Chapter 1 Overview and Research Flashcards
ABAB Design
An experimental design, often involving a single subject, wherein a baseline period (A) is followed by a treatment (B). To confirm that the treatment resulted in a change in behavior, the treatment is then withdrawn (A) and reinstated (B).
abnormal psychology
a type of psychology that is concerned with understanding the nature, causes, and treatment of mental disorders.
acute
(symptoms) short in duration
analogue studies
Studies in which a researcher attempts to emulate the conditions hypothesized as leading to abnormality.
bias
Observer bias occurs when the researcher has preconceived ideas and expectations that influence the observations he or she makes in the research study.
case study
an in depth examination of an individual or family that draws from a number of data sources, including interviews and psychological testing
chronic
(symptoms) long in duration
comorbidity
prevalence of 2 or more disorders in the same person
what types of folks are you most likely to see comorbidity in
those with more serious forms of a disorder
comparison/control group
group of subjects who do not have the disorder being studied
correlation
The tendency of two variables to change together. With positive correlation, as one variable goes up, so does the other; with negative correlation, one variable goes up as the other goes down
correlation coefficient
A statistic that ranges from +1.0 to –1.0 and reflects the degree of association between two variables. The magnitude of the correlation indicates the strength of the association, and the sign indicates whether the correlation is positive or negative.
correlational research
A research strategy that examines whether and how variables go together (co-vary) without manipulating (changing) any variables.
what are the indicators of abnormality
subjective distress, maladaptiveness, statistical deviancy, violation of the standards of society, social discomfort, irrationality and unpredictability, dangerousness
what is the definition of mental disroder in the DSM-5
a syndrome that is present in an individual and that involves clinically significant disturbance in behavior, emotional regulation, or cognitive functioning
nomenclature
a naming system
stereotyping
automatic beliefs concerning other people that we unavoidable learn as a result of growing up in a particular culture
epidemiology
he study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or health-related behaviors in a given population
Prevalence
refers to the number of active cases in a population during any given period of time
point prevalence
refers to the estimated proportion of actual, active cases of a disorder in a given population at a given point in time
1 year prevalence
count everyone who experienced a disorder at any point throughout the entire year
lifetime prevalence
an estimate of the number of people who have had a particular disorder at any given time in their lives (even if they are now recovered)
incidence
number of new cases that occur over a given period of time (typically a year)
DALYS
disability adjusted life years ( 1 DALY = 1 year lost of healthy life)
outpatient (with examples)
rovide mental health treatment in a non-hospital setting, allowing individuals to receive therapy, counseling, or other support without requiring overnight stays (i.e. community mental health centers, private therapists, outpatient hospital departments)
inpatient
hospitalization: severe cases requiring intensive care but has declined significantly
what mental health professionals are typically on an inpatient care team
psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, psych nurses
what mental health professionals are typically associated with outpatient
Generally 1 or 2 professionals (such as a psychiatrist for medications and clinical counsellor for psychotherapy)
etiology
causes of disorders
confirmation bias
tendency to notice evidence supporting ones beliefs
what are the three approaches to gather info in research
case studies, self report data, observational approaches
generalizability
the extent to which the findings from a single study can be used to draw conclusions about other samples
observational approaches
Collecting info by not asking people directly
self report data
Data collected directly from participants, typically by means of interviews of questionnaires
Direction observation
method of collecting research data that involves directly observing behaviour in a given situation
random sampling
Sample drawn in such a way that each member of a population has an equal chance of being selected; it is hoped that such a sample will be fully representative of the population from which it is drawn
samples of convenience
readily available participants
external validity
The extent to which the findings from a single study are relevant to other populations, contexts, or times.
internal validity
the extent to which a study is free of confounds, is methodologically sound, and allows the researcher to have confidence in the findings
positive correlation
A relationship between two variables such that a high score on one variable is associated with a high score on another variable
negative correlation
A relationship between two variables such that a high score on one variable is associated with a low score on another variable.
statistical significance
A measure of the probability that a research finding could have occurred by chance alone. Shown as p<.05 = ○ the probability that the correlation would occur purely by chance is less than 5 out of 100.
effect size
A statistical term referring to the strength of the relationship between two variables in a statistical population.
meta analysis
A statistical method used to combine the results of a number of similar research studies.
third variable problem
Refers to the problem of making causal inferences in correlational research, where the correlation between two variables could be due to their shared correlation with an unmeasured third variable.
retrospective research strategy
○ Looks back in time to study early life behaviors and their association with later disorders.
prospective research strategy
Looks ahead in time to identify individuals at high risk for psychological disorders before they develop
experimental research
Research that involves the manipulation of a given factor or variable with everything else held constant.
independent variable
factor whose effects are being examined and which is manipulated in some way, while other factors are held constant
dependent variable
the factor that is observed to change with changes in the manipulated variables (IV)
double blind
method used (neither participants nor experimenters knew who received treatment)
placebo effect
An inert pill or otherwise neutral intervention that produces desirable therapeutic effects because of the subject’s expectations that it will be beneficial)
single case research design
An experimental research design (e.g., an ABAB design) that involves only one subject.
