Glossary 2 Flashcards
A legal decision as to whether person can participate meaningfully in his or her own defense
competency to stand trial.
The irresistible impulse to repeat an irrational act or thought over and over again. Compare obsession.
compulsion.
As applied in behavior genetics, the similarity in psychiatric diagnosis or in other traits within a pair of twins
concordance.
Pattern of extreme disobedience in youngsters, including theft, vandalism, lying, and early drug use
conduct disorder.
A principle observed by lawyers, doctors, pastors, psychologists, and psychiatrists which dictates that the contents of a professional and private relationship not be divulged to anyone else. See also privileged communication.
confidentiality
The extent to which scores or ratings on an assessment instrument relate to other variables or behaviors according to some theory or hypothesis.
construct validity.
Pleasure experienced in-the-moment or in the presence of a pleasurable stimulus. See also anticipatory pleasure
consummatory pleasure.
Those for whom the active condition of the independent variable is not administered, thus forming a baseline against which the effects of the active condition of the independent variable can be evaluated
control group.
A pattern of alcohol consumption that is moderate, avoiding the extremes of total abstinence and of inebriation
controlled drinking.
A disorder in which sensory or motor function is impaired, even though there is no detectable neurological explanation for the deficits.
conversion disorder.
Refers to variation in gene structure involving copy number changes in a defined chromosomal region; could be in the form of a deletion where a copy is deleted or an addition (duplication) where an extra copy is added
copy number variation (CNV).
The large band of nerve fibers connecting the two cerebral hemispheres
corpus callosum.
The tendency for two variables, such as height and weight, to covary.
correlation.
A statistic ranging in value from -1.00 to +1.00 that measures the degree to which two variables are related. The sign indicates whether the relationship is positive or negative, and the magnitude indicates the strength of the relationship
correlation coefficient.
The research strategy used to establish whether two or more variables are related without manipulating the independent variable. Relationships may be positive - as values for one variable increase those for the other do also - or negative - as values for one variable increase, those for the other decrease. Compare experiment.
correlational method.
A “stress hormone” secreted by the adrenal cortices; helps the body prepare to face threats
cortisol.
A doctoral-level mental health professional whose training is similar to that of a clinical psychologist, though usually with less emphasis on research and serious psychopathology.
counselling psychologist.
A rock-crystal form of cocaine that is heated, melted, and smoked; more often used in poorer urban areas than conventional cocaine.
crack.
A procedure whereby a person is confined in a mental hospital either for determination of competency to stand trial or after acquittal by reason of insanity. Compare civil commitment.
criminal commitment.
Acting on the same neurotransmitter receptors, as methadone does with heroin.
cross-dependent.
Research method that studies offspring who were adopted and reared completely apart from their biological parents, where the adoptive parent has a particular disorder but the biological parent does not thereby introducing the influence of being raised by disordered parents.
cross-fostering.
Studies in which different age groups are compared at the same time. Compare longitudinal design.
cross-sectional design.
Refers to computerized axial tomography, a method of diagnosis in which X-rays are taken from different angles and then analyzed by computer to produce a representation of the part of the body in Cross section
CT or CAT scan.
The capacity of a therapist to understand the patient’s cultural framework and its implications for therapeutic work.
cultural competence.
An endocrine disorder usually affecting young women, produced by oversecretion of cortisone and marked by mood swings, irritability, agitation, and physical disfigurement
Cushing’s syndrome.
A form of bipolar disorder characterised by swings between elation and depression over at least a 2-year period, but with moods not so severe as manic or major depressive episodes.
cyclothymic disorder.
Immune system molecules, released by activated macrophages, which help initiate such bodily responses to infection as fatigue, fever, and activation of the HPA axis
cytokines.
A medication that enhances learning which has been found to enhance the effects of exposure therapy for several of the anxiety disorders.
D-cycloserine (DCS).
In psychoanalytic theory, reality-distorting strategies unconsciously adopted to protect the ego from anxiety.
defence mechanisms.
