Question 1

Which of the following criticisms were made of DSM 5?

Accepted Answer

A)  The number of different psychological disorders was reduced 
B)  The threshold for being diagnosed with a psychological disorder was lowered 
C)  The symptom-based approach was adopted 
D)  Fewer people would receive medication for their psychological disorder B

Question 2

Which of the following is not one of the 'four Ds' that can be used to define what makes somebody 'abnormal'?

Accepted Answer

A)  Deviance 
B)  Distress 
C)  Difficult 
D)  Dangerous C

Question 3

What does the implicit association test (IAT) measure?

Accepted Answer

A)  The strength of automatic associations between different categories of objects 
B)  Beliefs about a certain object, e.g. spiders 
C)  Working memory capacity 
D)  The likelihood that a person will behave in a certain way A

Question 4

Studies that use prospective (or longitudinal) research methods can inform us….

Accepted Answer

A)  Which symptoms cluster together 
B)  If one symptom causes a different symptom 
C)  Which psychological characteristics predict who will develop a psychological disorder in the future 
D)  If one treatment is better than another

Question 5

Which of the following statements about qualitative research methods are true?

Accepted Answer

A)  The aim is to gather a deep understanding of human experience 
B)  Findings from qualitative research can be used to develop theories and hypotheses that can be tested in future research 
C)  Caution is required before generalising the findings to people other than those who were studied 
D)  All of the above

Question 6

Psychological (or case) formulation….

Accepted Answer

A)  Usually takes place alongside diagnosis of a specific disorder 
B)  Is based on the psychoanalytic approach 
C)  Is not suitable for patients who are seriously mentally ill 
D)  All of the above

Question 7

Which of the following is a disadvantage of cross-sectional research methods?

Accepted Answer

A)  They do not allow us to characterise psychological disorders accurately 
B)  They do not allow us to identify the causes or consequences of psychological disorders 
C)  They do not allow us to demonstrate associations between different psychological constructs 
D)  They do not enable us to quantify human behaviour or subjective experience

Question 8

Which of the following assumptions are not made by classification systems for psychological disorders, such as DSM-5 and ICD-10?

Accepted Answer

A)  Different psychological disorders are distinct from each other 
B)  Diagnosis is possible only if the ultimate causes of symptoms are understood 
C)  Diagnosis of a specific disorder will ensure that a person will receive the most appropriate treatment 
D)  Two patients with the same diagnosis (e.g. 'Schizophrenia') are likely to be similar to each other.

Question 9

What can functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) tell us?

Accepted Answer

A)  Which parts of the brain have abnormal structure. 
B)  If levels of neurotransmitters in the brain are within normal levels 
C)  Which areas of the brain are relatively active, and which relatively underactive, at that moment in time 
D)  The pattern of electrical activity on the scalp

Exam 1: The Big Issues in Classification, Diagnosis, and Research Into Psychological Disorders