Exam 1 Flashcards
What are the elements in the definition of abnormal psychology?
Understanding:
- Nature of mental disorders
- Causes of mental disorders
- Treatment of mental disorders
Why do some object to the teaching of Abnormal Psychology?
What is considered to be abnormal in some cultures may not be considered abnormal in others
List the elements/indicators of abnormality
- Subjective distress
- Maladaptiveness
- Statistical deviancy
- Violation of society’s standards
- Social discomfort
- Irrationality & unpredictability
- Dangerousness
What are the 3 types of neurotransmitters?
- Excitatory
- Inhibitory
- Neuromodulatory
What do the major psychological theories/models have in common?
- All emphasize the importance of causal factors of a characteristic type
How do the major psychological models differ?
- Psychoanalytic: Assumes that there is an unconscious self
- Behavioralist: Assumes behavior structures thought
- Cognitive-Behavioral: Assumes thought structures behavior
- Humanism: Assumes that there is free will
Can you recognize what type of research design is being used in a given study?
Correlational, Experimental, Case Studies, Longitudinal
What does reliability and validity mean in terms of a classification/diagnostic category, such as a diagnosis in DSM 5?
- Reliability: The degree to which different clinicians consistently agree on a patient’s symptoms and diagnosis
- Validity: The degree to which a clinician can determine the present and future course of a patient’s disorder
When tests have reliability and validity, what does it mean?
- Reliability: Results are consistent across multiple studies/tests
- Validity: A test accurately measures what it is supposed to measure
Stress is defined by chance, intensity, duration, and cumulative amount. What are some of the recommendations for managing stress?
- Healthy diet and sleep
- Emotional regulation
- Emotional disclosure
- Biofeedback
- Relaxation/Meditation
- CBT
Based on what we know about stress, when is someone most likely to get sick?
Long-term stressors
- Cytokine production decreases during an increased activity of stress/conflict in the brain
Abnormal Psychology definition
Domain of psychology concerned with assessment, treatment, and prevention of “abnormal” behavior
ABAB Design
Experimental design; (A) Baseline, (B) Treatment, (A) Baseline/Removing treatment, (B) Treatment reinstated
Definition of Acute
A disorder with a sudden onset–usually with intense symptoms
Analog Studies
Researchers attempt to emulate conditions that are hypothesized to lead to an abnormality
Bias
Preconceived ideas and expectations influence observations and conclusions in studies
Case Study
Investigation of individual or family
Chronic Definition
Long-standing, constant
Correlation Coefficient
A statistic that represents the strength of a correlation; positive or negative
Criterion Group
Group of subjects that exhibit a disorder being studied
Dependent Variable
Factor expected to chage with manipulated (independent) variables
Double-Blind Study
Experiment in which neither participants nor researcher knows if the subject received the treatment or not
Epidemiology
Study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or health-related behaviors in a population
Etiology
Factors that are related to the development, or cause, of a disorder
External Validity
The extent to which findings in a study are relevant to other populations, contexts, or times
Generalizability
The extent to which findings in a study can be used to draw conclusions about other samples
Incidence
Onset rate of a disorder in a given population
Internal Validity
The extent to which a study is free of confounds, is methodologically sound, and allows researchers to have confidence in their findings
Labeling
Assigning a person to a particular diagnostic category (ex. schizophrenia)
Nomenclature
A formalized naming system
1-year Prevalence
Total number of cases of a condition in a population for a given year
Prospective Research
Research method that focuses on those with a higher-than-average likelihood of becoming psychologically disordered before the abnormal behavior is observed
Retrospective Research
Research approach that attempts to retrace early life events
Statistical Significance
The probability that a research finding could have occurred by chance alone
Catharsis
Discharge of emotional tension caused by, or associated with, something (ex. discussing past trauma)
Free Association
Method to probe the unconscious by having patients talk freely about themselves
Attachment Theory
(Contemporary) Developmental and Psychodynamic theory that emphasizes the importance of experiences with attachment relationships early in life.
The early-life attachment relationships lay the foundation for functioning later in life
Behaviorism
(Watson) Believes psychology should be treated as an objective science that studies behavior without referencing mental processes
- Behavior structures thought
Biopsychosocial Viewpoint
Approach to mental disorders that emphasizes biological causations
Behavioral Perspective
Viewpoint that emphasizes that learning is central in determining human behavior
Cytokines
Small protein molecules that enable the brain and immune system to communicate with each other
Antigens
A foreign body (ex. virus, bacteria) or internal threat (ex. tumor) that can trigger an immune system response
T-Score Distribution
Standard distribution of scores that allows for a comparison of scores in a test by comparing scores with a group of unknown values
Standardization
- Process that ensures a test is uniform and is set to meet a specific standard.
- An assessment is approached and scored the same way each time
What is the difference between Symptoms and Signs?
Symptoms: Patient’s subjective experience
Signs: Objective observations from a clinician
Projective Personality Tests
Assessments that present stimuli without a specified meaning to subjects, and their responses can be interpreted to identify underlying personality characteristics
Objective Personality Tests
Structured tests used in psychological assessments (ex. self-inventories)
Neuropsychological Assessment
Tests that measure a person’s cognitive, perceptual, and motor performance to obtain clues to the extent and location of brain damage
Inter-rater Reliability
A measure of an agreement between different raters that have assessed the same person
What is the difference between magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI)?
MRI: Internal scanning that measures variations in magnetic fields in order to have a visualization of anatomical features of internal organs
fMRI: Internal scanning that measures changes in blood flow in the brain in order to map psychological activity (ex. sensations, images, thoughts)
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Graphical record of a brain’s electrical activity that is obtained by placing electrodes on the scalp and measuring brain wave impulses
Pituitary Gland
- Endocrine gland associated with many regulatory functions
- Regulates growth and control of hormones
Phenotype
Observed structural and functional characteristics of a person that result from interactions between genotypes and the environment
Object Relations Theory
- Psychoanalytic theory
- Viewpoint that focuses on an infant or young child’s interactions with real or imagined “objects”, in addition to how they make symbolic representations of important people in their lives
Neurotransmitters
Chemical substances that are released into a synapse by a pre-synaptic neuron, as well as transmitting nerve impulses from one neuron to another
Necessary Cause
A condition that must exist for a disorder to occur
