Psyche Of The Individual: Exam 1

Front 1

the modern western approach to studying Individual differences makes what assumptions?

Back 1

people may vary on any given attribute
I.D.'s can be measured
we can then classify people and study these differences
I.D.'s may become useful predictors of behavior

Front 2

what are three factors of quantitative research

Back 2

1. descriptive
2. experimental
3. correlational

quantitative research uses numbers and statistics to represent data
precise measurement and analysis are important

Front 3

describe descriptive research

Back 3

data is collected in a variety of ways, with the intent of describing existing phenomena

Front 4

describe experimentation in psychology

Back 4

involves a higher degree of researcher manipulation and control; allows cause-and-effect conclusions

Front 5

what do I.V. and D.V. stand for?

Back 5

I.V. = independant variable (usually the treatment (Tx))
D.V. = dependant variable (this is what is expected to change depending on the I.V.)

Front 6

define internal validity

Back 6

The degree to which we have confidence that the I.V. was what caused the change in the D.V.

Front 7

what are some threats to internal validity?

Back 7

not using random assignment

not using a control group

Front 8

describe external validity? What might threaten external validity?

Back 8

can the results be generalized to other populations?

A poor sample of the population might threaten external validity

Front 9

what is statistical significance?

Back 9

chance can be ruled out as the cause of the change in the D.V.

Front 10

describe clinical significance

Back 10

the results are perceived as important to some clinical population

Front 11

what are RCT's and what are they used for?

Back 11

randomized clinical trials: (a.k.a. efficacy studies) or the randomized double-blinded placebo control group design

the RCT design is used to determine whether Tx's have effects, and to compare treatments

Front 12

what are characteristics of RCT's and why do we do them?

Back 12

inclusion criteria
random assignment to conditions
"blindness"
numbers of sessions is fixed
highly scripted Tx protocols


we do them because they have high internal validity

Front 13

what are some placebos in RCT's?

Back 13

wait-list controls
non-directive therapies
dismantled interventions

Front 14

what is a common criticism for the RCT approach?

Back 14

individual (ideographic) differences get lost in group (nomothetic) comparisons

Front 15

describe correlational research

Back 15

data is collected in a variety of ways and then analyzed in order to describe relationships and make predictions

Front 16

describe qualitative research

Back 16

often starts without a hypothesis (to be gleaned from the data)
data is usually descriptive with less emphasis on numerical representation
seeks to understand peoples subjective experience

Front 17

what are common methods of qualitative research?

Back 17

interviews
observations
content analysis

Front 18

what 3 ways has abnormal behavior been explained historically?

Back 18

1. the supernatural (demon possession)
2. biology
3. the mind

Front 19

who coined the term "mental illness"?

Back 19

Weyer

Front 20

what is the WHO?

Back 20

world health organization

Front 21

what is the DSM?

Back 21

diagnosis and statistical manual

Front 22

what are some strengths of the DSM?

Back 22

standardized language and criteria = higher reliability in research and clinical diagnosis

validation comes with naming and categorizing

Front 23

what waas the most common disorder found in the world mental health survey?

Back 23

anxiety

Front 24

is poverty related to risk of mental illness?

Back 24

yes: on average there is 3 times more MI in low SES communities in U.S. and elsewhere

additionally women have higher rates consistently

Front 25

which comes first? Mental illness or poverty?

Back 25

it goes both ways

Front 26

what is the DSM?

Back 26

diagnosis and statistical manual

Front 27

what are some strengths of the DSM?

Back 27

standardized language and criteria = higher reliability in research and clinical diagnosis

validation comes with naming and categorizing

Front 28

what waas the most common disorder found in the world mental health survey?

Back 28

anxiety

Front 29

is poverty related to risk of mental illness?

Back 29

yes: on average there is 3 times more MI in low SES communities in U.S. and elsewhere

additionally women have higher rates consistently

Front 30

which comes first? Mental illness or poverty?

Back 30

it goes both ways but poverty has been shown ot come first in decades of research

Front 31

what does SES stand for?

Back 31

socioeconomic status

Front 32

what explains the relationship between MI and SES?

Back 32

insecurity (lack of stability and continuation of livelihood, lack of safety)
hopelessness
social factors (weakening family ties, lack of social support, etc.)
lack of education

Front 33

is high SES a risk factor for MI?

Back 33

research is preliminary but has shown high affluence in teens to risk for:
depression
anxiety
substance abuse

Front 34

why is high SES a risk factor for MI?

Back 34

isolation from parents (emotional and physical)
excessive pressure to achieve

Front 35

what are some family factors associated with mental illness?

Back 35

caregiver history of mental illness
severe family conflict
larger families and/or overcrowding
lower SES
parental criminality

Front 36

what are common MI for males?

Back 36

ADHD
autism and mental retardation
alcohol dependence
impulse-control disorders (like gambling)

Front 37

what are common MI for females?

