ABNORMAL CH.1 QUIZ

Adoptee Studies

A studies that compare the traits and behavior patterns of adopted children to those of their biological parents and their adoptive parents.

Biopsychosocial Model

An integrative model for explaining psychological disorders in terms of the interactions of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.

Blind

A stare of being unaware of whether one has received an experimental treatment or a placebo.

Case Studies

Carefully drawn biographies based on clinical interviews, observations, and psychological tests.

Confidentiality

Protection of research participants by keeping records secure and not disclosing their identities.

Construct Validity

(1) In Experimentation, the degree to which treatment effects can be accounted for by the theoretical mechanisms (constructs) represented in the independent variables; (2) In Measurement, the degree to which a test measures the hypothetical construct that it purports to measure.

Control Group

In an experiment, a group that does not receive the experimental treatment.

Correlational Method

A scientific method of study that examines the relationships between factors or variables expressed in statistical terms.

Correlation Coefficient

A statistical measure of the strength of the relationship between two variables expressed along a continuum that ranges between -1.00 and +1.00.

Critical Thinking

Adoption of a questioning attitude and careful scrutiny of claims and arguments in light of evidence.

Deinstitutionalization

The policy of shifting care for patients with severe or chronic mental health problems from inpatient facilities to community-based facilities.

Delusions

Firmly held, but inaccurate beliefs that persist despite evidence that they have no basis in reality.

Dementia Praecox

The term given by Kraepelin to the disorder now called Schizophrenia.

Dependent Variables

Factors that are observed in order to determine the effects of manipulating an independent variable.

Epidemiological Method

Research studies that track rates of occurrence of particular disorders among different population groups.

Experimental Group

In an experiment, a group that receives the experimental treatment.

Experimental Method

A scientific method that aims to discover cause-and-effect relationships by manipulating independent variables and observing the effects on the dependent variables.

External Validity

The degree to which experimental results can be generalized to other settings and conditions.

General Paresis

A form of dementia resulting from neurosyphilis.

Genotype

The set of traits specified by an individual’s genetic code.

Hallucinations

Perceptions occurring in the absence of external stimuli that become confused with reality.

Humors

According to the ancient Hippocratic belief system, the vital bodily fluids (phlegm, black bile, blood, yellow bile).

Hypothesis

A prediction that is tested through experimentation.

Incidence

The number of new cases of a disorder that occurs within a specific period of time.

Independent Variables

Factors that are manipulated in experiments.

Informed Consent

The principle that research participants should receive enough information about an experiment beforehand to decide freely whether to participate.

Internal Validity

The degree to which manipulation of the independent variables can be casually related to changes in the dependent variables.

Longitudinal Study

A research study in which subjects are followed over time.

Medical Model

A biological perspective in which psychological disorders are viewed as symptomatic of underlying diseases or illnesses.

Naturalistic Observation Method

A research method in which behavior is observed and measured in its natural environment.

Phenotype

An individual’s actual or expressed traits.

Placebo

An inert medication or bogus treatment that is intended to control for expectancy effects.

Prevalence

The overall number of cases of a disorder in a population within a specific period of time.

Psychodynamic Model

The theoretical model of Freud and his followers, in which psychological disorders are viewed as the product of clashing forces within the personality.

Psychological Disorder

A disturbance of thinking, emotions, perceptions, or behaviors associated with significant personal distress or impaired functioning.

Psychology

The scientific study of behavior and mental processes.

Psychopathology

The scientific study of the types, causes, and treatments of psychological or mental disorders.

Random Assignment

A method of assigning research subjects at random to experimental or control groups to balance the characteristic of people who comprise them.

Random Sample

A sample that is drawn in such a way that every member of a population has an equal chance of being included.

Reversal Design

An experimental design that consists of repeated measurement of a subject’s behavior through a sequence of alternating baseline and treatment phases.

Schizophrenia

A severe psychological disorder involving a “break with reality” that is characterized by disturbed behavior, thinking, emotional functioning, and perceptions.

Scientific Method

A systematic method of conducting scientific research in which theories or assumptions are examined in light of evidence.

Selection Factor

A type of bias in which differences between experimental and control groups result from differences in the types of participants in the group, not from the influence of the independent variable.

Single-Case Experimental Design

A type of case study in which the subject is used as their own control.

Survey Method

A research method in which samples of people are questioned by means of a survey instrument such as a questionnaire or interview protocol.

Syndromes

Clusters of symptoms that may be indicative of a particular disease or conditions.

Theory

A formulation of the relationships underlying observed events.

Trephination

A harsh, prehistoric practice of cutting a hole in a person’s skull, possibly in an attempt to release demons.