applied psych mock 2

Question 1

What is the pre-historic view of mental illness and how was it treated?

Answer 1

belief = mental illness caused by evil spirits
treatment = trepanation

Question 2

What is the medieval view of mental illness and how was it treated?

Answer 2

belief = demons
treatment = exorcisms by priests

Question 3

What should be included in the question about historical views of mental illness?

Answer 3

1. belief
2. treatment
3. desired outcome of the treatment

Question 4

What is the desired outcome of the treatments according to historical views?

Answer 4

to prevent violent and aggressive behaviours

Question 5

What is Gottesman summarised?

Answer 5

• 2.6 million people from Denmark
• x2 registry - Danish psychiatric inpatient facility and Danish civil registration system
• info about heritability and inheritance of mental disorders
• homotypic vs heterotypic
• sz results = 27%, 7%, 0.9%
• bip results = 25%, 4%, 0.5%
• likelihood to experience mental disorders increases if parents have experinced them

Question 6

What are the biological treatments of mental illness?

Answer 6

• biomedical drug therapy = SSRIs and anti-psychotics
• anti-psychotics = binds to receptors on the post synaptic neuron = stops excess / too much dopamine binding = prevents positive symptoms such as hallucinations
• TMS = stops voices for those with schizophrenia - brain stimulation and weakens prefrontal cortex signals

Question 7

Why can mental illnesses be considered social sensitive (PREEL)?

Answer 7

P= stigma and discrimination due to labelling as abnormal
R= prejudice regarding mental disorders such as schizophrenia = erratic behaviour
E= not being trusted to do certain things such as communicating with others ‘correctly’ or ‘properly’ due to positive symptoms such as hallucinations
E= therefore people are labelled as incapable and treated as though they cannot perform simple tasks becoming defined by their mental disorder = self fulfilling prophecy
L= therefore very unethical as large groups impacted by social stigmas surrounding schizophrenia

Question 8

What is a summary of Barkley and Levenson’s risk taking study?

Answer 8

• ontogenic differences of pre-frontal cortex and ventral striatum
• 19 healthy right-handed adults and 22 healthy right handed adolescents (California, volunteer)
• intake session = consent, mock fMRI scan, given $20 - reduce house money effect
• 50/50 mixed gambling task one week after intake - spinner e.g., +$17 on one side and -$5 - calculate EV of loss or win
• had some win only and loss only trials = control
• behavioural and neural responses observed
• behavioural results = acceptance rates did not change when win only or loss only trials and higher EV = higher chance of gambling
• neural results = greater activation in VS in adolescents comp to adults - no brain differences when there was no risk (win only or loss only)

Question 9

what are the applications for risk taking?

Answer 9

• GDL scheme = Graduated Learner Driver - get licence in stages e.g., learner stage always supervised, intermediate stage only unsupervised during daytime - lower speed limits
• operant conditioning - positive reinforcement e.g., getting a 3 day weekend for good attendance and positive punishments - staying after school for the number of learning hours missed

Question 10

why is brain development scientific?

Answer 10

YES:
- quan data
- replicable
- standardised
- deterministic (nomothetic) - hypothesis/ prediction of behaviours
- fMRI = falsifiable
NO:
- samples
- individual differences - snapshots - don’t know long term effects

Question 11

Explain how Memon and Higham could be used to improve how police interview witnesses

Answer 11

• review article
• components of CI - context reinstatement, diff POVs, diff order, and report everything
• isolation of CI - context reinstatement = most effective - due to multiple retrieval pathways
• ECI = all CI components but in standardised and structured way + rapport building and open ended questions
• quality of training = 2-5 day programmes - for already strong interviewers - waste of time training weak interviewers

Question 12

what are the ethics to collection of forensic evidence?

Answer 12

• little PFH = distressing reliving the crime esp. serious crimes, CI and ECI - emphasise context reinstatement = retuning mentally - distressing experience - BUT most effective
• no RTW - especially for suspects, Reid’s nine steps aim is to obtain signed confession (step 9) and step one = direct confrontation = fixed order - highly intense - not allowed to deny guilt + guilt presumptive process= psychologically distressing - not conform to innocent until proven guilty - but cannot leave until got signed confession = false confessions
• YES ethical - training programmes quality = suggests competence of interviewers - able to accurately and effectively fulfil their role without psychologically harming the suspects + PEACE techniques = less confrontational = more ethical (PFH)

Question 13

What are psychologist suggestions to improve police interview techniques?

Answer 13

• use the CI interview technique = utilises cues from context reinstatement = enhance recall improving accuracy of EWT (inc all 4 sections)
• improvement = ECI = all CI components but more standardised and structured = more reliable than CI and improved communication with suspects and witnesses = rapport building = more comfortable = more valid
• PEACE techniques = less confrontational method of interviewing suspects
• policy of visually and auditory recording interviews = improve accuracy and validity