Abnormal Psychology Chapter 3

Front 1

measuring, observing, and systematically evaluating (rather than inferring) that client's thoughts, feelings, and behaviour in the actual problem situation or context

Back 1

behavioural assessment

Front 2

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

Back 2

classical categorical approach

Front 3

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

Back 3

classification

Front 4

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

Back 4

clinical assessment

Front 5

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

Back 5

comorbidity

Front 6

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

Back 6

diagnosis

Front 7

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

Back 7

dimensional approach

Front 8

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

Back 8

electroencephalogram (EEG)

Front 9

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

Back 9

false negatives

Front 10

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

Back 10

false positives

Front 11

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

Back 11

intelligence quotient (IQ)

Front 12

applying a name to a phenomenon or a pattern of behaviour. It may acquire negative connotations or be applied erroneously to the person rather than his or her behaviours

Back 12

labelling

Front 13

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

Back 13

mental status exam

Front 14

sophisticated computer aided procedures that allow nonintrusive examination of nervous system structure and function

Back 14

neuroimaging

Front 15

assessment of brain and nervous system functioning by testing an individual's performance on behavioural tasks

Back 15

neuropsychological testing

Front 16

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

Back 16

nomenclature

Front 17

classification and naming system for medical and psychological phenomena

Back 17

nosology

Front 18

self-report questionnaires that assess personal traits by asking respondents to identify descriptions that apply to them

Back 18

personality inventories

Front 19

psychoanalytically based measures that present ambiguous stimuli to clients on the assumption that theirresponses will reveal their unconscious conflicts.Such tests are very inferential and lackhigh reliability and validity.

Back 19

projective tests

Front 20

system for categorizingdisordersusingbothessential,definingcharacteristicsandarangeofvariationonothercharacteristics.

Back 20

prototypical approach

Front 21

measurementof changes in the nervous system reflectingpsychological or emotional events such asanxiety, stress, and sexual arousal

Back 21

psychophyisological assessment

Front 22

degree to which a measurement isconsistent—for example, over time oramong different raters

Back 22

reliability

Front 23

when people observe their own behaviour to find patterns

Back 23

self-monitoring

Front 24

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

Back 24

standardization

Front 25

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

Back 25

taxonomy

Front 26

degree to which a technique actuallymeasures what it purports to measure.

Back 26

validity