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Abnormal Psych Ch 3
Source: Essentials of Abnormal Psychology 5th Ed. V. Mark Durand & David H. Barlow
81
Psychology
Undergraduate 2
04/17/2010

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Term
clinical assessment
Definition
Systematic evaluation and measurement of psychological, biological, and social factors in a person presenting with a possible psychological disorder.
Term
diagnosis
Definition
Process of determining whether a presenting problem meets the established criteria for a specific psychological disorder.
Term
reliability
Definition
Degree to which a measurement is consistent--for example, over time or among different raters.
Term
validity
Definition
Degree to which a technique measures what it purports to measure.
Term
standardization
Definition
Process of establishing specific norms and requirements for a measurement technique to ensure it is used consistently across measurement occasions. This includes instructions for administering the measure, evaluating its findings, and comparing these with data for large numbers of people.
Term
mental status exam
Definition
Relatively coarse preliminary test of a client's judgment, orientation to time and place, and emotional and mental state; typically conducted during an initial interview.
Term
behavioral assessment
Definition
Measuring, observing, and systematically evaluating (rather than inferring) the client's thoughts, feelings, and behavior in the actual problem situation or context.
Term
projective test
Definition
Psychoanalytically based measure that presents ambiguous stimuli to clients on the assumption that their responses can reveal their unconscious conflicts. Such tests are inferential and lack high reliability and validity.
Term
personality inventory
Definition
Self-report questionnaire that assesses personal traits by asking respondents to identify descriptions that apply to themselves.
Term
intelligence quotient (IQ)
Definition
Score on an intelligence test estimating a person's deviation from average test performance.
Term
neuropsychological testing
Definition
Assessment of brain and nervous system functioning by testing an individual's performance on behavioral tasks.
Term
false positive
Definition
Assessment error in which pathology is reported (that is, test results are positive) when none is actually present.
Term
false negative
Definition
Assessment error in which no pathology is noted (that is, test results are negative) when one is actually present.
Term
neuroimaging
Definition
Sophisticated computer-aided procedures that allow nonintrusive examination of nervous system structure and function.
Term
psychophysiological assessment
Definition
Measurement of changes in the nervous system reflecting psychological or emotional events such as anxiety, stress, and sexual arousal.
Term
electroencephalogram (EEG)
Definition
Measure of electrical activity patterns in the brain, taken through electrodes placed on the scalp.
Term
classification
Definition
Assignment of objects or people to categories on the basis of shared characteristics.
Term
taxonomy
Definition
System of naming and classification (for example, of specimens) in science.
Term
nosology
Definition
Classification and naming system for medical and psychological phenomena.
Term
nomenclature
Definition
In a naming system or nosology, the actual labels or names that are applied. In psychopathology, these include mood disorders an eating disorders.
Term
classical categorical approach
Definition
Classification method founded on the assumption of clear-cut differences among disorders, each with a different known cause. Also known as pure categorical approach.
Term
dimensional approach
Definition
Method of categorizing characteristics on a continuum rather than on a binary, either-or, or all-or-none basis.
Term
prototypical approach
Definition
System for categorizing disorders using both essential, defining characteristics and a range of variation on other characteristics.
Term
familial aggregation
Definition
Extent to which a disorder would be found among a patient's relatives.
Term
comorbidity
Definition
Presence of two or more disorders in an individual at the same time.
Term
labeling
Definition
Applying a name to a phenomenon or a pattern of behavior. The label may acquire negative connotations or be applied erroneously to the person rather than to that person's behaviors.
Term
hypothesis
Definition
Educated guess or statement to be tested by research.
Term
research design
Definition
Plan of experimentation used to test a hypothesis.
Term
internal validity
Definition
Extent to which the results of a study can be attributed to the independent variable after confounding alternative explanations have been ruled out.
Term
external validity
Definition
Extent to which research findings generalize, or apply, to people and settings not involved in the study.
Term
testability
Definition
Ability of a hypothesis, for example, to be subjected to scientific scrutiny and to be accepted or rejected, a necessary condition for the hypothesis to be useful.
Term
dependent variable
Definition
In an experimental study, the phenomenon that is measured and expected to be influenced.
Term
independent variable
Definition
Phenomenon manipulated by the experimenter in a study and expected to influence the dependent variable.
Term
confound
Definition
Any factor occurring in a study that makes the results uninterpretable because its effects cannot be separated from those of the variables being studied.
Term
confounding variable
Definition
Variable in a research study that was not part of the intended design and that may contribute to changes in the dependent variable.
Term
control group
Definition
Group of individuals in a study who are similar to the experimental subjects in every way but are not exposed to the treatment received by the experimental group. Their presence allows for a comparison of the differential effects of the treatment.
Term
randomization
Definition
Method for placing individuals into research groups that assures each an equal chance of being assigned to any group, thus eliminating any systematic differences across groups.
Term
analog model
Definition
Approach to research that employs subjects who are similar to clinical clients, allowing replication of a clinical problem under controlled conditions.
Term
generalizability
Definition
Extent to which research results apply to a range of individuals not included in the study.
