Chapter 3

Antecedents

The events, actions, or circumstances that occur immediately before a behavior.

Beck Anxiety Inventory

A self-report measure of anxiety.

Beck Depression Inventory II

A self-report measure of depression.

Behavioral Avoidance Test

A behavioral assessment strategy used to assess avoidance behavior by asking a patient to approach a feared situation.

Observational Measurement

Measurement of behavior as it occurs by someone other than the person whose behavior is being observed.

Biofeedback

A process in which patients learn to modify physical responses such as heart rate, respiration, and body temperature.

Clinical Assessment

The process of gathering information about a person and his or her environment to make decisions about psychological problems.

Clinical Interviews

Conversations between an interviewer and a patient to gather information for assessment goals.

Comorbidity

The presence of more than one disorder.

Construct Validity

Reflects how well a measure accurately assesses a specific concept.

Diagnosis

The identification of an illness.

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

A classification of mental disorders developed in 1952, revised over the years.

Differential Diagnosis

A process in which a clinician weighs how likely it is that a person has one diagnosis instead of another.

Electroencephalography (EEG)

Measurement of electrical activity in different parts of the brain.

Halstead-Reitan Neuropsychological Battery

Widely used battery of neuropsychological tests used to assess brain damage.

Functional Analysis

A strategy of behavioral assessment to identify causal links between problem behaviors and environmental variables.

Functional Neuroimaging

The use of technologies such as PET and fMRI that detect brain function.

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

A score of cognitive functioning comparing performance to age-matched peers.

Intelligence Test

A test that measures intelligence quotient (IQ).

International Classification of Diseases (ICD)

A classification system for mental disorders developed in Europe as an international standard.

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)

Personality assessment tool used by mental health professionals to diagnose psychological disorders.

Interrater Reliability

The amount of agreement between two clinicians using the same measure to rate the same symptoms.

Intersectionality

The interconnected nature of personal characteristics such as race, class, and gender.

Neuroimaging

The technology that takes pictures of the brain.

Normative Comparisons

Interpreting assessment data by comparing a person's score with that of a representative sample.

Outcome Evaluation

A primary goal of psychological assessment to determine if patients are improving.

Personality Test

A psychological test that measures personality characteristics.

Predictive Validity

The degree to which a specific test predicts future behavior.

Projective Test

A test derived from psychoanalytic theory in which responses to ambiguous stimuli are analyzed.

Psychometric Properties

A set of properties including standardization, reliability, and validity of an assessment instrument.

Psychophysiological Assessment

Evaluation strategies that measure brain structure, function, and nervous system activity.

Reliability

The extent to which a psychological assessment instrument produces consistent results.

Rorschach Inkblot Test

A type of projective assessment using inkblot images for psychological analysis.

Screening

Assessment process to identify psychological problems among people not referred for clinical assessment.

Self-Monitoring

A procedure within behavioral assessment where a patient records their own behavior.

Self-Referent Comparisons

Comparison of responses on an instrument with a person's own previous performance.

Sensitivity

The ability of a screener to identify a problem that actually exists.

Social Bias

When performance on an assessment is affected by an individual's cultural background.

Specificity

The percent of time the screener accurately identifies the absence of a problem.

Standard Deviation

A measure that indicates how far away from the mean a score is.

Standardization

Standard ways of evaluating scores on psychological assessments.

Structural Neuroimaging

Use of technologies like CAT and MRI to explore neuroanatomy.

Structured Interview

A clinical interview using a standard set of questions.

Technical Bias

When a test has differential validity for different groups.

Test-Retest Reliability

The extent to which a test produces similar scores over time when given to the same individuals.

Unstructured Interview

A clinical interview where the clinician decides the format and content of questions.

Validity

The degree to which a test measures what it is intended to assess.

Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale

Most widely used individual intelligence test.

Wisconsin Card Sorting Test

Neuropsychological assessment which measures thinking flexibility.

behavioral observation

The measurement of behavior as it occurs by someone other than the person whose behavior is being observed.

The "Rule"

A score more than 2 SDs away from the mean is considered "meaningfully different" because 95% of people fall within 2 SDs of the middle.

Interrater Agreement

If two different doctors look at the same test results, do they come to the same conclusion?

Clinical Prediction

Based on the clinician's judgment and experience.

Statistical Prediction

Based on data and mathematical models.

Multicultural Competence

Using this information to provide services that respect and understand the patient's background.

Semistructured

A mix of both. Standard questions are asked first, followed by flexible follow-up questions.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

A projective psychological test that uses ambiguous images to assess an individual's thoughts, feelings, and motivations through storytelling.

EDA (Electrodermal Activity)

Measures sweat gland activity on the skin (often linked to stress/anxiety). PSYCH assessment

DSM-1 (1952)

The first Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It established the initial criteria for psychiatric disorders. It has been revised many times to reflect new scientific research.

categorical system

you either have the disorder or you don't

Dimensional Model

suggests that symptoms are just extreme variations of normal experience.