UNIT 2: Theoretical Perspectives on Psychopathology
Exam Questions And Answers
Compare and contrast single factor vs interactionist explanations/theories
- single-factor explanation: attempts to trace the origins of a particular disorder to one
factor
- interactionist explanations: view behaviour as the product of the interaction of a varitey
of factors
Describe the null hypotheses
Experiments are not set up to prove the worth of a theory but reject (or fail to reject)
what is called the null hypotheses. It essentially proposes that the prediction made form
the theory is false
What is the purpose of experiments in relation to theories?
Experiments are not set up to prove the worth of a theory but to reject (or fail to reject)
what is called the null hypothesis
How do theories gain strength?
Theories gain strength no just because the evidence supports their predictions, but
primarily because alternative explanations are rejected
What are the general aims of theories?
1. To explain the etiology of the problem behaviours
2. Identify the factors that maintain the behaviour
3. Predict the course of the disorder
4. Design effective treatments
What is reductionism? What does reductionism thinking ignore?
The actions of the whole are said to be caused by (that is , reduced to the influence of)
one or another of the component parts. Reductionist thinking ignored the rather obvious
, possibility that human behaviour in all its forms is a product of an array of features
interacting.
What do biological views propose?
The proposed that disordered behaviour or thinking is linked to dysfunctions in or
damage to the brain (CNS), problems of control of one or another aspect of the
peripheral nervous system, or malfunctioning of the endocrine system
What are neurotransmitters?
The chemical substances that carry the messages from one neuron to the next in the
complex pathways of nervous activity in the brain
Describe the gene-environment interaction
Genes may influence behaviours that contribute to environmental stressors, which in
turn, increase the risk of psychopathology
What more recent techniques for studying genetic influences include?
Genetic linkage studies: researchers examine families that have a high incidence of a
particular mental disorder, and look for the presence of particular traits that can be
linked to the occurrence of the disorder
Molecular biology: researchers compare specific DNA segments and identify the genes
that determine individual characteristic
Describe the three forms that behavioural research into the genetic bases of
psychiatric disorders take
Family (or pedigree) studies, twin studies, and adoption studies
Who was the founder of the psychodynamic school of thought?
Sigmund Freud
What do psychodynamic theories claim?
That unconscious forces of which the person is unaware control the behaviour, and the
person has little control over their actions
Define catharsis
the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed
emotions.
Describe the three levels of awareness, according to Freud
Exam Questions And Answers
Compare and contrast single factor vs interactionist explanations/theories
- single-factor explanation: attempts to trace the origins of a particular disorder to one
factor
- interactionist explanations: view behaviour as the product of the interaction of a varitey
of factors
Describe the null hypotheses
Experiments are not set up to prove the worth of a theory but reject (or fail to reject)
what is called the null hypotheses. It essentially proposes that the prediction made form
the theory is false
What is the purpose of experiments in relation to theories?
Experiments are not set up to prove the worth of a theory but to reject (or fail to reject)
what is called the null hypothesis
How do theories gain strength?
Theories gain strength no just because the evidence supports their predictions, but
primarily because alternative explanations are rejected
What are the general aims of theories?
1. To explain the etiology of the problem behaviours
2. Identify the factors that maintain the behaviour
3. Predict the course of the disorder
4. Design effective treatments
What is reductionism? What does reductionism thinking ignore?
The actions of the whole are said to be caused by (that is , reduced to the influence of)
one or another of the component parts. Reductionist thinking ignored the rather obvious
, possibility that human behaviour in all its forms is a product of an array of features
interacting.
What do biological views propose?
The proposed that disordered behaviour or thinking is linked to dysfunctions in or
damage to the brain (CNS), problems of control of one or another aspect of the
peripheral nervous system, or malfunctioning of the endocrine system
What are neurotransmitters?
The chemical substances that carry the messages from one neuron to the next in the
complex pathways of nervous activity in the brain
Describe the gene-environment interaction
Genes may influence behaviours that contribute to environmental stressors, which in
turn, increase the risk of psychopathology
What more recent techniques for studying genetic influences include?
Genetic linkage studies: researchers examine families that have a high incidence of a
particular mental disorder, and look for the presence of particular traits that can be
linked to the occurrence of the disorder
Molecular biology: researchers compare specific DNA segments and identify the genes
that determine individual characteristic
Describe the three forms that behavioural research into the genetic bases of
psychiatric disorders take
Family (or pedigree) studies, twin studies, and adoption studies
Who was the founder of the psychodynamic school of thought?
Sigmund Freud
What do psychodynamic theories claim?
That unconscious forces of which the person is unaware control the behaviour, and the
person has little control over their actions
Define catharsis
the process of releasing, and thereby providing relief from, strong or repressed
emotions.
Describe the three levels of awareness, according to Freud
