PSY Exam 5

Which of the following scenarios describes someone with autism spectrum disorder?

At around age 2, Felix stopped speaking, making eye contact with people, and responding to his own name.

Brandy is often unresponsive in social situations, and her language and cognitive development are impaired. She also shows restricted, repetitive behaviors, especially when stressed. Her symptoms began in early childhood and are consistent with which type of disorder?

Autism spectrum disorder

Which of the following statements about attention-deficit/hyperactivitydisorder (ADHD) is FALSE?

Children typically outgrow ADHD by the time they enter adulthood.

Casey, Marcy, and Cindy are 15-year-old girls who have all been diagnosed with major depressive disorder. Casey is prescribed a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), Marcy receives psychotherapy, and Cindy receives both SSRI treatment and psychotherapy. Which girl do you think will show the most improvement?

Cindy

Meryl is quite uncomfortable in social relationships. She looks, dresses, and acts in a strange way that makes others feel uncomfortable. Which cluster of personality disorders is the best match for her behavior?

Cluster A: odd or eccentric behavior

Substance abuse is common among people with other psychological disorders. What is the term for situations in which mental disorders occur together?

Comorbidity

Stewart has a family history of mental disorders, and he also had a troubled childhood. These factors represent his underlying vulnerability to mental problems, or __________, but do not guarantee that he will develop a psychological disorder.

Diathesis

Willis and Jimbo are leaving work in an elevator with three other people. Later that evening, they are at home with their wives. Which situation is most likely to reveal any differences in their personalities?

Differences are more likely to be revealed when they are at home with their wives.

Fatimah was raised by parents who gave her unconditional positive regard. However, for Grayson, her parents' love was conditional on her living up to their expectations. According to Carl Rogers, which one of the following statements is most probably correct?

Fatimah has higher self-esteem than Grayson.

According to the diathesis-stress model, Mario's current stressful circumstances are not the only factor in whether or not he develops a mental disorder. Which two factors could contribute to his diathesis, or vulnerability?

Genetic predisposition and childhood trauma

Amos, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia, has negative symptoms. What might this look like?

He demonstrates a lack of emotion and slowed speech.

Linus has an intrusive fear of being burglarized. He cannot stop thinking about the possibility of a home invasion. Several times per day, and before he leaves the house, Linus checks the locks to make sure the dead bolts are engaged. Which of the following is true about his condition?

His disruptive thought are obsessions, while his behavior of checking the locks is a compulsion

Linus has an intrusive fear of being burglarized. He can't stop thinking about the possibility of a home invasion. Several times per day and before he leaves the house, Linus checks the locks to make sure the deadbolt is engaged. Which of the following is true about his condition?

His disruptive thoughts are called obsessions, while his behavior of checking the locks is a compulsion.

Jeffrey was diagnosed with ADHD at age 8. Which of the following statements is most likely to be true of Jeffrey?

Jeffrey may disrupt his peers by failing to notice social rules.

Which of these scenarios BEST describes a control delusion?

Jules believes that his behavior is being dictated by signals from a satellite.

Which of these scenarios best describes someone with agoraphobia?

Martin has not left the house since he had a panic attack in an elevator. The thought of being trapped somewhere is overwhelming, and he feels safest in his home.

Among some people, anxiety becomes paired to a specific event, perhaps through classical conditioning. Reduction of anxiety following a certain behavior becomes reinforced through operant conditioning, which leads to a cycle of anxiety and the conditioned behavior to reduce it. Which psychological disorder can develop in this way?

Obsessive-compulsive disorder

Ricky's favorite band is about to release a new album, and Ricky believes that the music contains a secret message meant just for him. Which type of delusion is Ricky experiencing?

Referential

Which of the following scenarios describes the concept of comorbidity?

Taylor has a dual diagnosis of major depression and panic disorder.

Anton thinks he is intelligent and good at math. When he starts taking an advanced placement calculus class he realizes all the students are incredibly smart and they all excel in the class. Anton thinks to himself, "Wow, compared to these students, I am not as smart as I thought." Anton's statement reflects an immediate sense of his own identity in this situation, which is called

Working self-concept

Laverne has a tremendous fear of cats. Although no cat has ever hurt her, every time she is near a cat she worries that it will scratch or bite her. This has led her to be unable to go to the home of friends who have a cat, even if they promise to lock the cat in another room. Which condition is Laverne most likely experiencing?

a specific phobia

Schuyler is an introvert so she is always choosing activities that lower her internal level of arousal. Angelica is an extrovert so she often chooses activities that increase her internal level of arousal. This personality difference between Schuyler and Angelica is most likely the result of the reticular activating system because it is responsible for Select one:

achieving preferred levels of alertness.

