Abnormal Psychology Chapter 1

Adoption Study

A method of comparing genetic versus environmental contributions to a disorder by tracking the incidence of disorders in children whose biological parents have diagnosed psychological disorders but whose parents do not.

Asylums

place of refuge or safety; first used to describe a psychiatric facility, later became a neg term.

Baseline

The period in which a participant is observed prior to being given treatment, the purpose being to document the frequency of the target behavior.

Biological makers

Measurable characteristics or trait whose patterns parallel the inheritance of a disorder or other characteristic.

Biopsychosocial

A model in which the interaction of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors is seen influencing the development of the individual

Case Study Method

An intensive study of a single person described in detail

Concordance rate

Agreement ratios between ppl diagnosed as having a particular disorder and their relatives

Control Group

the group of participants that does not receive the "treatment" thought to influence the behavior under study

Correlation

An association, or correlation, between two variable, that range in value form +1.0 to -1.0.

Crossfrostering study

Method of comparing genetic vs. environmental contributions to a disorder by tracking the incidence of disorders in children who are adopted by parents with psychological disorders but whose biological parents are psychologically healthy

Deinstitutionalization Movement

the process in the 1960s and 1970s that prompted the release of psychiatric patients into community treatment sites.

Demand characteristics

the expectations of participants in and experiment about what is going to happen to them or the proper way to respond

Dependent variable

The variable whose value is the outcome of the experimenter's manipulation of the independent variable

Diathesis-stress model

The proposal that ppl are born w/ a predisposition that places them at risk for developing a psychological disorder if exposed to certain extremely stressful life experiences.

Dizygotic twins

Nonidentical, or fraternal, twins who are genetically alike only to the degree as other siblings.

Double-blind technique

an experimental procedure in which neither the person giving the treatment nor the person receiving the treatment knows whether the participant is in the experimental or control group

Experimental group

the group of participants that receives the treatment thought to influence the behavior under study

Experimental method

a research method that involves altering or changing the conditions to which participants are exposed and observing the effects of this manipulation on the participants' behavior

Genetic mapping

attempt by biological researchers to identify the structure of a gene and the characteristics it controls

Hypnotism

the process of inducing a trance state

Hypothesis formation process

the stage of research in which the researcher generates ideas about a cause-effect relationship between the behaviors under study

Hysteria

disorder in which psychological problems become expressed in physical form

Incidence

frequency of a new cases w/in a given time period

Independent variable

the variable whose level is adjusted or controlled by the experimenter

Medical model

the view that abnormal behaviors result from physical problems and should be treated medically

Mental health parity

a standard that would require health insurers to provide equal levels of coverage for psychical and mental illnesses.

Mesmerized

process of bringing about a state of heightened suggestibility through the words and actions of a charismatic individual.

Monozygotic twins

identical twins, who share the same genetic inheritance

Moral treatment

the philosophy popular in the mid-nineteenth century that people can, with the proper care, develop self-control over their own disturbed behaviors

Multiple baseline approach

in behavioral research, the observation of different dependent variable in a person over the course of treatment, or observing the behavior as it occurs under different conditions

Observation process

the stage of research in which the researcher watches and records the behavior of interest.

Placebo condition

the condition used in experimental research in which ppl are given an inert substance or treatment that is similar in all other ways to the experimental treatment

Population

the entire group of individuals sharing a particular characteristic

Pragmatic case study

an organized approach for the development and accumulation of case study material that focuses on practical results

Prevalence

the number of ppl who have ever had a disorder at a given time or over a specified period

Probability

the odds or likelihood that an event will happen

Psychoanalysis

a theory and system of practice that relies heavily on the concepts of the unconscious mind, inhibited sexual impulses, early development, and the use of the "free association" technique and dream analysis.

Psychoanalytic model

an approach that seeks explanations of abnormal behavior in the workings of unconscious psychological processes.

Psychotherapy

the treatment of abnormal behavior through psychological techniques

Quasi-experimental design

a design that is like an experimental design but lacks the key ingredient of random assignment to groups.

Representativeness

the extent to which a sample adequately reflects the characteristics of the population form which it is drawn.

Sample

a selection of individuals from a larger group

Single-subject design

an experimental procedure in which one person at a time is studied in both the experimental and control conditions

Stigma

a label that causes a certain ppl to be regarded as different, defective, and set apart form mainstream members of society

Survey method

a research tool, used to gather information form a sample of people considered representative of a particular population, in which participants are asked to answer questions about the topic of concern.

Trephining

the drilling of a hole in the skull, presumably as a way of treating psychological disorders during prehistoric times

Variable

a dimension along which ppl, things, or events differ.

What are the four kinds of criteria that characterize abnormal behavior?

Distress; impairment; risk to self or others; socially and culturally unacceptable behavior

On what psychological factor in Rebecca Hasbrouck's case did Dr. Tobin focus?

the intense trauma that threw Rebecca into chaos and profound disturbance, which lasted for years

To what does diathesis refer?

a predisposition that places a person at risk of developing a disorder

According to Hippocrates, that were the four bodily fluid imbalances that influence mental and physical health?

sanguine (over abundance of blood would cause a person to experience unstable mood shifts),
melancholic (excess of black bile would make a person depressed),
phlegmatic (too much phlegm would result in a calm disposition bordering perhaps on indifference)

What was the name of the treatment for psychological disorder recommended by Dorothea Dix and other reformers in the nineteenth century?

Moral treatment

What was the process that promoted the release of psychiatric patients into community treatment sites in the second half of the twentieth century?

deinstitutionalization movement

In an experimental study, the______ variable is what the experimenter controls and the _____ variable is what the experimenter observes.

Independent
Dependent

What is the difference between incidence and prevalence?

Incidences is the frequency of new cases w/in a given period
Prevalence is to the number of ppl who have ever had the disorder at a given time or over a specified period

What is the term used to describe the agreement ratio between ppl diagnosed as having a disorder and their relatives?

Concordance rate

What is meant by stigma with regard to ppl w/ psychological disorders?

Ppl w/ psychological disorders are often labeled as different, defective, and set apart from mainstream members of society

To what does the term mental health parity refer?

A standard that would require health insurers to provide equal levels of coverage for physical and mental illnesses

According to the 2003 report of the U.S. Commission on Mental Health, what three social disparities must be addressed the provision of mental health services?

Underserving of minority populations; barriers faced by minority individuals to receiving appropriate care; and limited access to mental health care in rural America.