Abnormal Psychology - Vocab

Front 1

Psychological dysfunction associated with distress or impairment in functioning that is not typical or a culturally expected response.

Back 1

Psychological Disorder

Front 2

Psychological disorder characterized by marked and persistent fear of an object or situation.

Back 2

Phobia

Front 3

Actions that are unexpected and often evaluated negatively because they differ from typical and usual behavior.

Back 3

Abnormal Behavior

Front 4

The scientific study of psychological disorders.

Back 4

Psychopathology

Front 5

A mental health professional expected to apply scientific methods to his or her work; must know the latest research on diagnosis and treatment, must evaluate his or her methods for effectiveness and may generate research to discover information about disorders and their treatment.

Back 5

Scientist-Practitioner

Front 6

The original complaint reported by the client to the therapist. The actual treated problem may be a modification derived from this.

Back 6

Presenting Problem

Front 7

Details of the combination of behaviors, thoughts and feelings of the individual that make up a particular disorder.

Back 7

Clinical Description

Front 8

Number of people displaying a disorder in the total population at any given time.

Back 8

Prevalence

Front 9

The number of new cases of a disorder appearing in a specific period.

Back 9

Incidence

Front 10

Pattern of development and change of a disorder over time.

Back 10

Course

Front 11

Predicted development of a disorder over time.

Back 11

Prognosis

Front 12

Cause or source of a disorder.

Back 12

Etiology

Front 13

Religious ritual that attributes disordered behavior to possession by demons and seeks to treat the individual by driving the demons from the body.

Back 13

Exorcism

Front 14

Treatment practice that focuses on social and cultural factors (such as family experiences) as well as psychological influences; including cognitive, behavioral and interpersonal methods.

Back 14

Psychosocial Approach

Front 15

Psychosocial approach in the 19th century that involved treating patients as normally as possible in normal environments.

Back 15

Moral Therapy

Front 16

Mid 19th century effort to improve care of the mentally disordered by informing the public of their mistreatment.

Back 16

Mental Hygiene Movement

Front 17

Assessment and therapy pioneered by Sigmund Freud that emphasizes exploration of and insight into unconscious processes and conflicts.

Back 17

Psychoanalysis

Front 18

Explanation of human behavior, including dysfunction, based on principles of learning and adaptation derived from experimental psychology.

Back 18

Behaviorism

Front 19

Personality theory and therapy emphasizing inherent striving of humans to reach their highest potential if conditions preventing growth are removed.

Back 19

Humanistic Psychology

Front 20

Part of the psychic make-up that is outside the awareness of the person.

Back 20

Unconscious

Front 21

Rapid release of emotional tension thought to be an important factor in psychoanalytic therapy.

Back 21

Catharsis

Front 22

Complex and comprehensive theory originally advanced by Sigmund Freud that seeks to account for the development and structure of personality, as well as the origin of abnormal behavior, based primarily on inferred inner entities and forces.

Back 22

Psychoanalytic Model

Front 23

In psychoanalysis, the unconscious psychic entity present at birth representing basic drives.

Back 23

Id

Front 24

In psychoanalysis, the psychic entity responsible for finding realistic and practical ways to satisfy id drives.

Back 24

Ego

Front 25

In psychoanalysis, the psychic entity representing the internalized moral values of parents and society.

Back 25

Superego

Front 26

In psychoanalytic theory, a struggle among the id, ego, and superego.

Back 26

Intrapsychic Conflict

Front 27

Common pattern of behavior, often an adaptive coping style when it occurs in moderation, observed in response to a situation. Psychoanalytic theory suggests that these are unconscious processes originating in the ego.

Back 27

Defense Mechanisms

Front 28

Psychoanalytic concept of the sequence of phases a person passes through during development. Each stage is named for the location on the body where id gratification is maximal at that time.

Back 28

Psychosexual Stages of Development

Front 29

In psychoanalysis, the fear in young boys that they will be mutilated genitally because of their lust for their mothers.

Back 29

Castration Anxiety

Front 30

Obsolete psychodynamic term for a psychological disorder thought to result from an unconscious conflict and the anxiety it causes.

Back 30

Neurosis

Front 31

Psychoanalytic theory that emphasizes the role of ego in development and attributes psychological disorders to failure of the ego to manage its impulses and internal conflicts.

Back 31

Ego Psychology/ Self Psychology

Front 32

Modern development in psychodynamic theory involving the study of how children incorporate the memories and values of people who are close and important to them.

Back 32

Object Relation

Front 33

Accumulated wisdom of a culture collected and remembered across generations, a psychodynamic concept introduced by Carl Jung.

