PSYC 142: Chapter 1

Question 1

John Locke (17th century)

Answer 1

Believed children should be raised with thought and care, not indifference and harsh treatment

Question 2

Jean-Marc Itard (19th century)

Answer 2

Focused on the care, treatment, and training of “mental defectives”

Question 3

Leta Hollingworth

Answer 3

Distinguished individuals with mental retardation (“imbeciles”) from those with psychiatric disorders (“lunatics”)

Question 4

Benjamin Rush

Answer 4

Claimed that children were incapable of adult-like insanity

- Children with normal cognitive abilities but disturbing behavior suffer from “moral insanity”

Question 5

Late 19th century: mental illnesses were viewed as biological problems.

Answer 5

thwarted by the prevailing bias that the individual was at fault for deviant or abnormal behavior
- Clifford Beers’ efforts led to detection and intervention

Question 6

Early 20th century: society reverted to a belief that disorders could not be influenced by treatment or learning.

Answer 6

There was a return to custodial care and punishment of behaviors

Question 7

Mental disorders viewed as “diseases” led to fear of contamination

Answer 7

Eugenics (sterilization) and segregation (institutionalization) were implemented

Question 8

Linked mental disorders to childhood experiences and surroundings

Answer 8

Focused on the interaction of developmental and situational processes

• Purported that mental disorders can be helped with proper environment or therapy
• Retains a role as a model for abnormal child psychology

Question 9

Behaviorism

Answer 9

Laid the foundation for evidence-based treatments

• Pavlov’s research on classical conditioning
• Watson’s studies on the elimination of children’s fears and the theory of emotions
  e. g.: little Albert

Question 10

Psychodynamic Approaches

Answer 10

1930 to 1950: psychodynamic approaches prevailed

- Most children with intellectual or mental disorders were institutionalized

Question 11

Behavioral Approaches

Answer 11

The 1950s and early 1960s: behavior therapy emerged as a systematic approach to the treatment of child and family disorders

Question 12

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Answer 12

• Free and appropriate public education for children with special needs in the least restrictive environment
• Each child must be assessed with culturally appropriate tests
• An individualized education program (IEP) for each child

Question 13

United Nations General Assembly (2007) adopted a new convention to protect the rights of persons with disabilities

Answer 13

supports the attitude of considering persons with disabilities as individuals with human rights

Question 14

Childhood disorders

Answer 14

accompanied by various layers of abnormal behavior or development

• sensitive to each child’s stage of development
• Boundaries between normal and abnormal functioning are arbitrary

Question 15

Psychological Disorders

Answer 15

Patterns of behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or physical symptoms linked with one or more of the following:
- Distress
- Disability
- Increased risk for further suffering or harm
~Culture and circumstances matter
The characteristics describe behaviors, not causes

Question 16

Stigmatization (labeling)

Answer 16

• Separate the child from the disorder

- Problems may be the result of children’s attempts to adapt to abnormal or unusual circumstances

Question 17

Competence

Answer 17

The ability to successfully adapt to the environment

- Successful adaptation is influenced by culture and ethnicity

Question 18

Abnormality

Answer 18

Abnormal child psychology considers:
- The degree of maladaptive behavior
- The extent to which normal developmental milestones are met
~Knowledge of developmental tasks provides important background information

Question 19

Developmental pathways

Answer 19

• Multifinality: various outcomes may stem from similar beginnings
• Equifinality: similar outcomes stem from different early experiences and developmental pathways

Question 20

Key Considerations in Developmental Pathways

Answer 20

• There are many contributors to disordered outcomes in each child.
• Contributors vary among children who have the same disorder.
• Children express features of their disturbances in different ways.
• Pathways leading to particular disorders are numerous and interactive.

Question 21

Risk factor

Answer 21

A variable that precedes a negative outcome of interest

E.g.: chronic poverty, care-giving deficits, parental mental illness, death of a parent, disasters, and family breakup

Question 22

Protective factor

Answer 22

A personal or situational variable that mitigates a child developing a disorder.
E.g.: Resilience

Question 23

Resilience

Answer 23

The ability to fight off or recover from misfortune
- Associated with strong self-confidence, coping skills, avoiding risk situations
- Connected to a “protective triad” of resources:
~Strength of the child
~Strength of the family
~Strength of the school/community
These children usually have:
- Strong self-confidence
- Coping skills
- Ability to avoid risky situations
- Ability to fight off or recover from misfortune.

Question 24

According to North American research, one in eight children has a mental health problem.

