Deck 1: Abnormal Psychology: Overview and Research Approaches

Question 1

Brett persistently injects himself with pain killers. This has greatly increased his chance of overdosing and dying. His behavior harms no one else. According to the DSM-5, is Brett's behavior consistent with the definition of a mental disorder?

A) Yes, because many people in society engage in this behavior.
B) Yes, because he is persistently acting in a way that harms him.
C) No, because his behavior must also harm the well-being of others in the community.
D) No, because there is no evidence that his actions are out of his own control.

Answer 1

Yes, because he is persistently acting in a way that harms him.

Question 2

Which of the following statements is true concerning classification systems for mental disorders?

A) It is far more important that they be reliable than it is for them to be valid.
B) Classification systems make it more difficult to gather statistics on the incidence and prevalence of disorders.
C) Classification systems meet the needs of medical insurance companies who need diagnoses in order to authorize payment of claims.
D) Although they assist scientists who are researching disorders, they always inhibit our ability to communicate about abnormal behavior in a consistent way.

Answer 2

Classification systems meet the needs of medical insurance companies who need diagnoses in order to authorize payment of claims.

Question 3

In the field of abnormal psychology, what does DSM stand for?

A) Disorders, Science, and the Mind
B) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
C) Descriptors for the Science of the Mind
D) Diagnostic Science of the Mind

Answer 3

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual

Question 4

Which of the following is an example of family aggregation?

A) Both Jane and her husband are alcoholics.
B) Jim and John, 21-year-old friends, are both schizophrenics.
C) Karen, her mother, and her grandmother all have been diagnosed with generalized anxiety disorder.
D) Kim's suicide was apparently a reaction to her mother's abuse.

Question 5

What does Monique's case best illustrate?

A) Most individuals with mental disorders are violent.
B) Women are more likely to commit suicide than men.
C) Most individuals who experience a mental breakdown are clearly unwell long before treatment is sought.
D) Mental illness can have a significant impact on one's life.

Question 6

The fact that body piercings are commonplace today while they would once have been viewed as abnormal illustrates that

A) modern society is unlikely to change.
B) what is acceptable for men and women is no longer different.
C) American culture values independence.
D) the values of a society may change over time.

Question 7

What is a reason for classifying mental disorders?

A) A classification system allows information to be organized.
B) So that professionals won't need to look at as much information about a person.
C) So that professionals can make assumptions about people based on their diagnoses.
D) The diagnosis can have an effect on people's behaviors.

Question 8

According to the case study in the textbook, for Zell Kravinsky the burden of _______ was almost unbearable.

A) hoarding personal possessions
B) washing his hands compulsively
C) refusing to help others
D) writing and rewriting letters to his family

Question 9

What makes defining abnormality difficult?

A) There are so many types of abnormal behavior that they can't be accurately described.
B) There is no one behavior that serves to make someone abnormal.
C) Most of us are abnormal much of the time so that we cannot tell what is normal.
D) Criteria for abnormality have yet to be developed.

Question 10

Scott is most likely suffering from what psychological condition?

A) Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
B) Depression
C) Schizophrenia
D) Dissociative Identity Disorder

Question 11

Which of the following is a sufficient element to determine abnormality?

A) Suffering
B) Maladaptiveness
C) Deviancy
D) There is no single sufficient element.

Question 12

According to the DSM, when is deviant behavior viewed as indicative of a mental disorder?

A) Always
B) Only when the behavior is inconsistent with cultural norms
C) When it is a symptom of a dysfunction in the individual
D) Never

Question 13

Which of the following is a disadvantage of having a classification system for mental disorders?

A) A classification system establishes the types of problems that mental professionals can treat.
B) When a label is used to describe an individual's behavior, information about the person is lost.
C) A classification system allows for research to advance.
D) Identifying the disorder that an individual has guides treatment.

Question 14

Which of the following best describes the DSM?

