Chapter 3: Clinical Assessment, Diagnosis, and Research in Psychopathology

Question 1

assessment

Answer 1

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

funnel

Purposes: to understand the individual, to predict behavior, to plan treatment, to evaluate treatment outcomes.

Question 2

Analogous to a funnel

Answer 2

start the assessment broad, then narrow it down to a specific problem

Question 3

What is consistency in measurement?

Answer 3

reliability

Question 4

What an assessment measures and how well it does

Answer 4

validity

Question 5

Ensures consistency in the use of a technique

Answer 5

standardization (an average score on a psychological test for a specific cohort e.g. African American teenage male from the middle class)

Question 6

Clinical interview

Answer 6

structured or semi-structured interview with client. Open questions. Using the funnel to get more information to find what the problem is.

Question 7

Mental status exam

Answer 7

small test of a client’s judgment, orientation to time and place, and emotional and mental state. If score is 25/30 or less, something is wrong.

Question 8

Projective tests

Answer 8

Inkblot tests, etc.

The theory is that people project their own personality and unconscious fears onto other people ad things and, without realizing it, reveal their unconscious thoughts to the therapist.

Question 9

Neuropsychological testing

Answer 9

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