Chapter 1. Science and Practice

Question 1

APA Ethics Code

Answer 1

A common set of principles and standards upon which psychologists build their professional and scientific work; other professions (e.g., school psychologists, social workers) have similar ethics codes

Question 2

Assent

Answer 2

Agreement to participate in treatment or research provided by a person who is unable to give consent because of his or her age or cognitive ability

Question 3

Categorical classification (in DSM-5)

Answer 3

Diagnostic approach in which disorders are divided into mutually exclusive groups based on sets of essential criteria

Question 4

Comorbidity

Answer 4

The presentation of two or more disorders in the same person at the same time

Question 5

Competence

Answer 5

The education, training, and professional experience mental health professionals use to deliver evidence-based services; professionals must practice within its boundaries

Question 6

Confidentiality

Answer 6

The expectation that information that children and families provide during the course of treatment will not be disclosed to others without their consent

Question 7

Consent

Answer 7

A person’s informed and free decision to participate in treatment

Question 8

Culture

Answer 8

Values, knowledge, and practices that people derive from membership in social groups

Question 9

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5)

Answer 9

A compendium of mental disorders and diagnostic criteria adopted by the American Psychiatric Association and used by most mental health professionals in the United States

Question 10

Diagnostic specifier

Answer 10

A label that describes a relatively homogeneous subgroup of individuals with a given disorder

Question 11

Dimensional classification (in DSM-5)

Answer 11

Diagnostic approach in which the severity of the individual’s distress and/or impairment is described on a continuum

Question 12

Ethical principles

Answer 12

Broad ideals or aspirational goals for the professional practice of psychology

Question 13

Ethical standards

Answer 13

Specific rules that guide professional practice in psychology

Question 14

Ethics

Answer 14

Principles and standards of a profession that ensure high-quality care and protect the rights and dignity of others

Question 15

Ethnicity

Answer 15

A culturally constructed identity that is used to define groups of people and communities; it can be rooted in a common history, geographic location, language, religion, or shared experience that distinguishes that person or group from others

Question 16

Evidence-based practice

Answer 16

The integration of empirical research with clinical expertise to help children and families in the context of their characteristics, culture, and preferences

Question 17

Evidence-based treatments

Answer 17

Psychotherapies and medications that have been shown in well-designed research studies to reduce children’s symptoms and improve their functioning

Question 18

Harmful dysfunction

Answer 18

A definition of abnormal behavior characterized by (1) a failure of some internal mechanism to perform a function for which it was naturally selected and (2) the failure causes harm

Question 19

Incidence

Answer 19

The percentage of new cases of a disorder in a discrete period of time, usually 1 year

Question 20

Mental disorder (DSM-5 definition)

Answer 20

“A syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an individual’s cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological, biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning”

Question 21

Multiple relationship

Answer 21

Occurs when a therapist, who is in a professional role with a client, enters into another relationship with the same individual or a person closely associated with that individual; it can impair the objectivity and quality of care

Question 22

Prevalence

Answer 22

The percentage of individuals in a given population who have a medical or psychological condition

Question 23

Prototypical classification (in DSM-5)

Answer 23

Diagnostic approach that is based on the degree to which the individual’s signs and symptoms map onto the ideal picture of the disorder

Question 24

Psychotropic medication

Answer 24

Prescription drugs used to treat psychological disorders, such as anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia

Question 25

Race

Answer 25

A culturally constructed category that can be used to divide people into groups based on superficial physical traits

Question 26

Research Domain Criteria (RDoC) initiative:

Answer 26

A program supported by NIMH to create a new system of classifying mental disorders based on underlying genetic and biological causes

Question 27

Sign (of a disorder)

Answer 27

An observable feature of a disorder (e.g., hyperactivity, sluggish movement)

Question 28

Socioeconomic status (SES)

Answer 28

A composite variable that reflects three aspects of a child’s environment: (1) parents’ levels of education, (2) parents’ employment, and (3) family income

Question 29

Stigma

Answer 29

Negative beliefs that can lead to fear, avoidance, and discrimination by others or shame and low self-worth in oneself

Question 30

Symptom (of a disorder)

Answer 30

A subjective experience associated with a disorder (e.g., anxiety, depressed mood)