AP Psych Kauffman
Ch. 15 Psychological Disorders and Ch. 16 Therapy Study Guide
NOTE: The test will be all Multiple-Choice . The below Free Responses are Practice for the AP exam AND to PREP you
for the Application style questions on the MC Exam. Your notes will need to be Thorough AND you must UNDERSTAND
you r notes as the test will be constructed to show UNDERSTANDING. Not regurgitation of terms and definitions.
Free Response #1
a. Discuss the cause of anxiety from each of the following perspectives.
 Behavioral
 Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic
 Biological
 Cognitive
b. Discuss a specific treatment technique for reducing anxiety used by professionals representing each of the four
perspectives
Free Response #2
Often misunderstood, schizophrenia is a psychological disorder affecting one percent of the population. In addition to
treating the disorder, psychologists work to identify its nature and origins.
a. Identify two characteristic symptoms used to diagnose schizophrenia
b. Discuss a research finding that supports a genetic basis for schizophrenia
c. Explain the dopamine hypothesis regarding the origins of schizophrenia
d. Describe how medications used to treat schizophrenia affect the actions of neurotransmitters at the synapses
e. Identify a risk inherent in using medications in the treatment of schizophrenia
f. People sometimes confuse schizophrenia with dissociative identity disorder (DID). Identify two key
characteristics that differentiate DID from schizophrenia
Ch 15: Psychological Disorders Outline
I.
Perspectives on Psychological Disorders
A.
Defining Psychological Disorders
1.
Characteristics to use to classify behavior as disorder (i.e. atypical, disturbing, maladaptive,
personal distress, unjustifiable)
2.
Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
B.
Understanding Psychological Disorders
1.
Medical Model
2.
Biopsychosocial Model
3.
Diathesis-Stress Model
C.
Classifying Psychological Disorders
1.
DSM-IV-TR
a)
Levels
(1)
Axis I
(2)
Axis II
(3)
Axis III
(4)
Axis IV
(5)
Axis V
b)
Strengths/Weaknesses
D.
Labeling Psychological Disorders
1.
Rosenhan Study – Sane in Insane Places
II.
Anxiety Disorders
A.
Generalized Anxiety Disorders
B.
Panic Disorder
C.
Phobias
1.
Specific Phobias
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
2.
Social Phobia
3.
Agoraphobia
D.
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
1.
Obsessions vs Compulsion
E.
Post-Traumatic Disorder
1.
Post-traumatic growth
F.
Understanding Anxiety Disorders
1.
Learning/Behavioral Perspective
a)
Fear conditioning – stimulus generalization and reinforcement
b)
Observational learning
2.
Biological Perspective
a)
Natural Selection – biological preparedness
b)
Genes
c)
Brain
d)
Autonomic Nervous System
Somatoform Disorders
A.
Conversion disorder
B.
Hypochondriasis
C.
Body Dysmorphic Disorder
D.
Facticious Disorder (i.e., Münchausen syndrome)
Dissociative Disorders
A.
Dissociative Identity Disorder
B.
Understanding Dissociative Identity Disorder
1.
Repression
2.
Fantasy-prone personality
C.
Dissociative Fugue
D.
Dissociative Amnesia
Mood disorders
A.
Unipolar Disordrers
1.
Major Depressive Disorder
2.
Dysthymic Disorder
3.
Seasonal Affective Disorder
B.
Bipolar Disorder
1.
Mania
C.
Understanding Mood Disorders
1.
Biological Perspective
a)
Genetic Influences
(1)
Linkage analysis
b)
Depressed Brain
(1)
Role of serotonin and norepinephrine
2.
Social-Cognitive Perspective
a)
Self-defeating beliefs
b)
Negative explanatory style
c)
Learned helplessness
Schizophrenia
A.
Symptoms of Schizophrenia
1.
Positive symptoms
a)
Disorganized thinking
b)
Delusions
c)
Hallucinations
2.
Negative symptoms
a)
Inappropriate emotions or lack of emotion (avolition)
b)
Rigid bodies
VII.
VIII.
c)
Social withdrawal
d)
Poverty of speech (alogia)
B.
Onset and Development of Schizophrenia
1.
Subtypes: Paranoid, Disorganized, Catatonic, Undifferentiated, Residual
C.
Understanding Schizophrenia
1.
