Ch. 14 (2) Psychopathology LM Flashcards
A therapist is evaluating a new patient who reports experiencing intense fear and discomfort in social situations. The patient avoids gatherings, public speaking, and even casual interactions, fearing judgment and rejection. Based on these symptoms, which anxiety disorder is the therapist most likely to consider?
a) Generalized Anxiety Disorder
b) Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
c) Panic Disorder
d) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
b) Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
Explanation: The patient’s symptoms align with social anxiety disorder, characterized by a persistent and intense fear of social situations.
A researcher is using the Emotional Stroop task to study attentional biases in individuals with anxiety disorders. Participants are shown a list of words, some emotionally threatening and others neutral, printed in different ink colors. They are asked to name the ink color of each word as quickly as possible. What pattern of results would support the hypothesis that anxiety is associated with an attentional bias towards threatening information?
a) Anxious participants would be faster at naming the ink color of emotionally threatening words compared to neutral words.
b) Anxious participants would be slower at naming the ink color of emotionally threatening words compared to neutral words.
c) There would be no difference in response time between anxious and non-anxious participants for any word type.
d) Anxious participants would be more accurate at naming the ink color of neutral words compared to emotionally threatening words.
b) Anxious participants would be slower at naming the ink color of emotionally threatening words compared to neutral words.
Explanation: The Emotional Stroop task reveals attentional biases. If anxious individuals take longer to name the ink color of threatening words, it indicates their attention is being captured by the word’s meaning, slowing their response.
A neuroimaging study is investigating brain activity in individuals with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) while they are at rest. Based on the sources, which brain region would the researchers likely expect to show heightened activity in these individuals compared to those without GAD?
a) The hippocampus.
b) The occipital lobe.
c) The amygdala.
d) The cerebellum.
c) The amygdala.
Explanation: The amygdala plays a central role in processing fear and anxiety. Heightened activity in this region, even at rest, suggests a state of hypervigilance and increased sensitivity to potential threats in individuals with GAD.
A patient with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) reports experiencing intrusive and distressing memories of a traumatic event. Based on the sources, which brain region is thought to be particularly affected in PTSD, potentially contributing to these vivid and persistent trauma-related memories?
a) The hippocampus.
b) The thalamus.
c) The basal ganglia.
d) The hypothalamus.
a) The hippocampus.
Explanation: studies that show a link between PTSD and a smaller hippocampus. The hippocampus is involved in memory consolidation and contextualization. Dysfunction in this region could lead to difficulties in integrating traumatic memories into a broader context, making them feel more intrusive and fragmented.
A clinician is working with a patient with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) who experiences intrusive, unwanted thoughts (obsessions) that lead to repetitive behaviors (compulsions). Based on the sources, which brain region is believed to be implicated in the heightened self-monitoring and anxiety often seen in OCD?
a) The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC)
b) The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)
c) The insula
d) The parietal lobe
b) The anterior cingulate cortex (ACC)
Explanation: The ACC is involved in error detection, conflict monitoring, and evaluating the emotional significance of events. Overactivity in the ACC in individuals with OCD could contribute to their heightened awareness of perceived errors or threats, fueling their anxiety and compulsive behaviors.
Anxious Apprehension (WORRY):
A) Nervous anticipation of something bad that could happen in the future
B) State of bodily and cognitive hyperarousal
A) Nervous anticipation of something bad that could happen in the future
Heightened Anxious Apprehension (“Worry”): This involves excessive and persistent worrying about future events, potential threats, or negative outcomes. This anticipatory anxiety often lacks a specific focus and can manifest as a pervasive sense of unease or dread. Generalized Anxiety Disorder, for example, is characterized by this chronic, free-floating worry.
Anxious Arousal (PANIC):
A) Nervous anticipation of something bad that could happen in the future
B) State of bodily and cognitive hyperarousal
B) State of bodily and cognitive hyperarousal
Heightened Anxious Arousal (“Panic”): This involves a state of intense physiological and cognitive hyperarousal, often triggered by perceived threats or stressful situations. Symptoms can include rapid heartbeat, shortness of breath, dizziness, sweating, and a sense of impending doom. Panic Disorder, as its name suggests, features recurring panic attacks marked by these intense bodily sensations.
Emotional Stroop Task:
A) Anxious people are slower in naming the ink color of emotionally threatening words because attention automatically captured by word’s emotional meaning
B) Anxious people respond faster when the dot appears in the location where a threatening word just appeared, indicating that attention shifted to the threatening word
A) Anxious people are slower in naming the ink color of emotionally threatening words because attention automatically captured by word’s emotional meaning
Dot Probe Task:
A) Anxious people are slower in naming the ink color of emotionally threatening words because attention automatically captured by word’s emotional meaning
B) Anxious people respond faster when the dot appears in the location where a threatening word just appeared, indicating that attention shifted to the threatening word
B) Anxious people respond faster when the dot appears in the location where a threatening word just appeared, indicating that attention shifted to the threatening word
In animal studies, when Glutamatergic neurons found in the the Amygdala are inhibited…
A) Extinction learning is enhanced
B) Extinction learning is eliminated
B) Extinction learning is eliminated
Lesions in medial prefrontal cortex in animals leads to impaired extinction learning (retain extinction learning)
A researcher is conducting an Emotional Stroop task with participants diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). The participants are presented with a list of words, some of which are related to common worries and anxieties (e.g., “deadline,” “failure,” “illness”) and others are neutral (e.g., “table,” “chair,” “paper”). Each word is printed in a different color ink.