Back 33

Collective Unconscious

Front 34

Psychoanalytic therapy technique intended to explore threatening material repressed into the unconscious. The patient is instructed to say whatever comes to mind without censoring.

Back 34

Free Association

Front 35

Psychoanalytic therapy method in which dream content is examined as symbolic of id impulses and intrapsychic conflicts.

Back 35

Dream Analysis

Front 36

Therapist who practices psychoanalysis after earning either an M.D. or a Ph.D. degree and receiving additional specialized post-doctoral training.

Back 36

Psychoanalyst

Front 37

Psychoanalytical concept suggesting that clients may seek to relate to the therapist as they do to important authority figures, particularly their parents.

Back 37

Transference

Front 38

Contemporary version or psychoanalysis that still emphasizes unconscious processes and conflicts but is briefer and more focused on specific problems.

Back 38

Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

Front 39

Process emphasized in humanistic psychology in which people strive to achieve their highest potential against difficult life experiences.

Back 39

Self-Actualizing

Front 40

Therapy method in which the client, rather than the counselor, primarily directs the course of discussion, seeking self-discovery and self-responsibility.

Back 40

Person-Centered Therapy

Front 41

Acceptance by the counselor of the client's feelings and actions without judgment or condemnation.

Back 41

Unconditional Positive Regard

Front 42

Explanation of human behavior, including dysfunction, based on principles of learning and adaptation derived from experimental psychology.

Back 42

Behavioral Model

Front 43

Fundamental learning process first described by Ivan Pavlov. An event that automatically elicits a response is paired with another stimulus event that does not (a neutral stimulus). After repeated pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that by itself can elicit the desired response.

Back 43

Classical Conditioning

Front 44

Learning process in which a response maintained by reinforcement in operant conditioning or pairing in classical conditioning decreases when the reinforcement or pairing is removed; also the procedure of removing the reinforcement or pairing.

Back 44

Extinction

Front 45

Early, nonscientific approach to the study of psychology involving systematic attempts to report thoughts and feelings that specific stimuli evoked.

Back 45

Introspection

Front 46

Behavior therapy technique to diminish excessive fears, involving gradual exposure to the feared stimulus paired with a positive coping experience, usually relaxation.

Back 46

Systematic Desensitization

Front 47

Array of therapeutic methods based on the principles of behavioral and cognitive science, as well as principles of learning as applied to clinical problems. It considers specific behaviors rather than inferred conflicts as legitimate targets for change.

Back 47

Behavioral Therapy

Front 48

In operant conditioning, consequences for behavior that strengthen it or increase its frequency. Positive reinforcement involves the contingent delivery of a desired consequence. Negative reinforcement is the contingent escape from an aversive consequence unwanted behaviors may result from reinforcement of those behaviors or the failure to reinforce desired behaviors.

Back 48

Reinforcement

Front 49

In operant conditioning, the development of a new response by reinforcing successively more similar versions of that response. Both desirable and undesirable behaviors may be learned in this manner.

Back 49

Shaping

Front 50

Approach to the study of psychopathology that holds psychological disorders are always the products of multiple interacting causal factors.

Back 50

Multidimensional Integrative Approach

Front 51

Long deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) molecule, the basic physical unit or heredity that appears as a location on a chromosome.

Back 51

Gene

Front 52

Hypothesis that both an inherited tendency (a vulnerability) and specific stressful conditions are required to produce a disorder.

Back 52

Diathesis-Stress Model

Front 53

Susceptibility or tendency to develop a disorder.

Back 53

Vulnerability

Front 54

Hypothesis that people with a genetic predisposition for a disorder may also have a genetic tendency to create environmental risk factors that promote the disorder.

Back 54

Reciprocal Gene-Environment Model

Front 55

Study of the nervous system and its role in behavior, thoughts and emotions.

Back 55

Neuroscience

Front 56

Individual nerve cell responsible for transmitting information.

Back 56

Neuron

Front 57

Space between nerve cells where chemical transmitters act to move impulses from one neuron to the next.

Back 57

Synaptic Cleft

Front 58

Chemical that crosses the synaptic cleft between nerve cells to transmit impulses from one neuron to the next.

Back 58

Synaptic Cleft

Front 59

Chemical that crosses the synaptic cleft between nerve cells to transmit impulses from one neuron to the next. Relative excess or deficiency of these is involved in several psychological disorders.

Back 59

Neurotransmitters

Front 60

Chemical messenger produced by the endocrine glands.

Back 60

Hormone

Front 61

Neurotransmitter current or neural pathway in the brain.

Back 61

Brain Circuit

Front 62

Action by which a neurotransmitter is quickly drawn back into the discharging neuron after being released into the synaptic cleft.

