Abnormal Psychology Study Guide Questions
Course Introduction
Abnormal Psychology explores the nature, causes, and treatment of abnormal behavior and mental disorders. The course examines major psychological disorders such as anxiety, mood, psychotic, and personality disorders, focusing on their diagnosis, prevalence, and theoretical perspectives. Students will analyze historical and contemporary approaches to defining and understanding abnormality, ethical issues in diagnosis and treatment, as well as the impact of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors. Emphasis is placed on current research, evidence-based interventions, and the role of stigma in mental health care.
Recommended Textbook
Abnormal Psychology 16th Edition by
James N. Butcher
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17 Chapters
2001 Verified Questions
2001 Flashcards
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Page 2
Chapter 1: Abnormal Psychology: an Overview
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe the retrospective and prospective research designs.What are the benefits and problems of these designs?
Answer: Retrospective: Study people with a disorder by collecting information about their lives before they became sick.Problem is faulty and selective memory,bias on the part of the person and the researcher.Prospective: Find people with high risk of developing a disorder before they have it,measure variables ahead of time and track the person to see who develops the disorder.Problem: Can't know how many will develop the disorder; small sample size.
Q2) What is a case study and what are its benefits and drawbacks?
Answer: An in-depth,detailed account of a single case.They are good sources of research ideas and hypotheses.However,information from them does not generalize.They are uncontrolled and often impressionistic,so any conclusions drawn may be incorrect.
Q3) When mental disorders are short in duration,they are known as acute.When they are long in duration,they are __________ .
Answer: chronic
Q4) _______________are automatic beliefs concerning other people based on little information.
Answer: Stereotypes
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Chapter 2: Historical and Contemporary Views of Abnormal Behavior
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Sample Questions
Q1) 1-65.The "neurasthenia" recognized in the 1800s resembles today's diagnosis of A)anxiety.
B)schizophrenia.
C)bipolar disorder.
D)depression.
Answer: D
Q2) 1-46.A contemporary of Pinel's in England who started a Quaker religious retreat for the mentally ill was
A)John Wesley.
B)Benjamin Rush.
C)Dorothea Dix.
D)William Tuke.
Answer: D
Q3) 1-53.The level of success achieved with the use of moral management is surprising because
A)most mental illnesses are not treatable.
B)the drugs used were usually inappropriate.
C)the majority of those hospitalized for mental illness were schizophrenic.
D)many patients suffered from syphilis that was,at the time,incurable.
Answer: D
Page 4
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Chapter 3: Causal Factors and Viewpoints
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Sample Questions
Q1) 1-47.Highly coordinated children are picked out at an early age by coaches and given special opportunities to excel at sports.Extraverted children seek out social situations and become unusually comfortable with strangers.Both of these phenomena illustrate
A)the power of the phenotype over the genotype.
B)genotype-environment correlations.
C)the polygenic effect of chromosomes on behavior.
D)how the environment shapes one's genetic endowment.
Answer: B
Q2) 1-57.Which of the following strives to describe the location of genes responsible for mental disorders?
A)Association studies
B)Family histories
C)Twin studies
D)Adoption studies
Answer: A
Q3) A predisposition toward developing a disorder is termed a __________ .
Answer: diathesis
Q4) _____________ are the conditions that guarantee the occurrence of a disorder.
Answer: Sufficient causes
5
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Chapter 4: Clinical Assessment and Diagnosis
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Sample Questions
Q1) Dr.Vera says,"It may only provide a limited view of a person's problems,but it is important for planning appropriate treatment.Administratively,it is essential so that a facility can know what kinds of problems clients need help with.Even if we don't want to do it,insurance claims require it." What is Dr.Vera is referring to?
A)Formal diagnosis
B)Screening activities
C)Taking a personal history
D)Assessment
Q2) 1-80.Shondra is in fourth grade and has been having trouble sitting still and remaining focused on her schoolwork.Her teacher speaks with her parents about this,and suggests they see a clinician for an assessment.What is one problem with the DSM system that would make her parents reluctant to send her for an assessment?
A)The diagnosis would become a label that would stick with Shondra.
B)The diagnosis would not provide information on current functioning.
C)The diagnosis would not provide enough information for treatment.
