Abnormal Psychology Exam 1: Srigley: NCSU – Flashcards
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violates societal and cultural norms
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Deviant
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may signal a psychological disorder, but does not necessarily or sufficiently indicate abnormality
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dangerous
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interferes with daily functioning
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dysfunctional
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behavior that is inconsistent with the individual's developmental, cultural, and societal norms, and creates emotional distress or interferes with daily functioning
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abnormal
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you either have it or you don't
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categorical model
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a model that approaches understanding behavior by considering it from a quantitative perspective
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dimensional model
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Do psychological disorders occur more frequently in those with higher or lower incomes?
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lower
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By the age of 16, how many children and adolescents suffer from a psychological disorder?
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1 out of 3
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What percentage of all children and adolescents have suffered from a psychological disorder?
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36%
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are children from higher or lower SES groups less likely to recover from a disorder?
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lower
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How many US citizens will experience a psychological disorder in their lifetimes?
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over half
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In a given year, about how many US citizens experience a psychological disorder?
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one in four
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One of the first mental institutions, the wealthy paid a penny to gape at the inmates
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Bedlam
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time period in which treatment was non-existent or harmful at asylums: Benjamin Rush recommended drawing copious amounts of blood to relieve brain pressure
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1400s
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Crusader for prisoners and mentally ill, urged improvement of institutions, worked to establish 32 new public hospitals, focus on biological rather than psychological aspects of mental illness
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Dorothea Dix
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time period of Dorothea Dix and early public institutions
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1800s
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somatic symptoms alleviated by talking about repressed memories
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Breuer's talking cure
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time period of psychoanalysis and Breuer's "talking cure"
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1800-1900s
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Defense Mechanism: acting as if the anxiety-provoking stimulus doesn't exist
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Denial
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Defense mechanism: taking out impulses on a less threatening target
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Displacement
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Defense mechanism: avoiding anxiety-provoking stimulus by focusing on the intellectual or technical aspects
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Intellectualization
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Defense mechanism: attributing your own unacceptable impulses to someone else
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projection
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Defense mechanism: supplying a plausible but incorrect explanation for a behavior
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rationalization
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Defense mechanism: expressing the opposite emotion to avoid anxiety
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reaction formation
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Defense mechanism: under threat, returning to a previous stage of development
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regression
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Defense mechanism: burying unwanted thoughts out of conscious thought
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Repression
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Defense mechanism: acting out unacceptable impulses in a socially acceptable way
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Sublimation
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based on principles that consider all behavior to be learned as result of experiences or interactions with the environment
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Behaviorism
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Period of behaviorism
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1900s
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current dominant paradigms
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biological, psychological, sociocultural
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a theory of abnormal behavior based on the belief that many aspects of behavior were controlled by unconscious innate biological urges that existed from infancy
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psychoanalysis
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paradigm that focus on the individual
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Humanistic approaches
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paradigm that studies environmental factors, cultural norms, and a broader perspective
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Sociocultural
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understanding behavior within a specific context
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goodness of fit
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a term that originally described abnormal behaviors that were specific to a particular location
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culture-bound syndrome
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refers to shared behavioral patterns and lifestyles that differentiate one group of people from another
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culture
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defined by family income and education achievement
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socioeconomic status
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impairment that results from a psychological disorder leads to job loss or limited educational achievement
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downward drift
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the idea that the common symptoms of a disorder vary according to a person's age
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developmental trajectory
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a practice using a circular instrument to cut away sections of the skull
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trephination
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the automatic mimicry and synchronization of expressions, vocalizations, postures, and movements of one person to another
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emotional contagion
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symptoms are diminished or eliminated not because of any specific treatment but because the patient believes that a treatment is effective
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placebo effect
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Kraepelin's term for schizophrenia
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Dementia praecox
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a therapy in the form of discussion of psychological distress with a trained professional, leading to the elimination of distressing symptoms
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talking cure
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something neutral does not naturally produce the unconditioned response
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conditioned stimulus
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when providing treatment, psychologists rely on the findings of research. In turn, when conducting research, the psychologist investigates topics that help to guide and improve psychological care.
