Clemson Psychology 3830 -3 (Abnormal) Exam 1

Medical Student Syndrome

when a student believes they have a disease they are currently studying.

What are the elements of abnormality

-subjective distress
-maladaptiveness
-statistical deviancy
-violation of the standards of society
-social discomfort
-irrationality and unpredictability
Dangerous

How do we classify mental disorders?

Critically evaluating a classification system and DSM (diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders.

what are "critically evaluating a classification system" in terms of ?

Advantages & Disadvantages

True or False , the less elements a person has the more likely the individual would have an abnormality ?

False, the more elements that the individuals manifest would better determine abnormality.

Prototype model

resembles 7 elements of abnormality.

How are psychological problems counted?

-epidemiology
-prevalence
-incidence
-on Dsm disorders
-comorbidity

Part one of the definition of a mental disorder.

clinically significant psychological syndrome involving a disturbance in though , emotions, or behavior.

What is a syndrome?

a syndrome is a single indicator of a problem and can involve cognition, affect , and or behavior.

A syndrome is a group or cluster of symptoms that all occur together.

Part 2 definition of mental disorder

associated with significant distress and/ or disability

what does disability involve?

Involves impairment in one or more important areas of functioning such as social, academic, or occupational.

Part 3 of definition of Mental disorder ?

Not simply a predictable and culturally sanctioned response to a particular event. Ex. grief

Grief

Grief over a beloved one is considered a normal and expectable response and doesn't indicate a mental disorder.

PArt 4 of definition of mental disorder

considered to reflect dysfunction in the individual.

-mental disorder is always the product of a dysnfunction , which resides in the individual , not in the group.

Mental health epidemiology

study of the frequency and distribution of mental disorders in a given population.

point of prevalence

estimated proportion of actual, active, cases of the disorder in a given population at any instant in time.

ex. percentage of Clemson students suffering from depression.

One year Prevalence

estimated proportion of actual cases f the disorder in a given population over the course of a whole year.

ex. percentage of Clemson students who are depressed within a year time frame.

Lifetime Prevalence

estimate of how many people have suffered from a particular disorder at any time in their lives.

ex. percentage of Clemson students who suffer from depression either recovered or still suffering.

incidence

number of new cases that occur over a given period of time (typically a year).

ex. new cases of Clemson students who develop depression in the specified timeframe . typically small

comorbidity

presence of two or more disorders in the same person.

mild forms of mental illness

7% have two or more additional disorders

severe forms of mental illness

50% have two or more additional disorders.

(Ethics of research) right to informed consent

subjects have the right to know the nature of the study will be.

(Ethics of research ) Right to self esteem

follow up and make sure subjects feel good after learning study.

(Ethics of research ) right to privacy and confidentiality

assured that study will be kept confidential .

4 STEPS OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

1. Specify the problem
2. Design and conduct the study
3. Collect Data
4. Report the conclusion

Hypothesis

is a testable prediction often derived from a theory

Subject bias

is when the subjects in the study behave in a way they think the experiment wants them to behave.

single Blind study

is a technique in which subjects are kept uninformed about the hypothesis of the study so that this knowledge does not affect their behavior.

experimenter biases

occurs when experimenters , who are aware of the hypothesis of the study, Subtly influence the subjects to behave according to prediction.

double blind study

both of the subjects and the experimenter conducting the study are kept uninformed about the hypothesis , helping to prevent both subjects and experimenter bias from negatively affecting the results.

statistical analysis

are a set of techniques borrowed from mathematics that can be used to describe the data and to determine the probability that the results are due to chance.

replication

is the repetition of a study to see if the same results will be obtained.

case study

used to study all or many aspects of a single subject in an extensive , in depth manner.

naturalistic observation

used to study how people or animals behave in their natural environments with no attempt made to manipulate their behavior.

laboratory observation

used to study how people behave un the laboratory setting with no attempt being made to manipulate their behavior.

survey

used to study the attitudes , beliefs, opinions , and intentions of people via questionnaires or interviews.

Correlational Study

used to see if two variables are associated or related in some way.