D)The diagnosis would be a temporary measure that would not identify maladaptive behaviors.
Q3) The term MRI in assessment of the brain means __________ .
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Chapter 5: Stress and Physical and Mental Health
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Q1) 1-77.Which is an individual risk factor for developing PTSD?
A)higher levels of social support
B)having no family history of depression
C)believing that their symptoms are a sign of personal strength
D)being neurotic
Q2) 1-17.Who is likely to have the most severe stress?
A)Anne,who is planning her wedding
B)Bill,who has a deadline the next day for an important project
C)Lauren,who sees the aftermath of an accident
D)Josh,who has just been told he has cancer and whose wife announces she is leaving him when he tells her the news
Q3) Coping strategies are
A)efforts to deal with stress.
B)efforts to avoid conflict.
C)the same thing as eustress.
D)the dynamic interaction between the types of stressors and the person.
Q4) Define the terms stress and stressor.Discuss three factors that influence stress and complicate its study.
Q5) Discuss two of the aspects of the nature of stressors that can cause them to be highly stressful.
Page 7
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Chapter 6: Panic,anxiety,obsessions,and Their Disorders
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Q1) 1-91.Dagmar is a musician and she loves the fact that she constantly hears new melodies in her head.In fact,she cannot remember a time when she did not hear music.Why is this NOT an example of an obsession?
A)Obsessions must be accompanied by ritualistic actions.
B)Obsessions must come on suddenly in response to a stressful life event.
C)Obsessions must be voluntary thoughts that a person knows are irrational.
D)Obsessions must be intrusive thoughts the person finds disturbing.
Q2) 1-52.James began having panic attacks immediately after his mother died suddenly.As they became more frequent,he began to fear going into public situations where they might occur.Now he is unable to leave his apartment and has others go out to shop for him.What is unusual about this case?
A)It is unusual for a person with severe agoraphobia to be a man.
B)It is unusual for panic attacks to begin after a stressful life event.
C)It is unusual for fear of panic attacks to lead to agoraphobia.
D)There is nothing unusual about this case.
Q3) 3-11.What are obsessions? Compulsions? Give an example of each.
Q4) Discuss the theory of evolutionary preparedness and how it may apply to specific phobia,social phobia and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
Q5) How do cognitions help maintain phobias?
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Chapter 7: Mood Disorders and Suicide
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Sample Questions
Q1) Describe the hopelessness theory of depression.
Q2) 1-104.Which statement about the risk of suicide is true?
A)Depressed people are no more likely to commit suicide than nondepressed people.
B)The risk of suicide is greatest at the lowest point in a depression.
C)About half of people who complete suicide do so in the recovery phase of a depressive episode.
D)Suicide is most likely when a person in a manic episode is getting "high."
Q3) 1-99.Transcranial magnetic stimulation
A)is a biological test for altered brain waves in bipolar disorder.
B)is a noninvasive biological test for changes in brain function in depression.
C)is a noninvasive biological treatment for manic episodes.
D)is a noninvasive biological treatment for depression.
Q4) 1-49.Which of the following is a behavioral explanation for depression?
A)lack of environmental reinforcers
B)insecure attachment
C)pessimistic tendencies
D)reliance on depressogenic schemas
Q5) What are the four phases of the grieving process?
Q6) Discuss the risk factors for adolescent suicide.
Page 9
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Chapter 8: Somatic Symptom and Dissociative Disorders
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Q1) 1-26.In what way was Freud's view of conversion disorder consistent with behavioral theories?
A)Freud proposed that faulty thinking underlies the symptoms of conversion disorder.
B)He advocated treating conversion disorder by punishing the problem behaviors.
C)He believed that the symptoms of conversion disorder were maintained by the relief from anxiety they provided.
D)Freud believed that those with conversion disorder were suffering bodily symptoms due to a conflict between their inner desires and the demands placed on them by society (the environment).
Q2) 1-61.Brigid has been diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder.Brigid is the host personality.We can expect that the alter identities
A)are very much like Brigid.
B)are strikingly different from Brigid.
C)only "come out" when there is no stress in the environment.
D)are very much like one another.
Q3) Explain the difference between somatization disorder and hypochondriasis.
