PSYC 382: Abnormal Psychology Exam Questions

Corey is feeling "down in the dumps." For the past month, he has been tired and sleeping more than is normal for him. He has not spent time playing video games with his friends, but he is not ding much of anything else. He spends his days on the couch with the television on, though he does not pay attention to it. He eats very little and has begun losing weight . His friends and family bug him daily with invitations to see movies, go out to eat, or to play games. Corey sees all this as a waste of time and cannot understand why they would want to hang out with a weakling like him. He has not planned any suicide or self-harm, but he has sometimes imagined how his empty life would be over and done with if he was dead. He has never felt this way before. He had previously been considered "the life of the party." Corey asks the doctor what the most effective treatment is for his condition. His doctor's most accurate reply would be...

"Electroconvulsive therapy, but is usually used for people who don't respond to other treatments first"

A friend asks you if therapy for mental illnesses is generally effective. Your best answer to his question would be...

"Yes, the average therapy patient is better off than three-fourths of those not in therapy"

Paula (age 5) and her brother Steven (age 4) were out playing in the yard. As they chased each other, they stumbled into a hornet nest on their old, decaying wooden back fence. Both were stung badly. Paula was stung several times but did not require medical attention. Steven was stung as many times but was allergic to insect venom. He developed an anaphylactic allergic reaction to the venom. An ambulance was called, which took him to a hospital where he was treated for several days. Both children were very upset by the incident and by Steven's hospitalization. Which treatment would be appropriate for Steven's condition?

-Exposure therapy -Antidepressants -Family therapy -Group therapy

Paula (age 5) and her brother Steven (age 4) were out playing in the yard. As they chased each other, they stumbled into a hornet nest on their old, decaying wooden back fence. Both were stung badly. Paula was stung several times but did not require medical attention. Steven was stung as many times but was allergic to insect venom. He developed an anaphylactic allergic reaction to the venom. An ambulance was called, which took him to a hospital where he was treated for several days. Both children were very upset by the incident and by Steven's hospitalization. Which of the following is true according to DSM-5?

-Steven suffered a trauma because he had a life threatening event -Paula suffered a trauma because she witnessed her brother's life threatening injury

Kim has been feeling poorly. She is exhausted much of the time but still finds herself restless and fidgety. Her schoolwork is suffering as she is distracted by a variety of worries. It takes her hours to fall asleep each night as she anticipates possible realistic and unrealistic problems for the coming days. She is constantly anxious and irritable. How long does Kim have to have symptoms to qualify for the diagnosis?

6 months

Sarah is very anxious. She usually does very well in school and has a reputation for excellence in academics and theater at her High School. Lately, however, she has been more socially withdrawn and spends less time in her studies and rehearsals. At home, her mothers has been finding food missing from the freezer and pantry. she notices Sarah picking at her food, but eating little of it. Sarah excuses herself to the bathroom immediately after each meal. Her mother sees that Sarah has lost weight and is worried about her health. At the doctor's office, Sarah is found to have a BMI of 16.5 kg/m2. Her gums are inflamed. She has scratches on the back of the index and middle fingers of the right hand. When asked by the doctor, she says that she is "fat like a cow" and wants to lose about 15 more pounds. She tries to control her eating but still has several times a week in which she will sneak food to her room and stuff herself with ice cream, and other soft foods. Afterward, she feels guilty and bad and makes herself vomit to get rid of the food. What can we expect for Sarah's future if adequate treatment is given?

80-90% change of prolonged improvement

You have known Zippy for years. He has always been fun and spontaneous. You know he is quirky, but today there is something different about him. When he shows up for class, he rushes from one person to the other talking loudly and quickly. When he comes up to you, you try to talk to him but he talks over you. He looks very excited and happy and tells you that he has been up all night working on resolving quantum and relative physics. According to him, he nearly has it, and he anticipates that this will "change every day human life as we know it." You eventually get a word in and mention that you have not seen him for several days. He tells you that he has been working around the clock for the past week to get his theory done and submitted to the National Science Foundation. He is sure that they will be excited to hear from him. Which of the following is true about psychotherapy for Zippy?

A adjunctive psychotherapy will be effective if Zippy is on appropriate medications

What are the minimal requirements for a classification system?

A list of disorders, a description of symptoms for each disorder, and guidelines for assigning individuals to each other

Martha stays at home a lot. She used to be very active but has now lost her job and most of her friends. When she is outside her home, she feels exposed, endangered, and isolated from sources of help she might need if disaster struck. She is terrified of getting into situations or places in which she cannot leave without embarrassing herself. She is able to enjoy having a small number of friends or family in her home for visits, but will not accompany them to meals, movies, or church. What is likely to be Martha's diagnosis?

Agoraphobia

Who has the highest risk of suicide?

