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A2 Psychology > Clinical > Flashcards

Clinical Flashcards

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0
Q

Define abnormality (statistical definition)

A

About statistical infrequency. Behaviour that is statistically rare is said to be abnormal eg. IQ
It uses the normal distribution curve with the middle regions being normal
It has an arbitrary cut off point

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1
Q

Define abnormality (social norm definition)

A

Behaviour which conforms to social norms is ‘normal’ and behaviour that does not is ‘abnormal’.

There are aspects which need to be taken into account when making a judgment about someone being 'abnormal', these are....
Culture 
Age
Gender
The situation 
Historical context
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2
Q

Define primary data

A

Gathered first hand from source, directly by the researcher using methods such as experiments, interviews and questionnaires. An example is Milgram who collected primary data when he studied obedience in a lab

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3
Q

Define secondary data

A

Data that has already been gathered by someone and is used by someone else for further research. For example, government statistics from a census can inform researchers about the number of females living alone. A meta-analysis, in which researchers pool data on a particular topic, uses secondary data because the data studied is not gathered first hand

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4
Q

Define reliability

A

Is found when what was done in one study is repeated and the same results are found

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5
Q

Define validity

A

Is found in studies where what is measured is what is claimed to be measured

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6
Q

What is clinical psychology

A

It is about the study of mental health and mental disorders. It is about diagnosing, explaining and treating mental illness. It also includes abnormality, which includes determining which is classed as ‘normal’

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7
Q

Possible causes suggested for mental disorders include….

A

Genetics

Brain injury

Substance abuse

Family history (inherited)

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8
Q

Some of the possible treatments for mental disorders include…

A

Anti-schizophrenic drugs, ECT ( electroconvulsive therapy), psychotherapy - CBT (cognitive-behavioural therapy) is a popular treatment for depression

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9
Q

Strengths of primary data

A

Operationalisation is done with the research aim in mind, so there is likely to be validity with regard to the aim. Can gather quan or qual data so can be analysed in different ways

More credible than secondary data as it is gathered for the purpose of the chosen research method

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10
Q

Weaknesses of primary data

A

Limited to time, place and number of participants whereas secondary data can come from different sources to give more range and detail. Can be small same size so hard to draw conclusions compared to range of data from secondary data

Data has to be gathered from scratch. Costly and time consuming. Can be personal bias from researcher, which could affect data collection

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11
Q

Strengths of secondary data

A

Saves time and expense in collecting data

Can be from different sources so there is a possibility of comparing data to check for reliability and validity

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12
Q

Weaknesses of secondary data

A

When analysed to be presented as results, there may have been subjectivity

Data may be out of date, therefore not suitable for current research-lacks validity

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13
Q

What are twin studies

A

Twins studies involve comparing monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic twins (DZ) to see what differences there are in the incidence of a certain characteristic. MZ twins are identical twins, come from the same egg and share 100% of genes. Dizygotic twins are non-identical twins, come from 2 different eggs and share 50% of genes, same as other brothers and sisters. If one twin has schiz and the condition is inherited it would be expected that with MZ twins the other twin is more likely to have schiz too, but with DZ twins this is less likely. MZ twins show genetic factors, DZ show environmental factors

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14
Q

What is schizophrenia

A

Mental illness that can affect the way someone thinks, speaks or feels to such a degree that they lose focus on reality. Diagnosis requires 2 or more positive symptoms for a period of at least a month. Can only be done by psychiatrist, as yet no physical way to diagnose, current research looking at blood test or eye tracking

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15
Q

What are the 2 types of symptoms of schizophrenia

A

Positive and negative

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16
Q

What are positive symptoms of schizophrenia, examples and evaluation

A

Distortion of normal functions

Delusions, hallucinations, disorganised speech

Can be affected by cultural differences, tend to have greater weight when diagnosing, hard to measure objectively

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17
Q

What are negative symptoms of schizophrenia, examples and evaluation

A

Lack of normal functions

Apathy, social withdrawal , a logia (lack of speech)

Start before positive symptoms, sometimes start years before diagnosis, less affected by cultural factors, more objectively measured

18
Q

5 subtypes of schizophrenia

A

Paranoid- delusions, hallucinations

Catatonic - immobile, catatonic stupors

Disorganised - giggling, pulling faces

Residual - low level of positive symptoms but psychotic symptoms

Undifferentiated - does not fit into any of above

19
Q

What is neurosis

A

Mental health issues that fall just outside normal functional but the individual is in touch with reality and knows they are ill

20
Q

What is psychoses

A

Mental health issues where the individual has lost touch with reality and is not on a continuum with normal mental health

