PSYCH 350 Exam 2 – Questions / Answers (Rated A+)
Fear vs anxiety: broad differences ✔️Ans - fear: acute & intense,
fight/flight/freeze, increased HR, breathing & sweating; response to
immediate threat; attention narrows
Anxiety: diffuse & chronic, "on edge", muscle tension, GI distress,
headaches; response to future threats; attention broadens (scanning for
threat)
Generalized anxiety disorder ✔️Ans - excessive anxiety experienced
under most circumstances; diffuse & free-floating anxiety; reduced quality
of life
Generalized anxiety criteria for diagnosis ✔️Ans - experiencing
disproportionate, uncontrollable & ongoing anxiety/worry about multiple
matters; 6months+; symptoms (at least 3): edginess, fatigue, poor
concentration, irritability, muscle tension, sleep problems; significant
distress or impairment
GAD cognitive-behavioral perspective ✔️Ans - problematic behaviors
and dysfunctional thinking often causes psychological disorders
GAD cognitive-behavioral perspective - early approach ✔️Ans -
maladaptive or basic irrational assumptions (ellis); silent assumptions
(beck)
GAD C-B perspective - early approach: albert ellis ✔️Ans - identified
basic irrational assumptions; dire necessity for every human to be loved or
approved of; awful and catastrophic when things aren't the way you want
them to be
GAD C-B perspective - early approach: aaron beck ✔️Ans - persons
with GAD constantly hold silent assumptions that imply imminent danger
GAD C-B perspective - modern approaches: metacognitive theory ✔️Ans
- meta-worriers - worrying about worries
,GAD C-B perspective - modern approaches: intolerance of uncertainty
theory ✔️Ans - worry in an effort to find "correct" solutions; even if
possibility is small
GAD C-B perspective - modern approaches: avoidance theory ✔️Ans -
worry is reinforced because it lowers high levels of bodily arousal; worry is
distancing - not as narrowed attention on physio
GAD cognitive-behavioral treatment: changing maladaptive assumptions
✔️Ans - beck's cognitive therapy - cognitive restructuring: ID & challenge
negative automatic thoughts & ID more helpful thoughts
GAD cognitive-behavioral treatment: breaking down worry ✔️Ans -
acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): mindfulness meditation,
become aware and observe stream of thoughts & worries; accept thoughts
as "events of the mind" and allow them to exist, rather than trying to
eliminate them
GAD biological perspective: brain circuits ✔️Ans - fear circuit: pre-
frontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortext, insula & amygdala; fear circuit
hyperactivity may be tied to development of GAD; experiences of fear =
more frequent. longer duration
GAD biological perspective: neurotransmitters ✔️Ans - gamma-
aminobutyric acid (GABA) carries inhibitory message that stops firing of
neuron receptor; low levels of GABA = less inhibition = excessive fear
circuit activity; benzos can help
social anxiety disorder ✔️Ans - pronounced, disproportionate and
repeated anxiety about social situations in which the individual could be
exposed to scrutiny by others
SAD diagnosis criteria ✔️Ans - typically lasting 6months+; fear of being
negatively evaluated by or offensive to others; exposure to social situations
almost always produces anxiety; avoidance of feared situations; significant
distress or impairment
, SAD cognitive-behavioral perspective ✔️Ans - tied to genetic
predispositions, trait tendencies, biological abnormalities, traumatic
childhood experiences, overprotective parent-child interactions
SAD cognitive-behavioral perspective: interplay between both cognitive
and behavioral factors ✔️Ans - recognition of potential anxiety-
inducing situation leads to physiological symptoms which leads to changes
in behaviors; vicious cycle
SAD cognitive-behavioral treatment: cognitive restructuring ✔️Ans -
worksheet that identifies anxiety-provoking situation; list automatic
thoughts & emotions, thinking errors, challenges, rational responses and
achievable behavioral goal
SAD cognitive-behavioral perspective: graded exposure ✔️Ans - pace of
treatment; construct fear hierarchy where feared stimuli are ranked
according to difficulty; habituation: repeated exposure to feared stimuli
cause reactions to feared situations to decrease
SAD cognitive-behavioral perspective: treatment theory ✔️Ans - can
address 2 distinct features: overwhelming social fears (meds & CBT) and
lack of social skills
specific phobia ✔️Ans - marked, persistent and disproportionate fear
of a particular object or situation
specific phobia diagnostic criteria ✔️Ans - 6months+; exposure to
object produces immediate fear; avoidance of feared situation; significant
distress or impairment
specific phobias cognitive-behavioral perspective: classical conditioning
✔️Ans - when 2 events occur close together in time become strongly
associated in a person's mind and the person then reacts similarly to both
of them
specific phobias cognitive-behavioral perspective: modeling ✔️Ans -
