Chapter 3 vocab/reading 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 judgement, 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
personal inventory
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 testing
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 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
cormorbidity
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
external validity
extent to which research findings generalize, or apply, to people and settings not involved in the study
testability
ability of a hypothesis, for example, to be subjected to scientific scrutiny and to be accepted or rejected, a necessary condition for the hypothesis to be useful
confound
any factor occurring in a study that makes the results uninterpretable because a variable other than the independent variable may also affect the dependent variable
control group
group of individuals in a study who are similar to the experimental subjects in every way but are not exposed to the treatment received by the experimental group.Their presence allows for a comparison of the differential effects of the treatment
randomization
method for placing individuals into research groups that assures each an equal chance of being assigned to any group, thus eliminating any systematic differences across groups
analogue model
approach to research that employs subjects who are similar to clinical clients, allowing replication of a clinical problem under controlled conditions.
generalizability
extent to which research results apply to a range of individuals not included in the study.
statistical significance
small probability of obtaining the observed research findings by chance
clinical significance
degree to which research findings have useful and meaningful applications to real problems
effect size
a statistical process that eliminates how large a change in measure occurred. often used before and after a clinical treatment to determine its relative success
patient uniformity myth
tendency to consider all members of a category as more similar than they are, ignoring their individual differences
