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Abnormal Psychology Midterm
What are the 7 theoretical perspectives? -
- Psychodaynamic
- Biological
- Cognitive
- Behavioral
- Humanism
- Evolutionary 7.Sociocultural Describe the psychodynamic approach. - Behavior is result of unconscious dynamic, inner forces. Cannot be observed Describe the biological approach. - Cause of behavior is your brain. To change behaviors, you have to change the way the brain functions Describe the cognitive approach. - Based on mental process (Speaking, Thinking etc.) People act because they think; People think because they are human Describe the behavioral approach. - How does the environment impact the way you behave? Enviromental conditions like rewards/punishments Describe the evolutionary approach - Mental abilities evolve over millions of years Describe the sociocultural approach. - Sociocultural Behavior results from social and cultural influences. Ex: Kissing Describe the humanistic approach. - People are innately good and capable of choice. Main task of humans is to grow and develop What is the difference between experimental and quasi-experimental designs? - Experimental: 2 groups of people get randomly assigned: one to the independent variable, the other receives nothing/a placebo. Quasi-Experimental: Basically the same thing as an experiment except there is no random assignment of groups. What is placebo condition? - A placebo condition is where participants receive a treatment similar to the experimental treatment, but lacking the key feature of the treatment of interest. What is a double blind study? -
An experiment where neither the person giving the treatment or the person receiving the treatment knows who's in the control or experimental group. What is prevalence - The number of people who have ever had a disorder at a given time or over a specified period (point prevalence: day of survey; one-month prevalence; lifetime prevalence) What is incidence? - The frequency of new cases within a given time period. Used to determine how quickly a disorder is spreading. What are the different jobs available in this field and how are they different? - Clinician: person who provides treatment Psychiatrists: have a medical degree Clinical Psychologists: have an advanced degree but can't prescribe medicine (PhD or PsyD) People with masters degree can work as social workers, counsellors, marriage and family counsellors, nurse clinicians and school psychologists. They may also be occupational therapists, recreational therapists, and counselors who work in institutions, agencies, schools and homes What is reliability? - Reliability: The degree to which clinicians provide diagnoses consistently across individuals who have a particular set of symptoms. A diagnosis would not be not useful if people with the same symptoms received a different diagnosis. What is validity? - Validity: The extent to which a test, diagnosis, or rating accurately and distinctly characterizes a person's psychological standard. What is a treatment plan? - The outline of how therapy should take place. Considers goals of treatment, the treatment site, and modality (form) of treatment. What is case formulation? - A clinician's analysis of the factors that might have influenced the client's current psychological status (descriptive). What are the various settings for treatment? -
- Psychiatric Hospitals: medical interventions and intensive forms of psychotherapy for client's at risk of harming themselves or incapable of self-care.
- Specialized Inpatient Treatment Centers: Client's who need intensive supervision but not hospital care.
Examples of projective tests -
- Rorschach Inkblot Test
- Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) How is it possible to determine is someone is lying on a self-report test? - Use a reliable and objective test (popular) Use a test with validity scales built in. Use projective testing instead What are in-vivo observations? - Process involving recording of behavior in it's natural context, such as the classroom or home. What is self-monitoring? - A method of behavioral assessment in which the individual provides information about the frequency of particular behaviors. What are behavioral assessments? - A form of measurement based on objective recordings of the individual's behavior. Includes analog observations, self-report, and behavioral interviewing. What is executive functioning? - The ability to formulate goals, make plans, carry out those plans, and then complete the plans in an effective way. Usually tested during a neuropsychological assessment. What is neuroimagining? - Provides a picture of the brain's structures or level of activity and is a useful tool for looking at the brain. What is EEG? - EEG (electroencephalogram): a measure of change in the electrical activity in the brain (i.e. alert, resting, sleeping, or dreaming or when engaging in particular mental tasks). What is CAT? - CAT or CT scan (Computed Axil Tomography): a series of X-rays taken from various angles around the body that are integrated by a computer to produce a composite picture. What is MRS? - MRS (Proton Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy): a scanning method that measures metabolic activity of neurons and therefore may indicate areas of brain damage. What is fMRI? - fMRI (functioning magnetic resonance imaging): A variant of the traditional MRI which makes it possible to construct a picture of activity of the brain.
