PSY 657 - MIDTERM #1 EXAM QUESTIONS WITH CORRECT ANSWERS LATEST UPDATE 2026
ABAB design - Answers An experimental design, often involving a single subject, wherein a baseline
period (A) is followed by a treatment (B). To confirm that the treatment resulted in a change in
behavior, the treatment is then withdrawn (A) and reinstated (B).
abnormal psychology - Answers Field of psychology concerned with the study, assessment, treatment,
and prevention of abnormal behavior.
acute - Answers Term used to describe a disorder of sudden onset, usually with intense symptoms.
analogue studies - Answers Studies in which a researcher attempts to emulate the conditions
hypothesized as leading to abnormality.
bias - Answers This occurs when the research has preconceived ideas and expectations that influence
the observations he or she makes in the research study.
case study - Answers An in-depth investigation of an individual or family that draws from a number of
data sources, including interviews and psychological testing.
chronic - Answers Term used to describe a long-standing or frequently recurring disorder, often with
progressing seriousness.
comorbidity - Answers Occurrence of two or more identified disorders in the same psychologically
disordered individual.
comparison (control) group - Answers Group of subjects who do not exhibit the disorder being
studied but who are comparable in all other respects to the criterion group.
Also, this group of subjects who do not receive a condition or treatment the effects of which are being
studied.
correlation - Answers The tendency of two variables to change together.
correlation coefficient - Answers A statistic that ranges from +1.0 to -1.0 and reflects the degree of
association between two variables.
correlational research - Answers A research strategy that examines whether and how variables go
together (co-vary) without manipulating (changing) any variables.
criterion group - Answers Group of subjects who exhibit the disorder under study.
dependent variable - Answers In an experiment, the factor that is observed to change with changes in
the manipulated variables.
direct observation - Answers Method of collecting research data the involves directly observing
behavior in a given situation.
double-blind study - Answers Often used in studies examining drug treatment effects, a condition
where neither the subject not that experimenter has knowledge about what specific experimental
condition the subject is receiving.
effect size - Answers A statistical term referring to the strength of the relationship between two
variables in a statistical population.
epidemiology - Answers Study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or health-related behaviors in
a given population.
etiology - Answers Factors that are related to the development (or cause) of a particular disorder.
experimental research - Answers Research that involves the manipulation of a given factor or variable
with everything else held constant.
external validity - Answers The extent to which the findings from a single study are relevant to other
populations, contexts, or times.
family aggregation - Answers The clustering of certain traits, behaviors, or disorders within a given
family.
This may arise because of genetic or environmental similarities.
generalizability - Answers The extent to which the findings from a single study can be used to draw
conclusions about other samples.
hypothesis - Answers 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 - Answers Occurrence (onset) rate of a given disorder in a given population.
independent variable - Answers Factor whose effects are being examined and which is manipulated in
some way, while other variables are held constant.
, internal validity - Answers The extent to which a study is free of confounds, is methodologically
sound, and allows the researcher to have confidence in the findings.
labeling - Answers Assigning a person to a particular diagnostic category, such as schizophrenia.
lifetime prevalence - Answers The proportion of living persons in a population who have ever had a
disorder up to the time of the epidemiological assessment.
longitudinal design - Answers A research design in which people are followed over time.
meta-analysis - Answers 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 form the various studies to be combined and then analyzed.
negative correlation - Answers A relationship between two variables such that a high score on one
variable is associated with a low score on another variable.
nomenclature - Answers A formalized naming system.
1-year prevalence - Answers The total number of cases of a health-related state or condition in a
population for a given year.
placebo treatment - Answers 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 - Answers The number of cases of a specific condition or disorder that can be found
in a population at on given point in time.
positive correlation - Answers A relationship between two variables such that a high score on one
variable is associated with a high score on another variable.
prevalence - Answers 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 - Answers Method that often focuses on individuals who have a higher-than-
average likelihood of becoming psychologically disordered before abnormal behavior is observed.
random assignment - Answers A procedure used to create equivalent groups in which every research
participant has an equal change of being assigned to any group in the study.
retrospective research - Answers Research approach that attempts to retrace earlier events in the life
of a subject.
sampling - Answers The process of selecting a representative subgroup from a defined population of
interest.
self-report data - Answers Data collected directly from participants, typically by means of interviews
or questionnaires.
single-case research design - Answers An experimental research design that involves only on subject.
statistical significance - Answers A measure of the probability that a research finding could have
occurred by change alone.
stereotyping - Answers The tendency to jump to conclusions about what a person is like based on the
beliefs about that group that exist in the culture.
stigma - Answers Negative labeling.
third variable problem - Answers 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 - Answers Historically, these were institutions meant solely for the care of people with
mental illness.
behavioral perspective - Answers A theoretical viewpoint organized around the theme that learning is
central in determining human behavior.
behaviorism - Answers School of psychology that formerly restricted itself primarily to the study of
overt behavior.
catharsis - Answers Discharge of emotional tension associated with something, such as by talking
about past traumas.
classical conditioning - Answers A basic form of learning in which a neutral stimulus is paired
repeatedly with an unconditional stimulus that naturally elicits an unconditional response. After
repeated pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that elicits a conditioned
response.
deinstitutionalization - Answers Movement to close mental hospitals and treat people with severe
mental disorders in the community.
dream analysis - Answers Method involving the recording, description and interpretation of a
patient's dreams.