An elderly, single, white male

Sarah is very anxious. She usually does very well in school and has a reputation for excellence in academics and theater at her High School. Lately, however, she has been more socially withdrawn and spends less time in her studies and rehearsals. At home, her mothers has been finding food missing from the freezer and pantry. she notices Sarah picking at her food, but eating little of it. Sarah excuses herself to the bathroom immediately after each meal. Her mother sees that Sarah has lost weight and is worried about her health. At the doctor's office, Sarah is found to have a BMI of 16.5 kg/m2. Her gums are inflamed. She has scratches on the back of the index and middle fingers of the right hand. When asked by the doctor, she says that she is "fat like a cow" and wants to lose about 15 more pounds. She tries to control her eating but still has several times a week in which she will sneak food to her room and stuff herself with ice cream, and other soft foods. Afterward, she feels guilty and bad and makes herself vomit to get rid of the food. Which of the following is most likely to be Sarah's diagnosis?

Anorexia nervosa, binging and purging type

You are in South Padre Island for Spring Break. After a good night's sleep, you look out your hotel window and find the zombie apocalypse, which you always knew was coming, has in fact arrived. As you peer down at the beach, shambling teenage zombies encircle hapless vacationers, kill them, and eat their brains. As you enter the empty hallway hallway of your hotel and begin to make your way to the parking garage, you tip toe past closed doors. There is an eerie silence punctuated by soft sounds of air conditioning, ice machines, vending machines, (and zombies, perhaps?). Your heart is pounding. You are sweating. You are breathing quickly but trying to breathe softly so you don't make noise. You startle to every click and hum of machinery on the floor. When a terrified fellow Spring Breaker opens his door to start his escape, you let out an involuntary shriek and run several steps before you realize he is as terrified as you. Your emotion at this point would be...

Anxiety. There is probably some danger somewhere, but I don't know where

Mark considers his findings interesting and wants to know more about how intelligence and frequency of sushi eating are related. He decides to use the experimental method to test his theory that increased sushi eating causes increased intelligence. When Mark collects his data, breaks the blind, and analyzes the data, he finds that his independent variable is ineffective in altering his dependent variable. If he did his experiment correctly, which of the following can he conclude?

At the doses and duration of treatment tested, sushi consumption does not result in increased intelligence

A therapist decides that Mary's disinterest in her studies is due to a loss of associated rewards. This therapist likely uses which model of abnormality?

Behavioral

A doctor tells a patient that their mental illness is likely due to an inherited abnormal serotonin reuptake pump gene and that the best treatment would be an antidepressant medication. What model is the doctor using?

Biological

Researchers believe that average anxiety in our species is maintained in an adaptive range by those who are too fearless or who are too anxious being less likely to pass on their genes to the next generation. Such researchers rely on what model?

Biological

What models of abnormality have the best scientific evidence?

Biological, Cognitive, and Behavioral

You have known Zippy for years. He has always been fun and spontaneous. You know he is quirky, but today there is something different about him. When he shows up for class, he rushes from one person to the other talking loudly and quickly. When he comes up to you, you try to talk to him but he talks over you. He looks very excited and happy and tells you that he has been up all night working on resolving quantum and relative physics. According to him, he nearly has it, and he anticipates that this will "change every day human life as we know it." You eventually get a word in and mention that you have not seen him for several days. He tells you that he has been working around the clock for the past week to get his theory done and submitted to the National Science Foundation. He is sure that they will be excited to hear from him. What is the best diagnosis for Zippy?

Bipolar disorder, current episode manic

Paula (age 5) and her brother Steven (age 4) were out playing in the yard. As they chased each other, they stumbled into a hornet nest on their old, decaying wooden back fence. Both were stung badly. Paula was stung several times but did not require medical attention. Steven was stung as many times but was allergic to insect venom. He developed an anaphylactic allergic reaction to the venom. An ambulance was called, which took him to a hospital where he was treated for several days. Both children were very upset by the incident and by Steven's hospitalization. Which of the following is true about Paula's and Steven's conditions?

Both Paula's and Steven's conditions are twice as common in women as men

What study is the lowest in both internal and external validity?

Case Study

What is "treatment matching"?

Choosing the best treatment based on idiographic patient information

Paula (age 5) and her brother Steven (age 4) were out playing in the yard. As they chased each other, they stumbled into a hornet nest on their old, decaying wooden back fence. Both were stung badly. Paula was stung several times but did not require medical attention. Steven was stung as many times but was allergic to insect venom. He developed an anaphylactic allergic reaction to the venom. An ambulance was called, which took him to a hospital where he was treated for several days. Both children were very upset by the incident and by Steven's hospitalization. Years later, Paula has intense fear of flying insects. She avoids them whenever possible. Her fear prevents her from going into places where she thinks there might be nests of stinging insects. She is especially afraid of old, dilapidated wooden structures. She panics when she must go near them and runs past them quickly or avoids them. She has missed social engagements because of this fear. She has been late for appointments because she was trying to find "safe" ways to her appointment location. She seldom thinks about the accident with her brother, and though she feels guilty for chasing him into the hornet nest, she sees it as merely a childhood mistake for which she forgives herself. Outside of her encounters with old wooden structures, she functions fairly well. Which of the following is the best behavioral explanation for Paula's anxiety?