A disorder in men involving delay in reaching orgasm or inability to reach orgasm.
delayed ejaculation.
A state of great mental confusion in which consciousness is clouded, attention cannot be sustained, and the stream of thought and speech is incoherent. The person is probably disoriented, emotionally erratic, restless or lethargic, and often has illusions, delusions and hallucinations.
delirium.
One of the withdrawal symptoms that sometimes occurs when a period of heavy alcohol consumption is terminated, marked by fever, sweating, trembling, cognitive impairment, and hallucinations
delirium tremens (DTs).
A disorder in which the individual has persistent delusions and is very often contentious but has no disorganized thinking or hallucinations.
delusional disorder.
Beliefs contrary to reality, firmly held in spite of evidence to the contrary and common in paranoid disorders: of control, belief that one is being manipulated by some external force such as radar, television, or a creature from outer space; of grandeur, belief that one is an especially important or powerful person; of persecution, belief that one is being plotted against or oppressed by others.
delusions.
An older term for schizophrenia, believed then to be an incurable and progressive deterioration of mental functioning beginning in adolescence.
dementia praecox.
Deterioration of mental faculties - memory, judgment, abstract thought, control of impulses, intellectual ability - that impairs social and occupational functioning and eventually changes the personality. See Alzheimer’s disease.
dementia.
Form of dementia that often co-occurs with Parkinson’s disease; characterised by shuffling gait, memory loss, and hallucinations and delusions
dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB).
The doctrine that a persons abnormal behaviour is caused by an autonomous evil spirit
demonology.
A personality disorder in which people are overly concerned about maintaining relationships. People with this disorder often allow others to make decisions for them and are reticent to make demands that could challenge relationships.
dependent personality disorder.
In a psychological experiment, the behaviour that is measured and is expected to change with manipulation of the independent variable
dependent variable.
An alteration in perception of the self in which the individual loses a sense of reality and feels estranged from the self and perhaps separated from the body, may be a temporary reaction to stress and fatigue or part of panic disorder, depersonalisation disorder, or schizophrenia
depersonalisation.
A dissociative disorder in which the individual feels unreal and estranged from the self and surroundings enough to disrupt functioning. People with this disorder may feel that their extremities have changed in size or that they are watching themselves from a distance.
depersonalisation/derealisation disorder.
Loss of the sense that the surroundings are real; present in several psychological disorders such as panic disorder, depersonalisation disorder, and schizophrenia
derealisation.
The first stage of the sexual response cycle, characterised by sexual interest or desire, often associated with sexually arousing fantasies.
desire phase.
The initial stage in weaning an addicted person from a drug; involves medical supervision of the sometimes painful withdrawal.
detoxification.
The field that studies disorders of childhood within the context of normal life-span development
developmental psychopathology.
The determination that the set of symptoms or problems of a patient indicates a particular disorder
diagnosis.
A therapeutic approach to borderline personality disorder that combines client- centered empathy and acceptance with behavioral problem solving, social skills training, and limit setting.
dialectical behavior therapy
Predisposition toward a disease or abnormality.
diathesis.
As applied in psychopathology, a view that assumes that individuals predisposed toward a particular mental disorder will be particularly affected by stress and will then manifest abnormal behavior.
diathesis-stress.
An approach to assessment in which a person is placed on a continuum. Compare categorical classification.
dimensional classification.
A difficulty that arises in the correlational method of research when it is known that two variables are related but it is unclear which is causing the other.
directionality problem.
Symptom of schizophrenia that is marked by odd behaviours that do not appear organised, such as bouts of agitation, unusual dress, or childlike, silly behavior
disorganised behaviour.
Speech found in schizophrenia patients that is marked by poorly organised ideas and speech that is difficult for others to understand; also known as formal thought disorder.
disorganised speech.
Broad category of symptoms in schizophrenia that includes disorganised speech, disorganised thinking, and disorganised behaviour.
disorganised symptoms.
