Midterm Flashcards
What is abnormal behaviour/behaviour problems? (8)
- Abnormal behaviour
- Behavioural disturbance (ex. Sudden panic attacks)
- Emotional disorders (ex. Anxiety disorders)
- Psychological deficit (ex. Lower IQ)
- Mental illness (ex. Bipolar disorder)
- Psychopathy
- Maladaptive behaviour (ex. Bad stress)
Developmental disorders (ex. Atypical cognitive functioning)
What 2 systems examine a range of abnormal behaviours?
- Extremes: fails to acquire expression language by age 6, 14 year old believing aliens control his thoughts, 10 year old boy who can’t leave the house without turning the light switches on/off 3 times, etc…
- Subtle: child who runs around and cannot settle, child who is exceptionally withdrawn and quick to tears, child with little use of words and seems echolalic, etc…
5 factors we consider to determine that behaviours are abnormal
- behaviours that are not just atypical, but harmful
- behaviours that are developmentally inappropriate
- cultural norms, gender norms, situational norms, developmental norms
- role of the adult
- changing views of abnormality
The APA defines a disorder as clinically significant if there is a pattern of:
- distress
- impairment
- increased risk of death, pain, disability, or loss of freedom
Developmental norms describe (3):
- rates of growth
- sequence of growth
- forms of physical skills, language, cognition, emotion, and social behaviour
Developmentally inappropriate signs (8)
- developmental delay
- developmental regression
- extremely high or low frequency of behaviour
- extremely high or low intensity of behaviour
- behavioural difficulties that persist over time
- abrupt changes in behaviour
- several problem behaviours
- behaviour that is irregular or qualitatively different from the norm
How do cultural norms affect behaviour
They have a sway in how adults in different cultures treat or respond to different behaviours
Ex. Teachers in Mainland China rate hyperactivity, inattention, impulsivity, etc. much higher than teachers in Hongkong and the UK because these behaviours are more frowned upon in China and more normal in the UK
How do gender norms affect behaviour?
Gender stereotypes play a key role in how judgements about behaviour are considered normal or abnormal
(Males = more aggressive, dominant, active, adventurous; Females = passive, dependent, quiet, sensitive, and emotional)
Ex. Males are more often diagnosed with ADHD and females are missed
Ex. Females present very differently than males on the autism spectrum, and therefore get diagnosed much later in life
How do situational norms affect behaviour?
Situational information may change the way we interpret a certain behaviour
Ex. A child who is running around, flitting from one activity to another, yelling, cannot settle: ADHD or a child playing at recess?
Ex. A child who is sullen, socially withdrawn, and quick to tears: depression or a child who just lost their pet?
Ex. A child with little use of words, generates nonsense words, seems echolalic: autism? A 15 month old vs a 14 year old?
How does the role of adults affect behaviour?
How they interpret the child’s behaviour has an important role in the outcome of diagnoses
Ex. Kipland (school shooting story): parents and teachers dismissed his concerning behaviours
Diagnoses made at different times across development (4 groups):
Early (1-3):
- language disorders, autism spectrum disorder, some intellectual disorders
- when first words don’t come, it’s quite noticeable early on
Around 4-6:
- ADHD, learning disorders
- start interacting with other kids at school and can see their behaviour in comparison to other kids their age
- noticeable difficulties with reading, writing, math emerge - if still struggling to catch up by grade 2/3, learning disorders are diagnosed
Around 9-11:
- conduct disorders
- usually misdiagnosed earlier as ADHD
Later (13-15 and on):
- schizophrenia, substance abuse, bulimia/anorexia
- societal triggers, major life changes, greater access to substances
How does gender impact the identifying of disorders? (6)
- timing of onset (ex. Males diagnosed with autism significantly younger (4-6) than females (14-18))
- severity of the disorder/behaviour
- expression of the disorder/behaviour (ex. Females on the autism spectrum express differently than males: more social, more aware)
- cause of the disorder (ex. Some disorders linked to x or Y chromosomes)
- sequence of development
- developmental pathways
What is prevalence
A measure of the total number of cases of disease in a population
Prevalence depends on: (2)
- the definition of the disorder: makes use of standardized scales or formal diagnostic criteria
- population sampling: prevalence may be based on clinical or community samples
World Health Organization estimates on mental illness:
- they estimate that mental illness will be the greatest burden by 2030
- Covid has had a great impact on increasing mental illness in youth, especially eating disorders, anxiety, and depression
- emotional and behavioural problems on the rise in preschool children
According to the APA, how many children have a fairly significant mental health need?
1 in 5 children
Goals of the field of developmental psychology: (4)
- identify, describe, and classify psychopathology
- determine etiology
- develop and refine treatment plans
- plan proper prevention
Central tenants of the field of developmental psychology: (6)
- psychological problems stem from multiple causes
- normal and abnormal behaviour must be studied together
- systematic approach to study is needed
- treatment and prevention need to continue to grow and improve
- children have a right to high quality treatment
- advocacy is needed
What makes up the therapeutic alliance?
