Lists/Long Answers

Question 1

prevalence of mental disorders in Canada

Answer 1

• 1 in 3 15 years and older meet
• 1 in 10 15 years and older symptoms
• 16.5% military meet
• > 450 million worldwide

Question 2

in favour for evidence-based practice

Answer 2

• requires clinician to synthesize information
• emphasizes the importance of informing patients about viable options for assessment/prevention/intervention services
• keep up to date with current scientific literature
• uses both scientifically based knowledge + scientific approach to developing and testing hypotheses

Question 3

against evidence-based practice

Answer 3

• group-based data cannot be used in working with an individual
• distressed clients have problems now - cannot wait for research
• each individual’s case is different, unlikely general psychological principles can provide useful guidance
• does not allow for psychologist’s gut instincts
• over reliance on systematic reviews + meta-analyses

Question 4

ethical principles of the Canadian Code of Ethics

Answer 4

1. Respect the dignity of persons
2. Responsible caring
3. Integrity in relationships
4. Responsible to society

Question 5

major professional activities of clinical psychologists

Answer 5

assessment, intervention, research, clinical supervision + teaching, administration, consultation + prevention

Question 6

psychologists coping with stress

Answer 6

• taking breaks during work day
• consulting with colleagues on difficult issues
• good time management
• limiting caseload (volume + clients seeing)

Question 7

benefits of DSM-V

Answer 7

• categorical in diagnosis; dimensional in organization
• lifespan approach
• ethnic + cultural considerations
• additional information - subtypes, age + gender features

Question 8

limitations of DSM-V

Answer 8

• lack of openness
• over-representation of biological views
• poor reliability of diagnoses
• resignations over diagnoses of personality disorders being inconsistent with scientific literature

Question 9

common threats to internal validity

Answer 9

extraneous variables, maturation, repeated testing, instrumentation, statistical regression, selection biases, attrition

Question 10

common threats to external validity

Answer 10

sample characteristics, settings (and stimulus characteristics), reactivity to being in a study, reactivity of assessment, timing of measurements

Question 11

reliability measures

Answer 11

internal consistency, test-retest reliability, inter-rater reliability

Question 12

validity measures

Answer 12

content validity, face validity, criterion validity, concurrent validity

Question 13

advantages of systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Answer 13

• more objective
• number of research participants greatly increased
• more easily generalizable
• can address publication bias by using grey literature

Question 14

psychologist’s ethical responsibility when conducting assessments

Answer 14

• be knowledgeable about test properties (such as standardization, reliability, validity, norms)
• be able to competently administer and interpret results of each test used
• clearly indicate to the clients the limits to the certainty of assessment findings

Question 15

ethical considerations in interventions

Answer 15

• regulated professions
• informed consent/assent
• confidentiality
• monitor effectiveness of treatment
• evidence-based treatment

Question 16

strengths of meta-analyses

Answer 16

• gold standard for evaluating treatment effects
• convert data into effect sizes
• looking at treatment efficacy

Question 17

weaknesses of meta-analyses

Answer 17

• includes different measures and treatments in same meta-analysis
• uses all findings from a study rather than an average
• risk of overestimating effects due to publication bias

Question 18

core parenting skills

Answer 18

• positive involvement
• skills encouragement
• discipline
• monitoring
• problem-solving