21
Q

Evaluate the different subtypes of schizophrenia

A

Lacks precision

People don’t fit neatly into one or other subtype

Categorising people gives little or no indication of:
Cause
How it might develop
Effective treatment

22
Q

Strengths of twin studies

A

There is no other way to study genetic influences so clearly, as no other humans share 100% of their DNA

Although the amount they share their DNA differs, both MZ and DZ twins share their environments, so there is a natural control over environmental effects

23
Q

Weaknesses of twin studies

A

MZ twins share their DNA but even in the womb they may experience different environments, which may lead them to develop differently

MZ twins may be treated more alike than DZ twins because they are identical and share their gender too, so their environments may not be as controlled as might be thought

Rare so sample size is small

24
Q

What are animal studies

A

Studies which involve the use of animals to gain a result. They are used in situations where it would not be ethical to use humans. Evidence to support their use includes their reliability from studies such as Castner and Skinner

25
Q

Strengths of animal studies

A

Short life span, can be measured over whole lifetime

Reproduce quickly

26
Q

Weaknesses of animal studies

A

Not ethical as they don’t have consent, don’t know if they are in pain

They are not the same as humans, not generalisable

27
Q

Strengths of the statistical definition of abnormality

A

It uses an arbitrary cut off point with no gradation eg the DSM determines the presence or absence of a disorder through the ticking of boxes

Gives quantitative measure that is objective, makes it more reliable and suitable, someone else administering the test is likely to get the same result and draw same conclusion

Some areas of functioning such as IQ, highlight abnormality as lack of normal functioning. Can be useful evidence

28
Q

Weaknesses of the statistical definition of abnormality

A

‘Abnormal’ in both a stats and mental health sense may not be undesirable. An IQ of over 130 is likely to be desirable. ‘Undesirability’ is not a valid measure of what is thought of in society as abnormality

Abnormal behaviour isn’t rare. Most people are likely to show abnormal behaviour at some time

29
Q

Strengths of social norms definition

A

The idea of abnormality as behaviour that goes against social norms matches what is expected in daily life when talking about abnormality. Eg takes into account that someone highly intelligent is not considered abnormal in sense of being mentally ill

Definition explains why different cultures have alternative ideas of what is normal, takes into account no universal rule about what is normal

It allows the global nature of behaviour to be assessed rather then relying on specific symptom

30
Q

Weaknesses of the social norms definition of abnormality

A

If culture, age, gender, situation, historical context have to be considered then it is hard to have a reliable idea of what is abnormal. So diagnosis is difficult as not set symptoms to rely on

Any definition of abnormality would lack validity except in one particular culture at one time with one gender and one age group in a particular situation. Lacks Validity

31
Q

What are positive symptoms of schiz

A

Additions to behaviour and actual symptoms that can be noted. They include first-rank symptoms

32
Q

What are negative symptoms of schiz

A

Where normal functioning isn’t present

33
Q

What is depression

A

A mood disorder. The individual has intense feelings of sadness, a lack of enjoyment in activities they used to enjoy, difficulties sleeping, lack of motivation and lethargy. The feelings can be intense and last a long time

34
Q

Studies which found the DSM to be reliable

A

Goldstein

Brown et al

Stinchfield

Kirk and kutchins

35
Q

Study that found the DSM to be valid

A

Kim-Cohen et al

36
Q

What is axis 1 of the DSM

A

Clinical disorders, eg depression, schiz

37
Q

What is axis 2 of the DSM

A

Personality disorders eg paranoid personality disorder, ant-social personality disorder

38
Q

What is axis 3 of the DSM

A

Medical and physical conditions eg brain injuries

39
Q

What is axis 4 of the DSM

A

Pyschosocial and environmental factors eg poverty, dysfunctional families

40
Q

What is axis 5 of the DSM

A

Assessment of global functioning
Overall rating scale of ability to cope with normal life

100= superior functioning 
50= serious symptoms 
10= persistent danger of hurting self
41
Q

Describe dream analysis

A

Client asked to recount dreams in as much detail as possible

Therapist listens to the manifest content

Therapist able to uncover latent content of dream and explain this to client

Now know what is troubling client so can resolve issues

Understanding the symbols is vital

42
Q

Evaluate dream analysis

A

Strengths…
Access the cause of disorder unlike drugs which just mask it
Valuable in treating egPTSD compared to drug treatment which only helps with the anxiety side of the disorder

Weaknesses…
The client is dependent on the interpretation from the therapist
Symbol interpretation can be very specific so a different therapist may interpret dream content differently

43
Q

Research methods used to investigate schizophrenia

A

Animal studies

Twin studies

Case studies

Interviews

A2 Psychology (4 decks)

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