A state of mental confusion with respect to time; place; and identity of self, other persons, and objects.
disorientation.
A DSM-5 disorder defined by severe temper outbursts and observably irritable mood between outbursts in youth older than age 6
disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.
The process of facilitating adoption of efficacious treatments in the community, most typically by offering clinicians guidelines about the best available treatments along with training on how to conduct those treatments
dissemination.
A process whereby a group of mental processes is split off from the main stream of consciousness or behaviour loses its relationship with the rest of the personality.
dissociation.
A dissociative disorder in which the person suddenly becomes unable to recall important personal information to an extent that cannot be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.
dissociative amnesia.
Disorders in which the normal integration of consciousness, memory, or identity is suddenly and temporarily altered; include dissociative amnesia, dissociative identity disorder (multiple personality), and depersonalisation/derealisation disorder.
dissociative disorders.
A rare dissociative disorder (formerly called multiple personality disorder, or MPD) in which two or more fairly distinct and separate personalities are present within the same individual, each with his or her own memories, relationships, and behavior patterns, with only one of them dominant at any given time
dissociative identity disorder (DID).
Birth partners who developed from separate fertilized eggs and who are only 50 percent alike genetically, just as siblings born from different pregnancies involving the same father; also called fraternal twins. Compare monozygotic twins
dizygotic (DZ) twins.
Central nervous system neurotransmitter, a catecholamine that is also a precursor of norepinephrine and apparently figures in schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease.
dopamine.
The view that schizophrenia is linked to an increase in the number of dopamine receptors.
dopamine theory.
A region of the prefrontal cortex involved in working memory, motor planning, organisation, and regulation that is implicated in many psychopathologies.
dorsolateral prefrontal cortex.
A method for reducing the biasing effects of the expectations of research participant and experimenter; neither is allowed to know whether the independent variable of the experiment is being applied to the participant.
double-blind procedure.
A form of intellectual developmental disorder caused by a third copy of a particular chromosome; involves an IQ usually less than 50 as well as distinctive physical characteristics.
Down syndrome (trisomy 21).
Learning disorder characterised by difficulty recalling arithmetic facts, counting objects, and aligning numbers in columns.
dyscalculia.
A learning disorder involving significant difficulty with word recognition, reading comprehension, and (typically) spelling.
dyslexia.
DSM-IV TR diagnosis for persistent or recurrent pain during sexual intercourse not attributable to a medical problem
dyspareunia.
A DsM-IV-TR disorder that has been relabelled as persistent depressive disorder in DSM-5
dysthymia (dsythymic disorder).
Form of self-observation involving collection of data in real time (e.g., diaries) regarding thoughts, moods, and stressors
ecological momentary assessment (EMA).
A relatively new hallucinogen, chemically similar to mescaline and the amphetamines.
Ecstasy.
How well a therapeutic treatment works in the real world in the hands of broader samples of non-academic, less supervised therapists. Compare efficacy
effectiveness.
How well a therapeutic treatment works under rarified, academic research conditions. Compare effectiveness
efficacy.
In psychoanalytic theory, the predominantly conscious part of the personality, responsible for decision making and for dealing with reality.
ego.
A recording of the electrical activity of the heart, made with an electrocardiograph
electrocardiogram (EKG).
A treatment that produces a convulsion by passing electric current through the brain, despite public concerns about this treatment, it can be useful in alleviating profound depression.
electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).
A recording of the minute electrical activity of the sweat glands on the skin, allowing inference of an emotional state.
electrodermal responding.
A graphic recording of electrical activity of the brain, usually of the cerebral cortex, but sometimes of lower areas.
electroencephalogram (EEG).
The expression, experience, and physiology that guide responses to problems and challenges in the environment
emotion.
Approaches whose efficacy has been demonstrated and documented through research that meets the APA’s standards for research on psychotherapy.
empirically supported treatments (ESTs).
opiates produced within the body; may have an important role in the processes by which the body builds up tolerance to drugs and is distressed by their withdrawal
endorphins.
