Chapter 1: Abnormal Behavior
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which statement about abnormal psychology is accurate?
a. Abnormal psychology seeks to describe, explain, predict, and modify unusual behaviors.
b. Although abnormal psychology has made several gains in the past 20 years, it is not yet a
scientific field of study.
c. The subject matter of abnormal psychology is restricted to extremely bizarre behavior.
d. Most diagnoses of abnormality are based on two or three basic behavioral factors.
ANS: A REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Factual
2. Psychopathology, or abnormal behavior, results primarily from ____.
a. genetic factors
b. environmental factors
c. sociocultural factors
d. an interaction of many factors
ANS: D REF: Introduction OBJ: 1 MSC: Factual
3. Dr. Thompson collects information in order to describe and draw inferences about an individual's
psychological disorder. Dr. Thompson is engaged in ____.
a. therapy
b. predicting dangerousness
c. psychodiagnosis
d. research
ANS: C REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
4. Dr. Kohn is a psychoanalyst, Dr. Edwards is a humanistic therapist, Dr. Peterson is a cognitive
behavioral therapist, and Dr. James is a Gestalt therapist. Each of them would likely have a different
____ for a client's abnormality.
a. time of onset
b. explanation
c. diagnosis
d. prognosis
ANS: B REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
5. A psychologist says, “Juan's abnormal behavior is likely due to a combination of biology and
inadequate interpersonal skills.” The psychologist is ____.
a. predicting the future symptoms of Juan
b. giving Juan a psychodiagnosis
c. offering an explanation for Juan's problem
d. describing how to control Juan's symptoms
ANS: C REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
, 6. Which statement regarding the prediction of abnormal behavior is accurate?
a. Even experienced professionals tend to overpredict future violence.
b. Psychologists are not interested in predicting clients' future behavior.
c. Prediction is unrelated to understanding the cause of abnormality.
d. Psychologists tend to underpredict future violence.
ANS: A REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Conceptual
7. One of Seung-Hui Cho's professors reported Cho's frightening behavior to many campus authorities.
What reason did those authorities give her to explain why they could do nothing?
a. Cho's therapist did not feel he posed a danger to others.
b. There was no space in any of the local mental health facilities to house him.
c. Cho did not make any overt threats against anyone.
d. When compared with that of his peer group, Cho's behavior was not considered odd.
ANS: C REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
8. When psychologists talk about modifying abnormal behavior, they mean they are ____.
a. attempting to understand the underlying cause of that behavior
b. restricting the freedom of dangerous clients
c. attempting to anticipate the future behaviors of clients
d. using therapy to improve client behavior
ANS: D REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Factual
9. Which of the following defines therapy most accurately?
a. A program of systematic intervention designed to alter behavior, emotion, or thought
b. The scientific study of abnormal behavior.
c. A system of observing abnormal behavior in an attempt to classify it
d. The application of a theoretical model to explain the cause of abnormal behavior
ANS: A REF: 1 OBJ: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
MSC: Factual
10. A psychologist develops several activities for clients aimed at helping them become more
self-disciplined and feel more confident about trying new behaviors. This example illustrates ____.
a. how epidemiological work is done in the field
b. how therapy may be seen as an attempt to modify behavior
c. the function of providing an explanation for abnormal behavior
d. the essential need for accurate psychodiagnosis
ANS: B REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
,11. Clinical psychologists usually have ____ degrees, unlike psychiatrists, who have ____ degrees.
a. bachelor's (B.S.); medical (M.D.)
b. medical (M.D.); doctorate (Ph.D.)
c. doctorate (Ph.D. or Psy.D); medical (M.D.)
d. master's (M.S.); doctorate (Ph.D.)
ANS: C REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Factual
12. Harold is a mental health professional who has a medical degree and prescribes antidepressants and
antipsychotic medication for his patients. After graduating from medical school, he completed a
three-year residency in his field. We can guess that Harold is a ____.
a. social worker
b. psychiatrist
c. clinical psychologist
d. psychoanalyst
ANS: B REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
13. Linda, Jayne, and Sheryl all are called “doctors.” All are mental health professionals. However, Linda
has a Psy.D., Jayne has an M.D., and Sheryl has a D.S.W. We can predict that ____.
a. Sheryl is a psychiatrist
b. Linda is a social worker
c. Linda is a clinical psychologist
d. Jayne is a clinical psychologist
ANS: C REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
14. Psychiatrists must have an M.D.; clinical psychologists must have a Ph.D. or Psy.D. Psychoanalysts
must have ____.
