Chapter 6 Section Questions

Question 1

Are humans born with the innate capacity to experience fear?

a. No. Humans and most mammalian species are not born with the innate ability to experience fear.
b. No. Humans and most mammalian species are not born with this ability but can only learn to experience fear.
c. Yes. Humans and most mammalian species are born with the innate ability to experience fearful situations.
d. Yes. Humans are, but most mammalian species are not born with the natural ability to experience fear.

Answer 1

c. Yes. Humans and most mammalian species are born with the innate ability to experience fearful situations.

1) Humans and most mammalian species are born with the inborn ability to experience fearful situations. 2) Mammals are equipped with neurophysiological systems associated with a fear response.

Question 2

The existence of fear is ordinarily inferred by which characteristics?

a. Distressful experience, panicked behavior, and overwhelmed emotions
b. Emotional experience, obsessive thoughts, and compulsive behavior
c. Subjective experiences of apprehension, behavioral expressions, and physiological responses
d. Frightening experience, emotional irregularity, and obsessive thoughts

Answer 2

c. Subjective experiences of apprehension, behavioral expressions, and physiological responses

Three components to fear: 1) Subjective experiences of apprehension, such as dread, fright, tension, desire to flee; 2) Behavioral expressions such as flight, disorganization of speech, and impaired motor coordination; 3) Physiological responses such as rapid and irregular breathing, dry mouth, sweating, muscular tension

Question 3

The physiological initial response to fear largely reflects the activation of which biological system?

a. Somatic nervous system
b. Sympathetic nervous system
c. Endocrine system
d. Lymphatic system

Answer 3

b. Sympathetic nervous system.

1) The physiological initial response to fear largely reflects the activation of the sympathetic nervous system. 2) However, some fear responses, such as increased frequency of urination and diarrhea, are produced by the parasympathetic nervous system. 3) Overall, both divisions of the autonomic nervous system are activated in the fear response.

Question 4

Abrupt dilation of the blood vessels, slowing of the heartbeat, drop in blood pressure, and loss in muscle tone can contribute to which type of fear response?

a. Fainting
b. Desensitizing
c. Flooding
d. Conditioning

Answer 4

a. Fainting.

1) Abrupt dilation of the blood vessels, slowing of the heartbeat, drop in blood pressure, and loss of muscle tone are characteristics of fainting. 2) Fainting is a bodily reaction that may occur in a strong, acute fear state that is largely parasympathetic.

Question 5

While _____ is more about actual danger, _____ concerns itself with vague and uncertain circumstances.

a. anxiety; fear
b. fear; phobia
c. phobia; fear
d. fear; anxiety

Answer 5

d. fear; anxiety

Fear is an adaptive state for dealing with a real threat, while anxiety is a chronic fear sensation not clearly associated with any specific stimulus.

Question 6

A rapidly developing sense of fear and anxiety that is accompanied by several physiological symptoms is called _____?

Answer 6

a panic attack.

Example: Shortness of breath, chest pain, and sweating.

Question 7

A panic attack can have several symptoms according to the DSM-5. Name at least 4

Answer 7

Pounding heart, suffocation, heart palpitations, and depersonalization.

1) A panic attack needs to include at least four symptoms from the complete list in the DSM-5. 2) Symptoms include: pounding heart, trembling, chest pain, dizziness, suffocation, heart palpitations, depersonalization, derealization, fear of dying, and others.

Question 8

Although several anxiety disorders in the DSM-5 don’t involve panic attacks, what symptoms do ALL anxiety disorders include?

a. Intensely uncomfortable fear or anxiety
b. Specific phobias and social phobias
c. Ritualistic and repetitive compulsions
d. Obsessive and intrusive thoughts

Answer 8

A. Intensely uncomfortable fear or anxiety.

Question 9

Anxiety disorders are more common in which of these populations?

a. Children
b. Adolescents
c. Men
d. Women

Answer 9

d. Women

1) Anxiety disorders are more common in women. 2) Female-to-male ratios vary among the different disorders and may be as high as 2:1.

Question 10

There is a 6-month minimum for the duration of symptoms for the diagnosis of all EXCEPT which of the following?

a. Specific phobia
b. Generalized anxiety disorder
c. Panic disorder
d. Agoraphobia

Answer 10

c. Panic disorder

1) There is a 6-month minimum for the duration of symptoms for a diagnosis of specific phobia, generalized anxiety disorder, and agoraphobia. 2) Panic disorder is a 1-month duration of symptoms for diagnosis.

Question 11

Which of these reasons is NOT an empirical reason why anxiety disorders are probably more common in females than males?

a. The incidences of anxiety disorders are underreported in males
b. Social roles, such as caregiver, and domestic responsibilities are more often held by females.
c. Biological differences in terms of HPA reactivity between males and females.
d. Females are subjected to more frequent traumas.

