Exam 4: The Scientific Method in Abnormal Psychology

A school psychologist was concerned with the number of children being diagnosed with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).If she were interested in learning how many new cases of ADHD had been diagnosed within the last two years, she would look at ____.

Which of the following is a hallmark of the scientific method?

Dr.Chin told his students, "Incidence rates tell us the percentage of individuals in a targeted population who have a particular disorder during a specified period of time, while prevalence rates describe the number of new cases within a specified period.Shorter periods of time generally reveal higher prevalence rates.Moreover, incidence rates are likely to be lower than prevalence rates." Which part of Dr.Chin's statement is accurate?

One thing that's true about correlational studies is that they ____.

In order to compare how often some behavior or other phenomenon occurs in the population that is being studied, researchers examine ____.

To assess whether sexual sadism is influenced by watching sexually violent films, "normal" male participates are exposed to either violent or nonviolent sexual programs and are then asked to complete a questionnaire assessing their attitudes toward women and their likelihood of engaging in violent behaviors with women.This kind of research is called a(n)____.

Research designs involving random assignment allows an investigator to ____.

Truddi has been studying the topic of repressed memories.She is likely to find that ____.

Investigators using research designs involving components such as placebo trial and random assignment must consider ____.

Which of the following is the strongest correlation?

Results of a study show a significant positive correlation between scores on the Dissociative Experiences Scale and a questionnaire on child abuse.The researchers conclude that this supports "the view that dissociation represents a reaction to early negative experience." What is one problem with this conclusion?

Research that examines the rate and distribution of mental disorders in the population is called ____.

A researcher interested in sex differences in the diagnosis of childhood disorders reviews teachers' comments on report cards issued to boys and girls during the 1930s and compares them with teachers' comments on report cards during the 1980s.This study illustrates ____.

Often, when new drugs are developed, their effects are first tested on animals rather than on humans.The use of animals as substitutes for humans in research is often referred to as ____.

Instead of manipulating variables, the researcher measures the extent to which changes in one variable are accompanied by changes in a second variable.What type of study is this?

A researcher studies a group of elderly people and finds that, as a group, the better their memory performance, the lower their anxiety level.What can be said about this research?

A characteristic of all endophenotypes is that they are ____.

The degree to which a genetic characteristic is manifested by individuals carrying a specific gene is called ____.

Wayne, a young adolescent male, has a history of sexual abuse from his childhood.How significant could we expect his signs and symptoms of trauma that characterize the majority of individuals with child abuse histories?

Dr.Malcolm is developing a new personality inventory.In his validation study, he ensures that his participants include individuals from every state, an equal number of men and women, individuals from all ethnic and racial backgrounds, and individuals from both rural and urban areas.Dr.Malcolm is trying to ensure that his study is ____.