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scientist-practitioner model
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brain cells
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neurons
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spaces between neurons
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synapses
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chemical substances that are released into the synapse and land on a receptor site of the next neuron
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neurotransmitters
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years of living with a disorder cause changes in the brain
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biological scarring
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the field of study that explores the role of genes and environment in the transmission of behavioral traits
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behavioral genetics
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during the prenatal period or shortly after birth, viral infections might cause brain abnormalities that later lead to behavioral abnormalities.
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viral infection theory
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a contingent event that strengthens the behavior that precedes it
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reinforcement
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objects with their own intrinsic value
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primary reinforcers
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objects that have aquired value because they become associated with primary reinforcers
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secondary reinforcers
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the application of something painful or the removal of something pleasant
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punishment
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a process whereby closer steps, or successive approximations to a final goal are rewarded
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shaping
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characterized by no trial learning--the person need not actually do the behavior in order to learn it. Learning occurs when the person watches a model--a form of social learning
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Vicarious conditioning
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model that proposed that abnormal behavior is a result of distorted mental processes, not internal forces or external events.
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cognitive model
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model based on phenomenology
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humanistic model
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a school of thought that holds that one's subjective perception of the world is more important than the actual world--humanists believe that people are basically good and are motivated to self actualize.
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phenomenology
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develop to full potential
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self actualize
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psychologist associated with humanistic approaches
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carl rogers
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models that propose that abnormal behavior must be understood within the context of social and cultural forces, such as gender roles, social class, and interpersonal resources
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sociocultural models
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the therapist relates to the person in an open, honest way and does not hide behind a professional mask
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genuineness
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the therapist understands the client's world as the client sees it
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empathic understanding
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the therapist genuinely accepts the client with full understanding, trusting the client's resources for self-understanding and positive change
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unconditioned positive regard
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a person is treated with respect and caring only when meeting the standards set by others.
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conditional positive regard
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the cultural expectations regarding accepted behaviors for men and women, boys and girls.
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gender role
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a feeling of being detached from one's body- sometimes called an out of body experience
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dissociation
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a concept common in latino cultures that emphasizes the centrality of and obligation to family over self or peers
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familismo
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a theoretical perspective that suggests that health is determined by complex interactions among many different factors, not just one.
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biopsychosocial perspective
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the idea that psychological disorders may have a biological or psychological predisposition that lies dormant until environmental stress occurs and the combination produces abnormal
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diathesis stress model of behavior
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a biological or psychological predisposition to a disease
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diathesis
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a scientific approach that focuses on communication between basic science and applied clinical research
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translational research
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principle that means that researchers not only must respect participants' decisions and protect them from harm but also must attempt to secure their well-being
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beneficence
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composed of the brain and spinal cord
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central nervous system
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finger-like projections that extend from the soma
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dendrites
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the cell body
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soma
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the fiber through which a cell transports information to another cell
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axon
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the branched features at the end of the axon that form synapses
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axon terminals
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portion of the brain stem that brings together sensory information with movement. It also houses the reticular activating system
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midbrain
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regulates our sleep and arousal systems
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reticular activating system
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directs nerve signals that carry sensory information to the cortex
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thalamus
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responsible for homeostasis
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hypothalamus
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includes the amygdala, cingulate gyrus, and hippocampus-- deals with emotions and impulses
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limbic system
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largest part of the forebrain-- reasoning, abstract thought, perception of time, creativity
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cerebral cortex
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primarily responsible for language and cognitive functions and tends to process information in a more linear and logical manner
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left hemisphere
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processes the world in a more holistic manner, a spatial context, and more associated with creativity, imagery, and intuition.