Epidemiological study

used to study the frequency and distribution of diseases.
ex. how common, gender, age, lifetime prevalence,culture.

This info fills DSM

Experimental Study

used to determine the nature of a causal relationship by manipulating a variable (or variable ) and observing the effects.

Random sample

Sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion.

* allows us to generalize from the sample to the larger population.

Random Assignment

assignment of subjects to experimental and control conditions by chance so that each subject has an equal opportunity to be in any condition.

* allows us to eliminate possible alternative explanations for the results .

what is a correlational coefficient ?

numerical index that indicates the magnitude and direction of the relationship between two variables.

what is the formula for correlation?

R=+.54

what is a group comparison study ?

A study of the relationship between peoples membership in a particular group and their scored on some other variable.

Criterion Group

Individuals with a specific disorder

Comparison Group (or Control group)

individuals who do not exhibit the specific disorder being studied but who are comparable in all other major aspects.

Top facts about group comparison Study

one variable that is continuous and one that is not (membership)
(2) ex: schizophrenics (criterion group) and similar non-schizophrenics
(comparison group) given test about social skills... membership variable isn't
continuous, but test is continuous
(3) NOT an experiment

Epidemiological Study

study the frequency and distribution of mental health diseases
- differences among genders, geology, etc.
- a lot of epidemiological info is reported in the DSM-5
- which diseases are more or less common? where?

ABAB Design (reversal design)

A: measure baseline
B: introduce intervention
A: withdraw intervention
B: reintroduce intervention
- observing behavior on and off the treatment
- low generalizability... can follow with a group experimental study

Ethics of Research

-1992 American Psychological Association9 identified the rights of subjects in experiments .

Right to informed consent

Subjects have the right to know the general nature of the study.

-they do not know the hypothesis to maintain the integrity of the study .

Right of self esteem

subjects have the right to feel as good about themselves when
they leave as when they first came in
1. sometimes studies end when the subject fails
2. can give easier task to foster feeling of success.

right to privacy and confidentiality

responses are kept confidential
1. data is reported in groups, names are changed to numbers etc.
2. Clemson has an IRB- Institutional Review Board that approves different experimental
proposals to ensure that the rights of subjects are protected

etiology

study of the causes of abnormality / disorders

3 broad theoretical perspectives :

biological , sociocultural , and psychological factors.

Is psychological disorders a result of the theoretical perspectives of abnormality.

Yes, psychological disorders are a result of all three types of factors, and these factors are
mutually interactive

Structural theories

abnormalities in the structures of the brain (lesions) cause
mental disorders (location of the structural damage influences the specific kind of
psychological problem that the person manifests)

Cerebral cortex

part of the brain responsible for advanced thinking processes
a) lesions might effect judgments, reasoning, problem-solving

Hypothalamus

neural structure (part of nervous system) that plays a role in eating,
drinking, sexual behavior etc. and mediates communication between the nervous
and endocrine systems.

what would a lesion in the hypothalamus disrupt?

the functioning of the endocrine system.

what would lesions in the hypothalamus affect ?

lesions might effect the development and an eating disorder.


- also it may bring more aggressive or passive behaviors

Limbic system

collection of structures that closely interconnect with the
hypothalamus, also is thought to play a role in eating, sexual behavior, and stressful
situations.

Biochemical theories

imbalances in neurotransmitters and hormones cause mental disorders .

Nervous system

an electrochemical system in the body that enables us to think, feel, behave.

Neurons and their messages

Neurotransmitters are the chemical messengers of the nervous system.

Parts of the nervous system

-Dendrites
-cell body
-action potential
-terminal fibers
-synapse gap
-receptor site

Dendrites

branch-like structures that extend from the cell body, pick up
information directly from sensory receptors or from other neurons.

Cell Body

receives information from dendrites and stores it .

Action potential

if there is enough information in the cell body that it
exceeds a threshold, the neuron produces an electrical impulse that
sends the information down the axon

Terminal Fiber

small swellings at the end of the axons
that initially house the neurotransmitters.

Synapse (Gap )

the neurotransmitters leave the terminal fibers and enter the gap between the neurons.