Back 62

Reuptake

Front 63

In neuroscience, a chemical substance that effectively increases the activity of the neurotransmitter by imitating its effects.

Back 63

Agonist

Front 64

In neuroscience, a chemical substance that decreases or blocks the effects of a neurotransmitter.

Back 64

Antagonist

Front 65

In neuroscience, a chemical substance that produces effects opposite of a particular neurotransmitter.

Back 65

Inverse Agonist

Front 66

Amino acid neurotransmitter that excites many different neurons, leading to action.

Back 66

Glutamate

Front 67

Neurotransmitter that reduces activity across the synaptic cleft and thus inhibits a range of behaviors and emotions, especially generalized anxiety.

Back 67

Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)

Front 68

Neurotransmitter involved in the processing of information and coordination of movement, as well as inhibition and restraint. It also assists in the regulation of eating, sexual and aggressive behaviors, all of which may be involved in different psychological disorders. Its interaction with dopamine is implicated in schizophrenia.

Back 68

Serotonin

Front 69

Neurotransmitter active in the central and peripheral nervous systems, controlling heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration, among other functions. Because of its role in the body's alarm reaction, it may contribute generally and indirectly to panic attacks and other disorders.

Back 69

Norepinephrine/Noradrenaline

Front 70

Neurotransmitter whose generalized function is to activate other neurotransmitters and to aid in exploratory and pleasure-seeking behaviors (thus balancing serotonin). A relative excess of dopamine is implicated in schizophrenia (although contradictory evidence suggests that the connection is not simple), and its deficits are involved in Parkinson's disease.

Back 70

Dopamine

Front 71

Field of study that examines how humans and other animals acquire, process, store and retrieve information.

Back 71

Cognitive Science

Front 72

Martin Seligman's theory that people become anxious and depressed when they make an attribution that they have no control over the stress in their lives (whether or not they actually have control).

Back 72

Learned Helplessness

Front 73

Learning through observation and imitation of the behavior of other individuals and consequences of that behavior.

Back 73

Modeling

Front 74

Ability adaptive for evolution, allowing certain associations to be learned more readily than others.

Back 74

Prepared Learning

Front 75

Conditions of memory in which a person cannot recall past events despite acting in response to them.

Back 75

Implicit Memory

Front 76

Pattern of action elicited by an external event and a feeling state, accompanied by a characteristic physiological response.

Back 76

Emotion

Front 77

Biological reaction to alarming stressors that musters the body's resources (for example, blood flow and respiration) to resist or flee a threat.

Back 77

Flight or Fight Response

Front 78

Enduring period of emotionality.

Back 78

Mood

Front 79

Conscious, subjective aspect of an emotion that accompanies an action at a given time.

Back 79

Affect

Front 80

Developmental psychopathology principle that a behavior or disorder may have several causes.

Back 80

Equifinality

Front 81

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

Back 81

Clinical Assessment

Front 82

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

Back 82

Diagnosis

Front 83

Degree to which a measurement is consistent - for example, over time or among different raters.

Back 83

Reliability

Front 84

Degree to which a technique measures what it purports to measure.

Back 84

Validity

Front 85

Process of establishing 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.

Back 85

Standardization

Front 86

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

Back 86

Mental Status Exam

Front 87

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

Back 87

Behavioral Assessment

Front 88

Psychoanalytically based measure that presents ambiguous stimuli to clients on the assumption that their responses can reveal their unconscious conflicts. Such tests are inferential and lack high reliability and validity.

Back 88

Projective Test

Front 89

Self-reporting questionnaire that assesses personal traits by asking respondents to identify descriptions that apply to themselves.

Back 89

Personality Inventory

Front 90

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

Back 90

Intelligence Quotient (IQ)

Front 91

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

Back 91

Neuropsychological Testing

Front 92

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

Back 92

False Positive

Front 93

Assessment error in which no pathology is noted (that is, test results are negative) when one is actually present.

Back 93

False Negative

Front 94

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

Back 94

Neuroimaging

Front 95

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

Back 95

Psychophysiological Assessment

Front 96

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

Back 96

Electroencephalogram (EEG)

Front 97

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

Back 97

Classification

Front 98

System of naming and classification (for example, of specimens) in science.

Back 98

Taxonomy

Front 99

Classification and naming system for medical and psychological phenomena.

Back 99

Nosology

Front 100

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

Back 100

Nomenclature

Front 101

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

Back 101

Classical Categorical Approach/Pure Categorical Approach

Front 102

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

Back 102

Dimensional Approach

Front 103

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

Back 103

Prototypical Approach

Front 104

Extent to which a disorder would be found among a patient's relatives.

