Abnormal Psychology Certification Review Questions with Correct
Answers (Grade A+)
Question 1: phobia
Answer: An anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object or
situation.
Question 2: Psychological Dysfunction
Answer: Breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning
Question 3: Just having a dysfunction is not enough to meet the criteria for psychological disorder.
Answer: for this reason, these problems are often considered to be on a continuum or a dimension rather
than to be categories that are present or absent.
Question 4: atypical
Answer: not typical; not conforming to the type; irregular; abnormal
Question 5: DSM
Answer: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - contains the current listing of criteria for psychological
disorders
Question 6: Abnormal
Answer: describes behavioral, psychological, or biological dysfunctions that are unexpected in their cultural
context and associated with present distress and impairment in functioning, or increased risk of suffering,
death, pain, or impairment
Question 7: prototype
Answer: a typical profile. a pt may have only some features or symptoms of the disorder (minimum
number) and still meet criteria for the disorder because his or her set of symptoms is close to the prototype.
Question 8: Psychopathology
Answer: the scientific study of psychological disorders
Question 9: counseling psychologists
Answer: tend to study and treat adjustment and vocational issues encountered by relatively healthy
individuals
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, Question 10: clinical psychologists
Answer: usually concentrate on more severe psychological disorders
Question 11: Functions of Mental Health Practitioners
Answer: 1. Consumers of the science of psychopathology. That is that they keep up with recent
developments which benefits their patients.
Question 12: Presenting problem
Answer: why the person came to the clinic
Question 13: Clinical description
Answer: represents the unique combination of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that make up a specific
disorder.
Question 14: Clinical
Answer: refers to both types of problems and disorders that would be found in a clinic or hospital and to be
the activities connected with assessment and treatment
Question 15: Prevalence
Answer: how many people in the population as a whole have the disorder
Question 16: Incidence
Answer: rate of occurrence; particular occurrence; Ex. high incidence of infant mortality
Question 17: Chronic course
Answer: Generally a long-term disorder, such as schizophrenia
Question 18: Episodic course
Answer: disorder that may end after a few months only to reoccur at a later time
Question 19: Time-limited course
Answer: The disorder will improve without treatment in a relatively short period
Question 20: Acute onset
Answer: disorder begins suddenly
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Answers (Grade A+)
Question 1: phobia
Answer: An anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object or
situation.
Question 2: Psychological Dysfunction
Answer: Breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning
Question 3: Just having a dysfunction is not enough to meet the criteria for psychological disorder.
Answer: for this reason, these problems are often considered to be on a continuum or a dimension rather
than to be categories that are present or absent.
Question 4: atypical
Answer: not typical; not conforming to the type; irregular; abnormal
Question 5: DSM
Answer: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual - contains the current listing of criteria for psychological
disorders
Question 6: Abnormal
Answer: describes behavioral, psychological, or biological dysfunctions that are unexpected in their cultural
context and associated with present distress and impairment in functioning, or increased risk of suffering,
death, pain, or impairment
Question 7: prototype
Answer: a typical profile. a pt may have only some features or symptoms of the disorder (minimum
number) and still meet criteria for the disorder because his or her set of symptoms is close to the prototype.
Question 8: Psychopathology
Answer: the scientific study of psychological disorders
Question 9: counseling psychologists
Answer: tend to study and treat adjustment and vocational issues encountered by relatively healthy
individuals
Page 1
, Question 10: clinical psychologists
Answer: usually concentrate on more severe psychological disorders
Question 11: Functions of Mental Health Practitioners
Answer: 1. Consumers of the science of psychopathology. That is that they keep up with recent
developments which benefits their patients.
Question 12: Presenting problem
Answer: why the person came to the clinic
Question 13: Clinical description
Answer: represents the unique combination of behaviors, thoughts, and feelings that make up a specific
disorder.
Question 14: Clinical
Answer: refers to both types of problems and disorders that would be found in a clinic or hospital and to be
the activities connected with assessment and treatment
Question 15: Prevalence
Answer: how many people in the population as a whole have the disorder
Question 16: Incidence
Answer: rate of occurrence; particular occurrence; Ex. high incidence of infant mortality
Question 17: Chronic course
Answer: Generally a long-term disorder, such as schizophrenia
Question 18: Episodic course
Answer: disorder that may end after a few months only to reoccur at a later time
Question 19: Time-limited course
Answer: The disorder will improve without treatment in a relatively short period
Question 20: Acute onset
Answer: disorder begins suddenly
Page 2
