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chapter 5

  1. Q: What is psychopharmacology?
    A: The study of how drugs affect mood, thinking, and behavior.

  2. Q: Why do people respond differently to the same drug?
    A: Because of biological (e.g. age, weight, genes) and psychological (e.g. beliefs, personality) differences.

  3. Q: What are drug expectancies?
    A: Beliefs or expectations people have about what a drug will do; these can shape their actual experience.

  4. Q: How does the setting (environment) influence drug effects?
    A: The place, who you are with, or the context can change how strong or pleasant a drug feels.

  5. Q: What are the major stages in new drug development?
    A: Discovery → preclinical (animal) testing → clinical trials (Phase I, II, III) → regulatory approval → post-marketing monitoring.

  6. Q: What is a placebo effect?
    A: A change (improvement or side effect) experienced because a person believes they got a real drug, even if it was inert.

  7. Q: What does double-blind mean in studies?
    A: Neither the researcher nor participants know who is getting the real drug vs. placebo — to reduce bias.

  8. Q: What is a dose–response curve?
    A: It shows how different doses of a drug lead to different magnitudes or probabilities of effect.

  9. Q: What is abuse liability?
    A: How likely it is that a drug will be misused or become addictive.

  10. Q: How do researchers assess abuse liability?
    A: Through studies like self-administration (do animals/humans work to get drug), surveys of effects, tolerance/withdrawal patterns.

  11. Q: What safety and ethical concerns are important in testing psychoactive drugs?
    A: Possible side effects, long-term harm, informed consent, balancing risks vs benefits, monitoring participants.

  12. Q: Why does the authors emphasize both biological and psychological factors in drug effects?
    A: Because drug experiences are shaped by both what the drug does in the body and what the mind expects.

  13. Q: What is post-marketing surveillance?
    A: After a drug is approved, monitoring its effects in the general population to catch rare adverse effects.

  14. Q: Why is the placebo/control condition important in drug trials?
    A: It helps separate real drug effects from effects due to expectation, time, or other factors.

  15. Q: How might knowledge of psychopharmacology help in prevention or treatment?
    A: By understanding how drugs work and why people respond differently, interventions can be targeted (dose control, managing expectations, monitoring for side effects).