ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY- Exam 2 Questions
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Direct Observation - ANSWER Method of collecting research data that involves directly
observing behavior in a given situation.
Direction of Effect Problem - ANSWER Refers to the fact that, in correlational research,
it cannot be concluded whether variable A causes variable B or whether variable B
causes variable A.
Double-Blind Study - ANSWER Often used in studies examining drug treatment effects,
a condition where neither the subject nor the experimenter has knowledge about what
specific experimental condition (or drug) the subject is receiving.
Effect Size - ANSWER A statistical term referring to the strength of the relationship
between two variables in a statistical population.
Epidemiology - ANSWER Study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or health-
related behaviors in a given population. Mental health epidemiology is the study of the
distribution of mental disorders.
Etiology - ANSWER Factors that are related to the development (or cause) of a
particular disease.
Experimental Research - ANSWER Research that involves the manipulation of a given
factor or variable with everything else held constant.
External Validity - ANSWER The extent to which the findings from a single study are
relevant to other populations, contexts, or times.
Family Aggregation - ANSWER The clustering of certain traits, behaviors, or disorders
within a given family. Family aggregation may arise because of genetic or
environmental similarities.
Generalizability - ANSWER The extent to which the findings from a single study can be
used to draw conclusions about other samples.
Hypothesis - ANSWER Statement or proposition, usually based on observation, that is
tested in an experiment; may be refuted or supported by experimental results but can
never be conclusively proved.
,Incidence - ANSWER Occurrence (onset) rate of a given disorder in a given population.
Independent Variable - ANSWER Factors whose effects are being examined and which
is manipulated in some way, while other variables are held constant.
Internal Validity - ANSWER The extent to which a study is free of confounds, is
methodologically sound, and allows the researcher to have confidence in the findings.
Labeling - ANSWER Assigning a person to a particular diagnostic category, such as
schizophrenia.
Lifetime Prevalence - ANSWER The proportion of living persons in a population who
have ever had a disorder up to the time of the epidemiological assessment.
Longitudinal Design - ANSWER A research design in which people are followed over
time.
Meta-Analysis - ANSWER A statistical method used to combine the results of a number
of similar research studies. The data from each study are transformed into a common
metric called the effect size. This allows the data from the various studies to be
combined and then analyzed. You can think of a meta-analysis as being like research
that you are already familiar with, except that the "participants" are individual research
studies, not individual people.
Negative Correlation - ANSWER A relationship between two variables such that a high
score on one variable is associated with a low score on another variable.
Nomenclature - ANSWER A formalized naming system.
1-Year Prevalence - ANSWER The total number of cases of a health-related state or
condition in a population for a given year.
Placebo Treatment - ANSWER An inert pill or otherwise neutral intervention that
produces desirable therapeutic effects because of the subject's expectations that it will
be beneficial.
Point Prevalence - ANSWER The number of cases of a specific condition or disorder
that can be found in a population at one given point in time.
Positive Correlation - ANSWER A relationship between two variables such that a high
score on one variable is associated with a high score on another variable.
Prevalence - ANSWER In a population, the proportion of active cases of a disorder that
can be identified at a given point in time or during a given period.
, Prospective Research - ANSWER Method that often focuses on individuals who have a
higher-than-average likelihood of becoming psychologically disordered before abnormal
behavior is observed.
Random Assignment - ANSWER A procedure used to create equivalent groups in which
every research participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any group in the
study.
Retrospective Research - ANSWER Research approach that attempts to retrace earlier
events in the life of a subject.
Sampling - ANSWER The process of selecting a representative subgroup from a
defined population of interest.
Self-Report Data - ANSWER Data collected directly from participants, typically by
means of interviews or questionnaires.
Single-Case Research Design - ANSWER An experimental research design (e.g., an
ABAB design) that involves only one subject.
Statistical Significance - ANSWER A measure of the probability that a research finding
could have occurred by chance alone.
Stereotyping - ANSWER The tendency to jump to conclusions (often negative) about
what a person is like based on the beliefs about that group that exist (often incorrectly)
in the culture (e.g., French people are rude, homosexuals have good taste in clothes,
mental patients are dangerous, etc.).
Stigma - ANSWER Negative labeling.
Third Variable Problem - ANSWER Refers to the problem of making causal inferences
in correlational research, where the correlation between two variables could be due to
their shared correlation with an unmeasured third variable.
Asylums - ANSWER Historically, these were institutions meant solely for the care of the
mentally ill.
Behavioral Perspective - ANSWER A theoretical viewpoint organized around the theme
that learning is central in determining human behavior.
Behaviorism - ANSWER School of psychology that formerly restricted itself primarily to
the study of overt behavior.
