Deck 4: Research Methods in the Study of Abnormal Behaviour

Question 1

It is relatively simple to conduct scientific research in the field of abnormal psychology.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

A strong correlation tells us that one variable causes a second variable.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

Scientists sometimes come up with theories "out of the blue."

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Classificatory variables refer to factors about a person that can be changed.

Question 5

Analogue experiments can serve as a stand-in for an otherwise unethical study.

Question 6

Epidemiological research allows for better clinical care.

Question 7

A double-blind procedure is when one group is given a placebo and the other is given an actual drug.

Question 8

If anxiety has a lifetime prevalence of 4%, you have a 4% chance of being anxious.

Question 9

Single-subject experimental research and case studies are the same thing.

Question 10

Theories are used to generate hypotheses, which are then tested and proven true or false.

Question 11

Experiments allow us to determine causality.

Question 12

Of parental divorce, unemployment, and addiction, parental divorce is the most significant risk factor for physical abuse of a child.

Question 13

Theories are typically guided by paradigms.

Question 14

Even if a correlation is statistically significant, it may not be meaningful.

Question 15

The term science refers to both a method and a goal.

Question 16

A confound occurs when you forget to randomly assign participants to groups.

Question 17

A case study can be used to disprove a theory.

Question 18

Qualitative research is like a case study, but with a group of people.

Question 19

Case studies allow us to make definitive claims about the causes of mental illness.

Question 20

A good theory is one that can be tested and is reliable.

Question 21

When you gather information about and observe one person, you are most likely conducting a(n):

A)case study
B)unobtrusive observational study
C)experiment
D)correlational study

Question 22

Dr. Booth claims to have discovered a way to hypnotize people that eliminates their depression following one treatment. When other people try to use his method and find their clients remain depressed, he says they must not have been doing things correctly. Dr. Booth's treatment does not seem to be:

A)Psychological
B)Replicable
C)Testable
D)Science

Question 23

The systematic acquisition and evaluation of information is more commonly known as:

A)Psychology
B)Pathology
C)Replicability
D)Science

Question 24

Mixed designs are a type of experiment.

Question 25

Which research method would be most useful in generating hypotheses about the cause of a newly discovered, rare form of abnormality?

A)Case study
B)Correlational method
C)Experimental design
D)Single-subject ABAB design

Question 26

A requirement of all empirical research in psychology is:

A)An attempt to determine the causes of observed relationships
B)The collection of observable data
C)Describing relationships between different characteristics
D)Intensive study of individuals

Question 27

Dr. Roberts noted that whenever her student, Ted, was given praise for reading, he read more. She then stated that reinforcement increases his behaviour. Using this framework, ______ is a theoretical concept, whereas _______ was derived from the theory to illustrate the concept.

A)reading; praise
B)reinforcement; praise
C)reading; behaviour
D)reinforcement; reinforcement

Question 28

Susan is a graduate student in psychology and she has been stumped for days trying to figure out why a child she is working with misbehaves. She rereads all of her case notes and plans to observe the child the next day at school. What would help Susan make sense of all the information she has?

A)Asking the parents why the child misbehaves
B)Asking her graduate advisor why the child misbehaves
C)Reading different theories about child misbehaviour
D)Reading one expert's explanation about child misbehaviour

Question 29

"The primary problem is an unmeasureable unconscious anger at his mother." What makes this statement unscientific?

A)It is not reliable.
B)It is not valid.
C)It is not theoretical.
D)It is not testable.

Question 30

Theory can be defined as:

A)The pursuit of systemized knowledge through observation
B)The systematic acquisition and evaluation of information
C)Expectations about what should occur
D)A set of propositions meant to explain a class of phenomena

Question 31

These are generated by theories:

A)Case material
B)Hypotheses
C)Statistical significance
D)None of the above are correct

Question 32

Meta-analyses offer an objective look at complicated data.

Question 33

Dr. Lee has been treating someone with an unusual combination of symptoms. He notes that there is no published research on such a combination of symptoms, and considers developing a case study. How would Dr. Lee conduct this study?

A)Try to find other cases like the one he is treating.
B)Gather detailed historical and biographical information on this single individual.
C)Examine treatment response using an ABAB design.
D)Withhold treatment in an effort to fully understand the significance of symptoms.

Question 34

Jessica designs a study to investigate differences between patients with eating disorders and people without eating disorders. She constructs a self-report questionnaire with items related to problematic eating behaviours. Based on her research, she indicates that eating disorders can be defined by scores above 35 on her test instrument. This approach is best described as:

A)Operationism
B)Constructivism
C)Dimensionalism
D)Qualitative empiricism

Question 35

In an ABAB design, A represents baseline measurement and B represents the addition of a manipulation.

Question 36

When you are interested in doing an experiment, but one variable is a classificatory variable, you can use a mixed design.

Question 37

The word "science" comes from the Latin word "scire" which means:

A)To perceive
B)To understand
C)To know
D)To describe

Question 38

Professor Jones observed that students giving class reports are more likely to stutter and perspire if more of their course grade is based on their report. He attributes this to "anxiety." In this example "anxiety" is a

A)third variable.
B)theoretical concept.
C)classificatory variable.
D)confound.