Classical Conditioning: Old wooden structures (a generalized form of wooden fence, which functions as the conditioned stimulus) has been paired the pain of wasp stings (the unconditioned stimulus) so that the original unconditioned response (intense emotional distress) is now experienced as a conditioned response

Every time Curt sees the vending machine in the Business building, he gets angry. The last two times he tried to get a soda out of it, it gave him plain water instead. What is the best explanation for Curt's anger?

Classical conditioning: US: withheld sodas; UR: anger, frustration; CS: the vending machine; CR: anger

A therapist tells a client that their anxiety comes from poor assumption they make about how the world works and suggests that the client examine these assumptions test them, and replace them with more accurate and useful assumption. What model is this therapist using?

Cognitive

Mark has been having physical symptoms. He has gone to the doctor for a check-up, and the doctor says he is very healthy. Still, Mark thinks he may have asthma because he sometimes has trouble breathing and feels chest tightness. He is also concerned about his heart health because his heart sometimes races and beats irregularly. Sometimes these symptoms are accompanied by sweating, shaking numbness, and weakness, which he fears could be early signs of heart disease or a stroke. he is embarrassed to go to the doctor again because these symptoms occur without provocation. It never seems to occur when the doctor can see it. This both embarrasses Mark and worries him that the doctor cannot make a sure diagnosis without actually seeing the symptoms. Which of the following would be the preferred treatment(s) for Mark?

Cognitive therapy and Antidepressant medications

Jim has been having problems at work. He has not been getting much work done. He has been sharpening his pencils so that they are all the same length. He gets very anxious when his pencils are of different length as he thinks that this will cause him to lose contracts. Ironically, his inefficiency is putting his job in danger. At home, he spends several hours checking door locks, window latches, and stove controls. He says that he is very concerned that his house will be robbed for burn down. His pencil sharpening and checking are called...

Compulsions

A counselor notices that his client reacts very strongly to criticism. He denies his weaknesses and exaggerates his abilities. He distorts reality in his stories of his history to make him appear more insightful and effective. When forced to confront episodes he did not understand and in which he was ineffective, he becomes very depressed. A Humanistic model would say that this man had...

Conditions of worth

Mark wants to do a study to see if the number of times a person in Abilene eats sushi in a month is related to his intelligence. He finds an intelligence test he thinks looks pretty good. Mark can justify his conclusion because...

Correlational studies can show relationships but not causality

"A set of values, attitudes, beliefs, history, and behavior shared by a group and communicated from one generation to the next" is called...

Culture

Which of the 4 "D's" is sufficient by itself to lead to hospitalization?

Danger

Corey is feeling "down in the dumps." For the past month, he has been tired and sleeping more than is normal for him. He has not spent time playing video games with his friends, but he is not ding much of anything else. He spends his days on the couch with the television on, though he does not pay attention to it. He eats very little and has begun losing weight . His friends and family bug him daily with invitations to see movies, go out to eat, or to play games. Corey sees all this as a waste of time and cannot understand why they would want to hang out with a weakling like him. He has not planned any suicide or self-harm, but he has sometimes imagined how his empty life would be over and done with if he was dead. He has never felt this way before. He had previously been considered "the life of the party." What kind of mood episode is Corey in now?

Depressive episode

David is a successful business owner and well respected in his community. In addition, he likes to collect corn chips shaped like the faces of local public officials. David is...

Deviant, but eccentric

Wallace is confused. He has been working at a music store for several years. He has been a good employee and devotes all of his time to his work since he is single and has few friends and no family in town. Recently a woman came up to him and asked him when he moved to town. He replied that he has lived in town as long as he can remember. She seemed confused and called him, "Yancy." He was certain that she was confused when she asked how his wife and son were doing. When he denied he was "Yancy" and that he had a wife and son, the had no nearby family and no history outside of his current residence. If the woman is not mistaken, what is the most likely diagnosis for Wallace?

Dissociative Amnesia with Fugue

Mark considers his findings interesting and wants to know more about how intelligence and frequency of sushi eating are related. He decides to use the experimental method to test his theory that increased sushi eating causes increased intelligence. Mark also knows that bias from research or from researchers can affect the result of his study. To minimize bias from subjects and researchers, he will...

Do a double blind study

The portion of our minds that mediates between our biological drives and impulses and the demands of reality, socialization, and ideals is the...

Ego

Jim has been having problems at work. He has not been getting much work done. He has been sharpening his pencils so that they are all the same length. He gets very anxious when his pencils are of different length as he thinks that this will cause him to lose contracts. Ironically, his inefficiency is putting his job in danger. At home, he spends several hours checking door locks, window latches, and stove controls. He says that he is very concerned that his house will be robbed for burn down. Jim's condition is...

Equally common in men and women

What is the first task for suicide crisis intervention?

Establish a positive relationship

Jim has been having problems at work. He has not been getting much work done. He has been sharpening his pencils so that they are all the same length. He gets very anxious when his pencils are of different length as he thinks that this will cause him to lose contracts. Ironically, his inefficiency is putting his job in danger. At home, he spends several hours checking door locks, window latches, and stove controls. He says that he is very concerned that his house will be robbed for burn down. The best treatment(s) for Jim's condition is/are...

