Chapter 3 Flashcards
Idiographic understanding
An understanding of the behavior of a particular individual
Assessment
The process of collecting and interpreting relevant information about a client or research participant
Standardization
The process in which a test is administered to a large group of people whose performance then serves as a standard or norm against which any individual’s score can be measured
Realibility
A measure of the consistency of test or research results
Validity
The accuracy of a test’s or study’s results; that is, the extent to which the test or study actually measures or shows what it claims
Clinical interview
Face-to-face encounter
Mental status exam
A set of interview questions and observations designed to reveal the degree and nature of a client’s abnormal functioning
Test
A device for gathering information about a few aspects of a person’s psychological functioning from which broader information about the person can be inferred
Projective test
A test consisting of ambiguous material that people interpret or respond to
Rorschach test
Individuals view and react to a total of 10 inkblot images
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
Individuals are asked to view 30 black-and-white pictures of individuals in vague situations and asked to make up a dramatic story about each card
Personality inventory
A test designed to measure broad personality characteristics, consisting of statements about behaviors, beliefs, and feelings that people evaluate as either characteristic or uncharacteristic of them
Minnesota Multiphase Personality Inventory (MMPI)
The widely used personality inventory in which more than 500 self-statements, to be labeled true, false, or cannot say
Response inventories
Tests designed to measure a person’s responses in one specific area of functioning, such as affect, social skills, or cognitive process
Psychophysiological test
A test that measures physical responses (such as heart rate and muscle tension) as possible indicators of physiological problems
Neurological test
A test that directly measures brain structure or activity
EEG
Electroencephalogram; records brain waves, the electrical activity taking place within the brain as a result of neurons firing
CAT scan
Computerized axial tomography scan; X rays of the brain’s structure are taken at different angles and combined
Neuroimaging techniques
Neurological tests that provide images of brain structure or activity, such as CT scans, PET scans, and MRIs. Also called brain scans
PET scan
Positron emission tomography; A computer produced motion picture of chemical activity throughout the brain
MRI
Magnetic resonance imaging; A procedure that uses the magnetic property of certain atoms in the brain to create a detailed picture of the brain’s structure
fMRI
Functional magnetic resonance imaging; Converts numerous MRI pictures of brain structures into detailed pictures of neuron activity, offering a picture of the functioning brain
Neuropsychological test
A test that detects brain impairment by measuring a person’s cognitive, perceptual, and motor performances
Battery
Series
Intelligence test
A test designed to measure a person’s intellectual ability
Intelligence quotient (IQ)
An overall score derived from intelligence tests
Naturalistic observation
Clinicians observe clients in their everyday environments
Analog observation
Clinicians observe clients in an artificial setting, such as a clinical office or laboratory
Self-monitoring
Clients are instructed to observe themselves
Diagnosis
A determination that a person’s problems reflect a particular disorder
Syndrome
A cluster of symptoms that usually occur together
Classification system
A list of disorders, along with descriptions of symptoms and guidelines for making appropriate dianoses
DSM-5
The current edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
Categorical information
Refers to the name of the category (disorder) indicated by the client’s symptoms
Dimensional information
A rating of how severe a client’s symptoms are and how dysfunctional the client is across various dimensions of personality
Empirically supported treatment
A movement in the clinical field that seeks to identify which therapies have received clear research support for each disorder, to develop corresponding treatment guidelines, and to spread such information to clinicians. Also known as evidence-based treatment.
Therapy outcome study
Studies that measure the effects of various treatments
Rapprochement movement
An effort to identify a set of common strategies that run through the work of all effective therapists
Psychopharmacologist
A psychiatrist who primarily prescribes medications