Back 104

Familial Aggregation

Front 105

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

Back 105

Comorbidity

Front 106

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 that person's behaviors.

Back 106

Labeling

Front 107

Educated guess or statement to be tested by research.

Back 107

Hypothesis

Front 108

Plan of experimentation used to test a hypothesis.

Back 108

Research Design

Front 109

Extent to which the results of a study can be attributed to the independent variable after confounding alternative explanations have been ruled out.

Back 109

Internal Validity

Front 110

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

Back 110

External Validity

Front 111

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.

Back 111

Testability

Front 112

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

Back 112

Dependent Variable

Front 113

Phenomenon manipulated by the experimenter in a study and expected to influence the dependent variable.

Back 113

Independent Variable

Front 114

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

Back 114

Confound

Front 115

Variable in a research study that was not part of the intended design and that may contribute to changes in the dependent variable.

Back 115

Confounding Variable

Front 116

Group of individuals in a 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 for a comparison of the differential effects of the treatment.

Back 116

Control Group

Front 117

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

Back 117

Randomization

Front 118

Approach to research that employs subjects who are similar to to clinical clients, allowing replication of a clinical problem under controlled conditions.

Back 118

Analog Model

Front 119

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

Back 119

Generalizability

Front 120

Small probability of obtaining the observed research research findings by chance.

Back 120

Statistical Significance

Front 121

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

Back 121

Clinical Significance

Front 122

Tendency to consider all members of a category as more similar than they are, ignoring their individual differences.

Back 122

Patient Uniformity Myth

Front 123

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.

Back 123

Case Study Method

Front 124

Degree to which two variables are associated. In a positive correlation, the two variables increase or decrease together. In a negative correlation, one variable decreases as the other increases.

Back 124

Correlation

Front 125

Research procedure in which variables are measured and compared to detect any association but are not manipulated. Conclusions about cause-and-effect relationships are not permissible.

Back 125

Correlational Study

Front 126

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

Back 126

Directionality

Front 127

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

Back 127

Positive Correlation

Front 128

Computed statistic reflecting the strength and direction of any association between two variables. It can range from -1.00 through 0.00 (indicating no association) to + 1.00, with the absolute value indicating the strength and the sign reflecting the direction.

Back 128

Correlation Coefficient

Front 129

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

Back 129

Negative Correlation

Front 130

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

Back 130

Epidemiology

Front 131

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

Back 131

Experiment

Front 132

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

Back 132

Placebo Effect

Front 133

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

Back 133

Placebo Control Group

Front 134

Procedure in outcome research 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 a placebo.

Back 134

Double-Blind Control

Front 135

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

Back 135

Comparative Treatment Research

Front 136

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

Back 136

Single-Case Experimental Design

Front 137

When responses are measured on more than two occasions (not just before and after intervention) to assess trends.

Back 137

Repeated Measurement

Front 138

Degree of change in a phenomenon over time.

Back 138

Variability

Front 139

Direction of change of a behavior or behaviors (for example, increasing or decreasing).

Back 139

Trend

Front 140

Degree of behavior change with different interventions (for example, high or low).

Back 140

Level

Front 141

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.

Back 141

Withdrawal Design/Reversal Design

Front 142

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

Back 142

Baseline

Front 143

Single-case experimental 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 the intervention caused the change.

Back 143

Multiple Baseline Design

Front 144

Observable characteristics or behaviors of an individual.

Back 144

Phenotype

Front 145

Specific genetic makeup of an individual.

Back 145

Genotype

Front 146

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

Back 146

Human Genome Project

Front 147

Genetic study that examines patterns of traits and behaviors among relatives.

Back 147

Family Study

Front 148

In genetics research, the individual displaying the trait or characteristics being studied.

Back 148

Proband

Front 149

In genetics research, the study 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.

Back 149

Adoption Study

Front 150

In genetics research, the comparison 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, then strong evidence of genetic involvement in those characteristics exists.

Back 150

Twin Study

Front 151

Study that seeks 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.

Back 151

Genetic Linkage System

Front 152

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

Back 152

Genetic Marker

Front 153

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

Back 153

Association Study

Front 154

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

Back 154

Cross-Sectional Design

Front 155

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

Back 155

Cohort

Front 156

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

Back 156

Cohort Effect

Front 157

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.

Back 157

Retrospective Information

Front 158

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

Back 158

Longitudinal Design

Front 159

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

Back 159

Cross-Generational Effect

Front 160

Combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal designs involving repeated study of different cohorts over time.

Back 160

Sequential Design

Front 161

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

Back 161

Informed Consent