Exposure with response prevention, habituation training, SSRI antidepressants

Carly has not been able to work or go to school for two months. She has a fever and bacteria in her blood. Doctors have treated her infection several times, but it keeps returning. They do not know where these bacteria keep coming from. When she is not in the hospital, Carly's mother takes care of her. One day, Carly's mother unexpectedly entered her room and found Carly injecting something between her toes. Carly is not on any injectable medications and no drugs of abuse were detected in her urine. Her doctors examined her very carefully and found multiple needle marks in easily hidden areas of her body. Some of them looked at least several weeks old. What is the more accurate diagnosis for Carly?

Factitious Disorder

You are in South Padre Island for Spring Break. After a good night's sleep, you look out your hotel window and find the zombie apocalypse, which you always knew was coming, has in fact arrived. As you peer down at the beach, shambling teenage zombies encircle hapless vacationers, kill them, and eat their brains. As you witness the carnage, your heart rate increases, you feel tense, and you have the overwhelming urge to escape. What would we call your emotional reaction?

Fear. Ia m afraid of zombies

Kim has been feeling poorly. She is exhausted much of the time but still finds herself restless and fidgety. Her schoolwork is suffering as she is distracted by a variety of worries. It takes her hours to fall asleep each night as she anticipates possible realistic and unrealistic problems for the coming days. She is constantly anxious and irritable. Which of the following is the best diagnosis for Kim?

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

How do we know how valid an intelligence test is?

Good predictive validity

A performance artist, Petr Pavlensky, has made news by sewing his lips shut and nailing a very sensitive part of his body to the bricks in Red Square. What might convince you that he is not a danger to himself or others?

He knows: how to keep the wounds from getting infected, the risks of what he is doing and does not intend to cause lasting harm, and he has made plans to mitigate serious risks to his health

Mark considers his findings interesting and wants to know more about how intelligence and frequency of sushi eating are related. He decides to use the experimental method to test his theory that increased sushi eating causes increased intelligence. In order for Mark to implement his decision, he will do what?

He will: use placebo "sushi" made with hot dogs instead of fish, inform subjects about whether they are getting real or placebo "sushi," feed his subjects the same number of "sushi" rolls regardless of which group they are in, and only the sushi chef will know which subjects are getting which kind (real or placebo) "sushi"

Phil is often angry. He works very hard and has high expectations for himself and those he works with. He is always punctual and is very impatient with coworkers who are late or who do not perform well. He is envious of his bosses and impatient for promotions. When others are promoted before him, even though they have worked for the company longer than he has, he becomes irritated and imagines that they have cheated or had some special relationship with the boss that they used to get the promotion. Nobody likes to work with Phil despite his individual success and obvious talent. People like Phil are thought to be at increased risk of...

Heart disease

Erica is a young adult with a served intellectual disability. She is very sad that her family does not come and visit her in her group home. She was very close to her grandmother, who passed away 5 years ago. She has decided she wants to kill herself and plans to wait until after bedtime and hold her breath until she dies. What is your best assessment of Erica?

Her suicidal intent is high; her planned lethality is objectively low; but her subjective expected lethality is high. She needs urgent care

Martha stays at home a lot. She used to be very active but has now lost her job and most of her friends. When she is outside her home, she feels exposed, endangered, and isolated from sources of help she might need if disaster struck. She is terrified of getting into situations or places in which she cannot leave without embarrassing herself. She is able to enjoy having a small number of friends or family in her home for visits, but will not accompany them to meals, movies, or church. What can we expect from Martha's treatment?

Her treatment will be more difficult than treatment for simple phobia

Mark wants to do a study to see if the number of times a person in Abilene eats sushi in a month is related to his intelligence. He finds an intelligence test he thinks looks pretty good. Mark picks his sample and collects his data. The correlation coefficient for intelligence and sushi consumption is significant (r=0.32, p<0.05). What can Mark conclude from his study?

Higher intelligence is associated with greater frequency of sushi consumption

Largely unconscious drives, urges, wishes and impulses make up which portion of our minds?

Id

In obsessive-compulsive disorder, obsessions are thought to originate in the ____ and compulsions are fueled by ____.

Id, ego defenses

Jim's friend, Sid, recently had ear surgery on both ears and has lost his sense of taste on the anterior 2/3 of his tongue. Over several weeks, Sid has become more and more depressed and is eating less. Jim has an idea that a diet rich in hot spices, oil and fats and strong smells will allow Sid to experience more flavor and thus improve his mood. What is a useful consideration for Jim's research?

If his friend is the only one with this condition, Jim will do: a case study, a single subject experiment, and if he can find enough other people with this condition, Jim may use the experimental method

Jake has been worried about a mole on his arm. He examines it every day. Lately, he has come to believe that is has an irregular margin and some change in color. He asks his girlfriend to look at it every day and tell him if it has changed. She denies any changed. Today it is itching. Jack looks up the symptoms of skin cancer and is alarmed to find out that a multicolored mole with irregular borders, especially one that itches, can be a sign of cancer. He goes to his eye doctor, who tells him that this mole has been present ever since Jake was a child and that it has not changed at all over 15 years. Jack smiles and feels better but later in the day thinks that the mole is a little bumpier than it was that morning. What is the best diagnosis for Jack?