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right hemisphere
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associated with processing and therefore understanding auditory and visual information
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temporal lobe
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integrates sensory information from various sources and may also be involved with visuospatial processing.
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parietal lobe
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center for visual processing
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occipital lobe
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plays a critical role in judgement, language, memory, and motor function
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frontal lobe
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connects the two sides of the brain
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corpus callosum
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primarily controls involuntary movements
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sympathetic nervous system
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returns body systems to resting levels after the SNS has activated them
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parasympathetic nervous system
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regulates bodily functions but uses hormones rather than nerve impulses to do so
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endocrine system
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chemical messengers released directly into the blood stream and act on target organs
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hormones
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states that the alleles of one gene assort independently from the alleles of other genes
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law of independent assortment
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examine whether the family members of someone with a particular disorder are more likely to have that disorder than are family members of people without the disorder
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familial aggregation
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allows researchers to narrow the search for genes from the entire genome to specific areas on specific chromosomes
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genomewide linkage analysis
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study in which scientists compare specific genes in a large group of individuals who have a specific trait or disorder with a well-matched group of individuals who who do not have that trait or disorder
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candidate gene association study
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focuses on heritable changes in the expression of genes, which are not caused by changes in actual DNA sequence but rather by environmental exposures.
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epigenetics
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the variable being tested
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experimental variable
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experimental studies conducted at the individual level.
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single case designs
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relationships
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correlations
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indicates the direction and strength of the relationship
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correlation coefficient
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An experiment in which groups of participants are exposed to a different condition, at least one of which is experimental and one is control
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controlled group designs
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the variable being manipulated
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independent variable
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the outcome measure variable
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dependent variable
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the mathematical probability that after treatment, changes that occurred in the treatment group did not occur by chance but were actually due to the treatment
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statistical significance
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examine whether significant findings have practical or clinical value
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clinical significance
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a group of people who share a common characteristic and move forward in time as a unit
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cohort
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provides a snapshot in time
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cross sectional design
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a study that takes place over time
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longitudinal design
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the term used to describe the presence of at least two mental disorders affecting an individual
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comorbidity
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focuses on disease patterns in human populations and factors that influence those patterns.
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epidemiology
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the total number of cases of a disorder in a given population at a designated time
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prevalence
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the number of new cases that emerge in a given population during a specified period of time
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incidence
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A research method in which the scientist manipulates exposure to either the causal or preventative factors
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experimental epidemiology
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a series of steps designed to gather information about a person and his or her environment in order to make decisions about the nature, status, and treatment of psychological problems
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clinical assessment
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identify potential psychological problems or predict the risk of future problems if someone is not referred for further assessment and treatment
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screening
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the identification of an illness
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diagnosis
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used when psychologists attempt to determine which diagnosis is most clearly described by the patients symptoms
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differential diagnosis
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the consistency
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reliability
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addresses the consistency of scores across time
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test retest reliability
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the degree to which a test measures what it was intended to measure
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validity
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reflects how well a measure accurately assesses a particular concept, not other concepts that may be related
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construct validity
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a test derived from psychoanalytic theory in which people are asked to respond to ambiguous stimuli
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projective tests
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when the clinician attempts to identify causal links between problem behaviors and contextual variables.
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functional analysis
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used to assess phobias and avoidance behaviors by asking a patient to approach a feared situation as closely as possible
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behavioral avoidance tests
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type of assessment: measures the brain structure, function, and nervous system activity.
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psychophysiological assessment
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a common emotion that is characterized by physical symptoms (faster heartbeat, feelings of tension) and thoughts or worries that something bad will happen
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anxiety
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an abrupt surge of intense fear or intense discomfort that reaches a peak within minutes and is accompanied by four or more physical symptoms.
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panic attack
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apprehensive expectations about the future that are considered unreasonable in light of the actual situation
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worry
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a group of disorders characterized by heightened physical arousal, cognitive/subjective distress, and behavioral avoidance of feared objects/situations/events.