Q4) How do people with hypochondriasis typically relate to physicians?
Q5) 3-10.What is the difference between malingering and factitious disorder?
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Chapter 9: Eating Disorders and Obesity
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Sample Questions
Q1) 1-65.Our current knowledge of the efficacy of treating eating disorders
A)is quite thorough because there are many controlled studies comparing long-term outcomes.
B)is much more detailed for anorexia nervosa than for bulimia nervosa.
C)suggests that hospitalization is most effective for long-term maintenance of treatment gains.
D)suggests that cognitive-behavioral therapy is one of the treatments of choice.
Q2) What most clearly separates the anorexic from the bulimic?
Q3) 1-53.Which of the following appears to be an enduring personality trait of people who are susceptible to developing an eating disorder?
A)neuroticism
B)perfectionism
C)pessimism
D)individualism
Q4) 1-68.Obesity
A)is based on an individual's subjective opinion of their own weight.
B)rates vary little across Western cultures.
C)is not associated with any form of stigma.
D)has been increasing in many countries,including the United States.
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Chapter 10: Personality Disorders
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Sample Questions
Q1) 1-69.About half of the individuals with borderline personality disorder also qualify for a diagnosis of ________ at some time.
A)antisocial personality disorder
B)schizophrenia
C)a mood disorder
D)histrionic personality disorder
Q2) 1-32.While the individual with ________ personality disorder appears cool and aloof,the individual with ________ personality disorder is best described as odd.
A)avoidant; schizotypal
B)schizoid; schizotypal
C)schizoid; avoidant
D)schizotypal; avoidant
Q3) 1-110.Which of the following is a common component of cognitive behavioral treatments for antisocial personality?
A)Punishment
B)Relaxation
C)Self-critical thinking
D)Response-prevention training
Q4) Why is histrionic personality disorder more prevalent in women?
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Chapter 11: Substance-Related Disorders
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Sample Questions
Q1) 1-40.The "alcohol flush reaction"
A)is seen during alcohol withdrawal.
B)produces a spike in blood pressure and body temperature.
C)results from an inability to metabolize alcohol.
D)might explain the reduced rate of alcoholism seen among Native American peoples.
Q2) 1-66.Aversive conditioning for alcoholics
A)punishes the alcoholic for drinking by making him or her sick after drinking.
B)uses educational and life skills training to help the alcoholic understand the negative aspects of drinking.
C)includes family members to try to help the alcoholic understand the harm his or her behaviors have done.
D)involves pairing alcohol with something unpleasant like electric shock.
Q3) 1-60.Which of the following is the most significant barrier to getting an alcoholic into treatment?
A)The availability of alcohol
B)The detoxification process
C)Overcoming denial
D)Finding a suitable treatment program
Q4) 3-11.Briefly characterize the personality of the typical compulsive gambler.
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Chapter 12: Sexual Variants,abuse,and Dysfunctions
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Q1) The theory developed in the 1750s that centered on the idea that semen is necessary for physical and sexual vigor in men is the __________ theory.
Q2) 1-14.Why is ritualized homosexuality practiced in Sambia?
A)Women are viewed as dirty.
B)Heterosexual intercourse is only acceptable between married partners.
C)Few adults are exclusively heterosexual.
D)It permits semen conservation.
Q3) 1-31.Most sadists are
A)heterosexual men.
B)homosexual men.
C)heterosexual women.
D)homosexual women.
Q4) 1-59.It is quite rare for pedophilia to
A)involve a female pedophile.
B)involve sexual penetration or violence.
C)occur in children between 8 and 11.
D)include manipulation of the child's genitals.
Q5) Why is it difficult to estimate the prevalence of incest?
Q6) Discuss the two main controversies concerning childhood sexual abuse.
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Q7) _____________is discomfort with one's sex-relevant physical characteristics.
Chapter 13: Schizophrenia and Other Psychotic Disorders
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Sample Questions
Q1) The subtype of schizophrenia that might include feeling like the government is conspiring to capture you is the __________ type.
Q2) 1-44.In genetic studies,a "proband" or "index case" is someone who
A)is related to someone with the disorder of interest. B)shows signs of the disorder of interest.
