psy 355 exam three UPDATED ACTUAL
Questions and CORRECT Answers
What is ADHD (core definition)? - CORRECT ANSWER Persistent, age-inappropriate symptoms
of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that impair major life activities; patterns vary and there are
no distinct physical symptoms.
What are the three core symptoms of ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Inattention (not focusing),
hyperactivity (constant motion), impulsivity (acting without thinking).
Why is ADHD complex? - CORRECT ANSWER It involves multiple underlying processes;
attention and impulse control are developmentally linked; it is dimensional, not just categorical.
How was ADHD understood in the early 1900s? - CORRECT ANSWER As "defective moral
control" or problems with inhibitory volition.
How was ADHD described in the 1940s-1950s? - CORRECT ANSWER As "minimal brain
damage" or "minimal brain dysfunction."
What was emphasized in the 1950s view of ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Hyperkinesis (motor
overactivity) as the main feature.
What changed in ADHD understanding in the 1970s? - CORRECT ANSWER Attention and
impulse control were added as key symptoms.
What is the modern view of ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER A disorder involving deficits in self-
regulation, behavioral inhibition, and motivation.
What are the DSM-5-TR criteria for ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Persistent inattention and/or
hyperactivity-impulsivity, symptoms before age 12, present in 2+ settings, clear impairment, not
explained by another disorder.
,What are limitations of DSM-5-TR criteria? - CORRECT ANSWER Developmentally insensitive,
categorical instead of dimensional, 6-month duration may be too short, confuses settings with informants.
What is inattention in ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Difficulty sustaining attention, especially
for repetitive, structured, or boring tasks.
What types of attention are impaired in ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Attentional capacity,
selective attention (distractibility), sustained attention (vigilance).
What is contingency-shaped attention? - CORRECT ANSWER Attention that depends on
immediate reinforcement, interest, novelty, supervision, and environmental factors.
What defines hyperactivity? - CORRECT ANSWER Under-controlled motor behavior, inability to
inhibit actions, and inability to delay responses.
Examples of hyperactive behaviors - CORRECT ANSWER Fidgeting, leaving seat,
running/climbing, excessive talking, touching everything, high activity with low productivity.
What is impulsivity? - CORRECT ANSWER Inability to control reactions or think before acting.
What are the types of impulsivity? - CORRECT ANSWER Cognitive (disorganization), behavioral
(interrupting), emotional (irritability, low frustration tolerance).
What are ADHD presentation types? - CORRECT ANSWER Predominantly inattentive (ADHD-
PI), hyperactive-impulsive (ADHD-HI), combined (ADHD-C).
Characteristics of ADHD-PI - CORRECT ANSWER Distractible, forgetful, disorganized, poor
sustained effort.
, Characteristics of ADHD-HI and ADHD-C - CORRECT ANSWER Poor inhibition, aggression,
defiance, peer rejection, school discipline problems.
What are executive functions? - CORRECT ANSWER Cognitive processes like working memory,
planning, flexibility, and self-regulation.
How do executive function deficits appear in ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Difficulty starting
tasks, poor organization, forgetfulness, slow processing, emotional dysregulation, impulsivity.
How does ADHD affect academics? - CORRECT ANSWER Lower productivity, lower grades,
difficulty applying intelligence, more special education placement.
What is positive illusory bias? - CORRECT ANSWER Overestimating one's competence and
distorted self-perception.
What speech/language issues occur in ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Difficulty understanding
speech, excessive talking, interrupting, poor listening.
What health risks are associated with ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Sleep problems, asthma,
eating issues, poor fitness.
Why are children with ADHD at higher risk? - CORRECT ANSWER 3x more likely to have
accidents and increased risk of substance use and risky behaviors.
What social problems occur in ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Peer rejection, few friendships,
difficulty applying social understanding, family conflict.
What externalizing disorders co-occur with ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Oppositional Defiant
Disorder (~50%) and Conduct Disorder (~30-50%).
