Exam 1

Cumulative Abnormal Psych

What are neurotransmitters released and received by?

Neurons

All mental health disorders are considered ________

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Polygenic traits 

True or false: there are NO cases where a single gene codes for a psychological disorder

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true, they can influence psychological disorders though 

What percentage of genes do Monozygotic twins share?

100%

What percentage of genes do Dizygotic twins share?

50%

Are diathesis stress and the biopsychosocial model mutually exclusive?

No. Both stress and diathesis can be biologically, psychologically, or socially based**.**

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True or false: You **cannot** have low reliability and high validity 

True

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In the continuum model, what are normative thoughts, feelings, and behaviors? 

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\-Typical for the social context (ex: smashing plates at a Greek wedding)

\-Not distressing to the individual

\-Not interfering with social/occupational functioning

\-Not dangerous

In the continuum model, abnormal t,f,b are one or more of the following:

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\-Highly unusual in a social context

\-Significantly distressing

\-Significantly interfering

\-Very dangerous

\*(UDID- unusual, distressing, interfering, dangerous)

When is a behavior considered dysfunctional?

When it interferes with a person's ability to function in social (relationships), work, or school

True or false: dangerousness is the least dependent on cultural factors compared to the other 4 Ds

true

The 4Ds all lie on what?

a continuum

Drunk driving is an example of which of the 4 Ds?

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Dangerousness 

How is driving a nail through your hand on good friday an example of deviance being defined by sociocultural norms?

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This is typical behavior in Mexico, but would be unusual in our society 

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What does the frontal lobe contain?

motor cortex and prefrontal cortex

What are the chemicals secreted by the endocrine system called?

Hormones

How are hormones similar to neurotransmitters?

They both can affect your mood

What is an example of social diathesis?

being raised in a dangerous neighborhood

What is stress in the diathesis-stress model?

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a factor that causes discomfort

Thorndike and Skinner are the fathers of what behavioral theory?

Operant conditioning

Offering money for good grades is an example of?

positive reinforcement

Albert Bandura is the father of which behavioral theory?

Social learning

What is Bandura famous for?

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Bobo doll experiment 

What is modeling in social learning?

Behaviors learned by imitating others

What does exposure therapy involve?

Repeated exposure to anxiety-producing stimulus/situation (systematic desensitization)

Something about be influenced this situation, reflects an ________ locust of control

Internal

What does dialectical behavior therapy focus on?

managing negative emotions and controlling impulsive behaviors

What is a symptom?

individual impairments that a person is noticing

Major depressive disorder is an example of?

a syndrome

low self-esteem, sleeping 13 hours a day, loss of interest are examples of?

symptoms

What is the Gold Standard method for assessing symptoms that is typically required for diagnosis?

Clinical interviewing

What do symptom questionnaires target?

The symptoms of a specific disorder

Client collects data themselves on what kind of assessment?

self-monitoring forms

What are the cons to self-monitoring forms?

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can be overwhelming to the client 

How does the DSM help us get reliable diagnoses?

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\-List of observable/reportable patterns of behaviors/symptoms used for diagnoses

\-It allows for communication between clinicians

True or False: The DSM always changes

True

Comorbidity is the ____, not the exception

Rule

What is a theory?

unifying explanation for a large number of observations

How are theories and hypotheses related?

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Hypotheses are derived from scientific theories 

What are the cons to case studies?

\-Observations could be due to almost anything à can’t make causal claims.

\-Can’t generalize to other people, places, times, etc.

\-N=1: results could be biased/influenced due to any number of factors (make hypotheses about relationships, but can't draw conclusions)

In a correlational study, variables are _____ manipulated

In a correlational study, variables are _____ manipulated

NOT

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What are the cons to correlational studies? 

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\-Cannot establish cause and effect

\*Directionality Problem

\*Third Variable Problem

What is a directionality problem?

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if you find a relationship between two variables, you still can’t determine which caused the changes in the other.

\-ex: does more stress cause less sleep (B --> A)

What is the third variable problem?

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since variables are not directly manipulated, you can’t be confident that another, unmeasured variable is not the actual cause of observed relationship

(extraneous variable)

What are the three study designs we use to test our hypotheses?

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\-case study

\-correlational study 

\-experimental study

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What are the pros to experimental studies? 

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\-control (extraneous variables, directionality)

\-cause-and-effect relationships ( we have established temporal precedence)

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What are the cons to experimental studies? 

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\-Sometimes __not a realistic situation__ (doesn’t reflect the real world) → Can have poor external validity →may not be generalizable

\-cannot be used to answer certain research questions (ex: when it would be unethical to manipulate the IV)

What is a null hypothesis?

There is no significant relationship between variables

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Which variable gets manipulated in an experiment? 

Independent variable

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Which variable gets measured in an experiment? 

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Dependent variable 

Which is better for an experiment: random sampling or convenience sampling?

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Random sampling 

In an experiment, what is the population?