Illness Anxiety Disorder

Mark considers his findings interesting and wants to know more about how intelligence and frequency of sushi eating are related. He decides to use the experimental method to test his theory that increased sushi eating causes increased intelligence. What will his dependent variable be?

Intelligence change

What is NOT true about a clinical interview?

Inter-rater reliability of clinical interviews is high

Jim has been having problems at work. He has not been getting much work done. He has been sharpening his pencils so that they are all the same length. He gets very anxious when his pencils are of different length as he thinks that this will cause him to lose contracts. Ironically, his inefficiency is putting his job in danger. At home, he spends several hours checking door locks, window latches, and stove controls. He says that he is very concerned that his house will be robbed for burn down. Which of the following are the ego defenses responsible for Jim's condition?

Isolation, Undoing, and Reaction formation

Jim's friend, Sid, recently had ear surgery on both ears and has lost his sense of taste on the anterior 2/3 of his tongue. Over several weeks, Sid has become more and more depressed and is eating less. Jim has an idea that a diet rich in hot spices, oil and fats and strong smells will allow Sid to experience more flavor and thus improve his mood. If Jim had chosen to do a single subject experimental design (such as an ABAB design), how could this have improved his research?

It could improve internal validity

What are advantages of having a diagnosis?

It suggests that: a common cause (or set of causes) is responsible for they syndrome, a particular treatment (or set of treatments) is likely to be helpful, the illness will follow a known course over time, and identifies that a group of symptom tends to occur as a common pattern

You have known Zippy for years. He has always been fun and spontaneous. You know he is quirky, but today there is something different about him. When he shows up for class, he rushes from one person to the other talking loudly and quickly. When he comes up to you, you try to talk to him but he talks over you. He looks very excited and happy and tells you that he has been up all night working on resolving quantum and relative physics. According to him, he nearly has it, and he anticipates that this will "change every day human life as we know it." You eventually get a word in and mention that you have not seen him for several days. He tells you that he has been working around the clock for the past week to get his theory done and submitted to the National Science Foundation. He is sure that they will be excited to hear from him. Which drug would be best for Zippy?

Lithium

What is an example of a personality inventory?

MMPI

You have known Zippy for years. He has always been fun and spontaneous. You know he is quirky, but today there is something different about him. When he shows up for class, he rushes from one person to the other talking loudly and quickly. When he comes up to you, you try to talk to him but he talks over you. He looks very excited and happy and tells you that he has been up all night working on resolving quantum and relative physics. According to him, he nearly has it, and he anticipates that this will "change every day human life as we know it." You eventually get a word in and mention that you have not seen him for several days. He tells you that he has been working around the clock for the past week to get his theory done and submitted to the National Science Foundation. He is sure that they will be excited to hear from him. What kind of episode is Zippy in?

Manic

Mark has been having physical symptoms. He has gone to the doctor for a check-up, and the doctor says he is very healthy. Still, Mark thinks he may have asthma because he sometimes has trouble breathing and feels chest tightness. He is also concerned about his heart health because his heart sometimes races and beats irregularly. Sometimes these symptoms are accompanied by sweating, shaking numbness, and weakness, which he fears could be early signs of heart disease or a stroke. he is embarrassed to go to the doctor again because these symptoms occur without provocation. It never seems to occur when the doctor can see it. This both embarrasses Mark and worries him that the doctor cannot make a sure diagnosis without actually seeing the symptoms. What is the best biological explanation for Mark's condition?

Mark has a faulty suffocation alarm

Kim has been feeling poorly. She is exhausted much of the time but still finds herself restless and fidgety. Her schoolwork is suffering as she is distracted by a variety of worries. It takes her hours to fall asleep each night as she anticipates possible realistic and unrealistic problems for the coming days. She is constantly anxious and irritable. Which of the following is one of the second generation cognitive explanations for Kim's illness?

Metacognitive theory and Intolerance of Uncertainty

Jim's friend, Sid, recently had ear surgery on both ears and has lost his sense of taste on the anterior 2/3 of his tongue. Over several weeks, Sid has become more and more depressed and is eating less. Jim has an idea that a diet rich in hot spices, oil and fats and strong smells will allow Sid to experience more flavor and thus improve his mood. Jim finds out that the modified diet does improve Sid's perception of flavor and normalizes his depressed mood. What can Jim conclude with confidence?

Methods that improve flavor perception in people with taste loss may help improve their mood

What is an incorrect statement of Freud's categories of childhood anxiety?

Moral anxiety is when the ego successfully prevents the id from getting what it wants

The psychodynamic theorists who believe that an individual's chief motivation is to have relationships with others and that failure in this leads to abnormal development are called...