Which of the Big Five traits reflects the extent to which a person is trusting and helpful?

agreeableness

Which of the Big Five traits reflects the extent to which a person is trusting, helpful, and softhearted?

agreeableness

Bridgette has received therapy for obsessive-compulsive disorder for the last two years. She has just had her first child and is worried that someday her son will experience the same struggles. According to the diathesis-stress model, there are two factors that will determine if this will be the case in the future. One of those factors is a diathesis, which refers to

an underlying predisposition or vulnerability to the condition.

Apple, who has very high self-esteem, is likely to attribute her failing grade on a test to __________. However, when she does well, she is more likely to attribute her success to __________.

an unfair professor; her hard work

Dr. Richie is treating a patient who is impulsive, manipulative, and constantly telling lies. He may have a difficult time helping his patient because the patient likely has

antisocial personality disorder.

Zorana is a child with autism disorder. Her treatment plan involves a therapeutic approach based on the principles of operant conditioning. What is this approach called?

applied behavior analysis

Seven-year-old Baruch has been diagnosed with autism. At school, Baruch constantly rocks, waves his hands, refuses to make eye contact with other students or teachers, and does not respond when people speak to him. His parents consulted with the school psychologist, who has suggested a program of treatment that rewards appropriate behaviors and removes rewards when inappropriate behaviors occur. The school psychologist is recommending a treatment approach that is called

applied behavior analysis.

Bertram comes from New Zealand. Like most New Zealanders, Bertram values the right to express himself, the freedom to live as he chooses, and the diversity of how people look and act. Based on this focus on an independent sense of self, the people of New Zealand most likely

are part of an individualist culture.

Ezra and Chaia have a 2-year-old daughter. They've long noticed that she does not make eye contact with them, she rarely smiles, she struggles and pushes them away when they hold or hug her, and she has not developed any normal language skills. Based on this their daughter might be diagnosed with

autism spectrum disorder

Traits determined largely by biological processes are referred to as which of the following?

basic tendencies

Zorana is a child with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Her treatment plan involves a therapeutic approach based on the principles of operant conditioning. What is this approach called?

behavior therapy

For the past few months, Melanie was feeling so sad that she could not leave her bed most mornings. But for the past two weeks she has had an unlimited amount of energy and is starting many new projects, including making an impulsive decision to remodel her entire house, which uses up all of her savings. Melanie is most likely experiencing __________ disorder.

bipolar

People with this personality disorder tend to have disturbances in identity, emotional states, and impulse control. Because of their need for validation from others, they can manipulate social relationships and shift moods suddenly.

borderline

When his girlfriend broke up with him, Ian became depressed and engaged in a very impulsive and dramatic attempt to commit suicide. He took himself to the hospital and immediately asked the nurse to call his ex-girlfriend to tell her what had happened. Ian does not realize that he was most likely trying to manipulate his ex-girlfriend into staying with him because he was terrified of abandonment. Ian was demonstrating the symptoms of __________ personality disorder.

borderline

Emma has intense moods and unstable relationships, and she is chronically self-destructive. After Emma is diagnosed with __________, her therapist decides to use __________ because conventional therapeutic approaches have been shown to be largely ineffective for this condition.

borderline personality disorder; DBT

Emma has intense moods and unstable relationships, and she is chronically self-destructive. After Emma is diagnosed with __________ personality disorder, her therapist decides to use __________ because conventional therapeutic approaches have been shown to be largely ineffective for this condition.

borderline; dialectical behavior therapy

Most evidence from the research literature has found that ________ works best to treat nearly all disorders that include anxious thoughts.

cognitive-behavioral therapy

Lena has been diagnosed with panic disorder. One of her greatest fears is that she'll faint during a panic attack. Her therapist decides to use cognitive restructuring to help reduce her fear of fainting. To be effective, the therapist would need to help Lena

determine the percentage of times she actually faints during panic attacks.

Which type of therapeutic technique, developed by Dr. Marsha Linehan, has been found to be beneficial to people who have been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder?

dialectical behavior therapy

Stewart has a family history of mental disorders, and he also had a troubled childhood. These factors represent his underlying vulnerability to mental problems, or __________, but they do not guarantee that he will develop a psychological

diathesis

As a baby, Racine had intense reactions to stimuli, cried often, and was easily frightened. Racine's behavior best reflects which aspect of temperament?

emotionality

Joey is trying to find an effective treatment for his obsessive-compulsive disorder. If you were his therapist, which of the following methods would you recommend as likely to be the most effective?

exposure and response prevention

Janine feels tired and irritable. This morning's news reminded her that natural disasters can strike at any time. She is agonizing over an awkward conversation with her neighbor, who may be upset over her choice of flowers in the front beds. She is also starting to worry that she worries too much. Which anxiety disorder best describes her condition?

