PSYC 435 STUDY GUIDE EVALUATION QUESTIONS WITH ANSWERS
2025/2026
Damage to many brain structures, for example, the hippocampus (responsible for
memory formation and a number of other important functions) or the frontal lobe
(responsible for personality, impulse control etc) has been implicated in a number of
mental disorders.
Discuss the substantive contributions of the psychosocial factors of deviant cognitions
(schemas and self-schemas), early deprivation or trauma (e.g., parental deprivation,
institutionalization, abuse, etc.), inadequate parenting and pathogenic family structures,
and problems with peer relationships. - Schemas are underlying reprisentations of
knowledge that guide the current processing of information and often lead to distortions
in attention, learning, and comprehension. We hold on to schemas, even incorrect ones,
somewhat rigidly, partly because we are not completely conscious of them.
Accommodation is the changing of schemas to incorporate new and sometimes
challenging information & is a basic goal of psychotherapies. Different forms of
psychopathology are characterized by different maladytive schemas that have
developed as a result of early adverse learning experiences, which lead to distortions of
thinking characteristic of anxiety, depression, and personality disorders.
Early childhood deprivation, institutionalization, and abuse are strongly associated with
psychopathologgy and poor outcomes and substantial impairments in funnctioning. This
children are more likely to develop atypical styles of attachment (most often
disorganized & disoriented style). Results: negative schemas, lack of reinforcement for
positive behaviors. Protective factors such as high IQ, talents, positive school
experiences, and/or attractiveness can mediate some of these negative effects.
Parental psychopathology can be a source of serious life stressors and cause many of
the same problems to be passed to the next generation. These stressors make the
struggles & challenges of social situations and the angling for status recessary in school
relationships difficult, often leading to either withdrawal or aggressive behaviors.
Describe the basic elements of clinical assessment, including: a) its nature and
purpose, b) the relationship between diagnosis and assessment, c) the types of
information sought, and d) the different types of data of interest. - The nature and
purpose of clinical assessment: The presenting problem must be identified (major
symptoms or behaviour that the client is exhibiting. We must ask if the problem is
situational or chronic or both; is there evidence of recent deterioration in cognitive
functioning, what is the duration of current complaint, how is the person dealing with the
problem (previously sought help/self-defeating behavior/using resources wisely); how
pervasively has the problem affected the person's performance of important social roles;
does behaviour fit diagnostic criteria?
Relationship between diagnosis and assessment: clinically, knowledge of a person's
disorder type can help in planning and managing appropriate treatment.
,Administratively, it is essential to know the needs of the client population and for which
treatment facilities need to be available; also necessary for insurance coverage
Adequate assessment is more than just a label, but also takes into account objective
information about 1. Behaviour: how the client objectively responds to people, excesses
or deficits in behavior, quality of social skills. 2. Personality factors: deviant response
patterns, traits that lead to maladaptive behaviours, overly enmeshing personality to
point of losing identity, inability to empathize/accept help, capable of accepting affection.
3. Social context: environmental demands, socioeconomic/cultural status
Describe the influence of professional orientation on the assessment process. - Method
of assessment and treatment orientation is largely dependent on the clinician's
background and expertise.
Psychiatrists or medical practitioners are likely to focus on biological assessment
methods aimed at determining any underlying organic malfunctioning.
Psychodynamic or psychoanalytic oriented clinicians are likely to use unstructured
personality assessment techniques such as the Rorschach inkblots or Thematic
Apperception Test to identify intrapsychic conflicts, or just proceed with therapy
expecting conflicts to emerge naturally as part of the process.
Behavioralists will attempt to determine the functional relationships between
environmental events, learning experiences, and reinforcements/punishments and the
abnormal behaviour, and will rely on such techniques such as behavioural observation
and self-monitoring.
Cognitive-behaviourists would shift to the dysfunctional thoughts supposedly mediating
these behavioural patterns
Describe the major intelligence tests. - For children, the Wechleser Intelligence Scale
for Children (WISC-IV) and the current edition of the Stanford-Beinet Intelligence Scare
are most widely used. For adults, the Wechleser Adult Intelligence Scale - Revised
(WAIS-IV) is most commonly used.
These IQ tests take 2-3 hours to administer, interpret and score (thus are not used
extremely often in clinical settings), and include both verbal and performance material
consisting of 15 subsets. 2 of them are:
Vocabulary (verbal) - consists of a list of words that are presented orally to an individual.
This task is designed to evaluate knowledge of vocabulary, which is highly related to
General Intelligence
Digit Span (performance) - A sequence of numbers is given orally. The client is then
asked to repeat numbers in order, or to recite them backwards.
