Abnormal Psychology

What is abnormal psychology?

Abnormal psychology is the study of the symptoms and causes of behavioral and mental disorders; the objectives are to describe, explain, predict, and modify distressing emotions and behaviors

What is the scientific method?

a method of inquiry that provides for the systematic collection of data, controlled observation, and the testing of hypotheses

What is a hypothesis?

is a tentative explanation for certain facts or observations—an idea that can be tested by further investigation.

What is a theory?

a group of principles and hypotheses

What is internal Validity?

Whether the independent variable truly caused the change in the dependent variable.

What does statistical significance mean?

the likelihood that a research finding is not due to chance alone

What are the 4 D’s?

Dysfunction

Distress

Deviance

Danger

What does Distress mean?

Emotional or behavioral problems that make it hard for a person to function normally, such as extreme sadness, crying, agitation, withdrawal, or unsafe behavior.

What does double blind design mean?

neither the researchers nor participants know who is in each experimental condition.

what is a single blind design?

Only the participants do not know the purpose of the research.

What is an analogue study?

An experiment that recreates a real-life situation in a controlled setting.

Example: Researchers create a classroom-like setting to study how students behave when taking a test.

What is a external validity?

how well the results of a study apply to other people or situations.

Example: A study finds that exercise improves mood in college students. If the results also apply to older adults or people who aren’t college students, the study has high external validity.

What does nomothetic orientation mean?

Studying general patterns or rules that apply to many people.

Example: Studying how stress affects college students in general.

What prevents researchers from devising certain studies?

Ethical, moral, or legal standards

What is Meta Analysis?

combining results from many studies to get an overall conclusion.

Example: Combining 20 studies on whether therapy helps reduce anxiety.

What are the 3 principles of evidence based practice?

1)high-quality research such as randomized controlled studies;

(2)clinician judgment and experience; and

(3)client culture, values, needs, and perspectives (Morales & Norcross, 2010).

What is epidemiological research?

the study of how common mental disorders are and how they are distributed among people.

Example: Studying how many people in a city have depression and which age groups are most affected.

What is penetrance?

the percentage of people with a specific gene who show the related trait.

Example: If 80 out of 100 people with a certain gene develop a disorder, the gene has 80% penetrance.

What is a endophenotype?

measurable traits that can give clues about the genes involved in a disorder.

What is a multiple- Baseline Study?

A study where researchers measure two or more behaviors or settings before and after an intervention.

Example: A therapist measures a child’s talking, sharing, and following directions before starting a treatment, then introduces the treatment to each behavior at different times to see if it works.

What is Dysfunction?

Trying to figure out if someone has a mental disorder based on their performance

What is deviance?

is when a person’s behavior significantly differs from accepted social, cultural, moral, or statistical norms.

Examples include:

• Refusing to leave your house

• Sleeping for days because of depression

What is the key Idea of deviance?

The behavior departs from what is considered normal or expected in a particular society or culture.

What does danger mean?

A situation or behavior that could cause harm to yourself or others.

Like would someone go and try to commit a mass shooting for because of how their mental state is

What does Anosognosia mean?

is a lack of awareness of or insight into one’s own mental dysfunction

Example: A person with depression doesn’t realize they are depressed and thinks their sadness and withdrawal are completely normal.

Who founded psychoanalysis?

Sigmund Freud

What does Psychiatric epidemiology mean?

It is the study of the prevalence of mental illness in a society

What does humanism mean?

philosophical movement that emphasizes human welfare and the worth and uniqueness of the individual

Example: Believing that everyone has value and the ability to grow and improve.

What was homosexuality viewed as?

viewed as a mental disorder in the DSM 5 before being removed as people were able to function normally just like a person who was not homosexual

What are biological views?

genetics and other physiological explanations;

Example: Depression may be linked to changes in brain chemicals or genetics.

What are psychological issues?

Problems involving a person’s thoughts, emotions, or behavior that affect their daily life.

Example: Anxiety, depression, or difficulty coping with stress.

What is a dysfunctional social relationship?

including stressful interactions with family members and peers;

What does sociocultural influences mean?

including the effects of discrimination and stressors related to race, gender, and poverty.

What does the pleasure principle mean?

The desire to satisfy wants and needs immediately, without thinking about the consequences.

Example: Wanting to eat a whole cake right away because you’re hungry.

What is the psychodynamic model?

A model that explains mental disorders as being caused by unconscious conflicts, based on Sigmund Freud’s ideas.

Example: Unconscious feelings from childhood may contribute to anxiety or other problems.

What is the reality principle?

The awareness of what is happening in the environment and adjusting your behavior to deal with it appropriately.

Example: You want to skip studying, but you know you have a test tomorrow, so you study instead.

What does psychoanalysis do?

Therapy that helps people uncover unconscious feelings and past experiences to understand and resolve current problems.

Example: A therapist helps someone explore childhood experiences that may be affecting their relationships today.

What is the inferiority model?

says that racial or ethnic minorities are different because they are naturally or inherently less capable than the majority population.

Example:
Someone might claim that a minority student performs worse in school because “people they are black”

What is the defict model?

The belief that minority groups struggle because they lack something, such as skills, resources, or cultural support.

Example:
A teacher notices that a student from a minority cultural background is struggling in school and assumes, “Their family doesn't value education, so the child didn't learn the skills they need at home.”

What is a projective personality test?

testing involving responses to ambiguous stimuli, such as inkblots, pictures, or incomplete sentences

What is the self fulfilling prophecy?

is a belief or expectation that influences your behavior in a way that causes the belief to become true.

Example: If you believe you will fail a test, you may not study, and then you fail the test.

How many disorders were in DSM, 1952?

106

How many disorders were in DSM, 1968?

182

How many disorders were in DSM, 1980?

265

How many disorders were in DSM, 1994?

297

What is observation?

Watching someone’s behavior

Interviews?

Asking questions and talking with the client

What are psychological tests?

Using texts and inventories to gather information

What is a neurological test?

Using brain scans or tests like MRI, CT, PET, or EEG to check for brain abnormalities.

Naturalistic observation meaning?

Watching someone’s behavior in their normal environment.

What does prognosis mean?

a prediction of what will likely happen with a disorder, including whether the person will recover.

Example: A doctor predicts that someone with depression will likely improve with treatment.

What does comorbidity mean?

co-occurrence of two or more disorders in the same person

What is a subtype?

cognitive process where individuals create subcategories within a larger social group to account for exceptions to stereotypes without changing the overarching belief

Ex: For example, if someone believes "women are not good leaders" but meets a successful female CEO, they might create a subtype like "women leaders" to preserve the original stereotype while acknowledging the exception

What are self report inventories?

are tests where people answer questions about themselves to measure things like personality, anxiety, or depression.

Example: “I often feel nervous.” → You answer True/False or rate how much you agree.