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Fundamentals of Abnormal Psychology Eighth Edition Test Bank

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    Page 1 1. Psychological abnormality is generally defined using “the four D's.” First, explain what the four Ds are and what they mean regarding psychological abnormality. Then provide an example of a time when each aspect of abnormality would not be considered abnormal. 2. Suppose a friend says to you, “ I feel really lousy today, and I don't know why. You're taking abnormal psych — what do you think?” If, after a conversation, your friend feels better about things, have you provided psychological therapy? Why or why not? Include the essential features of therapy in your answer. 3. What is demonology? How does demonology stand in the way of a more complete understanding of the causes and treatment of psychological abnormality? 4. Discuss the contributions of three individuals to the treatment of abnormal psychology. Be sure to include when and where each lived. 5. Create a time line on which you place five major events in the history of abnormality. Briefly describe why each event is important to an understanding of abnormality. 6. Define and contrast the somatogenic and psychogenic perspectives regarding abnormal psychological functioning, and provide at least one example of evidence supporting each perspective. 7. Assume that Benjamin Rush and Dorothea Dix suddenly appeared in the twenty - first century, about 50 years after the U.S. policy of deinstitutionalization began. What would they think about our treatment of the “mentally ill”? What suggestions might they make for changes in our policy of deinstitutionalization? 8. According to your text, deinstitutionalization has resulted, in part, in large numbers of people with severe psychological disturbances either becoming homeless or ending up in jail or prison. Is deinstitutionalization an ethical and appropriate strategy for the treatment of mental illness that the United States should continue to follow? Back up your answer with specific examples. 9. Increasingly, people seeking treatment for mental health reasons are members of managed care programs. How are managed care programs changing how psychological services are provided? Discuss one advantage and one disadvantage of such programs.

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    Page 2 10. Clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, and clinical researchers are mental health professionals that work in the area of psychological abnormality. Describe what each does and how they differ from each other. 11. What are important differences between case studies and single - subject experiments? Be sure to mention advantages and disadvantages of each. 12. Case studies can be used to help more than just the one being studied. Briefly describe three ways one could use information gathered from a case study besides helping the one being studied. 13. Describe three hypothetical correlations: positive correlations, negative correlations, and unrelated correlations, and give an example for each. 14. A major shortcoming of a correlational study is that even when a correlation between two variables is statistically significant, one cannot infer causation. For example, a significant correlation exists between life stress and depression, yet one cannot say for sure that life stress causes depression. Given this major shortcoming, what are some specific reasons one might still wish to conduct a correlational study, as opposed to an experimental study (from which one might infer a cause - and - effect relationsh ip)? 15. Assume that a researcher wishes to do research designed to pinpoint early - childhood events related to later development of eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa. What type of investigation might the researcher use? What would be potential strengths and weaknesses of that type of investigation? Finally, are there any ethical concerns the researcher ought to address? 16. Design an experiment to test the hypothesis that older women who take estrogen are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. Be sure to identify the control group, experimental group, independent variable, and dependent variable. 17. A researcher wishes to use experimentation to study the effect of stress on the development of abnormal behaviors. Describe how the researcher might conduct that study, using either natural or analogue experiments.

