PSYC 380

psychological disorder

a disruption in cognitive, behavioral, or emotional functioning
personal distress
atypical and not culturally expected

etiology

the study of origins, why a disorder begins and what causes it
includes biological, psychological, and social dimensions

prognosis

the anticipated cause of a disorder

psychopathology

scientific study of psychological disorders

prevalence

percentage of people within a population who have a specific mental disorder

incidence

statistics on how many new cases occur during a given period

supernatural tradition

abnormal behavior is caused by supernatural phenomenon and can only be treated supernaturally, treatment might work due to power of suggestion

early biological treatments

trephination- removal of a piece of the skull
ECT
bloodletting, lobotomies

general paresis

progressive mental illness involving delusions, dementia, and paralysis

Hippocrates

Blood (from heart)—excess creates cheerfulness (sanguinity)
Black bile (from spleen)—produces depression (melancholy)
Yellow bile (from liver)—produces anger (choler)
Phlegm (from brain)—produces lethargy

Plato

poor behavior is caused by bad experiences leading to faulty learning

moral therapy

Phillipe Pinel advocated placing patients in an environment that encouraged healthy social interactions and intellectual curiosity

Dorthea Dix

increase public awareness of mental illness and value of hospitalization

mental hygiene movement

movement led by Dorthea Dix to treat mental patients more humanely and to view mental disorders as medical diseases

structures of the mind

id- source of our strong sexual and aggressive feelings or energies
ego- the part of our mind that ensures we act realistically
superego- moral principles instilled in us by our parents and our culture

defense mechanisms

unconscious protective processes that keep primitive emotions associated with conflicts in check so the ego can continue its coordinating function

Oedipus/Electra complex

become sexually attracted to the opposite-sex parent, wanting to eliminate same-sex parent as a rival
can lead to unhealthy relationships

castration anxiety

strong fears that the father may punish lust by removing the son's penis

psychosexual stages

oral stage, anal stage, phallic stage, latency stage, genital stage

transference/countertransference

client projects own thoughts/feelings/desires onto therapist/ therapist projects own thoughts/feelings/desires onto client

spontaneous remission

rate at which clients improve without treatment

behavioral model

psychological dysfunction comes from faulty learning and can be changed through relearning

classical conditioning

when two things are experienced together, people form an association

prepared learning

humans are biologically predisposed to learn some connections faster than others

classical extinction

experience stimulus without feared event many times, fear decreases

exposure therapies

experiencing the thing that makes you anxious while using relaxation techniques will reduce anxiety over time

aversive counterconditioning

pair an unpleasant stimulus with an unwanted behavior to reduce the behavior

operant conditioning

occurs when people learn a connection between a behavior and its consequences which leads them to make choices about behavior

behavioral modification

systematic use of rewards and/or punishments to shape behavior

operant extinction

is reward is removes behavior should diminish possible after a response burst (brief increase in frequency)

learned helplessness

feeling out of control can stop someone from trying to improve his/her situation

experimental neurosis

animals unable to read cues, and thus unable to predict what will happen, develop this (like abused children)

humanistic model

human nature is essentially positive; therapy should help individuals work to achieve their fullest potential (self-actualize) by removing barriers to growth

self actualization

the process by which people achieve their full potential

person-centered theory

emphasizes importance of unconditional positive regard in which therapist accepts client's feelings and actions without criticism, makes him/her feel understood and valued

personal construct theory

we employ methods of categorizing ourselves, others, and events to help us predict/understand the world

motivational interviewing

focused on increasing client desire to change through use of empathic and supportive communication techniques

introspection

a method of self-observation in which participants report their thoughts and feelings

systematic desensitization

individuals were gradually introduced to the objects or situations they feared so that their fear could extinguish

biopsychosocial model

mental disorders are due to the interactions between biological, psychological, and social forces

diathesis stress model

individuals inherit tendencies to express certain traits or behaviors, which may then be activated under conditions of stress

genotype

set of traits connected in your genetic code

phenotype

traits actually expressed

central nervous system

brain and spinal cord

peripheral nervous system

communicates between CNS and body
somatic- controls voluntary activity
automatic- controls involuntary activity

automatic nervous system

controls involuntary actions
sympathetic- when perceived threat triggers fight or flight response
parasympathetic nervous system—restores body to state of rest/recuperation after arousal

genes and psychological dysfunction

developing a psychological disorder may be slightly affected by interactions among genes
greater genetic link for some disorders (e.g., alcoholism, schizophrenia).

