Abnormal Psychology Flashcards
1
Q
What is the biopsychosocial model?
A
It emphasizes that there are biological, psychological, and social aspects that affect behavior
2
Q
What does the DSM-5 define a personality disorder as?
A
A maladaptive, inflexible way of dealing with the environment and other people
3
Q
CC: Is is possible for people with different symptoms to get the same diagnosis?
A
Yes, DSM-5 has many diagnoses that are based on the variability of symptoms
4
Q
CC: What is the advantage of rating a person along several dimensions, instead of giving them a categorical diagnosis?
A
It can be more accurate of the persons condition especially if it does not fit into a specific disorder
5
Q
TQ: How is DSM useful to researchers?
A) It explains the statistical tests for evaluating experimental results
B) It identifies the places where it will be easy to find people with any disorder
C) It clarifies the procedures for obtaining informed consent
D) It increases consistency in how disorders are diagnosed
A
D
6
Q
TQ: Why is it easy for people with different symptoms to get the same diagnosis?
A) When in doubt, a therapist can call anyone ‘psychotic’
B) Behavioral observations do not always match the laboratory results
C) Many disorders are categorized as an either or fashion
D) Many therapists do not rely on DSM
A
C
7
Q
TQ: Why is it often difficult to give a clear diagnosis?
A) Some therapists rely on behavior, and others use laboratory tests
B) Many people have rare disorders that are unfamiliar to a therapist
C) DSM does not list enough categories
D) Many people have symptoms that that partly match more than one category
A
D
8
Q
TQ: What is an alternative to the categorical approach to diagnosis?
A) Wait until laboratory tests are validated before making a diagnosis
B) Rate each persons symptoms along several dimensions
C) Use the MMPI, Rorschach, and other personality tests
D) Let each therapist use his or her own system
A
B
9
Q
What is a generalized anxiety disorder characterized by?
A
It is characterized by frequent exaggerated worries
10
Q
What is a panic disorder characterized by?
A
To have frequent or occasional panic attacks. Some examples of an episode of rapid breathing, increased heart rate, chest pains, sweating, fainting, and trembling.
11
Q
What is agoraphobia?
A
Fear of open and public spaces
12
Q
What is a social phobia?
A
It is characterized by a severe avoidance of people and doing anything in public
13
Q
What do agoraphobic and a social phobias have in common?
A
They are both caused by the fear of having a panic attack in public spaces, or in front of people
14
Q
CC: Why would control of breathing be important in treating a panic disorder?
A
It would be important because it can help relax people who are prone to panic attacks
15
Q
CC: After someone has learned to press a lever to avoid a shock, what procedure would lead to extinction of that behavior?
A
They still recieve a shock even after they pull the lever
16
Q
CC: Why are people more likely to develop phobias of snakes and spiders than of cars and electrical outlets? Offer 3 explanations
A
1) Biologically people have learned to be fearful of snakes and spiders which have been around long enough to create a biological fear
2) Snakes and spiders are unpredictable they move around, can be found in dark or small spaces meaning people have to keep an eye on them
3) People have had more positive experiences with cars and outlets than spiders and snakes reducing the likelyhood of the fear
17
Q
What is exposure therapy or systematic desensitization?
A
It is a process of slowly exposing people to their phobias to reduce their sense of fear
18
Q
CC: How does exposure therapy resemble extinction of a learned shock avoidance response?
A
To extinguish a learned shock avoidance response, prevent the response to that the individual learns that a failure to respond is not dangerous. Similarly, in exposure therapy, the patient is prevented from fleeing the feared stimulus. So then the individual learns that the danger is not as great as imagined.
19
Q
What is an obsession?
A
Repetitive unwelcome stream of thought
20
Q
What is an compulsion?
A
A repetitive, almost irresistible urge to do a action
21
Q
What is the best type of therapy for OCD?
A
Exposure therapy with response prevention or in other words someone is exposed to what might trigger obsessive and compulsive thoughts but are prevented from doing so
22
Q
CC: Suppose someone reports that a new therapy relieves many cases of OCD. Why would it be important to have a no-treatment or control group?
