Psyc 245 Midterm Questions and Verified
Answers
Criteria for Determining Abnormality Correct Answer: Unusualness, Social deviance, Faulty
perceptions/interpretations of reality, Significant personal distress, Maladaptive or self defeating
behavior, Dangerousness
Frequency Correct Answer: how often the behavior occurs
Intensity Correct Answer: intensity of behavior
duration Correct Answer: how long an episode lasts
Cultural biases of abnormal behavior Correct Answer: behavior that is normal in one culture may be
deemed abnormal in another
The Demonological Model Correct Answer: The notion that supernatural causes of abnormal behavior,
prominent in Western cultures until the age of Enlightenment
Trephination- a harsh, prehistoric practice of cutting a hole in a person's skull possible in an attempt to
release demons
Origins of the Medical Model: In "Ill Humor" Correct Answer: An imbalance of the humors lead to
abnormal behavior
Humors- according to the ancient Hippocratic belief system, the vital bodily fluids (phlegm, black bile,
blood, yellow bile)
Ex- excess of black bile causes depression
Ex- excess of phlegm causes a lethargic or sluggish person
Ex- excess of blood causes a cheerful, confident person
Ex- excess of yellow bile causes a quick tempered person
Medieval Times Correct Answer: Belief in supernatural causes led to beliefs that abnormal behaviors
were a sign of possession by the devil
,This belief was part of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, possession was treated via exorcism
Which was central in Western Europe until the decline of the Roman Empire
Witchcraft Correct Answer: The late 15-17th centuries were times of massive persecutions, particularly
for women accused of witchcraft
Church officials believed the witched made pacts with the devil
Diagnostic tests such as the water float test were used to detect witchcraft
If you floated you were proclaimed a witch, if you didn't float you would drown
Asylums Correct Answer: By the late 15-16th centuries, asylums began to crop up throughout Europe
Asylums often gave refuge to beggars as well as the mentally disturbed, and conditions were appalling
At St. Mary's of Bethlehem Hospital- from which the word bedlam is derived- the public could buy
tickets to observe the antic of the inmates, much as we would pay to see a circus sideshow or animals at
the zoo
The Reform Movement and Moral Therapy Correct Answer: Jean-Baptiste Pussin and Philippe Pinel in
the late 18th and early 19th centuries argued that people who behave abnormally suffer from diseases
and should be treated humanely
Dorothea Dix- a boston schoolteacher, traveled about the country decrying the deplorable conditions in
the jails and almshouses where mentally disturbed people were placed
Because of her, 32 mental hospitals devoted to treating people with psychological disorders were
established throughout the US
A Step Backward Correct Answer: In the latter half of the 19th century, the belief that abnormal
behaviors could be successfully greated or cured by moral therapy fell into disfavor
Deplorable hospital conditions remained commonplace through the middle of the 10th century
Mid 1950s- the population in mental hospitals has risen to half a million patients
Deinstitutionalization- a late 1950s policy of shifting the burden of care from state hospitals to
community based treatment setting in order to reform mental health system
,The Community Mental Health Movement Correct Answer: Exodus from state hospitals
Congress in 1963 established a nationwide system community mental health centers ( CMHC, USDHHS,
1999a)
CMCHs were charged with providing continuing support and care to former hospital residents who were
released from state mental hospitals under a policy of deinstitutionalization
Phenothiazines reduced the need for indefinite hospital stays and permitted many people with
schizophrenia to be discharged to halfway houses, group homes, and independent living
The mental hospital population across the US plummeted from 559,000 in 1955 ot less than 100,000 in
the 1990s
The Biological Perspective Correct Answer: Wilhelm Griesinger (1817-1868) argued that abnormal
behavior was rooted in diseases of the brain.
Emil Kraepelin (1856-1926) likened mental disorders to physical diseases.
Griesinger and Kraepelin paved the way for the modern medical model, which attempts to explain
abnormal behavior on the basis of underlying biological defects or abnormalities, not evil spirits.
The medical model gained support in the late 19th century with the discovery that an advanced stage of
syphilis—in which the bacterium that causes the disease directly invades the brain itself—led to a form
of disturbed behavior called general paresis (from the Greek parienai, meaning "to relax").
