Abnormal Psychology Exam 1 Ch. 1-4 -
Dr. Feller, Study Guide Exam Containing
194 Questions with Definitive Solutions
2024-2025.
Psychopathology - Answer: scientific study of psychological disorders
Psychosis - Answer: out of contact with reality
Delusion - Answer: idiosyncratic, belief not shared by others
, Abnormal Psychology Exam 1 Ch. 1-4 - Dr. Feller
Hallucination - Answer: seeing or hearing things that are not really happening
while maintaining a belief that they are really happening
Syndrome - Answer: group of symptoms that appear together and represent a
type of disorder
Psychological dysfunction - Answer: breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or
behavioral functioning
4 Critical Components of Psychopathology (you must have all 4 to have a disorder)
- Answer: 1. Deviating from statistical norms
2. Causing personal distress
3. Exhibiting maladaptive qualities
4. Violating social norms
Deviating from statistical norms - Answer: behavior differs from the norm by
degree, implies a continuum of human behavior from "normal" to "abnormal",
abnormal behavior viewed as a measurable variable
Causing personal distress - Answer: behavior causes personal anguish, allows
people to determine for themselves whether or not their behavior is abnormal
Exhibiting maladaptive qualities - Answer: behavior harms the individual or
society or prevents individuals from fulfilling their potential, judges behavior by its
function
, Abnormal Psychology Exam 1 Ch. 1-4 - Dr. Feller
Violating social norms - Answer: behavior goes against the expectations of society,
is socially disapproved of, is unpredictable, and does not conform to the majority,
social norms change over time
Studying psychopathology - Answer: - symptomology
- epidemiology
- etiology
- treatment
- social and political considerations
- dimensions vs. categories
- nature vs. nurture
Epidemiology - Answer: incidence and prevalence
Etiology - Answer: causes of psychopathology
Dimensions vs. Categories - Answer: • A categorical conceptualization is all-or-
none. You either have a disorder or you do not.
• A dimensional model assumes that a problem is distributed along a continuum
with people having more or less of the relevant symptoms
Nature vs. Nurture - Answer: Do genes (nature) or environmental factors (nurture)
contribute more to a person's being?
, Abnormal Psychology Exam 1 Ch. 1-4 - Dr. Feller
Case study - Answer: description of the problems experienced by one particular
person; can provide a catalog of symptoms; the manner in which they emerged;
developmental and family history, onset of disorder and responses to treatment;
etc.
Understanding everyday actions and human behavior requires attention to various
forces (Different paradigms): - Answer: - biological paradigm
- psychological paradigm
- behavioral paradigm
- cognitive paradigm
- humanistic paradigm
- sociocultural paradigm
Biological paradigm - Answer: Based on the idea that physiological processes are
responsible for abnormal behavior. Looks at genetics, illness, disease, drug effects,
and toxicity
Types of Biological Research - Answer: Pedigree studies
Twin studies
Prospective Studies
Naturalistic observation
Correlational studies