Abnormal Psychology Exam 2 Practice
Questions with Correct Answers
You are starting a research project in which you wish to compare the everyday
compulsive behavior of individuals not diagnosed with a mental disorder with the most
common forms of compulsive behavior found in those diagnosed with OCD. What are
the two most common forms of compulsion found in those so diagnosed?
A. counting and collecting
B. checking and cleaning
C. eating and dressing
D. escape and avoidance - Answer-checking and cleaning
Several lines of research have clarified the basic cognitive mechanisms involved in
generalized anxiety disorder, as well as in panic disorder. Experts now believe that a
factor that plays a crucial role in the onset of this process is
A. attention.
B. the hypothalamus.
C. depression.
D. conditioned responses - Answer-attention
Pamela experiences frequent unexpected panic attacks. A treatment that could help her
to reduce her fear of bodily sensations that seem to trigger her panic attacks would be
A. situational exposure.
B. flooding.
C. interoceptive exposure.
D. deep breathing. - Answer-interoceptive exposure.
_____ is more immediate, more intense, and more emotionally focused than anxiety.
A. Excessive worry
B. Panic
C. Pessimism
D. Apprehension - Answer-Panic
A differential diagnosis between social and specific phobia is a bit tricky. You need to
look for the most important difference between social phobia and specific phobia, which
is that social phobia
A. is much less distressing.
B. does not involve avoidance.
C. involves both the element of performance and interpersonal interactions.
D. also involves the element of panic. - Answer-involves both the element of
performance and interpersonal interactions.
In behavioral terms, the goal of psychotherapy in treating an anxiety disorder is to
A. identify the cause rooted in early childhood.
, B. reverse the pattern of negative reinforcement.
C. reverse the pattern of the client's dependency on avoidance behaviors.
D. identify the pattern of bad relationships - Answer-reverse the pattern of negative
reinforcement
Which of the following is typically associated with an anxious mood?
A. preoccupation with other people
B. organization and rehearsal of adaptive responses
C. fainting and cramps
D. pessimistic thoughts and feelings - Answer-pessimistic thoughts and feelings
Compared to anxiety, a panic attack tends to be
A. less intense.
B. less like a normal fear response.
C. sudden.
D. longer in duration. - Answer-sudden
Alex suffers from agoraphobia, and while in treatment he is asked to repeatedly confront
places like crowded shopping malls and theaters that he has been avoiding. The
treatment he is receiving is
A. avoidance reconditioning.
B. stimulus discrimination.
C. stimulus generalization.
D. situational exposure. - Answer-situational exposure
Select the statement below that best illustrates the concept of functional impairment.
A. After experiencing an anxiety attack before going on vacation, a teenager reports
enjoying himself on the trip.
B. A man is unable to attend his son's wedding in another state because of a fear of
flying.
C. Despite misgivings and nervousness, a student successfully completes an in-class
presentation.
D. A pastor is able to give the sermon even though she experiences anxiety about her
performance. - Answer-A man is unable to attend his son's wedding in another state
because of a fear of flying.
How are breathing retraining techniques similar to relaxation techniques?
A. They are not similar.
B. Both involve progressive relaxation of specific muscle groups.
C. Both involve instructions on breathing control.
D. Both teach clients how to reduce control over multiple physiological effects. -
Answer-Both involve instructions on breathing control.
The two different pathways in the brain involved in the detection of danger differ from
one another with respect to
A. the amount of conscious thinking and reasoning.
, B. the detection of reality-based versus unrealistic threats.
C. their roles in panic disorder versus specific phobia.
D. their presence in humans versus lower animals. - Answer-the amount of conscious
thinking and reasoning.
A therapist asks a patient to describe what he believes would happen if his worst-case
scenario became reality. The patient says, "If I fail this test, I'll never get into graduate
school." What cognitive aspect is the therapist working with?
A. automatic thinking
B. self-fulfilling prophecy
C. decatastrophizing
D. all-or-nothing thinking - Answer-decatastrophizing
Which of the following is a common characteristic of acute stress disorder and
posttraumatic stress disorder?
A. sleepwalking
B. increased parasympathetic nervous system arousal
C. multiple personalities
D. flashbacks - Answer-flashbacks
Victims of trauma are more likely to develop PTSD when _______.
A. the victim is a man
B. the trauma occurs at a later age
C. the trauma is intense and life-threatening
D. the victim is watching the traumatic event - Answer-the trauma is intense and life-
threatening
What is the goal of treatment in dissociative disorders?
A. to create new memory mechanisms and eliminate past memories
B. to allow one personality to triumph over another
C. to integrate the different personalities into a whole
D. to protect the patient from further personality changes - Answer-to integrate the
different personalities into a whole
Marsha has symptoms of dissociative fugue. She
A. suddenly and unexpectedly travels away from home to avoid an embarrassing
situation.
B. suddenly assumes at least one alternate personality.
C. is often in a fog.
D. suddenly and unexpectedly travels away from home and is unable to recall her past.
- Answer-suddenly and unexpectedly travels away from home and is unable to recall
her past.
What is malingering?
