain functioning with objective measures of behavior known to depend on an intact central nervous system
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Nomothetic Formulation
An approach to case formulation or assessment that emphasizes general principles that apply to all people. This approach contrasts with the idiographic approach, which instead emphasizes a detailed representation of the individual or family as a unique entity.
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Prevention
Activities directed at a decreasing the chances that undesired future outcomes will occur
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Prognosis
The prediction of the course or outcome of a disorder
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Projective Tests
A form of assessment that presents the child with ambiguous stimuli, such as inkblots or pictures of people. The hypothesis is that the child will "project" his or her own personality on the ambiguous stimuli of other people and things. Without being aware, the child discloses his or her unconscious thoughts and feelings to the clinician.
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Screening
Identification of subjects at risk for a specific negative outcome
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Semi-structural Interviews
Interviews that include specific questions designed to elicit information in a relatively consistent interview. The interview format usually ensures that the most important aspects of a particular disorder are covered.
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Target Behaviors
Behaviors that are the primary problems of concern
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Tests
A task or set of tasks given under standard conditions with the purpose of assessing some aspect of the subject's knowledge, skill, personality, or condition.
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Treatment
Corrective actions that will permit successful adaptation by eliminating or reducing the impact of an undesired outcome that has already occured.
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Treatment Planning and Evaluation
The process of using assessment information to generate a treatment plan and evaluate its effectiveness.