What is the difference between a genotype and a phenotype? - Genotype: the genetic makeup of an organism. Phenotype: The expression of genetic program in the individual's physical and psychological attributes. What are the most frequently mentioned neurotransmitters involved in behavioral disorders? - Norepinephrine, Serotonin, Gamma-aminobuyric acid (GABA), and Dopamine What is ECT? - Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT): the application of electrical shock to the head for the purpose of inducing therapeutically beneficial seizures What is regression? - A Freudian defense mechanism that deals with emotional conflict or stress by reverting back to childish behaviors. What is repression? - A Freudian defense mechanism that unconsciously excluding disturbing wishes, thoughts or experiences from awareness. What is displacement? - A Freudian defense mechanism that shifts unacceptable feelings or impulses from the target of those feelings to someone less threatening or to an object. What is rationalization? - A Freudian defense mechanism in which controversial behaviors or feelings are justified and explained in a seemingly rational or logical manner to avoid the true explanation, and are made consciously tolerable - or even admirable and superior - by plausible means Distinguish classical and operant conditioning in terms of the etiology of clinical disorders. - Classical Conditioning: The learning of a connection between an originally neutral stimulus and a naturally evoking stimulus that produces an automatic reflexive reaction. Most clinicians focus on the type of adverse conditioning in which an individual associates a maladaptive response with a stimulus that could not itself cause harm. Operant Conditioning: A learning process in which an individual acquires behaviors through reinforcement. An individual can learn a behavior from both positive and negative reinforcement. What is counterconditioning? - The process of replacing an undesired response to a stimulus with a desired response. What is a token economy? - A form of contingency management in which a client who performs desired activities earns chips or tokens that can later be exchanged for tangible benefits. What are cognitive distortions? -
What disorders are considered neurodevelopmental? - Intellectual developmental disorder, autism spectrum disorder, specific learning disorders, speech sound disorder, childhood onset fluency disorder (stuttering), social communication disorder, ADHD, Developmental coordination disorder, Tourette's disorder, and stereotypic movement disorder. What is mainstreaming? - A governmental policy to integrate fully into society people with cognitive and physical disabilities. Often takes the form of social or behavioral interventions that train them to cope with the demands of everyday life. What kinds of sensory abnormalities characterize children with autism? - They seem impervious to pain, heat, or cold, meaning they can easily place themselves at risk for serious injury. They may also be hypersensitive to sound, light, or smell. What is an autistic savant? - Occurs in people who posses the ability to perform an extraordinary skill (like complicated numerical operations). It is extremely rare. What is Asperger's? - An outdated term once used to describe someone who now has high functioning autism spectrum disorder. These people have less severe and more focused impairments than regular autism. They have difficulty interpreting social cues and language subtleties. They may avoid eye contact or stare at others. Facial expressions or postures may appear to be unnatural. What is the Lovaas treatment? - an early intervention programs devised by UCLA psychologist, Ivar Lovaas in the late 1980's that rest on principles of operant conditioning practiced by the therapist and the parents. The client receives reinforcement for positive behavior. It may also involve self- control procedures, self-monitoring, relaxation therapy, and covert conditioning. These programs have been proven to be very effective in improving the intellectual, linguistic, communication, and social abilities only if started early in a child's life and carried out intensively. What is dyslexia? - A learning disorder where an individual omits, distorts, or substitutes words when reading and reads in a slow halting fashion. What is RTI? - Response to Intervention where a student who scores low on a screening test receives specialized, more intense instruction to "catch up" to his or her classmates over a period of time. If the instruction does not work, even more intensive instruction is given and most likely to be classified as having a learning disorder. What are the symptoms of Schizophrenia? - a person must have an "active phase" (of about a month) where at least two of either positive or negative symptoms are present. Positive symptoms are exaggerations of normal
thoughts and behaviors, such as delusions, hallucinations, disturbed speech and behavior, and paranoia. Negative symptoms are behaviors that bring a person's functioning below normal level, like restricted affect, avolition, asociality, neologisms, and inappropriate affect. It must also have an obvious impact on the person's level of functioning (work, personal hygiene, close relationships, etc.) and they must also show no other signs of another disorder (bipolar, schizoaffective, depression). Their condition must also not be caused by substance abuse or medication. If a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder or communication disorder already exists, the client must have delusions or hallucinations. How long must these symptoms be present in order to diagnose schizophrenia? - At least one month What are delusions? - Deeply entrenched false belief not consistent with client's intelligence or background. What are hallucinations? - A false perception not corresponding to the objective stimuli present in the environment. What is restricted affect? - Narrowing of the range of outward expressions of emotions. What is avolition? - A lack of initiative, either not wanting to take any action or lacking the energy or will to take action. What is catatonia? - A condition in which the individual shows marked psychomotor disturbances (decreased, excessive, or peculiar motor activity and actively relating to situations in the environment). What is the main characteristic of disorganized schizophrenia? - Their speech does not make sense; they make up neologisms (invented/"new" words) What are Bleuler's Four As of Schizophrenia? -