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    Page 3 Answer Key 1. There are said to be four “Ds” of psychological abnormality. The first is “deviance,” which describes abnormal behavior, thoughts, and emotions that differ markedly from society's ideas about proper functioning. An example of deviance that would not be considered abnormal is a person who sleeps outside when camping. While sleeping outdoors is not the norm in our society, we make exception for this behavior under this specific circumstance. The second is “distress.” When an individual feels distress over symptom manifestation, we often consider this a marker of abnormality. An example of when distress would not be considered abnormal would be a situation in which a parent experiences distress because his or her child is serving in the military in a war zone. The feelings of distress inherent in a daughter or son serving abroad would not be enough to label someone as abnormal in functioning. The third element in psychological abnormality is “dysfunction.” Abnormal behavior tends to be considered dysfunctional when it interrupts the ability to function in daily living. An example of when dysfunction would not be considered abnormal would be if someone voluntarily engaged in a hunger strike out of protest. Often these individuals are considered heroic rather than dysfunctional. The final element is “danger,” which is usually classified as an individual being a danger or threat to him - or herself or others. An example of when dangerousness would not be considered abnormal could be during times of military service in combat. Individuals in combat are sometimes called on to harm others, and in acts considered heroic, some soldiers sacrifice their own lives for the safety of their group. 2. According to my text, I have not provided psychological therapy. Clinical theorist Jerome Frank stated that all therapy has three essential features. One is a sufferer who seeks relief from the healer. The second feature of true therapy is that it must be administered by a trained, socially accepted healer who has expertise in what the individual struggles with. The third essential element of therapy is that there should be a series of contacts with the sufferer to produce changes. In this example the seco nd and third criteria have not been satisfied. As such, psychological therapy has not taken place. 3. Demonology is the view that psychological dysfunction was caused by Satan's influence. In Europe during the Middle Ages, members of the clergy had great power, and their religious beliefs and explanations dominated education and culture. Due to its influence, the Church controlled how psychological phenomena were interpreted, and alternative scientific explanations were dismissed. 4. Answers may include any of the following, or other figures discussed in the text: Hippocrates: 460 – 377 B.C. Greece. Referred to as the father of modern medicine, Hippocrates contributed the belief that illnesses had natural causes, and he saw abnormal behavior as arising from physical problems.

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    Page 4 Emil Kraepelin: 1856 – 1926. Germany. Kraepelin was a German researcher who published a textbook in 1883 stating that physical factors such as fatigue were responsible for mental dysfunction. He also developed the first modern system for classifying abnormal behavior using symptoms, as we do today. Dorothea Dix: 1802 – 1887. Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. Dix was a schoolteacher who called for mental health treatment reform by speaking to both state legislatures and the U.S. Congress about the horrors she witnessed at asylums. Her campaign led to improved laws and funding, specifically to set up state hospitals to care for the mentally ill. Philippe Pinel: 1745 – 1826. Paris, France. Pinel argued that the mentally ill should be treated with sympathy and kindness, and, after becoming chief physician at La Bicêtre, unchained patients and renovated rooms to reflect his perspective. Friedrich Anton Mesmer: 1734 – 1815. Mesmer was an Austrian physician who set up a clinic in Paris. He used hypnotism to heal those with hysterical disorders, showing that a person sometimes holds the keys for healing him - or herself. Mesmer's hypnotism paved the way for later psychoanalytic explanations using the unconscious. Benjamin Rush: 1745 – 1813. Pennsylvania, U.S. Considered the father of American psychiatry, Rush developed humane treatment approaches to mental illness, even hiring sensitive attendants to work with patients he treated. William Tuke: 1732 – 1819. England. Tuke founded a rural retreat for those with mental illness using methods of rest, talk, prayer, and work to assist healing. His moral treatment inspired others, such as Benjamin Rush, to treat patients humanely and with respect. 5. The five major events in the history of abnormality in the order of their occurrence would be: 1. Demonology. The belief that evil spirits or dark forces created psychological dysfunction permeated the belief about mentally ill individuals and their treatment for years. Demonology led to some of the greatest atrocities committed against those who were mentally ill and may still be a factor in the stigma many feel against the mentally ill today. Our text, for example, notes that 43 percent of people still believe that those with mental illness have brought it on themselves. 2. The Rise of Asylums. The unspeakably cruel ways in which the mentally ill have been treated should not be forgotten. The asylums began with good intentions but eventually became a national shame. Asylums reflect the ways in which we viewed those who struggled with mental illness. 3. Moral Treatment. Figures such as Tuke, Pinel, Rush, and Dix were essential to revolutionizing the way in which those who struggled with mental illness were treated and represent a turning point in the history of how those with mental dysfunction were viewed and treated. By framing mental dysfunction as an illness to be treated, it set the stage for those like Freud to develop theories that framed clients and their treatments with humanity. 4. The Advent of Psychotropic Medications. When individuals with mental dysfunctions were institutionalized, even with humane practices, there were many who could not be helped because the nature of their illness was so inherently biological. Psychotropic medication allowed many to function outside of an institutional setting who may never have had a chance of recovery otherwise. Psychotropic medications of the past also solidified the status of mental illness as a treatable and often biologically based ill ness. 5. Deinstitutionalization. The final inclusion of deinstitutionalization is present because