Summarize the process of integrating assessment data into a model for use in planning
or changing treatment. - The Process of Integrating Assessment Data:
Private practice clinicians complete this complex task alone, whereas in a clinic or
hospital setting, usually a team of professionals (ie, psychologist, psychiatrist, social
worker) put together data and see if there is a consensus or whether more information
is needed to fill gaps or clarify indescrepancies.
A tentative diagnostic classification for the patient may be proposed.
, Recommendations from each member of the team are entered into permanent case
record so there is data on why certain therapeutic routes were taken, how accurate
initial assessment was, and how valid the treatment decision turned out to be
New data is collected during course of therapy, providing feedback on effectiveness and
serve as a basis for modifications to the current treatment protocol
Explain the ethical issues involved in assessment. - Decisions made on basis of
assessment data can have far reaching consequences, so careful consideration of
biases and probabiliteis is extremely important.
Potential cultural biases of the instrument or clinician: Important to ensure tests are
applicable to minority groups and that possible prejudices of system and of clinician are
analyzed
Theoretical orientation of the clinician: Different schools have different means of
assessment and treatment protocol, some more effective for certain
disorders/individuals than others.
Underemphasis of external environment in Evaluation
Insufficient validation: Some widespread observational and behavioral procedures (in
particular) have not been subject to strict psychometric evaluation
Innaccurate data or premature evaluation: some risk is always involved in making
diagnositic and treatment decisions; misunderstandings can have grave consequences,
for example I someone is given a serious diagnosis.
Describe the differing models of classification. - There are three basic approaches to
classifying abnormal behavior: The categorical, the prototypal, and the dimensional.
Categorical: Like the diagnostic system of general medical diseases, assumes that
1. All human behaviour can be divided into either 'healthy' or 'disordered' categories.
2. That within disordered behavior, there exists discrete, nonoverlapping classes or
types of disorder that have a high degree of within group homogeneity in both
symptoms displayed and the underlying organization of the disorder identified. (the
dimensional and prototypal approaches differ fundamentally on this point in particular)
Dimensional approach:
Assumed that a person's typical behaviour is product of differing strengths and
intensities of behaviour along several different dimensions, such as : mood, emotional
stability, aggressiveness, gender-identity, anxiousness, trust, clarity of thinking, etc.
People are assumed to differ in their configuration
Normal is discriminated from abnormal in terms of precise statistical criteria
Therapies intend to moderate excessive tendencies and enhance those in deficit
Prototypal Approach:
2025/2026
Damage to many brain structures, for example, the hippocampus (responsible for
memory formation and a number of other important functions) or the frontal lobe
(responsible for personality, impulse control etc) has been implicated in a number of
mental disorders.
Discuss the substantive contributions of the psychosocial factors of deviant cognitions
(schemas and self-schemas), early deprivation or trauma (e.g., parental deprivation,
institutionalization, abuse, etc.), inadequate parenting and pathogenic family structures,
and problems with peer relationships. - Schemas are underlying reprisentations of
knowledge that guide the current processing of information and often lead to distortions
in attention, learning, and comprehension. We hold on to schemas, even incorrect ones,
somewhat rigidly, partly because we are not completely conscious of them.
Accommodation is the changing of schemas to incorporate new and sometimes
challenging information & is a basic goal of psychotherapies. Different forms of
psychopathology are characterized by different maladytive schemas that have
developed as a result of early adverse learning experiences, which lead to distortions of
thinking characteristic of anxiety, depression, and personality disorders.
Early childhood deprivation, institutionalization, and abuse are strongly associated with
psychopathologgy and poor outcomes and substantial impairments in funnctioning. This
children are more likely to develop atypical styles of attachment (most often
disorganized & disoriented style). Results: negative schemas, lack of reinforcement for
positive behaviors. Protective factors such as high IQ, talents, positive school
experiences, and/or attractiveness can mediate some of these negative effects.
Parental psychopathology can be a source of serious life stressors and cause many of
the same problems to be passed to the next generation. These stressors make the
struggles & challenges of social situations and the angling for status recessary in school
relationships difficult, often leading to either withdrawal or aggressive behaviors.
Describe the basic elements of clinical assessment, including: a) its nature and
purpose, b) the relationship between diagnosis and assessment, c) the types of
information sought, and d) the different types of data of interest. - The nature and
purpose of clinical assessment: The presenting problem must be identified (major
symptoms or behaviour that the client is exhibiting. We must ask if the problem is
situational or chronic or both; is there evidence of recent deterioration in cognitive
functioning, what is the duration of current complaint, how is the person dealing with the
problem (previously sought help/self-defeating behavior/using resources wisely); how
pervasively has the problem affected the person's performance of important social roles;
does behaviour fit diagnostic criteria?
