Clinical Flashcards
Define abnormality (statistical definition)
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
Define abnormality (social norm definition)
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
Define primary data
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
Define secondary data
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
Define reliability
Is found when what was done in one study is repeated and the same results are found
Define validity
Is found in studies where what is measured is what is claimed to be measured
What is clinical psychology
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’
Possible causes suggested for mental disorders include….
Genetics
Brain injury
Substance abuse
Family history (inherited)
Some of the possible treatments for mental disorders include…
Anti-schizophrenic drugs, ECT ( electroconvulsive therapy), psychotherapy - CBT (cognitive-behavioural therapy) is a popular treatment for depression
Strengths of primary data
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
Weaknesses of primary data
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
Strengths of secondary data
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
Weaknesses of secondary data
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
What are twin studies
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
What is schizophrenia
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
What are the 2 types of symptoms of schizophrenia
Positive and negative
What are positive symptoms of schizophrenia, examples and evaluation
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
What are negative symptoms of schizophrenia, examples and evaluation
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
5 subtypes of schizophrenia
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
What is neurosis
Mental health issues that fall just outside normal functional but the individual is in touch with reality and knows they are ill
What is psychoses
Mental health issues where the individual has lost touch with reality and is not on a continuum with normal mental health
Evaluate the different subtypes of schizophrenia
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
Strengths of twin studies
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
Weaknesses of twin studies
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
