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Psychology Paper 1 > Psychopathology > Flashcards

Psychopathology Flashcards

1
Q

What are the four definitions of abnormality?

A

Deviation from social norms
Failure to function adequately
Statistical infrequency
Deviation from ideal mental health

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2
Q

What is meant by deviation from social norms?

A

A person’s behaviour is different to the acceptable behaviour of social groups- it is unexpected and may offend others

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3
Q

What is meant by deviation from ideal mental health?

A

Lacking an accurate perception of reality; difficulty reaching self actualisation; unable to cope with stress

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4
Q

What is meant by statistical infrequencies?

A

Behaviour is numerically rare and doesn’t occur in most people

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5
Q

What are the emotional characteristics of a phobia?

A

Anxiety, fear, unreasonable emotional response

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6
Q

What are the behavioural characteristics of a phobia?

A

Panic - screaming, crying
Avoidance of the phobic stimuli
Endurance of the phobia stimuli

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7
Q

What are the cognitive characteristics of a phobia?

A

Selective attention - only focussing on the phobic stimuli
Irrational beliefs - no basis in reality
Cognitive distortions - inaccurate perceptions of phobic stimuli

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8
Q

What are the two methods of treatment for phobias?

A

Flooding
Systematic desensitisation

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9
Q

What is the aim of systematic densisitisation in the treatment of phobias?

A

To gradually reduce phobic anxieties through classical conditioning

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10
Q

What is the process of systematic desensitisation in the treatment of phobias?

A
  1. Create an anxiety hierarchy
  2. Relaxation techniques are taught by the therapist for reciprocal inhibition (inability to feel calm and panicked at the same time)
  3. Exposure to the phobic stimuli, going up the hierarchy once the individual remains calm at previous level
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11
Q

When is systematic desensitisation considered successful in the treatment of phobias?

A

When the client can remain calm in the highest ranked situation in their anxiety hierarchy

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12
Q

What is flooding as a treatment for phobias?

A

Immediate exposure to a very frightening situation (the worst case scenario)

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13
Q

What is the two process model of phobias?

A

Phobias are acquired through classical conditioning and maintained through operant conditioning

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14
Q

How does operant conditioning maintain a phobia?

A

Avoidance of the phobic stimuli acts as negative reinforcement

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15
Q

What research evidence supports the behavioural explanation of phobias, the two process model?

A

Sue et al - People with phobias often recalled a specific incident, which initiated their fear
e.g 73% of people with a fear of dental treatment have had a traumatic experience associated

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16
Q

How is the biological approach critical of the behavioural explanation of phobias?

A

Not everyone can recall a traumatic experience so they offer an alternative explanation - Biological preparedness to fear stimuli from evolution, making fears evolutionary/adaptive to assist in survival

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17
Q

How is social learning theory critical of the behavioural explanation of phobias?

A

Argued that some phobias are acquired through observing and imitation of role models, demonstrated by Bandura and Rosenthal - participants that observed an individual act in pain to a buzzer had an emotional reaction to the buzzer

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18
Q

How is the cognitive approach critical of the behavioural explanation of phobias?

A

Argues that it ignores cognitive factors - a key characteristic factor of phobias is irrational thinking, not necessarily a traumatic experience

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19
Q

What is a strength of using systematic desensitisation to treat phobias over flooding?

A

It is less traumatic as it is dependent on the individual to navigate at their own pace

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20
Q

Why might flooding be more effective as a treatment for phobias than systematic desensitisation?

A

It only requires one session - less of a commitment and individuals are less likely to drop out part way through so treatment can be complete/cost effective

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21
Q

When may flooding be an inappropriate treatment for phobias?

A

When treating children or individuals with special needs who may not be able to understand the process or what will happen, which could ultimately reinforce the phobia

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22
Q

Are there any phobias that would be difficult to treat using behavioural therapies?

A

Any abstract phobias that cannot be physically represented to the individual

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23
Q

What did McGrath et al find about the treatment of phobias using systematic desensitisation?

A

75% of patients with phobias were successfully treated using systematic desensitisation

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24
Q

What is the definition of depression?