Catharsis - ANSWER Discharge of emotional tension associated with something, such
as by talking about past traumas.
with 100% correct answers Latest Versions
2025 top rated A+
Direct Observation - ANSWER Method of collecting research data that involves directly
observing behavior in a given situation.
Direction of Effect Problem - ANSWER Refers to the fact that, in correlational research,
it cannot be concluded whether variable A causes variable B or whether variable B
causes variable A.
Double-Blind Study - ANSWER Often used in studies examining drug treatment effects,
a condition where neither the subject nor the experimenter has knowledge about what
specific experimental condition (or drug) the subject is receiving.
Effect Size - ANSWER A statistical term referring to the strength of the relationship
between two variables in a statistical population.
Epidemiology - ANSWER Study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or health-
related behaviors in a given population. Mental health epidemiology is the study of the
distribution of mental disorders.
Etiology - ANSWER Factors that are related to the development (or cause) of a
particular disease.
Experimental Research - ANSWER Research that involves the manipulation of a given
factor or variable with everything else held constant.
External Validity - ANSWER The extent to which the findings from a single study are
relevant to other populations, contexts, or times.
Family Aggregation - ANSWER The clustering of certain traits, behaviors, or disorders
within a given family. Family aggregation may arise because of genetic or
environmental similarities.
Generalizability - ANSWER The extent to which the findings from a single study can be
used to draw conclusions about other samples.
Hypothesis - ANSWER Statement or proposition, usually based on observation, that is
tested in an experiment; may be refuted or supported by experimental results but can
never be conclusively proved.
,Incidence - ANSWER Occurrence (onset) rate of a given disorder in a given population.
Independent Variable - ANSWER Factors whose effects are being examined and which
is manipulated in some way, while other variables are held constant.
Internal Validity - ANSWER The extent to which a study is free of confounds, is
methodologically sound, and allows the researcher to have confidence in the findings.
Labeling - ANSWER Assigning a person to a particular diagnostic category, such as
schizophrenia.
Lifetime Prevalence - ANSWER The proportion of living persons in a population who
have ever had a disorder up to the time of the epidemiological assessment.
Longitudinal Design - ANSWER A research design in which people are followed over
time.
Meta-Analysis - ANSWER A statistical method used to combine the results of a number
of similar research studies. The data from each study are transformed into a common
metric called the effect size. This allows the data from the various studies to be
combined and then analyzed. You can think of a meta-analysis as being like research
that you are already familiar with, except that the "participants" are individual research
studies, not individual people.
Negative Correlation - ANSWER A relationship between two variables such that a high
score on one variable is associated with a low score on another variable.
Nomenclature - ANSWER A formalized naming system.
1-Year Prevalence - ANSWER The total number of cases of a health-related state or
condition in a population for a given year.
Placebo Treatment - ANSWER An inert pill or otherwise neutral intervention that
produces desirable therapeutic effects because of the subject's expectations that it will
be beneficial.
Point Prevalence - ANSWER The number of cases of a specific condition or disorder
that can be found in a population at one given point in time.
Positive Correlation - ANSWER A relationship between two variables such that a high
score on one variable is associated with a high score on another variable.
Prevalence - ANSWER In a population, the proportion of active cases of a disorder that
can be identified at a given point in time or during a given period.
, Prospective Research - ANSWER Method that often focuses on individuals who have a
higher-than-average likelihood of becoming psychologically disordered before abnormal
behavior is observed.
Random Assignment - ANSWER A procedure used to create equivalent groups in which
every research participant has an equal chance of being assigned to any group in the
study.
Retrospective Research - ANSWER Research approach that attempts to retrace earlier
events in the life of a subject.
Sampling - ANSWER The process of selecting a representative subgroup from a
defined population of interest.
Self-Report Data - ANSWER Data collected directly from participants, typically by
means of interviews or questionnaires.
Single-Case Research Design - ANSWER An experimental research design (e.g., an
ABAB design) that involves only one subject.
Statistical Significance - ANSWER A measure of the probability that a research finding
could have occurred by chance alone.
Stereotyping - ANSWER The tendency to jump to conclusions (often negative) about
what a person is like based on the beliefs about that group that exist (often incorrectly)
in the culture (e.g., French people are rude, homosexuals have good taste in clothes,
mental patients are dangerous, etc.).
Stigma - ANSWER Negative labeling.
Third Variable Problem - ANSWER Refers to the problem of making causal inferences
in correlational research, where the correlation between two variables could be due to
their shared correlation with an unmeasured third variable.
Asylums - ANSWER Historically, these were institutions meant solely for the care of the
mentally ill.
Behavioral Perspective - ANSWER A theoretical viewpoint organized around the theme
that learning is central in determining human behavior.
Behaviorism - ANSWER School of psychology that formerly restricted itself primarily to
the study of overt behavior.
Catharsis - ANSWER Discharge of emotional tension associated with something, such
as by talking about past traumas.
