Paper 1 - Psychopathology AO3 Flashcards
Give a limitation of statistical infrequency regarding its definition ?
- Defintion has been cristicised
- Not all statistically infrequent behaviors indicate a psychological disorder; for example, having an IQ over 150 is very rare but considered desirable.
- Limitation of the concept of statistical infrequency, and means that it can never be used alone to diagnose psychological disorders.
Give a strength of statistical invrewucny regarding its RLA ?
- Real life applications
- Eg. Diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder requires an IQ score below 70 (bottom 28%)
- Shows its usefulness in diagnosis of some disorders
Give a strength of deviation from social norms regarding its criterion ?
- Useful criteria in clinical practice particularly psychiatry
- eg. Antisocial personality disorder is defined as faultier to conform to culturally acceptable behaviours eg. Aggression and recklessness
- Valuable in psychiatry
Give a limitation of deviation from social norms regarding cultural differences ?
- Social norms vary across cultures
- For instance, in the UK, dogs are held as pets, so killing and eating a dog would be considered abnormal. However, in China, dogs are commonly seen as food and widely eaten.
- Suggests that judgments about social deviance are related to culture, so behaviours considered abnormal in one culture may not be seen as abnormal in another
Give a strength of failure to function adequately regarding is ability to give help?
- Use criteria in mental health diagnosis to detrmine wether patient requires practical help
- In the UK approximately 25% of individuals will experience mental health issues and usually when they fail to function adequately they will seek help
- Ensure mental health issues and services are targeted to those that need it
Give a limitation of failure to function adequately regarding cultural differences ?
- Influenced by cultural differences
- What is considered a failure to function in one culture may be seen as adequate functioning in another
- Suggests that failure to function adequately cannot offer a complete definition of abnormality because it is related to culture
Give a strength of deviation of ideal mental health regarding its approach ?
- Comprehensive approach to defining abnormality
- Broad criteria to distinguish mental health disorder, they can be discussed with a variety of professionals
- Facilitates discussion about psychological issues with different professionals
Give a limitation of deviation of ideal mental health regarding its ambiguity ?
- Lack of clarity regarding how many criteria must be missing to classify someone as abnormal
- If only one criterion needs to be absent, then most people would be considered abnormal, as very few individuals meet all six criteria
- Definition is incomplete and requires further clarification to determine what is abnormal
Give a strength of the two process model ?
- Important implications for the treatment of phobias
- Explains how phobias are maintained through the process of negative reinforcement
- Highlights the importance of exposing patients to their feared stimuli during treatment = practical values
Give a limitation of the two process model regarding the inability to condition someone ?
- It is not always possible to condition an individual to fear a neutral stimulus
- For example, Bregman (1934) found that it was not possible to condition infants aged 8–16 months to fear wooden blocks, even after pairing them with a loud noise.
- This suggests that the two-process model oversimplified
Give a limitation of the two process model regarding development of phobias from traumatic incidences ?
- Cannot explain why not everyone who experiences a traumatic event develops a phobia.
- For example, not everyone who is bitten by a dog develops a phobia of dogs. This limitation can be addressed by the diathesis-stress model, which suggests that individuals are born with a genetic vulnerability to developing a phobia. However, the phobia will only manifest if triggered by a traumatic event, such as a dog bite.
- Two-process model does not provide a complete explanation
Give a limitation of the two process model regarding development of phobias ?
- Not everyone with a phobia can recall a specific traumatic incident that triggered it
- For example, Sue et al. (1994) found that different phobias are acquired through different processes. This aligns with social learning theory, which suggests that phobias can be learned through observation and imitation of role models, such as parents
- Does not account for alternative explanations like modeling in the acquisition of phobias.
What is a strength of systematic desensitisation including Gilroy et al. (2003)?
- Evidence supporting its effectiveness as a treatment for phobias.
- Gilroy et al. (2003) studied 42 arachnophobic patients who underwent three 45-minute sessions of SD. When compared to a control group that was taught relaxation techniques but did not experience exposure, the SD group was found to be less fearful at both 3 months and 33 months after treatment.
- Effects are also long-lasting, making it a reliable treatment for phobias.
What is a limitation of systematic desensitisation including Ohman et al. (1975)?
- Not effective at treating all phobias. - For example, Ohman et al. (1975) found that SD is not as effective at treating phobias that have an underlying evolutionary survival component (e.g. fear of snakes, rats, heights).
-Most effective at treating phobias acquired through a traumatic incident, cannot be used for all phobias
What is a strength of flooding including Choy et al. (2007)?
- Effective treatment
- For example, Choy et al. (2007) reported that flooding is more effective than SD at treating phobias and quicker than cognitive treatments for phobias
- Supports the use of flooding as a behavioural treatment for phobias
What is a limitation of flooding including its long lasting effects of patients?
- Highly traumatic for patients
- Patients are made aware of this beginning treatment, and give consent, however many fail to complete the treatment.
- This reduces the effectiveness of the treatment and means that time and money can be wasted preparing a patient for flooding only to have them refuse to start or complete the treatment.
What is a strength of Ellis’s ABC model in explaining depression ?
- Lead to the development of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is effective in treating depression
- For example, Lloyd & Lishman (1975) found that participants with depression responded more slowly to recall pleasant memories when responding to stimuli, suggesting that depression is associated with automatic negative thinking.