A
Because a certain degree of recovery is possible overtime without treatment so it would be to confirm that it was the effect of the treatment itself
23
Q
TQ: Which of the following is most common for someone with a panic disorder?
A) Bipolar disorder
B) OCD
C) Agoraphobia
D) Anorexia nervosa
A
C
24
Q
TQ: Panic disorder is associated with bursts of of overactivity by which of these?
A) Corpus callosum
B) Primary visual cortex
C) Sympathetic nervous system
D) Parasympathetic nervous system
A
C
25
TQ: In Watson and Rayner's experiment, what was the conditioned response?
A) A white rat
B) A loud noise
C) Fear responses
D) Relaxation
C
26
TQ: What happens if a monkey watches another monkey show fear?
A) It increases its own fear of almost everything
B) It develops a fear of the same thing the monkey fears
C) it tries to comfort the other monkey
D) It decreases its fear of almost everything
B
27
TQ: The return of a phobia long after exposure therapy is comparable to which aspect of classical conditioning?
A) Acquisition
B) Extinction
C) Spontaneous recovery
D) Generalization
c
28
TQ: What is one reason why obsessive-compulsive checkers continue checking?
A) They distrust their memory
B) They experience pleasure and relief from checking
C) They impress other people with their conscientiousness
D) They experience spontaneous recovery
A
29
TQ: What is unusual about avoidance learning, compared to other learning?
A) It continues even when there is no need for it
B) It develops more rapidly in older than younger individuals
C) It requires simultaneous activation of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
D) It does not generalize to other stimuli
A
30
What does it mean for someone to be physically dependent on a drug?
It means that the person will suffer withdrawl symptoms when they do not have it
31
What is an addiction or substance abuse disorder?
It is when someone are unable to quit a habit of using a self-destroying drug or substance
32
Why do people get addicted to doing something?
Because as they continue to do that activity repeatedly it causes dopamine to be released
33
CC: Does it make sense to distinguish between substances that are or are not addictive?
Not really because any substance can become addictive under the right circumstances ex. the alcoholics found that drinking an insane amount of water can have the same effect as being drunk
34
What does it mean to have a psychological dependence on something?
It means that someone will crave something without having physical withdrawl symptoms associated with it.
35
CC: How do stressful experiences relate to addiction?
Once someone has tried a drug they notice that it reduces their stress levels. So even though they may be in recovery from it a stressful event can trigger that craving
36
CC: if someone 'holds their liquor well' and do not quickly feel intoxicated, is that something to feel good or concerned about?
Concerned because that increases the person's predisposition to becoming an alcoholic
37
What is Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)?
It is a self-help group for people who are trying to stop drinking and work to help others do the same
38
What is contingency management?
It is when therapists work with someone recovering from substance abuse and encourage them to avoid situations that would make it tempting for them to relapse
39
CC: Why is it important to supervise people taking both methadone and antiabuse?
Because in both cases people could not take them and relapse
40
CC: In what ways are many southeast Asians similar to someone taking antiabuse?
It has been found that many southeast Asians have a gene that slows down the breakdown of acetaldehyde into acetic acid which causes them to get sick really easily if they drink too much. Similar to the factory workers
41
TQ: What characterizes physical dependence on a drug?
A) The drug produces increasing amounts of pleasure
B) The drug blocks dopamine synapses in the nucleus accumbens
C) Abstaining from the drug produces withdrawl symptoms
D) The person uses the drug almost everyday
C
42
TQ: Why do so many south Asians avoid drinking much alcohol?
A) They have a gene that slows down the breakdown of alcohol
B) Alcohol does not stimulate the dopamine synapses in their brains
C) They do not experience the withdrawal symptoms other people do
D) Their taste buds respond more slowly to alcohol relatively to other people
A
43
TQ: How does early-onset alcoholism differ from later-onset alcoholism?