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    Page 5 it both reflects hope and the need for improvement. While people were released from institutions, the care and support structure provided when they left has still been sorely lacking. While so many mentally ill individuals are still homeless or in prisons, and 40 to 60 percent of those with severe mental illness receive no treatment at all, there is still much work to be done. 6. The somatogenic perspective is the view that abnormal psychology has physical causes. An example would be syphilis and the mental symptoms such as delusions of grandeur that can be caused by this physical illness. The psychogenic perspective is that the causes of abnormal functioning are psychological. Examples include hysterical disorders such as blindness or other body ailments that individuals may experience without a physical cause. 7. Today, in the wake of deinstitutionalization, many atrocities continue to occur. Both Benjamin Rush and Dorothea Dix were advocates of moral treatment, so one could assume that both would be greatly disappointed by our lack of continued care for those who struggle. They might make many suggestions for changes in our policy of deinstitutionalization. For example, we now know that although community mental health centers were intended to be plentiful, there are far too few to meet the needs of those who struggle. They would likely advocate for more mental health centers to be constructed and that those centers be accessible to those who require them. Another change in our policy would be transitional release. Rather than simply allowing hundreds of thousands of people t o be immediately released, teaching individuals skills of survival and providing placement in transitional living facilities as well as employment might have helped prevent the homelessness and struggles the mentally ill in our country continue to face. 8. Deinstitutionalization in America was not conducted ethically or with an appropriate strategy. Patients who were residents of hospitals for years, with no knowledge of how the outside world operated and often no support structures when they left hospitals, were simply released to become homeless and without care. The text stated that only 40 to 60 percent of those with severe psychological disturbances are receiving care, at least 100,000 are homeless, and another 135,000 reside in jails or prisons. This is not a strategy America should continue to follow. One thing we could do differently is to increase the numbers and accessibility of community health centers. The text states that too few community mental health programs are available to those who need them most. 9. Insurance companies provide health care coverage through managed care programs by largely determining the nature, scope, and cost of the services received. Through these programs, insurance companies, rather than therapists or physicians, also determine treatment course and progression. One advantage of managed care programs is that they can provide preventive care, but a disadvantage is that they can limit choice of therapist, how long treatment lasts, and what type of treatment a patient receives. 10. Clinical psychologists earn a doctorate in clinical psychology and provide counseling services to those who are mentally ill. Psychiatrists are physicians and have gone through medical school, earning either an MD or DO, and specializing in treatment of the mentally ill. Psychiatrists can also provide counseling services, and often provide medication when needed. Clinical researchers tackle the problems of psychological