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everyone in the group the researcher is interested in

\-ex: all people in a country, all people with disease 

In an experiment, what is the sample?

a subset of a population used for your study

What does random assignment mean?

each participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any condition of the study (to any level of the IV).

What is the control group in an experiment?

the participants in an experiment who receive no intervention/manipulation of the IV

What does a positive correlation mean?

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both variables either increase or decrease together.

\-ex: hours of sleep and feelings of restedness 

What is the definition of abnormal psychology?

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The study of psychopathology 

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What is “psychopathology”?

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Mental disorders 

What is the continuum model of abnormality?

The scale between the two extremes: abnormal and normative thoughts, feelings, behaviors

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What are the “four D’s” of abnormality?

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Deviance, distress, dysfunctionality, dangerousness 

Which of the Four D’s is considered the “unusualness perspective?”

Deviance from the norm (different from how most people would experience it)

Deviance is explicitly defined by:

Cultural norms

When is distress considered abnormal?

If it harms the individual or people around them (physical or emotional pain)

What 2 of the Ds are IMPACTED by social norms?

Distress and dysfunctionality

What is an example of how distress is impacted by social norms?

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\-distress is normal when grieving

What is an example of how dysfunctionality is impacted by social norms/individual person?

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OCD checking locks

\-if the behavior takes 2 mins it is probably not dysfunctional compared to if it took 2 hours and needed to be repeated

The biopsychosocial model suggests that a ______ of biological ,psychological, and social factors leads to a specific disorder

combination

What are the steps to the biopsychosocial approach?

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1\. biological factors such as genetics

2\. influence and are influenced by

3\. psychological factors (view of the world, personality traits, and self-concept)

4\. which influence and are influenced by social factors like interpersonal relationships 

What are the three theories associated with Biological factors?

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structural theories, biochemical theories, genetic theories

What are structural abnormalities?

abnormalities or differences in the structure of the brain

How do structural abnormalities lead to abnormal T/F/B?

When there is damage to a particular brain structure, we usually see deficits or abnormalities in the behaviors or cognitions that the particular brain region is responsible for

What does the frontal lobe do?

Oversees/organizes most other brain functions (executive functioning)

What do people with structural abnormalities in the frontal lobe have trouble with?

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\-advanced thinking processes (memory, attention, thought, language) 

\-impulse control/emotional regulation 

What was the problem with Phineas Gage?

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Lesions to his frontal lobe caused problems in self-control

What is the prefrontal cortex responsible for?

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thinking, planning, and language

\-it plays a role in personality and mood, self-awareness

Lesions in what subcortical structure cause problems forming new memories?

The hippocampus (Patient HM)

What does HPA axis stand for?

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis

What does the HPA axis help us do?

Make the split second decision between fight-or-flight

What are the major stress hormones sent between the organs in the HPA axis?

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cortisol and adrenaline

People with _____-active HPA axes are basically having false alarms in their fight-or flight- system

over

What problems are related to dysregulation of the HPA axis?

\-Managing stress, linked to depression and anxiety as a result

Why are you more likely to get sick when you are chronically stressed?

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Dysregulation of the HPA axis can suppress the immune system 

What are neurotransmitters?

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Chemical messengers in the nervous system that send signals between two cells in the nervous system 

How do neurotransmitters help us to think and act in certain ways?

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They help neurons to fire or not fire 

Is less activity caused by excitatory or inhibitory neurotransmitters?

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Inhibitory neurotransmitters

Why are deficiencies in neurotransmitters linked to certain mental disorders?

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Because it leads to overall decreased neuronal activity in the brain region 

How are hormones different from neurotransmitters?

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They are released through organs throughout your body and travel through your bloodstream to other organs.

What is the hypothalamus?

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Organ in the HPA axis that major hormones are sent between 

What are genes?

Our genetic material composed of DNA

Why are common psychological disorders increasingly complex?

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There's not a single gene that codes for depression or schizophrenia or anxiety 

What is a polygenic process?

When multiple genes are involved in etiology of mental disorder

What three methods do behavioral geneticists use to assess the degree to which traits are inherited?

Family history studies, adoption studies, and twin studies

What suggests some genetic component to a disorder in family history studies?

If the disorder is found more often within that individual's biological family than it is in the rest of the population

Why do scientists use adoption studies with MZ twins raised in 2 different families?

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To figure out whether some attribute is more genetic or environmental since MZ twins share 100% of their genes 

In twin studies, what determines if a characteristic is more genetically influenced?

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If the rate of concordance is higher in MZ than DZ twin pairs

What is concordance rate?

The probability that both twins have the disorder if one twin has it

What is a heritability estimate and how are they conducted?

How genetic disorders are, conducted by looking at concordance rates

What does the diathesis-stress model propose?

Psychological disorders are caused by BOTH the presence of a vulnerability AND some stressor

What is diathesis?

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A predisposition, vulnerability, or tendency to acquire a particular disease or set of symptoms

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What are examples of biological diathesis? 

genes, brain abnormality