Abnormal Psychology Chapter 1*

ABAB design

An experimental design, often involving a single subject, wherein a baseline period (A) is followed by a treatment (B). To confirm that the treatment resulted in a change in behavior, the treatment is then withdrawn (A) and reinstated (B).

Abnormal psychology

Field of psychology concerned with the study, assessment, treatment, and prevention of abnormal behavior.

Acute

Term used to describe a disorder of sudden onset, usually with intense symptoms.

Asylums

Historically, these were institutions meant solely for the care of the mentally ill.

Behavioral perspective

A theoretical view point organized around the theme that learning is central in determining human behavior.

Bias

Observer bias occurs when the researcher has preconceived ideas and expectations that influence the observations he or she makes in the research study.

Behaviorism

School of psychology that formerly restricted itself primarily to the study of overt behavior.

Catharsis

Discharge of emotional tension associated with something, such as by talking about past traumas.

Correlation

The tendency of two variables to change together.

Correlation coefficient

A statistic that ranges from +1.00 to -1.00 and reflects that degree of association between two variables.

Criterion group

Group of subjects who exhibit the disorder under study.

Correlational method/research

A research strategy that examines whether and how variables go together (covary) without manipulating (changing) any variables.

Comparison (Control) group

Group of subjects who do not exhibit the disorder being studied but who are comparable in all other respects to the criterion group. Do not receive a condition of treatment.

Comorbidity

Occurrence of two or more identified disorders in the same psychological disordered individual.

Case study

An in-depth examination of an individual or family that draws from a number of data sources, including interviews and psychological testing.

Classical conditioning

A basic form of learning in which a neutral stimulus is paired repeatedly with an unconditioned stimulus (US) that naturally elicits an unconditioned response (UR). After repeated pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus (CS).

Chronic

Term used to describe a longstanding or frequently recurring disorder, often with progressing seriousness.

Double blind study

Often used in studies examining drug treatment effects, a condition where neither the subject nor the experimenter has knowledge about what specific experimental condition (or drug) the subject is receiving.

Dependent variable

In an experiment, the factor that is observed to change with changes in the manipulated (independent) variable(s).

Deinstitutionalization

Movement to close mental hospitals and treat people with severe mental disorder in the community.

Dream analysis

Method involving the recording, description, and interpretation of a patient's dreams.

Direct observation

Method of collecting research data that involves directly observing behavior in a given situation.

Etiology

Factors that are related to the development (or cause) of a particular disorder.

Exorcism

Religiously inspired treatment procedure designed to drive out evil spirits or forces from a "possessed" person.

Experimental research

Research that involves the manipulation of a given factor or variable with everything else held constant.

External validity

The extent to which the findings from a single study are relevant to other populations, contexts, or times.

Epidemiology

Study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or health-related behaviors in a given population. Mental health epidemiology is the study of the distribution of mental disorders.

Family aggregation

The clustering of certain traits, behaviors, or disorders within a given family. Family aggregation may arise because of genetic or environmental similarities.

Free association

Method for probing the unconscious by having patients talk freely about themselves, their feelings, and their motives.

Generalizability

The extent to which the findings from a single study can be used to draw conclusions about other samples.

Internal validity

The extent to which a study is free of confounds, is methodologically sound, and allows the researcher to have confidence in the findings.

Incidence

Occurrence (onset) rate of a given disorder in a given population.

Independent variable

Factor whose effects are being examined and which is manipulated in some way while other variables are held constant.

Lifetime prevalence

The proportion of living persons in a population who have ever had a disorder up to the time of the epidemiological assessment.

Longitudinal design

A research design in which people are followed over time.

Icanthropy

Delusion of being a wolf.

Labeling

Assigning a person to a particular diagnostic category, such as schizophrenia.

Mental hygiene movement

Movement that advocated a method of treatment focused almost exclusively on the physical well-being of hospitalized mental patients.

Mesmerism

Theories of "animal magnetism" (hypnosis) formulated by Anton Mesmer.

Moral management

Wide-ranging method of treatment that focuses on a patient's social, individual, and occupational needs.

Negative correlation

A relationship between two variables such that a high score on one variable is associated with a low score on another variable.

Nancy school

Group of physicians in nineteenth-century Europe who accepted the view that hysteria was a sort of self-hypnosis.

Nommenclature

A formalized naming system.

Observational research

In contrast to experimental research. The researcher simply observes or assesses the characteristics of different groups, learning about them without man
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Operant (Instrumental) conditioning

Form of learning in which if a particular response is reinforced, it becomes more likely to be repeated on similar occasions.

Placebo

An inert pill or otherwise neutral intervention that produces desirable therapeutic effects because of the subject's expectations that it will be beneficial.

Point prevalence

The number of cases of a specific condition or disorder that can be found in a population at one given point in time.

Positive correlation

A relationship between two variables such that a high score on one variable is associated with a high score on another variable.

Prevalence

In a population, the proportion of active cases of a disorder that can be identified at a given point in, or during a given period of, time.

Prospective research strategy

Method that often focuses on individuals who have a higher-than-average likelihood of becoming psychologically disordered before abnormal behavior is observed.

Psychoanalysis

Methods Freud used to study and treat patients.

Psychoanalytic perspective

Theory of psychopathology, initially developed by Freud, that emphasized the inner dynamics of unconscious motives.

Retrospective research

Research approach that attempts to retrace earlier events in the life of a subject.

Random assignment

A procedure used to create equivalent groups in which every research participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any group in the study.

Single-case research design

An experimental research design (e.g. ABAB) that involves only one subject.

Sampling

The process of selecting a representative subgroup from a defined population of interest.

Self-report data

Data collected directly from participants, typically by means of interviews or questionnaires.

Stereotyping

The tendency to jump to conclusions (often negative) about what a person is like based on beliefs about that group that exist (often incorrectly) in the culture.

Third variable problem

Refers to the problem of making causal inferences in correlation research where the correlation between two variables could be due to their shared correlation with an unmeasured third variable.

Unconscious

In psychoananlytic theory, a major portion of the mind, which consists of a hidden mass of instincts, impulses, and memories and is not easily available to conscious awareness yet plays an important role in behavior.