Question 1

A psychologist wants to obtain a measure of children's attention spans under quiet conditions. She arranges for a group of children to meet individually with a research assistant who reads each child a list of numbers and then asks the child to repeat the numbers in reverse order. A week later the children repeat this task. The psychologist finds that the scores that each child received at week one and at week two tend to be very similar. She concludes that this test has high

Accepted Answer

A)  validity. 
B)  split-half reliability. 
C)  interrater reliability. 
D)  test-retest reliability.

Question 2

An actuarial procedure of interpretation of psychological tests relies on

Accepted Answer

A)  subjective ratings of clinical interviews. 
B)  current behavior rather than past behavior. 
C)  psychoanalytic interpretation of test results. 
D)  probability statements derived from empirical research.

Question 3

Projective tests

Accepted Answer

A)  are objectively scored. 
B)  are used mostly by cognitive behavioral therapists. 
C)  involve the presentation of stimuli that elicit standardized responses. 
D)  involve the presentation of ambiguous stimuli.

Question 4

According to labeling theory, a psychiatric diagnosis serves to

Accepted Answer

A)  identify etiological factors. 
B)  eliminate bias due to social factors. 
C)  clarify the nature of a psychiatric disorder. 
D)  create a social role that perpetuates abnormal behavior.

Question 5

Ray is suspicious and has the unrelenting delusion that agents of a foreign government are following him with the intention of killing him. If administered the MMPI-2 you expect that Ray would have a high score on the scale measuring

Accepted Answer

A)  Hysteria. 
B)  Paranoia. 
C)  Ego Identity. 
D)  Narrow-mindedness.

Question 6

What is the benefit of personality tests in psychological assessment?

Accepted Answer

A)  the same stimuli are used every time the test is given 
B)  it is more useful to assess personality than specific behaviors 
C)  people are generally unable to describe their own personalities 
D)  they don't have to be administered and interpreted by trained clinicians

Question 7

In reliability research the statistic that is used to measure agreement between clinicians is known as __________.

Accepted Answer

The answer of In reliability research the statistic that is...

Question 8

Behavioral __________ systems focus on the frequency of specific behavioral events during assessment.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Behavioral __________ systems focus on the frequency...

Question 9

Psychological __________ is the process of gathering information in an attempt to understand a patient.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Psychological __________ is the process of gathering...

Question 10

One empirical finding about the MMPI-2 scales is that an individual's scores change over time. This could be an indication

Accepted Answer

A)  of the scales' lack of reliability. 
B)  of the scales' sensitivity to changes in personality. 
C)  both a and b 
D)  none of the above are correct.

Question 11

One advantage of psychophysiological tests is that

Accepted Answer

A)  they can pinpoint the underlying causes of a mental disorders. 
B)  they can not only diagnose but also treat several mental disorders. 
C)  they do not depend on self-report and may be less subject to faking. 
D)  they can usually be administered to patients in their homes.

Question 12

Reactivity refers to the

Accepted Answer

A)  effects of personal judgment on observers' ratings. 
B)  tendency for observers to rate less severity over time. 
C)  tendency for a person to change her behavior when she knows she is being observed. 
D)  tendency for a person to reveal less in a structured interview than on a questionnaire.

Question 13

One advantage of a dimensional system of classification is that it allows scientists to

Accepted Answer

A)  make all-or-none decisions. 
B)  arrive at a specific diagnosis. 
C)  record subtle distinctions. 
D)  go beyond what people say.

Question 14

Carol is asked to complete a questionnaire made up of more than 500 true-false items. What test is she taking?

Accepted Answer

A)  Visual Analogue Test 
B)  Thematic Apperception Test 
C)  Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test 
D)  Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

Question 15

Alice has been experiencing a number of symptoms of anxiety for several months. A psychologist decides to assess her symptoms by using a behavioral coding system. What is Alice likely to be asked to do?

Accepted Answer

A)  evaluate the symbolism of each of her symptoms 
B)  record the presence of specific symptoms during 30-minute segments throughout the day 
C)  rate the level of anxiety she feels on a scale ranging from very anxious to not anxious 
D)  discuss her symptoms while a psychologist checks instruments designed to measure her pulse and breathing

Question 16

A psychologist is treating a patient with an anxiety disorder and wants to measure the patient's anxiety while discussing upcoming feared events as a way of assessing the patient's progress in therapy. The psychologist measures heart rate before, during, and after her patient's discussion. She finds that discussion of the upcoming feared event is associated with increased heart rate, and concludes that her patient has not yet made enough progress in treatment. Discuss the grounds on which such a conclusion would be criticized, and describe what else the psychologist might do to measure her patient's progress.

Accepted Answer

The answer of A psychologist is treating a patient with...

Question 17

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association is also called the DSM-IV-TR. The IV refers to the 4th edition. What does the TR stand for?

Accepted Answer

A)  Text Replacements 
B)  Tertiary Revision 
C)  Text Revision 
D)  Tertiary Replacements

Question 18

Compare and contrast a dimensional classification system with a categorical classification system, such as the current DSM-IV.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Compare and contrast a dimensional classification system...

Question 19

One theory to explain ataques de nervios is that it may be a culturally sanctioned way of expressing

Accepted Answer

A)  fear of darkness. 
B)  disagreement with the cultural group. 
C)  distress in response to a threat to the family. 
D)  fear of death.

Question 20

After reviewing the manual for scoring the MMPI-2, Elizabeth decides that the scoring can best be described as

Accepted Answer

A)  reactive. 
B)  objective. 
C)  subjective. 
D)  projective.

Exam 4: Classification and Assessment of Abnormal Behavior