ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY TEST PAPER Questions with
Correct Answers (Grade A+)
Question 1: abnormal psychology
Answer: The scientific study of abnormal behavior in order to describe, predict, explain, and ultimately
change abnormal patterns of functioning.
Question 2: acute stress disorder
Answer: An anxiety disorder in which fear and related symptoms are experienced soon after a traumatic
event, often including amnesia about the event, emotional numbing, and derealization, and lasting less than
a month. Many victims later develop posttraumatic stress disorder.
Question 3: addiction
Answer: Physical dependence on a substance marked by tolerance, withdrawal symptoms during
abstinence, or both.
Question 4: affect
Answer: A subjective feeling of emotion or mood often accompanied by bodily expressions noticeable to
others.
Question 5: age of onset
Answer: Person's age when he or she develops or exhibits symptoms of a disorder.
Question 6: agnosia
Answer: Inability to recognize and name objects; may be a symptom of dementia or other brain disorders.
Question 7: agoraphobia
Answer: Anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult (or embarrassing)
or help unavailable if panic symptoms were to occur.
Question 8: alogia
Answer: Deficiency in the amount or content of speech, a disturbance often seen in people with
schizophrenia. Also known as poverty of speech.
Question 9: alternate personalities / alters
Answer: In dissociative identity disorder, the additional identities along with the host identity. Also known
as subpersonalities.
Page 1
,Question 10: American Law Institute (ALI) test (1955)
Answer: A legal test for insanity that holds a person to be insane at the time of committing a crime, if during
criminal conduct, the individual could not judge right from wrong or control his or her behavior as required
by law. Compare M'Naghten Rule and irresistible impulse.
Question 11: amnestic disorders
Answer: Organic disorders in which the primary symptom is memory loss.
Question 12: anhedonia
Answer: Inability to experience pleasure, associated with some mood and schizophrenic disorders.
Question 13: anorexia nervosa
Answer: Eating disorder characterized by continual food refusal and the pursuit of extreme thinness, leading
to dangerously low body weight.
Question 14: antisocial personality disorder
Answer: A personality disorder marked by a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of
others. Deceitful, unremorseful, manipulative, lacks anxiety and guilt.
Question 15: anxiety
Answer: Mood state characterized by marked negative affect, behaviors, and bodily symptoms of tension in
which a person apprehensively anticipates future danger or misfortune.
Question 16: anxiety disorders
Answer:
1. A varied group of disorders that all have anxiety
2. fear
3. or tension as an essential feature. Includes specific phobias
4. social phobia
5. panic disorder
6. generalized anxiety disorder
7. obsessive-compulsive disorder
8. and posttraumatic stress disorder.
Question 17: aphasia
Answer: Impairment or loss of language skills resulting from brain damage caused by stroke, Alzheimer's
disease, or other illness or trauma.
Page 2
, Question 18: apraxia
Answer: Loss of motor activities (such as walking); one of the symptoms of dementia.
Question 19: Asperger's disorder
Answer: A pervasive developmental disorder in which individuals display profound social impairment and
restricted or unusual behaviors, but without language delays seen in autism.
Question 20: attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Answer: Developmental disorder in which persons are unable to focus their attention, they behave
hyperactively or impulsively, or both.
Question 21: auditory hallucinations
Answer: Psychotic disturbance in perception in which a person hears sounds or voices although these are
not real or actually present. The voices are often critical, accusatory, or demanding.
Question 22: attributional style
Answer: The relatively consistent explanations a person forms about why personal stressors or other
negative life events occur, taking the form of internal vs. external, stable vs. unstable, and global vs.
specific.
Question 23: autistic disorder (autism)
Answer: Pervasive developmental disorder characterized by significant impairment in social interactions,
extreme unresponsiveness to others, poor communication skills, and highly repetitive and rigid behavior.
Question 24: avoidant personality disorder
Answer: A personality disorder featuring a pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy,
and extremely sensitive to criticism.
Question 25: avolition
Answer: A symptom of schizophrenia marked by apathy, and an inability to initiate or complete important
activities.
Question 26: behavior therapy
Answer: An group of therapy methods based on the principles of behavioral and cognitive science as well as
principles of learning as applied to clinical problems. It considers specific behaviors rather than inferred
internal factors as targets for change. Also known as behavior modification.
