Chapter 2 Diagnosis & Assessment QUIZ 1 Flashcards
alternate-form reliability
the relationship between scores achieved by people when they complete two versions of a test that are judged to be equivalent
Australian Psychological Society (APS)
the largest professional association for psychologists in Australia
Australian Psychological Society’s Code of Ethics
a code of conduct for psychologists in Australia that is published by the Australian Psychological Society
behavioural assessment
a sampling of ongoing cognitions, feelings and overt behaviour in their situational context
BOLD (blood oxygenation level dependent)
the signal detected by functional MRI studies of the brain; measures blood flow and thus neural activity in particular regions
case conceptualisation
a process of integrating a patient’s assessment information with theory and research
categorical classification
an approach to assessment in which a person is or is not a member of a discrete grouping
clinical interview
general term for conversation between a clinician and a patient that is aimed at determining diagnosis, history, causes of problems and possible treatment options
comorbidity
the co-occurrence of two disorders, as when a person has depression and social phobia
concurrent validity
the extent to which previously undiscovered features are found among patients with the same diagnosis
construct validity
the extent to which scores or ratings on an assessment instrument relate to other variables or behaviours according to some theory or hypothesis.
E.g. Is the test measuring what it claims to test? Relates to the test as a whole.
content validity
the extent to which a measure adequately samples the domain of interest
E.g. Relates to the questions - do the questions help to create the construct.
criterion validity
the extent to which a measure is associated in an expected way with some other measure
E.g. How predictive is the test? Does this test reflect a certain set of abilities?
CT or CAT scan
refers to computerised axial tomography, a method of diagnosis in which x-rays are taken from different angles and then analysed by a computer to produce a representation of the part of the body in cross-section
diagnosis
the determination that the set of symptoms or problems of a patient indicates a particular disorder
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
the manual of clinical syndromes published by the American Psychiatric Association and used for descriptive diagnosis. DSM-5 was published in 2013, with major changes to the classification system and diagnostic categories
dimensional diagnostic system
an approach to classifying mental disorders that involves considering symptoms, behaviours and characteristics on a continuum, rather than assigning them to a category
ecological momentary assessment (EMA)
form of self-observation involving collection of data in real time (e.g., diaries) regarding thoughts, moods and stressors
electrocardiogram (EKG)
a recording of the electrical activity of the heart, made with an electrocardiograph
electrodermal responding
a recording of the minute electrical activity of the sweat glands on the skin, allowing inference of an emotional state
electroencephalography
a graphic recording of electrical activity of the brain, usually of the cerebral cortex, but sometimes of lower areas
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)
modification of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that allows researchers to take pictures of the brain so quickly that metabolic changes can be measured, resulting in a picture of the brain at work rather than of its structure alone
Health Research Council (HRC)
a government organisation in New Zealand that is responsible for managing the government’s investment in health research and overseeing the work of research committees
Human Research Ethics Committees (HRECs)
committees that oversee research involving human participants in Australia
intelligence test
a standardised means of assessing a person’s current mental ability, for example, the Stanford–Binet test or the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
internal consistency reliability
the degree to which different items of an assessment are related to one another
interrater reliability
the relationship between the judgements that at least two raters make independently about a phenomenon
magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
a technique for measuring the structure (or, in the case of functional magnetic resonance imaging, the activity) of the living brain. The person is placed inside a large circular magnet that causes hydrogen atoms to move; the return of the atoms to their original positions when the current to the magnet is turned off is translated by a computer into pictures of brain tissue
metabolite
a chemical breakdown product of an endogenous molecule, such as a neurotransmitter, or of an exogenous drug; used to gauge current or recent level of its precursor
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
a lengthy personality inventory that identifies individuals with states such as anxiety, depression, masculinity–femininity and paranoia, through their true–false replies to groups of statements
neurologist
physician who specialises in medical diseases that affect the nervous system, such as muscular dystrophy, cerebral palsy or Alzheimer’s disease
neuropsychological tests
psychological tests, such as the Luria–Nebraska, which can detect impairment in different parts of the brain
neuropsychologist
a psychologist who studies how brain dysfunction affects cognition, emotion and behaviour
New Zealand Psychological Society (NZPsS)
the largest professional association for psychologists in New Zealand
personality inventory
a self-report questionnaire comprising statements assessing habitual behavioural and affective tendencies
PET scan
computer-generated picture of the living brain, created by analysis of emissions from radioactive isotopes injected into the bloodstream
predictive validity
the extent to which predictions can be made about the future behaviour of patients with the same diagnosis
projective hypothesis
the notion that standard but highly unstructured stimuli, as found in the Rorschach assessment’s series of inkblots, are necessary to bypass defences in order to reveal unconscious motives and conflicts
projective test
a psychological assessment device, such as the Rorschach series of inkblots, employing a set of standard but vague stimuli, on the assumption that unstructured material will allow unconscious motivations and fears to be uncovered
psychological tests
standardised procedures designed to measure performance on a particular task or to assess personality
psychophysiology
the discipline concerned with the bodily changes that accompany psychological events
reactivity
the phenomenon wherein behaviour changes because it is being observed
reliability
the extent to which a test, measurement or classification system produces the same scientific observation each time it is applied
Research Domain Criteria (RDoC)
a long-term project by the National Institute of Mental Health to develop new ways of classifying psychological disorders based on dimensions of observable behaviour and neurobiological measures
Rorschach Inkblot Test
a projective test in which the examinee is instructed to interpret a series of 10 inkblots reproduced on cards
self-monitoring
in behavioural assessment, a procedure whereby the individual observes and reports certain aspects of his or her own behaviour, thoughts or emotions
standardisation
the process of constructing a normed assessment procedure that meets the various psychometric criteria for reliability and validity
stress
state of an organism subjected to a stressor; can take the form of increased autonomic activity and in the long term can cause breakdown of an organ or development of a psychological disorder
structured interview
an interview in which the questions are set out in a prescribed fashion for the interviewer; assists professionals in making diagnostic decisions based on standardised criteria
test–retest reliability
the relationship between the scores that a person achieves when he or she takes the same test twice
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
a projective test consisting of black-and-white pictures, each depicting a potentially emotion-laden situation, about each of which the examinee is instructed to make up a story
validity
in research, includes internal, the extent to which results can be confidently attributed to the manipulation of the independent variable, and external, the extent to which results can be generalised to other populations and settings. Validity as applied to psychiatric diagnoses includes concurrent, the extent to which previously undiscovered features are found among patients with the same diagnosis, and predictive, the extent to which predictions can be made about the future behaviour of patients with the same diagnosis. Validity as applied to psychological and psychiatric measures includes content validity, the extent to which a measure adequately samples the domain of interest, and criterion, the extent to which a measure is associated in an expected way with some other measure (the criterion)
