AB PSYCH REVIEW QUESTIONS
Which of the following statements accurately describes a
characteristic indicator of abnormality?
Violating the standards of society, particularly when
statistically rare, is abnormal.
What individual mental disorder in the United States has the
highest lifetime prevalence rate?
Major depressive disorder
What is external validity?
The extent to which research findings can be generalized
beyond the study
Why is a representative sample desirable?
The more representative a sample is, the more generalizable
the data.
According to the results of the National Comorbidity Survey
Replication (NCS-R), which of the following statements
accurately describes individuals who have a history of at least
one serious psychological disorder
Over 50 percent of those with a disorder rated as serious have
two or more other disorders
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.
incidence rate
Which of the following is an example of an analogue study?
Rats prenatally exposed to alcohol are studied to further our
understanding of Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Expressed as a percentage, __________ refers to the number
of active cases in a population during any given period of time.
Prevalence
What is epidemiology?
The study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or healthrelated behaviors in a given population
Prayer, incantations, and noise-making were all techniques
for __________.
conducting an exorcism
Who is considered the father of modern medicine, and shifted
the view of the origins of mental disorder from supernatural
forces to problems in the human body?
Hippocrates
What is the primary purpose of a classification system such
as the DSM-5?
To facilitate a shared, simplified communication system
across professional boundaries
In ancient societies, if a person's abnormal conduct consisted
of speech that appeared to have a religious or mystical
significance, then the person was
treated with awe and respect
As it relates to the stigma of mental illness, what is meant by
"stereotyping"?
The automatic and incorrect beliefs many have about people
with a psychiatric diagnosis
Dorothea Dix __________.
is credited with establishing numerous humane mental
hospitals in at least 20 states
What is the value of using an ABAB design?
The effects of a single form of treatment are studied twice in
the same subject
Which of the following statements describes an unintended
consequence of the trend away from the use of traditional
hospitalization for mental health care treatment?
The number of prison inmates being treated for severe mental
illness has increased dramatically.
What is a good control group for a research study on people
with eating disorders?
A group that is comparable to the one with eating disorders,
except that they eat normally
In what significant ways do correlational research designs
differ from experimental research designs?
There is no manipulation of variables in correlational research.
Which of the following is a disadvantage to having a
classification system for mental disorders?
When labels are used to describe an individual's behavior,
important details about the person are lost.
What is the term for the statistical approach that calculates
and then combines the effect sizes from multiple studies?
Meta-analysis
Which of the following approaches to treatment focuses
almost exclusively on the physical well-being of hospitalized
patients?
Mental hygiene
Which of the following statements describes the original
purpose for placing individuals in asylums?
to remove troublesome individuals from society who could not
care for themselves
By the end of the nineteenth century, __________.
alienists had taken control of insane asylums and incorporated
moral management therapy
Freud was the first to describe __________, a part of the mind
that could contain information of which the mind itself is
unaware, but by which it is still affected.
the unconscious
Who established the first
laboratory? Wilhelm Wundt
experimental
psychology
The ancestral roots of what we now know as psychoanalysis
can be traced back to __________.
the study of hypnosis
The Greek physician Galen is credited with __________.
separating the causes of psychological disorders into physical
and mental categories
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 __________.
the problems with self-report data
Chung Ching wrote two well-known medical works around
A.D. 200 and has been referred to as the __________ of
China.
Hippocrates
The trend toward deinstitutionalization in recent years has
meant that __________.
people are hospitalized more briefly, and then treated on an
outpatient basis
Benjamin Rush, who encouraged more humane treatment of
the mentally ill in the United States, used as his principal
remedies __________.
bloodletting and the tranquilizing chair
The study of hypnosis and its relationship to hysteria was the
starting point for __________.
Psychoanalysis
viciously. For a few weeks after this, his fear returns. This
shows __________.
spontaneous recovery
Sigmund Freud and Josef Breuer proposed that allowing
patients to discuss their problems under hypnosis would
provide a therapeutic emotional release. What is this
emotional release called?
Catharsis
Finding meaning in life, honoring uniqueness, and dealing
with nothingness form core values of which of the following
perspectives?
Existential
Which of the following is recognized as a major biomedical
breakthrough in psychopathology because it established the
link between mental and physical illnesses?
The discovery of the cause of, and later a cure for, general
paresis (syphilis of the brain)
Which of the following statements about the treatment of
abnormal behavior in the Middle Ages is accurate?
Islamic forms of treatment were more humane than European
approaches.
Which of the following statements accurately characterizes
the moral management approach to treating the physical and
mental disorders of mentally ill patients?
