Download PY 520 Abnormal Psychology Final 2025 Exam Guaranteed Questions and Answers A Graded and more Exams Psychology in PDF only on Docsity!
PY 520 Abnormal Psychology Final 2025 Exam
Guaranteed Questions and Answers A Graded
anxiety Mood state characterized by marked negative affect, behaviors, and bodily symptoms of tension in which a person apprehensively anticipates future danger or misfortune. anxiety disorders A varied group of disorders that all have anxiety, fear, or tension as an essential feature. Includes specific phobias, social phobia, panic disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and posttraumatic stress disorder. aphasia Impairment or loss of language skills resulting from brain damage caused by stroke, Alzheimer's disease, or other illness or trauma. apraxia Loss of motor activities (such as walking); one of the symptoms of dementia. Asperger's disorder
A pervasive developmental disorder in which individuals display profound social impairment and restricted or unusual behaviors, but without language delays seen in autism. attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) Developmental disorder in which persons are unable to focus their attention, they behave hyperactively or impulsively, or both. auditory hallucinations 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. attributional style 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. autistic disorder (autism) Pervasive developmental disorder characterized by significant impairment in social interactions, extreme unresponsiveness to others, poor communication skills, and highly repetitive and rigid behavior.
The view that psychology (1) should be an objective science that (2) studies behavior, including dysfunction, without reference to mental processes. Most research psychologists today agree with (1) but not with (2). binge-eating disorder An eating disorder involving consumption of large amounts of food in a short period of time, uncontrollable and distressing to the individual but not followed by compensatory behaviors. biological paradigm Explanation of psychological dysfunction that primarily emphasizes biological process in the brain or illness as the cause. biopsychosocial model The model that psychological disorders are not caused by one or two factors in a linear way; rather, they are a product of a continual interaction of a number of biological, psychological and social factors. bipolar I disorder Mood disorder characterized by the alternation of major depressive episodes with full manic episodes.
bipolar II disorder Mood disorder characterized by the alternation of major depressive episodes with hypomanic (not full manic) episodes. body dysmorphic disorder A somatoform disorder marked by preoccupation with an imagined or exaggerated defect in appearance, for example, facial blemishes, size or shape of nose or ears. borderline personality disorder A personality disorder involving a pervasive pattern of erratic moods, unstable self- image and relationships, cannot stand to be alone; intense anger, depression, and extremely impulsive behavior, including self-mutilation. brief psychotic disorder Psychotic disorder involving delusions, hallucinations, or disorganized speech and behavior, that appear suddenly after a very stressful event and last anywhere from a few hours to 1 month. bulimia nervosa Eating disorder involving recurrent episodes of uncontrolled excessive (binge) eating followed by compensatory actions to remove the food (e.g., deliberate vomiting, laxative abuse, excessive exercise).
clang A rhyme used by some persons with schizophrenia as a guide to forming thoughts and statements. clinical assessment / clinical interview Systematic evaluation and measurement of psychological, biological, and social factors in a person presenting with a possible psychological disorder. clinical psychology The specialty of psychology involving research, assessment, treatment, and prevention of abnormal behavior. cognition The process of knowing; the thinking, remembering, judging, reasoning, and planning activities of the human mind. Behavior is often explained as depending on these processes. cognitive-behavioral paradigm The model of human behavior that people can best be understood by studying how they perceive and structure their experiences and how this influences behavior.
cognitive therapy Treatment approach that involves identifying and altering negative thinking styles related to psychological disorders such as depression and anxiety and replacing them with more positive beliefs and attitudes. abnormal behavior Patterns of thought, emotion, and actions that are deviant, unexpected, or "away from the standard" based on statistical, social-cultural, and/or functional standards. abnormal psychology The scientific study of abnormal behavior in order to describe, predict, explain, and ultimately change abnormal patterns of functioning. acute stress disorder 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. addiction Physical dependence on a substance marked by tolerance, withdrawal symptoms during abstinence, or both.
alternate personalities / alters In dissociative identity disorder, the additional identities along with the host identity. Also known as subpersonalities. American Law Institute (ALI) test (1955) 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. amnestic disorders Organic disorders in which the primary symptom is memory loss. anhedonia Inability to experience pleasure, associated with some mood and schizophrenic disorders. anorexia nervosa Eating disorder characterized by continual food refusal and the pursuit of extreme thinness, leading to dangerously low body weight.