Relationship between diagnosis and assessment: clinically, knowledge of a person's
disorder type can help in planning and managing appropriate treatment.
,Administratively, it is essential to know the needs of the client population and for which
treatment facilities need to be available; also necessary for insurance coverage
Adequate assessment is more than just a label, but also takes into account objective
information about 1. Behaviour: how the client objectively responds to people, excesses
or deficits in behavior, quality of social skills. 2. Personality factors: deviant response
patterns, traits that lead to maladaptive behaviours, overly enmeshing personality to
point of losing identity, inability to empathize/accept help, capable of accepting affection.
3. Social context: environmental demands, socioeconomic/cultural status
Describe the influence of professional orientation on the assessment process. - Method
of assessment and treatment orientation is largely dependent on the clinician's
background and expertise.
Psychiatrists or medical practitioners are likely to focus on biological assessment
methods aimed at determining any underlying organic malfunctioning.
Psychodynamic or psychoanalytic oriented clinicians are likely to use unstructured
personality assessment techniques such as the Rorschach inkblots or Thematic
Apperception Test to identify intrapsychic conflicts, or just proceed with therapy
expecting conflicts to emerge naturally as part of the process.
Behavioralists will attempt to determine the functional relationships between
environmental events, learning experiences, and reinforcements/punishments and the
abnormal behaviour, and will rely on such techniques such as behavioural observation
and self-monitoring.
Cognitive-behaviourists would shift to the dysfunctional thoughts supposedly mediating
these behavioural patterns
Describe the major intelligence tests. - For children, the Wechleser Intelligence Scale
for Children (WISC-IV) and the current edition of the Stanford-Beinet Intelligence Scare
are most widely used. For adults, the Wechleser Adult Intelligence Scale - Revised
(WAIS-IV) is most commonly used.
These IQ tests take 2-3 hours to administer, interpret and score (thus are not used
extremely often in clinical settings), and include both verbal and performance material
consisting of 15 subsets. 2 of them are:
Vocabulary (verbal) - consists of a list of words that are presented orally to an individual.
This task is designed to evaluate knowledge of vocabulary, which is highly related to
General Intelligence
Digit Span (performance) - A sequence of numbers is given orally. The client is then
asked to repeat numbers in order, or to recite them backwards.
Summarize the process of integrating assessment data into a model for use in planning
or changing treatment. - The Process of Integrating Assessment Data:
Private practice clinicians complete this complex task alone, whereas in a clinic or
hospital setting, usually a team of professionals (ie, psychologist, psychiatrist, social
worker) put together data and see if there is a consensus or whether more information
is needed to fill gaps or clarify indescrepancies.
A tentative diagnostic classification for the patient may be proposed.
, Recommendations from each member of the team are entered into permanent case
record so there is data on why certain therapeutic routes were taken, how accurate
initial assessment was, and how valid the treatment decision turned out to be
New data is collected during course of therapy, providing feedback on effectiveness and
serve as a basis for modifications to the current treatment protocol
Explain the ethical issues involved in assessment. - Decisions made on basis of
assessment data can have far reaching consequences, so careful consideration of
biases and probabiliteis is extremely important.
Potential cultural biases of the instrument or clinician: Important to ensure tests are
applicable to minority groups and that possible prejudices of system and of clinician are
analyzed
Theoretical orientation of the clinician: Different schools have different means of
assessment and treatment protocol, some more effective for certain
disorders/individuals than others.
Underemphasis of external environment in Evaluation
Insufficient validation: Some widespread observational and behavioral procedures (in
particular) have not been subject to strict psychometric evaluation
Innaccurate data or premature evaluation: some risk is always involved in making
diagnositic and treatment decisions; misunderstandings can have grave consequences,
for example I someone is given a serious diagnosis.
Describe the differing models of classification. - There are three basic approaches to
classifying abnormal behavior: The categorical, the prototypal, and the dimensional.
Categorical: Like the diagnostic system of general medical diseases, assumes that
1. All human behaviour can be divided into either 'healthy' or 'disordered' categories.
2. That within disordered behavior, there exists discrete, nonoverlapping classes or
types of disorder that have a high degree of within group homogeneity in both
symptoms displayed and the underlying organization of the disorder identified. (the
dimensional and prototypal approaches differ fundamentally on this point in particular)
Dimensional approach:
Assumed that a person's typical behaviour is product of differing strengths and
intensities of behaviour along several different dimensions, such as : mood, emotional
stability, aggressiveness, gender-identity, anxiousness, trust, clarity of thinking, etc.
People are assumed to differ in their configuration
Normal is discriminated from abnormal in terms of precise statistical criteria
Therapies intend to moderate excessive tendencies and enhance those in deficit
Prototypal Approach:
