PSY 436 Abnormal Psychology – Flashcards

Unlock all answers in this set

Unlock answers
question
Criteria for determining abnormality
answer
deviance from the norm (statistical deviance); difficulties adapting to life demands (maladaptive behavior); experience of personal distress
question
Mental disorder
answer
group of emotional, cognitive, or behavioral symptoms that cause distress or significant problems in functioning
question
Abnormal psychology
answer
scientific study of troublesome feelings, thoughts, and behaviors associated with mental disorders
question
Three general theories throughout history
answer
supernatural, biological, psychological
question
Mental illness in ancient times
answer
- primarily supernatural explanations - what might happen to someone exhibiting bizarre behavior?
question
Exorcism
answer
process intended to drive out demons or evil spirits
question
Trephination
answer
drilling, cutting, or scraping a hole in the skull
question
Hippocrates
answer
said abnormal behavior was due to diseases or dysfunctions in the brain; recommended treatments such as special diets, rest, avoiding alcohol, exercise, and celibacy
question
Hippcrates' Humoral Theory
answer
disorders are caused by an imbalance of the our major bodily fluids: blood, black bile, yellow bile, and phlegm; too much black bile (melancholer) = depression; common treatments include bloodletting and vomitting
question
Fall of the Roman Empire
answer
return to supernatural theories and exorcism; exorcism during this time: larger church influence
question
Middle Ages
answer
interesting instances of "mass madness"
question
St. Vitus's Dance
answer
dancing mania; large groups broke out in dance; hundreds, even thousands at a time
question
Lycanthropy
answer
belief that you have been turned into a demonic animal like a werewolf
question
Late Middle Ages
answer
starting in the 11th century, massive persecution of women declared to be witches; pope decreed that witches be executed
question
Malleus Maleficarum (Witch's Hammer)
answer
manual written by two priests; outlined tests for witches (water-float test); sometimes tortured until they confessed; those found guilty of witchcraft were jailed, tortured, and executed
question
Tools of witch torture
answer
burning at the stake, the breast ripper, burning iron chair
question
The Renaissance
answer
cultural movement that led to rebirth in natural approaches to health and human behavior
question
Paracelsus
answer
rejected humoral theory; theorized that disease came from sources outside the body (such as toxins); also proposed theory of influence of moon and stars as explanation of abnormal behavior; coined the term for people exhibiting bizarre behavior due to influence of the moon (lunatic)
question
Asylums
answer
earliest version of psychiatric hospitals; mentally disturbed began to be seen as threatening to society; early laws regarding mentally ill were designed to protect the public, not the patient; first asylums appeared in Europe in 1500s
question
Madhouses
answer
places where mentally disturbed people were housed; often tied/chained up; horrific conditions; little or no treatment for their problems; some were source of entertainment for the townspeople (St. Mary's of Bethlehem)
question
Reform Movement and Dr. Philippe Pinel
answer
- French physician in charge of an asylum in Paris - argued that abnormal behavior was due to a disease - ordered a radical treatment of mental patients by removing shackles, allowed them fresh air and exercise, and treated them with dignity and respect
question
Moral Therapy in the Asylums
answer
- moral = psychological or emotional - main premise: mental illness is due to separation from nature and stress of rapid social changes - led to interesting implications for what could cause "insanity
question
Reform Movement in America and Dorothea Dix
answer
advocate for moral therapy in America, initiated legal reforms for jails, asylums; helped establish over 30 mental institutions
question
Assumed causes of insanity in 1800s
answer
biological and moral causes thought to cause insanity; can look to asylum reports for examples (wide variety of biological, psychological, and moral causes)
question
Modern Era, Clifford Beers and the Mental Hygiene Movement
answer
was a patient in a mental institution in 1900; published "A Mind that FOund Itself" describing neglect and abuse in the asylum; founded "National Committee for Mental Hygiene" which improved quality of care of mental patients, spurned research on prevention of mental illness, and provided information to public about mental illness
question
Somatogenic
answer
emphasizes physical and bodily causes of mental disorders
question
Psychogenic
answer
emphasizes psychological and mind-related causes of mental disorders
question
Integrationist view
answer
cause of mental disorder is best understood as a complex interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factos