Object Relations theorists

Jim has been having problems at work. He has not been getting much work done. He has been sharpening his pencils so that they are all the same length. He gets very anxious when his pencils are of different length as he thinks that this will cause him to lose contracts. Ironically, his inefficiency is putting his job in danger. At home, he spends several hours checking door locks, window latches, and stove controls. He says that he is very concerned that his house will be robbed for burn down. His thoughts of losing contracts or of having his home robbed or burned down are called...

Obsessions

Wallace is confused. He has been working at a music store for several years. He has been a good employee and devotes all of his time to his work since he is single and has few friends and no family in town. Recently a woman came up to him and asked him when he moved to town. He replied that he has lived in town as long as he can remember. She seemed confused and called him, "Yancy." He was certain that she was confused when she asked how his wife and son were doing. When he denied he was "Yancy" and that he had a wife and son, the had no nearby family and no history outside of his current residence. What is the best psychodynamic explanation for his condition?

One single episode of massive repression

Carla's infantson has learned to crawl. In his early adventures, he discovers a spring doorstop. When he bends the doorstop and lets it go, it makes an entertaining "BOING!" causing him to be startled and then laugh. For the next three days, Carla hears this sound every few minutes while her son is awake. What best explains her son's behavior?

Operant Conditioning: Letting go of the bent doorstop is the behavior, the "BOING!" is the reinforcing reward

You are in South Padre Island for Spring Break. After a good night's sleep, you look out your hotel window and find the zombie apocalypse, which you always knew was coming, has in fact arrived. As you peer down at the beach, shambling teenage zombies encircle hapless vacationers, kill them, and eat their brains. As you drive out of town you think back on your experience with the zombies. Which of the following is most likely to be true of your thoughts?

Overestimation of the number and dangerousness of the zombies and Distortion of the sequence and duration of events

Mark has been having physical symptoms. He has gone to the doctor for a check-up, and the doctor says he is very healthy. Still, Mark thinks he may have asthma because he sometimes has trouble breathing and feels chest tightness. He is also concerned about his heart health because his heart sometimes races and beats irregularly. Sometimes these symptoms are accompanied by sweating, shaking numbness, and weakness, which he fears could be early signs of heart disease or a stroke. he is embarrassed to go to the doctor again because these symptoms occur without provocation. It never seems to occur when the doctor can see it. This both embarrasses Mark and worries him that the doctor cannot make a sure diagnosis without actually seeing the symptoms. What is Mark's most probable diagnosis?

Panic disorder

Pat is frustrated. She is having trouble with her boss at work. Her boss complains about Pat coming in to work late, arguing with co-workers, and occasional careless mistakes in her paperwork. She tells Pat that she thinks Pat has a drinking problem. Pat thinks that her boss is a "stick-in-the-mud" who needs to get out and learn how to have some fun, then she won't make mountains out of molehills. What is true about Pat's situation?

Pat's boss is right. Pat's behavior is deviant and dysfunctional

Phil is a very happy man. He is very energetic and is on the go at almost all hours of the day or night. He believes that he has special powers that allow him to make financial decisions that will earn him millions of dollars and national fame for his business skills. He sometimes makes impulsive decisions that get him in trouble with his family, friends, and (rarely) the law. He sleeps about 2 hours every few days, but feels that this is all he needs. His family tells him that this is unusual for healthy people. What is true about Phil?

Phil's behavior is deviant and dysfunctional, so it is abnormal

Paula (age 5) and her brother Steven (age 4) were out playing in the yard. As they chased each other, they stumbled into a hornet nest on their old, decaying wooden back fence. Both were stung badly. Paula was stung several times but did not require medical attention. Steven was stung as many times but was allergic to insect venom. He developed an anaphylactic allergic reaction to the venom. An ambulance was called, which took him to a hospital where he was treated for several days. Both children were very upset by the incident and by Steven's hospitalization. Steven recovered from his anaphylaxis reaction. Years later in High School, he (like his sister) avoids old wooden structures, which terrify him by evoking memories of his encounter with the hornets and his hospitalization. he sleeps poorly, frequently reacts strongly to sudden small movements around him, and is very alert for insects that may come near him. He is generally irritable and has alienated most of his family and friends. He is failing school and is not participating in sports, which he formerly enjoyed. Steven's diagnosis is most likely...

Posttraumatic stress disorder

A community starts a program designed to keep young people from being exposed to alcohol and illegal drugs. The goal is to reduce the prevalence of drug and alcohol use disorders in the community. This is an example of...

Primary prevention

What type of test has the most problems with validity and reliability?

Projective tests

A therapist tells a patient that their difficulty in controlling their life is that they have conflicting, mutually incompatible goals that are unconsciously struggling for expression with the result that the actual expressed behavior fails to adequately satisfy conscious goals. What model is this therapist using?

Psychodynamic

Mark considers his findings interesting and wants to know more about how intelligence and frequency of sushi eating are related. He decides to use the experimental method to test his theory that increased sushi eating causes increased intelligence. Mark knows that confounding variables can hurt his ability to interpret his results. Therefore, he will use ____ to make his experimental and control groups.