a. a master's (M.S.) degree
b. an M.D
c. only a bachelor's (B.S.) degree
d. their own intensive personal analysis from an experienced analyst
ANS: D REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Factual
15. Johanna is an M.D. who received intensive training in the ideas of Sigmund Freud. She also went
through her own psychoanalysis as part of this training. We can guess that Johanna is a ____.
a. psychoanalyst
b. marriage and family counselor
c. psychiatric social worker
d. behaviorally oriented counseling psychologist
ANS: A REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
, 16. Isabel tells Dr. Paz that the spirits she sees of her dead grandparents are causing her a great deal of
anxiety, although they have motivated her to seek her medical degree. Isabel lives in Brazil. If Dr. Paz
diagnoses her as having a psychological disorder, he will likely attribute it to which criterion?
a. deviance
b. distress
c. dangerousness
d. dysfunction
ANS: B REF: Determining Abnormality OBJ: 2
MSC: Applied
17. One strength in using the deviance criterion is that it ____.
a. uses an objective method of defining abnormal behavior
b. stresses the attainment of realistic goals
c. examines how the individual views his or her own behavior
d. accounts for the complexity of behavior observed in people from different cultures
ANS: A REF: Determining Abnormality OBJ: 2
MSC: Conceptual
18. A psychologist defined mental retardation solely on the basis of how far from “normal” an individual's
IQ score is. The criterion used is ____.
a. abnormality
b. cultural relativism
c. cultural universality
d. deviance
ANS: D REF: Determining Abnormality OBJ: 2
MSC: Conceptual
19. Anita went to the mall. Suddenly she looked around and had no idea where she was, whether it was
day or night, or even what day it was. Anita was experiencing ____.
a. a hallucination
b. a delusion
c. disorientation
d. psychosis
ANS: C REF: Determining Abnormality OBJ: 2
MSC: Applied
20. Suree is studying to be a clinical psychologist from an accredited program. She will learn that, with
respect to bias in diagnosing clients, ____.
a. even the most enlightened and well-intended mental health professionals may engage in
race, gender, and social class bias
b. psychologists are less likely than other mental health professionals to overpathologize
clients on the basis of race, gender, or social class
c. clinical psychologists receive better training than other mental health professionals for
recognizing their tendency to hold prejudicial attitudes toward clients
d. mental health professionals are more likely to hold prejudicial attitudes and biases against
males than against females
ANS: A REF: Abnormal Behavior in Context: Sociopolitical and Cultural Limitations
OBJ: 3 MSC: Applied
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Which statement about abnormal psychology is accurate?
a. Abnormal psychology seeks to describe, explain, predict, and modify unusual behaviors.
b. Although abnormal psychology has made several gains in the past 20 years, it is not yet a
scientific field of study.
c. The subject matter of abnormal psychology is restricted to extremely bizarre behavior.
d. Most diagnoses of abnormality are based on two or three basic behavioral factors.
ANS: A REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Factual
2. Psychopathology, or abnormal behavior, results primarily from ____.
a. genetic factors
b. environmental factors
c. sociocultural factors
d. an interaction of many factors
ANS: D REF: Introduction OBJ: 1 MSC: Factual
3. Dr. Thompson collects information in order to describe and draw inferences about an individual's
psychological disorder. Dr. Thompson is engaged in ____.
a. therapy
b. predicting dangerousness
c. psychodiagnosis
d. research
ANS: C REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
4. Dr. Kohn is a psychoanalyst, Dr. Edwards is a humanistic therapist, Dr. Peterson is a cognitive
behavioral therapist, and Dr. James is a Gestalt therapist. Each of them would likely have a different
____ for a client's abnormality.
a. time of onset
b. explanation
c. diagnosis
d. prognosis
ANS: B REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
5. A psychologist says, “Juan's abnormal behavior is likely due to a combination of biology and
inadequate interpersonal skills.” The psychologist is ____.
a. predicting the future symptoms of Juan
b. giving Juan a psychodiagnosis
c. offering an explanation for Juan's problem
d. describing how to control Juan's symptoms
ANS: C REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
, 6. Which statement regarding the prediction of abnormal behavior is accurate?
a. Even experienced professionals tend to overpredict future violence.
b. Psychologists are not interested in predicting clients' future behavior.
c. Prediction is unrelated to understanding the cause of abnormality.
d. Psychologists tend to underpredict future violence.
ANS: A REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Conceptual
7. One of Seung-Hui Cho's professors reported Cho's frightening behavior to many campus authorities.
What reason did those authorities give her to explain why they could do nothing?
a. Cho's therapist did not feel he posed a danger to others.
b. There was no space in any of the local mental health facilities to house him.
c. Cho did not make any overt threats against anyone.
d. When compared with that of his peer group, Cho's behavior was not considered odd.
