Abnormal Psychology Exam Questions with Correct Answers (Grade
A+)
Question 1: impaired functioning
Answer: difficulty in fulfilling appropriate and expected family, social, and work-related roles
Question 2: biopsychosocial model
Answer: a view of mental disorders as caused by a combination of interacting biological, psychological, and
sociocultural factors
Question 3: neurobiological model
Answer: a modern name for the medical model, in which psychological disorders are seen as reflecting
disturbances in the anatomy and chemistry of the brain and in other biological processes
Question 4: psychological model
Answer: a view in which mental disorder is seen as arising from psychological processes
Question 5: sociocultural model
Answer: a way of looking at mental disorders in relation to gender, age, ethnicity, and other social and
cultural factors
Question 6: anxiety disorder
Answer: a condition in which intense feelings of apprehension are long-standing and disruptive
Question 7: phobia
Answer: an anxiety disorder involving strong, irrational fear of an object or situation that does not
objectively justify such a reaction
Question 8: specific phobia
Answer: an anxiety disorder involving fear and avoidance of heights, animals, and other specific stimuli and
situations
Question 9: post-traumatic stress disorder
Answer: a pattern of adverse reactions following a traumatic and threatening event
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, Question 10: social phobia
Answer: an anxiety disorder involving strong, irrational fears relating to social situations
Question 11: agoraphobia
Answer: an anxiety disorder involving strong fear of being alone or away from the security of home
Question 12: generalized anxiety disorder
Answer: a condition that involves relatively mild but long-lasting anxiety that is focused on any particular
object or situation; also called free-floating anxiety
Question 13: panic disorder
Answer: an anxiety disorder involving sudden panic attacks
Question 14: panic attacks
Answer:
1. attacks marked by intense heart palpitations
2. pressure or pain in the chest
3. dizziness or unsteadiness
4. sweating
5. and a feeling of faintness
Question 15: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Answer: an anxiety disorder involving repetitive thoughts and urges to perform certain rituals
Question 16: obsessions
Answer: persistent, upsetting, and unwanted thoughts
Question 17: compulsions
Answer: ritualistic, repetitive behaviors
Question 18: somatoform disorders
Answer: psychological problems in which there are symptoms of a physical disorder without a physical
cause
Question 19: conversion disorder
Answer: a somatoform disorder in which a person displays blindness, deafness, or other symptoms of
sensory or motor failure without a physical cause
Page 2
A+)
Question 1: impaired functioning
Answer: difficulty in fulfilling appropriate and expected family, social, and work-related roles
Question 2: biopsychosocial model
Answer: a view of mental disorders as caused by a combination of interacting biological, psychological, and
sociocultural factors
Question 3: neurobiological model
Answer: a modern name for the medical model, in which psychological disorders are seen as reflecting
disturbances in the anatomy and chemistry of the brain and in other biological processes
Question 4: psychological model
Answer: a view in which mental disorder is seen as arising from psychological processes
Question 5: sociocultural model
Answer: a way of looking at mental disorders in relation to gender, age, ethnicity, and other social and
cultural factors
Question 6: anxiety disorder
Answer: a condition in which intense feelings of apprehension are long-standing and disruptive
Question 7: phobia
Answer: an anxiety disorder involving strong, irrational fear of an object or situation that does not
objectively justify such a reaction
Question 8: specific phobia
Answer: an anxiety disorder involving fear and avoidance of heights, animals, and other specific stimuli and
situations
Question 9: post-traumatic stress disorder
Answer: a pattern of adverse reactions following a traumatic and threatening event
Page 1
, Question 10: social phobia
Answer: an anxiety disorder involving strong, irrational fears relating to social situations
Question 11: agoraphobia
Answer: an anxiety disorder involving strong fear of being alone or away from the security of home
Question 12: generalized anxiety disorder
Answer: a condition that involves relatively mild but long-lasting anxiety that is focused on any particular
object or situation; also called free-floating anxiety
Question 13: panic disorder
Answer: an anxiety disorder involving sudden panic attacks
Question 14: panic attacks
Answer:
1. attacks marked by intense heart palpitations
2. pressure or pain in the chest
3. dizziness or unsteadiness
4. sweating
5. and a feeling of faintness
Question 15: obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
Answer: an anxiety disorder involving repetitive thoughts and urges to perform certain rituals
Question 16: obsessions
Answer: persistent, upsetting, and unwanted thoughts
Question 17: compulsions
Answer: ritualistic, repetitive behaviors
Question 18: somatoform disorders
Answer: psychological problems in which there are symptoms of a physical disorder without a physical
cause
Question 19: conversion disorder
Answer: a somatoform disorder in which a person displays blindness, deafness, or other symptoms of
sensory or motor failure without a physical cause
Page 2
