Chapter 3: Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis

Question 1

clinical assessment

Answer 1

Systematic evaluation and measurement of psychological, biological, and social factors in a person presenting with a
possible psychological disorder.

Question 2

diagnosis

Answer 2

Process of determining whether a presenting problem meets the established criteria for a specific psychological disorder.

Question 3

reliability

Answer 3

Degree to which a measurement is consistent, for example, over time or among different raters.

Question 4

validity

Answer 4

Degree to which a technique measures what it purports to measure.

Question 5

standardization

Answer 5

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.

Question 6

mental status exam

Answer 6

Relatively brief preliminary test of a client’s judgment, orientation to time and place, and emotional and mental
state; typically conducted during an initial interview.

Question 7

behavioral assessment

Answer 7

Measuring, observing, and systematically evaluating (rather than inferring) the client’s thoughts, feelings, and behavior in the actual problem situation or context.

Question 8

self-monitoring

Answer 8

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

Question 9

projective tests

Answer 9

Psychoanalytically based measures that present ambiguous stimuli to clients on the assumption that their responses will reveal their unconscious conflicts. Such tests are inferential and lack high reliability and validity.

Question 10

personality inventories

Answer 10

Self-report questionnaires that assess personal traits by asking respondents to identify descriptions that apply to
them.

Question 11

intelligence quotient

Answer 11

Score on an intelligence test estimating a person’s deviation from average test performance.

Question 12

neuropsychological tests

Answer 12

Assessment of brain and nervous system functioning by testing an individual’s performance on behavioral tasks.

Question 13

false positive

Answer 13

Assessment error in which pathology is reported (that is, test results are positive) when none is actually present.

Question 14

false negative

Answer 14

Assessment error in which no pathology is noted (that is, test results are negative) when one is actually present.

Question 15

neuroimaging

Answer 15

Sophisticated computer-aided procedures that allow nonintrusive examination of nervous system structure and function.

Question 16

psychophysiological assessment

Answer 16

Measurement of changes in the nervous system reflecting

psychological or emotional events such as anxiety, stress, and sexual arousal.

Question 17

electroencephalogram (EEG)

Answer 17

Measure of electrical activity patterns in the brain, taken

through electrodes placed on the scalp.

Question 18

idiographic strategy

Answer 18

Close and detailed investigation of an individual emphasizing what makes that person unique (compare with nomothetic strategy).

Question 19

nomothetic strategy

Answer 19

Identification and examination of large groups of people with the same disorder to note similarities and develop 
general laws (compare with idiographic strategy).

Question 20

classification

Answer 20

Assignment of objects or people to categories on the basis of shared characteristics.

Question 21

taxonomy

Answer 21

System of naming and classification (for example, of specimens) in science.

Question 22

nosology

Answer 22

Classification and naming system for medical and psychological phenomena.

Question 23

nomeclature

Answer 23

In a naming system or nosology, the actual labels or names that are applied. In psychopathology, these include mood disorders and eating disorders.

Question 24

classical categorical approach

Answer 24

Classification method founded on the assumption of clearcut differences among disorders, each with a different known cause.

Question 25

dimensional approach

Answer 25

Method of categorizing characteristics on a continuum rather than on a binary, either-or, or all-or-none basis.

Question 26

prototypical approach

Answer 26

System for categorizing disorders using both essential, defining characteristics and a range of variation on other
characteristics.

Question 27

familial aggresion

Answer 27

The extent to which a disorder is found among a patient’s relatives.

Question 28

comorbidity

Answer 28

Presence of two or more disorders in an individual at the same time.

Question 29

labeling

Answer 29

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.