Introduction to Abnormal Child and Adolescent Psychology Exam Questions and Answers Latest
Update 2025
APA Ethics Code - Answers A common set of principles and standards upon which psychologists build
their professional and scientific work
Assent - Answers Agreement to participate in treatment or research provided by a person who is unable
to give consent because of their age or cognitive ability
Categorical Classification - Answers Diagnostic approach in which disorders are divided into mutually
exclusive groups based on sets of essential characteristics
Comorbidity - Answers The presentation of two or more disorders in the same person at the same time
Competence - Answers The education, training, and professional experience mental health professionals
use to deliver evidence-based services; professionals must practice between these boundaries
Confidentially - Answers The expectation that information that children and families provide during the
course of treatment will not be disclosed to others without their consent
Consent - Answers A person's informed and free decision to participate in treatment
Culture - Answers Values, knowledge, and practices that people derive from membership in social
groups
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) - Answers A compendium of mental
disorders and diagnostic criteria adopted by the American Psychiatric Association and used by most
mental health professionals in the United States
Diagnostic Specifier - Answers A label that describes a relatively homogeneous subgroups of individuals
within a given disorder
Dimensional Classification - Answers Diagnostic approach in which the severity of the individual's
distress and/or impairment is described on a continuum
Ethical Principles - Answers Broad ideals or aspirational goals for the professional practice of psychology
Ethical Standards - Answers Specific rules that guide professional practice in psychology
Ethics - Answers Principles and standards of a profession that ensure high-quality care and protect the
right and dignity of others
Ethnicity - Answers A culturally constructed identity that is used to define groups of people and
communities; it can be rooted in a common history, geographic location, language, religion, or shared
experiences that distinguishes that person or group from others
, Evidence-based Practice - Answers The integration of empirical research with clinical expertise to help
children and families in the context of their characteristics, culture, and preferences
Evidence-based Treatment - Answers Psychotherapies and medications that have been shown in well-
designed research studies to reduce children's symptoms and improve their functioning
Harmful Dysfunction - Answers A definition of abnormal behavior characterized by
1. A failure of some internal mechanism to perform a function for which it was naturally selected
2. The failure causes harm
Incidence - Answers The percentage of new cases of a disorder in a discrete period of time, usually one
year
Mental Disorders - Answers "a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an
individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological,
biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning" (DSM-5)
Multiple Relationships - Answers Occurs when a therapist, who is in a professional role with a client,
enters into another relationship with the same individual or a person closely associated with that
individual; it can impair the objectivity and quality of care
Prevalence - Answers The percentage of individuals in a given population who have a medical condition
or psychological condition
Prototypical Classification - Answers Diagnostic approach that is based on the degree to which the
individual's signs and symptoms map onto the ideal picture of the disorder
Psychotropic Medication - Answers Prescription drug used to treat psychological disorders, anxiety,
depression, and schizophrenia
Race - Answers A culturally constructed category that can be used to divide people into groups base on
their superficial physical traits
Research Domain Criteria Initiative - Answers A program supported by NIMH to create a new system of
classifying mental disorders based on underlying genetics and biological causes
Sign - Answers An observable feature of a disorder
Socioeconomic Status (SES) - Answers A composite variable that reflects three aspects of a child's
environment:
1. Parent's level of education
2. Parent's employment
3. Family Income
Update 2025
APA Ethics Code - Answers A common set of principles and standards upon which psychologists build
their professional and scientific work
Assent - Answers Agreement to participate in treatment or research provided by a person who is unable
to give consent because of their age or cognitive ability
Categorical Classification - Answers Diagnostic approach in which disorders are divided into mutually
exclusive groups based on sets of essential characteristics
Comorbidity - Answers The presentation of two or more disorders in the same person at the same time
Competence - Answers The education, training, and professional experience mental health professionals
use to deliver evidence-based services; professionals must practice between these boundaries
Confidentially - Answers The expectation that information that children and families provide during the
course of treatment will not be disclosed to others without their consent
Consent - Answers A person's informed and free decision to participate in treatment
Culture - Answers Values, knowledge, and practices that people derive from membership in social
groups
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) - Answers A compendium of mental
disorders and diagnostic criteria adopted by the American Psychiatric Association and used by most
mental health professionals in the United States
Diagnostic Specifier - Answers A label that describes a relatively homogeneous subgroups of individuals
within a given disorder
Dimensional Classification - Answers Diagnostic approach in which the severity of the individual's
distress and/or impairment is described on a continuum
Ethical Principles - Answers Broad ideals or aspirational goals for the professional practice of psychology
Ethical Standards - Answers Specific rules that guide professional practice in psychology
Ethics - Answers Principles and standards of a profession that ensure high-quality care and protect the
right and dignity of others
Ethnicity - Answers A culturally constructed identity that is used to define groups of people and
communities; it can be rooted in a common history, geographic location, language, religion, or shared
experiences that distinguishes that person or group from others
, Evidence-based Practice - Answers The integration of empirical research with clinical expertise to help
children and families in the context of their characteristics, culture, and preferences
Evidence-based Treatment - Answers Psychotherapies and medications that have been shown in well-
designed research studies to reduce children's symptoms and improve their functioning
Harmful Dysfunction - Answers A definition of abnormal behavior characterized by
1. A failure of some internal mechanism to perform a function for which it was naturally selected
2. The failure causes harm
Incidence - Answers The percentage of new cases of a disorder in a discrete period of time, usually one
year
Mental Disorders - Answers "a syndrome characterized by clinically significant disturbance in an
individual's cognition, emotion regulation, or behavior that reflects a dysfunction in the psychological,
biological, or developmental processes underlying mental functioning" (DSM-5)
Multiple Relationships - Answers Occurs when a therapist, who is in a professional role with a client,
enters into another relationship with the same individual or a person closely associated with that
individual; it can impair the objectivity and quality of care
Prevalence - Answers The percentage of individuals in a given population who have a medical condition
or psychological condition
Prototypical Classification - Answers Diagnostic approach that is based on the degree to which the
individual's signs and symptoms map onto the ideal picture of the disorder
Psychotropic Medication - Answers Prescription drug used to treat psychological disorders, anxiety,
depression, and schizophrenia
Race - Answers A culturally constructed category that can be used to divide people into groups base on
their superficial physical traits
Research Domain Criteria Initiative - Answers A program supported by NIMH to create a new system of
classifying mental disorders based on underlying genetics and biological causes
Sign - Answers An observable feature of a disorder
Socioeconomic Status (SES) - Answers A composite variable that reflects three aspects of a child's
environment:
1. Parent's level of education
2. Parent's employment
3. Family Income