A) A complete guide to the origin, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders
B) A work in progress that classifies mental disorders based on what is currently known
C) A fundamentally flawed collection of unfounded assumptions about mental disorders
D) A collection of random opinions about diagnosing mental disorders

Question 15

The International Classification of Diseases, revision 10 (ICD 10) is produced by ________

A) the American Psychological Association.
B) the American Psychiatric Association.
C) the World Health Organization.
D) the American Medical Association.

Question 16

What does Monique's case best illustrate?

A) Abnormal behavior usually produces more distress in others than the person who engages in the abnormal behavior.
B) Abnormal behavior covers a wide range of behavioral disturbances.
C) Most people who suffer from abnormal behavior are quickly identified as deviant by other people.
D) When people suffer from mental disorders, they are unable to work or live independently.

Question 17

In the United States, the standard for defining types of mental disorders is contained in the ________

A) American Psychological Association's bylaws.
B) American Psychiatric Association's bylaws.
C) World Health Organization's classification code.
D) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders.

Question 18

Which of the following is included in the DSM-5?

A) A discussion of the various causes of mental disorders
B) A means of identifying different mental disorders
C) A description of all conditions for mental illness
D) A description of all of the possible treatments for each disorder

Question 19

Which concept provides psychologists with a consistent naming system that can be used to organize and identify information in a helpful manner?

A) Epidemiology
B) Classification
C) Brain research
D) Labeling

Question 20

What does Scott's case best illustrate?

A) The problems associated with higher education in America today.
B) That homelessness often causes psychopathology.
C) That some psychological conditions are "late onset" -initially occurring in adolescence or young adulthood.
D) That lower social economic status is a causal factor of psychosis.

Question 21

What term refers to the number of new cases of a disorder that occur over a given time period?

A) Point prevalence
B) 1-year prevalence
C) Incidence
D) Valence

Question 22

What is epidemiology?

A) The exploration of what forms of treatment are most effective
B) A form of psychotherapy
C) The study of the role of genes in mental illness
D) The study of the distribution of a disorder in a population

Question 23

Why is it important to know how many people have diagnosable mental illnesses?

A) Such information is needed to plan for the provision of adequate services.
B) The number of people with mental illness and the level of crime are highly correlated.
C) If the incidence of mental illness is rising, there needs to be a corresponding increase in the level of funding for medical research.
D) Pharmaceutical companies need such information to ensure the appropriate level of drug production.

Question 24

All of the following are disadvantages of classifying and diagnosing mental disorders except ________

A) stereotyping.
B) labeling.
C) stigma.
D) structure.

Question 25

________ rates may be reported in terms of the lifetime risk of contracting a particular disorder.

A) Prevalence
B) Point prevalence
C) Point incidence
D) Incidence

Question 26

Practically speaking, "abnormal" behavior means

A) any behavior that is "away from the normal" and causes any distress.
B) any behavior that causes the person distress.
C) any behavior that causes us to consider our values.
D) any behavior that deviates from the norms of the society in which the person lives.

Question 27

What is a culture-specific disorder?

A) A disorder seen in all cultures
B) A disorder that is seen universally, but presents itself differently depending on cultural factors
C) A disorder that is a product of cultural stressors
D) A disorder seen only in certain cultures

Question 28

___________ refers to the estimated proportion of actual, active cases of a disorder in a given population at a given point of time.

A) Point prevalence
B) Absolute prevalence
C) 1-year prevalence
D) Lifetime prevalence

Question 29

What does it mean if a disorder is said to be highly prevalent?

A) It is common.
B) It is not curable.
C) It is treatable.
D) It is contagious.

Question 30

What is wrong with describing someone as being "schizophrenic"?

A) It implies someone is depressed.
B) Such a definitive diagnosis is rare.
C) The behavior of the schizophrenic changes so rapidly that this is only true a small percentage of the time.
D) Labels should be applied to disorders, not to people.

Question 31

Maria believes that her dead grandmother occasionally speaks to her. In deciding if Maria has a mental illness or not, which of the following should first be evaluated?

