ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY Practice Exam
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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.
Classical Conditioning - ANSWER A basic form of learning in which a neutral stimulus is
paired repeatedly with an unconditioned stimulus (US) that naturally elicits an
,unconditioned response (UR). After repeated pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes a
conditioned stimulus (CS) that elicits a conditioned response (CR).
Deinstitutionalization - ANSWER Movement to close mental hospitals and treat people
with severe mental disorder in the community.
Dream Analysis - ANSWER Method involving the recording, description, and
interpretation of a patient's dreams.
Exorcism - ANSWER Religiously inspired treatment procedure designed to drive out evil
spirits or forces from a "possessed" person.
Free Association - ANSWER Method for probing the unconscious by having patients
talk freely about themselves, their feelings, and their motives.
Insanity - ANSWER Legal term for mental disorder, implying lack of responsibility for
one's acts and inability to manage one's affairs.
Lycanthropy - ANSWER Delusion of being a wolf.
Mass Madness - ANSWER Historically, widespread occurrence of group behavior
disorders that were apparently cases of hysteria; a whole group of people panic/get
scared and develop psychological symptoms as a result.
Mental Hygiene Movement - ANSWER Movement that advocated a method of
treatment focused almost exclusively on the physical well-being of hospitalized mental
patients.
Mesmerism - ANSWER Theory of "animal magnetism" (hypnosis) formulated by Anton
Mesmer.
Moral Management - ANSWER Wide-ranging method of treatment that focuses on a
patient's social, individual, and occupational needs.
Nancy School - ANSWER Group of physicians in nineteenth-century Europe who
accepted the view that hysteria was a sort of self-hypnosis.
Operant (or Instrumental) Conditioning - ANSWER Form of learning in which if a
particular response is reinforced, it becomes more likely to be repeated on similar
occasions.
Psychoanalysis - ANSWER Methods Freud used to study and treat patients.
Psychoanalytic Perspective - ANSWER Theory of psychopathology, initially developed
by Freud, that emphasizes the inner dynamics of unconscious motives.
, Saint Vitus's Dance - ANSWER Name given to the dancing mania (and mass hysteria)
that spread from Italy to Germany and the rest of Europe in the Middle Ages.
Tarantism - ANSWER Dancing mania that occurred in Italy in the nineteenth century.
Association Studies - ANSWER Genetic research strategy comparing frequency of
certain genetic markers known to be located on particular chromosomes in people with
and without a particular disorder.
Attachment Theory - ANSWER Contemporary developmental and psychodynamic
theory emphasizing the importance of early experience with attachment relationships in
laying the foundation for later functioning throughout life.
Attribution - ANSWER Process of assigning causes to things that happen.
Biopsychosocial Viewpoint - ANSWER A viewpoint that acknowledges the interacting
roles of biological, psychosocial, and sociocultural factors in the origins of
psychopathology.
Castration Anxiety - ANSWER As postulated by Freud, the anxiety a young boy
experiences when he desires his mother while at the same time fearing that his father
may harm him by cutting of his penis; this anxiety forces the boy to repress his sexual
desire for his mother and his hostility toward his father.
Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective - ANSWER A theory of abnormal behavior that
focuses on how thoughts and information processing can become distorted and lead to
maladaptive emotions and behavior.
Contributory Cause - ANSWER A condition that increases the probability of developing
a disorder but that is neither necessary nor sufficient for it to occur.
Cortisol - ANSWER Human stress hormone released by the cortex of the adrenal
glands.
Developmental Psychopathology - ANSWER Field of psychology that focuses on
determining what is abnormal at any point in the developmental process by comparing
and contrasting it with normal and expected changes that occur.
Developmental Systems Approach - ANSWER Acknowledgment that genetic activity
influences neural activity, which in turn influences behavior, which in turn influences the
environment, and that these influences are bidirectional.
Diathesis - ANSWER Predisposition or vulnerability to developing a given disorder.