The later discovery of Alzheimer's disease, a brain disease that is the major cause of dementia, lent
further support to the medical model.
The medical model is a major advance over demonology.
The Psychological Perspective Correct Answer: Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893) experimented with the
use of hypnosis in treating hysteria, a condition characterized by paralysis or numbness that cannot be
explained by any underlying physical cause.
Among those who attended Charcot's demonstrations was a young Austrian physician named Sigmund
Freud (1856-1939).
Psychodynamic model - The theoretical model of Freud and his followers, in which abnormal behavior
is viewed as the product of clashing forces within the personality.
, The Sociocultural Perspective Correct Answer: Sociocultural theorists believe the causes of abnormal
behavior may be found in the failures of society rather than in the person.
Accordingly, psychological problems may be rooted in the ills of society, such as unemployment,
poverty, family breakdown, injustice, ignorance, and the lack of opportunity.
Sociocultural factors also focus on relationships between mental health and social factors such as gender,
social class, ethnicity, and lifestyle.
The Biopsychosocial Perspective Correct Answer: Many mental health professionals endorse the view
that abnormal behavior is best understood by taking into account multiple causes representing the
biological, psychological, and sociocultural domains.
Biopsychosocial model - An integrative model for explaining abnormal in terms of the interactions of
biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.
Perspectives on psychological disorders provide a framework not only for explanation but also for
treatment.
The Objectives of Science Correct Answer: Description, Explanation, Prediction, and Control
Within this context, controlling behavior means using scientific knowledge to help people shape their
own goals and more efficiently use their resources to accomplish them.
Scientific method Correct Answer: A systematic method of conducting scientific research in which
theories or assumptions are examined in the light of evidence.
Theory Correct Answer: A formulation of the relationships underlying observed events.
The Scientific Method Correct Answer: 1.Formulating a research question.
2.Framing the research question in the form of a hypothesis.
3.Testing the hypothesis.
4.Drawing conclusions about the hypothesis.
Ethics in Research Correct Answer: Institutions such as universities and hospitals have review
committees, called institutional review boards (IRBs), that review proposed research studies in the light
of ethical guidelines.
Answers
Criteria for Determining Abnormality Correct Answer: Unusualness, Social deviance, Faulty
perceptions/interpretations of reality, Significant personal distress, Maladaptive or self defeating
behavior, Dangerousness
Frequency Correct Answer: how often the behavior occurs
Intensity Correct Answer: intensity of behavior
duration Correct Answer: how long an episode lasts
Cultural biases of abnormal behavior Correct Answer: behavior that is normal in one culture may be
deemed abnormal in another
The Demonological Model Correct Answer: The notion that supernatural causes of abnormal behavior,
prominent in Western cultures until the age of Enlightenment
Trephination- a harsh, prehistoric practice of cutting a hole in a person's skull possible in an attempt to
release demons
Origins of the Medical Model: In "Ill Humor" Correct Answer: An imbalance of the humors lead to
abnormal behavior
Humors- according to the ancient Hippocratic belief system, the vital bodily fluids (phlegm, black bile,
blood, yellow bile)
Ex- excess of black bile causes depression
Ex- excess of phlegm causes a lethargic or sluggish person
Ex- excess of blood causes a cheerful, confident person
Ex- excess of yellow bile causes a quick tempered person
Medieval Times Correct Answer: Belief in supernatural causes led to beliefs that abnormal behaviors
were a sign of possession by the devil
,This belief was part of the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church, possession was treated via exorcism
Which was central in Western Europe until the decline of the Roman Empire
Witchcraft Correct Answer: The late 15-17th centuries were times of massive persecutions, particularly
for women accused of witchcraft
Church officials believed the witched made pacts with the devil
Diagnostic tests such as the water float test were used to detect witchcraft
If you floated you were proclaimed a witch, if you didn't float you would drown
Asylums Correct Answer: By the late 15-16th centuries, asylums began to crop up throughout Europe
Asylums often gave refuge to beggars as well as the mentally disturbed, and conditions were appalling
At St. Mary's of Bethlehem Hospital- from which the word bedlam is derived- the public could buy
tickets to observe the antic of the inmates, much as we would pay to see a circus sideshow or animals at
the zoo