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    Page 6 abnormality from the laboratory, attempting to explain and predict abnormal behavior but not working with clients directly unless studying an illness. Clinical researchers do not treat patients, as both psychiatrists and clinical psychologists often do. 11. A case study follows an individual, describing that person's life and problems as well as history, symptoms, and treatment. In a case study, a clinician can follow the course of a treatment and offer new ideas or treatments to future clinicians. The benefits of case studies are that they can often show the value of new therapeutic techniques and give unusual problems focused attention that can be used to help others who show similar problems. The limitations of case studies are that often the observers can be biased, because they may have an interest in seeing the patient succeed or having their methods work. Case studies rely solely on subjective evidence and so they also lack internal validity. Case studies also are limitedly generalizable, and because we often find that case studies have difficulty being applicable beyond the actual person of study, they rate low on external validity. Single - subject experiments negate many of the weaknesses of case studies because single - subject experiments use experimental design, giving them additional power. In single - subject experiments, a lone participant is observed both before and after the manipulation of an independent variable. While the benefits of this type of experiment are clearly control and the ability to establish a baseline, there are still limitations. For instance, having only one subject does not allow for comparison of results aga inst others, so there is no control group, random assignment, or ability to test for a placebo effect. 12. One could use information gathered from a case study in three ways: First, case studies can be a source of new ideas about behavior, opening the way for future discoveries. An example of this would be that Freud used his case studies in developing psychoanalysis. Second, case studies can show the value of new therapeutic techniques and demonstrate new ways of applying existing techniques for outcomes. Finally, case studies give clinicians opportunities to study rare or unusual problems in ways that offer the opportunity to help others — both clinicians who treat and clients w ho struggle — with these disorders in the future. 13. There are three possible results of a correlational study: positive correlations, negative correlations, or unrelated correlations between variables. A positive correlation occurs between variables that increase or decrease together, such as study time and test grades. In a study of these variables, the researcher may find that as one variable (studying) goes up, the other (test grades) goes up. The principle also works in reverse — for example, as study time goes down, test grades go down. A negative correlation occurs between variables that are inversely related; that is to say, as one variable goes up, the other variable goes down. One example would be a study of shyness and friendships. In that study, the researcher might find that as one variable (shyness) increases, the second variable (number of friendships) decreases. Also, as the

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    Page 7 number of friendships increases, the amount of shyness decreases. The third type of relationship is between variables that are unrelated. An example of this would be the relationship between, say, hairstyle and phases of the moon. There is no known weak or strong existing relationship between hairstyle and any phase of the moon. 14. Although correlations do not determine causation, they can still be of great use, particularly to clinicians. Correlational studies tend to have good external validity, meaning that they often can be generalized to the general population, and, even though they do not explain the relationship, often just noting that a strong relationship exists between variables can be significant. An example from the text examining correlational research between suicide attempts and depression noted that even if the “cause” of the suicide attempt is not fully understood, just knowing the relationship to depression helps clinicians significantly (and, ultimately, clients) when they know what signs to watch for in individuals. 15. If a researcher wanted to design a study to pinpoint early - childhood events related to later development of eating disorders, that researcher would likely use a combined approach. Epidemiological studies, a special form of correlational research that measures the incidence (number of new cases) and prevalence (total number of cases of a disorder), would show the trends of the disorder generally over a period of time. It is likely that trends discovered would lead the researcher to isolate unique variables w ithin certain groups that help to cause certain disorders, such as eating disorders. As noted in the text, such studies have been used to examine eating disorders and their prevalence in Western countries over non - Western countries. Combining epidemiological studies with longitudinal studies (sometimes called developmental studies or high - risk studies), a researcher would examine the same individuals over a period of time to further pinpoint specific childhood events. Despite the strengths and amount of information, longitudinal studies do not pinpoint causation. The ethical concern of this approach is the question of harm in simply observing individuals as they develop a disorder without intervention. The researcher should address this issue in the design of the study before proceeding. 16. Hypothesis: Older women who take estrogen are less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease. First, because a researcher cannot follow all older women, the researcher must define the age range and then get a representative sample of them. The sample should represent women at large in economics, demographic variables (race, etc.), and so on, so that any results can be generalized to the larger population. After acquiring a sample, the researcher should randomly assign the women to two groups: the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group would be exposed to the independent variable (estrogen) and the control group would not. The researcher would then follow the women, and, in an established time frame, give them cognitive tests that measure symptoms of Alzheimer's disease (the dependent variable).