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anxiety disorders
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a person has at least one panic attack and worries about having more attacks
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panic disorder
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Fear, anxiety, and panic symptoms about two or more: public transportation, open spaces, enclosed spaces, lines, crowds, being outside, or home alone.
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agoraphobia
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excessive anxiety and worry occurring for more days than not and lasting at least 6 months
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generalized anxiety disorder
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a marked fear of social situations which may involve scrutiny by others
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social anxiety disorder
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a marked fear or anxiety about a specific object or situation that leads to significant disruption in daily functioning
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specific phobia
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slow heart rate
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vasovagal syncope
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low blood pressure
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hypertension
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a developmentally inappropriate and excessive anxiety concerning separation from someone to whom the child is emotionally attached
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separation anxiety disorder
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consists of obsessions often combined with compulsions that are extensive, time consuming, and distressful.
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obsessive compulsive disorder
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recurrent, persistent, intrusive thoughts
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obsessions
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repetitive behaviors
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compulsions
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a preoccupation with perceived defects or flaws in physical appearance, which individuals believe make them look unattractive, ugly, or deformed.
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body dysmorphic disorder
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characterized by the persistent difficulty discarding or parting with obsessions, regardless of their actual value.
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hoarding disorder
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a repetitive hair pulling that results in noticeable hair loss
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trichotillomania
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recurrent skin-picking resulting in skin lesions.
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excoriation disorder
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the emotional distress that occurs after an even involving actual or threatened death, serious injury, or a threat to physical integrity and that leads to avoidance of stimuli associated with the trauma, feelings of emotional numbness, and persistent symptoms of increased sympathetic nervous system arousal
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post traumatic stress disorder
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the proportion of variance in liability to the disorder accounted for by genetic factors
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heritability
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a personality trait that exists along a dimension; those individuals high on this dimension are more "reactive" to stressful events and therefore morel likely, given the right circumstances, to develop a disorder
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trait anxiety
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a temperamental feature that exists in approximately 20% of children
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behavioral inhibition
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individual behavioral differences that are present at a very early age, perhaps even at birth
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temperament
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correct serotonin imbalances by increasing the time that serotonin remains in the synapse
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selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors
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facing your fears to get over them
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exposure
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accepted values that provide guidance in making sound moral judgements
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ethics
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the release of inpatients from hospitals to community treatment settings
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deinstitutionalization
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a state-initiated procedure that forces involuntary treatment on people who are judged to have a mental illness, present danger to themselves or others, and refuse to participate in treatment voluntarily.
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civil commitment
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a court order directing a person suffering from severe mental illness to comply with a specified, individualized treatment plan that has been designed to prevent relapse and deterioration.
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outpatient commitment
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occurs when a person with a psychological disorder commits a crime
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criminal commitment
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a legal decision that describes people who commit a crime but whose psychological disorder prevents them from understanding the seriousness and illegality of their actions.
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not guilty by reason of insanity
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a legal principle stating that a person is not responsible for his actions if (a) he did not know what he was doing or (b) he did not know that his actions were wrong.
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m'naghten rule
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latin for a guilty mind or criminal intent
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mens rea
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a legal term that prevents a therapist from revealing confidential information during legal proceedings.
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privilege
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the duty of therapists to use reasonable care to protect third parties from dangers posed by patients
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duty to warn
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professional misconduct or unreasonable lack of skill
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malpractice
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being prescribed more than one medication for the same disorder.
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polypharmacy
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the directives for experimentation with human subjects that specify that voluntary consent is absolutely essential for clinical research
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nuremberg code
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A document that sets forth basic guidelines for the conduct of research including the need for clearly formulated experimental procedures, a careful assessment of risks compared with benefits, and the provision of adequate information to the participants
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declaration of Helsinki
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the document that sets forth three basic principles to guide behavioral and biomedical research with human subjects: respect for persons, beneficence, and justice.
