Abnormal Exam 1 Study Guide Flashcards
Abnormal Definition
a combination of personal distress, psychological dysfunction, deviance from social norms, dangerousness to self and others, and costlines to society
What are the 4 D’s of abnormal behavior?
deviance, distress, dysfunction, and danger
What is Deviance?
violation of a society’s ideas about proper function; in this case it isn’t something that is different
What is Distress?
behavior must be personally distressing before it can be labeled as abnormal
What is Dysfunctional?
it interferes with daily functioning
What is Danger?
may be dangerous to oneself or others
What are the pros of labeling/diagnosing people?
-nomenclature helps is structure information
-promotes research
-direct treatment
-allows for reimbursement
What are the cons of labeling/diagnosing people?
-loss of information regarding individual
-stigma associated with diagnosis
-stereotypes based on diagnosis
-labeling can be impact of self concept
What is epidemiology?
the study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or health related behaviors in a given population
What is incidence?
the number of new cases in a population over a given period of time
What is prevalence?
the number of active cases in a population during any given period of time
How is prevalence expressed?
percentages
Case Study Research
-a specific individual observed and described in detail
-subject to bias of the author of the case study
-low generalizability
-famous example: little Albert
Control Group
doesn’t receive anything
Experimental Group
receives something
Correlational Research
one must be aware that if two variables are correlated, there are multiple possible reasons for this; correlation does not mean causation
ABAB Research
-single case experimental design can also be used to make causal inferences individual cases
-ABAB designs involve alternating baseline condition with treatment condition
What does Diathesis?
relatively distal necessary or contributory cause that is not sufficient to cause the disorder
What is stress?
the response of an individual to demands perceived as taxing
Resilience
the ability to adapt successfully to even very difficult circumstances
Protective Factors
-influences that modify a person’s response to environmental stressors, making adverse consequences less likely
Dopamine
control voluntary movements and is associated with reward
Serotonin
regulates pain, sleep cycle, and digestion; leads to a stable mood
Norepinephrine
increases the heart rate and blood pressure and regulates mood
Cortisol
helps the body deal with stress
Neural Plasticity
-subtle deficiencies of brain function may causes some mental disorders
-it appears that genetic programs for brain development are not as rigid and deterministic as was once believed
Defense Mechanisms
in place to protect us from this pain but considered maladaptive if they are misused and become out primary way of dealing with stress
Classical Conditioning
linking together two types of stimuli
Instrumental Conditioning
behavior is modified by the reinforcing effects of the resulting consequence
Observational Learning
we learn by observing the world around us
What are inadequate parenting styles?
-they can make children vulnerable to psychopathology
-it can stem from parental psychopathology and parental warmth and control
Parental Warmth and Control
authoritative parenting tends to produce less problematic behavior in children than authoritarian, permissive/indulgent or neglectful/uninvolved parenting
Standardization Testing
these are a way to make sure every patient is being test the same way
Validity
we want to make sure the test measures what it says it measures
Types of validity
-descriptive: comparing results to the gold standard
-predictive: when a tool accurately predicts what will happen in the future
Reliability
consistent
Types of reliability
-interrater: if one professional says one thing and another says another thing, ensuring that two different raters are consistent in their assessment of patients
-test-retest: take the test one day and then take it again a day later, answers should be consistent
Positron Emission Tomography
used to study the brain’s chemistry. images are produced that yield information about the functioning of the brain
Magnetic Resonance Imaging
provides 3D imagines of the brain or other body structures using magnetic fields and computers
Computed Tomography
involves taking x-rays of the brain at different angles and is used to diagnose brain damage caused by head injuries or brain tumors
Pro for projective assessment
-it is helpful for providing supplementary information
Cons for projective assessment
-it has rarely demonstrated much reliability or validity
-it may be biased against minority ethnic groups
Pro for objective assessment
-it is cost effective
Con for objective assessment
-it may be too mechanistic and required to much reading ability and cooperation
Naturalistic Observation
observing someone/animals in their environment
Laboratory Observation
observing the organism in a more controlled or artificial setting where the experimenter can use sophisticated equipment and videotape the session to examine later
What does MMPI stand for?
Minnesota multiphase personality inventory
MMPI
-consists of more than 500 self statements that can be answered “true”,or “false”, or “cannot say”
-statements describe physical concerns, mood, morale, attitudes toward religion, sex, and social activities, and psychological symptoms
Comorbidity
the presence of more than one disorder at the same time
