AQA A-Level Psychopathology
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_evfjzo
1. Define statistical - The statistical infrequency definition of abnormality states that abnormal behav-
infrequency as a iour is behaviour that is very rare.
definition of ab- - Statistics are how we measure how common behaviours or traits are when
normality. measured in comparison to the rest of the population. The most common are
normal and the most uncommon ones are defined a abnormal.
2. Give an example IQ has a normal distribution, meaning the majority of scores will cluster around
of statistical in- the average; the further it's above or below the average, the fewer people will
frequency. attain that score.
Average IQ is set at 100.
- 68% of people have an IQ ranging from 85 to 115
- 2% have a score below 70, therefore, these individuals are abnormal and liable
to be diagnosed with intellectual disability disorder.
3. What are the - Presence of abnormal behaviour in people should be statistically unusual in
mathematical el- comparison to the rest of the population.
ements of sta- - The mathematical element of the definition is about the idea that human
tistical infrequen- attributes fall into a normal distribution within the population.
cy? - Anything that falls outside of +-2 standard deviations is likely to be judged as
abnormal.
4. Evaluate statisti- POINT: One strength of statistical infrequency is its real-life usefulness.
cal infrequency
as a definition of EVIDENCE/EXPLANATION: Statistical infrequency is used in clinical practice, both
abnormality (1): as part of formal diagnosis and as a way to assess the severity of an individual's
Real life applica- symptoms. For example a diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder requires an
tion 1Q of below 70 (bottom 2%). An example of statistical infrequency used in an
assessment tool is the Beck depression inventory (BDI). A score of 30+ (top 5% of
respondents) is widely interpreted as indicating severe depression.
EVALUATION: This shows that the value of the statistical infrequency criterion is
useful in diagnostic and assessment processes.
, AQA A-Level Psychopathology
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_evfjzo
5. Evaluate statisti- POINT: One limitation of statistical infrequency is that infrequent characteristics
cal infrequency can be positive as well as negative.
as a definition of
abnormality (2): EVIDENCE/EXPLANATION: For every person with an IQ below 70 there is another
Unusual charac- with an IQ above 130. Yet we would not think of someone as abnormal for having
teristics can be a high IQ. Similarly, we would not think of someone with a very low
positive: depression score on the BDI as abnormal. These examples show that being
unusual or at one end of a psychological spectrum does not necessarily make
someone abnormal.
EVALUATION: This means that, although statistical infrequency can form part of
assessment and diagnostic procedures, it is never sufficient as the sole basis for
defining abnormality.
6. Evaluate statisti- POINT: A weakness of this definition is that it can be criticised as being ethnocen-
cal infrequency tric.
as a definition of
abnormality (3): EVIDENCE: For example, cultures differ in terms of what they consider normal
Ethnocentrism behaviour. It would be very unusual for someone in Great Britain to take an
extended rest period during the working day; however, in other cultures this is
very common.
EVALUATION: This is a weakness because the definition cannot be applied/gen-
eralised to every culture and therefore in using this definition it may lead to some
individuals being inaccurately defined as being abnormal.
7. Evaluate statis- POINT: A further weakness is that the statistical approach definition requires a
tical infrequen- decision about the point at which a behaviour becomes statistically abnormal.
cy as a defini-
tion of abnormal- EVIDENCE: For example, it is not clear at which point energetic and excitable
ity (4): Unclear behaviour from a child becomes a 'problem' behaviour requiring specialist in-
definition tervention.
, AQA A-Level Psychopathology
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_evfjzo
EVALUATION: This is a problem as the definition is left open to criticism, such
apparent arbitrariness makes it difficult to accurately define abnormality.
8. Evaluate statis- Point - A major limitation of using statistical infrequency to define abnormality is
tical infrequen- that it can lead to cultural bias and misleading conclusions about certain groups.
cy as a defini- Evidence - Gould (1981) highlighted how early US intelligence tests ranked
tion of abnormal- European immigrants and African Americans below White Americans. This was
ity (4): ethnocen- due to the use of ethnocentric questions, such as assuming all test-takers would
tric testing know the US president. Since intelligence test scores were statistically compared,
non-White groups were incorrectly deemed less intelligent or less educated sim-
ply because the tests were designed with a White American cultural perspective.
Analysis - This demonstrates that statistical infrequency can be culturally relative
and may unfairly label certain populations as "abnormal" when, in reality, the
measurement tools themselves are biased. It also shows how defining abnormal-
ity purely based on numerical rarity can be problematic, as differences between
cultural groups may be due to external factors (e.g., education, exposure to certain
knowledge) rather than an inherent lack of intelligence or ability.
Link - Therefore, statistical infrequency as a definition of abnormality is flawed
because it does not account for cultural differences and can lead to discrimination,
misinterpretation, and unjustified stigmatization of minority groups.