The Reform Movement and Moral Therapy Correct Answer: Jean-Baptiste Pussin and Philippe Pinel in
the late 18th and early 19th centuries argued that people who behave abnormally suffer from diseases
and should be treated humanely
Dorothea Dix- a boston schoolteacher, traveled about the country decrying the deplorable conditions in
the jails and almshouses where mentally disturbed people were placed
Because of her, 32 mental hospitals devoted to treating people with psychological disorders were
established throughout the US
A Step Backward Correct Answer: In the latter half of the 19th century, the belief that abnormal
behaviors could be successfully greated or cured by moral therapy fell into disfavor
Deplorable hospital conditions remained commonplace through the middle of the 10th century
Mid 1950s- the population in mental hospitals has risen to half a million patients
Deinstitutionalization- a late 1950s policy of shifting the burden of care from state hospitals to
community based treatment setting in order to reform mental health system
,The Community Mental Health Movement Correct Answer: Exodus from state hospitals
Congress in 1963 established a nationwide system community mental health centers ( CMHC, USDHHS,
1999a)
CMCHs were charged with providing continuing support and care to former hospital residents who were
released from state mental hospitals under a policy of deinstitutionalization
Phenothiazines reduced the need for indefinite hospital stays and permitted many people with
schizophrenia to be discharged to halfway houses, group homes, and independent living
The mental hospital population across the US plummeted from 559,000 in 1955 ot less than 100,000 in
the 1990s
The Biological Perspective Correct Answer: Wilhelm Griesinger (1817-1868) argued that abnormal
behavior was rooted in diseases of the brain.
Emil Kraepelin (1856-1926) likened mental disorders to physical diseases.
Griesinger and Kraepelin paved the way for the modern medical model, which attempts to explain
abnormal behavior on the basis of underlying biological defects or abnormalities, not evil spirits.
The medical model gained support in the late 19th century with the discovery that an advanced stage of
syphilis—in which the bacterium that causes the disease directly invades the brain itself—led to a form
of disturbed behavior called general paresis (from the Greek parienai, meaning "to relax").
The later discovery of Alzheimer's disease, a brain disease that is the major cause of dementia, lent
further support to the medical model.
The medical model is a major advance over demonology.
The Psychological Perspective Correct Answer: Jean-Martin Charcot (1825-1893) experimented with the
use of hypnosis in treating hysteria, a condition characterized by paralysis or numbness that cannot be
explained by any underlying physical cause.
Among those who attended Charcot's demonstrations was a young Austrian physician named Sigmund
Freud (1856-1939).
Psychodynamic model - The theoretical model of Freud and his followers, in which abnormal behavior
is viewed as the product of clashing forces within the personality.
, The Sociocultural Perspective Correct Answer: Sociocultural theorists believe the causes of abnormal
behavior may be found in the failures of society rather than in the person.
Accordingly, psychological problems may be rooted in the ills of society, such as unemployment,
poverty, family breakdown, injustice, ignorance, and the lack of opportunity.
Sociocultural factors also focus on relationships between mental health and social factors such as gender,
social class, ethnicity, and lifestyle.
The Biopsychosocial Perspective Correct Answer: Many mental health professionals endorse the view
that abnormal behavior is best understood by taking into account multiple causes representing the
biological, psychological, and sociocultural domains.
Biopsychosocial model - An integrative model for explaining abnormal in terms of the interactions of
biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.
Perspectives on psychological disorders provide a framework not only for explanation but also for
treatment.
The Objectives of Science Correct Answer: Description, Explanation, Prediction, and Control
Within this context, controlling behavior means using scientific knowledge to help people shape their
own goals and more efficiently use their resources to accomplish them.
Scientific method Correct Answer: A systematic method of conducting scientific research in which
theories or assumptions are examined in the light of evidence.
Theory Correct Answer: A formulation of the relationships underlying observed events.
The Scientific Method Correct Answer: 1.Formulating a research question.
2.Framing the research question in the form of a hypothesis.
3.Testing the hypothesis.
4.Drawing conclusions about the hypothesis.
Ethics in Research Correct Answer: Institutions such as universities and hospitals have review
committees, called institutional review boards (IRBs), that review proposed research studies in the light
of ethical guidelines.
