PSYC 2490 Final Exam Question and
answers 100% correct 2025
1. Your housemate has been overly concerned with keeping the kitchen clean.
In fact, he scrubs the sinks and counters for half an hour each time someone
puts something on them. In order to determine his diagnosis, a practitioner in
North America would most likely consult the
A) American Medical Association's Treatment Manual (AMA-TM).
B) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5)
C) International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health
Problems (ICD-10).
D) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, sixth edition (DSM-
6).
E) The North American Guide to Psychiatric Disorders (NAPD-IV). - correct
answers B
2. Psychopathology refers to
A) the same disorder as psychopathy.
B) disorders of the brain.
C) a physical cause to psychological problems.
D) only severe psychological disorders.
E) the study of the nature of psychological problems. - correct answers E
3. According to the text, behaviour, speech or thought that impairs a person's
ability to function in a way that is generally expected of them in the context
where the unusual functioning is occurring corresponds best to which of the
following concepts?
A) mental illness
B) mental problem
,C) brain pathology
D) psychological abnormality
E) psychological disorder - correct answers D
4. According to Wakefield, a behaviour can be considered disordered when:
A) there is evidence of failure in a designed function and a judgment that the
design failure is harming the person.
B) there is evidence of failure in a designed function and evidence of
significant personal distress.
C) there is evidence of a failure in a designed function.
D) the behaviour shows strong statistical deviation from an established norm.
- correct answers A
5. Abnormal behaviour has been defined as behaviour that occurs
infrequently. Which of the following examples illustrates a problem with this
definition?
A) People with IQs below 70 are considered to have abnormal intellectual
functioning.
B) Most people get depressed from time to time.
C) Mathematical geniuses are considered rare in the population.
D) Children often believe in the existence of monsters.
E) Anxiety disorders are relatively rare in a given population. - correct answers
C
6. Dr. Smith is working with a client who has to arrange and rearrange her
food on her plate after each bite. Although her client does not find this
behaviour strange, other people find it odd. The definition of abnormality
applicable to this client is
A) statistically unusual behaviour.
,B) violating the norms of society.
C) distress to self and others.
D) personal dysfunction.
E) expert diagnosis. - correct answers B
7. Perhaps the biggest problem with using inappropriate behaviour as a
criterion for abnormal behaviour is
A) what is considered appropriate differs across time and location.
B) people with mental illnesses are usually not dangerous.
C) social norms tend to be constant over time.
D) inappropriate behaviour is often the norm in North American culture.
E) killers and murderers are generally sane. - correct answers A
8. The authors discuss the Violation of Cultural Norms criterion as:
A) an essential and sufficient component in defining psychological abnormality
B) a necessary but not sufficient component of defining abnormality
C) a consideration that will often be relevant to defining abnormality
D) distinct from considerations of psychological abnormality
E) a distraction from considerations of abnormality - correct answers C
9. Which one of the following combinations of principles has been used to
define abnormality?
A) diagnosis by an expert, presence of personal distress, evidence of poor
emotional control
B) presence of personal distress, delinquent activity, poor emotional control
C) violation of norms, abnormal intellectual functioning, presence of personal
distress
, D) infrequency, presence of personal distress, impaired functioning
E) psychiatric diagnosis, harmful dysfunction, abnormal intellectual functioning
- correct answers D
10. Which is the most sensible way to logically combine the criteria used to
define psychological abnormality?
A) [infrequency OR personal distress] AND impaired functioning
B) [infrequency OR impaired functioning] AND personal distress
C) infrequency AND [personal distress OR impaired functioning]
D) infrequency AND personal distress AND impaired functioning
E) infrequency OR personal distress OR impaired functioning - correct
answers C
11. Changes in the way that abnormality has been viewed over time has
resulted in
A) a clear understanding of the etiology of all mental disorders.
B) effective treatments for all disorders.
C) fewer diagnostic categories.
D) high reliability of all diagnoses.
E) a shift from supernatural to natural causes in explaining disorders. - correct
answers E
12. If you lived in a society that explained changes in the weather as being
influenced by the gods, you would likely view madness as being caused by
A) schizophrenia.
B) demon possession.
C) brain dysfunction.
