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Abnormal Psychology ALL Exam Questions Which of the following is a key difference between anorexia and bulimia? A. Anorexia is a source of pride; bulimia is a source of shame B. Anorexia never involves binging and purging; bulimia is defined by binging and purging C. Anorexia is strongly influenced by perceived body shape; bulimia is minimally influenced by perceived body shape D. Anorexia is most common among higher SES groups; bulimia is equally common among all SES groups - Ans - D Which of the following statements is true? A. Drinking coffee lowers blood alcohol level B. Caffeine dependence is included in DSM-5 as a substance use disorder C. Hallucinogens produce auditory hallucinations D. High doses of cocaine or amphetamines can produce psychosis, at least temporarily - Ans -D According to your text, which of the following is true of antipsychotic medication in the treatment of schizophrenia? A. Patients need to take medication for prolonged periods of time, often for life B. Relapse is common as patients often stop taking medication C. Serious, sometimes irreversible side effects can result from the prolonged use of medication D. All of the above are true E. Aand C only - Ans-D What are delusions? A. tangential, disorganized speech indicating a disorder in thinking B. rigidly held, idiosyncratic beliefs C. sensory experiences in the absence of external stimuli D. lifelong convictions shared only by members of one's cultural group E. both b and d- Ans -B Which of the following is NOT included in the "big five" model of personality? A. Neuroticism B. Conscientiousness C. Openness to experience D. Likeability E. All of the above are included in the five-factor model - Ans - D Which of the following is NOT an eating and feeding disorder listed in DSM-5? A. Binge eating disorder B. Rumination disorder C. Obesity D. None of the above are DSM-5 eating and feeding disorders E. B and C only - Ans-C An evolutionary psychologist argues that differences between women's and men's sexual behavior are attributable to differential parental investment. Which of the following is likely to be a key to her argument? A. Reproduction is far more costly to the human female than to the human male, involving a long pregnancy and breast feeding immature offspring in the former case and perhaps only a few minutes in the latter B. Men value sex while women value relationships and this difference in sexuality contributes to their differential emotional connection with offspring C. Human females are more involved in caring for their offspring, and this teaches female offspring to value relationships more highly in later sexual relationships D. Male offspring are more similar to male parents, and females are more similar to female parents, and these differential genetic contributions lead to inherited patterns of sexual interest - Ans - A The personality disorder that is closest to be a synonym for psychopathy is: A. Paranoid personality disorder B. Antisocial personality disorder C. Schizoid personality disorder D. Borderline personality disorder - Ans - B Some experts argue that antisocial personality disorder should be defined primarily by callous and unemotional traits, that is , and less by in order to include people who : A. Emotion; deceitfulness; emotionless manipulators as opposed to the traditional "con man" B. Empathy; criminal behavior; callously manipulate others for personal gain but do not violate the law C. Cruelty; antisocial behavior devoid of intentionality; deliberately antisocial, not just responding to difficult circumstances D. Indifference; anger; coldly calculating - Ans - B Which of the following is a negative symptom of schizophrenia? A. Lack of affect B. Delusions C. Hallucinations D. All of the above are negative, of course E. This categorization of symptoms no longer applies in the DSM-5 - Ans - A These two symptoms, and , once defined . Now they are categorized as pharmacological symptoms of substance use disorder in DSM-5. A. tolerance; withdrawal; craving Inhibited sexual arousal disorder in women is most similar to which disorder in men? A. Dyspareunia B. Erectile dysfunction C. Premature ejaculation D. Hyperactive sexual dysfunction - Ans - B A researcher who seeks to identify early markers of schizophrenia in the hopes of preventing the disorder before it begins is most interested in the of the disorder. A. Prodromal phase B. Disorganized phase C. Schizoaffective phase D. Residual phase - Ans -A The of personality disorders is evident in A. Reliability; their inclusion in DSM-5 B. Validity; the rejection of dimensional definitions of personality disorders in DSM-5 C. Comorbidity; DSM-5's grouping of personality disorders into clusters D. Enduring nature; DSM-5's criterion of repeated help seeking as a part of the diagnosis E. None of the above - Ans -C Gambling disorder is in DSM-5. A. Listed in an appendix of "conditions for further study" B. Included as a mental disorder in the chapter on substance related disorders C. Included as a mental disorder in