Brain Abnormalities
a)
Dopamine overactivity
b)
Enlarged ventricles
c)
Prenatal virus
2.
Genetic Factors
3.
Psychological Factors
a)
Diathesis-stress model
Personality Disorders
A.
Cluster A – Eccentric/Odd
B.
Cluster B - Dramatic/Erratic
1.
Antisocial Personality Disorder
2.
Understanding Antisocial Personality Disorder
C.
Cluster C – Anxious/Fearful
Rates of Psychological Disorders
Ch 16: Therapy Outline
I. Eclectic Approach
II. The Psychological Therapies
a. Psychoanalysis
i. Freud
1. Free association
2. Resistance
3. Transference
ii. Psychodynamic therapy
iii. Interpersonal psychotherapy
b. Humanistic Therapies
i. Insight therapies
ii. Carl Rogers
1. Client-centered therapy
2. Active listening
3. Unconditional positive regard
c. Behavior Therapies
i. Classical conditioning techniques
1. Counter-conditioning
a. Exposure therapies
i. Systematic cesensitization
ii. Flooding
iii. Virtual reality exposure therapy
b. Aversive conditioning
ii. Operant conditioning techniques
1. Behavior modification
a. Token economy
d. Cognitive Therapies
i. Albert Ellis’ Rational Emotive Therapy
ii. Aaron Beck’s Cognitive Therapy for Depression
iii. Stress Inoculation Training
iv. Cognitive-behavior Therapy
e. Group and Family Therapies
i. Family therapy
III. Evaluating Psychotherapies
a. Is Psychotherapy Effective?
i. Clients’ perceptions
ii. Clinicians’ perceptions
iii. Outcome research
1. Meta-analysis
b. The Relative Effectiveness of Different Therapies
i. Evidence-based practice
c. Evaluating Alternative Therapies
i. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
ii. Light Exposure Therapy
d. Commonalities Among Therapies
e. Culture and Values in Psychotherapy
IV. The Biomedical Therapies
a. Drug Therapies
i. Psychopharmacology
ii. Antipsychotic drugs
1. Classic vs. atypical
2. Tardive dyskinesia
iii. Antianxiety drugs
iv. Antidepressants
v. Mood-stabilizing medications
1. Lithium
b. Brain Stimulation
i. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT)
ii. Magnetic stimulation
1. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS)
2. Deep-brain stimulation
c. Psychosurgery
i. Lobotomy
d. Therapeutic Life-Style Change
V. Preventing Psychological Disorders
Practice Test
1. Which type of psychotherapy emphasizes the individual's inherent potential for self-fulfillment?
A) behavior therapy
B) psychoanalysis
C) humanistic therapy
D) biomedical therapy
2. During psychoanalysis, Jane has developed strong feelings of hatred for her therapist. The analyst interprets
Jane's behavior in terms of a ________ of her feelings toward her father.
A) Projection
B) Resistance
C) Regression
D) transference
3. Which of the following is not true concerning depression?
A) Depression is more common in females than in males.
B) Most depressive episodes appear not to be preceded by any particular factor or event.
C) Most depressive episodes last less than 3 months.
D) Most people recover from depression without professional therapy.
4. In treating depression, a psychiatrist would probably prescribe a drug that would:
A) increase levels of acetylcholine.
B) decrease levels of dopamine.
C) increase levels of norepinephrine.
D) decrease levels of serotonin.
5. For the past six months, a woman has complained of feeling isolated from others, dissatisfied with life, and
discouraged about the future. This woman could be diagnosed as suffering from:
A) bipolar disorder.
B) major depressive disorder.
C) generalized anxiety disorder.
D) dissociative disorder.
6. Which of the following is true of the medical model?
A) In recent years, it has been in large part discredited.
B) It views psychological disorders as sicknesses that are diagnosable and treatable.
C) It emphasizes the role of psychological factors in disorders over that of physiological factors.
D) It focuses on cognitive factors.
7. Which type of psychotherapy focuses on changing unwanted behaviors rather than on discovering their
underlying causes?
A) behavior therapy
B) cognitive therapy
C) humanistic therapy
D) psychoanalysis
8. Which form of therapy is most likely to be successful in treating depression?
A) behavior therapy
B) psychoanalysis
C) cognitive therapy
D) humanistic therapy
9. The techniques of counterconditioning are based on principles of:
A) observational learning.