A) Early onset alcoholism is mostly male, and it has a stronger genetic influence
B) Early onset alcoholism is mostly male, and it has a weaker genetic influence
C) Early onset alcoholism is mostly female, and it has a stronger genetic influence
D) Early onset alcoholism is mostly female, and it has a weaker genetic influence
A
44
TQ: What kind of people are more likely than average to develop alcohol abuse?
A) People for whom alcohol has little influence on dopamine synapses
B) People who have a greater than average density of tastebuds on their tongue
C) People who get intoxicated easily
D) People who can drink a fair amount before feeling intoxicated
D
45
TQ: If someone injected methadone instead of swallowing it, what would happen?
A) It would have no effect
B) It would produce effects similar to heroin or morphine
C) It would interfere with opiate synapses
D) It would decrease the metabolic breakdown of heroin or morphine
B
46
TQ: If someone takes a placebo, but believes it is antabuse, it can be effective anyway. Why?
A) Antabuse acts by strengthening inhibitory pathways
B) Antabuse acts to reinforce the decision to avoid alcohol
C) Placebos alter the breakdown of alcohol
D) Antabuse and placebos both stimulate increased cortical activity
B
47
How can major depression be defined?
It can be defined as someone lacking pleasure, interest in hobbies, or motivation along with extreme levels of sadness. Which can last to for weeks or years at a time
48
What is seasonal affective disorder or SAD for short?
It is when people become depressed during a specific season of the year
49
CC: If an advocate of some new therapy for depression reports that most people undergoing therapy feel better a few months later, what if anything can we conclude?
Unless the study included a control group that was not receiving therapy, there is nothing that can be concluded. Most people show recovery over time regardless of receiving treatment
50
CC: Some of the same factors that predispose depression also increase the vulnerability to other disorders. How might that fact complicate the search for genes related to depression?
It could complicate the search because it makes it harder to know if the gene is correlated to depression or another condition
51
What do tricyclic drugs do for depression?
They block the axons ability to reabsorb neurotransmitters including dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin after they are released
52
What do selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRI's) do for depression?
They block only the reuptake of serotonin
53
What do monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI's) do for depression?
They block the breakdown of dopamine, norepinephrine, and serotonin using the enzyme monoamine oxidase
54
CC: How do the effects of tricyclics and SSRI's resemble those of cocaine?
Because the block the reuptake of neurotransmitters like dopamine its just that antidepressants do it with slower effects
55
What does cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) do for depression?
It helps people reframe their thought patterns and encourages them to go pursue different activities
56
How does electroconvulsive shock therapy (ECT) help with depression?
The brief shock to the head is found that with use of muscle relaxers can help reduce depressed thoughts for up to 6 months is is primarily used when someone demonstrates suicidal tendencies and needs immediate support
57
CC: Of the various treatments recommended for depression which one would be the most helpful for prevention?
Exercise as it is proven or lift people's mood therefore reducing the chances of depression
58
What is bipolar disorder?
It is a condition in which someone will experience two vastly different episodes of mania and depression that can last for weeks or months
59
What is mania?
It is when someone is in an extremely energetic state, can be irritable, does not need much sleep, and is willing to do something regardless of the consequences
60
What is hypomania?
It is a more mild version of full blown mania
61
What are the drug treatments for bipolar disorder?
The drug treatments include anti convulsant medications such as valproate
62
What are some other treatments for bipolar disorder?
Other treatments include lithium salts, psychotherapy, and bright lights
63
CC: What are the similarities and differences between bipolar disorder and depression?
Both conditions include people experiencing episodes that can drive their thoughts and behaviors. However with bipolar disorder people go back and forth between episodes of mania and depression.
64
What is schizophernia characterized by?
It is characterized by hallucinations, delusions, movement disorders, confusing speech and thought patterns. Along with abnormal social and emotional behaviors.
65
What are positive symptoms?
Positive symptoms are defined by the presence of an experience or behavior that shouldn't be there
66
What are negative symptoms?