Multidisciplinary teams: psychologists, psychiatry, social worker, special education, paediatricians, occupational therapists, teachers, educational assistants, school admin, etc.
- everyone working together with the families to develop an intervention plan
How many children with mental health disorders do not receive adequate treatment?
Estimated 2/3 or 3/4 of children
What are some barriers to treatment? (4)
- poverty
- minority/immigrant status
- rural residence (lack of resources)
- negative attitudes towards mental health treatment
The developmental psychopathy perspective
Integrates our understanding and study of normal developmental process with those of child and adolescent psychopathology
The developmental psychopathology approach
- blends developmental psychology with clinical and adolescent psychology with paediatric psychiatry
- studies the original and developmental course of disordered behaviour including individual adaptations and success
Systems framework (developmental psychopathology approach): (4)
- biological
- behavioural
- cognitive
- family systems
Understanding psychopathology:
Depends on the identification of multiple variables that affect development and the environment that surrounds it (context)
Causes of psychopathology (direct vs. indirect)
Direct effects: variable X leads straight to outcome
- ex. Down syndrome directly caused by a specific chromosome
Indirect effects: variable X influences other variables which in turn lead to the outcome
- ex. Major concussion leads to anxiety or depression because you can’t play hockey anymore, your social life is affected, you fall behind in school
Mediators vs moderators
Mediators: explains the relationship between variables that produce an outcome
- flows through mechanism processes; shows connection; has an influence on the relationship
Moderators: a factor that influences the relationship between variables
- changing strength and direction, and even existence of the relationship
Psychopathology causal factors (3)
Necessary - must be present
Sufficient - can be responsible alone
Contributing - are not necessary or sufficient but may add to the effects
Pathways of development (5)
Stable adaptation
- few environmental adversities, few behavioural problems, good self worth
Stable maladaptation
- chronic environmental adversities (ex. Aggression, antisocial behaviours maintained)
Reversal of maladaptation
- important life change creates new opportunity (ex. Military career affects opportunity when given a scholarship)
Decline of adaptation
- environmental or biological shifts bring adversity (ex. Family divorce contributes to maladaptation)
Temporal maladaptation
- can reflect transient empirical risk taking (ex. Use of drugs)
Mediator and moderator models
A variable can be a mediator or a moderator depending on how you put it into the model
Mediator model: the mediator must cause a higher statistical correlation between dependent and independent variables
Moderator model: analysis using a moderator tests the effect of a moderator variable on the relationship between an independent variable and dependent variable
Ex. A study finds that sleep quality can affect academic achievement through the level of individual attention
- mediator = attention
- sleep quality is not the only thing that impacts academic achievement; attention is another variable that gets flowed through and also impacts academic achievement
Ex. A study finds that youth who score high on callous unemotional traits moderates the relationship between hours playing video games and aggressive behaviour
- moderator = callous unemotional traits
- when this trait is not there, there is no relationship between video games and aggressive behaviours
Pathways of development- equifinality vs multifinality
Equifinality: refers to diverse paths and factors which result in the same outcome
- pathway 1, pathway 2, pathway 3 —> antisocial behaviour
Multifinality: identifies that the same experiences may result in multiple different outcomes
- maltreatment during childhood —> depression, anxiety, aggression
Examples of developmental risk factors (9)
- genetic abnormalities
- prenatal or birth complications
- below average intelligence or learning disability
- psychological/social factors
- aversive parenting style
- under resourced household or community
- disorganized household or neighborhood
- racial ethic or gender injustice
- non-normative stressful events
Risk factors - definition
Precede an impairment and increase the chance of a disorder
Protective factors - definition
The opposite of risk factors; are personal or situational variables that reduce the chance of psychopathology
Effects of adverse childhood experiences and risks of: (7)
- premature mortality
- autobiographical memory disturbances
- prescribed psychotropic medications in adults
- alcohol use during adolescence
- sexual abuse
- depressive disorders in adulthood
- adult mental health issues
Etc…
Why do some succeed and others do not? Resilience attributed to : (3)
- persistence
- courage
- strength of character
Resilience - definition
A consequence of individual characteristics and environmental factors that would be beneficial to most children at risk
A relatively positive outcome in the face of significant adverse or traumatic experiences
Ordinary magic
Individuals who have experienced adversity and have some of these individual/family/social characteristics that have benefited them.
Ex. Oprah: given up after birth, young pregnancy , sexual abuse as a child —> had persistence and had teachers who saw the persistence, got a scholarship, went on to have a very successful career in entertainment
Ex. Shania Twain: grew up poor, parents divorced, had to sing in local bars when she was 8 to make money for her family to eat —> persistence, went to school, became a famous singer despite early adversities
Individual characteristics of resilience (3)
- good intellectual functioning
- good temperament
- self efficacy, self confidence, high self esteem, talents
Family characteristics of resilience (4)
- close relationship with caregivers
- authoritative parenting, warm, structure
- socioeconomic advantages
- supportive family network
Social and community characteristics of resilience (3)
- mentors (adults) outside of the family
- engagement in community-based programs
- effective schools
How does unremarkable (average) development lead to less than optimal outcomes?