B) classical conditioning.
C) operant conditioning.
D) behavior modification.
10. An eclectic psychotherapist is one who:
A) takes a nondirective approach in helping clients solve their problems.
B) views psychological disorders as usually stemming from one cause, such as a biological abnormality.
C) uses one particular technique, such as psychoanalysis or counterconditioning, in treating disorders.
D) uses a variety of techniques, depending on the client and the problem.
11. Nick survived a car accident in which another passenger died. Feeling anxious and guilty, he sought treatment
from an alternative therapist, who used eye movement desensitization and reprocessing to help Nick return to his
normally upbeat, optimistic frame of mind. After several months of treatment Nick began feeling better.
Although Nick is convinced that the alternative therapy was responsible for his improvement, it is also possible
that it was the result of:
A) regression toward the mean.
B) a placebo effect.
C) merely seeking treatment from any practitioner who provided an empathic, trusting environment.
D) all of the above.
12. Sharon is continually tense, jittery, and apprehensive for no specific reason. She would probably be diagnosed as
suffering a(n):
A) phobia.
B) major depressive disorder.
C) obsessive-compulsive disorder.
D) generalized anxiety disorder.
13. The psychoanalytic perspective would most likely view phobias as:
A) conditioned fears.
B) displaced responses to incompletely repressed impulses.
C) biological predispositions.
D) manifestations of self-defeating thoughts.
14. Which of the following is true concerning abnormal behavior?
A) Definitions of abnormal behavior are culture-dependent.
B) A behavior cannot be defined as abnormal unless it is considered harmful to society.
C) Abnormal behavior can be defined as any behavior that is distressful.
D) Definitions of abnormal behavior are based on physiological factors.
15. The criteria for classifying behavior as psychologically disordered:
A) vary from culture to culture.
B) vary from time to time.
C) are characterized by both a. and b.
D) have remained largely unchanged over the course of history.
16. Light-exposure therapy has proven useful as a form of treatment for people suffering from:
A) bulimia.
B) seasonal affective disorder.
C) schizophrenia.
D) dissociative identity disorder.
17. The operant conditioning technique in which desired behaviors are rewarded with points or poker chips that can
later be exchanged for various rewards is called:
A) counterconditioning.
B) systematic desensitization.
C) a token economy.
D) exposure therapy.
18. After Darnel dropped a pass in an important football game, he became depressed and vowed to quit the team
because of his athletic incompetence. The campus psychologist challenged his illogical reasoning and pointed
out that Darnel's “incompetence” had earned him an athletic scholarship. The psychologist's response was most
typical of a ________ therapist.
A) behavior
B) psychoanalytic
C) client-centered
D) cognitive
19. Which of the following was presented in the text as evidence of biological influences on anxiety disorders?
A) Identical twins often develop similar phobias.
B) PET scans of persons with obsessive-compulsive disorder reveal unusually high activity in an area of the
frontal lobes.
C) Drugs that dampen fear-circuit activity in the amygdala also alleviate OCD.
D) All of the above were presented.
20. Before he can study, Rashid must arrange his books, pencils, paper, and other items on his desk so that they are
“just so.” The campus counselor suggests that Rashid's compulsive behavior may help alleviate his anxiety about
failing in school, which reinforces the compulsive actions. This explanation of obsessive-compulsive behavior is
most consistent with which perspective?
A) learning
B) psychoanalytic
C) humanistic
D) social-cognitive
21. The antipsychotic drugs appear to produce their effects by blocking the receptor sites for:
A) dopamine.
B) epinephrine.
C) norepinephrine.
D) serotonin.
22. Electroconvulsive therapy is most useful in the treatment of:
A) schizophrenia.
B) depression.
C) personality disorders.
D) anxiety disorders.
23. Our early ancestors commonly attributed disordered behavior to:
A) “bad blood.”
B) evil spirits.
C) brain injury.
D) laziness.
24. To help Sam quit smoking, his therapist blew a blast of smoke into Sam's face each time Sam inhaled. Which
technique is the therapist using?
A) exposure therapy
B) behavior modification
C) systematic desensitization
D) aversive conditioning
25. Research evidence links the brain abnormalities of schizophrenia to ________ during prenatal development.
A) maternal stress
B) a viral infection contracted
C) abnormal levels of certain hormones
D) the weight of the unborn child
Answer Key
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C
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B