- Supports the idea that automatic negative thoughts play a role in the experience of depression.
What is a limitation of Becks Negative Triad in explaining depression regarding the link between negative thinking and depression?
- Link between negative thinking and depression does not prove that negative thinking causes depression.
- It’s possible that depression leads to negative thinking rather than the other way around. Furthermore, research on the neurochemistry of depression suggests that a serotonin deficiency may contribute to depression, with treatments that increase serotonin being effective.
- This implies that negative thinking may be a symptom, not a cause, of depression
What is a strength of Beck’s negative triad in explaining depression regarding the link between negative thinking and depression?
- Research evidence supporting the link between negative thinking and depression.
- For example, Lloyd & Lishman (1975) found that participants with depression responded more slowly to recall pleasant memories in response to a stimulus, suggesting that depression is associated with automatic negative thinking.
- Supports the idea that negative thoughts play a role in the experience of depression.
What is a limitation of Ellis’s ABC model in explaining depression regarding the explanation?
- Only partially explains depression
- While it accounts for depression triggered by negative events, such as exams or divorce (reactive depression), it doesn’t explain cases where depression occurs without any clear cause (endogenous depression).
- Therefore, the model fails to provide a complete understanding of all forms of depression.
What is a strength of the cognitive approach to treating depression regarding its treatment efficacy ?
- Evidence supporting CBT as an effective treatment for depression.
- March et al. (2007) found that CBT was as effective as antidepressants, with 81% of adolescents in the CBT group showing significant improvement after 36 weeks.
- This suggests that CBT can be as effective as medication, and even helpful when combined with it.
What is a strength of the cognitive approach to treating depression regarding its ability to be delivered remotely ?
- CBT can be delivered remotely with success.
- Christensen et al. (2004) found that the internet-based CBT program MoodGYM was as effective as face-to-face CBT and antidepressant drugs in treating major depressive disorder. Additionally, MoodGYM was more cost-effective
- Indicating that CBT can be successfully delivered in various formats.
What is a limitation of the cognitive approach to treating depression regarding its ability to deliver effective treatment on certain individuals ?
- CBT may not be effective for all cases of depression.
- For individuals with severe depression, motivation and concentration can be too low to engage in CBT. In these cases, antidepressants may be needed first,
- Limiting CBT as a standalone treatment for all types of depression.
What is a limitation of the cognitive approach to treating depression regarding the therapists competence ?
- Effectiveness of CBT depends on the therapist’s competence.
- Kuyken & Tsivrikos found that patients had better outcomes when treated by highly skilled therapists, regardless of the complexity of their case.
- This suggests that the quality of the therapist plays a crucial role in the success of CBT
What is a limitation of the biological approach to explaining OCD regarding its studies ?
- Family studies
-Researchers argue that OCD running in families may be due to common rearing patterns or other environmental factors rather than genetics. - The genetic explanation as lack validity, and weakens them as evidence
What is a limitation of the biological approach to explaining OCD regarding that genetics is not the pure source of OCD?
- OCD is not purely genetic.
- MZ twins do not show 100% concordance rates, suggesting other factors play a role. Cromer et al. (2007) found that over half of OCD patients had past trauma, with severity increasing in those with multiple traumas.
- The diathesis-stress model suggests genetics contribute to OCD, but environmental stressors trigger its development, meaning genetics alone cannot fully explain OCD.
What is a strength of the biological approach to explaining OCD regarding the evidence to support links in OCD to neurotransmitters ?
- Evidence linking OCD to abnormal neurotransmitter levels.
- Szechtman et al. (1998) found that increasing dopamine in animals induced OCD-like compulsions. Similarly, Pigott et al. (1990) showed that antidepressants boosting serotonin levels reduced OCD symptoms.
- This supports the idea that high dopamine and low serotonin contribute to OCD.
What is a weakness of the biological approach to explaining OCD regarding the neural explanation ?
- The neural explanation of OCD has limitations.
- Although abnormal neurotransmitter and brain function are observed in OCD patients, it is unclear if they cause OCD or result from it.
- This uncertainty weakens the claim that neural abnormalities are the direct cause of OCD.
What is a strength of treating OCD using drug treatments regarding placebo studies ?
- Treatment is supported by placebo studies.
- Study of a meta-analysis of 17 studies done in 2008 found that SSRIs were more effective at reducing OCD symptoms than placebos.
- This suggests that SSRIs are an effective biological treatment for OCD.
What is a strength of treating OCD using drug treatments regarding ease for patients ?
- Drug treatments require little effort from patients.
- Unlike psychological therapies like CBT, patients only need to remember to take their medication. Drugs are also cheaper for healthcare services.
- This makes them a convenient and cost-effective treatment for OCD.
What is a limitation of treating OCD using drug treatments regarding side effects ?
- Drugs can have unpleasant side effects.
- SSRIs can cause nausea, headaches, and insomnia, while SNRIs have more severe effects like hallucinations.
- This may reduce patient adherence and limit the effectiveness of drug treatments.
What is a limitation of treating OCD using drug treatments regarding how the drugs target the disorder ?
- Drugs only treat the symptoms, not the cause of OCD.
- Through experiments it was found that OCD patients tend to relapse within weeks of stopping medication.
- This suggests that drugs do not provide a long-term cure, unlike psychological therapies.