A) How old is Maria?
B) Is Maria's belief consistent with the beliefs of her culture?
C) Do people in general consider Maria's belief to be abnormal?
D) Does her belief match any of the symptoms in the disorders in the DSM?

Question 32

The mayor of a city wants to know the number of new cases of a disorder over the past year. The mayor should ask an epidemiologist for the ________ of the disorder.

A) prevalence rate
B) incidence rate
C) point prevalence
D) acute occurrence

Question 33

Mental health epidemiology is

A) the study of epidemics in mental disorders among the general population.
B) the study of organic brain diseases among different ethnic populations of a defined geographic region.
C) the study of the distribution of mental disorders in a given population.
D) a sociological study of psychological disorders.

Question 34

What type of prevalence estimate tends to be lowest?

A) Point prevalence
B) 1-year prevalence
C) Lifetime prevalence
D) Virtual prevalence

Question 35

What type of prevalence data only counts active cases of a disorder?

A) Point prevalence
B) 1-year prevalence
C) Lifetime prevalence
D) All prevalence data count both those who have the disorder and those who have recovered.

Question 36

Stereotyping is an example of the stigma of mental illness. It means ________

A) people are reluctant to discuss their psychological problems because they are afraid others won't like them.
B) people feel very sad and upset when they find out they have a mental illness.
C) the automatic and often incorrect beliefs people have about people with mental illness.
D) the problem of removing the diagnosis, even if people make a full recovery from mental illness.

Question 37

What does the case of JGH, a Native American elder, illustrate?

A) Alcoholism has long lasting effects on mood and behavior, even when drinking has ceased.
B) A person may focus on somatic symptoms, rather than mood, when depressed.
C) Depression is not universal.
D) The symptoms of some illnesses are not apparent until after lengthy psychological evaluation.

Question 38

What type of prevalence estimate tends to be highest?

A) Point prevalence
B) 1-year prevalence
C) Lifetime prevalence
D) Virtual prevalence

Question 39

Which of the following is an example of point prevalence?

A) Forty people had panic attacks in the last year.
B) Seventy people in one graduating class were diagnosed with anorexia at some time during the past four years.
C) 1% of the population is currently experiencing depressive symptoms.
D) 15% of women will suffer from an anxiety disorder before the age of 30.

Question 40

Which of the following has been shown to reduce stigma of the mentally ill?

A) Educating people that a mental illness is a "real" brain disorder
B) Referring to a mental illness as a "mental disease"
C) Increasing contact with individuals who have a mental illness
D) Applying labels to individuals, such as "schizophrenic" or "bipolar"

Question 41

What individual mental disorder in the United States has the highest 1-Year Prevalence rate?

A) Major Depressive disorder
B) Alcohol Abuse
C) Specific Phobia
D) Social Phobia

Question 42

What is important to remember about the apparent high lifetime rate of mental disorders?

A) Many people were probably misdiagnosed.
B) So many people have disorders that this has become a major health issue.
C) Many people with disorders are not seriously affected by them or may have them for only a short time.
D) A large majority of people with disorders seek treatment, so the problem is not as bad as it seems.

Question 43

What individual mental disorder in the United States has the highest Lifetime Prevalence rate?

A) Major Depressive disorder
B) Alcohol Abuse
C) Specific Phobia
D) Social Phobia

Question 44

The trend toward deinstitutionalization in recent years means that ________

A) inpatient hospitalization in public institutions has increased.
B) people with psychological problems more often receive inpatient treatment than outpatient treatment.
C) people are hospitalized more briefly and then treated on an outpatient basis.
D) the number of community services has skyrocketed.

Question 45

Which of the following might work with mental health clients to help resolve family problems?

A) Clinical psychologist
B) Psychiatric nurse
C) Clinical social worker
D) Psychiatrist

Question 46

What is the most prevalent psychological disorder among adults in the United States?

A) Anxiety disorders
B) Mood disorders
C) Substance abuse disorders
D) Dissociative disorders

Question 47

Most people with psychological disorders ________

A) seek treatment as soon as they realize there is a problem.
B) recover only if they seek treatment.
C) delay seeking treatment, sometimes for many years.
D) exaggerate their symptoms so it takes longer for them to recover.

