CHAPTER 10 ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY
EXAMS QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS 2026 (A+)
Abnormal Psychology -CORRECT ANSWERS- The scientific study of behavioral disorders and their
treatment
Criteria for a Behavioral Disorder: Behavior (or thinking) that is atypical, maladaptive, irrational, and
causes emotional discomfort.
Atypical: the behavior is uncommon (i.e., a significant deviation from the average/majority)
Maladaptive: daily functioning is impaired
Irrational: the behavior is not governed by reason
Emotional discomfort: the behavior causes anxiety, distress, depression in the person (or in others)
a person who is emotionally content is rarely a concern to the mental health professional
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM 5) -CORRECT ANSWERS- Published in 2013 by the APA (American
Psychiatric Association)
The most widely used diagnostic system for disorders
Lists diagnostic criteria for about 300 disorders
Gives key clinical features
Gives background information (e.g., prevalence rates).
Health insurance companies typically require a DSM classification before they will cover a treatment
DSM 5 categories -CORRECT ANSWERS- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders
Bipolar and Related Disorders
Depressive Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
,Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders
Dissociative Disorders
Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders
Feeding and Eating Disorders
Elimination Disorders
Sleep-Wake Disorders
Sexual Dysfunctions
Gender Dysphoria
Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders
Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders
Neurocognitive Disorders
Personality Disorders
Paraphilic Disorders
Other Mental Disorders
Anxiety: -CORRECT ANSWERS- generalized feeling of dread or apprehension typically accompanied by a
variety of physiological reactions
Increased heart rate
Sweating
Muscle tension
Dry mouth
About 12% of Americans have some kind of anxiety disorder
Anxiety Disorders -CORRECT ANSWERS- Separation Anxiety Disorder
Selective Mutism
Specific Phobia
Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
Panic Disorder
Panic Attack
,Agoraphobia
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Substance/Medication-Induced Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition
Other Specified Anxiety Disorder
Unspecified Anxiety Disorder
Specific Phobia -CORRECT ANSWERS- A marked and persistent fear of specific objects or situations that
is excessive or unreasonable
Anxiety or fear of some stimuli may be rational to an extent, but in the case of a specific phobia, the
anxiety and fear are in excess of what is typical
Causes of Specific Phobias -CORRECT ANSWERS- Classical conditioning
pairing a neutral stimulus with a traumatic event can lead to a conditioned fear response to the neutral
stimulus
e.g., Watson and Rayner conditioned Little Albert to fear white rats by pairing a loud noise (an
unconditioned stimulus) with a white rat (a conditioned stimulus)
Biological predispositions
Some phobias arise from fears that have an evolutionary survival value
fear of heights, fear of snakes, fear of darkness, etc.
These phobias tend to be more common
These phobias are harder to extinguish
Social Phobia -CORRECT ANSWERS- A marked and persistent fear of one or more social performance
situations in which there is exposure to unfamiliar people or scrutiny by others
e.g., a person may fear eating in public, rejecting all lunch and dinner invitations
e.g., a person may fear doing any activity in the presence of others, leading to the avoidance of social
situations
May be due to concerns about physical appearance
may lead to drastic measures to 'improve' it
, Generalized Anxiety Disorder -CORRECT ANSWERS- A disorder in which the person has excessive, global
anxiety and worry that he or she cannot control, for a period of at least 6 months
The anxiety is not tied to any specific object or situation (as it is in a phobic disorder)
Agoraphobia -CORRECT ANSWERS- A fear of being in places or situations from which escape might be
difficult or embarrassing
e.g., being in a crowd
e.g., standing in line
e.g., traveling in a crowded bus, train, airplane etc
e.g., traveling in a car in heavy traffic
To avoid such situations a person won't leave the security of his or her home
Panic Disorder -CORRECT ANSWERS- Person experiences recurrent, unexpected panic attacks with
overwhelming terror and feelings of unreality or depersonalization
may occur when faced with something that is dreaded, e.g., giving a speech.
may occur without any apparent reason
can occur with or without agoraphobia.
NOTE: Smokers have higher risk of panic disorders
The fear-of-fear hypothesis:
agoraphobia is the result of the fear of having a panic attack in public
agoraphobia is a case of classical conditioning in which the fear and avoidance response is a conditioned
response to the initial panic attack
Collectors -CORRECT ANSWERS- have a sense of pride about their possessions
experience joy in displaying and talking about them
keep their collection organized
feel satisfaction when adding to it
budget their time and money
Obsessive-Compulsive Related Disorders -CORRECT ANSWERS- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
EXAMS QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT
ANSWERS 2026 (A+)
Abnormal Psychology -CORRECT ANSWERS- The scientific study of behavioral disorders and their
treatment
Criteria for a Behavioral Disorder: Behavior (or thinking) that is atypical, maladaptive, irrational, and
causes emotional discomfort.
