Abnormal Psychology Final Exam
(depressive) cognitive triad - questions and answers-Thinking errors in depressed people that
are negatively focused in three areas: themselves, their immediate world, and their future.
(ego) defense mechanisms - questions and answers-Common patterns of behavior -- often
adaptive coping styles when they occur in moderation -- observed in response to potentially
threatening situations. In psychodynamic theory, they are proposed to be unconscious
processes to reduce anxiety.
abnormal behavior - questions and answers-Patterns of thought, emotion, and actions that are
deviant, unexpected, or "away from the standard" based on statistical, social-cultural, and/or
functional standards.
abnormal psychology - questions and answers-The scientific study of abnormal behavior in
order to describe, predict, explain, and ultimately change abnormal patterns of functioning.
acute stress disorder - questions and answers-An anxiety disorder in which fear and related
symptoms are experienced soon after a traumatic event, often including amnesia about the
event, emotional numbing, and derealization, and lasting less than a month. Many victims later
develop posttraumatic stress disorder.
addiction - questions and answers-Physical dependence on a substance marked by tolerance,
withdrawal symptoms during abstinence, or both.
affect - questions and answers-A subjective feeling of emotion or mood often accompanied by
bodily expressions noticeable to others.
age of onset - questions and answers-Person's age when he or she develops or exhibits
symptoms of a disorder.
agnosia - questions and answers-Inability to recognize and name objects; may be a symptom of
dementia or other brain disorders.
agoraphobia - questions and answers-Anxiety about being in places or situations from which
escape might be difficult (or embarrassing) or help unavailable if panic symptoms were to occur.
alogia - questions and answers-Deficiency in the amount or content of speech, a disturbance
often seen in people with schizophrenia. Also known as poverty of speech.
alternate personalities / alters - questions and answers-In dissociative identity disorder, the
additional identities along with the host identity. Also known as subpersonalities.
,American Law Institute (ALI) test (1955) - questions and answers-A legal test for insanity that
holds a person to be insane at the time of committing a crime, if during criminal conduct, the
individual could not judge right from wrong or control his or her behavior as required by law.
Compare M'Naghten Rule and irresistible impulse.
amnestic disorders - questions and answers-Organic disorders in which the primary symptom is
memory loss.
anhedonia - questions and answers-Inability to experience pleasure, associated with some
mood and schizophrenic disorders.
anorexia nervosa - questions and answers-Eating disorder characterized by continual food
refusal and the pursuit of extreme thinness, leading to dangerously low body weight.
anorexia nervosa, binge-eating-purging type (bulimarexia) - questions and answers-A variation
of anorexia in which the individual turns to bingeing and then goes on to vomiting or other
purging as a way of keeping weight at very low levels.
antisocial personality disorder - questions and answers-A personality disorder marked by a
pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others. Deceitful, unremorseful,
manipulative, lacks anxiety and guilt.
anxiety - questions and answers-Mood state characterized by marked negative affect,
behaviors, and bodily symptoms of tension in which a person apprehensively anticipates future
danger or misfortune.
anxiety disorders - questions and answers-A varied group of disorders that all have anxiety, fear,
or tension as an essential feature. Includes specific phobias, social phobia, panic disorder,
generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
aphasia - questions and answers-Impairment or loss of language skills resulting from brain
damage caused by stroke, Alzheimer's disease, or other illness or trauma.
apraxia - questions and answers-Loss of motor activities (such as walking); one of the
symptoms of dementia.
Asperger's disorder - questions and answers-A pervasive developmental disorder in which
individuals display profound social impairment and restricted or unusual behaviors, but without
language delays seen in autism.
attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - questions and answers-Developmental
disorder in which persons are unable to focus their attention, they behave hyperactively or
impulsively, or both.
, attributional style - questions and answers-The relatively consistent explanations a person forms
about why personal stressors or other negative life events occur, taking the form of internal vs.
external, stable vs. unstable, and global vs. specific.
auditory hallucinations - questions and answers-Psychotic disturbance in perception in which a
person hears sounds or voices although these are not real or actually present. The voices are
often critical, accusatory, or demanding.
autistic disorder (autism) - questions and answers-Pervasive developmental disorder
characterized by significant impairment in social interactions, extreme unresponsiveness to
others, poor communication skills, and highly repetitive and rigid behavior.
avoidant personality disorder - questions and answers-A personality disorder featuring a
pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and extremely sensitive to criticism.
avolition - questions and answers-A symptom of schizophrenia marked by apathy, and an
inability to initiate or complete important activities.
behavior therapy - questions and answers-An group of therapy 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 internal factors as targets for
change. Also known as behavior modification.
behavioral medicine - questions and answers-Interdisciplinary approach applying behavioral
science to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical problems.
behaviorism - questions and answers-The view that psychology (1) should be an objective
science that (2) studies behavior, including dysfunction, without reference to mental processes.
Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).
binge-eating disorder - questions and answers-An eating disorder involving consumption of
large amounts of food in a short period of time, uncontrollable and distressing to the individual
but not followed by compensatory behaviors.
biological paradigm - questions and answers-Explanation of psychological dysfunction that
primarily emphasizes biological process in the brain or illness as the cause.
biopsychosocial model - questions and answers-The model that psychological disorders are not
caused by one or two factors in a linear way; rather, they are a product of a continual interaction
of a number of biological, psychological and social factors.
bipolar I disorder - questions and answers-Mood disorder characterized by the alternation of
major depressive episodes with full manic episodes.