Question 48

Most mental health treatment ________

A) occurs in an outpatient setting.
B) requires an overnight stay.
C) does not involve professionals.
D) occurs in psychiatric hospitals.

Question 49

Which of the following factors has a significant effect on the rates of severe mental illness among Americans?

A) Family size
B) Gender
C) Geographical region of the country
D) Political affiliation

Question 50

Why is it believed that the NCS-R survey used to estimate the prevalence of mental illness underestimated that prevalence?

A) Most problems are acute.
B) Few people report symptoms of mental illness when completing surveys.
C) The incidence of comorbidity is too high.
D) Measures of several types of disorders were not included.

Question 51

Comorbidity means ________

A) that a disorder is often fatal.
B) that a person has two or more disorders.
C) that a person has a more severe form of a disorder.
D) that a person is unlikely to recover from the disorder.

Question 52

A major finding from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication (NCS-R) was that ________

A) those people who have three or more comorbid disorders have one or more mild and transitory disorders.
B) over half of the people with a history of one serious disorder had two or more comorbid disorders.
C) people who have one mental disorder are unlikely to have a second comorbid disorder.
D) as people grow older they are more likely to have multiple severe disorders.

Question 53

What can be said about individuals who have a history of at least one serious psychological disorder?

A) Most are effectively treated and never experience mental illness again.
B) Over 50 percent have two or more other disorders.
C) Few have a comorbid disorder.
D) Individuals who have sought treatment for one illness are unlikely to ever experience another.

Question 54

A clinical social worker would provide a patient with help in which of the following areas?

A) Family therapy
B) Occupational therapy
C) Prescriptions
D) Clinical research

Question 55

Describing a disorder as acute means that ________

A) it causes very severe distress and impairment.
B) it causes very mild distress and impairment.
C) it is a very long-lasting disorder.
D) it is a disorder that is short in duration.

Question 56

Why is it important to have some understanding of what causes a psychological disorder?

A) A disorder cannot be identified unless there is an understanding of where it came from.
B) All recognized disorders have known causes.
C) Biological treatments only work when a disorder has a biological cause.
D) The selection of a treatment approach is largely determined by assumptions about causality.

Question 57

Which of the following groups of Americans has the highest rates of severe mental illness?

A) American Indian
B) Hispanic
C) Black
D) Asian

Question 58

Which of the following conditions accounts for the biggest percentage of the global burden of disease?

A) Tuberculosis
B) HIV/AIDS
C) Drug use disorders
D) Depressive disorders

Question 59

What does the term etiology mean relative to psychological disorders?

A) It concerns how culture fits in with psychological disorders.
B) It concerns how family fits in with psychological disorders.
C) It concerns the causes of psychological disorders.
D) It concerns the treatments for psychological disorders.

Question 60

Which of the following mental health professionals prescribes medications and monitors the patient for side effects?

A) Clinical psychologist
B) Psychiatrist
C) Counseling psychologist
D) Occupational therapist

Question 61

What is a good control group for a research study on people with eating disorders?

A) People who have an eating disorder and a wide range of educational backgrounds.
B) A group that is comparable to those with eating disorders except that they eat normally.
C) A group that is drawn from the sample of people with eating disorders.
D) People who used to have eating disorders but say they no longer do.

Question 62

In Dr. Lu's study of eating disorders, she looked at the academic histories of girls with an eating disorder and girls who did not have such problems. In this example, the girls without eating disorders are the ________ group.

A) conforming
B) control
C) criterion
D) treatment

Question 63

What is external validity?

A) The extent to which research findings are consistent with hypotheses.
B) The extent to which the sample equals the population.
C) The extent to which research findings can be generalized beyond the study.
D) A measure of how powerful the statistics being used are within a study.

Question 64

Why is it dangerous to make conclusions based on case studies?

