Abnormal Psych: Anxiety Questions

Which statement is TRUE about drug and cognitive treatments for panic disorder? a. Cognitive treatments have proved to be at least as effective as medications, if not more so. b. The effectiveness of cognitive treatments declines over time. c. Drug treatments are significantly more effective, especially early in the disorder. d. Neither drug treatments nor cognitive treatments show much promise.

a. Cognitive treatments have proved to be at least as effective as medications, if not more so. Medication helps to reduce panic attacks, but requires maintenance therapy to manage the problem long term

A phobic person is taken to a snake-handling convention to confront snakes as part of desensitization training. This is an example of the _____ technique. a. fear hierarchical b. in vivo c. covert d. modeling

b. in vivo Systematic Desensitization- experiencing live

How do phobias and common fear differ? a. A phobia causes physiological changes, whereas fear causes cognitive changes. b. Fear relates to intangible objects, whereas a phobia is specific to tangible things. c. A phobia leads to a greater desire to avoid the thing that causes fear. d. Fear more dramatically interferes with a person's life.

c. A phobia leads to a greater desire to avoid the thing that causes fear. It causes significant distress/impairment and is actively avoided/endured with intense fear

Which theoretical position explains the origin of phobias as due to classical conditioning? a. Biological b. Sociocultural c. Behavioral d. Psychodynamic

c. Behavioral Phobia is paired with a bad experience (learned)

Eldon occasionally has a racing heartbeat. When this happens, he panics and thinks he is going to die. Gradually, he has developed panic attacks if he even thinks that his heart is beating strongly. Eldon apparently has a high degree of: a.fear. b. obsessive imagery. c. anxiety sensitivity. d. anxiety.

c. anxiety sensitivity. Anxiety sensitivity: the tendency to focus on internal sensations and to assess them as potentially harmful

The cognitive explanation for panic disorders is that people who have them: a. experience more than the average amount of stress. b. are prone to allergies and have immune deficiencies. c. have relatives who are atypically anxious. d. misinterpret bodily sensations.

d. misinterpret bodily sensations. Anxiety sensitivity: the tendency to focus on internal sensations and to assess them as potentially harmful

The first step in systematic desensitization treatment is: a. role-playing. b. construction of a fear hierarchy. c. graded pairings with the phobic object. d. relaxation training.

d. relaxation training. Learn that relaxation and fear are compatible (established before exposure)

If the idea of preparedness is accurate, then: a. animals and humans should have the same phobias. b. all phobias should diminish with treatment at about the same rate. c. phobias should be less frequent in the modern era than in ancient times. d. some phobias should be acquired more easily than others.

d. some phobias should be acquired more easily than others. Evolutionary benefits for survival would theoretically be easier to establish

A psychodynamic theorist finds that a client is experiencing a battle between anxiety-provoking id impulses and anxiety-reducing ego defense mechanisms. He thinks that this usually unconscious conflict is being played out in an open and obvious manner. He is sure this underlying conflict explains his client's: a. schizophrenia. b. fugue state. c. obsessive-compulsive disorder. d. generalized anxiety disorder.

c. obsessive-compulsive disorder. Anxiety-provoking impulses are being neutralized/reduced by his ego defense mechanisms, following an obsession/compulsion patter

People who experience obsessions show: a. a lack of awareness that the thoughts are inappropriate. b. thoughts that they can easily ignore and resist. c. typical levels of worry about real problems. d. thoughts that are intrusive and foreign to them.

d. thoughts that are intrusive and foreign to them. Recurrent and persistent thoughts that are unwanted and cause anxiety/stress