(depressive) cognitive triad - questions and answers-Thinking errors in depressed people that
are negatively focused in three areas: themselves, their immediate world, and their future.
(ego) defense mechanisms - questions and answers-Common patterns of behavior -- often
adaptive coping styles when they occur in moderation -- observed in response to potentially
threatening situations. In psychodynamic theory, they are proposed to be unconscious
processes to reduce anxiety.
abnormal behavior - questions and answers-Patterns of thought, emotion, and actions that are
deviant, unexpected, or "away from the standard" based on statistical, social-cultural, and/or
functional standards.
abnormal psychology - questions and answers-The scientific study of abnormal behavior in
order to describe, predict, explain, and ultimately change abnormal patterns of functioning.
acute stress disorder - questions and answers-An anxiety disorder in which fear and related
symptoms are experienced soon after a traumatic event, often including amnesia about the
event, emotional numbing, and derealization, and lasting less than a month. Many victims later
develop posttraumatic stress disorder.
addiction - questions and answers-Physical dependence on a substance marked by tolerance,
withdrawal symptoms during abstinence, or both.
affect - questions and answers-A subjective feeling of emotion or mood often accompanied by
bodily expressions noticeable to others.
age of onset - questions and answers-Person's age when he or she develops or exhibits
symptoms of a disorder.
agnosia - questions and answers-Inability to recognize and name objects; may be a symptom of
dementia or other brain disorders.
agoraphobia - questions and answers-Anxiety about being in places or situations from which
escape might be difficult (or embarrassing) or help unavailable if panic symptoms were to occur.
alogia - questions and answers-Deficiency in the amount or content of speech, a disturbance
often seen in people with schizophrenia. Also known as poverty of speech.
alternate personalities / alters - questions and answers-In dissociative identity disorder, the
additional identities along with the host identity. Also known as subpersonalities.
,American Law Institute (ALI) test (1955) - questions and answers-A legal test for insanity that
holds a person to be insane at the time of committing a crime, if during criminal conduct, the
individual could not judge right from wrong or control his or her behavior as required by law.
Compare M'Naghten Rule and irresistible impulse.
amnestic disorders - questions and answers-Organic disorders in which the primary symptom is
memory loss.
anhedonia - questions and answers-Inability to experience pleasure, associated with some
mood and schizophrenic disorders.
anorexia nervosa - questions and answers-Eating disorder characterized by continual food
refusal and the pursuit of extreme thinness, leading to dangerously low body weight.
anorexia nervosa, binge-eating-purging type (bulimarexia) - questions and answers-A variation
of anorexia in which the individual turns to bingeing and then goes on to vomiting or other
purging as a way of keeping weight at very low levels.
antisocial personality disorder - questions and answers-A personality disorder marked by a
pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others. Deceitful, unremorseful,
manipulative, lacks anxiety and guilt.
anxiety - questions and answers-Mood state characterized by marked negative affect,
behaviors, and bodily symptoms of tension in which a person apprehensively anticipates future
danger or misfortune.
anxiety disorders - questions and answers-A varied group of disorders that all have anxiety, fear,
or tension as an essential feature. Includes specific phobias, social phobia, panic disorder,
generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder.
aphasia - questions and answers-Impairment or loss of language skills resulting from brain
damage caused by stroke, Alzheimer's disease, or other illness or trauma.
apraxia - questions and answers-Loss of motor activities (such as walking); one of the
symptoms of dementia.
Asperger's disorder - questions and answers-A pervasive developmental disorder in which
individuals display profound social impairment and restricted or unusual behaviors, but without
language delays seen in autism.
attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) - questions and answers-Developmental
disorder in which persons are unable to focus their attention, they behave hyperactively or
impulsively, or both.
, attributional style - questions and answers-The relatively consistent explanations a person forms
about why personal stressors or other negative life events occur, taking the form of internal vs.
external, stable vs. unstable, and global vs. specific.
auditory hallucinations - questions and answers-Psychotic disturbance in perception in which a
person hears sounds or voices although these are not real or actually present. The voices are
often critical, accusatory, or demanding.
autistic disorder (autism) - questions and answers-Pervasive developmental disorder
characterized by significant impairment in social interactions, extreme unresponsiveness to
others, poor communication skills, and highly repetitive and rigid behavior.
avoidant personality disorder - questions and answers-A personality disorder featuring a
pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and extremely sensitive to criticism.
avolition - questions and answers-A symptom of schizophrenia marked by apathy, and an
inability to initiate or complete important activities.
behavior therapy - questions and answers-An group of therapy 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 internal factors as targets for
change. Also known as behavior modification.
behavioral medicine - questions and answers-Interdisciplinary approach applying behavioral
science to the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of medical problems.
behaviorism - questions and answers-The view that psychology (1) should be an objective
science that (2) studies behavior, including dysfunction, without reference to mental processes.
Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2).
binge-eating disorder - questions and answers-An eating disorder involving consumption of
large amounts of food in a short period of time, uncontrollable and distressing to the individual
but not followed by compensatory behaviors.
biological paradigm - questions and answers-Explanation of psychological dysfunction that
primarily emphasizes biological process in the brain or illness as the cause.
biopsychosocial model - questions and answers-The model that psychological disorders are not
caused by one or two factors in a linear way; rather, they are a product of a continual interaction
of a number of biological, psychological and social factors.
bipolar I disorder - questions and answers-Mood disorder characterized by the alternation of
major depressive episodes with full manic episodes.