A complex protein that acts as a catalyst in regulating metabolic activities.
enzyme.
The study of the frequency and distribution of illness in a population.
epidemiology.
The study of changes in gene expression that are caused by something other than changes in the DNA (gene) sequence or structure, such as DNA methylation.
epigenetics.
A condition, such as major depressive disorder, whose symptoms dissipate but that tends to recur.
episodic disorder.
A recurrent and persistent inability to attain an erection or maintain it until completion of sexual activity
erectile disorder.
All the factors that contribute to the development of an illness or disorder.
etiology.
As applied by Masters and Johnson, the second stage of the sexual response cycle, characterised by pleasure associated with increased blood flow to the genitalia.
excitement phase.
A DSM-5 disorder defined by skin picking
excoriation.
The cognitive capacity to plan how to do a task, how to devise strategies, and how to monitor one’s performance
executive functioning.
Marked preference for obtaining sexual gratification by exposing ones genitals to an unwilling observer.
exhibitionistic disorder (exhibitionism).
The casting out of evil spirits by ritualistic chanting or torture.
exorcism.
The most powerful research technique for determining causal relationships; involves the manipulation of an independent variable, the measurement of a dependent variable, and the random assignment of participants to the several different conditions being investigated. Compare correlational method.
experiment.
A statistically significant difference between two groups experiencing different manipulations of the independent variable
experimental effect.
Memory involving the conscious recall of experiences; the area of deficits typically seen in dissociative amnesia. Compare implicit memory
explicit memory.
Real-life (in vivo) or imaginal confrontation of feared object or situation, especially as a component a of systematic desensitisation. See also imaginal exposure.
exposure.
The most widely used and accepted treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder, in which the sufferer is prevented from engaging in compulsive ritual activity and instead faces the anxiety provoked by the stimulus, leading eventually to extinction of the conditioned response (anxiety)
exposure and response prevention (ERP).
Hostility, criticism, and emotional overinvolvement directed from other people toward the patient, usually within a family
expressed emotion (EE).
The extent to which the results of a study can be considered generalisable
external validity.
Domain of childhood disorders characterised by outward-directed behaviours such as aggressiveness, noncompliance, overactivity, and impulsiveness; the category includes attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder. Compare internalising disorders
externalising disorders.
The elimination of a classically conditioned response by the omission of the unconditioned stimulus. In operant conditioning, the elimination of the conditioned response by the omission of reinforcement
extinction.
Personality trait associated with frequent experiences of positive affect and social engagement
extraversion.
Disorder in which the individuals physical or psychological symptoms appear under voluntary control and are adopted merely to assume the role of a sick person; called factitious disorder by proxy or Munchausen syndrome when a parent produces a physical illness in a child
factitious disorder.
The extent to which a scientific assertion is amenable to systematic probes, any one of which could negate the scientists expectations.
falsifiability.
A study involving the offspring of people with a disorder, such as schizophrenia, who have a high probability of later developing a disorder.
familial high-risk study.
A research strategy in behavior genetics in which the frequency of a trait or of abnormal behavior is determined in relatives who have varying percentages of shared genetic background.
family method.
With the goal of reducing the likelihood of relapse of bipolar disorder or schizophrenia, treatment that aims to educate the person’s family about illness, enhance communication, and develop problem-solving skills
family-focused treatment (FFT).
A reaction to real or perceived immediate danger in the present; can involve arousal, or sympathetic nervous system activity.
fear.
Set of brain structures, including the amygdala, that tend to be activated when the individual is feeling anxious or fearful; especially active among people with anxiety disorders.
fear circuit.
A cognitive model for the etiology of agoraphobia; suggests the condition is driven by negative thoughts about the consequences of having a panic attack in public.
fear-of-fear hypothesis.
The co-occurrence of two disorders, as when a person has depression and social phobia
comorbidity.
