ELE PEC - Unit 1: Intro to Child Psychopathology

Psychological Disorder

It has been defined as a pattern of behavioral, cognitive, emotional, or physical symptoms shown by an individual

Labeling

In _______, the terms used to describe abnormal behavior do not describe people; they only describe patterns of behavior that may or may not occur in certain circumstances.

Stigma

It refers to a cluster of negative attitudes and beliefs that motivates fear, rejection, avoidance, and discrimination with respect to people with mental illnesses

Competence

The study of abnormal child psychology considers not only the degree of maladaptive behavior, but also children’s ________, referring to one’s ability to successfully adapt in the environment

Developmental Competence

It refers to the child’s ability to use internal and external resources to achieve a successful adaptation

Infancy to Preschool

In this age period, the tasks are the following:

• Attachment to caregivers

• Language

  • Differentiation of self from environment

Middle Childhood

In this age period, the tasks are the following:

• Self-control and compliance

• School adjustment

• Academic achievement

• Getting along with peers

  • Rule-governed conduct

Adolescence

In this age period, the tasks are the following:

• Successful transition to secondary schooling

• Academic achievement

• Involvement in extracurricular activities

• Forming close friendships

• Forming a cohesive sense of identity

Developmental Pathways

It refers to the sequence and timing of particular behaviors, as well as the possible relationships between behaviors over time

Multifinality

It refers to one of the developmental pathways which has a similar early experiences that lead to different outcomes

Equifinality

It refers to one of the developmental pathways which has different early experiences but leads to a similar outcome

Risk Factors

________ are variables that precede negative outcomes of interest, and which increase the probability that the outcomes will occur

Protective Factors

________ are personal or situational variables that reduce the chances for a child to develop a disorder

Resilience

The trait of ______ is associated with strong self-confidence, coping skills, ability to fight off or recover from misfortune

True

Although resiliency is an optimistic trait, it is not a universal, fixed attribute. Rather, it varies according to the type of stress, its context, and similar factors

[True or False]

Resilience

The concept of _______ suggests that there is no certain pathway leading to a particular outcome; there are protective and vulnerability factors which must be considered as well

Aggressive Behavior

_______ may be expressed directly by boys (fighting) and more indirectly by girls (spreading rumors)

Sex Differences

_______ appear negligible in children under the age of 3, but increase with age

Boys

_______ show higher rates of early onset disorders that involve neuro-developmental impairment (e.g. autism, ADD, conduct and reading problems)

Girls

_______ show more emotional disorders with onset in adolescence (e.g. depression and eating disorders)

Boys

Resilience in _______ is associated with households in which there is a male role model, structure, rules, and some encouragement of emotional expressiveness

Girls

_______ who display resilience come from households that combine risk taking and independence with support from a female caregiver

Etiology

It is the study of the causes of childhood disorders, considering how biological, psychological, and environmental processes interact to produce the outcomes that are observed over time

Developmental Psychopathology

_________ is an approach to describing and studying disorders of childhood and adolescence in a way that stresses the importance of developmental processes and tasks

Continuity

Abnormal development involves _______, which implies that developmental changes are gradual and quantitative, and that future behavior patterns can be predicted from earlier patterns

Discontinuity

Abnormal development involves ______, which implies that developmental changes are abrupt and qualitative and that future behavior is poorly predicted by earlier patterns

Adaptational Failure

Children’s psychological disorders have very different symptoms and causes, but they share a common ground — they are an indication of ________ in one or more areas of development, which is the failure to master or progress in accomplishing developmental milestones

Neurobiological Perspective

The ________ considers brain and nervous system functions as underlying cases of psychological disorders in children and adults, having influences that includes generic and constitutional factors, neuroanatomy, and rates of maturation

Brain Maturation

It is an organized, hierarchical process that builds on earlier functions, with brain structures restructuring and growing throughout the lifespan

Genes

These are the basic physical and functional units of heredity, being made up of DNA and are located in Chromosomes

Eric Kandel

He explored gene-environment interactions and their relationship to psychological disorders, explaining as well that events in the environment can have profound effects on gene expression and brain anatomy

Diathesis-Stress Model

This model believes that people develop a psychological disorder in response to stress because they have an underlying predisposition to the disease

Diathesis-Stress Model

Situational Example:

A person has a genetic predisposition for depression. They might never develop depression unless they experience significant life stress—like losing a job or going through a breakup. The stress interacts with their vulnerability, triggering the disorder.

Reciprocal-Gene Environment Model

It claims that people with a genetic predisposition to a disorder may also have a genetic tendency to create environmental risk factors that promote the disorder

Reciprocal-Gene Environment Model

Situational Example:

People with depression in their families who have a strong predisposition to depression may have a genetic tendency to get into bad relationships that would only increase their chances of triggering depression.

Neurotransmitters

________ are like biochemical currents of the brain that make connections between different parts of the brain

Emotions

To young children, emotions are a primary form of communication that permits them to explore their world with increasing independence

Emotion Reactivity

It refers to individual differences in threshold and intensity of emotional experience, which provides clues to an individual’s level of distress and sensitivity to the environment

Emotional Regulation

It involves enhancing, maintaining, or inhibiting emotional arousal, often for a particular purpose of goal

Temperament

It refers to the child’s organized style of behavior that appears early in development, such as fussiness or fearfulness

Positive Affect and Approach

Refers to a child’s tendency to show positive emotions (like smiling, laughter) and their eagerness to approach new people or situations.

Fearful or Inhibited

A temperament marked by shyness, withdrawal, and wariness in new or unfamiliar situations or with strangers.

Negative Affect or Irritability

Tendency to experience high levels of frustration, anger, sadness, and distress.
Includes being easily upset or difficult to soothe.

Positive Reinforcement

It refers to adding a stimulus after a behavior to increase the likelihood that the behavior will happen again.

Negative Reinforcement

It refers to removing an unpleasant stimulus after a behavior to increase the likelihood that the behavior will happen again.

Extinction

It refers to stopping reinforcement for a previously reinforced behavior so the behavior decreases over time.

Punishment

It refers to providing a consequence after a behavior to decrease the likelihood of the behavior happening again.

Classical Conditioning

It explains the acquisition of deviant behavior on the basis of paired associations between previously neutral stimuli and unconditioned stimuli

Social Learning

It considers the influence of cognitive mediators that may influence the behaviors directly or indirectly

Secure Attachment

Situation:

Infant uses caregiver as a secure base; shows distress when caregiver leaves and is easily comforted upon return due to consistent, responsive care.

Anxious-Avoidant Attachment

Situation:

Infant shows little distress when caregiver leaves and avoids/ignores them upon return; linked to unresponsive or rejecting care.

Anxious-Resistant (Ambivalent) Attachment

Situation:

Infant is highly distressed when caregiver leaves and seeks comfort but also resists upon return; linked to inconsistent caregiver responsiveness.

Disorganized Attachment

Situation:

Infant shows confused, contradictory, or fearful behavior toward caregiver; often linked to frightening or abusive care