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belmont report
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An infamous historical study in which core values of research were violated
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tuskegee experiment
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opposite of risk factors
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protective factors
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ability to give informed consent
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respect for persons
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fairness in distribution
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justice
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chemical compound that modifies the genome (tells it what to do, influences which genes are active)
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epigenome
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what can be a confounding variable in adoption genetics studies?
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selective placement
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design in which changes are measured as the treatment is applied and withdrawn
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ABAB design
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what qualities must a controlled group design (experimental method) have?
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experimental and control group
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People who have the characteristics of interest and resemble the treatment seeking population but aren't seeking clinical treatment
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analogue samples
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did the independent variable cause the dependent variable?
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internal validity
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can the results be generalized?
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external validity
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shows how strong the treatment really was
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effect size
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the study of the structure and function of genes at a molecular level
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molecular genetics
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An experimental study conducted with a single individual
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single case design
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paradigm: environmental rewards/punishments
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behavioral
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paradigm: unconscious and internal conflict
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psychoanalytical
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paradigm: interpersonal functioning
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objects relations
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paradigm that states that abnormal behaviors occur when there is a failure in the process of self-actualization.
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humanistic
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paradigm: role of social factors; ecological approach
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community/clinical
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2 characteristics of effective screeing
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sensitivity, specificity
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the ability of the screener to identify a problem that actually exists
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sensitivity
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indicates the percent of the time that the screener accurately identifies the absence of a problem
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specificity
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clinician rates impairment in several domains--type of psychological test
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general functioning assessment
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multiaxial system removed (categorical system based on minimum number of symptoms present)
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DSM-V
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How many diagnoses are in the DSM-V?
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237
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What are the three components of anxiety?
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physical symptoms, cognitive distress, behavior
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Patient will not initiate or respond verbally, in some cases even in front of close friends or extended family. High social anxiety
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Selective mutism
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types of specific phobias identified in the DSM
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animals, natural environment, blood, situational, other
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How much more likely are women to have an anxiety disorder than men?
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60%
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defense must prove that at the time of the criminal act, the defendant was unable to appreciate the nature and quality or wrongfulness of their acts due to severe mental disease or defect
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insanity defense reform act
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licensed therapists cannot be legally forced to reveal confidential information unless a judge believes it necessary for administration of justice.
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privileged communication
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behavior that is inconsistent with the individual's developmental, cultural, and societal norms, and creates emotional distress or interferes with daily functioning.
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abnormal behavior
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a form of learning in which a conditioned stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus to produce a conditioned response.
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classical conditioning
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the theory that the only appropriate objects of scientific study are behaviors that can be observed and measured directly
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behaviorism
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a form of psychodynamic theory that focuses on conscious motivations and healthy forms of human functioning
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ego psychology
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paradigm that assumes that abnormal behavior results from biological processes of the body, particularly the brain
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biological paradigm
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paradigm that emphasizes how environmental factors may influence the development and maintenance of abnormal behavior
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psychological paradigm
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paradigm that states that abnormal behavior is the result of distorted mental processes
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cognitive
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paradigm that proposes that abnormal behavior must be understood within the context of social forces such as gender roles
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sociocultural
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a scientific approach that focuses on communication between basic science and applied clinical research
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traditional research
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terms such as risk factors and predictors are used when doing what type of research?
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correlational
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comparisons that equate responses various instruments with the patient's own prior performance and are used to examine symptoms over time
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self referent comparison
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assesses how well a measure correlates with other measures that address the same or similar consequences
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criterion validity
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the ability of a measure to predict performance at future dates
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predictive validity
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Type of assessment: consists of a conversation between the interviewer and the patient to get information and make judgements related to the assessment goals.
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clinical interviews
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Type of assessment: Relies on applying the principles of learning to understand behavior-the ultimate goal is functional analysis
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behavioral assessment
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type of psychological test: gathers general information about the mental functioning of people who participate as healthy controls in a research study
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general functioning test