the chapter on paraphilic disorders D. Not included - Ans - B MZ twins have a concordance rate for schizophrenia of__—_—s suggesting that_— A. nearly 100%; genes (which have not yet been specifically identified) cause the disorder B. about 80%; genes play a stronger role in schizophrenia than in most mental illnesses, although the disorder probably is multiply caused C. About 50%; environmental influences interact with genetic risks to cause the disorder D. About 30%; even though the heritability is very high (because the DZ concordances is about 15%), genes alone do not contribute much to the disorder - Ans - C Which of the following characterizes a man with gender dysphoria? A. is depressed because of his sexual identity B. holds a delusional belief that he is a woman C. is sexually aroused by dressing as a woman D. believes that, in spite of his anatomy, he is really a woman - Ans - D Susan is a 19 year old with a body mass index (BMI) of 17. She is obsessed with eating healthy and terrified that she will gain weight is she breaks her eating rituals. She insists that she looks "pretty good", but would look better if she could drop a couple more pounds. She describes eating two cookies as a "binge". The best diagnosis for Susan is: A. anorexia nervosa B. bulimia nervosa C. obsessive-compulsive disorder D. obsessive-compulsive personality disorder - Ans - A What evidence would make K (or any parent), whose husband J suffered from schizophrenia, worry about the well-being of their children? A. Children who are reared by a parent with schizophrenia are at twice the risk of developing the disorder B. Children who have a biological parent with schizophrenia are about 15 times more likely to suffer from the disorder C. Parents who suffer from schizophrenia are 5 times more likely to abuse their children D. all of the above E. none of the above - Ans - B Endorphins are endogenous neuropeptides that are closely related chemically to A. alcohol B. cocaine C. morphine D. dopamine - Ans - C Which of the following is NOT a commonly reported expectation about the effects of alcohol? A. it will enhance sexual performance B. it will increase power and aggression C. it will improve social pleasure D. it will reduce tension E. all of the above are commonly reported expectations - Ans - E Which of the following disorders is the clearest example of qualitative differences between normal and abnormal behavior? A. schizophrenia B. sexual dysfunctions C. personality disorders D. substance abuse - Ans -A In the detailed case history of schizophrenia (J & K), | mentioned that J would call me at home. The fact that | could "talk him down" so that he could understand that his delusions were not real but a part of his disease showed: A. How people with schizophrenia can, with a little guidance, come to see that their delusions are illogical B. That J had at least some insight into his illness C. How a patient's use of hallucinogens can exacerbate their delusional symptoms D. All of the above D. the dissonance component of eating disorder prevention programs - Ans - D An operational definition is: A. a theoretical idea about an internal state or how someone thinks or feels B. an everyday, working belief about psychological motivations and emotions C. a temporary belief that is situation specific not an enduring trait D. an empirical measure of a theoretical construct - Ans - D What is vaginismus? A. a male's desire to be female B. a form of pseudohermaphroditism C. involuntary muscle spasms that prevent intercourse D. an infection caused by a sexually transmitted disease - Ans - C What do research results tell us about the effectiveness of psychological treatments for sexual offenders? A. most offenders can be helped B. only the offenders who admit their guilt can be helped C. the results have been discouraging D. psychological treatment works best when combined with medications - Ans - C In the J, K, and family case study presented in lecture, which of the following was an example of J's "negative" symptoms? A. J's belief that he had been poisoned B. J's withdrawal and lack of emotion C. J's trouble with unemployment D. all of the above are negative symptoms - Ans - B How does DSM-5 define addiction? A. based on the number of symptoms a patient meets for diagnosis B. based on the presence of craving and withdrawal C. based on a list of psychological factors D. DSM-5 does not distinguish addiction from other substance use problems - Ans - D According to the results of the National Health and Social Life Survey (and Figure 12-4), who is the least likely individual to be responsible for forced sex? A. a stranger B. an acquaintance C. someone the victim knows well D. someone with whom the victim was in love with - Ans - A In the assigned outside reading, Watts et al. (2013) argued that narcissism had a "bright side." This bright side is: A. called "vulnerable narcissism" - vulnerable because empathy for others tempers the narcissism B. the narcissist doesn't think they have a problem - the personality pattern is ego syntonic C. narcissists can