Abnormal Ch. 3

Front 1

clinical assessment

Back 1

systematic evaluation and measurement of psychological, biological, and social factors in a person persentng with a possible psychological disorder

Front 2

diagnosis

Back 2

process of determining whether a presenting problem meets the established criteria for a specific psychological disorder

Front 3

reliability

Back 3

degree to which a measurement is consistent for example, over time or among different raters

Front 4

validity

Back 4

degree to which a technique actually measures what is purports to measure

Front 5

standardization

Back 5

process of extablishing specific norms and requirements for a measurement technique to ensure it is used consistently across measurement occasions. This includes instructions for administering the measure, evaluating its findings, and comparing these with data for large numbers of people.

Front 6

mental status exam

Back 6

relatively coarse preliminary test of a client's judgment, orientation to time and place, and emotional and mental state; typically conducted during and initial interview.

Front 7

behavioral assessment

Back 7

measureing, observing, and systematically evaluating (rather than inferring) the client's thoughts, feelings, and behavior in the actual problem situation or context.

Front 8

projective tests

Back 8

psychoanalytically based measures that present ambiguous stimuli to clients on the assumption that their responses will reveal their unconscious conflicts. Such test are inferential and lack high reliability and validity.

Front 9

personality inventories

Back 9

Self-report questionnaires that assess personal traits by asking respondents to identify descritions that apply to them.

Front 10

intelligence quotient(IQ)

Back 10

Score on an intelligence test estimating a person's deviation from average test performance.

Front 11

Neuropsychological testing

Back 11

Assessment of brain and nervous system functioning by testing an individual’s performance on behavioral tasks.

Front 12

False positive

Back 12

Assessment error in which pathology is reported (i.e., test results are positive) when none is actually present.

Front 13

False negative

Back 13

assessment error in which no pathology is noted (i.e., test results are negative) when it is actually present.

Front 14

Neuroimaging

Back 14

sophisticated computer-aided procedures that allow non-intrusive examination of nervous system structure and function.

Front 15

Psychophysiological assessment

Back 15

measurement of changes in the nervous system reflecting psychological or emotion events such as anxiety, stress, and sexual arousal.

Front 16

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Back 16

measure of electrical activity patterns in the brain, taken through electrodes placed on the scalp.

Front 17

Classification

Back 17

assignment of objects or people to categories on the basis of shared characteristics.

Front 18

Taxonomy

Back 18

System of naming and classification (e.g., of specimens) in science.

Front 19

Nosology

Back 19

Classification and naming system for medical and psychological phenomena.

Front 20

Nomenclature

Back 20

In a naming system or nosology, the actual labels or names that are applied. In psychopathology, these include mood disorders or eating disorders.

Front 21

Classical categorical approach

Back 21

classification method founded on the assumption of clear-cut differences among disorders, each with a different known cause.

Front 22

Dimensional approach

Back 22

Method of categorizing characteristics on a continuum rather than on a binary, either-or, or all-or-none basis.

Front 23

Prototypical approach

Back 23

system for categorizing disorders using essential, defining characteristics and a range of variation on other characteristics.

Front 24

Comorbidity

Back 24

The presence of two or more disorders in an individual at the same time.

Front 25

Labeling

Back 25

Applying a name to a phenomenon or a pattern of behavior. The label may acquire negative connotations or be applied erroneously to the person rather than to his or her behaviors.

Front 26

Hypothesis

Back 26

Educated guess or statement to be tested by research.

Front 27

Research design

Back 27

Plan of experimentation used to test a hypothesis.

Front 28

Dependent variable

Back 28

In an experimental research study, the phenomenon that is measured and expected to be influenced.

Front 29

Independent variable

Back 29

phenomenon that is manipulated by the experimenter in a research study and expected to influence the dependent variable.

Front 30

Internal validity

Back 30

Extent to which research study findings generalize, or apply , to people and settings not involved in the study.

Front 31

Testability

Back 31

ability of a hypothesis, for example, to be subjected to scientific scrutiny and to be accepted or rejected, a necessary condition for the hypothesis to be useful.

Front 32

Confound

Back 32

Any factor occurring in a research study that makes the results uninterpretable because its effects cannot be separated from those of the variables being studied.

Front 33

Control group

Back 33

Group of individuals in a research study who are similar to the experimental subjects in every way but are not exposed to the treatment received by the experimental group; their presence allows a comparison of the differential effects of the treatment.

Front 34

Randomization

Back 34

Method for placing individuals into research groups that assures each one of an equal chance of being assigned to any group, to eliminate any systematic differences across groups.

Front 35

Analog model

Back 35

approach to research employing subjects who are similar to clinical clients, allowing replication of a clinical problem under controlled conditions.

Front 36

Generalizability

Back 36

Extent to which research results apply to a range of individuals not included in the study.

Front 37

Statistical significance

Back 37

Probability that obtaining the observd research findings merely by chance is small.

Front 38

Clinical significance

Back 38

Degree to which research findings have useful and meaningful applications to real problems.

Front 39

Case study method

Back 39

Research procedure in which a single person or small group is studied in detail. The method does not allow conclusions about cause and effect relationships, and findings can be generalized only with great caution.

