1 - Overview Flashcards
What makes defining the term ‘mental disorder’ so difficult?
There are no necessary or sufficient criteria, only trends of difficulties
What is the aim of abnormal psychology?
To understand the nature, causes, & treatments of mental disorders
What seven criteria tend to occur to some extent in most mental disorders?
Suffering Maladaptiveness Statistical Deviancy Violation of Societal Standards Social Discomfort Irrationality & Unpredictability Dangerousness
What factors affect our definition of abnormal behaviour?
Societal/cultural values & expectations
Changes in perceptions over time (also societally driven)
What are the advantages of classifying mental disorders?
- enables meaningful structuring of info
- allows study of named disorders so we can learn more about causes & treatments
- established range of what mental health can address (bureaucracy)
What are the disadvantages of classifying mental disorders?
- shorthand -> loss of info (eg case history lost to name of disorder)
- stigma
- stereotyping (overgeneralizing common traits or behaviours)
Name one effective way to reduce stigma and one ineffective one.
Effective: contact w/ mentally ill people
Ineffective: educating about neurobiological bases
Why is it difficult to reduce stigma?
Because people avoid contact with those with mental illnesses - contact elicits adverse physical reactions [similar to those found when people are afraid].
Why don’t we know much about cultural interpretation and expression of abnormal psychology?
Because most psychiatric literature comes from English-speaking countries, and most literature published in other languages is disregarded.
Give two examples of culture-specific disorders and briefly describe them.
- taijin kyofusho - anxiety disorder prevalent in Japan; fear that body(parts/functions) may offend/embarrass/upset others
- ataque de nervios - found in Latino people; crying, trembling, screaming, & general sense of loss of control often triggered by a stressful event & sometimes involving aggression; once over, the person resumes normal life with little or no memory of the incident
What are a few behaviours that are universally regarded as abnormal?
- hearing voices
- laughing at nothing
- defecating in public
- drinking urine
- believing things no one else believes
Why is it important to understand the number and type of people with diagnosable psychological disorders?
- helps plan & establish mental health services, ensuring services available will be helpful
- provides clues about causes
What are the different methods of determining the frequencies of mental disorders?
- point prevalence
- 1-year prevalence
- lifetime prevalence
- incidence (usually 1-year)
Why is the lifetime prevalence of mental disorders in the states so high?
It is nearly half the population because it includes all incidents, even those which are brief and/or mild.
What did the NCS-R study discover about comorbidity in the US?
Half of the people with a serious disorder had 2+ additional disorders; only 7% of people with mild disorders had 2+ other disorders
What are the most common disorders in the US?
• major depressive disorder • alcohol abuse • specific phobia • social phobia • conduct disorder ***did not measure for eating disorders, schizophrenia, autism, or most personality disorders***
What is deinstitutionalization and what contributes to it?
The trend away from hospitalization (inpatient care) toward outpatient care; medications that reduce symptoms, budget cuts, and insurance restrictions all contribute to this trend
What can we learn about disorders through research?
- symptoms
- prevalence
- duration (acute or chronic)
- problems/deficits
- etiology (causes)
- treatment/care
Where can abnormal psych research be conducted?
- lab
- clinic
- hospital
- school
- prison
Name three sources of information.
- case studies
- self-report data
- observational approaches
What are the advantages and disadvantages of case studies?
+ illustrate clinical material
+ provide (limited) support for theory
+ can challenge prevailing ideas/assumptions
+ source of new ideas (hypotheses) to stimulate research
+ insight into rare clinical conditions
- not useful in testing hypotheses
- subject to bias (b/c writer chooses what to include/omit)
- info often only relevant to person described; ie low generalizability
- narrow conclusions w/ great chance of misinterpretation
What are the advantages and disadvantages of self-report data?
\+ can ask specific, tailored questions to get data about a specific condition - can be misleading • may lack self-awareness • may lie (to look better or worse) • may misinterpret question *eg asking someone's weight...
Name three types of observational approaches.
- direct observation (of behaviour)
- observing biological variables (eg heart rate, cortisol levels)
- observing the brain (fMRI, TMS)
What distinguishes a hypothesis from speculation?
Hypotheses are tested - ie, they prompt research
Explain the relationship between hypotheses and treatments.
The hypotheses we have about underlying causes of conditions affect the types of treatments we may choose to implement.
Why do we use sampling?
Because it’s impossible to study everyone in the world who meet the criteria for a disorder of interest
What two elements would be present in an ideal sample?
- would be completely random (to ensure everyone had equal chance if being included)
- would be representative of larger population in all important ways (demographically and in terms of characteristics of the disorder, like severity/duration)
Why is it ideal for a sample to resemble its source population?
- facilitates generalization (external validity)
* may be able to infer co-occurring elements w/in groups w/ some commonality (eg a disorder)
Explain the difference between external validity and internal validity.
External validity refers to the generalizability of the results of a study; internal validity refers to the reliability of the study itself and its results/conclusions
What is a “sample of convenience”?
Studies of groups of people who are easily accessible (eg college students)
What is the range of values of r, and what do they represent?
- range is -1 to +1
- -1: negative correlation
- 0: no correlation
- +1: positive correlation
What is the relationship between correlation and statistical significance in terms of sample size?
Larger samples can reach statistical significance even with relatively low correlations; smaller samples need higher correlations to reach statistical significance
What is a problem with statistical significance?
Its dependence on sample size makes it difficult to compare across studies; different studies with different sample sizes may report something as statistically significant (because their sample size is large enough) while someone else says it is not statistically significant, even though they saw the same correlation coefficient (because they had a smaller sample size).
What is used to facilitate comparisons across different studies?
Effect size (measures strength of correlation irrespective of sample size)
Why is a meta-analysis better at summarizing research findings than a literature review?
Because it uses a statistical approach to combine effect sizes from various studies instead of just looking at statistical significance (p).