become leaders who are effective at "selling" their ideas D. narcissists tend to be quite intelligent, thus some of the excess confidence is well placed - Ans - C As we saw from my quick self-test in class, in evaluating drinking problems the two leading measures of alcohol difficulties both rely heavily on: A. the average number of drinks you consume per day B. suggestions that you or others think you have a problem C. indications of increased tolerance D. admission of using drinking to relieve unhappy moods or to escape from difficult relationship problems - Ans - B What is the purpose of sensate focus in sex therapy? A. the procedure, involving self-exploration, helps people to become comfortable with their own sexuality before engaging in mutual sexuality B. the technique helps couples to focus on pleasant, erotic sensations associated with intimate contact, rather than focusing on performance demands C. the method continually interrupts climax, which both extends the period of sexual performance and focuses the couple on the sexual act not orgasm D. the idea encourages couples to hone their sensual experience apart from sexual performance, by focusing on everyday pleasant sensations involved in eating, art, and soon.- Ans -B Which of the following is the most accurate summary of survey results about sexual problems such as erectile failure, trouble with lubrication, premature ejaculation, or trouble reaching orgasm? A. these problems are rare in the general population, occurring among less than 1% of people, and a sign of current or impending sexual dysfunction B. these problems are quite common, occasionally occurring among 10-20% or more of the population C. these problems are quite common in sexual relationships between strangers but not in relationships between committed partners D. these problems are typically a symptom of deeper emotional or relationship difficulties, an evolutionary protection against unwanted pregnancy - Ans -B A dimensional model for classifying personality disorders was considered for inclusion in DSM-5, but the traditional system was maintained because the dimensional model was: A. less reliable than the traditional system B. more reliable but less valid than the traditional system C. over-inclusive, including many normal personality problems as disorders D. simply too complicated - Ans - D Which of the following statements is NOT true? A. neurotransmitters; nucleus; dendrites B. neurotransmitters; axon terminal; synapse C. neuromodulators; dendrites; synapse D. neuromodulators; nucleus; dendrites - Ans - B Which of the following is an incorrect pairing? A. personality inventory; MMPI B. projective test; Rorschach inkblot C. brain imaging; MRI D. all of the above are correct pairings E. AandC only - Ans-D | find that people in unhappy close relationships are more likely to be depressed. | conclude that troubled relationships cause depression. Which of the following is true about my conclusion? A. my conclusion might be right B. depression might cause unhappy relationships C. bad living circumstances might cause both depression and troubled relationships D. All of the above E.B and C only - Ans-D The diagnosis of many mental disorders has low levels of reliability. This means that: A. two different mental health professionals often disagree about whether an individual has a disorder B. two different mental health professionals often disagree about what caused a mental disorder C. two different mental health professionals often disagree about the best way to treat a disorder D. two different mental health professionals often disagree about what diagnoses belong in the DSM-5 - Ans -A When people hear, "It's genetic," we tend to think there's a gene for the condition. | suggested, however, that this conclusion is wrong headed when it comes to psychological disorders. Something can be genetic and still: A. Involve quantitative differences. You can be a "little bit" depressed, ADHD, eating disordered, etc. B. Be affected by genes indirectly. We don't necessarily have a gene "for" a given disorder. Genes may contribute indirectly to risk by influencing personality, body type, age at menstruation, etc. C. Be influenced by the environment. As with PKU, the environment can influence whether or not a genetic predisposition is expressed. D. All of the above E.B and C only- Ans-D Here is a bullet point from one class slide: "One hope is that a single, specific cause will be discovered for more refined diagnoses.” This refers to: A. The DSM-6 will classify disorders according to their cause B. There probably are multiple subtypes of "depression", "schizophrenia", etc., some of which may be discovered to have a single cause. C. The biological paradigm, specifically the "medical model", has been very successful in identifying causes of mental disorders D. Unlike most normal psychological experiences, mental disorders are located in the brain and improved brain imaging techniques are showing us precisely where - Ans - B | will use case studies in your Abnormal Psychology class this semester because: A. Case