They are the loss of something that should be there
67
What are hallucinations?
It is a perception that something is happening when its not. Such as hearing or seeing someone that is not there
68
What are delusions?
It is a belief someone has even when there is evidence of that not being true
69
What can cause schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is caused by a mixture to genetic predisposition to stress and then the the stress that someone experiences in their life
70
CC: How can Schizophrenia have a strong genetic basis, even when no single gene is strongly linked to schizophrenia?
It is linked to genetics because people how are more closely related have higher chances of getting it. Plus it has been found that specific genetic mutations can correlate with someone being diagnosed with it
71
What is the neurodevelopmental hypothesis for the onset of schizophrenia?
It states that schizophrenia stems from nervous system impairments that begin before birth or in early childhood
72
How does the season of birth effect impact someone's likelihood of developing schizophrenia?
It is that if someone is born in the colder seasons are more likely to develop it because the mother is more likely to become sick which can effect the brain development of the fetus.
73
What is structurally different in the brains of people with schizophrenia?
They less grey matter, smaller neurons, less synapses. Along with impairments in the in the prefrontal cortex and the hippocampus
74
CC: How do brain abnormalities relate to the neurodevelopmental hypothesis?
They relate to the neurodevelopmental hypothesis because it proves that there are structural differences between people with schizophrenia compared to those who don't
75
When was the first antipsychotic drug for schizophrenia discovered?
In the 1950's and it was called chlorpromazine
76
What is the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia?
It it the idea that the cause behind schizophrenia is an excessive amount of dopamine in specific parts of the brain
77
What neurotransmitter in the brain also (aside from dopamine) affects people with schizophrenia?
A deficiency of glutamate in the brain
78
What is tardive dyskinesia and was was it a side effect of?
It is when someone suffers from tremors and involuntary movements. It is a side effect from first generation antipsychotics for schizophrenia
79
What do second generation anti psychotics do for schizophrenia?
They alter the activity of dopamine and serotonin in the brain
80
How often are anti-psychotic drugs not effective for schizophrenia?
in about 1/3 of the population
81
CC: What do the second generation antipsychotic drugs imply about the dopamine hypothesis of schizophrenia?
The fact that the second generation drugs reduce negative symptoms when drugs just targeting dopamine did not implies that the negative symptoms are caused by something besides the extra dopamine
82
How can autism spectrum disorder be defined as?
It can be a disorder that ranges in severity but can affect communication, cause stimming, have an affinity for routine, and become overwhelmed with things like noise
83
CC: What symptoms of autism would be considered a negative symptom similar to those in schizophrenia?
Some negative symptoms of autism would include lack of eye contact or social contact initiation.
84
CC: How might the overreponsiveness of sensory neurons relate to the symptoms of autism?
It relates to the symptoms of autism with people getting hyperfixated on a topic or subject. Along with a higher sensitivity to stimuli and stimming as a result.
85
CC: What is meant by the black-white paradox?
A) Black people are less likely to respond to psychotherapy
B) Black people are less likely to respond well to anti-depressant drugs
C) Black people are less likely to have anxiety or depression
D) Black people are less likely to get good sleep or good nutrition
C
86
CC: What is the probable genetic basis for depression, schizophrenia, and autism spectrum disorder?
A) All three result from the same identified gene
B) Each depends on its own identified gene
C) Most cases result from one gene they have in common, plus one specific to the disorder
D) Many cases result from rare mutations or copy number variants
C
87
TQ: What part of neuron is damaged in many cases of depression?
A) The mitochondria
B) The sodium-potassium pump
C) The cell membrane
D) The nucleus
A
88
TQ: What do most anti-depressant drugs do?
A) Attach to dopamine receptors on the postsynaptic membrane
B) Block the reuptake of certain neurotransmitters
C) Shift blood flow to mostly the right hemisphere
D) Increase the synthesis of hormones
B
89
TQ: How rapidly do most antidepressant drugs alter brain and mood?