A) Case studies can provide little information about a disorder.
B) Few patients are willing to be used as case studies.
C) It is unethical.
D) Conclusions based on so little data are likely to be flawed.

Question 65

To determine whether certain characteristics are true of people in general, and not just of people with mental disorders, it is important to use

A) an experimental design.
B) a representative sample of individuals with the disorder.
C) a control group.
D) a criterion group.

Question 66

What is MTurk?

A) An online labor market that connects requesters with workers.
B) A method to make a correlational study more powerful.
C) The relationship between internal and external validity.
D) One method to create a valid sample from any population.

Question 67

Carl is asked to provide information about his drinking. Despite the fact that he has had several arrests for driving while intoxicated, Carl reports that he has no problems with drinking. This is an example of

A) the problems with self-report data.
B) the problems with case studies.
C) the problems of diagnosis.
D) the problems of forming hypotheses.

Question 68

Upon deciding to study individuals with a given disorder, what is the next step that should be taken?

A) Select criteria for identifying individuals with the disorder.
B) Determine what treatment approach will be tested.
C) Establish which subjects will be the control group and which will be in the experimental group.
D) Gather survey data to determine where your subjects are most likely to reside.

Question 69

One strength of case studies is ________

A) they can help prove causal relationships between variables.
B) they can generate new ideas to explore.
C) they do not involve bias.
D) they are usually highly accurate.

Question 70

________ are more or less plausible ideas used to explain something (e.g., a behavior) and can be tested using research methods.

A) Observations
B) Hypotheses
C) Variables
D) Correlations

Question 71

Ideally, a sample should be what?

A) Random
B) Representative
C) Generalizable
D) Demographically pure

Question 72

Why would a researcher want to ensure that every person in the larger group of study has an equal chance of being included in the sample?

A) It helps eliminate a correlational relationship.
B) It increases the chances of finding a causal relationship.
C) It provides important epidemiological information such as the prevalence and incidence of the disorder.
D) It increases the researcher's ability to generalize findings to the larger group.

Question 73

A psychologist reports a single case of a disorder, detailing the person's feelings and responses. This research strategy is

A) very strong and widely used in abnormal psychology.
B) rarely used in abnormal psychology because few people are willing to examine their own lives closely.
C) weak because it rarely provides information we can generalize to others with the disorder.
D) weak because it confuses correlational data with experimental data.

Question 74

Which of the following typically involves the use of trained observers?

A) Case study method
B) Direct observation
C) Self-report data collection
D) Psychophysiological data collection

Question 75

Which of the following typically involves having a patient or research participant fill out questionnaires?

A) Case study method
B) Direct observation
C) Self-report data collection
D) Psychophysiological data collection

Question 76

Dr. Katz is researching the causes of all phobias. He puts an ad in a newspaper asking for only people who have an intense, distressing fear of snakes to come and participate in his study. The major problem with this is

A) the people who come may not have a phobia.
B) his sample will be too small.
C) he is not getting a representative sample.
D) he doesn't know if people are telling the truth about their fears or not.

Question 77

Why is a representative sample desirable?

A) Such samples are random.
B) Hypotheses can only be tested on representative samples.
C) Only representative samples yield meaningful results.
D) The more representative a sample is, the more generalizable the data.

Question 78

An important first step in studying a particular disorder is ________

A) selecting the best case study for analysis.
B) determining the criteria for identifying people who have the disorder.
C) deciding upon the appropriate statistical analyses to use on the data to be collected.
D) selecting the appropriate subjects for study.

Question 79

A researcher interested in the health problems of people with schizophrenia interviews only those people diagnosed with the disorder who are in an inpatient facility. The most glaring weakness in this study is ________

A) the absence of correlational statistics.
B) the failure to use DSM-5 criteria for health problems.
C) having an inappropriate control group.
D) nonrepresentative sampling.

Question 80

In Dr. Lu's study of eating disorders, she looked at the academic histories of girls with an eating disorder and girls who did not have such problems. In this example, the girls with eating disorders are the ________ group.

A) comparison
B) control
C) criterion
D) treatment