studies are the only way to prove the importance of the unconscious mind B. Case studies can provide informative descriptions and help you to generate hypotheses C. Case studies are the only way to prove causality D. Clinical psychology is noted for its case study approach, in contrast to other mental health professions which focus more on empirical research - Ans - B In a cartoon in the textbook, a tearful dog patient says angrily to a cat psychotherapist, “You haven't a clue what I'm talking about do you?" The main quality that the dog is complaining that the cat lacks is: A. insight B. genuineness C. empathy D. a theoretical orientation - Ans - C As discussed in Chapter 1, which of the following most accurately represents the relationship between culture and the diagnosis of mental disorders? A. the diagnosis of mental disorders is free of cultural influences B. each culture has its unique "surface" representation of abnormal behavior, but all cultures share the same underlying problems with abnormal behavior C. cultural values and beliefs influence what behaviors are considered to be abnormal D. what is considered abnormal has been created almost entirely by culture and history - Ans -C In his blog (extra reading assignment), Allen Frances (who directed the DSM-IV) criticized DSM-5 primarily for: A. including too many "fads" in its list of diagnoses B. emphasizing reliability over validity, since the public is ultimately concerned with the value of a diagnosis C. dropping key diagnoses from DSM-IV, especially hebephilia, sex addiction, and psychosis risk D. being a pawn of Big Pharma - Ans -A is especially important to recognize in psychotherapy outcome research because it is impossible to conduct A. the gene-environment correlation; research that manipulates human genes B. the allegiance effect; double blind studies A researcher describes her approach to understanding mental disorders as biopsychosocial. When you ask her to explain what she means, what should she say? A. biological abnormalities give rise to psychological disturbances that have social consequences B. biological, psychological, and social factors are equally likely to cause mental disorders C. most mental disorders are caused by a combination of biological, psychological and social factors D. it has no meaning at all, but big words sound impressive - Ans - C Mental disorders appear to be polygenic. This means that: A. scientists surely will identify the gene responsible for various disorders one day B. the same gene contributes to multiple disorders, so identifying candidate genes should help to cure multiple disorders C. many genes are involved in producing a disorder, resulting in variation that looks like the normal distribution even with only a relatively small N of genes D. all of the above E.B and C only - Ans-C Research on the cause of mental disorders almost always must use the because A. correlational study; factors thought to cause disorders can't be manipulated practically or ethically B. experiment; this is the most highly controlled research method C. case study; it is essential to take an idiographic approach to causality D. meta-analytic method; scientists must aggregate results across studies - Ans - A | shared results from my own studies: Mediation had far more positive benefits for families than the litigation of child custody disputes. But rural courts with few resources might not experience the same level of benefits from mediation. In terms of psychotherapy outcome research, this is an issue of: A. statistical significance versus clinical significance B. efficacy versus effectiveness C. blind versus double-blind study D. outcome versus process - Ans - B What is the best no treatment control group in psychotherapy outcome research? A. No treatment. Duh! B. a sugar pill C. this is a tricky question with no clear answer, because people in a "no treatment” group seek "treatment" in the form of talking to friends or family, asking advice, and so on D. trick question! you don't need a no treatment control group in a treatment study - Ans -C One theory (that you will soon learn about) is that anxiety is maintained by avoidance. You get anxious about doing something, avoid it, and avoidance lowers your anxiety. In operant conditioning terms, this is an example of: A. positive reinforcement B. negative reinforcement C. punishment D. response cost - Ans - B Suppose a trait is entirely determined by the shared environment. Which of the following could be expected in a twin study of monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins? A. MZ and DZ twins would both have zero percent concordance B. MZ twins would have fifty percent concordance, DZ twins would have a zero percent concordance C. MZ twins would have one hundred percent concordance, DZ twins could have fifty percent concordance D. MZ and DZ twins would both have one hundred percent concordance - Ans - C The future of psychotherapy is to: A. train parents to do a better job of childrearing, thus ending emotional disorders B. train paraprofessionals who can do therapy