A) They alter both synaptic activity and mood within hours
B) They take weeks to alter both synaptic activity and mood
C) They alter synaptic activity within hours, but they take weeks to alter mood
D) They alter mood within hours but they take weeks to alter synaptic activity
C
90
TQ: Which of the following is a major disadvantage of ECT for depression?
A) Its benefits are temporary
B) Its benefits emerge slowly after many repetitions
C) It is so painful most patients refuse a second treatment
D) It is illegal in most states
A
91
TQ: Which of the following helps relive depression?
A) Exercise
B) A vegan diet
C) Homeopathic medicines
D) Rumination
A
92
TQ: Which of the following is NOT a symptom of schizophrenia?
A) Alternating between one personality and another
B) Hallucinations and delusions
C) Lack of motivation
D) Deterioration of daily activities
A
93
TQ: What is meant by a 'positive' symptom of schizophrenia?
A) Something noted by its presence rather than its absence
B) Something that is present in every individual
C) Something that causes more good than harm
D) Something that the patient is willing to discuss
A
94
TQ: Schizophrenia is more common in what kind of people?
A) More in men than women, in more rural than city people
B) More in men than women, in more city people than rural people
C) More in women than in men, more in city people than rural
D) More in women than in men, in more city people than rural people
C
95
TQ: How do first generation antipsychotic drugs affect the brain?
A) The block the reuptake of serotonin
B) The block dopamine synapses
C) They improve synaptic plasticity
D) They suppress activity in sensory areas of the cortex
b
96
TQ: Research indicates that some cases of autism result from which of the following?
A) Cold, distant parents
B) A smaller than average brain
C) Exposure to bullying in elementary school
D) Excessive exposure to pesticides and air pollutants in prenatal development
D
97
CC: Why do many people with Autism act more 'normally' when they have a fever?
A) Suppressed activity of the sensory cortex
B) Lack of energy to do anything
C) Increased activity at dopamine synapses
D) Increased blood flow to the brain
A
98
What is psychotherapy?
It is the treatment of psychological disorders by have a client work with a trained therapist
99
What does it mean for a form of therapy to be an empirically supported treatment?
it means that the therapy has been proven to be helpful to someone's condition
100
CC: How has treatment of psychological disorders changed since the 1950s?
It has changed in the sense that more people have health insurance which can help cover the cost of the treatment as long as the person has a confirmed diagnosis and that they have an official diagnosis. Plus there are more therapies used today than just psychotherapy
101
What happens in psychodynamic therapies?
It is a form of therapy that seeks to understand conflicting impulses including unconscious ones
102
What happens in psychoanalysis?
It is a form of therapy that tries to bring unconscious thoughts, motivations, and emotions to someone's attention
103
What are some techniques that are used ins psychoanalysis?
The techniques include:
free association- where the client is given a prompt and then told to state everything that comes to mind about it
dream analysis- seeking to understand a deeper meaning behind someone's dreams
transference- when someone is told to transfer their feelings towards someone in their lives such as their parents onto the therapist
104
What is behavior therapy?
Behavior therapy is a form therapy that seeks to achieve a certain goal such as test anxiety and works to achieve it by learning about the thoughts and behaviors behind it
105
CC: In the behavior therapy for bed-wetting, what the conditioned stimulus? What is the unconditioned stimulus? An what is the conditioned response?
Conditioned stimulus - the sensation of a full bladder
Unconditioned stimulus- the alarm
Conditioned response- the child wakes up
106
What is the purpose of cognitive therapy?
The goal is to improve someone's mental wellbeing by changing people's perspectives
107
What is the goal of cognitive behavioral therapy?
Combines both types of therapies to reach behavioral goals by changing the client's thought patterns
108
What is the goal of person-centered therapy?
The goal of person centered therapy is for the therapist to listen to the client without offering much interpretations or advice
109
CC: What type of therapy focuses more on actions than thoughts?
Behavioral therapy
110
CC: Which two types of therapies try to change how people think?