ANS: C REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
8. When psychologists talk about modifying abnormal behavior, they mean they are ____.
a. attempting to understand the underlying cause of that behavior
b. restricting the freedom of dangerous clients
c. attempting to anticipate the future behaviors of clients
d. using therapy to improve client behavior
ANS: D REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Factual
9. Which of the following defines therapy most accurately?
a. A program of systematic intervention designed to alter behavior, emotion, or thought
b. The scientific study of abnormal behavior.
c. A system of observing abnormal behavior in an attempt to classify it
d. The application of a theoretical model to explain the cause of abnormal behavior
ANS: A REF: 1 OBJ: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
MSC: Factual
10. A psychologist develops several activities for clients aimed at helping them become more
self-disciplined and feel more confident about trying new behaviors. This example illustrates ____.
a. how epidemiological work is done in the field
b. how therapy may be seen as an attempt to modify behavior
c. the function of providing an explanation for abnormal behavior
d. the essential need for accurate psychodiagnosis
ANS: B REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
,11. Clinical psychologists usually have ____ degrees, unlike psychiatrists, who have ____ degrees.
a. bachelor's (B.S.); medical (M.D.)
b. medical (M.D.); doctorate (Ph.D.)
c. doctorate (Ph.D. or Psy.D); medical (M.D.)
d. master's (M.S.); doctorate (Ph.D.)
ANS: C REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Factual
12. Harold is a mental health professional who has a medical degree and prescribes antidepressants and
antipsychotic medication for his patients. After graduating from medical school, he completed a
three-year residency in his field. We can guess that Harold is a ____.
a. social worker
b. psychiatrist
c. clinical psychologist
d. psychoanalyst
ANS: B REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
13. Linda, Jayne, and Sheryl all are called “doctors.” All are mental health professionals. However, Linda
has a Psy.D., Jayne has an M.D., and Sheryl has a D.S.W. We can predict that ____.
a. Sheryl is a psychiatrist
b. Linda is a social worker
c. Linda is a clinical psychologist
d. Jayne is a clinical psychologist
ANS: C REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
14. Psychiatrists must have an M.D.; clinical psychologists must have a Ph.D. or Psy.D. Psychoanalysts
must have ____.
a. a master's (M.S.) degree
b. an M.D
c. only a bachelor's (B.S.) degree
d. their own intensive personal analysis from an experienced analyst
ANS: D REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Factual
15. Johanna is an M.D. who received intensive training in the ideas of Sigmund Freud. She also went
through her own psychoanalysis as part of this training. We can guess that Johanna is a ____.
a. psychoanalyst
b. marriage and family counselor
c. psychiatric social worker
d. behaviorally oriented counseling psychologist
ANS: A REF: The Concerns of Abnormal Psychology
OBJ: 1 MSC: Applied
, 16. Isabel tells Dr. Paz that the spirits she sees of her dead grandparents are causing her a great deal of
anxiety, although they have motivated her to seek her medical degree. Isabel lives in Brazil. If Dr. Paz
diagnoses her as having a psychological disorder, he will likely attribute it to which criterion?
a. deviance
b. distress
c. dangerousness
d. dysfunction
ANS: B REF: Determining Abnormality OBJ: 2
MSC: Applied
17. One strength in using the deviance criterion is that it ____.
a. uses an objective method of defining abnormal behavior
b. stresses the attainment of realistic goals
c. examines how the individual views his or her own behavior
d. accounts for the complexity of behavior observed in people from different cultures
ANS: A REF: Determining Abnormality OBJ: 2
MSC: Conceptual
18. A psychologist defined mental retardation solely on the basis of how far from “normal” an individual's
IQ score is. The criterion used is ____.
a. abnormality
b. cultural relativism
c. cultural universality
d. deviance
ANS: D REF: Determining Abnormality OBJ: 2
MSC: Conceptual
19. Anita went to the mall. Suddenly she looked around and had no idea where she was, whether it was
day or night, or even what day it was. Anita was experiencing ____.
a. a hallucination
b. a delusion
c. disorientation
d. psychosis
ANS: C REF: Determining Abnormality OBJ: 2
MSC: Applied
20. Suree is studying to be a clinical psychologist from an accredited program. She will learn that, with
respect to bias in diagnosing clients, ____.
a. even the most enlightened and well-intended mental health professionals may engage in
race, gender, and social class bias
b. psychologists are less likely than other mental health professionals to overpathologize
clients on the basis of race, gender, or social class
c. clinical psychologists receive better training than other mental health professionals for
recognizing their tendency to hold prejudicial attitudes toward clients
d. mental health professionals are more likely to hold prejudicial attitudes and biases against
males than against females
ANS: A REF: Abnormal Behavior in Context: Sociopolitical and Cultural Limitations
OBJ: 3 MSC: Applied