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    Page 8 After measurement of the dependent variable, comparing both experimental and control groups would offer the outcome. If women who took estrogen were less likely to get Alzheimer's disease, the hypothesis would be confirmed, and, if not, the hypothesis would be disproven. 17. In natural experiments, nature itself manipulates the independent variable. One method for studying the effect of stress on the development of abnormal behaviors would be to examine individuals after a natural disaster (which would inherently place stress on an individual). For example, if a natural disaster like a tsunami flooded and destroyed a coastal city, a researcher could study the survivors (who function as an experimental group) and then gather data on individuals well outside the affected region ( who function as a control group). The researcher could then compare them on behavioral measures of abnormality (dependent variable) and acquire results. In analogue experiments, researchers can induce participants in a laboratory to behave in ways that resemble real - life abnormal behavior and then conduct experiments on them to shed light on real - life abnormality. A researcher looking to study individuals in this way may have difficulty ethically, even if using animal models, because it naturally places both animals and humans in a distressed state. To conduct an analogue experiment examining the effects of stress in the development of abnormal behaviors, an experimenter could elicit stress in the subject by placing him or her in a situation that would be inherently stressful and then measuring the abnormal behaviors (dependent variable) to determine relationship.

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    Page 1 1. The stated and unstated rules that a society establishes to govern proper conduct are referred to as _____. 2. The aspect of the definition of abnormality that characterizes behavior as different from what a society considers normal for a given time and place is _____. 3. Ken is so anxious that his anxiety by itself causes him to suffer. Ken's situation represents the aspect of the definition of abnormality called _____. 4. Colleen is so afraid of open spaces that she cannot leave her house to go to work and is now in danger of losing her job. This represents the aspect of the definition of abnormality called _____. 5. Heather has been feeling depressed and has begun to feel helpless and hopeless and is considering committing suicide. Killing herself represents the aspect of the definition of abnormality called _____. 6. The idea that the behaviors we label abnormal are just problems in living was proposed by _____. 7. While some clinicians refer to the person they are treating as a patient, others refer to the person as a(n) _____. 8. The early form of surgery in which a hole was made in the skull of a person, presumably to allow evil spirits to escape, was called _____. 9. The procedure that a priest or other powerful person might perform to drive evil spirits from a person is called _____. 10. _____ believed that abnormal behavior was caused by brain pathology that was a consequence of an imbalance in the four humors of the body. 11. The "father" of modern medicine who believed that illnesses had natural causes was _____.

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    Page 2 12. During the Middle Ages, a person who believed that he or she was possessed by wolves and other animals was said to be suffering from _____. 13. The roots of today's community mental health programs can be traced back to the fifteenth century when people came to the Belgian town of _____ for psychic healing. 14. The physician who instituted a series of reforms at La Bicêtre asylum and “unchained” mental patients was _____. 15. The treatment for mental illness espoused by French physician Philippe Pinel and English Quaker William Tuke was called _____ treatment by their contemporaries. 16. An approach to treating people with mental dysfunction that emphasized humane and respectful approaches was known as _____ treatment. 17. The American advocate for laws mandating the improved treatment of people with mental disorders was _____. 18. The view that physical causes are at the root of mental illnesses is called the _____ perspective. 19. The somatogenic view of mental illness was given a boost in the 1800's when it was discovered that general paresis was caused by _____. 20. Psychotropic medications fit into the _____ model of treating mental illness. 21. According to the _____ perspective, psychological causes are at the root of mental illness. 22. The inducement of a trancelike state in which a person becomes extremely suggestible fits into the _____ model of treating mental illness. 23. Psychoanalysis' view of causes of abnormal and normal behavior fits into the _____ model.