A

A mental disorder characterised by low mood and energy levels

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25
What are the behavioural characteristics of depression?
Reduced activity levels - increased sleeping, not going out Disruption to eating or sleeping - more or less Aggression or Self-harm
26
What are the emotional characteristics of depression?
Low mood - sadness, worthlessness Anger Low self-esteem
27
What are the cognitive characteristics of depression?
Poor concentration - difficulty sticking to tasks Dwelling on the negatives Absolutist thinking (Black and white thinking)
28
What are the two cognitive explanations of depression?
Beck's negative triad Ellis' ABC model
29
What is Back's negative triad as a cognitive explanation of depression?
Negative view of the self Negative view of the future Negative view of the world
30
What is Ellis' ABC model of depression as a cognitive explanation of depression?
Depression as the result of irrational thinking: Activating event (Event) Beliefs (Thoughts) Consequences (Behaviour)
31
Aside from the negative triad, what other cognitive explanations does Beck give as an explanation for depression?
Depression can be caused by faulty information processing - focusing on only the negatives of a situation and ignoring the positives Depression can be caused by negative self schemas - negative ideas and information about themselves
32
What research evidence supports Beck's explanation of depression?
Clark and Beck - Cognitive vulnerabilities were more common in depressed individuals than those who were not depressed Cohen - Cognitive vulnerability predicted depression in 473 adolescents
33
What is a strength of Beck's explanation of depression?
It has real world application - knowledge of cognitive vulnerabilities have led to screening, enabling monitoring and support through CBT therapies to alter cognition
34
What is a limitation of Beck's explanation of depression?
It only explains the cognitive elements of depression - it explains how thought processes are involved but ignored emotional aspects, limiting treatment
35
What is a limitation of Ellis' ABC model as an explanation of depression?
It only explains reactive depression and not endogenous depression as not all depression can be traced to a specific event and can appear to have no identifying cause
36
What are the three steps of CBT?
Assess - Assess clients problems and identify goals Identify - Identify the negative thoughts Change - Change the negative thoughts
37
What techniques are used in CBT?
Client as scientist Argument Behavioural activation
38
What is the client as therapist technique used in CBT?
Identify the automatic negative thoughts about the self, world and future and challenge these faulty beliefs by helping the client to test the realist of the thoughts
39
What are the three types of argument used in CBT?
Vigorous - Dispute the identified irrational beliefs Logical - Shows how the irrational thought doesn't flow Empirical - Shows that there is no supporting evidence for the irrational thought
40
What is the behavioural activation technique used in CBT?
Gradually decrease avoidance and isolation through the client increasing their involvement in activities that improve mood, reinforced by therapist
41
What is the limitation of using CBT in the treatment of depression?
It requires a lot of cognitive effort that many may not be willing to apply - requires the energy that individuals with depression tend to lack so participation may be low
42
What is the strength of using CBT in the treatment of depression?
Drug therapies require less commitment than CBT but are used to allow the individual to focus on the demands of CBT - research found CBT to be particularly effective when used in conjunction with drug therapies
43
What research supports the use of CBT in the treatment of depression?
Cliypers - reviewed 75 studies of CBT and found that it was a superior treatment when compared to no treatment given
44
What are the behavioural characteristics of OCD?
Compulsions (Repetitive behaviours) - performed to reduce anxiety Avoidance - keeping from situations that trigger their avoidance
45
What are the emotional characteristics of OCD?
Anxiety and distress - as a result of obsessive thoughts Accompanying depression - low mood and lack of enjoyment Guilt and disgust - External or internal
46
What are the cognitive characteristics of OCD?
Obsessive thoughts - unpleasant reoccurring thoughts Cognitive strategies to deal with the obsessions
47
What is the genetic explanation of OCD?
OCD is inherited OCD is polygenic OCD is aetiologically heterogenous
48
What is meant in the genetic explanation of OCD by polygenic?
OCD is influenced by multiple genes, which influence brain chemicals linked to mood
49
What's the candidate gene for OCD?
SHT1-D Beta - reduces the transport of serotonin across the synapse, causing anxiety
50
What is meant in the genetic explanation of OCD by Aetiologically heterogenous
Different gene combinations cause different types of OCD e.g. Hoarding disorder vs religious obsession
51
What is the percentage of patients who have OCD, who also have a parent with the disorder, compared to those without a parent with the disorder?
Parents with it too - 37% Parent doesn't have it - 1-3%
52
What research evidence supports the genetic explanation of OCD?
Nestaat - 68% of Identical twins share OCD 21% of Non-Identical twins share OCD
53
Why don't the concordance rates between twins provide absolute evidence that OCD is purely genetic?
AS identical twins share 100% of their DNA, the concordance rate should have reflected that also and since it was just over half, it shows that other factors that aren't genetic may be involved - Genes are important but other factors may also influenece (Diathesis stress model)
54
Why is OCD being polygenic a limitation?
It is difficult to identify all the candidate genes, meaning each genetic variation may only increase the risk by a small amount, limiting predictive value
55
What do genetic explanations of OCD ignore?
The role of environmental factors as triggers for OCD - Cromer found that over half of OCD patients had a traumatic experience in the past, so it is not entirely genetic
56
What are the neural explanations of OCD?
Neurotransmitters Abnormal brain functioning
57
What is the role of neurotransmitters in the neural explanation of OCD?
Serotonin regulates mood and relays information across neurons, low levels of this may impact transmission and therefore impact on mood - a possible explanation for anxiety in OCD
58
What is the role of abnormal brain functioning in the neural explanation of OCD?
Abnormal functioning of the frontal lobe may explain why OCD patients experience reoccurring obsessions (impaired logical thinking and decision making) Left Parohippocampal gyrus is linked to OCD through its association with processing unpleasant emotions
59
What is the strength of the neural explanation of OCD?
Drugs used in the treatment, which target the neurotransmitters have been found to reduce patients symptoms, supporting the involvement of neurotransmitters in OCD
60
What is the limitation of the neural explanation of OCD?
Abnormal function of the neurotransmitters does not indicate the cause of OCD, low serotonin is linked to depression as well, which occurs alongside OCD and is not the cause of the OCD itself
61
What is used in the biological approach to the treatment of OCD?
Drug therapy - SSRIs
62
How do SSRIs work in the treatment of OCD?
They block the neurons reuptake centers so released serotonin remains in the synapse and can continue to bind to the post synaptic neuron's receptor cells, leading to an increase in serotonin concentration at the post synaptic neuron causing a decrease in anxiety
63
What are the side effects of using SSRIs in the treatment of OCD?
Nausea, Headaches, Insomnia, Excessive sweating
64
What research supports the use of SSRIs in the treatment of OCD?
Soamro et al - Showed that people receiving SSRIs were nearly twice as likely as those receiving placebos to achieve a clinical response, a 25% reduction in symptoms
65
What is the main limitation of the use of drug therapy in the treatment of OCD?
Side effects may decrease the likelihood of an individual taking the drugs as the reduction in symptoms may not out weigh the side effects - effectiveness is dependent on the individual
66
Apart from SSRIs, what other drug can be used in the treatment of OCD?
Tricyclics - Antidepressants that block reabsorption of serotonin

Psychology Paper 1 (4 decks)

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