Patients attended spiritual discussions and engaged in
manual labor tasks.
"Bedlam" in London was one of several hospitals for the
mentally ill that __________.
exhibited its violent patients on public display for a profit
Stemming from the work of Pinel and Tuke, moral
management treatment __________.
focused on the moral and spiritual development of mental
patients, rather than on their disorder
Emil Kraepelin is credited with __________.
developing the first classification system for mental disorders
Karen was sexually abused by her father at the age of five.
She developed a severe separation anxiety reaction
whenever her mother tried to leave. As an adult, Karen
developed a dissociative disorder due to the same abuse. This
is an example of how the same factor, in this case abuse, can
be __________.
both a proximal and a distal causal factor
The additive model of the diathesis-stress theory proposes
that __________.
people with a very high level of a diathesis may need only a
small amount of stress to develop the disorder
If a trait is highly heritable, it would be expected that the
concordance rate for __________.
monozygotic twins would be greater than the concordance
rate for dizygotic twins
Todd and his siblings have parents who are emotionally
abusive to each other. When they engage in heated
arguments, they expect Todd to stay quiet and keep the other
children under control. They allow the other children to cry and
hide, but Todd must stay in the room with them and referee.
This is an example of __________.
a nonshared environmental influence
Cortisol is a hormone that __________.
the adrenal gland produces in order to mobilize the body to
deal with stress
After being bitten by a dog, Kenrick finds that he feels afraid
whenever he sees a dog. He goes for treatment, where he is
gradually exposed to dogs until he can be in the same room
with one without feeling any fear. Three weeks later, while
walking in his neighborhood, Kenrick hears a dog barking
The __________ perspective focuses on social determinants
of behavior, while the __________ perspective focuses on the
intrapsychic conflicts that may explain behavior.
interpersonal; psychodynamic
Abused infants and toddlers __________.
are likely to show inconsistent attachment behavior
Children from lower SES families __________.
are less likely to show ill effects of SES status if they possess
a high IQ and develop healthy attachments to adults and
peers
While having a gene for Parkinson's disease guarantees that
Parkinson's disease will develop, this is not the only factor that
can lead to Parkinson's disease. In other words, the presence
of the gene is a __________, but not a __________.
sufficient cause; necessary cause
For most of her childhood, Arielle was subjected to physical
and emotional abuse at the hands of her father. As an adult,
Arielle suffers from severe depression. Which of the following
statements accurately describes the relationship between
Arielle's abuse and her depression?
Arielle's childhood abuse is correlated with her adult
depression.
Dr. Simonetti, a psychiatrist, takes a biopsychosocial
viewpoint of psychopathology. Which of the following
treatments is she most likely to suggest for Jenny's current
state of debilitating anxiety?
A combination of psychological therapy and anti-anxiety
medication
Which of the following statements is true?
Most mental disorders are impacted by some level of genetic
influence.
Which period of psychosexual development occurs when a
child becomes preoccupied with the development of skills and
other activities?Latency
Cognitive-behavioral psychologists believe that abnormal
behavior __________.
results from distorted thinking and information processing
Cross-cultural research on stress demonstrates
__________.
responses to stress vary cross-culturally
that
A protective factor is __________.
an influence that decreases the likelihood of negative
outcomes among those with some risk
Highly coordinated children are picked out at an early age by
coaches and given special opportunities to excel at sports.
Introverted children avoid frequent social situations and
become unusually comfortable spending time alone. Both of
these phenomena illustrate __________.
genotype-environment correlations
The humanistic perspective focuses primarily on the capacity
of the individual to __________.
engage in positive self-growth
Rumi and Shahid are both three months old. Rumi is highly
active, easily irritated, and cries readily. Shahid is calm,
adapts easily to change, and seems fearless. These
differences illustrate __________.
differences in temperament
Making a new experience fit existing frameworks is associated
with __________; changing our existing frameworks to
incorporate a new experience is associated with __________.
assimilation; accommodation
Which of the following
psychoanalytic theory?
It lacks scientific evidence.
is
a
criticism
of
traditional
Dr. Hunt studies the causes of bipolar disorder. In other words,
she looks at factors that play a role in the __________ of
bipolar disorder.
etiology
The genetic influences that determine behavior may never be
fully understood due to __________.
the likelihood that most behaviors are determined by the
interaction of many genes and the environment
After cheating on her husband and feeling ashamed, Julia
accused her husband of cheating. Such behavior is explained
by which of the following defense mechanisms?