observation and imitation
Fear vs anxiety: broad differences ✔️Ans - fear: acute & intense,
fight/flight/freeze, increased HR, breathing & sweating; response to
immediate threat; attention narrows
Anxiety: diffuse & chronic, "on edge", muscle tension, GI distress,
headaches; response to future threats; attention broadens (scanning for
threat)
Generalized anxiety disorder ✔️Ans - excessive anxiety experienced
under most circumstances; diffuse & free-floating anxiety; reduced quality
of life
Generalized anxiety criteria for diagnosis ✔️Ans - experiencing
disproportionate, uncontrollable & ongoing anxiety/worry about multiple
matters; 6months+; symptoms (at least 3): edginess, fatigue, poor
concentration, irritability, muscle tension, sleep problems; significant
distress or impairment
GAD cognitive-behavioral perspective ✔️Ans - problematic behaviors
and dysfunctional thinking often causes psychological disorders
GAD cognitive-behavioral perspective - early approach ✔️Ans -
maladaptive or basic irrational assumptions (ellis); silent assumptions
(beck)
GAD C-B perspective - early approach: albert ellis ✔️Ans - identified
basic irrational assumptions; dire necessity for every human to be loved or
approved of; awful and catastrophic when things aren't the way you want
them to be
GAD C-B perspective - early approach: aaron beck ✔️Ans - persons
with GAD constantly hold silent assumptions that imply imminent danger
GAD C-B perspective - modern approaches: metacognitive theory ✔️Ans
- meta-worriers - worrying about worries
,GAD C-B perspective - modern approaches: intolerance of uncertainty
theory ✔️Ans - worry in an effort to find "correct" solutions; even if
possibility is small
GAD C-B perspective - modern approaches: avoidance theory ✔️Ans -
worry is reinforced because it lowers high levels of bodily arousal; worry is
distancing - not as narrowed attention on physio
GAD cognitive-behavioral treatment: changing maladaptive assumptions
✔️Ans - beck's cognitive therapy - cognitive restructuring: ID & challenge
negative automatic thoughts & ID more helpful thoughts
GAD cognitive-behavioral treatment: breaking down worry ✔️Ans -
acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT): mindfulness meditation,
become aware and observe stream of thoughts & worries; accept thoughts
as "events of the mind" and allow them to exist, rather than trying to
eliminate them
GAD biological perspective: brain circuits ✔️Ans - fear circuit: pre-
frontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortext, insula & amygdala; fear circuit
hyperactivity may be tied to development of GAD; experiences of fear =
more frequent. longer duration
GAD biological perspective: neurotransmitters ✔️Ans - gamma-
aminobutyric acid (GABA) carries inhibitory message that stops firing of
neuron receptor; low levels of GABA = less inhibition = excessive fear
circuit activity; benzos can help
social anxiety disorder ✔️Ans - pronounced, disproportionate and
repeated anxiety about social situations in which the individual could be
exposed to scrutiny by others
SAD diagnosis criteria ✔️Ans - typically lasting 6months+; fear of being
negatively evaluated by or offensive to others; exposure to social situations
almost always produces anxiety; avoidance of feared situations; significant
distress or impairment
, SAD cognitive-behavioral perspective ✔️Ans - tied to genetic
predispositions, trait tendencies, biological abnormalities, traumatic
childhood experiences, overprotective parent-child interactions
SAD cognitive-behavioral perspective: interplay between both cognitive
and behavioral factors ✔️Ans - recognition of potential anxiety-
inducing situation leads to physiological symptoms which leads to changes
in behaviors; vicious cycle
SAD cognitive-behavioral treatment: cognitive restructuring ✔️Ans -
worksheet that identifies anxiety-provoking situation; list automatic
thoughts & emotions, thinking errors, challenges, rational responses and
achievable behavioral goal
SAD cognitive-behavioral perspective: graded exposure ✔️Ans - pace of
treatment; construct fear hierarchy where feared stimuli are ranked
according to difficulty; habituation: repeated exposure to feared stimuli
cause reactions to feared situations to decrease
SAD cognitive-behavioral perspective: treatment theory ✔️Ans - can
address 2 distinct features: overwhelming social fears (meds & CBT) and
lack of social skills
specific phobia ✔️Ans - marked, persistent and disproportionate fear
of a particular object or situation
specific phobia diagnostic criteria ✔️Ans - 6months+; exposure to
object produces immediate fear; avoidance of feared situation; significant
distress or impairment
specific phobias cognitive-behavioral perspective: classical conditioning
✔️Ans - when 2 events occur close together in time become strongly
associated in a person's mind and the person then reacts similarly to both
of them
specific phobias cognitive-behavioral perspective: modeling ✔️Ans -
observation and imitation
