Quiz 3 （not actually a thing) Flashcards
Assessment (definition)
A systematic evaluation and measurement of factors that are present in someone with a possible disorder.
What’s the purpose of assessment?
To provide a diagnosis that will inform treatment.
What errors do clinical psychologists try to avoid in diagnosis?
False positives or negatives (ehh?)
What is the process of assessing and diagnosing?
Starts with unstructured interview to collect broad information.Then narrow information to determine if any tests will help. Then diagnosis if fitting.
What 3 diverse aspects are useful for making a clinical assessment?
Contexts (eg. work, home, etc.), Perspectives (eg. individual, family, friends, etc.), and Levels (bio-psycho-social)
And different assessment tools.
Mental Status Exam (in clinical assessment)
The appearance and functioning of the patient. Not explicit, but simply how they are acting. (appearance, affect, cognitive processes, etc.)
Semi-structured interview
(what are the pros and cons?)
(DSM one is called what?)
Scripted questions to elicit useful information.
Pros: accomplishes its purpose
Cons: limits answers and loses spontaneity
eg. SCID (Structured Clinical Interview for DSM)
Reliability, Validity, and Standardization
Reliability: consistency for same individual across close points of time
Validity: how much a tool measures what it says it does
Standardization: norms for consistency across measurement occasions (eg. instructions for administration, norm scores, etc.)
Types of Self-Report Questionnaires for Clinical Assessment
1) Personality Inventories
2) Symptom measures (eg. Anxiety, Depression Inventories)
Neurophysiological Tests
for what disorders?
Tests for academic achievement, attention, memory, IQ, etc.
Used only for specific disorders like ADHD, dementia, etc.
What disorders are physical examinations used for?
Eating disorders, somatic disorders, etc.
Behavioral assessment
Examine behavior in a real-life setting (eg. ADHD in school)
Projective Tests
what tradition? assumptions? any good now?
criticisms and strengths
Psychoanalytic tradition. Assumes unconscious processes project through interpretation of ambiguous material.
Not widely used nowadays
Criticisms: Hard to standardize, weak reliability/validity
Strengths: gathers qualitative data, may be useful for rapport building
Psychophysiological Assessment
what use in clinical assessment?
Psychological and physiological functioning. How one affects other.
eg. EEG for sleep disorders
Neuroimaging
What use in clinical assessment?
Pictures of the brain in structural/functional ways. Used for neurological conditions or neurocognitive disorder
Diagnosis (definition)
The process of determining whether a problem meets specific criteria for a psychological disorder
Comorbidity
An individual meets the criteria for more than one disorder
Categorical vs. Dimensional approach to diagnosis
Categorical = binary and clear-cut (has or doesn’t have)
Dimensional = a continuum
What are two main classification systems for mental illnesses?
DSM-5 (APA) and ICD-11 (WHO)
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
International Classification of Diseases
What are some strengths and weaknesses of the DSM 5?
Strengths:
- Clear guidelines of diagnosis.
- Reduces bias through a shared language
- Is updated based on research
Weaknesses:
- Categorical approach
- Requires updates
- Comorbidity is a problem
3 Main categories of research in psychopathology
1) Nature of problems (symptoms, classification)
2) Etiology/Causes
3) Treatment and outcomes
Statistical vs. Clinical significance
Statistical is about p-value (likelihood of the statistic not being due to chance)
Clinical is how it impacts practically or meaningfully
What can correlational research do for clinical psych research? What can’t it do?
It can determine risk factors, but not causes.
Doesn’t have to be cross-sectional data
Epidemiological Research (a type of what research?)
A type of correlational research
Uses large samples and looks at prevalence or incidence of a population