importance of twin studies

maintain same genes while testing effects of different environments or treatments

reciprocal gene-environment model

just as the environment affects the expression of genes, genetic make-up affects a person's experience of his/her environment

extrapyramidal system

cerebellum - coordinates movement
reticular activating system - affects levels of arousal
caudate nucleus - involved in directing motor behavior

hypothalamus

involved in instinctive behavior - sleep, hunger, sex, emotions
runs the endocrine system

endocrine system

releases hormones into the bloodstream
epinephrine- adrenaline
norepinephrine- too little associated with depression, too much associated with schizophrenia
cortisol- promotes short term healing, but long term damage

thyroid

controls metabolism
impairment can produce behavioral changes.
hypothyroidism- depression symptoms
hyperthyroidism- elevated body temp, increased heart rate, irritability, nervousness

limbic system

found between brain and cerebral cortex

amygdala

involved in emotionally-motivated behavior (aggression)

hippocampus

-Involved in memory
-Chronic alcohol use causes damage.
-Forget recent stuff first
-Encephalitis- brain swelling, has nowhere to go
-Strained when studying

frontal cortex

-executive functioning, organizing, setting priorities, strategizing, controlling impulses
-last part of the brain to fully develop
*addictions that start prior to 25 y/o greatly interfere with PFT development

neurtotransmitters

chemicals that cause communication between neurons
acetylcholine, serotonin, dopamine, GABA

acetycholine

involved in movement, sleep, learning, and memory
affected by many psychiatric medicines

serotonin

affects information processing
regulates mood and behavior
high levels associated with pro-social behavior and reduced sexual desire
low levels associated with depression and impulsive behavior

dopamine

involved in movement/activation
high levels associated with schizophrenia
increases response to rewards

GABA

inhibitory, mellows you out

agonist vs antagonist

Agonist: medication binds to the same site as an endogenous substance (e.g., neurotransmitter) to produce similar response
Antagonist: Medication binds to a receptor and thus, prevents the binding and action of an agonist

inverse agonist

produce effects opposite to those produced by the neurotransmitter

HPA axis

the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal cortex
dysregulation is linked to depression

impact of anger on the heart

anger increases risk of heart disease
when angry, the heart's ability to pump blood to the rest of the body decreases

circumplex model of emotion

valence and arousal are separate dimensions of emotion, and distinct emotions represent intersections along these dimensions
valence ( pleasant vs unpleasant)
arousal (high or low)

observational/social learning

learning by observing others

systems theory

viewing something as compromised of a number of interacting systems

implicit memory

when someone clearly act son the basis of things that have happened in the past but can't remember the events

maturation and psychopathology

psychological disorders have different effects on individuals depending on their developmental stage, this continues to change throughout the life span

cognitive therapy

treatment for psychological disorders that centers on changing self-defeating thinking

cognitive dissonance

unpleasant mental experience of tension resulting from two conflicting thoughts or beliefs

importance of social support

increased resilience and length of life
mediates effects from minority status and mental health issues

minority stress model

members of minority groups who experience being treated as undervalued exhibit higher rates of depression and related disorders

microaggressions

slights/insults that produce stress

evidence based practice

using available research data to select treatment interventions likely to work for a specific client with specific issues

social conformity

informational conformity - using others' behavior as a source of information to avoid mistakes
normative conformity - going along with others' behavior to be accepted/avoid criticism
ex. peer influence behaviors

fright disorders

exaggerated startle responses, and other observable fear and anxiety reactions

randomized controlled trials

research designed to determine the effectiveness of a new medication or form of therapy, in which people with a given problem or disorder are randomly assigned to one or more treatment groups or to a control group

the scientific method is...

empirical
objective
skeptical
replicable
peer reviewed

steps of scientific method

1. Formulate a question
2. Form a hypothesis—prediction about the
result of an experiment.
3. Test the hypothesis.
4. Analyze data.
5. Synthesize with other research
6. Develop new theories

peer reviewed source

written and evaluated by *experts in the field* (research scientists)

internal validity

extent to which the results of a study can be attributed to the intended manipulation of a variable (related to amount of control)

external validity

extent to which the results of a study can be generalized (applied) to the larger population
enhanced by a large and randomized sample

generalizabilty

the extent to which results apply to everyone in a certain population

reliability

extent to which a measurement is consistent over time and across evaluators

validity

extent to which a research technique accurately measures what it is intended to measure

confounding factors

any factor other than the intended manipulation that causes or masks the effects of a study

descriptive design

examination of a phenomenon or group of phenomena; no manipulation of variables

experimental design

involves manipulation of one or more variables in the study

correlational designs

measuring two (or more) variables to determine whether they are statistically related (vary together)
positive- higher on one is associated with higher on the other
negative- higher on one is associated with lower on the other

case studies

detailed analysis focused on one event, individual, or group

independent vs dependent variable

independent- factor manipulated by the experimenter
dependent- factor to determine if it is affected by the independent variable

experimental vs control group

experimental- subjects who receive the intervention
control- subjects who do not receive the intervention

randomization of subjects

assigning subjects to research conditions in such a way that each subject has an equal chance of ending up in either the experimental or control group

quasi-experimental design

subjects are not randomly assigned, manipulates one or more independent variables

hypothesis

an educated guess about what you expect to find

analogue model

create in the controlled conditions of the laboratory aspects that are comparable to the phenomenon under study

ethical principles

do no harm
informed consent