Questions with 100% correct answers Latest
Versions 2025 Graded A+
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.
Classical Conditioning - ANSWER A basic form of learning in which a neutral stimulus is
paired repeatedly with an unconditioned stimulus (US) that naturally elicits an
,unconditioned response (UR). After repeated pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes a
conditioned stimulus (CS) that elicits a conditioned response (CR).
Deinstitutionalization - ANSWER Movement to close mental hospitals and treat people
with severe mental disorder in the community.
Dream Analysis - ANSWER Method involving the recording, description, and
interpretation of a patient's dreams.
Exorcism - ANSWER Religiously inspired treatment procedure designed to drive out evil
spirits or forces from a "possessed" person.
Free Association - ANSWER Method for probing the unconscious by having patients
talk freely about themselves, their feelings, and their motives.
Insanity - ANSWER Legal term for mental disorder, implying lack of responsibility for
one's acts and inability to manage one's affairs.
Lycanthropy - ANSWER Delusion of being a wolf.
Mass Madness - ANSWER Historically, widespread occurrence of group behavior
disorders that were apparently cases of hysteria; a whole group of people panic/get
scared and develop psychological symptoms as a result.
Mental Hygiene Movement - ANSWER Movement that advocated a method of
treatment focused almost exclusively on the physical well-being of hospitalized mental
patients.
Mesmerism - ANSWER Theory of "animal magnetism" (hypnosis) formulated by Anton
Mesmer.
Moral Management - ANSWER Wide-ranging method of treatment that focuses on a
patient's social, individual, and occupational needs.
Nancy School - ANSWER Group of physicians in nineteenth-century Europe who
accepted the view that hysteria was a sort of self-hypnosis.
Operant (or Instrumental) Conditioning - ANSWER Form of learning in which if a
particular response is reinforced, it becomes more likely to be repeated on similar
occasions.
Psychoanalysis - ANSWER Methods Freud used to study and treat patients.
Psychoanalytic Perspective - ANSWER Theory of psychopathology, initially developed
by Freud, that emphasizes the inner dynamics of unconscious motives.
, Saint Vitus's Dance - ANSWER Name given to the dancing mania (and mass hysteria)
that spread from Italy to Germany and the rest of Europe in the Middle Ages.
Tarantism - ANSWER Dancing mania that occurred in Italy in the nineteenth century.
Association Studies - ANSWER Genetic research strategy comparing frequency of
certain genetic markers known to be located on particular chromosomes in people with
and without a particular disorder.
Attachment Theory - ANSWER Contemporary developmental and psychodynamic
theory emphasizing the importance of early experience with attachment relationships in
laying the foundation for later functioning throughout life.
Attribution - ANSWER Process of assigning causes to things that happen.
Biopsychosocial Viewpoint - ANSWER A viewpoint that acknowledges the interacting
roles of biological, psychosocial, and sociocultural factors in the origins of
psychopathology.
Castration Anxiety - ANSWER As postulated by Freud, the anxiety a young boy
experiences when he desires his mother while at the same time fearing that his father
may harm him by cutting of his penis; this anxiety forces the boy to repress his sexual
desire for his mother and his hostility toward his father.
Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective - ANSWER A theory of abnormal behavior that
focuses on how thoughts and information processing can become distorted and lead to
maladaptive emotions and behavior.
Contributory Cause - ANSWER A condition that increases the probability of developing
a disorder but that is neither necessary nor sufficient for it to occur.
Cortisol - ANSWER Human stress hormone released by the cortex of the adrenal
glands.
Developmental Psychopathology - ANSWER Field of psychology that focuses on
determining what is abnormal at any point in the developmental process by comparing
and contrasting it with normal and expected changes that occur.
Developmental Systems Approach - ANSWER Acknowledgment that genetic activity
influences neural activity, which in turn influences behavior, which in turn influences the
environment, and that these influences are bidirectional.
Diathesis - ANSWER Predisposition or vulnerability to developing a given disorder.