Which of the following results would be most consistent with the expected findings based on the information in the sources?
A. Participants will be faster at naming the ink color of anxiety-related words compared to neutral words.
B. Participants will be slower at naming the ink color of anxiety-related words compared to neutral words.
C. There will be no significant difference in the time it takes participants to name the ink color of anxiety-related words and neutral words.
D. Participants will show increased accuracy in naming the ink color of anxiety-related words compared to neutral words.
B. Participants will be slower at naming the ink color of anxiety-related words compared to neutral words.
Explanation: individuals with anxiety exhibit an attentional bias toward threatening information. In the Emotional Stroop task, this bias manifests as slower response times when naming the ink color of anxiety-provoking words. This delay occurs because the emotional significance of the word captures their attention, making it harder to focus on the less salient feature of the ink color.
In a study using the Emotional Stroop task, researchers found that participants with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) were significantly slower to name the ink color of words related to social evaluation (e.g., “judged,” “rejected,” “embarrassed”) compared to neutral words. This finding provides support for which of the following concepts discussed in the sources?
A. Hypofrontality
B. Sensory Gating
C. Attentional Bias
D. Anxious Arousal
C. Attentional Bias
Explanation: The scenario directly demonstrates the concept of attentional bias, a key characteristic of anxiety disorders discussed in the sources. The slower responses to socially-threatening words indicate that individuals with SAD are more likely to have their attention captured by stimuli related to their specific fear (social evaluation), supporting the idea that anxiety shapes how individuals perceive and prioritize information in their environment.
A researcher is using the dot probe task to investigate attentional biases in individuals with Panic Disorder. Participants are presented with pairs of words, one of which is related to physical symptoms of panic (e.g., “dizzy,” “racing heart,” “breathless”) and the other is neutral (e.g., “calm,” “steady,” “relaxed”). After the words disappear, a dot appears in the location previously occupied by one of the words. Participants must press a button as quickly as possible to indicate the dot’s location.
Which pattern of results would provide the strongest evidence of an attentional bias toward panic-related information in these individuals?
A. Participants are slower to respond when the dot appears in the location previously occupied by a panic-related word.
B. Participants are faster to respond when the dot appears in the location previously occupied by a panic-related word.
C. There is no difference in response time based on whether the dot appears in the location of the panic-related word or the neutral word.
D. Participants are more accurate in detecting the dot when it appears in the location of the neutral word.
B. Participants are faster to respond when the dot appears in the location previously occupied by a panic-related word.
Explanation: The dot probe task measures how quickly attention shifts towards or away from specific stimuli. The sources describe how anxious individuals tend to show faster responses when the dot appears in the location of a threatening word, indicating that their attention has already shifted to that location. Therefore, if individuals with Panic Disorder are quicker to respond when the dot replaces a panic-related word, it suggests an attentional bias towards information congruent with their fear of panic symptoms.
Imagine a study using the dot probe task to compare attentional biases in individuals with Specific Phobia (fear of spiders) to a control group. Which of the following word pairings would be most appropriate to use in this study based on the information in the sources?
A. “Happy” vs. “Sad”
B. “Spider” vs. “Butterfly”
C. “Success” vs. “Failure”
D. “Loud” vs. “Quiet”
B. “Spider” vs. “Butterfly”
Explanation: To effectively assess attentional bias in individuals with a specific phobia, it’s essential to use word pairings that directly contrast the feared stimulus with a neutral stimulus. In this case, pairing “Spider” (the phobic stimulus) with “Butterfly” (a neutral, non-threatening insect) allows researchers to observe whether individuals with a spider phobia exhibit a faster response time when the dot appears in the location previously occupied by the word “Spider,” indicating an attentional bias towards their specific fear. The other pairings are not relevant to the specific fear being investigated.
A patient presents with symptoms of excessive worry, difficulty sleeping, and heightened physiological arousal. Brain imaging studies reveal heightened activity in the amygdala and reduced activity in the ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC). These findings are most consistent with which of the following anxiety disorders, based on the sources?
A. Specific Phobia
B. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
C. Panic Disorder
D. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
B. Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD)
Explanation: GAD as characterized by “free-floating and chronic experience of anxiety” not tied to specific triggers. The heightened amygdala activity aligns with the amygdala’s role in threat detection and the experience of fear and anxiety. The reduced vmPFC activity is consistent with the sources’ explanation of impaired fear extinction in anxiety disorders, where individuals struggle to learn that previously feared situations are safe. This pattern of brain activity – an overactive amygdala coupled with an underactive vmPFC – is frequently observed in individuals with GAD, supporting the answer choice.