generalized anxiety disorder

Janine feels tired and irritable. This morning's news reminded her that natural disasters can strike at any time. She is also agonizing over an awkward conversation with her neighbor, who may be upset over her choice of flowers in the front beds. She is also starting to worry that she worries too much. Which anxiety disorder best describes her condition?

generalized anxiety disorder

Andy was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia. His family has learned the major symptoms of this disorder. Which of these is NOT one of those major symptoms?

guilt

Andy was recently diagnosed with schizophrenia. His family has learned the major symptoms of this disorder. Which of these is not one of those major symptoms?

guilt

Gerald is a psychologist who intends to use cognitive-behavioral therapy in helping Tad deal with depression. An important first step in using this approach would be for Gerald to

help Tad identify the negative thoughts associated with his depression.

Gerald is a psychologist who assesses the personalities of prison inmates. He takes time to hear each client's story and perspective, working to understand each inmate's perceptions. Gerald's approach to personality assessment is

humanistic.

Among the following, which is NOT one of the five categories of psychotropic medications?

mood enhancers

Of the following personality disorders, which one does not belong to the same cluster as the others?

paranoid

Sharda believes that she hears personal messages to her from the radio station playing on her car radio. She thinks that the radio commercials are talking directly to her and that there are coded messages in the songs the radio DJ plays. Sharda's delusional thinking is most likely an example of a __________ symptom of schizophrenia.

positive

Amy and Carmine went to different psychologists to take a personality test. Amy's psychologist asked her to look at and interpret a series of ambiguous pictures. Carmine's psychologist administered a written test with a series of true-or-false questions regarding his beliefs and feelings. Amy's psychologist used a(n) __________ measure of personality, while Carmine's psychologist used a(n) __________ measure of personality.

projective; self-report

Dr. Paige has completed medical school and is undertaking a specialized residency program to help people with mental disorders. Which type of professional is Dr. Paige?

psychiatrist

During his therapy, Josef is expected to free-associate and to discuss his dreams. Josef is most probably seeing a therapist who specializes in

psychodynamic therapy

Wayne's behavior is marked by a disregard for others' rights and feelings. He is charming but insincere, and when he is angry, he does not hesitate to make others suffer. Which type of tendencies does Wayne exhibit?

psychopathic

Formal psychological treatment aimed at changing thoughts and behavior is known as

psychotherapy.

Hans is an extravert and is very sociable. Mickey is an introvert and prefers solitude. According to Eysenck's theory, we would likely expect different levels of activity in which region of these men's brains?

reticular activating system

For an experiment, Sarah must write a description of herself every hour. After the first hour, Sarah is at school and she writes, "I am a student." An hour later, she is working in her job at a nursing home and writes, "I am young." Both "student" and "young" are part of Sarah's __________, but in these different situations she has different __________.

self-schema; working self-concepts

Gina and Joe are having a debate. Gina says that personality is solely a result of behaving differently across situations. Joe agrees that personality is affected by the situation, but he says underlying personality characteristics also influence it. Gina's comments are consistent with the __________ view of personality while Joe's statements indicate that he supports the __________ view of personality.

situationism; interactionist

The most commonly prescribed psychotropic medication used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder is methylphenidate, commonly known by the brand name Ritalin. This drug reduces overactivity and excitability by increasing the function of the central nervous system. Based on this you know that Ritalin is best classified as a(n)

stimulant.

Erin's high school classmates are all planning on taking a day off from school next week to go to the beach. Erin wants to skip school and go to the beach too. Then she remembers that her parents constantly tell her to make good decisions and act responsibly. Erin decides that it would be wrong to just skip school, but she compromises by asking her parents if she can take the day off school to be with her friends. According to Freud, the part of Erin's personality that acted as her conscience to make her realize that skipping school is wrong is the

superego.

Walter has a phobia of elevators. He goes to a psychotherapist, who helps treat the condition by gradually exposing Walter to stimuli that are related to elevators while having him learn to relax. Eventually Walter will be taken to an elevator and encouraged to get on and ride it. What procedure is the psychotherapist using to reduce Walter's phobia?

systematic desensitization

Among the following, which is NOT one of the five categories of psychotropic medications?a. antidepressantsb. anti-anxiety drugsc. antipsychoticsd. tranquilizers

tranquilizers

Anton thinks he is intelligent and good at math. When he starts taking an advanced placement calculus class he realizes all of the students are incredibly smart and they all excel in the class. Anton thinks to himself, "Wow, compared to these students, I am not as smart as I thought." Anton's statement reflects an immediate sense of his own identity in this situation, which is called

working self-concept.