Answer 24

• Many others are at risk for later development of a psychological disorder.
• Mental health problems in childhood and adolescence are highly predictive of adult disorders

Question 25

The majority of children needing mental health services do not receive them

Answer 25

Fewer than 10% receive proper services

Question 26

Mental health problems are more likely to occur in children

Answer 26

• From disadvantaged families
• From abusive or neglectful families
• Receiving inadequate child care
• Born with very low birth weight
• Whose parents have a mental illness or substance abuse problems

Question 27

What Affects Rates and Expression of Mental Disorders?

Answer 27

• New pressures and social changes may place children at increased risk for development of the disorder
• Environmental stressors may:
  ~Act as nonspecific stressors - bring about poor adaptation or the onset of a disorder
  ~Affect the extent to which a child’s problems are attenuated or exacerbated

Question 28

The Influence of Poverty

Answer 28

Poverty is associated with:

• Impairments in learning ability and school achievement - less education and low-paying jobs
• inadequate health care
• single-parent status
• poor nutrition and exposure to violence

Question 29

Externalizing Problems

Answer 29

Higher in boys than girls in preschool and early elementary years
- Exhibited as acting-out behaviors, e.g., aggression and delinquency

Question 30

Internalizing Problems

Answer 30

Higher rates among girls
Associated with:
- Anxiety, depression, or withdrawn behavior
- Somatic complaints
- Eating disorders
- Emotional disorders with a peak age of onset in adolescence

Question 31

Sex Differences and Resilience

Answer 31

For boys:
- A male role model
- Structure and rules
- Encouragement of emotional expressiveness
For girls:
- Households that combine risk-taking and independence with support from a female caregiver

Question 32

Racial and Ethnic Minorities

Answer 32

• Most cultural anthropologists see race as a socially constructed concept, not biological.
• Minority children in the U.S. are overrepresented in rates of some disorders
  ~ Substance abuse, delinquency, and teen suicide

Question 33

The Effects of Race and Ethnicity

Answer 33

• other effects (SES, gender, age, referral status) few differences emerge in relation to race or ethnicity
• Minority children face multiple disadvantages, including poverty and marginalization.
  ~ Barrier to access remain a significant factor in the quality of care and treatment outcomes.

Question 34

Cultural Issues

Answer 34

• Values, beliefs, and practices that characterize a particular ethnocultural group contribute to the development and expression of children’s disorders.
  ~ Affect how people/institutions react to children’s problems
  ~Affect how problems are expressed
  ~Children express their problems differently across cultures

Question 35

Culture and Diversity

Answer 35

• Important not to generalize research from one culture to another.
• Social and cultural beliefs and values influence:
  ~ The meaning is given to behaviors
  ~ The way in which behaviors are responded to
  ~ The forms of expression and their outcomes

Question 36

Special Issues Concerning Adolescents and Sexual Minority Youths

Answer 36

• Early- to mid-adolescence is an important transitional period for healthy adjustment.
• Issues during adolescence
  ~ Substance use, risky sexual behavior, violence, accidental injuries, and mental health problems
• Special needs and problems of adolescents are receiving greater attention

Question 37

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgendered (LGBT) Youths

Answer 37

• LGBT youths are more likely to be victimized by their peers and family members.
• LGBT youths have higher rates of mental health problems.

Question 38

Lifespan Implications

Answer 38

• The impact is most severe when problems go untreated for extended periods of time.
• About 20% of children with the most chronic and serious disorders face life-long difficulties.
• Lifelong consequences associated with child psychopathology are costly.

Question 39

Solutions for Lifespan Implications

Answer 39

• Children can overcome major obstacles
  ~ When provided with circumstances and opportunities that promote healthy adaptation and competence
• Major initiatives for prevention and intervention have resulted from the recognition of children’s mental health problems

Question 40

Boys

Answer 40

• Hyperactivity
• Autism
• Disruptive behavior
• Learning &Communication disorders
• Childhood Depression

Question 41

Girls

Answer 41

• Anxiety Disorders
• Adolescent Depression
• Eating Disorders

Question 42

Marginalization

Answer 42

minority facing multiple disadvantages such as poverty and exclusion from society benefits.

Question 43

At Individual level

Answer 43

Good intellectual functioning, Sociable, easygoing, self-confidence, talents, and faith.

Question 44

At Family level

Answer 44

A close relationship with caring parents, socioeconomic advantage, authoritative parenting who are warm, structured and have high expectations, connection to extended family support.

Question 45

At school and community level

Answer 45

an adult outside the family who has an interest in promoting the child’s welfare, connections to social and religious organizations