C)shares at least 25 percent of his or her genes with an affected subject. D)has the disorder of interest.
Q3) What important aspect of the adoptive family was missing from early studies? What did later studies find when they did include it?
Q4) 1-30.Moira is schizophrenic.She giggles a lot,acts silly,and talks "baby talk." She experiences frequent auditory hallucinations and bizarre delusions.Moira most likely belongs to the ________ subtype of schizophrenia.
A)disorganized
B)undifferentiated
C)residual
D)catatonic
Q5) What is a delusion? What type of delusions is most common in schizophrenia?
Q6) What are schizoaffective disorder and schizophreniform disorder?
Page 15
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Chapter 14: Neurocognitive Disorders
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Sample Questions
Q1) According to your text,what can double the risk of acquiring Alzheimer's Disease?
A)anxiety.
B)psychosis.
C)blindness
D)depression.
Q2) What factors determine the amount of impairment from brain damage?
Q3) 1-46.Which of the following is associated with an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease?
A)Having a family history of vascular dementia
B)Giving birth to a child with Down syndrome before age 35
C)Living in a non-Western developed nation
D)Excessive use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
Q4) 1-18.Jerry had a stroke several months ago.Among the changes his family has noticed is that he now blows up over little things,cries over minor problems,and laughs at anything,no matter how silly.Jerry is showing
A)focal brain damage.
B)impairment of receptive and expressive communication.
C)impairment of emotional modulation.
D)affective blunting.
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Chapter 15: Disorders of Childhood and Adolescence
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Q1) 1-90.Jenny has an IQ in the average range.However,at school she is doing very poorly.She has consistently scored at two or more grade levels below the grade she is actually in.From this,a diagnostician would hypothesize that Jenny
A)most likely has an anxiety disorder.
B)most likely does not have a learning disability because her IQ is only average.
C)most likely has a learning disability.
D)most likely has intellectual disability.
Q2) 3-10.What are three of the special factors associated with treatment for children and adolescents?
Q3) What are three factors that can cause intellectual disability?
Q4) Which behavior pattern is extremely unlikely to be found in a child with conduct disorder?
A)Firesetting and vandalism
B)Substance abuse
C)Constant worry about minor issues
D)Depression
Q5) The most common chromosomal abnormality seen in Down syndrome is the __________ of chromosome 21.
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Chapter 16: Therapy
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Sample Questions
Q1) Which of the following is a disadvantage of the use of drugs to treat psychological disorders?
A)Relapse is likely when drugs use is terminated.
B)Drugs are rarely effective in controlling psychotic symptoms.
C)They decrease the need for hospitalization.
D)They alter brain chemistry.
Q2) Joan was surprised that,when she went to therapy,her therapist didn't ask her questions,but just listened to her talk.She said she felt very comfortable with the therapist and felt she could say anything at all and be accepted,unlike with her critical parents.She said she could try out new ideas and the therapist was always warm and nonjudgmental.Joan was probably in
A)rational emotive therapy.
B)psychodynamic therapy.
C)systematic desensitization.
D)client-centered therapy.
Q3) The newer antianxiety drug Buspar has the advantage that
A)it has a low potential for abuse.
B)it works better than other antianxiety drugs.
C)it works on more anxiety disorders than the other drugs.
D)it works faster than the other drugs.
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Chapter 17: Contemporary and Legal Issues in Abnormal Psychology
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Q1) In most states that have a Tarasoff-type rule,when a client threatens someone,a therapist must
A)make a reasonable effort to warn potential victims.
B)continue trying to warn potential victims until he or she reaches them.
C)not break confidentiality.
D)warn as many people who know the client as possible.
Q2) Community-based facilities that provide aftercare are typically run by
A)the residents themselves.
B)mental health professionals.
C)trained paraprofessionals.
D)community activists.
Q3) Under what circumstances can a therapist violate a client's confidence?
A)When someone is in danger
B)When a crime has been committed several years ago
C)Only when the client gives permission
D)Never
Q4) What are aftercare programs? Who is least likely to benefit from such programs?
Q5) What are the conditions,in addition to mental illness,that must be met in most states for someone to be involuntarily committed?
Q6) Discuss the three requirements for psychosocial health. Page 19
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