ABAB design - Answers An experimental design, often involving a single subject, wherein a baseline
period (A) is followed by a treatment (B). To confirm that the treatment resulted in a change in
behavior, the treatment is then withdrawn (A) and reinstated (B).
abnormal psychology - Answers Field of psychology concerned with the study, assessment, treatment,
and prevention of abnormal behavior.
acute - Answers Term used to describe a disorder of sudden onset, usually with intense symptoms.
analogue studies - Answers Studies in which a researcher attempts to emulate the conditions
hypothesized as leading to abnormality.
bias - Answers This occurs when the research has preconceived ideas and expectations that influence
the observations he or she makes in the research study.
case study - Answers An in-depth investigation of an individual or family that draws from a number of
data sources, including interviews and psychological testing.
chronic - Answers Term used to describe a long-standing or frequently recurring disorder, often with
progressing seriousness.
comorbidity - Answers Occurrence of two or more identified disorders in the same psychologically
disordered individual.
comparison (control) group - Answers Group of subjects who do not exhibit the disorder being
studied but who are comparable in all other respects to the criterion group.
Also, this group of subjects who do not receive a condition or treatment the effects of which are being
studied.
correlation - Answers The tendency of two variables to change together.
correlation coefficient - Answers A statistic that ranges from +1.0 to -1.0 and reflects the degree of
association between two variables.
correlational research - Answers A research strategy that examines whether and how variables go
together (co-vary) without manipulating (changing) any variables.
criterion group - Answers Group of subjects who exhibit the disorder under study.
dependent variable - Answers In an experiment, the factor that is observed to change with changes in
the manipulated variables.
direct observation - Answers Method of collecting research data the involves directly observing
behavior in a given situation.
double-blind study - Answers Often used in studies examining drug treatment effects, a condition
where neither the subject not that experimenter has knowledge about what specific experimental
condition the subject is receiving.
effect size - Answers A statistical term referring to the strength of the relationship between two
variables in a statistical population.
epidemiology - Answers Study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or health-related behaviors in
a given population.
etiology - Answers Factors that are related to the development (or cause) of a particular disorder.
experimental research - Answers Research that involves the manipulation of a given factor or variable
with everything else held constant.
external validity - Answers The extent to which the findings from a single study are relevant to other
populations, contexts, or times.
family aggregation - Answers The clustering of certain traits, behaviors, or disorders within a given
family.
This may arise because of genetic or environmental similarities.
generalizability - Answers The extent to which the findings from a single study can be used to draw
conclusions about other samples.
hypothesis - Answers 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 - Answers Occurrence (onset) rate of a given disorder in a given population.
independent variable - Answers Factor whose effects are being examined and which is manipulated in
some way, while other variables are held constant.
, internal validity - Answers The extent to which a study is free of confounds, is methodologically
sound, and allows the researcher to have confidence in the findings.
labeling - Answers Assigning a person to a particular diagnostic category, such as schizophrenia.
lifetime prevalence - Answers The proportion of living persons in a population who have ever had a
disorder up to the time of the epidemiological assessment.
longitudinal design - Answers A research design in which people are followed over time.
meta-analysis - Answers 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 form the various studies to be combined and then analyzed.
negative correlation - Answers A relationship between two variables such that a high score on one
variable is associated with a low score on another variable.
nomenclature - Answers A formalized naming system.
1-year prevalence - Answers The total number of cases of a health-related state or condition in a
population for a given year.
placebo treatment - Answers 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 - Answers The number of cases of a specific condition or disorder that can be found
in a population at on given point in time.
positive correlation - Answers A relationship between two variables such that a high score on one
variable is associated with a high score on another variable.
prevalence - Answers 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 - Answers Method that often focuses on individuals who have a higher-than-
average likelihood of becoming psychologically disordered before abnormal behavior is observed.
random assignment - Answers A procedure used to create equivalent groups in which every research
participant has an equal change of being assigned to any group in the study.
retrospective research - Answers Research approach that attempts to retrace earlier events in the life
of a subject.
sampling - Answers The process of selecting a representative subgroup from a defined population of
interest.
self-report data - Answers Data collected directly from participants, typically by means of interviews
or questionnaires.
single-case research design - Answers An experimental research design that involves only on subject.
statistical significance - Answers A measure of the probability that a research finding could have
occurred by change alone.
stereotyping - Answers The tendency to jump to conclusions about what a person is like based on the
beliefs about that group that exist in the culture.
stigma - Answers Negative labeling.
third variable problem - Answers 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 - Answers Historically, these were institutions meant solely for the care of people with
mental illness.
behavioral perspective - Answers A theoretical viewpoint organized around the theme that learning is
central in determining human behavior.
behaviorism - Answers School of psychology that formerly restricted itself primarily to the study of
overt behavior.
catharsis - Answers Discharge of emotional tension associated with something, such as by talking
about past traumas.
classical conditioning - Answers A basic form of learning in which a neutral stimulus is paired
repeatedly with an unconditional stimulus that naturally elicits an unconditional response. After
repeated pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus that elicits a conditioned
response.
deinstitutionalization - Answers Movement to close mental hospitals and treat people with severe
mental disorders in the community.
dream analysis - Answers Method involving the recording, description and interpretation of a
patient's dreams.