- Association: Thought disorder, as might be evident through rambling and incoherent speech
- Affect: disorder of the experience and expression of emotion
- Ambivalence: Inability to make or follow through on decisions
- Autism: Withdrawal from reality What is schizophreniform disorder? -
Bipolar disorder: a mood disorder involving manic episodes--intense and very disruptive, experiences of heightened mood, possibly alternating with major depressive episodes Distinguish manic episode and hypomania. - Manic Episode: intense and very disruptive, experiences of heightened mood, possibly alternating with major depressive episodes hypomania: a period of elated mood not as extreme as a manic episode What is rapid cycling? - a form of bipolar disorder involving four or more episodes within the previous year that meet the criteria for manic or hypomanic or major depressive disorder What are the symptoms of cyclothymic disorder? - A mood disorder with symptoms that are less chronic and less severe that those of bipolar disorder. Must have met criteria for a hypomanic episode over a span of at least 2 years and also have numerous periods of depressive symptoms but never meet the criteria for a major depressive episode. They have never been without these symptoms for more than 2 months. What do SSRIs do in the brain? - They block the uptake of serotonin, enabling more availability of this neurotransmitter for action at the receptor sites. How long does it take for anitdepresant medicnes to work? - 2 to 6 weeks What is the traditional medicine for bipolar disorder? - lithium carbonate (commonly called lithium) What is the file drawer problem? - The fact that we are likely to "file away" and not even submit for publication consideration studies that fail to establish significant benefits of an intervention, such as medication. Commonly plagues antidepressants. What are the advantages of light therapy over antidepressants? - Fewer side effects What is Beck's cognitive triad? - The self is worthless, the world is unfair and the future is hopeless What is overgeneralization? - Taking a single incident and suppose the worst possible What are interpersonal and social rhythm therapy? - Interpersonal Therapy: A time-limited form of psychotherapy for treating people with major depressive disorder, based on the assumption that interpersonal stress induces an episode of depression in a person who is genetically vulnerable to this disorder.
Interpersonal and Social Rhythm Therapy: a biopsychosocial approach to treating people with bipolar disorder that proposes that relapses can result from the experience of stressful life events, disturbances in circadian rhythms, and problems in personal relationships. Likely to emerge from medication nonadherence, stressful life events, and disruptions in social rhythms. What is the most prevalent form of psychological disorder other than substance abuse? - Anxiety When does anxiety become of clinical concern? - When causes significant impairment What percentage of the US population is affected by anxiety? - 28.8% What is a specific phobia? - An irrational and unabating fear of a particular object, activity, or situation. What part of the cortex is involved in anxiety disorder? - anterior insular cortex What is the most effective anti anxiety medications? - SSRI's and SSNRI's Distinguish flooding counterconditioning, imaginal flooding, in vivo flooding, gradual exposure, and systematic desensitization? - Flooding: A behavioural flooding technique in which the client is immersed in the sensation of anxiety by being exposed to the feared situation in its entirety. Counterconditioning: The process of replacing an undesired response (i.e. anxiety) to a stimulus with an acceptable response. Imaginal Flooding: A behavioral technique in which the client is exposed through imagination to the feared situation Gradual Exposure: A procedure in which clients gradually expose themselves to increasingly challenging anxiety-provoking situations. In Vivo Flooding: A behavioral technique in which the client is exposed to the actual feared situation. Systematic Desensitization: effective behavioral technique where the client learns to substitute relaxation for fear through a series of graduated steps. What is thought stopping? - A cognitive-behavioral method in which the client learns to stop having anxiety- provoking thoughts. What are the symptoms of social anxiety disorder? What is it prevalence? -
What are the symptoms of OCD? - Having obsessions (an unwanted thought, word, phrase, or image that persistently and repeatedly comes into a person's mind and causes distress) or compulsions (a repetitive and seemingly purposeful behavior performed in response to uncontrollable urges or according to a ritualistic or stereotyped set of rules) that impair the everyday functioning of a person. Must cause significant distress and impairment. What is the effective medication for treating OCD? - clomipramine or other serotonin reuptake inhibiting medications. What is satiation therapy? - Similar to flooding in treating specific phobias it is used in treating OCD behaviors by creating prolonged exposure