question
Primary prevention
answer
a type of prevention targeting large groups of people who HAVE NOT YET developed a disorder
question
Secondary prevention
answer
a type of prevention that addresses EMERGING PROBLEMS while they are still manageable and before they become
question
Tertiary prevention
answer
a type of prevention aimed to reduce the severity, duration, and negative effects of a mental disorder AFTER it has occurred
question
Consumer perspective
answer
building your skills as consumer of scientific information; focus on empirically-supported treatments
question
Structural theories of the biological model
answer
abnormalities in the structure of the brain
question
Biochemical theories of the biological model
answer
imbalances in the levels of neurotransmitters or hormones, or poor functioning of receptors
question
Genetic theories of the biological model
answer
abnormal genes
question
Case of Phineas Gage
answer
illustrates just how important the brain is for personality and behavior; rod went through skull, changed personality, was nice now is vulgar
question
Cerebellum
Cerebellum
answer
coordination, posture, balance
question
Brain stem
answer
involuntary life functions
question
Medulla
answer
breathing and blood circulation
question
Pons
answer
sleep and arousal
question
Reticular activating system
answer
arousal and stress
question
Cerebral cortex
answer
consciousness, memory, attention
question
Frontal lobe
answer
planning and organization, decision making, behavioral inhibition, and expression of emotion and social behaviors
question
Limbic system
Limbic system
answer
several structures deep in the brain; regulate basic emotions and impulses
question
Amygdala
answer
emotion and aggression
question
Hippocampus
answer
memory and learning
question
Thalamus
answer
"relay station;" forebrain to other areas
question
Basal ganglia
answer
posture and motor movement
question
Hypothalamus
answer
basic instinctual behaviors (the four F's), fighting, fleeing, feeding, and f'ing
question
Biochemical abnormalities
answer
neurotransmitters and neuron functioning; neuron receives stimulation from adjacent neurons, produces an action potential (chemically induced voltage transmission), stimulates release of neurotransmitters, termination of signal (degradation, re-uptake)
question
Degradation
answer
enzymes break down neurotransmitters in synapse
question
Re-uptake
answer
neurotransmitters "vacuumed" back up by the releasing neuron
question
Ways neuron functioning may be abnormal
answer
neurotransmitter levels too high/low; not enough receptors/receptors too sensitive (or the opposite)
question
Neurotransmitters involved in mood/behavior
answer
serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine, GABA, and glutamate
question
Serotonin
answer
regulation of emotions and impulsivity, including aggressive impulses
question
Dopamine
answer
sociability, pleasure, and motivation; involved in areas of the brain regulating experience of reinforcement/rewards; voluntary motor functioning
question
Norepinephrine
answer
mood regulation, attention and arousal, regulation of sleep, and also involved in the fight-flight response
question
GABA
answer
mood regulation, especially anxiety, arousal, and behavioral activity level
question
Glutamate
answer
involved in learning and memory
question
Behavioral genetics
answer
study of the genetic and environmental influences on development of emotions, cognitions, and behavior, including mental disorders
question
Types of abnormalities
answer
structure or number of chromosomes (Down's syndrome, extra copy of chromosome 21); abnormalities in the genes that make up chromosomes, most are polygenetic
question
Genotype
answer
genetic composition of a person
question
Phenotype
answer
observable characteristic of a person, influenced by genotype but can change
question
Heritability
answer
amount of variation in a phenotype attributable to genetic factors
question
Probands
answer
people who have the disorder
question
Controls
answer
people who do NOT have the disorder
question
Monozygotic vs Dizygotic
answer
MZ twins - 100% shared genes DZ twins - 50% shared genes
question
Concordance rates
answer
degree of agreement in diagnosis between pairs of people; look at this for genetic influence (MZ vs DZ)
question
Adoption studies
answer
asks to what extent does a disorder run in families, but without the shared environment as competing explanation; most common method is to identify people with the disorder who were adopted at birth, then compare incidence of disorder across first-degree biological relatives
question
Psychodynamic model
answer
childhood experiences shape adult personality; causes and purposes of behavior partly due to unconscious motives; people use defense mechanisms to control anxiety; everything we do is done for a reason (Freud: "There are no accidents.")
