Abnormal Psychology Study Guide Exam 1 Overview 1

Abnormal Psychology Study Guide, Exam 1 Chapter 1-Overview 1. What is abnormal behavior? -Nontypical or uncommon - Socially unacceptable: behavior that deviates from the norm. 2. What is the difference between normal but unusual and abnormal behavior? 3. Understand how explanations of abnormal behavior have changed through time. Positive psychology emphasizes the potential for growth and change throughout life. The movement views psychological disorders as difficulties that inhibit the individual's ability to achieve highly subjective well-being and feelings of fulfillment 4. Describe the biopsychosocial perspective. Biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors are seen as influencing the development of the individual 5. Describe the spiritual approach. This approach regarded psychological disorders as the product of possession by evil or demonic spirits Treatments: -Trephining - drilling a hole in the skill to "release the evil spirits" -Exorcism -Recommended by the church; executing "witches" by the stake 6. Describe the Humanitarian approach. -Developed throughout history, in part as a reaction against the spiritual approach and its associated punishment of people with psychological disorders - Regarded disorders as a result of cruelty, stress, or poor living conditions -Moral treatments (Dorothia Dix) -Boasting someone's moral -Used calm scenery * too expensive and didn't survive * - Mental hygiene treatment (Adolf Meyer) You can prevent mental illness Try to promote good life thoughts 7. Describe the scientific approach. Hippocrates - Founder of modern medicine -One of the 1st to ascribe psychological disorders to real-world causes - Biologically based Claudius Galen (A.D. 130-200) - Developed a system of medical knowledge based on anatomical studies - Believed that disease is due to abnormal functions of the body Benjamin Rush (1745-1813)-the founder of American psychiatry, rekindled interest in the scientific approach to psychological disorders - Used the tranquilizing chair -Rush advocated for improvements such as: -Placing patients in their own wards -Giving them occupational therapy -Prohibiting hospitals visits from curiosity seekers looking for entertainment Sigmund Freud (1856-1939) - Developed psychoanalysis - Got people to think it wasn't a biological problem Ivan Pavlov (1849-1939) discovered classical conditioning which became the basis for the behaviorist movement of John. B. Watson (the dog experiment guy + thought you could make people doctors or a cook) B.F.Skinner (1904-1990) formulated a systematic approach to the operating condition -Positive and negative reinforcement 8. What is the scientific method? a standardized way of making observations, gathering data, forming theories, testing predictions, and interpreting results. Researchers make observations in order to describe and measure behavior. 9. When do we use experiments? a deliberate manipulation of a variable to see whether corresponding changes in behavior result, allowing the determination of cause-and-effect relationships 10. Define independent and dependent variables. Independent variable (IV) - (The variable controlled by and manipulated by the experimenter) remains constant Dependent variable (DV) - (The variable measured/observed by the experimenter) And outcome measure value depends on that of another 11. Why is it important to randomly assign participants of an experiment to the different groups? minimizes the chances that bias can enter into the decision of which participants receive which treatment. 12. What do we mean by evidence-based treatment? clients receive interventions based on the findings of controlled clinical studies 13. What is a placebo condition? - Participants receive treatment similar to the experimental treatment - Placebo effect - patients think they are getting better but it's in their head 14. Define double-blind study procedure. Why it is effective? An example is RCT (random controlled trial) Participants don't know if they're IV or DV The researcher doesn't know who's IV or DV - Neither the person giving the treatment nor the person receiving the treatments knows whether the participants are in the experimental or control group - Crucial for ensuring that results are not due to the expectations of either researches or participants 15. Describe the correlation design. - Involves a test of relationships between a variable that researches cannot experimentally manipulate - The absolute value of the correlation coefficient tells you the strength of the relationship between the 2 variables - Closer to the value of 1 -> a stronger relationship Closer to value of 0-> weak relationship 16. Define positive and negative correlation. Correlation statistics | Values of r range from-1 to +1 Positive correlations Scores of 2 variables move in the same direction -Negative correlations | Scores of 2 variable move in opposite directions 17. What are the advantages and disadvantages of the survey method? Strengths of survey research include its cost effectiveness, generalizability, reliability, and versatility. Weaknesses of survey research include inflexibility and issues with validity. 18. Define prevalence. a statistical concept referring to the number of cases of a disease that are present in a particular population at a given time, whereas incidence refers to the number of new cases that develop in a given period of time. 19. Describe the case study method. - Detailed examination of a single person Often used to study a rare condition - Limitation: lack of generability 20. Describe the single case experimental design. - Also known as A-B-A-B design, or an N=1 design A participant serves as his/her own control and experimental condition - A-baseline condition B-treatment condition - Purpose of the SCED: to check whether a given treatment is responsible for changes in behaviors Chapter 2-Diagnosis and Treatment 1. What is the difference between a psychologist and a psychiatrist? Psychologist: - healthcare professions offering psychological services Psychiatrist: - people with degrees in medicine (MDs) - Receive specialized, advanced training in diagnosing and treating people with psychological disorder. Expertise: medication management 2. Describe the experiences of the client and the clinician. -Client: Person who receives treatment (more passive) -Clinician: The person providing the treatment 3. Describe the DSM approach to psychological disorders. groups together the symptoms and terms that lead to a diagnosis for a psychological disorder psychological disorder and medical disorders are identified, as well as particular stressors that are affecting the individual's psychological status. The DSM-5 is a non-axial diagnostic system, divided into 22 chapters that include sets of related disorders. 4. Describe the International Classification of Diseases (ICD). -Provides a common diagnostic system that the 110 member nations of WHO can use for epidemiological purposes. Current edition: ICD-10 5. What do we mean by culture-bound syndromes? - Recurrent patterns of abnormal behavior or experience that are limited to specific societies, or cultural areas - Examples: -Ghost sickness - found in some American Indian tribes -Involves thoughts about dying and the dead Symptoms: nightmares, anxiety, weakness, loss of appetite, feelings of suffocation 6. Explain steps of the diagnostic process. -Which diagnostic is it? (Principal, Differential, Comorbid) -develop a case formulation -treatment plan (intermediate, short-term, long-term) -Determine treatment site -Modality of treatment Diagnostic procedures