Abnormal Psychology Final Exam
abnormal behavior 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 The scientific study of abnormal behavior in order to describe, predict, explain,
and ultimately change abnormal patterns of functioning.
acute stress disorder 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 Physical dependence on a substance marked by tolerance, withdrawal
symptoms during abstinence, or both.
affect A subjective feeling of emotion or mood often accompanied by bodily
expressions noticeable to others.
age of onset Person's age when he or she develops or exhibits symptoms of a disorder.
agnosia Inability to recognize and name objects; may be a symptom of dementia or other
brain disorders.
agoraphobia 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 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 In dissociative identity disorder, the additional identities along with the host
identity. Also known as subpersonalities.
American Law Institute (ALI) test (1955) 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 Organic disorders in which the primary symptom is memory loss.
anhedonia Inability to experience pleasure, associated with some mood and schizophrenic
disorders.
anorexia nervosa Eating disorder characterized by continual food refusal and the pursuit of
extreme thinness, leading to dangerously low body weight.
antisocial personality disorder 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 Mood state characterized by marked negative affect, behaviors, and bodily
symptoms of tension in which a person apprehensively anticipates future danger
or misfortune.
, Abnormal Psychology Final Exam
anxiety disorders 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 Impairment or loss of language skills resulting from brain damage caused by
stroke, Alzheimer's disease, or other illness or trauma.
apraxia Loss of motor activities (such as walking); one of the symptoms of dementia.
Asperger's disorder 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) Developmental disorder in which persons are unable to focus their attention, they
behave hyperactively or impulsively, or both.
auditory hallucinations 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.
attributional style 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.
autistic disorder (autism) 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 A personality disorder featuring a pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of
inadequacy, and extremely sensitive to criticism.
avolition A symptom of schizophrenia marked by apathy, and an inability to initiate or
complete important activities.
behavior therapy 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 Interdisciplinary approach applying behavioral science to the prevention,
diagnosis, and treatment of medical problems.
behaviorism 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 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 Explanation of psychological dysfunction that primarily emphasizes biological
process in the brain or illness as the cause.
biopsychosocial model 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.
, Abnormal Psychology Final Exam
bipolar I disorder Mood disorder characterized by the alternation of major depressive episodes
with full manic episodes.
bipolar II disorder Mood disorder characterized by the alternation of major depressive episodes
with hypomanic (not full manic) episodes.
body dysmorphic disorder A somatoform disorder marked by preoccupation with an imagined or
exaggerated defect in appearance, for example, facial blemishes, size or shape
of nose or ears.
borderline personality disorder A personality disorder involving a pervasive pattern of erratic moods, unstable
self-image and relationships, cannot stand to be alone; intense anger,
depression, and extremely impulsive behavior, including self-mutilation.
brief psychotic disorder Psychotic disorder involving delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech
and behavior, that appear suddenly after a very stressful event and last
anywhere from a few hours to 1 month.
bulimia nervosa Eating disorder involving recurrent episodes of uncontrolled excessive (binge)
eating followed by compensatory actions to remove the food (e.g., deliberate
vomiting, laxative abuse, excessive exercise).
anorexia nervosa, binge-eating-purging type A variation of anorexia in which the individual turns to bingeing and then goes on
(bulimarexia) to vomiting or other purging as a way of keeping weight at very low levels.
catatonia A pattern of extreme psychomotor symptoms sometimes found in schizophrenia
involving immobility, posturing, or excited agitation.
categorical classification A system of placing disorders in categories with the assumption that each
disorder is clearly different from every other disorder (an "all-or-none" approach).
Based on the medical model in which every diagnosis has a distinct set of
characteristics and underlying cause. Compare to dimensional classification.
childhood disintegrative disorder Pervasive developmental disorder involving severe regression in language,
adaptive behavior, and motor skills after a 2- to 4-year period of normal
development.
civil commitment Legal proceedings that determine whether a person is mentally disordered and
may be hospitalized, even involuntarily.
clang A rhyme used by some persons with schizophrenia as a guide to forming
thoughts and statements.
clinical assessment / clinical interview Systematic evaluation and measurement of psychological, biological, and social
factors in a person presenting with a possible psychological disorder.
clinical psychology The specialty of psychology involving research, assessment, treatment, and
prevention of abnormal behavior.
cognition The process of knowing; the thinking, remembering, judging, reasoning, and
planning activities of the human mind. Behavior is often explained as depending
on these processes.
cognitive-behavioral paradigm The model of human behavior that people can best be understood by studying
how they perceive and structure their experiences and how this influences
behavior.
abnormal behavior 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 The scientific study of abnormal behavior in order to describe, predict, explain,
and ultimately change abnormal patterns of functioning.
acute stress disorder 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 Physical dependence on a substance marked by tolerance, withdrawal
symptoms during abstinence, or both.
affect A subjective feeling of emotion or mood often accompanied by bodily
expressions noticeable to others.
age of onset Person's age when he or she develops or exhibits symptoms of a disorder.
agnosia Inability to recognize and name objects; may be a symptom of dementia or other
brain disorders.
agoraphobia 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 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 In dissociative identity disorder, the additional identities along with the host
identity. Also known as subpersonalities.