Page 3
Correct Answers (Grade A+)
Question 1: abnormal psychology
Answer: The scientific study of abnormal behavior in order to describe, predict, explain, and ultimately
change abnormal patterns of functioning.
Question 2: acute stress disorder
Answer: An anxiety disorder in which fear and related symptoms are experienced soon after a traumatic
event, often including amnesia about the event, emotional numbing, and derealization, and lasting less than
a month. Many victims later develop posttraumatic stress disorder.
Question 3: addiction
Answer: Physical dependence on a substance marked by tolerance, withdrawal symptoms during
abstinence, or both.
Question 4: affect
Answer: A subjective feeling of emotion or mood often accompanied by bodily expressions noticeable to
others.
Question 5: age of onset
Answer: Person's age when he or she develops or exhibits symptoms of a disorder.
Question 6: agnosia
Answer: Inability to recognize and name objects; may be a symptom of dementia or other brain disorders.
Question 7: agoraphobia
Answer: Anxiety about being in places or situations from which escape might be difficult (or embarrassing)
or help unavailable if panic symptoms were to occur.
Question 8: alogia
Answer: Deficiency in the amount or content of speech, a disturbance often seen in people with
schizophrenia. Also known as poverty of speech.
Question 9: alternate personalities / alters
Answer: In dissociative identity disorder, the additional identities along with the host identity. Also known
as subpersonalities.
Page 1
,Question 10: American Law Institute (ALI) test (1955)
Answer: A legal test for insanity that holds a person to be insane at the time of committing a crime, if during
criminal conduct, the individual could not judge right from wrong or control his or her behavior as required
by law. Compare M'Naghten Rule and irresistible impulse.
Question 11: amnestic disorders
Answer: Organic disorders in which the primary symptom is memory loss.
Question 12: anhedonia
Answer: Inability to experience pleasure, associated with some mood and schizophrenic disorders.
Question 13: anorexia nervosa
Answer: Eating disorder characterized by continual food refusal and the pursuit of extreme thinness, leading
to dangerously low body weight.
Question 14: antisocial personality disorder
Answer: A personality disorder marked by a pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of
others. Deceitful, unremorseful, manipulative, lacks anxiety and guilt.
Question 15: anxiety
Answer: Mood state characterized by marked negative affect, behaviors, and bodily symptoms of tension in
which a person apprehensively anticipates future danger or misfortune.
Question 16: anxiety disorders
Answer:
1. A varied group of disorders that all have anxiety
2. fear
3. or tension as an essential feature. Includes specific phobias
4. social phobia
5. panic disorder
6. generalized anxiety disorder
7. obsessive-compulsive disorder
8. and posttraumatic stress disorder.
Question 17: aphasia
Answer: Impairment or loss of language skills resulting from brain damage caused by stroke, Alzheimer's
disease, or other illness or trauma.
Page 2
, Question 18: apraxia
Answer: Loss of motor activities (such as walking); one of the symptoms of dementia.
Question 19: Asperger's disorder
Answer: A pervasive developmental disorder in which individuals display profound social impairment and
restricted or unusual behaviors, but without language delays seen in autism.
Question 20: attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Answer: Developmental disorder in which persons are unable to focus their attention, they behave
hyperactively or impulsively, or both.
Question 21: auditory hallucinations
Answer: Psychotic disturbance in perception in which a person hears sounds or voices although these are
not real or actually present. The voices are often critical, accusatory, or demanding.
Question 22: attributional style
Answer: The relatively consistent explanations a person forms about why personal stressors or other
negative life events occur, taking the form of internal vs. external, stable vs. unstable, and global vs.
specific.
Question 23: autistic disorder (autism)
Answer: Pervasive developmental disorder characterized by significant impairment in social interactions,
extreme unresponsiveness to others, poor communication skills, and highly repetitive and rigid behavior.
Question 24: avoidant personality disorder
Answer: A personality disorder featuring a pervasive pattern of social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy,
and extremely sensitive to criticism.
Question 25: avolition
Answer: A symptom of schizophrenia marked by apathy, and an inability to initiate or complete important
activities.
Question 26: behavior therapy
Answer: An group of therapy methods based on the principles of behavioral and cognitive science as well as
principles of learning as applied to clinical problems. It considers specific behaviors rather than inferred
internal factors as targets for change. Also known as behavior modification.
Page 3