9. Evaluate statisti- EXTRA - Benefits versus problems:
cal infrequency - Some unusual people benefit from being classed as abnormal. For example
as a definition of someone who has a very low IQ
abnormality (5): and is diagnosed with intellectual disability can then access support services or
Benefits vs Prob- someone with a very high IQ
lems score is likely to benefit from therapy.
- On the other hand, not all statistically unusual people benefit from labels.
Someone with a low IQ who can
cope with their chosen lifestyle would not benefit from a label. There is a social
stigma attached to such labels.
, AQA A-Level Psychopathology
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_evfjzo
10. Define devia- - Social norms are unwritten social expectations of behaviour that may differ from
tion from social one culture to the next.
norms as a def- - They often change over time and vary depending on the context, and if those
inition of abnor- social norms aren't followed, that person is deviating from it.
mality. - Therefore according to this definition, those who deviate from the society's'
expectations will be seen as abnormal 'social deviants'.
- An issue with this explanation of mental illness is that, as norms are a group
judgement on what is acceptable, certain behaviours in one culture that are
considered acceptable may be considered deviant in another culture (i.e.: homo-
sexuality, face/hair covering, queuing, chopsticks, public displays of emotions).
11. Give an exam- Example: Antisocial Personality Disorder(ASPD):
ple of deviat- - A person with antisocial personality disorder (psychopathy) is impulsive, aggres-
ing from social sive and irresponsible.
norms (ASPD) - According to the DSM-5 (the manual used by psychiatrists to diagnose mental
disorder) one important symptom of antisocial personality disorder is an 'absence
of prosocial internal standards associated with failure to conform to lawful and
culturally normative ethical behaviour.'
- In other words we are making the social judgement that psychopaths are
abnormal because they don't conform to our moral standards.
- Psychopathic behaviour would be considered
abnormal in a very wide range of cultures.
12. Evaluate devia- POINT: One strength of deviation from social norms is its usefulness as deviation
tion from so- from social norms is used in clinical practice.
cial norms as
a definition of EVIDENCE/EXPLANATION: For example, the key defining characteristic of antisocial
abnormality (1): personality disorder is the failure to conform to culturally acceptable ethical
Real-world appli- behaviour i.e. recklessness, aggression, violating the rights of others and deceit-
cation fulness. These signs of the disorder are all deviations from social norms. Such
norms also play a part in the diagnosis of schizotypal personality disorder, where
the term 'strange is used to characterise the thinking, behaviour and appearance
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_evfjzo
1. Define statistical - The statistical infrequency definition of abnormality states that abnormal behav-
infrequency as a iour is behaviour that is very rare.
definition of ab- - Statistics are how we measure how common behaviours or traits are when
normality. measured in comparison to the rest of the population. The most common are
normal and the most uncommon ones are defined a abnormal.
2. Give an example IQ has a normal distribution, meaning the majority of scores will cluster around
of statistical in- the average; the further it's above or below the average, the fewer people will
frequency. attain that score.
Average IQ is set at 100.
- 68% of people have an IQ ranging from 85 to 115
- 2% have a score below 70, therefore, these individuals are abnormal and liable
to be diagnosed with intellectual disability disorder.
3. What are the - Presence of abnormal behaviour in people should be statistically unusual in
mathematical el- comparison to the rest of the population.
ements of sta- - The mathematical element of the definition is about the idea that human
tistical infrequen- attributes fall into a normal distribution within the population.
cy? - Anything that falls outside of +-2 standard deviations is likely to be judged as
abnormal.
4. Evaluate statisti- POINT: One strength of statistical infrequency is its real-life usefulness.
cal infrequency
as a definition of EVIDENCE/EXPLANATION: Statistical infrequency is used in clinical practice, both
abnormality (1): as part of formal diagnosis and as a way to assess the severity of an individual's
Real life applica- symptoms. For example a diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder requires an
tion 1Q of below 70 (bottom 2%). An example of statistical infrequency used in an
assessment tool is the Beck depression inventory (BDI). A score of 30+ (top 5% of
respondents) is widely interpreted as indicating severe depression.
EVALUATION: This shows that the value of the statistical infrequency criterion is
useful in diagnostic and assessment processes.
, AQA A-Level Psychopathology
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_evfjzo
5. Evaluate statisti- POINT: One limitation of statistical infrequency is that infrequent characteristics
cal infrequency can be positive as well as negative.
as a definition of
abnormality (2): EVIDENCE/EXPLANATION: For every person with an IQ below 70 there is another
Unusual charac- with an IQ above 130. Yet we would not think of someone as abnormal for having
teristics can be a high IQ. Similarly, we would not think of someone with a very low
positive: depression score on the BDI as abnormal. These examples show that being
unusual or at one end of a psychological spectrum does not necessarily make
someone abnormal.
EVALUATION: This means that, although statistical infrequency can form part of
assessment and diagnostic procedures, it is never sufficient as the sole basis for
defining abnormality.