question
Freud's structure of mind theory
answer
the id and ego
question
Three major components to personality
answer
id, ego, and superego
question
Id
answer
present from birth and unconscious; drives you to meet immediate demands such as hunger, thirst, aggression, and sexual pleasure; pleasure principle
question
Ego
answer
mediates between demands of the id and what society deems appropriate; rational, reality principle
question
Superego
answer
represents rules of society, ideals, and values imparted by parents; what we would think of as a conscience
question
Humanistic model
answer
developed as a reaction to a lack of free will inherent in the psychodynamic model; primary assumption is that people are naturally good and strive for personal growth and fulfillment; when striving is blocked, mental disorder results
question
Founder of the Humanistic Model
answer
Abraham Maslow
question
Developed a humanistic psychotherapy (client-centered therapy)
answer
Carl Rogers
question
Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs
answer
basic premise is that everyone strives toward satisfying their basic and higher-order needs; hierarchy implies certain needs must be met before others can be pursued; most basic needs are physiological; basic survival includes food, water, and sleep
question
Physiological needs
answer
breathing, food, water, sex, sleep, homeostasis, excretion
question
Safety needs
answer
security of the body, of employment, of resources, of morality, of the family, of health, of property
question
Love/Belonging needs
answer
friendship, family, sexual intimacy
question
Esteem needs
answer
self-esteem, confidence, achievement, respect o others, respect by others
question
Self-actualization needs
answer
morality, creativity, spontaneity, problem solving, lack of prejudice, acceptance of facts
question
Client-centered therapy
answer
Carl Rogers; key ingredients included unconditional positive regard and accurate empathy
question
Unconditional positive reward of client-centered therapy
answer
person is accepted completely and unconditionally
question
Accurate empathy of client-centered therapy
answer
understanding of a persons feelings and experience; being able to "put yourself in their shoes"
question
Humanistic model pros
answer
focus on potential for choice and personal growth, emphasizes personal responsibility, useful for establishing rapport, expressing emotions over issues such as grief
question
Cons of humanistic model
answer
not empirically supported, not indicated for serious mental disorders such as schizophrenia or severely suicidal patients
question
Cognitive-behavioral model
answer
focuses on both internal and external factors, cognitive focusing on thought processes and behavioral focusing on external events and consequences of behavior; relevant to a large number of mental disorders; excellent empirical support
question
Main premise of cognitive model
answer
our thoughts have an influence on our behavior and emotions (vice versa); three general types of cognitions implied to disorders include causal attributions, control beliefs, and cognitive distortions
question
Causal attributions
answer
focuses on our interpretations of "why" certain events happen (why did your boyfriend not call you back?); explanations can be categorized along dimensions such as temporary vs. stable or internal vs. external
question
Control beliefs
answer
thoughts related to your ability to control important events/outcomes in your life; motivation to take action (hope); learned helplessness
question
Cognitive distortions
answer
irrational, inaccurate thoughts about environmental events; usually occur as "automatic thoughts"; example include arbitrary inference, personalization, overgeneralization, should statements, emotional reasoning, and mental filter
question
Arbitrary inference
answer
conclusions not based on evidence
question
Personalization
answer
blaming yourself for events
question
Overgeneralization
answer
general conclusion based upon one event
question
Should statements
answer
"I should ______." "Other people should _____."