Term
statistical significance
Definition
Small probability of obtaining the observed research findings by chance.
Term
clinical significance
Definition
Degree to which research findings have useful and meaningful applications to real problems.
Term
patient uniformity myth
Definition
Tendency to consider all members of a category as more similar than they are, ignoring their individual differences.
Term
case study method
Definition
Research procedure in which a single person or small group is studied in detail. The method does not allow conclusions about cause-and-effect relationships, and findings can be generalized only with great caution.
Term
correlation
Definition
Degree to which two variables are associated. In a positive correlation, the two variables increase or decrease together. In a negative correlation, one variable decreases as the other increases.
Term
correlational study
Definition
Research procedure in which variables are measured and compared to detect any association but are not manipulated. Conclusions about cause-and-effect relationships are not permissible.
Term
directionality
Definition
Possibility that when two variables, A and B, are correlated variable A causes variable B or variable B causes variable A.
Term
positive correlation
Definition
Association between two variables in which one increases as the other increases.
Term
correlation coefficient
Definition
Computed statistic reflecting the strength and direction of any association between two variables. It can range from -1.00 through 0.00 (indicating no association) to +1.00, with the absolute value indicating the strength and the sign reflecting the direction.
Term
negative correlation
Definition
Association between two variables in which one increases as the other decreases.
Term
epidemiology
Definition
Psychopathology research method examining the prevalence, distribution, and consequences of disorders in populations.
Term
experiment
Definition
Research method that can establish causation by manipulating the variables in question and controlling for alternative explanations of any observed effects.
Term
placebo effect
Definition
Behavior change resulting from the person's expectation of change rather than from the experimental manipulation itself.
Term
placebo control group
Definition
In an outcome experiment, a control group that does not receive the experimental manipulation but is given a similar procedure with an identical expectation of change, allowing the researcher to assess any placebo effect.
Term
double-blind control
Definition
Procedure in outcome research that prevents bias by ensuring that neither the subjects nor the providers of the experimental treatment know who is receiving treatment and who is receiving a placebo.
Term
comparative treatment research
Definition
Outcome research that contrasts two or more treatment methods to determine which is most effective.
Term
single-case experimental design
Definition
Research tactic in which an independent variable is manipulated for a single individual, allowing cause-and-effect conclusions but with limited generalizability.
Term
repeated measurement
Definition
When responses are measured on more than two occasions (not just before and after intervention) to assess trends.
Term
variability
Definition
Degree of change in a phenomenon over time.
Term
trend
Definition
Direction of change of a behavior or behaviors (for example, increasing or decreasing).
Term
level
Definition
Degree of behavior change with different interventions (for example, high or low).
Term
withdrawal design
Definition
Removing a treatment to not whether is has been effective. Also called reversal design.
Term
baseline
Definition
Measured rate of a behavior before introduction of an intervention that allows comparison and assessment of the effects of the intervention.
Term
multiple baseline design
Definition
Single-case experimental design in which measures are taken on two or more behaviors or on a single behavior in two or more situations. A particular intervention is introduced for each at different times. If behavior change is coincident with each introduction, this is strong evidence the intervention caused the change.
Term
phenotype
Definition
Observable characteristics or behaviors of an individual.
Term
genotype
Definition
Specific genetic makeup of an individual.
Term
human genome project
Definition
Ongoing scientific attempt to develop a comprehensive map of all human genes.
Term
family study
Definition
Genetic study that examines patterns of traits and behaviors among relatives.
Term
proband
Definition
In genetics research, the individual displaying the trait or characteristic being studied.
Term
adoption study
Definition
In genetics research, the study of first-degree relatives reared in different families and environments.
Term
twin study
Definition
In genetics research, the comparison of twins with unrelated or less closely related individuals.
Term
genetic linkage analysis
Definition
Study that seeks to match the inheritance pattern of a disorder to that of a genetic marker. Helps researchers establish location of gene responsible for the disorder.
Term
genetic marker
Definition
Inherited characteristic for which the chromosomal location of the responsible gene is known.
Term
association study
Definition
Research strategy for comparing genetic markers in groups of people with and without a particular disorder.
Term
cross-sectional design
Definition
Methodology to examine a characteristic by comparing individuals of different ages.
Term
cohort
Definition
Participants in each age group of a study with a cross-sectional design.
Term
cohort effect
Definition
Observation that people of different age groups differ in their values and experiences.
Term
retrospective information
Definition
Literally "the view back"; data collected by examining records or recollections of the past. It is limited by the accuracy, validity, and thoroughness of the sources.
Term
longitudinal design
Definition
Systematic study of changes in the same individual or group examined over time.
Term
cross-generational effect
Definition
Limit on the generalizability of longitudinal research because the group under study may differ from others in culture and experience.
Term
sequential design
Definition
Combination of cross-sectional and longitudinal designs involving repeated study of different cohorts over time.
Term
informed consent
Definition
Ethical requirement whereby research subjects agree to participate in a study only after they receive full disclosure about the nature of the study and their role in it.
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