Chapter 3 Flashcards
clinical assessment
Systematic evaluation and measurement of psychological, biological, and social factors in a person presenting with a possible psychological disorder.
diagnosis
Process of determining whether a presenting problem meets the established criteria for a specific psychological disorder.
reliability
Degree to which a measurement is consistent—for example, over time or among different raters.
validity
Degree to which a technique measures what it purports to measure.
standardization
Process of establishing specific norms and requirements for a measurement technique to ensure it is used consistently across measurement occasions. This includes instructions for administering the measure, evaluating its findings, and comparing these to data for large numbers of people.
mental status exam
Relatively coarse preliminary test of a client’s judgment, orientation to time and place, and emotional and mental state; typically conducted during an initial interview.
behavioral assessment
Measuring, observing, and systematically evaluating (rather than inferring) the client’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior in the actual problem situation or context.
self-monitoring
Action by which clients observe and record their own behaviors as either an assessment of a problem and its change or a treatment procedure that makes them more aware of their responses. Also known as self-observation.
projective tests
Psychoanalytically based measure that presents ambiguous stimuli to clients on the assumption that their responses can reveal their unconscious conflicts. Such tests are inferential and lack high reliability and validity.
personality inventories
Self-report questionnaire that assesses personal traits by asking respondents to identify descriptions that apply to themselves.
intelligence quotient (IQ)
Score on an intelligence test estimating a person’s deviation from average test performance.
neuropsychological test
Assessment of brain and nervous system functioning by testing an individual’s performance on behavioral tasks.
false positive
Assessment error in which pathology is reported (that is, test results are positive) when none is actually present.
false negative
Assessment error in which no pathology is noted (that is, test results are negative) when one is actually present.
neuroimaging
Sophisticated computer-aided procedure that allows nonintrusive examination of nervous system structure and function.
psychophysiological assessment
Measurement of changes in the nervous system reflecting psychological or emotional events such as anxiety, stress, and sexual arousal.
electroencephalogram (EEG)
Measure of electrical activity patterns in the brain, taken through electrodes placed on the scalp.
idiographic strategy
A close and detailed investigation of an individual emphasizing what makes that person unique. (Compare with nomothetic strategy.)
nomothetic strategy
Identification and examination of large groups of people with the same disorder to note similarities and develop general laws.
classification
Assignment of objects or people to categories on the basis of shared characteristics.
taxonomy
System of naming and classification (for example, of specimens) in science.
nosology
Classification and naming system for medical and psychological phenomena.
nomenclature
In a naming system or nosology, the actual labels or names that are applied. In psychopathology, these include mood disorders and eating disorders.
classical (or pure) categorical approach
Classification method founded on the assumption of clear-cut differences among disorders, each with a different known cause. Also known as pure categorical approach.
dimensional approach
Method of categorizing characteristics on a continuum rather than on a binary, either-or, or all-or- none basis.
prototypical approach
System for categorizing disorders using both essential, defining characteristics and a range of variation on other characteristics.
familial aggregation
Extent to which a disorder would be found among a patient’s relatives.
comorbidity
Presence of two or more disorders in an individual at the same time.
labeling
Applying a name to a phenomenon or a pattern of behavior. The label may acquire negative connotations or be applied erroneously to the person rather than that person’s behaviors.
hypothesis
Educated guess or statement to be tested by research.
research design
Plan of experimentation used to test a hypothesis.
dependent variable
In an experimental study, the phenomenon that is measured and expected to be influenced (compare with independent variable).
independent variable
Phenomenon manipulated by the experimenter in a study and expected to influence the dependent variable.
internal validity
Extent to which the results of a study can be attributed to the independent variable after confounding alternative explanations have been ruled out.