Projection
Which of the following statements regarding divorce and
psychopathology is true?
The effects of parental divorce on children are more favorable
than the effects of living in a home torn by marital strife and
conflict.
At age nine, Rachel was cut from the school soccer team.
After the initial disappointment, she joined the Girl Scouts,
which she really enjoyed. Now, as an adult, when she does
not get into graduate school, rather than responding with
depression, Rachel finds a job in her field that she enjoys, and
will apply to graduate school at a later time. This is an example
of __________.
the steeling or inoculation effect of some stressful experiences
Suppose the reuptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin was
deficient and the deactivation enzymes associated with
serotonin were also deficient. What effect would this have?
There would be more serotonin in the synapse.
A valid test __________.
measures what it is designed to measure
An individual's psychological test results are often compared
with a distribution of test scores from a large normative
population. In order to accomplish this, test administration,
scoring, and interpretation must be consistent from one
person to the next. What is this process called?
Standardization
Information disclosed between client and clinician, such as
test results, is released to a third party only if the client signs
an appropriate release form. This illustrates the concept of
__________.
confidentiality
Roxanne is agitated, clenches her jaw, and is unable to
remember her address. The clinician takes careful note of
Roxanne's symptoms and behaviors, which are also known as
the __________.
presenting problem
There are two general categories of psychological tests used
in clinical practice. They are __________.
intelligence tests and personality tests
A behaviorally oriented clinician tells her alcohol-dependent
client: "Here is a checklist I want you to fill out each day.
Whenever you feel you need a drink, you should indicate what
you were thinking, where you were, who you were with, and
whether you went ahead and drank." What procedure is the
clinician using?
Self-monitoring
One advantage of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) over
the computed tomography (CT) scan is that the MRI
__________.
provides better differentiation and clarity
Which of the following would be used to reveal how the brain
responds when anticipating and then receiving a reward?
Electroencephalogram (EEG)
Some psychological tests may not elicit valid information from
a client who is part of a minority group. This may mean the
psychological test has __________.
a cultural bias
Sherolyn is in fourth grade and has been having trouble sitting
still and remaining focused on her schoolwork. Her teacher
speaks with her parents about this and suggests that they see
a clinician for an assessment. What is one problem with the
DSM system that would make her parents reluctant to send
her for an assessment?
The diagnosis would become a label that would stick with
Sherolyn.
Sam and Charles are discussing the definition of reliability.
Which of the following statements accurately illustrates
reliability?
When an IQ test is administered to the same person
repeatedly, the results do not differ.
The need for rapport between a clinician and a client means
that __________.
the client must feel comfortable with the clinician and the
assessment
What role does social context play in assessment?
An evaluation of the environment in which the client lives is
necessary in order to understand the demands they face, as
well as the supports that are present
Dr. Smith believes that a decrease in frontal lobe function
underlies the cognitive deficits seen in schizophrenia. He has
hypothesized that effective drug therapy serves to selectively
increase metabolic activity in this part of the brain. Which of
the following is Dr. Smith most likely to use to test his
hypothesis?
Positron emission tomography (PET) scans
If a diagnosis is made by comparing a subject with a
"theoretical ideal" of an illness, which type of classification
scheme is being used? Prototypal
A patient receives the results of his diagnostic tests and
decides to seek a second and third opinion. He is surprised to
learn that each of the three clinicians' diagnoses is different
from the others. What statement accurately describes this
scenario?
This illustrates low inter-rater reliability.
Which statement accurately reflects the impact of cultural
factors on assessment?
In order to use tests in a culturally competent manner,
clinicians need to consider the dominant language of their
clients.
The MMPI is __________.
a structured approach to personality assessment
Which approach to the classification of abnormal behavior
uses statistical criteria to differentiate between normal and
abnormal? Dimensional
Which of the following factors is linked to a person's ability to
effectively cope with stress?
Social support
Inter-rater reliability gauges __________.
the extent to which different clinicians agree on a diagnosis
For an adjustment disorder, the symptoms must appear within
__________ months of the stressor.
Three
What is an advantage of a fully structured interview?
It maximizes reliability.
Several clinicians look at the TAT results of a hospitalized
patient. The patient described the characters on a card as not
speaking to each other. One clinician says this means the
patient has a lot of unresolved anger. Another says it means
the patient has a lot of social anxiety. A third says he thinks it
means the patient is uninterested in people and prefers to be
alone. This demonstrates the following problem with the TAT:
__________.
scoring and interpretation is very subjective
The term "crisis" refers to __________.
any time a stressful situation exceeds one's ability to cope
Which of the following
immunosuppression?