Questions and CORRECT Answers
What is ADHD (core definition)? - CORRECT ANSWER Persistent, age-inappropriate symptoms
of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that impair major life activities; patterns vary and there are
no distinct physical symptoms.
What are the three core symptoms of ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Inattention (not focusing),
hyperactivity (constant motion), impulsivity (acting without thinking).
Why is ADHD complex? - CORRECT ANSWER It involves multiple underlying processes;
attention and impulse control are developmentally linked; it is dimensional, not just categorical.
How was ADHD understood in the early 1900s? - CORRECT ANSWER As "defective moral
control" or problems with inhibitory volition.
How was ADHD described in the 1940s-1950s? - CORRECT ANSWER As "minimal brain
damage" or "minimal brain dysfunction."
What was emphasized in the 1950s view of ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Hyperkinesis (motor
overactivity) as the main feature.
What changed in ADHD understanding in the 1970s? - CORRECT ANSWER Attention and
impulse control were added as key symptoms.
What is the modern view of ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER A disorder involving deficits in self-
regulation, behavioral inhibition, and motivation.
What are the DSM-5-TR criteria for ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Persistent inattention and/or
hyperactivity-impulsivity, symptoms before age 12, present in 2+ settings, clear impairment, not
explained by another disorder.
,What are limitations of DSM-5-TR criteria? - CORRECT ANSWER Developmentally insensitive,
categorical instead of dimensional, 6-month duration may be too short, confuses settings with informants.
What is inattention in ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Difficulty sustaining attention, especially
for repetitive, structured, or boring tasks.
What types of attention are impaired in ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Attentional capacity,
selective attention (distractibility), sustained attention (vigilance).
What is contingency-shaped attention? - CORRECT ANSWER Attention that depends on
immediate reinforcement, interest, novelty, supervision, and environmental factors.
What defines hyperactivity? - CORRECT ANSWER Under-controlled motor behavior, inability to
inhibit actions, and inability to delay responses.
Examples of hyperactive behaviors - CORRECT ANSWER Fidgeting, leaving seat,
running/climbing, excessive talking, touching everything, high activity with low productivity.
What is impulsivity? - CORRECT ANSWER Inability to control reactions or think before acting.
What are the types of impulsivity? - CORRECT ANSWER Cognitive (disorganization), behavioral
(interrupting), emotional (irritability, low frustration tolerance).
What are ADHD presentation types? - CORRECT ANSWER Predominantly inattentive (ADHD-
PI), hyperactive-impulsive (ADHD-HI), combined (ADHD-C).
Characteristics of ADHD-PI - CORRECT ANSWER Distractible, forgetful, disorganized, poor
sustained effort.
, Characteristics of ADHD-HI and ADHD-C - CORRECT ANSWER Poor inhibition, aggression,
defiance, peer rejection, school discipline problems.
What are executive functions? - CORRECT ANSWER Cognitive processes like working memory,
planning, flexibility, and self-regulation.
How do executive function deficits appear in ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Difficulty starting
tasks, poor organization, forgetfulness, slow processing, emotional dysregulation, impulsivity.
How does ADHD affect academics? - CORRECT ANSWER Lower productivity, lower grades,
difficulty applying intelligence, more special education placement.
What is positive illusory bias? - CORRECT ANSWER Overestimating one's competence and
distorted self-perception.
What speech/language issues occur in ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Difficulty understanding
speech, excessive talking, interrupting, poor listening.
What health risks are associated with ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Sleep problems, asthma,
eating issues, poor fitness.
Why are children with ADHD at higher risk? - CORRECT ANSWER 3x more likely to have
accidents and increased risk of substance use and risky behaviors.
What social problems occur in ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Peer rejection, few friendships,
difficulty applying social understanding, family conflict.
What externalizing disorders co-occur with ADHD? - CORRECT ANSWER Oppositional Defiant
Disorder (~50%) and Conduct Disorder (~30-50%).
