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Chapter 4
Classification and Assessment of Abnormal Behavior
21
Psychology
Undergraduate 1
01/27/2015

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Term
Formal classification systems for mental disorders have been developed in order to facilitate communication, research, and treatment planning. Clinicians assign a diagnosis if the person's behavior meets the specific criteria for a particular type of disorder, such as schizophrenia or major depressive disorder. The current official system published by the American Psychiatric Association is the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, or DSM-5. It is based on a _____ and typically employs specific inclusion and exclusion criteria to define each disorder. The categories that are defined in DSM-5 are based primarily on descriptive principles rather than on theoretical knowledge regarding the etiology of the disorders.
Definition
categorical approach to classification
Term
Scientists may also use a _____-- that is, one that describes the objects of classification in terms of continuous dimensions. In fact, most features of mental disorders, such as anxiety and depressed mood, are dimensional in nature.
Definition
dimensional approach to classification
Term
Cultural factors play an important role in both the expression and recognition of symptoms of mental disorders. The accuracy and utility of a clinical diagnosis depend on the clinician's ability to consider the cultural context in which the problem appeared. DSM-5 includes a glossary of cultural concepts of distress, such as ataques de nervios. The usefulness of a classification system depends on several criteria, especially _____ and _____. The reliability of many categories in DSM-5 is good, but other disorders are more problematic in this regard. The validity of most categories remains under active investigation.
Definition
reliability, validity
Term
The general process of collecting and interpreting information is called _____. Interviews, observations, and tests are among the most frequently used assessment procedures. It is never possible to learn everything about a particular person. Choices have to be made, and some information must be excluded from the analysis.
Definition
assessment
Term
Structured diagnostic interviews are used extensively in conjunction with the DSM-5 classification system. The main advantage of interviews is their flexibility. Their primary limitation lies in the inability or unwillingness of some clients to provide a rational description of their own problems, as well as the subjective factors that influence the clinician's interpretation of data collected in an interview. _____, like the MMPI-2, offer several advantages as assessment devices. They can be scored objectively, they often contain validity scales that reflect the person's attitude and test-taking set, and they can be interpreted in reference to well-established standards for people with and without specific types of adjustment problems.
Definition
Personality inventories
Term
Some psychologists use _____, like the Rorschach, to acquire information that might not be obtained from direct interviews or observations. Research studies have found mixed evidence to support the validity of projective tests, and their continued use is controversial. Biological assessment procedures are used primarily in research studies. These include brain imaging techniques, such as fMRI and PET scans, as well as psychophysiological recording procedures. Biological assessment procedures do not yet have diagnostic value in clinical situations, except for the purpose of ruling out certain conditions, such as brain tumors and vascular disease.
Definition
projective personality tests
Term
analysis of test results based on an explicit set of rules derived from empirical research
Definition
actuarial interpretation
Term
the process of gathering and organizing information about a person's behavior
Definition
assessment
Term
a view of classification based on the assumption that there are qualitative differences between normal and abnormal behavior as well as between one form of abnormal behavior and other forms of abnormal behavior
Definition
categorical approach to classification
Term
a system for grouping together objects or organisms that share certain properties in common. In psychopathology, the set of categories in DSM-5 that describes mental disorders
Definition
classification system
Term
the simultaneous manifestation of more than one disorder
Definition
comorbidity
Term
patterns of erratic or unusual thinking and behavior that have been identified in diverse societies around world and do not fit easily into the other diagnostic categories that are listed in the main body of DSM-5
Definition
cultural concepts of distress
Term
the process of determining the nature of a person's disorder. In the case of psychopathology, deciding that a person fits into a particular diagnostic category, such as schizophrenia or major depressive disorder
Definition
diagnosis
Term
a view of classification based on the assumption that behavior is distributed on a continuum from normal to abnormal. Also includes the assumption that differences between one type of behavior and another are quantitative rather than qualitative in nature
Definition
dimensional approach to classification
Term
sometimes called an objective personality test, it consists of a series of straightforward statements that the person is required to rate or endorse as being either true or false in relation to himself or herself
Definition
personality inventory
Term
personality tests, such as the Rorschach inkblot test, in which the person is asked to interpret a series of ambiguous stimuli
Definition
projective tests
Term
an assessment tool in which the observer is asked to make judgments that place the person somewhere along a dimension
Definition
rating scale
Term
the influence of an observer's presence on the behavior of the person who is being observed
Definition
reactivity
Term
the consistency of measurements, including diagnostic decisions. One index of reliability is agreement among clinicians
Definition
reliability
Term
a negative stamp or label that sets the person apart from others, connects the person to undesirable features, and leads others to reject the person
Definition
stigma
Term
the meaning or systematic importance of a construct or a measurement
Definition
validity
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