Front 40

Correlation

Back 40

Degree to which two variables are associated

Front 41

Positive correlation

Back 41

Association between two variables in which one increases as the other increases.

Front 42

Correlation coefficient

Back 42

Computed statistic reflecting the strength and direction of any association between two variables. It can range from +1.00 through 0 (indicating no association) to –1.00, with the absolute value indicating the strength and the sign reflecting the direction.

Front 43

Negative correlation

Back 43

Association between two variables in which one increases as the other decreases.

Front 44

Directionality

Back 44

Possibility that, when two variables, A and B, are correlated, variable A causes variable B or B causes A.

Front 45

Epidemiology

Back 45

Psychopathology research method examining the prevalence, distribution, and consequences of disorder in populations.

Front 46

Experiment

Back 46

Research method that can establish causation by manipulating the variables in question and controlling for alternative explanations of any observed effects.

Front 47

Placebo effect

Back 47

Behavior change resulting from the person’s expectation of change rather than from the experimental manipulation.

Front 48

Placebo control group

Back 48

In an outcome experiment, a control group that does not receive the experimental manipulation but is given a similar procedure with an identitical expectation of change, allowing the researcher to assess any placebo effect.

Front 49

Double-blind control

Back 49

Procedure in outcome studies that prevents bias by ensuring that neither the subjects nor the providers of the experimental treatment know who is receiving treatment and who is receiving placebo.

Front 50

Comparative treatment research

Back 50

Outcome research that contrasts two or more treatment methods to determine which is most effective.

Front 51

Single-case experimental design

Back 51

Research tactic in which an independent variable is manipulated for a single individual, allowing cause-and-effect conclusions but with limited generalizability.

Front 52

Variability

Back 52

Degree of change in a phenomenon over time.

Front 53

Trend

Back 53

The direction of change of a behavior or behaviors (e.g., increasing or decreasing).

Front 54

Level

Back 54

Degree of behavior change with different interventions (e.g., high or low).

Front 55

Withdrawal design

Back 55

Removing a treatment to note whether it has been effective. In single-case experimental designs, a behavior is measured (baseline), an independent variable is introduced (intervention), and then the intervention is withdrawn. Because the behavior continues to be measured throughout (repeated measurement), any effects of the intervention can be noted. Also called reversal design.

Front 56

Baseline

Back 56

Measured rate of a behavior before introduction of an intervention that allows comparison and assessment of the effects of the intervention.

Front 57

Multiple Baseline

Back 57

Single-case experimental research design in which measures are taken on two or more behaviors or on a single behavior in two or more situations. A particular intervention is introduced for each at different times. If behavior change is coincident with each introduction, this is strong evidence that the intervention caused the change.

Front 58

Phenotype

Back 58

Observable characteristics or behaviors of an individual

Front 59

Genotype

Back 59

Specific genetic makeup of an individual

Front 60

Human genome project

Back 60

Ongoing scientific attempt to develop a comprehensive map of all human genes

Front 61

Family Studies

Back 61

Genetic studies that examine patterns of traits and behaviors among relatives

Front 62

Proband

Back 62

In genetics research, the individual displaying the trait or characteristics being studied. Also known as index case

Front 63

Adoption studies

Back 63

In genetics research, studies of first degree relatives reared in different families and environments. If they share common characteristics, such as a disorder, this finding suggests that those characteristics have a genetic component.

Front 64

Twin studies

Back 64

In genetics research, comparisons of twins with unrelated or less closely related individuals. If twins, particularly monozygotic twins who share identical genotypes, share common characteristics such as a disorder; even if they were reared in different environments, this is strong evidence of genetic involvement in those characteristics.

Front 65

Genetic linkage studies

Back 65

Studies that seek to match the inheritance pattern of a disorder to that of a genetic marker; this helps researchers establish the location of the gene responsible for the disorder.

Front 66

Association studies

Back 66

Research strategies for comparing genetic markers in groups of people with and without a particular disorder.

Front 67

Genetic marker

Back 67

Inherited characteristic for which the chromosomal location of the responsible gene is known.

Front 68

Cross-sectional design

Back 68

Methodology to examine a characteristic by comparing different individuals of different ages.

Front 69

Cohort

Back 69

Participants in each age group of a cross-sectional research study.

Front 70

Cohort effect

Back 70

Observation that people of different age groups also differ in their values and experiences.

Front 71

Retrospective information

Back 71

Literally “the view back,” data collected by examining records or recollections of the past. It is limited by the accuracy, validity, and thoroughness of the sources.

Front 72

Longitudinal design

Back 72

Systematic study of changes in the same individual or group examined over time.

Front 73

Cross-generational effect

Back 73

Limit to the generalizability of longitudinal research because the group under study may differ from others in culture and experience.

Front 74

Sequential design

Back 74

Combination fot he cross-sectional and longitudinal research methods involving repeated study of different cohorts over time.

Front 75

Informed consent

Back 75

Ethical requirement whereby research subjects agree to participate in a research study only after they receive full disclosure about the nature of the study and their role in it.