Atypical: the behavior is uncommon (i.e., a significant deviation from the average/majority)
Maladaptive: daily functioning is impaired
Irrational: the behavior is not governed by reason
Emotional discomfort: the behavior causes anxiety, distress, depression in the person (or in others)
a person who is emotionally content is rarely a concern to the mental health professional
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM 5) -CORRECT ANSWERS- Published in 2013 by the APA (American
Psychiatric Association)
The most widely used diagnostic system for disorders
Lists diagnostic criteria for about 300 disorders
Gives key clinical features
Gives background information (e.g., prevalence rates).
Health insurance companies typically require a DSM classification before they will cover a treatment
DSM 5 categories -CORRECT ANSWERS- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Schizophrenia Spectrum and Other Psychotic Disorders
Bipolar and Related Disorders
Depressive Disorders
Anxiety Disorders
Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders
,Trauma- and Stressor-Related Disorders
Dissociative Disorders
Somatic Symptom and Related Disorders
Feeding and Eating Disorders
Elimination Disorders
Sleep-Wake Disorders
Sexual Dysfunctions
Gender Dysphoria
Disruptive, Impulse-Control, and Conduct Disorders
Substance-Related and Addictive Disorders
Neurocognitive Disorders
Personality Disorders
Paraphilic Disorders
Other Mental Disorders
Anxiety: -CORRECT ANSWERS- generalized feeling of dread or apprehension typically accompanied by a
variety of physiological reactions
Increased heart rate
Sweating
Muscle tension
Dry mouth
About 12% of Americans have some kind of anxiety disorder
Anxiety Disorders -CORRECT ANSWERS- Separation Anxiety Disorder
Selective Mutism
Specific Phobia
Social Anxiety Disorder (Social Phobia)
Panic Disorder
Panic Attack
,Agoraphobia
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Substance/Medication-Induced Anxiety Disorder
Anxiety Disorder Due to Another Medical Condition
Other Specified Anxiety Disorder
Unspecified Anxiety Disorder
Specific Phobia -CORRECT ANSWERS- A marked and persistent fear of specific objects or situations that
is excessive or unreasonable
Anxiety or fear of some stimuli may be rational to an extent, but in the case of a specific phobia, the
anxiety and fear are in excess of what is typical
Causes of Specific Phobias -CORRECT ANSWERS- Classical conditioning
pairing a neutral stimulus with a traumatic event can lead to a conditioned fear response to the neutral
stimulus
e.g., Watson and Rayner conditioned Little Albert to fear white rats by pairing a loud noise (an
unconditioned stimulus) with a white rat (a conditioned stimulus)
Biological predispositions
Some phobias arise from fears that have an evolutionary survival value
fear of heights, fear of snakes, fear of darkness, etc.
These phobias tend to be more common
These phobias are harder to extinguish
Social Phobia -CORRECT ANSWERS- A marked and persistent fear of one or more social performance
situations in which there is exposure to unfamiliar people or scrutiny by others
e.g., a person may fear eating in public, rejecting all lunch and dinner invitations
e.g., a person may fear doing any activity in the presence of others, leading to the avoidance of social
situations
May be due to concerns about physical appearance
may lead to drastic measures to 'improve' it
, Generalized Anxiety Disorder -CORRECT ANSWERS- A disorder in which the person has excessive, global
anxiety and worry that he or she cannot control, for a period of at least 6 months
The anxiety is not tied to any specific object or situation (as it is in a phobic disorder)
Agoraphobia -CORRECT ANSWERS- A fear of being in places or situations from which escape might be
difficult or embarrassing
e.g., being in a crowd
e.g., standing in line
e.g., traveling in a crowded bus, train, airplane etc
e.g., traveling in a car in heavy traffic
To avoid such situations a person won't leave the security of his or her home
Panic Disorder -CORRECT ANSWERS- Person experiences recurrent, unexpected panic attacks with
overwhelming terror and feelings of unreality or depersonalization
may occur when faced with something that is dreaded, e.g., giving a speech.
may occur without any apparent reason
can occur with or without agoraphobia.
NOTE: Smokers have higher risk of panic disorders
The fear-of-fear hypothesis:
agoraphobia is the result of the fear of having a panic attack in public
agoraphobia is a case of classical conditioning in which the fear and avoidance response is a conditioned
response to the initial panic attack
Collectors -CORRECT ANSWERS- have a sense of pride about their possessions
experience joy in displaying and talking about them
keep their collection organized
feel satisfaction when adding to it
budget their time and money
Obsessive-Compulsive Related Disorders -CORRECT ANSWERS- Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