A. having a disorder characterized by the preoccupation with pain
B. giving self-centered and melodramatic reports of symptoms
Questions with Correct Answers
You are starting a research project in which you wish to compare the everyday
compulsive behavior of individuals not diagnosed with a mental disorder with the most
common forms of compulsive behavior found in those diagnosed with OCD. What are
the two most common forms of compulsion found in those so diagnosed?
A. counting and collecting
B. checking and cleaning
C. eating and dressing
D. escape and avoidance - Answer-checking and cleaning
Several lines of research have clarified the basic cognitive mechanisms involved in
generalized anxiety disorder, as well as in panic disorder. Experts now believe that a
factor that plays a crucial role in the onset of this process is
A. attention.
B. the hypothalamus.
C. depression.
D. conditioned responses - Answer-attention
Pamela experiences frequent unexpected panic attacks. A treatment that could help her
to reduce her fear of bodily sensations that seem to trigger her panic attacks would be
A. situational exposure.
B. flooding.
C. interoceptive exposure.
D. deep breathing. - Answer-interoceptive exposure.
_____ is more immediate, more intense, and more emotionally focused than anxiety.
A. Excessive worry
B. Panic
C. Pessimism
D. Apprehension - Answer-Panic
A differential diagnosis between social and specific phobia is a bit tricky. You need to
look for the most important difference between social phobia and specific phobia, which
is that social phobia
A. is much less distressing.
B. does not involve avoidance.
C. involves both the element of performance and interpersonal interactions.
D. also involves the element of panic. - Answer-involves both the element of
performance and interpersonal interactions.
In behavioral terms, the goal of psychotherapy in treating an anxiety disorder is to
A. identify the cause rooted in early childhood.
, B. reverse the pattern of negative reinforcement.
C. reverse the pattern of the client's dependency on avoidance behaviors.
D. identify the pattern of bad relationships - Answer-reverse the pattern of negative
reinforcement
Which of the following is typically associated with an anxious mood?
A. preoccupation with other people
B. organization and rehearsal of adaptive responses
C. fainting and cramps
D. pessimistic thoughts and feelings - Answer-pessimistic thoughts and feelings
Compared to anxiety, a panic attack tends to be
A. less intense.
B. less like a normal fear response.
C. sudden.
D. longer in duration. - Answer-sudden
Alex suffers from agoraphobia, and while in treatment he is asked to repeatedly confront
places like crowded shopping malls and theaters that he has been avoiding. The
treatment he is receiving is
A. avoidance reconditioning.
B. stimulus discrimination.
C. stimulus generalization.
D. situational exposure. - Answer-situational exposure
Select the statement below that best illustrates the concept of functional impairment.
A. After experiencing an anxiety attack before going on vacation, a teenager reports
enjoying himself on the trip.
B. A man is unable to attend his son's wedding in another state because of a fear of
flying.
C. Despite misgivings and nervousness, a student successfully completes an in-class
presentation.
D. A pastor is able to give the sermon even though she experiences anxiety about her
performance. - Answer-A man is unable to attend his son's wedding in another state
because of a fear of flying.
How are breathing retraining techniques similar to relaxation techniques?
A. They are not similar.
B. Both involve progressive relaxation of specific muscle groups.
C. Both involve instructions on breathing control.
D. Both teach clients how to reduce control over multiple physiological effects. -
Answer-Both involve instructions on breathing control.
The two different pathways in the brain involved in the detection of danger differ from
one another with respect to
A. the amount of conscious thinking and reasoning.
, B. the detection of reality-based versus unrealistic threats.
C. their roles in panic disorder versus specific phobia.
D. their presence in humans versus lower animals. - Answer-the amount of conscious
thinking and reasoning.
A therapist asks a patient to describe what he believes would happen if his worst-case
scenario became reality. The patient says, "If I fail this test, I'll never get into graduate
school." What cognitive aspect is the therapist working with?
A. automatic thinking
B. self-fulfilling prophecy
C. decatastrophizing
D. all-or-nothing thinking - Answer-decatastrophizing
Which of the following is a common characteristic of acute stress disorder and
posttraumatic stress disorder?
A. sleepwalking
B. increased parasympathetic nervous system arousal
C. multiple personalities
D. flashbacks - Answer-flashbacks
Victims of trauma are more likely to develop PTSD when _______.
A. the victim is a man
B. the trauma occurs at a later age
C. the trauma is intense and life-threatening
D. the victim is watching the traumatic event - Answer-the trauma is intense and life-
threatening
What is the goal of treatment in dissociative disorders?
A. to create new memory mechanisms and eliminate past memories
B. to allow one personality to triumph over another
C. to integrate the different personalities into a whole
D. to protect the patient from further personality changes - Answer-to integrate the
different personalities into a whole
Marsha has symptoms of dissociative fugue. She
A. suddenly and unexpectedly travels away from home to avoid an embarrassing
situation.
B. suddenly assumes at least one alternate personality.
C. is often in a fog.
D. suddenly and unexpectedly travels away from home and is unable to recall her past.
- Answer-suddenly and unexpectedly travels away from home and is unable to recall
her past.
What is malingering?
A. having a disorder characterized by the preoccupation with pain
B. giving self-centered and melodramatic reports of symptoms