Glucocorticoids
can
cause
stress-induced
Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of the interaction
between the __________.
nervous system and the immune system
A significant drawback to the use of medication for PTSD is
that __________.
there is still some doubt about the extent of its effectiveness
What is the underlying conviction of all psychotherapy?
The best therapy includes a combination of medication and
talk.
To summarize what is known about the effectiveness of
psychotherapy, we can say that __________.
the chances of the average client benefiting are significant
What is a "double-blind" study?
Neither the patient being given the drug nor the researcher
who will evaluate the drug's effects knows whether the patient
is receiving the treatment or the placebo.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy is based on the concept that
__________.
thinking influences emotion, motivation, and behavior
What is the central focus of humanistic-experiential therapy?
A client's awareness
What is Type D personality? The "distressed" type
What serve as chemical messengers and assist the
communication between immune cells?
Cytokines
Which of the following will lower a soldier's risk of developing
PTSD? Believing strongly in the goals of the mission
Why should we study the causal factors in PTSD, since we
already know traumatic events cause it?
Because not everyone who is exposed to a trauma develops
PTSD
Despite the many barriers to effectively researching the
effectiveness of disaster responses, it has been found that
__________.
cognitive therapy reduces the PTSD symptoms of the majority
of those who are treated
Aria was in a terrible car accident in which several people
were killed. A few weeks later, she began to talk about what
happened. She told the story to anyone who would listen. This
seems to be __________.
a way to reduce anxiety and desensitize herself to the
experience
Virtual reality exposure treatment for PTSD has been shown
to have __________.
a significant effect in decreasing PTSD symptoms
What is the term for the biological cost of adapting to stress?
Allostatic load
Positive psychology is a school of thought that focuses on a
person's __________.
strengths and virtues
Despite the many barriers to effectively researching the
effectiveness of disaster responses, it has been found that
__________.
cognitive therapy reduces the PTSD symptoms of the majority
of those who are treated
Judd is considered obese and has a weakness for donuts. His
therapist decides to try a new therapeutic approach wherein
he sprinkles an invisible, bitter-tasting powder on top of the
donuts. The powder will cause a noxious effect. What
technique is being used to help Judd with this weakness?
Aversion therapy
What is the foundational belief of behavior therapy?
Abnormal behavior is learned the same ways as normal
behavior and can be unlearned.
Transcranial magnetic stimulation is typically __________.
only considered to treat depression after psychotherapy and
medication have proven ineffective
Shelly is taking a benzodiazepine to treat her anxiety. She
should be concerned that __________.
she may become physically dependent on the drug
The conventional antipsychotic drugs have a problematic side
effect involving abnormal movement. This side effect is called
__________.
tardive dyskinesia
Andressa begins therapy and expects that the therapy will
help her. This expectation __________.
may be enough by itself to produce positive change
The son of a critical father comes to therapy one day and, with
no provocation, is extremely hostile in his remarks to the
therapist. The therapist might consider that __________ is
occurring.
Transference
Luria is painfully shy. Her therapist first shows her appropriate
social skills so she can interact competently with others. Then
Luria attempts the same behavior while getting feedback. This
illustrates the behavior therapy technique called __________.
modeling
Which of the following
antidepressant"? Tricyclics
are
a
type
of
"classical
Iris has just received her first treatment of electroconvulsive
therapy. She is most likely to __________.
experience amnesia and confusion for an hour after the
treatment
Therapy outcome studies depend on ratings of the changes
seen in clients. One reason that therapists' ratings may be
unreliable is because __________.
they cannot see the client's behavior in a range of settings
A randomized clinical trial is a study in which __________.
people are assigned to different groups based on a flip of the
coin; one half goes to a treatment group and the other to a
seemingly identical placebo group
Which of the following is an advantage of behavior therapy?
It usually achieves results in a relatively short period of time.
Dr. Garza says to a client with anxiety disorders, "It is your
unrealistic beliefs and perfectionistic values that cause you to
be so anxious, not the events of your life." Dr. Garza probably
supports the assumptions of __________ therapy.
rational emotive behavior
In contrast to most other forms of therapy, the client-centered
therapist __________.
does not give answers or interpretations, nor even steer the
client onto certain topics
Simon has disorganized type schizophrenia and has lived in
an institution for years. He rarely makes any attempt at
socializing. A new program is started in which every time
Simon speaks to another person, he is given a piece of red
paper. At the end of each week, he can use the red papers to
get cigarettes or extra privileges. This new program is
__________.
a token economy