Normal development and less than optimal outcomes can proceed together
- attachment
- temperament
- emotion regulation
- social cognitive process
Attachment - definition
- Socio-economic bond between an infant and their parent/significant caregiver
- typically develops in infancy (emerging between 7-9 months)
- viewed as biologically hard wired in both infant and caregiver
4 attachment styles
Secure
- 80% of infants have this attachment style
- uses a parent as a secure base, upset at separation
Insecure/avoidant
- easily separates from parent, avoid/ignores the parent, does not prefer parent to strangers
Insecure/resistant (or ambivalent)
- 10% of families have this kind of attachment
- very afraid by strangers, extremely upset separation and unable to be soothed by parent
Disorganized/disoriented
- may express fear toward parent, freeze behaviour and expressions for short periods, reluctant
Temperament - definition
- the child’s disposition; a product of complex interactions between biology and environment over time
- composite of reactivity to stimuli, regulation of bodily functions, mood, and adaptability to change
- thought to be stable across the lifetime
- those with more difficult temperaments tend to have more atypical psychological behaviours
- goodness of fit between parent and child (ex. Difficult temperament parent and difficult temperament child, vs. Easy parent and difficult child)
3 types of temperament
- easy
- slow to warm
- difficult
Emotion and it’s regulation
Expressiveness, understanding, regulation/dysregulation
Ex. Kids with autism may have difficulty expressing the emotions they are feeling
Regulating emotions gets better with age
- kids or teens that have a difficult time regulation emotions will have more atypical behaviours and more psychopathology
Individual differences in threshold and intensity to emotional experiences
Gives clues to level of distress and sensitivity to environment
Social cognitive processing - definition
How social situations within the social environment are understood and interpreted
3 parts of the forebrain
- hypothalamus
- amygdala
- cerebral cortex
Hypothalamus
Basic urges
Amygdala
Emotion regulation
Cerebral cortex (parts)
Occipital cortex
Parietal cortex
Temporal cortex
Frontal cortex
Brain development (steps)
- the embryonic development generates an over abundance of nerve cells
- axons migrate
- genes determine axons trajectory and connections to target cells
- more axons than target cells can accommodate
- activation of selective pruning
- synaptic density increases up to the age of 2 years
- after 2 years, levels decrease as a result of synaptic pruning
- changes in synaptic density occur at different rates in different areas of the brain
- it is the action of EXPERIENCE that results in the consolidation of circuits and the pruning of unnecessary synapses
Prenatal influences on the developing CNS (5)
- poor maternal diet and stress
- drugs and alcohol
- medications
- radiation and environmental contaminants
- disease
Perinatal influences on the developing CNS (2)
- medications during childbirth
- complications during labour (ex. Anoxia)
Postnatal influences on the developing CNS (5)
- accidents
- illness
- malnutrition
- accidental poisoning
- brain injuries
Genotype vs phenotype
Genotype: actual gene makeup
Phenotype: expression of gene makeup
Single gene inheritance
- dominant gene
- recessive gene
- proband case
Multiple gene inheritance
- heritability
- twin studies- shared and non-shared environmental influences
Gene environmental interactions (G x E)
A differential sensitivity to experience based on your genotype
3 types of gene environment correlations
Passive: parents pass both genes and a gene-related environment to their offspring
- ex. Pass on an outdoorsy loving gene and provides an environment where they are outside often
Reactive: reflect child’s genetic makeup and others’ reactions to the gene-related characteristics
- ex. Seeing certain behaviours that they have been genetically given and encouraging these behaviours
Active: based on child’s genetic endowment and the child’s selection of gene-related experiences
- ex. Choosing environments that best suit your own genetic makeup
Operant conditioning
Recognizes that positive consequences of a behaviour will strengthen it and a negative consequence will weaken it
Positive vs negative reinforcement
Punishment
Positive reinforcement: stimulus presented. Increases the behaviour
Negative reinforcement: stimulus withdrawn. Increases the behaviour
Punishment: decreases the behaviour
Operant conditioning: generalization, discrimination, shaping
Generalization: extends to new behaviour
Discrimination: predictive of response
Shaping: rewards close approximations to establish behaviour
Observational learning
Albert Bandura identified that problem behaviours can be acquired through observation of a model
To learn a new behaviour pattern by imitating the performance of someone else
Cognitive process
- individuals perceive their experiences
- construct concepts or schemas that represent their experience
- sort information in memory and employ their understanding to think about and act in the world
Cognitive behaviour model (Kendall)
- holds that behaviours are learned and maintained by their interactions of internal cognitions and emotions with external environmental events
- underlying hypothesis is that maladaptive cognitions are related to maladaptive behaviour
- cause of phobic and anxious children
Cognitive structures
Schema for representing information that are constructed from experience
Cognitive content
Information stored in the cognitive structure
Cognitive process
How people perceive and interpret experience