Random assignment

Sarah is very anxious. She usually does very well in school and has a reputation for excellence in academics and theater at her High School. Lately, however, she has been more socially withdrawn and spends less time in her studies and rehearsals. At home, her mothers has been finding food missing from the freezer and pantry. she notices Sarah picking at her food, but eating little of it. Sarah excuses herself to the bathroom immediately after each meal. Her mother sees that Sarah has lost weight and is worried about her health. At the doctor's office, Sarah is found to have a BMI of 16.5 kg/m2. Her gums are inflamed. She has scratches on the back of the index and middle fingers of the right hand. When asked by the doctor, she says that she is "fat like a cow" and wants to lose about 15 more pounds. She tries to control her eating but still has several times a week in which she will sneak food to her room and stuff herself with ice cream, and other soft foods. Afterward, she feels guilty and bad and makes herself vomit to get rid of the food. What is the first step in treating Sarah?

Restore body weight and normal eating

Corey is feeling "down in the dumps." For the past month, he has been tired and sleeping more than is normal for him. He has not spent time playing video games with his friends, but he is not ding much of anything else. He spends his days on the couch with the television on, though he does not pay attention to it. He eats very little and has begun losing weight . His friends and family bug him daily with invitations to see movies, go out to eat, or to play games. Corey sees all this as a waste of time and cannot understand why they would want to hang out with a weakling like him. He has not planned any suicide or self-harm, but he has sometimes imagined how his empty life would be over and done with if he was dead. He has never felt this way before. He had previously been considered "the life of the party." Corey asks the doctor what the first line treatment for his condition would be. Which reply would be the most accurate?

SSRI's are as effective as any other first line treatment

You are in South Padre Island for Spring Break. After a good night's sleep, you look out your hotel window and find the zombie apocalypse, which you always knew was coming, has in fact arrived. As you peer down at the beach, shambling teenage zombies encircle hapless vacationers, kill them, and eat their brains. Further reflection on the physiological responses to stress bring to mind the HPA axis. You recall that this system has helped you to adapt to the requirements of our new zombie overlords by...

Secreting cortisol, which stimulates release of glucose into the blood

Corey is feeling "down in the dumps." For the past month, he has been tired and sleeping more than is normal for him. He has not spent time playing video games with his friends, but he is not ding much of anything else. He spends his days on the couch with the television on, though he does not pay attention to it. He eats very little and has begun losing weight . His friends and family bug him daily with invitations to see movies, go out to eat, or to play games. Corey sees all this as a waste of time and cannot understand why they would want to hang out with a weakling like him. He has not planned any suicide or self-harm, but he has sometimes imagined how his empty life would be over and done with if he was dead. He has never felt this way before. He had previously been considered "the life of the party." Corey sees a doctor who tells him that his condition is likely due to low levels of neurotransmitters that are necessary for normal mood functioning. Which neurotransmitters are his doctor most likely referring to?

Serotonin and Norepinephrine

Mark wants to do a study to see if the number of times a person in Abilene eats sushi in a month is related to his intelligence. He finds an intelligence test he thinks looks pretty good. Mark tries to decide how he will pick his study sample. What does he need to consider to get a good sample?

Size of the sample, wide range of sushi eating, demographics similar to Abilene, and wide range of intelligence scores

A therapist tells a patient that her greater than normal reaction to a trauma is probably the result of her Hispanic culture, the prevalence of certain genes in Hispanic culture, and the maladaptive ego defense mechanisms used more frequently by Hispanic individuals. What model is this therapist using?

Sociocultural, Psychodynamic, and Biological

Paula (age 5) and her brother Steven (age 4) were out playing in the yard. As they chased each other, they stumbled into a hornet nest on their old, decaying wooden back fence. Both were stung badly. Paula was stung several times but did not require medical attention. Steven was stung as many times but was allergic to insect venom. He developed an anaphylactic allergic reaction to the venom. An ambulance was called, which took him to a hospital where he was treated for several days. Both children were very upset by the incident and by Steven's hospitalization. Paula's condition would best be categorized as...

Specific Phobia

Mark wants to do a study to see if the number of times a person in Abilene eats sushi in a month is related to his intelligence. He finds an intelligence test he thinks looks pretty good. What other qualities would Mark want in his intelligence test for it to have the most usefulness?

Standardized administration, high test-retest reliability, standardized scoring, high inter-rater reliability

Wallace is confused. He has been working at a music store for several years. He has been a good employee and devotes all of his time to his work since he is single and has few friends and no family in town. Recently a woman came up to him and asked him when he moved to town. He replied that he has lived in town as long as he can remember. She seemed confused and called him, "Yancy." He was certain that she was confused when she asked how his wife and son were doing. When he denied he was "Yancy" and that he had a wife and son, the had no nearby family and no history outside of his current residence. How is this episode likely to end?

Suddenly and spontaneously

The portion of our minds that consists of our ideals and values is called the...

Superego

Mark considers his findings interesting and wants to know more about how intelligence and frequency of sushi eating are related. He decides to use the experimental method to test his theory that increased sushi eating causes increased intelligence. What will his independent variable be?