6. Evaluate statisti- POINT: A weakness of this definition is that it can be criticised as being ethnocen-
cal infrequency tric.
as a definition of
abnormality (3): EVIDENCE: For example, cultures differ in terms of what they consider normal
Ethnocentrism behaviour. It would be very unusual for someone in Great Britain to take an
extended rest period during the working day; however, in other cultures this is
very common.
EVALUATION: This is a weakness because the definition cannot be applied/gen-
eralised to every culture and therefore in using this definition it may lead to some
individuals being inaccurately defined as being abnormal.
7. Evaluate statis- POINT: A further weakness is that the statistical approach definition requires a
tical infrequen- decision about the point at which a behaviour becomes statistically abnormal.
cy as a defini-
tion of abnormal- EVIDENCE: For example, it is not clear at which point energetic and excitable
ity (4): Unclear behaviour from a child becomes a 'problem' behaviour requiring specialist in-
definition tervention.
, AQA A-Level Psychopathology
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_evfjzo
EVALUATION: This is a problem as the definition is left open to criticism, such
apparent arbitrariness makes it difficult to accurately define abnormality.
8. Evaluate statis- Point - A major limitation of using statistical infrequency to define abnormality is
tical infrequen- that it can lead to cultural bias and misleading conclusions about certain groups.
cy as a defini- Evidence - Gould (1981) highlighted how early US intelligence tests ranked
tion of abnormal- European immigrants and African Americans below White Americans. This was
ity (4): ethnocen- due to the use of ethnocentric questions, such as assuming all test-takers would
tric testing know the US president. Since intelligence test scores were statistically compared,
non-White groups were incorrectly deemed less intelligent or less educated sim-
ply because the tests were designed with a White American cultural perspective.
Analysis - This demonstrates that statistical infrequency can be culturally relative
and may unfairly label certain populations as "abnormal" when, in reality, the
measurement tools themselves are biased. It also shows how defining abnormal-
ity purely based on numerical rarity can be problematic, as differences between
cultural groups may be due to external factors (e.g., education, exposure to certain
knowledge) rather than an inherent lack of intelligence or ability.
Link - Therefore, statistical infrequency as a definition of abnormality is flawed
because it does not account for cultural differences and can lead to discrimination,
misinterpretation, and unjustified stigmatization of minority groups.
9. Evaluate statisti- EXTRA - Benefits versus problems:
cal infrequency - Some unusual people benefit from being classed as abnormal. For example
as a definition of someone who has a very low IQ
abnormality (5): and is diagnosed with intellectual disability can then access support services or
Benefits vs Prob- someone with a very high IQ
lems score is likely to benefit from therapy.
- On the other hand, not all statistically unusual people benefit from labels.
Someone with a low IQ who can
cope with their chosen lifestyle would not benefit from a label. There is a social
stigma attached to such labels.
, AQA A-Level Psychopathology
Study online at https://quizlet.com/_evfjzo
10. Define devia- - Social norms are unwritten social expectations of behaviour that may differ from
tion from social one culture to the next.
norms as a def- - They often change over time and vary depending on the context, and if those
inition of abnor- social norms aren't followed, that person is deviating from it.
mality. - Therefore according to this definition, those who deviate from the society's'
expectations will be seen as abnormal 'social deviants'.
- An issue with this explanation of mental illness is that, as norms are a group
judgement on what is acceptable, certain behaviours in one culture that are
considered acceptable may be considered deviant in another culture (i.e.: homo-
sexuality, face/hair covering, queuing, chopsticks, public displays of emotions).
11. Give an exam- Example: Antisocial Personality Disorder(ASPD):
ple of deviat- - A person with antisocial personality disorder (psychopathy) is impulsive, aggres-
ing from social sive and irresponsible.
norms (ASPD) - According to the DSM-5 (the manual used by psychiatrists to diagnose mental
disorder) one important symptom of antisocial personality disorder is an 'absence
of prosocial internal standards associated with failure to conform to lawful and
culturally normative ethical behaviour.'
- In other words we are making the social judgement that psychopaths are
abnormal because they don't conform to our moral standards.
- Psychopathic behaviour would be considered
abnormal in a very wide range of cultures.
12. Evaluate devia- POINT: One strength of deviation from social norms is its usefulness as deviation
tion from so- from social norms is used in clinical practice.
cial norms as
a definition of EVIDENCE/EXPLANATION: For example, the key defining characteristic of antisocial
abnormality (1): personality disorder is the failure to conform to culturally acceptable ethical
Real-world appli- behaviour i.e. recklessness, aggression, violating the rights of others and deceit-
cation fulness. These signs of the disorder are all deviations from social norms. Such
norms also play a part in the diagnosis of schizotypal personality disorder, where
the term 'strange is used to characterise the thinking, behaviour and appearance