Back 37

depression
most anxiety disorders
eating disorders

Front 38

how does gender affect rates for severe mental illness?

Back 38

relatively small gender differences when it comes to severe mental illness

schizophrenia
bipolar disorder
OCD (in most studies)

Front 39

do men and womens symptoms differ?

Back 39

generally speaking no (BUT)

men sometimes exhibit more anger/irritability and more substance-related coping

also men consistently:
report fewer symptoms and are less likely to be diagnosed

Front 40

define personality

Back 40

ones characteristic way of thinking, feeling, and behaving

Front 41

what is the strongest FFM predictor of psychological disorders

Back 41

neuroticism

Front 42

what are some general FFM changes from ages 20-30

Back 42

decreases in emotionality and thrill-seeking
increases in cooperation and self-discipline

Front 43

how is personality a predictor of MI?

Back 43

a difficult early temperment
high behavioral disinhibition
high inhibition

Front 44

are there gender differences in neuroticism?

Back 44

females are slightly higher

Front 45

are there differences in neuroticism depending on SES?

Back 45

lower SES has slightly higher neuroticism

Front 46

when does neuroticism peak?

Back 46

late adolescence

Front 47

what is neuroticism most predictive of?

Back 47

mood disorders (depression, dysthymia and bipolar)
anxiety disorders
eating disorders
somatorform disorders (hypochondria, conversion, etc.)

Front 48

does neuroticism predict personality disorders?

Back 48

diagnosis is difficult and reliabilitiesare notoriously low for some PDs

Front 49

what are the Big Five personality factors?

Back 49

N= neuroticism
A= agreeableness
C= concientiousness
E= extraversion
O= openess

Front 50

from the article The Matthew Effect:
how is canadian hockey a meritocracy?

Back 50

the players are groomed and seperated by skill. As they get older and better they are seperated still until the best of the best make it to the "top of the top of the pyramid"

Front 51

from the article The Matthew Effect:
what was Barnsley's "iron law" of canadian hockey?

Back 51

an overwhelming majority of the players in the elites were born between January and April

Front 52

from the article The Matthew Effect:
how is relative age related to the experience of college students?

Back 52

students born near the beginning of the cut off date are more likely to succeed due to ability, this effect carries over to college as well

Front 53

from the article The Matthew Effect:
what is accumulative advantage?

Back 53

accumulative adavantage describes that someone who is initially a bit better at something (like hockey) gets more training and practice which makes them better still. This continues until that little difference grows into a big difference and gives that person a large advantage

Front 54

From the article The Effectiveness of Psychotherapy:
which type of study is said the be the "gold standard" of describing whether or not a treatment works? Efficacy studies or effectiveness studies?

Back 54

Efficacy studies are the gold standard because they are controled very well and have very strict guidelines, this leads to high internal validity

Front 55

From the article The Effectiveness of Psychotherapy:
what are "nonspecifics"?

Back 55

2. The controls are rigorous: Not only are patients included who receive no treatment at all, but placebos containing potentially therapeutic ingredients credible to both the patient and the therapist are used in order to control for such influences as rapport, expectation of gain, and sympathetic attention

Front 56

From the article The Effectiveness of Psychotherapy:
3. What important elements of some psychotherapies done “in the real world” are not represented in efficacy studies?

Back 56

psychotherapy continues until the patient is better or until they quit
psychotherapy in the field is self-correcting (if one technique isn't working they try another one)
patients seek out treatment and specific therapists in the field whereas in effficacy studies use random assignment
patients in the psychotherapy field usually have multiple problems that need to be fixed instead of just one
field psychotherapy is concerned with improvement of the general functioning of a patient

Front 57

From the article The Effectiveness of Psychotherapy:
Describe the Consumer Reports study. Who were the respondents? What were they asked?

Back 57

CR put a survey in it's reading that asked it's readers about seeking out help for stress or emotional problems
the people that responded were the readers of CR and of 180,000 readers, 7,000 responded to the mental health questions
they were asked questions about if/where they sought therapy and asked many questions about the therapy they sought

Front 58

From the article The Effectiveness of Psychotherapy:
what are the methodological virtues and flaws of the CR study? (name as many as u can of each)

Back 58

VIRTUES:
good sampling
varied treament duration
self-correction
dealt with multiple problems
general functioning
clinical significance
unbiased

FLAWS:
sampling is possibly biased (only got reports from people who had the drive to return the survey)
no control groups
self-reporting from patients (maybe people who had success with therapy are more likely to report that success)
no blindness
inadequate outcome measures
retrospective
"therapy junkies"
nonrandom assignment

Front 59

In the article Mercury Rising:
How was the link between autism and vaccines established?

Back 59

parents believed that their children got their autism from vacinations recieved as infants containing mercury