Sushi dose

You are in South Padre Island for Spring Break. After a good night's sleep, you look out your hotel window and find the zombie apocalypse, which you always knew was coming, has in fact arrived. As you peer down at the beach, shambling teenage zombies encircle hapless vacationers, kill them, and eat their brains. You make it to the parking lot and get into your Humvee. You check and see that you have a full tank of gas and remember that you just had your zombie-mangler tires put on for this trip. The doors are locked and no zombies have thought to bring tools able to penetrate your rocket propelled grenade resistant windows. You let a sight of relief and ponder for a moment. You remember the good times in Abnormal Psychology and the lessons about stress that you feared might be a waste of time. As your heart and breathing rates begin to slow down and your blood pressure starts dropping, you recall that these physiological responses you had that aided in your flight from danger were mediated by the...

Sympathetic Nervous System

Paula (age 5) and her brother Steven (age 4) were out playing in the yard. As they chased each other, they stumbled into a hornet nest on their old, decaying wooden back fence. Both were stung badly. Paula was stung several times but did not require medical attention. Steven was stung as many times but was allergic to insect venom. He developed an anaphylactic allergic reaction to the venom. An ambulance was called, which took him to a hospital where he was treated for several days. Both children were very upset by the incident and by Steven's hospitalization. The best treatment for Paula's condition would be...

Systematic desensitization

Jim's friend, Sid, recently had ear surgery on both ears and has lost his sense of taste on the anterior 2/3 of his tongue. Over several weeks, Sid has become more and more depressed and is eating less. Jim has an idea that a diet rich in hot spices, oil and fats and strong smells will allow Sid to experience more flavor and thus improve his mood. Jim decides to do a case report. What is Jim's first task?

Tell Sid about the dietary changes he wants to make and that he want to do clinical evaluations with him before and after Sid has been on his new diet

How does the task of the clinical researcher differ from the task of the clinical practitioner?

The clinical researcher examines individuals to find general laws of behavior and the clinical practitioner collects idiographic information to see how general laws of behavior apply to his specific patients

The Gaines family has come for counseling. The mother and father say that their son is oppositional and aggressive. The father is not home often, since he travels for work. The mother is home all day looking after their only son. The mother is a "helicopter parent." The father, when he is home, takes the "king of the castle" role to the extreme. Husband and wife do not agree on what constitutes appropriate behavior or proper punishment for their son. For much of the session, the son sits quietly looking at a picture book except when responding to critical demands to "Sit up straight" and "Say, 'Yes MA'AM' to the doctor" from hi mother. The parents mostly argued. What is most likely to be the view of a practitioner of the sociocultural model?

The family is the patient because all play a role in its dysfunction

A clinician interviews a new patient with an unstructured interview. What is more likely to happen than if a structured interview was used?

The patient feels free to express himself and well-understood, and the clinician later finds out that important information was missed in the interview

Mark wants to do a study to see if the number of times a person in Abilene eats sushi in a month is related to his intelligence. He finds an intelligence test he thinks looks pretty good. What would make Mark most confident about the quality of his intelligence test?

The test has good convergent validity with the Weschler Intelligence test

Two large, well designed experiments showed that a new drug safely reduced post-traumatic anxiety in rats and chimpanzees. A client wants to try this drug for his own anxiety. What is the best argument AGAINST this suggestion?

These studies are analogue studies, so external validity is suspect

What are the strengths and weaknesses of naturalistic observation?

They rate behaviors in the patient's normal environment

Corey is feeling "down in the dumps." For the past month, he has been tired and sleeping more than is normal for him. He has not spent time playing video games with his friends, but he is not ding much of anything else. He spends his days on the couch with the television on, though he does not pay attention to it. He eats very little and has begun losing weight . His friends and family bug him daily with invitations to see movies, go out to eat, or to play games. Corey sees all this as a waste of time and cannot understand why they would want to hang out with a weakling like him. He has not planned any suicide or self-harm, but he has sometimes imagined how his empty life would be over and done with if he was dead. He has never felt this way before. He had previously been considered "the life of the party." Which of the following diagnosis is consistent with Corey's condition?

Unipolar depression is most likely and Bipolar disorder is possible but less likely

Zack is a young boy who recently los this grandfather, whom he was very close to. As the holidays approach, Zack frequently asks his mother if they will be going to Grandpa's for Christmas. His mother explains that Grandpa is in heaven and that they will see him again when they get to go to heaven. Zack knows from his cartoons that when you die you become an angel and go to heaven -he's seen Tom and Jerry do it dozens of times. That night, Zack thinks about going into the backyard pool and drowning. Which of the following is true about Zack?

Zack is a death ignorer

Phil is often angry. He works very hard and has high expectations for himself and those he works with. He is always punctual and is very impatient with coworkers who are late or who do not perform well. He is envious of his bosses and impatient for promotions. When others are promoted before him, even though they have worked for the company longer than he has, he becomes irritated and imagines that they have cheated or had some special relationship with the boss that they used to get the promotion. Nobody likes to work with Phil despite his individual success and obvious talent. From the above description, Phil would be classified as...

a type A personality