Cognitive and psychoanalysis
111
CC: Which one focuses entirely on sympathetic listening?
Person centered therapy
112
CC: Which one changes how people interpret events?
Cognitive therapy
113
CC: Which therapy might continue for years?
Psychoanalysis
114
What is the goal of family systems therapy?
The goal of family systems therapy is rooted the idea that most people's problems are the result of family relations. So the best way to solve it is have a family therapy to work through those issues
115
What eclectic therapy?
It is when a therapist will utilize multiple approaches as they see fit
116
What is group therapy?
It is when therapy is given by a therapist to a group all at once. This from can be economical as well as comforting in knowing that others have similar problems to themselves
117
What is a self-help group and how is different from group therapy?
It is a group that gathers to tackle a shared problem such as in AA. With the one difference being that there is not a therapist present
118
CC: Why is brief therapy a less important goal for self-help group such as alcoholics anonymous?
It is less important because the goal of AA is for individuals to support each other in overcoming their addiction to alcohol.
119
What is improvement without therapy called?
Spontaneous remission
120
CC: What do nearly all types of psychoanalysis have in common?
A therapeutic alliance is formed that is formed between therapist and client where the client can openly discuss their concerns. Additionally, across all types their is a shared goal of improving the client's condition or symptoms
121
What does prevention mean?
Avoiding a disorder from the onset of it
122
What does intervention mean?
Identifying a disorder in its early stages and relieving it
123
What does maintenance mean?
It means monitoring someone with a disorder to stop it from getting serious
124
What is the goal of community psychologists?
To help people change their environment to prevent the onset of disorders and to improve their overall wellbeing
125
CC: Why is important to do careful research before initiating a new program to prevent a psychological disorder?
Sometimes it can cause or increase the changes of people getting that disorder rather than reducing
126
When did deinstitutionalization of mental hospitals begin?
In the 1950s
127
What happened in the 1976 Tarasoff case?
The court ruled that it is a therapist's responsibility to warn someone who their patient has threatened to harm
128
What is the M' Naghten rule of insanity?
That in order for someone to be pardoned of a crime on the basis of insanity. They must be so out of it that they were unaware of what they were doing
129
CC: How does the concept of mental illness differ from insanity?
It differs because someone with a mental illness might have different thought patterns and behaviors but they are aware of reality. Meanwhile, insanity is when someone is so far gone they are not aware of the world around them.
130
TQ: What happens during free association?
A) People join a self-help group without an obligation to pay
B) A therapist shows someone ambiguous pictures and asks what they mean
C) People in group therapy walk around and talk
D) A client says everything that comes to mind
D
131
TQ: Which type of therapist uses positive reinforcement to achieve specific goals?
A) Cognitive therapist
B) Humanistic therapist
C) Pyschodynamic therapist
D) Behavioral therapist
D
132
TQ: In the behavior-therapy method used for bed-wetting children, what does the device do?
A) It punishes the child for wetting the bed
B) It plays soothing music
C) It alerts the parents that the child wet the bed
D) it wakes the child when they have wet the bed
D
133
TQ: How does a self-help group differ from group therapy?
A) A self-help group has people with more serious disorders
B) A self-help group has no therapist
C) A self-help distributes readings instead of having meetings
D) A self-help group charges every participant the same amount
B
134
TQ: To show that a new form of therapy is effective, researchers need to show that it produces better results than what?
A) The researcher's predictions
B) Other forms of therapy
C) Spontaneous remission
D) The client's expectations
C
135
TQ: Which of the following is a characteristic of community psychologists?
A) They try to prevent mental disorders before they start
B) They live in the same neighborhood as their patients
C) They provide therapy to large groups of people at once
D) They rely on telephone and internet services
A
136
TQ: What does the Tarasoff ruling require?
A) Communities should be free from led paint
B) People who commit a crime but do not understand what they are doing should be considered not guilty by reason of insanity
C) Mentally ill people should be released from mental hospitals and given alternative care
D) A therapist should alert someone the client has threatened
D