Receptor Site

some of the neurotransmitters are going to attach
themselves to the receptor sites (on the dendrites) of the receiving neuron

Reuptake and Degradation

determines the number of neurotransmitters
available in the synapse.

Reuptake

sending neuron reabsorbs the neurotransmitter originally released
into the synapse (decreases amount of neurotransmitter)

Degradation

receiving neuron sends enzyme into the synapse which breaks
down the neurotransmitter into other chemicals (decreases the amount of
neurotransmitter)

What are the four neurotransmitters and mental health?

Serotonin, dopamine, norepinephrine (noradrenaline), GABA

Serotonin

plays a part in anxiety, depression, and regulating impulses (ex:
aggression)

Dopamine

influences movement, learning, attention, and emotion

Norepinephrine (noradrenaline)

plays a role in regulating mood and behavior
in stressful situation

GABA

plays a role in anxiety and inhibits the action of other neurotransmitters

endocrine system

a communication system in the body that is composed of glands and hormones.

what is the importance of the hormones on the endocrine system?

hormones are the chemical messengers of the endocrine system.

What are the three structures on the HPA axis?

-Hypothalamus
-Pituitary gland
-adrenal gland

Hypothalamus

neural structure that mediates between the nervous and
endocrine systems

Pituitary gland

"the master gland," produces many different hormones,
mediates influence on the other glands in the endocrine system.

Adrenal Gland

plays part in arousal , sleep, stress( production management).

What are the three parts of the adrenal gland ?

In response to stress the hypothalamus secretes a hormone... which
stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete a hormone... which induces the
adrenal gland to secrete a hormone called cortisol
i) in short term, cortisol production is highly adaptive and mobilizes the
body to deal with stress
ii) in long term, excess cortisol may result in symptoms of anxiety and
depression

Genetic theories

an accumulation of disordered genes leads to mental disorders.

Polygenic process

multiple defected genes in one person contribute to the manifestation of a mental disorder.

Polygenic process and genetic predisposition

20,000-25,000 genes on DNA
- abnormalities in behavior can come from defects in genes
- rare for there to be one gene that causes a person to develop a disorder, typically
many genes have defects.
- may say that they have inherited a genetic predisposition for developing a
disorder (means that they are more vulnerable for developing the disorder, does NOT guarantee they will develop it)

Behavior Genetics

Study of the heritability of a disorder.

-it is difficult to study cells so we study disorders we are interested in.

.Family History

a genetic research strategy that examines
the likelihood of a disorder in relatives (if person clearly has a disorder).

Family history (pedigree studies)

a genetic research strategy that examines
the likelihood of a disorder in relatives of the probands (people who clearly have
the disorder).

What are the two component's of the family pedigree?

1) if there is a genetic component to the disorder, the risk of inheriting the genes
for a disorder will increase as the relationship between an individual and the
relative with the disorder become closer

(2) difficult to disentangle the impact of genetics and environment.

Twin studies

uses monozygotic (identical... came from one egg, almost 100%
identical DNA) and dizygotic (fraternal... no more alike than any other sets of
siblings) twins to determine the genetic influence on a disorder.

Concordance Rate for twin studies

the probability that both twins have a disorder if one twin has the disorder.
- ex.concordance rates for schizophrenia in monozygotic twins is 50%

Why are concordance rates meaningful?

there are relatively high concordance rates for identical twins in some
common and severe forms of psychopathology

(a) concordance rates particularly meaningful when they differ from those
found for dizygotic twins (higher concordance for monozygotic than for
dizygotic suggests genetic component).

adoption studies

uses adopted children; there are multiple variations of studies done with individuals who have been adopted shortly after birth.

what is the concordance rates for the adoption studies?

(1) one expects to find a higher concordance rate between the biological mother
and the child for the disorder than between the adoptive mother and the child
- research designs are not mutually exclusive, using multiple designs to determine
the consistency of results is recommended
- see Schizophrenia example (page 20)
- has a genetic component but also is influenced by environmental factors
- chances of developing schizophrenic:
- 1/100 if you're a member of a random sample of 100 people
- 1/10 if you have an affected first degree biologic relative (parent or
sibling)