D) weakness of character.
answers 100% correct 2025
1. Your housemate has been overly concerned with keeping the kitchen clean.
In fact, he scrubs the sinks and counters for half an hour each time someone
puts something on them. In order to determine his diagnosis, a practitioner in
North America would most likely consult the
A) American Medical Association's Treatment Manual (AMA-TM).
B) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fifth edition (DSM-5)
C) International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health
Problems (ICD-10).
D) Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, sixth edition (DSM-
6).
E) The North American Guide to Psychiatric Disorders (NAPD-IV). - correct
answers B
2. Psychopathology refers to
A) the same disorder as psychopathy.
B) disorders of the brain.
C) a physical cause to psychological problems.
D) only severe psychological disorders.
E) the study of the nature of psychological problems. - correct answers E
3. According to the text, behaviour, speech or thought that impairs a person's
ability to function in a way that is generally expected of them in the context
where the unusual functioning is occurring corresponds best to which of the
following concepts?
A) mental illness
B) mental problem
,C) brain pathology
D) psychological abnormality
E) psychological disorder - correct answers D
4. According to Wakefield, a behaviour can be considered disordered when:
A) there is evidence of failure in a designed function and a judgment that the
design failure is harming the person.
B) there is evidence of failure in a designed function and evidence of
significant personal distress.
C) there is evidence of a failure in a designed function.
D) the behaviour shows strong statistical deviation from an established norm.
- correct answers A
5. Abnormal behaviour has been defined as behaviour that occurs
infrequently. Which of the following examples illustrates a problem with this
definition?
A) People with IQs below 70 are considered to have abnormal intellectual
functioning.
B) Most people get depressed from time to time.
C) Mathematical geniuses are considered rare in the population.
D) Children often believe in the existence of monsters.
E) Anxiety disorders are relatively rare in a given population. - correct answers
C
6. Dr. Smith is working with a client who has to arrange and rearrange her
food on her plate after each bite. Although her client does not find this
behaviour strange, other people find it odd. The definition of abnormality
applicable to this client is
A) statistically unusual behaviour.
,B) violating the norms of society.
C) distress to self and others.
D) personal dysfunction.
E) expert diagnosis. - correct answers B
7. Perhaps the biggest problem with using inappropriate behaviour as a
criterion for abnormal behaviour is
A) what is considered appropriate differs across time and location.
B) people with mental illnesses are usually not dangerous.
C) social norms tend to be constant over time.
D) inappropriate behaviour is often the norm in North American culture.
E) killers and murderers are generally sane. - correct answers A
8. The authors discuss the Violation of Cultural Norms criterion as:
A) an essential and sufficient component in defining psychological abnormality
B) a necessary but not sufficient component of defining abnormality
C) a consideration that will often be relevant to defining abnormality
D) distinct from considerations of psychological abnormality
E) a distraction from considerations of abnormality - correct answers C
9. Which one of the following combinations of principles has been used to
define abnormality?
A) diagnosis by an expert, presence of personal distress, evidence of poor
emotional control
B) presence of personal distress, delinquent activity, poor emotional control
C) violation of norms, abnormal intellectual functioning, presence of personal
distress
, D) infrequency, presence of personal distress, impaired functioning
E) psychiatric diagnosis, harmful dysfunction, abnormal intellectual functioning
- correct answers D
10. Which is the most sensible way to logically combine the criteria used to
define psychological abnormality?
A) [infrequency OR personal distress] AND impaired functioning
B) [infrequency OR impaired functioning] AND personal distress
C) infrequency AND [personal distress OR impaired functioning]
D) infrequency AND personal distress AND impaired functioning
E) infrequency OR personal distress OR impaired functioning - correct
answers C
11. Changes in the way that abnormality has been viewed over time has
resulted in
A) a clear understanding of the etiology of all mental disorders.
B) effective treatments for all disorders.
C) fewer diagnostic categories.
D) high reliability of all diagnoses.
E) a shift from supernatural to natural causes in explaining disorders. - correct
answers E
12. If you lived in a society that explained changes in the weather as being
influenced by the gods, you would likely view madness as being caused by
A) schizophrenia.
B) demon possession.
C) brain dysfunction.
D) weakness of character.