Question 39

A meta-analysis analyzes all studies in an area published in the last 10 years.

Question 40

A psychoanalyst observes that her patient avoids talking about a certain topic and infers that there is a repressed conflict. This is an example of:

A)A hypothesis unrelated to actual observations
B)A construct inferred from observable behaviour
C)A failure to use scientific reasoning
D)The use of unobserved states to test hypotheses

Question 41

In the case study example of the 54-year-old white Canadian male who was imprisoned for zoophilia, generalization would be difficult to make because of the prisoner's:

A)Socio-demographic background
B)Common presenting symptoms
C)Country of origin
D)Unique psychopathology

Question 42

The case study method was particularly useful for __________, who proposed a new diagnosis of __________ from the observations made.

A)Casati and colleagues, trichotillomania
B)Kanner, infantile autism
C)Thigpen and Cleckley, dissociative identity disorder
D)Wolpe, generalized anxiety disorder

Question 43

Shawn is a graduate student in psychology and is eager to start his first clinical placement. Which journal might be the most helpful for him to read?

A)The Journal of Case Studies
B)Professional Psychology: Research and Practice
C)Psychology Today
D)Evidence-Based Treatments

Question 44

Case studies can be very helpful for

A)continuing education for experienced therapists.
B)training new therapists.
C)giving clients a sense of what therapy is like.
D)providing strong evidence for a new theory.

Question 45

Which of the following research methods is best used for only hypothesis generating?

A)Case study
B)Epidemiology
C)Correlational study
D)Experiment

Question 46

What was especially unique about the 54-year-old white Canadian male who was imprisoned for zoophilia was that:

A)He showed little remorse for his actions
B)His sexual attraction to his victims began in adulthood
C)He felt emotionally involved with his victims
D)None of the above

Question 47

The most distinguishing aspect of the zoophilia case presented by Earls and Lalumiere (2002)was that:

A)The patient engaged in sexual activities with a horse
B)The patient killed all animals with whom he had been sexually active
C)The sexual activities were accompanied by emotional involvement
D)Cruelty always accompanies animal sexual attractions

Question 48

Chris Sizemore, who was the subject of the book and movie, the Three Faces of Eve:

A)Was actually a fictional character
B)Was found to have only two personalities
C)Decided to publicly reveal her story in order to cope with her ordeals
D)Turned out to be a fake

Question 49

Case studies are sometimes considered less than ideal for research because:

A)There is a lack of objectivity
B)Researchers have limited control
C)There are few cases for comparison
D)All of the above choices are correct

Question 50

Janet wants to be able study phenomena and draw broad conclusions; which design is least likely to help her achieve her goal?

A)The case study method.
B)The correlational method.
C)The experimental method.
D)The mixed design method.

Question 51

James and Marc are discussing the disadvantages of case studies, most specifically the degree of subjectivity involved. James challenges this, though, by stating that since interviews can be __________, multiple people can evaluate the content.

A)transcribed
B)watched via closed-circuit television
C)recorded
D)lengthy

Question 52

Which of the following most strongly influences the type of information collected in a case study?

A)The skill of the clinician
B)The question or disorder being addressed
C)The clinician's paradigm
D)Whether the data will be used to infer causal or correlational conclusions

Question 53

A publication by Earls and Lalumiere (2009)about case studies of zoophilia revealed that:

A)It is as rare now as it was 7 years earlier
B)It is not as rare as they first concluded
C)No definite conclusion can be drawn
D)None of the above

Question 54

Case studies are useful for:

A)Ruling out third-variable effects
B)Clarifying the causes of disorders
C)Disproving aspects of a theory
D)Proving a particular theory

Question 55

Chris Sizemore, better known as Eve, claimed to have ________ personalities.

A)three
B)ten
C)fifteen
D)twenty-one

Question 56

The case, The Three Faces of Eve, was controversial because:

A)Some challenged the existence of multiple personalities
B)The individual in the case offered a different account of her treatment than her doctors
C)It ultimately did not offer much information on multiple personality
D)The case study challenged conventional wisdom on multiple personality

Question 57

Dr. Bradley has been conducting a case study of Brenda P., a patient with multiple personalities. Which of the following statements by Dr. Bradley is a misuse of the case study method?

A)"Brenda was sexually abused as a child. Therefore, all individuals with multiple personality disorder must have been abuse victims."
B)"Since Brenda was not sexually abused, the theory that all dissociation is caused by sexual abuse must not be universally true."
C)"Brenda was sexually molested as a child. This leads me to hypothesize that all people with multiple personalities were molested as children."
D)All of the above are examples of inappropriate uses of the case study.

Question 58

A theorist proposed that anorexia was caused by early child sexual abuse. Dr. Firestorm demonstrated that her anorexic patient had never been sexually abused. This is an example of one important use of which method?