American Law Institute (ALI) test (1955) 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 Organic disorders in which the primary symptom is memory loss.
anhedonia Inability to experience pleasure, associated with some mood and schizophrenic
disorders.
anorexia nervosa Eating disorder characterized by continual food refusal and the pursuit of
extreme thinness, leading to dangerously low body weight.
antisocial personality disorder 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 Mood state characterized by marked negative affect, behaviors, and bodily
symptoms of tension in which a person apprehensively anticipates future danger
or misfortune.
, Abnormal Psychology Final Exam
anxiety disorders 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 Impairment or loss of language skills resulting from brain damage caused by
stroke, Alzheimer's disease, or other illness or trauma.
apraxia Loss of motor activities (such as walking); one of the symptoms of dementia.
Asperger's disorder 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) Developmental disorder in which persons are unable to focus their attention, they
behave hyperactively or impulsively, or both.
auditory hallucinations 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.
attributional style 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.
autistic disorder (autism) 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 A personality disorder featuring a pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of
inadequacy, and extremely sensitive to criticism.
avolition A symptom of schizophrenia marked by apathy, and an inability to initiate or
complete important activities.
behavior therapy 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 Interdisciplinary approach applying behavioral science to the prevention,
diagnosis, and treatment of medical problems.
behaviorism 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 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 Explanation of psychological dysfunction that primarily emphasizes biological
process in the brain or illness as the cause.
biopsychosocial model 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.
, Abnormal Psychology Final Exam
bipolar I disorder Mood disorder characterized by the alternation of major depressive episodes
with full manic episodes.
bipolar II disorder Mood disorder characterized by the alternation of major depressive episodes
with hypomanic (not full manic) episodes.
body dysmorphic disorder A somatoform disorder marked by preoccupation with an imagined or
exaggerated defect in appearance, for example, facial blemishes, size or shape
of nose or ears.
borderline personality disorder A personality disorder involving a pervasive pattern of erratic moods, unstable
self-image and relationships, cannot stand to be alone; intense anger,
depression, and extremely impulsive behavior, including self-mutilation.
brief psychotic disorder Psychotic disorder involving delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech
and behavior, that appear suddenly after a very stressful event and last
anywhere from a few hours to 1 month.
bulimia nervosa Eating disorder involving recurrent episodes of uncontrolled excessive (binge)
eating followed by compensatory actions to remove the food (e.g., deliberate
vomiting, laxative abuse, excessive exercise).
anorexia nervosa, binge-eating-purging type A variation of anorexia in which the individual turns to bingeing and then goes on
(bulimarexia) to vomiting or other purging as a way of keeping weight at very low levels.
catatonia A pattern of extreme psychomotor symptoms sometimes found in schizophrenia
involving immobility, posturing, or excited agitation.
categorical classification A system of placing disorders in categories with the assumption that each
disorder is clearly different from every other disorder (an "all-or-none" approach).
Based on the medical model in which every diagnosis has a distinct set of
characteristics and underlying cause. Compare to dimensional classification.
childhood disintegrative disorder Pervasive developmental disorder involving severe regression in language,
adaptive behavior, and motor skills after a 2- to 4-year period of normal
development.
civil commitment Legal proceedings that determine whether a person is mentally disordered and
may be hospitalized, even involuntarily.
clang A rhyme used by some persons with schizophrenia as a guide to forming
thoughts and statements.
clinical assessment / clinical interview Systematic evaluation and measurement of psychological, biological, and social
factors in a person presenting with a possible psychological disorder.
clinical psychology The specialty of psychology involving research, assessment, treatment, and
prevention of abnormal behavior.
cognition The process of knowing; the thinking, remembering, judging, reasoning, and
planning activities of the human mind. Behavior is often explained as depending
on these processes.
cognitive-behavioral paradigm The model of human behavior that people can best be understood by studying
how they perceive and structure their experiences and how this influences
behavior.