antisocial personality disorder 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. communication disorders Problems in transmitting or conveying information, including stuttering, selective mutism, and expressive language disorder. comorbidity The presence of two or more disorders in an individual at the same time. compensatory behaviors In eating disorders, those behaviors intended to avoid gaining weight from ingesting food. Examples are purging, forced vomiting, use of laxatives, or excessive exercising. competency Ability of legal defendants to participate in their own defense and understand the charges and the roles of the trial participants.
criminal commitment Legal procedure by which a person who is found not guilty of a crime by reason of insanity is confined in a psychiatric hospital. cyclothymic disorder Chronic (at least 2 years) mood disorder characterized by alternating mood elevation and depression levels that are not as severe as manic or major depressive episodes. (ego) defense mechanisms Common patterns of behavior -- often adaptive coping styles when they occur in moderation -- observed in response to potentially threatening situations. In psychodynamic theory, they are proposed to be unconscious processes to reduce anxiety. deinstitutionalization Systematic discharge of people with severe mental illness from long-term institutional care in psychiatric hospitals so that they might be treated in community programs. delirium Rapid-onset reduced clarity of consciousness and cognition, with confusion, disorientation, and deficits in memory and language.
delusion Psychotic symptom involving disorder of thought content and presence of strong beliefs that are misrepresentations of reality. delusion of grandeur A person's unfounded belief that he or she is a great inventor, historical figure, or other specially empowered person. delusion of persecution A person's unfounded belief that one is being plotted or discriminated against, or deliberately victimized. delusion (idea) of reference A person's unfounded belief that the actions, thoughts, laughter, and meaningless activities of others are directed toward or refer to him or her. delusional disorder Psychotic disorder featuring a persistent belief contrary to reality (non-bizarre delusion) but no other symptoms of schizophrenia. dementia
derailment A thinking disturbance in schizophrenia involving rapid shifts from one topic of conversation to another. Also called loose associations. derealization The loss of one's sense of reality of the outside world. Examples: things may seem to change size or shape; people may seem mechanical. diagnosis Process of determining whether a presenting problem meets the established criteria for a specific psychological disorder. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV-TR) Current version of the official classification system for psychological and mental disorders, published by the American Psychiatric Association. diathesis-stress model Hypothesis that both an inherited tendency (vulnerability) and specific stressful conditions are required to produce a disorder.
dimensional classification A system of organizing the attributes of psychological disorders as occurring on a continuum or spectrum (such as a scale of mild to severe), rather than present or absent. Can specify a cutting point and resemble a categorical system. disease (medical) model of dependence The view that drug dependence is caused by a physiological disorder. This implies the user is a blameless victim of an illness. disorder of written expression Condition in which one's writing performance is significantly below age norms. disorganized speech Style of talking often seen in people with schizophrenia, involving incoherence and a lack of typical logic patterns. dissociation The disconnection from full awareness of identity, memory, and/or consciousness of external circumstances. Occurs along a continuum from normal everyday experiences to severely dysfunctional disorders.
double depression Severe mood disorder typified by major depressive episodes superimposed over a background of dysthymic disorder. Down syndrome A type of mental retardation caused by a chromosomal aberration (chromosome 21) and involving characteristic physical appearance. Durham Rule (1954) A legal test for insanity by which an accused person is not responsible if the criminal behavior is judged attributable to mental disease or defect. duty to protect The principle that therapists must break confidentiality and notify the potential victim whom a client has specifically threatened. dysfunction Thoughts, feelings, or behavior that is maladaptive or interferes with healthy daily functioning, positive growth, and fulfillment of potential. dyslexia
Learning disability involving marked impairment in the ability to recognize words and to comprehend what they read. dyspareunia A sexual pain disorder in which severe pain accompanies sexual activity but is not traceable to any medical cause. dysthymic disorder Mood disorder involving persistently depressed mood, with low self-¬esteem, withdrawal, pessimism or despair, present for at least 2 years, with no absence of symptoms for more than 2 months. eccentricity An unusual pattern of behavior (idiosyncrasy, oddity) that others might find strange, but does not meet any other criteria of abnormality. Psychological disorders, by comparison, are usually based on dysfunction and distress. echolalia A symptom of autism or schizophrenia in which a person responds to statements by repeating the other person's words. enmeshment