question
Emotional reasoning
answer
if you feel it, it must be true
question
Mental filter
answer
you pick one single negative detail and dwell on it
question
Behavioral/learning models
answer
developed in reaction to psychodynamic theories of the unconscious; focuses on how behavior is learned through our experiences in the environment; two primary principles include classical conditioning and operant conditioning
question
Classical conditioning
answer
Ivan Pavlov; research on dogs and the salivation reflex; a neutral stimulus acquires the capacity to evoke a response that is elicited automatically by some other stimulus; learning by association
question
Unconditioned stimulus
answer
"food"
question
Conditioned stimulus
answer
"bell"
question
Conditioned response
answer
"salivation"
question
Operant conditioning
answer
process by which behavior is shaped through its consequences; behavior followed by positive or pleasurable consequences is likely to be repeated but behavior followed by negative consequences is not likely to be repeated; Thorndike's Law of Effect
question
Reinforcement
answer
consequences of behavior that increase the likelihood of the behavior occurring again; positive vs. negative
question
Punishment
answer
consequences that decrease the likelihood of the behavior occurring again; positive vs. negative
question
Positive reinforcement
answer
adding a pleasant event or consequence after a behavior to increase frequency of behavior
question
Negative reinforcement
answer
removing an aversive event following a behavior to increase frequency of behavior
question
Escape learning
answer
an organism acquires a response that decreases or ends some ongoing aversive stimulus
question
Avoidance learning
answer
an organism acquires a response that prevents some aversive stimulus from occurring
question
Sociocultural model
answer
perspective includes a primary emphasis on environmental factors, such as living environment and culture
question
Culture
answer
values, beliefs, and preferences that are learned from others such as parents; not the same as race or ethnicity; difference between race and ethnicity
question
Culture-bound syndromes
answer
specific mental disorders are only seen in certain cultures
question
Koro
answer
extreme fear that your penis is shrinking and recessing into your abdomen (Asian men)
question
Dhat
answer
extreme fear that one is "losing" semen through masturbation or in the urine, and will lead to illness (Indian men)
question
Frigophobia
answer
extreme fear of getting cold (China and Taiwan)
question
Voodoo death
answer
when someone dies after breaking some kind of cultural taboo or after being "cursed"; caused by intense fear; seen in areas with strong beliefs in witchcraft such as Africa, South America, Australian natives, and Pacific Islands
question
Anthrophobia
answer
fear of being around people, driven by the fear of blushing, making eye contact with people, and fear that your body odor offends people; a form of social phobia seen primarily in Japan
question
Anorexia nervosa
answer
eating disorder that causes most people to be underweight; prevalence varies by culture; mainly seen in American and European cultures; rarely seen in countries where food is not abundant or in cultures where being thin is not seen as the "ideal body"
question
Neighborhoods and communities
answer
some characteristics of neighborhoods are correlated with psychological problems; high poverty and frequent turnover in residents results in higher rates of juvenile delinquent behavior/child maltreatment; crowding, pollution, noise, violence results in higher rates of depression, anxiety, and child behavior problems
question
Why do neighborhood characteristics relate to mental health?
answer
social causation theory and social drift theory
question
Social causation theory
answer
low SES causes mental disorder, overcrowding is stressful, violence leads to fear of safety, witnessing violence and being the victim of violence is very stressful and can lead to PTSD
question
Social drift theory
answer
mental disorder leads to a decrease in social class
question
Diathesis-stress model
answer
diathesis + stress = disorder
question
Biological interaction of diatheses and stressors
answer
emphasis on biological processes such as genetics
question
Psychological interaction of diatheses and stressors
answer
emphasis on psychological factors such as early childhood experience and self-concept
question
Social interaction of diatheses and stressors
answer
emphasis on interpersonal relationships and social environment
question
Dimensions vs categories
answer
symptoms are usually dimensions while disorders are considered categorical
question
Dimensions
answer
range of severity of abnormality of thoughts, behaviors, and emotions
question
Categories
answer
number of symptoms and severity of symptoms either enough to be considered a disorder or not
question
DSM-5
answer
diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders; clear criteria for disorders including duration; prototype approach to classification; provides mental disorder classification, groups of related disorders are categorized under broad headings, such as bipolar disorders, depressive disorders, and anxiety disorders
question
DSM-5 definiton of mental disorder
answer
syndrome; associated with emotional distress or impairment in functioning; syndrome not just an expected or culturally appropriate response to a specific event; symptoms considered to be caused by psychological, behavioral, or biological dysfunction
question
Syndrome
answer
group of signs and symptoms
question
Why is diagnosis important?