in schools, work places, and neighborhoods C. make psychoanalysis affordable for everyone D. develop and offer different treatments that work for different disorders - Ans - D I'm really mad at you, but | can't admit this to myself. So instead | think you're really mad at me. This is an example of: A. projection B. sublimation C. displacement D. reaction formation - Ans - A Which of the following is the best analogy for how the contemporary classification of mental disorders works in terms of quantitative and qualitative differences? A. keeping number grades instead of turning them into letter grades B. getting a pregnancy test C. deciding what heights we will call "too short" and "too tall" D. awarding only 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place in a race - Ans - C On the radio this weekend, | heard someone arguing that human consciousness may exist apart from activity in the human brain. (This is true. The speaker was trying to explain near death experiences.) This speaker best represents which of the following "isms"? A. holism B. reductionism C. dualism D. humanism - Ans - C B. correlational study C. experiment D. analogue study - Ans -C Converting the cost of a gallon of gasoline is different countries into dollar terms and then computing the average cost of a gallon of gas throughout the world is a lot like the logic of: A. reliability B. validity C. dependent variables D. meta-analysis - Ans - D A study focuses on the comorbidity of mental disorders. Which point is the study likely to make? A. mental disorders often lead to premature death B. people often suffer from more than one mental disorder C. mental disorders tend to "run in families" D. people with mental disorders are also likely to suffer from social difficulties like poverty - Ans -B The "objects from Emery's desk drawer" demonstration was intended to illustrate: A. these are different ways to classify things for different purposes B. classification is an arbitrary creation of the human mind C. in the end, how you decide to classify things comes down to politics D. in the end, there is one and only one way to classify things - Ans -A A cognitive-behavior therapist and a humanistic therapist are arguing about the effectiveness of their respective treatments. The cognitive-behavior therapist says dozens of studies support her approach. The humanistic therapist says, while her approach hasn't been studied, research to date has always been conducted by true believers in cognitive behavior therapy. In terms of research issues, what legitimate arguments can the cognitive behavior therapist (first in choices below) and the humanistic therapist (second) offer against the other? A. the placebo effect (common factors) accounts for much of the benefit of psychotherapy; you can never prove the null hypothesis B. process research is more relevant than outcome research; outcome research is more relevant than process research C. the burden of proof rests with the proponent of a hypothesis; the allegiance effect explains much of the results of psychotherapy o - Ans -C Describe the format of the typical double-blind study of psychotherapy. A. neither the patient nor the therapist knows which treatment is being delivered B. a placebo control group is used, but the treatment appears to be "real" to the patient and the therapist C. neither patients nor therapists know a study's hypothesis D. trick question! you cannot conduct a double-blind study of psychotherapy - Ans - D Which of the following is NOT true about medications used in the treatment of mental disorders? A. effective psychoactive medications offer only symptom relief B. psychoactive medications often need to be taken for a very long time C. psychiatrist prescribe the great majority of psychoactive medications D. psychoactive medications can have unpleasant side effects, and this can affect use E. all of the above - Ans -C | conduct a study where | randomly assign 100 people with depression either to work with Albert Ellis doing Rational Emotive Therapy or Carl Rogers doing Humanistic Therapy. Half of the people drop out of the Ellis group, while everyone completes therapy in the Rogers group (a statistically significant difference). But when | compare people who completed Ellis with those who completed Rogers, the Ellis completers are less depressed (also statistically significant). What can | conclude? A. people are more likely to drop out of Ellis/Rational Emotive than Rogers/Humanistic Therapy B. Rational Emotive Therapy or Ellis as a therapist is more effective for depression than either Carl Rogers or Humanistic Therapy (you can't separate the therapy from the therapist) D. A andB only - Ans-A Skinner taught rats to press a lever for food. However, his rats also taught Skinner to feed them when they pressed. This is an example of: A. correlational research B. classical conditioning C. reciprocal causality D. circular thinking - Ans - C What was/were the "take home message(s)" of our outside, additional reading about the increasing diagnosis of autism and theories about what caused