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    Page 3 24. The major development utilizing drugs in the treatment of the mentally ill in the second half of the twentieth century was the development of _____. 25. The reduction in the number of people housed in mental hospitals in the last 40 years can be attributed to a trend called _____. 26. Moving the focus for the care of the mentally ill out of hospitals is part of the _____ approach. 27. The largest group of professionals who provide mental health services are _____. 28. The degree that psychiatrists hold is the _____. 29. Sound research in abnormal psychology uses the _____ method. 30. Clinical researchers form general, or _____, knowledge about the nature, causes, and treatments of abnormal behavior. 31. A tentative explanation or hunch that provides a basis for study is a(n) _____. 32. Jason met with a researcher several times. He was interviewed, he took tests, and he was physically evaluated. In addition, the researcher studied his school and employment records and interviewed key people in his life. This type of study is called a(n) _____. 33. Tall people tend to have larger feet than do short people. This statement indicates a(n) _____ correlation between foot size and height. 34. The more television one watches, the lower that person's grades in school are likely to be. This statement indicates a(n) _____ correlation between hours watching TV and grades. 35. The strength or magnitude of a correlation can vary from _____ to _____.

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    Page 4 36. If a result is statistically significant, it is unlikely to be the result of _____. 37. Studies that determine the incidence and prevalence of a disorder in a given population are called _____ studies. 38. The number of new cases of a disorder that appear during a set period of time is the _____ of that disorder. 39. If one knew that there were 500,000 total cases of schizophrenia in the United States as of now, that person would know the _____ of schizophrenia in the United States. 40. Sammi agreed to be in the study of memory, but she had not anticipated how she would feel about returning to the lab every other year for 10 years. She is involved in a(n) _____ study. 41. A study of the same individuals on many occasions over a period of time is a(n) _____ study. 42. The type of study that allows a direct determination of a causal relationship between two variables is a(n) _____. 43. Jack was doing a study on anxiety. Members of one group were asked to estimate how many years each had to live. Members of the other group were asked to estimate how many months until their next vacation. Jack then gave each of his participants a test that measured anxiety and scored them. The score on this test is an example of a(n) _____. 44. Ian made the participants in one of his groups anxious by making loud noises but kept the participants in the other group in quiet surroundings. The presence of noise in this case is an example of a(n) _____. 45. Dr. Han did his experimental manipulation and then tested his experimental group at 9 A.M. and his control group at 9 P.M. His study contains a(n) _____. 46. The nontreated or comparison group that is NOT exposed to the independent variable in an experiment is called the _____.

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    Page 5 47. If a participant does NOT know in which condition she is being tested, she is participating in a(n) _____ design. 48. Dr. Pliny did NOT tell her subjects which group (what level of the independent variable) they were in. She didn't tell them this to guard against _____. 49. In addition to subject bias, the double - blind design guards against _____. 50. Any study that compares the responses of men and women (the “independent variable”) is BEST described as a(n) _____ design. 51. Genie was isolated from human contact and language by her (badly disturbed) parents for most of the first 13 years of her life. The effects of early language deprivation could easily be seen and studied. This is an example of a(n) _____ experiment. 52. If a researcher did a study of anxiety and used cats for subjects instead of people, she would likely be doing a(n) _____ study.

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    Page 6 Answer Key 1. norms 2. deviance 3. distress 4. dysfunction 5. danger 6. Thomas Szasz 7. client 8. trephination 9. exorcism 10. Hippocrates 11. Hippocrates 12. lycanthropy 13. Gheel 14. Philippe Pinel 15. moral 16. moral 17. Dorothea Dix 18. somatogenic 19. syphilis 20. somatogenic 21. psychogenic 22. psychogenic 23. psychogenic 24. psychotropic medications 25. deinstitutionalization 26. community mental health 27. psychiatric social workers 28. MD or DO 29. scientific 30. nomothetic 31. hypothesis 32. case study 33. positive 34. negative 35. – l.00, +1.00 36. chance 37. epidemiological 38. incidence 39. prevalence 40. longitudinal 41. longitudinal 42. experiment 43. dependent variable 44. independent variable

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    Page 7 45. confound 46. control group 47. blind 48. subject bias, or participant bias 49. experimenter bias 50. quasi - experimental 51. natural 52. analogue

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