Details Title: Abnormal Psychology Description: Test 1 Notecards Total Flash Cards: 75 Created: 09/14/2008 22:06:12		New Users: To study from this flashcard set, or to create your own your own study flash cards, REGISTER HERE. Existing Users: CLICK HERE. Additional Psychology Flashcards
Cards in this set: Term medical model Definition a biological perspective in which abnormal behavior is viewed as symptomatic of underlying illness Term psychological disorder Definition abnormal behavior pattern that involves a disturbance of psychological funtcioning or behavior Term abnormal psychology Definition the branch of psychology that deals with the description, causes, and treatment of abnormal behavior problems Term trephination Definition a prehistoric method that was thought to release demons where a hole is cut in a person's skull Term humors Definition the vital bodily fluids, according to the Hippocratic belief system (phlegm, black bile, yellow bile, blood) Term dementia praecox Definition the term given by Kraepelin to the disorder now known as schizophrenia Term general paresis Definition a degenerative brain disease occurring when the bacterium that causes syphilis directly invades brain tissue Term psychodynamic model Definition the model of Freud and his followers, in which abnormal behavior is viewed as the product of clashing forces within the personality Term biopsychosocial model Definition an integrative model for explaining abnormal in terms of the interactions of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors Term scientific method Definition a systematic method of conducting scientific research in which theories or assumptions are examined in the light of evidence Term informed consent Definition the principle that subjects should recieve enough information about an experiment beforehand to decide freely whether to participate Term correlational method Definition a scientific method of study that examines the relationships between factors or variables expressed in statistical terms Term correlation coefficient Definition a statistical measure of the strength of the relationship between two variables expressed along a continuum that varies between -1.00 and 1.00 Term longitudinal study Definition a research study in which subjects are followed over time Term experimental method Definition a scientific method that aims to discover cause and effect relationships by manipulating independent variables and recording effects on dependent variables Term independent variables Definition factors that are manipulated in an experiment Term dependent variables Definition outcomes of an experiment believed to be dependent on the effects of the independent variable Term selection factor Definition a type of bias in which differences between experimental and control groups result from differences in the types of participants in the group, not from the independent variable Term blind Definition a state of being unaware whether one has received an experimental treatment Term internal validity Definition the degree to which manipulation of the independent variables can be causally related to changes in the dependent variables Term external validity Definition the degree to which experimental results can be generalized to other settings and conditions Term construct validity Definition the degree to which treatment effects can be accounted for by the theoretical mechanisms represented in the independent variables Term epidemiological studies Definition research studies that track rates of occurrence of particular disorders among different population groups Term survey method Definition a research method in which large samples of people are questioned by means of a survey instrument Term incidence Definition the number of new cases of a disorder that occurs within a specific period of time Term prevalence Definition the overall number of cases of a disorder in the population within a period of time Term genotype Definition the set of traits specified by an individuals genetic code Term phenotype Definition an individuals actual or expressed traits Term proband Definition the case first diagnosed of a given disorder Term adoptee studies Definition studies that compare the traits and behavior patterns of adopted children to those of their biological parents and their adoptive parents Term case study Definition a carefully drawn biography based on clinical interviews, observations, and psychological tests Term single-case experimental design Definition a type of case study in which the test subject is used as his or her own control Term reversal design Definition an experimental design that consists of repeated measurement of a subjects behavior through a sequence alternating baseline and treatment phases Term culture-bound syndromes Definition patterns of abnormal behavior found within only one or a few cultures Term reliability Definition in psychological assessment, the consistency of a measure or diagnostic instrument or system Term validity Definition the degree to which a test or diagnostic system measures the traits or constructs it purports to measure Term sanism Definition the negative stereotyping of people who are identified as mentally ill Term content validity Definition the degree to which content of a test or measure represents the content domain of the construct it purports to measure Term criterion validity Definition the degree to which a test correlates with an independent, external criterion or standard Term construct validity Definition the degree to which a test measures the hypothetical construct it purports to measure Term objective tests Definition self-report personality tests that can be scored objectively and that are based on a research foundation Term projective tests Definition psychological tests that present ambiguous stimuli onto which the examinee is thought to project his or her personality and unconscious motives Term reality testing Definition the ability to perceive the world accurately and to distinguish reality from fantasy Term neuropsychological assessment Definition measurement of behavior or performance that may be indicative of underlying brain damage or defects Term cognitive assessment Definition measurement of thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes that may be associated with emotional problems Term physiological assessment Definition measurement of physiological responses that may be associated with abnormal behavior Term neurons Definition nerve cells Term dendrites Definition the rootlike structures at the ends of neurons that receive nerve impulses from other neurons Term axon Definition the long, thin part of a neuron along which nerve impulses travel Term terminals Definition the small branching structures at the tips of axons Term neurotransmitters Definition chemical substances that transmit messages from one neuron to another Term synapse Definition the junction between one neuron and another through which nerve impulses pass Term receptor site Definition a part of a dendrite on a receiving neuron that is structured to receive a neurotransmitter Term central nervous system Definition the brain and spinal chord Term peripheral nervous system Definition the somatic and autonomic nervous system Term medulla Definition an area of the hindbrain involved in a regulation of heartbeat and respiration Term pons Definition a structure in the hindbrain involved in respiration Term cerebellum Definition a structure in the hindbrain involved in coordination and balance Term reticular activating system Definition brain structure involved in processes of attention, sleep, and arousal Term thalamus Definition a structure in the forebrain involved in relaying sensory information to the cortex and in processes related to sleep and attention Term hypothalamus Definition a structure in the forebrain involved in regulating body temperature, emotion, end motivation Term limbic system Definition a group of forebrain structures involved in learning, memory and basic drives Term basal ganglia Definition an assemblage of neurons located between the thalamus and cerebrum, involved in coordinating motor processes Term cerebrum Definition the large mass of the forebrain, consisting of the two cerebral hemispheres Term cerebral cortex Definition the wrinkled surface area of the cerebrum responsible for processing sensory stimuli and controlling higher mental functions, such as the use of thinking and languages Term somatic nervous system Definition the division of the peripheral nervous system that relays information from the sense organs to the brain and transmits messages from the brain to the skeletal muscles Term autonomic nervous system Definition the division of the peripheral nervous system that regulates the activities of the glands and involuntary functions Term sympathetic nervous system Definition pertaining to the division of the autonomic nervous system whose activity leads to heightened states of arousal Term parasympathetic nervous system Definition pertaining to the division of the autonomic nervous system whose activity reduces states of arousal and regulates bodily processes that replensish energy reserves Term psychoanalytic theory Definition the theoretical model of personality developed by Sigmund Freud; also called psychoanalysis Term conscious Definition to freud, the part of the mind that corresponds to our present awareness Term preconscious Definition to freud, the part of the mind whose contents lie outside present awareness but can be brought into awareness by focusing attention Term unconscious Definition to freud, the part of the mind that lies outside the range of awareness and contains instinctual images Term id Definition the unconscious psychic structure, present at birth, that contains primitive instincts and is regulated by the pleasure principle Term pleasure principle Definition the governing principle of the id, involving demands for immediate gratification of needs