the increase? A. the autism increase is due to multifactorial causes, including GMOs and pesticides B. correlation does not mean causation C. broadened definitions of the disorder account for much of the increase in autism's diagnosis D. all of the above E. B and C only - Ans-E Girls who reach menarche at a younger age attract boys who are older and more interested in their physical appearance/sexuality compared to girls who reach menarche at an older age. This is an example of: A. polygenic attraction B. genetic predestination C. a gene-environment interaction D. a gene-environment correlation - Ans - D The relationship between stress and well-being appears to be U-shaped. This means: A. stress causes problems with well being, but illness also causes stress B. stress accumulates like toxins in a U-shaped vessel and this causes illness C. some people are impervious to stress; others are highly sensitive to stress D. moderate level of stress is healthful; too much or too little stress can be a problem - Ans -D The fact that often are identified following the diagnosis of conversion disorders makes clear the problems involved in A. deliberate attempts at malingering; the validity of the diagnosis B. mood disorders; treating mental illness in medical settings C. real physical illnesses; diagnosis by exclusion D. traumatic childhood experiences; professionals not believing reports of sexual abuse - Ans -C Which of the following is the most accurate summary of the JAMA article by Fournier et al. (2010) on antidepressant medication (ADM) assigned as an additional reading? A. ADM is no different from placebo B. ADM is no different from placebo in cases of severe depression C. ADM produces small benefits relative to placebo from mild/moderate depression but large benefits for severe depression D. ADM produces small benefits relative to placebo across all levels of the severity of depression - Ans - C The so-called recovered memory movement assumed that victims of child sexual abuse routinely suffered from: A. dissociative fugue B. dissociative amnesia C. dissociative identity disorder D. depersonalization/ derealization disorder - Ans - B A depressed mood is familiar to almost everyone. Major depressive disorder is different and diagnosed when a depressed mood: A. leads someone to consult a mental health professional B. is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain C. is one of several symptoms experienced as part of the syndrome of depression D. occurs every day for most of the day, nearly every day for six months E. all of the above - Ans - C Agoraphobia is characterized less by multiple fears (or "fear of the marketplace") than by: A. cognitive distortions about the degree of threat in the world B. a limited zone in which the sufferer feels safe C. the penultimate fear of social humiliation D. obsessive-compulsive behavior leading to preservation of sameness - Ans -B | have a depressed client who is also very angry. Based on lecture, which of the following is NOT a reasonable hypothesis to hold about my client's anger? A. i might wonder if his depression is anger turned inward, as Freud hypothesized B. i might wonder if, as a man, he is more comfortable expressing anger than sadness C.i might wonder if his anger is simply a reaction to the chronic unpleasant state of being depressed D. i might wonder if he really is depressed, since depressed people are rarely angry - Ans - D Most people are resilient in the face of trauma. This means: A. most people experience no distress when confronted with trauma B. most people "bounce back" from the distress of trauma and do not develop PTSD C. despite their PTSD, most people find ways to cope with the demands of their life D. most people recover from their PTSD without treatment - Ans - B Avoidance can be negatively reinforcing. This is a particular problem for: A. anxiety disorders B. conversion disorders C. multiple personality disorders D. depressive disorders - Ans - A Which of the following is NOT true of grief (as discussed in lecture)? A. emotional reactions to loss are uniquely human experiences B. people grieve differently in response to irrevocable and revocable losses C. anger often is a part of grief D. grief is difficult to study, because it unfolds over time and can differ from person to person E. all of the above are true of grief - Ans - A The key to the treatment of anxiety is but A. taking anti-anxiety medication as prescribed; many people do not take their medication B. uncovering childhood fears; the treatment is expensive and slow moving C. exposure to the source of anxiety; exposure can be difficult to achieve D. antidepressant medication; the FDA approves antidepressants only for depression treatment - Ans - C The competitive, hostile, urgent, achievement striving personality style that has been linked with risk for heart diseases is known as: A. narcissistic personality disorder B. antisocial personality disorder C. pessimistic bias D. type A behavior pattern - Ans - D Who is most likely to treat somatic symptom disorder? A. primary care physicians