A)Case study
B)Epidemiological
C)Correlational
D)Experimental

Question 59

Case studies are not useful in

A)describing unusual phenomena.
B)suggesting possibilities for further research.
C)validating treatments.
D)proving exceptions to theories.

Question 60

Earls and Lalumière (2002)conducted an in-depth study of a 54-year-old white male who was serving a 5-year prison sentence for animal cruelty. The researchers used:

A)A case study design
B)A correlational design
C)An experimental design
D)A mixed design

Question 61

A risk factor may be best defined as:

A)The likelihood that a disorder will be found in another culture
B)The likelihood of contracting a disorder in a given time period
C)The proportion of a population that has a disorder now
D)A characteristic that increases the likelihood of developing a disorder

Question 62

What two risk factors did the 1990 Ontario Mental Health Supplement study identify to be the strongest predictors of later mental health problems?

A)Failure to graduate high school; parent mental disorder
B)Parent mental disorder; childhood sexual abuse
C)Childhood sexual abuse; low socioeconomic status
D)Low socioeconomic status; failure to graduate high school

Question 63

Because Graciela's mother has schizophrenia, Graciela is more likely to develop schizophrenia herself. This is an example of:

A)Risk factor
B)Incidence
C)Prevalence
D)Occurrence

Question 64

Dr. Cuthbert assesses the number of new cases of pathological gamblers after a new casino is built beside Green Gables on Prince Edward Island. She is assessing the ________ of the disorder.

A)prevalence
B)incidence
C)base-rate
D)case-rate

Question 65

For her dissertation, Isabelle is interviewing ten women about their experiences of going to university full-time while battling an eating disorder. What type of research is she conducting?

A)Case study research
B)Experimental research
C)Qualitative research
D)Quantitative research

Question 66

Epidemiology is the study of

A)unique cases or unusual disorders.
B)the rates and correlates of disorders in a population.
C)the development of disorders over the life span.
D)mental disorders in other cultures.

Question 67

According to the results of the 1990 Ontario Mental Health Supplement study, the biggest early risk factor for a subsequent mental disorder is:

A)Failure to graduate from high school
B)Having low income
C)Parental mental disorder
D)None of the above

Question 68

In order for the 1990 Ontario Mental Health Supplement Study to identify the strongest predictors of later mental health problems, what type of research design did the researchers use?

A)An experimental design
B)A mixed design
C)A correlational design
D)A case study design

Question 69

"About 2% of adults have obsessive-compulsive disorder." This is a statement about the __________ of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

A)incidence
B)prevalence
C)risk factor
D)correlation coefficient

Question 70

According to the results of the 1990 Ontario Mental Health Supplement study, the biggest early risk factor for a subsequent mental disorder is:

A)Failure to graduate from high school
B)Low income
C)Being unemployed
D)None of the above

Question 71

Epidemiology seeks to establish:

A)The prevalence of a disorder
B)The incidence of a disorder
C)The risk factors associated with a disorder
D)All of the above

Question 72

Qualitative research conducted with formerly depressed women (Lafrance & Stoppard, 2006)revealed that the women

A)felt victimized by their romantic partners.
B)felt they needed to be perfect now to make up for their behaviour when depressed.
C)underwent a transformation and no longer felt like the same person.
D)underwent treatment that put their depression into remission.

Question 73

The main difference between a case study and qualitative research is:

A)The type of questions asked
B)The number of participants
C)The goal of the researcher
D)The outcome of the research

Question 74

Researchers went door to door conducting structured diagnostic interviews to determine how common particular psychiatric diagnoses were. Which type of research was this?

A)Case study
B)Epidemiological
C)Correlational
D)Experimental

Question 75

Prevalence refers to

A)the likelihood that a disorder will be found in another culture.
B)the proportion of a population that has a disorder now.
C)the number of people who contract a disorder in a given time period.
D)the likelihood that a person will have a disorder given that they have a particular characteristic.

Question 76

Epidemiological research is helpful for

A)addressing third variable and directionality problems.
B)determining the effectiveness of different treatments.
C)planning for health care needs of communities.
D)intensive analysis of a disease in a single individual.

Question 77

Incidence refers to

A)the likelihood that a disorder will be found in another culture.
B)the number of people who contract a disorder for the first time in a given time period.
C)the proportion of a population that has a disorder now.
D)the likelihood that a person will have a disorder given that they have a particular characteristic.

Question 78

One advantage to qualitative research in clinical psychology is that it

A)allows researchers to detect underlying themes.
B)allows researchers to make broad claims with limited participants.
C)allows participants to feel fully heard.
D)allows participants to focus on one aspect of their disorder.

Question 79

Dr. Cuthbert assesses the proportion of people on the island who have a gambling addiction one year after a new casino is built beside Green Gables on Prince Edward Island. She is assessing the ________ of the disorder.

A)prevalence
B)incidence
C)base-rate
D)case-rate

Question 80

"Approximately 1500 new cases of AIDS were diagnosed in 1988 in San Francisco." This is an estimate of the ________________ of AIDS.

A)prevalence
B)incidence
C)risk factor
D)statistical significance