answer
communication among professionals, standardized definition of particular disorders when doing research on treatment or causes, and standard assessments for the conditions can be developed which allows for large scale epidemiological studies
question
Purposes of clinical assessment
answer
to understand the individual, predict behavior, plan treatment, evaluate treatment outcome; usually trying to answer some kind of "referral question"
question
Reliability
answer
consistency in measurement; are we measuring something?; test-retest, inter-rater, internal consistency
question
Test-retest reliability
answer
extent to which a person provides similar answers to the same test items across time
question
Interrater reliability
answer
agreement between two or more raters or judges about level of a trait or presence/absence of a feature or diagnosis
question
Internal consistency
answer
extent to which test items appear to be measuring the same thing
question
Validity
answer
degree to whether the test measures what it is supposed to measure
question
Content validity
answer
degree to which test or interview items actually cover aspects of the variable or diagnosis under study
question
Predictive validity
answer
whether test or interview results accurately predict some behavior or event in the future
question
Concurrent validity
answer
whether current test or interview results relate to an important feature or characteristic at the present time
question
Construct validity
answer
whether test or interview results relate to other measures or behaviors in a logical, theoretically expected fashion
question
Standardization
answer
explicit instructions for how the procedure is administered, scores, and interpreted; ensures consistency in how the technique is used; ex: SAT
question
Types of assessment methods
answer
clinical interview and psychological testing, including intelligence tests and personality assessments
question
Formats for clinical interview
answer
structured and unstructured
question
Structured clinical interview
answer
question are pre-set and laid out for the interviewer; most common use is for research; ex: SCID
question
Unstructured clinical interview
answer
most common interview in treatment settings; no set questions
question
Intake interview
answer
most common type of unstructured clinical interview; assess presenting problems such as chief complaint, related symptoms, development and progression of symptoms, and life events or stressors; screening for symptoms of other mental disorders, personal/social history, medical and family, and mental status exam in some settings
question
Intelligence tests
answer
Sir Francis Galton first attempted an intelligence test, sensory discrimination tests
question
Binet-simon scale
answer
1905; first successful intelligence test that was designed to determine which kids would do well in school
question
Modern intelligence tests
answer
measure cognitive functioning and intellectual ability such as memory, language, logical reasoning, and speed of information processing; used in evaluations of learning disability, brain dysfunction, and as a supplement to diagnostic/personality assessments; usually a battery on many tests in one b/c it yields scores for multiple domains such as verbal IQ, performance IQ, and full scale IQ; average IQ score is 100
question
Personality testing
answer
normal personality and abnormal personality
question
Normal personality
answer
big five personality traits; extraversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness and neuroticism
question
Abnormal (clinical) personality traits
answer
anxiety, depression, narcissism, etc.
question
Two types of personality tests
answer
objective and projective
question
Projective personality tests
answer
began in the psychoanalytic tradition; we "project" aspects of personality onto our interpretation ambiguous test stimuli; most popular include Rorschach inkblot test and Thematic Apperception Test (tell story from pics)
question
Objective personality tests
answer
usually are questionnaires with statements typically rated as true/false and sometimes using a Likert scale; Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2-RF) has 338 statements rated as T/F, yields scores for lots of traits, and has validity scales
question
Validity scales of MMPI-2
answer
L, F, TRIN
question
L scale
answer
uncommon virtues
question
F scale
answer
infrequent responses
question
TRIN scale
answer
true response inconsistency
question
Personality scales
answer
demoralization, low positive emotions, antisocial behavior, anxiety, substance abuse, anger-proneness
Get an explanation on any task
Get unstuck with the help of our AI assistant in seconds
New