Answer 11

b. Social roles, such as caregiver, and domestic responsibilities are more often held by females.

Possible explanations for gender differences in females and males: 1) biological-HPA, hormonal difference; trauma more common in females; underreported in males. 2) That social roles, such as caregiver, and domestic responsibilities are more often held by females does not explain gender differences.

Question 12

Anne Campbell (1999) proposed that male-female differences in anxiety disorders may be related to the differential parental investment during reproduction. What theory explains this finding?

a. Evolutionary theory
b. Cognitive theory
c. Humanistic theory
d. Behavioral theory

Answer 12

a. Evolutionary theory.

1) Evolutionary theory can add to the understanding of gender differences in anxiety disorders. 2) Anne Campbell (1999) proposed that male-female differences in anxiety disorders may be related to the differential parental investment during reproduction.

Question 13

Panic disorder affects about _____ of the population at some point in life.

a. 4%
b. 8%
c. 12%
d. 15%

Answer 13

a. 4%.

Question 14

As the _____ continues to generate increasing anxiety, the person often engages in _____ to neutralize and reduce the anxiety.

Answer 14

obsession; compulsions.

OCD includes obsessions that are followed by compulsions that the individual feels compelled to perform to neutralize the anxiety

Question 15

_____ are intrusive thoughts that are difficult to stop or control.

Answer 15

Obsessions.

Obsessions are thoughts that intrude repeatedly into awareness and are experienced as irrational, unwanted, and challenging to manage or stop.

Question 16

_____ are actions that an individual feels compelled to perform in an attempt to relieve different forms of anxiety.

Answer 16

Compulsions.

Compulsions are actions one feels forced to do that are experienced as irrational and difficult to control.

Question 17

What is thought to be a causal factor for obsessive-compulsive disorder?

a. Conditioning
b. Assimilation
c. Projection
d. Sublimation

Answer 17

a. Conditioning.

Behavioral models propose that the two-factor theory can be applied to understand the cause for OCD through the process of conditioning.

Question 18

The treatment of choice among psychotherapists for OCD is _____.

Answer 18

exposure and response prevention.

1) Exposure and response prevention requires prolonged and repeated contact with the fear or anxiety producing stimulus or situation, while the individual is not allowed to perform the compulsive act. 2) Exposure and response prevention is the treatment of choice among psychotherapists for OCD.

Question 19

People with _____ are preoccupied with what they consider a defect in their appearance.

Answer 19

body dysmorphic disorder.

Body dysmorphic disorder is when an individual has a physical defect that is either imaginary or so slight that the worry is clearly excessive and causes significant distress or impairment in normal functioning.

Question 20

What is thought to be the causal factor for obsessive-compulsive disorder?

a. Conditioning
b. Assimilation
c. Projection
d. Sublimation

Answer 20

Conditioning

Behavioral models propose that the two-factor theory can be applied to understand the cause for OCD through the process of conditioning.

Question 21

What is the treatment of choice among psychotherapists for OCD?

Answer 21

Exposure and response prevention

Question 22

_____ is another name for hair-pulling disorder.

Answer 22

Trichotillomania

1) Trichotillomania is another name for hair-pulling disorder. 2) Trichotillomania consists of episodes of hair pulling, usually involving the scalp and face. 3) Increasing tension to resist precedes the act. 4) Similar causal factors as OCD.

Question 23

People with _____disorder recurrently pick at their skin, causing bleeding, scarring, and infections.

Answer 23

Excoriation

1) People with excoriation disorder recurrently pick at their skin, causing bleeding, scarring, and infections. 2) Also referred to as skin picking disorder. 3) Although it can occur anywhere on the body, it most commonly involves the head, face, hands, and arms

Question 24

If a person collects items, such as newspapers, junk mail, and old receipts, that they are then unable to discard, they may meet the criteria for which disorder?

Answer 24

Hoarding disorder

1) Compulsive hoarders collect items that they are later unable to discard. 2) Hoarders have difficulty in parting with personal possessions regardless of their actual value.

Question 25

Panic disorder is more common in _____, by a factor of _____.

a. males; 3:1
b. males; 2:1
c. females; 2:1
d. females; 3:1

Answer 25

c. females; 2:1

Question 26

Which is the most common pattern of panic attacks?

a. A course of several attacks in a short period of time, and then no attacks for several weeks.
b. A chronic course of increasing and decreasing symptoms.
c. A chronic course where there can be no attacks for months or even years, and then an onset of attacks that are frequent.
d. A course where there is always predictability and warning signs.

Answer 26

b. A chronic course of increasing and decreasing symptoms.

Although almost any pattern of attacks is possible, the most common appears to be one of increasing and diminishing symptoms (waxing and waning of symptoms).