PSYC 435 - Abnormal Psychology Quiz 2
Concepts Exam Questions With Verified
Answers Graded A+
What is the difference between clinical diagnosis and psychological assessment?
The information collected through various means of measurement are gathered during the
psychological assessment. This information is evaluated and compared to the descriptions and
requirements for disorders in the DSM-5 to come to a clinical diagnosis.
What components must be integrated into a dynamic formulation?
The individual's personality traits, behaviour patterns, environmental demands, etc. of the current
situation including hypotheses of the driving forces behind the maladaptive behaviour
Describe the important elements in a social or behavioral history.
- long-term personality characteristics - environmental supports, demands, and stressors - knowledge
of the issues involved in multicultural assessment and appropriate testing measures
What does it mean to use culturally fair assessments?
Assessments have been tested to ensure that they account for any possible performance differences
on the scales between groups and across translations
What is the impact of professional orientation on the structure and form of a psychological
evaluation?
Determines how the clinician goes about the assessment process, such as preferred methods of
assessment - Ex. Psychodynamic/analytic clinicians may choose unstructured personality assessments
such as the Rorschach inkblots or proceed with therapy without assessment allowing conflicts to arise
naturally
Does providing test feedback to clients aid them in their adjustment?
yes - when patients are given appropriate feedback on test results, they tend to improve (reduced
symptoms, increased self-esteem)—just from gaining a perspective on their problems as a result of
the testing.
Compare and contrast five important neurological procedures. What makes each one particularly
valuable?
EEG: assesses brain wave patterns, can be done awake/asleep, may reveal brain tumours, dysrhthmia,
or lesions, can guide further specialized testing / Computerized Axial Tomography: images of parts of
the brain using X-Rays, provides rapic access to structural information of affected areas / Magnetic
Resonance Imaging: measures variations in magnetic fields caused by varying amouts of water
content, sharper (differentiates subtle variations in soft tissue), less complicated, and less damaging
(no ionizing radiation) than CAT, research questions reliability / Positron Emission Tomography: tracks
natural compounds such as glucose as they are metabolized, shows level of functioning, clear-cut
diagnoses of brain pathology, low-fidelity pictures, admitted into court/questionable / functional MRI:
measures oxygen levels of specific regions, thought to be best of current options for depicting brain
abnormalities, potential treatment, may detect lying, may aid in understanding of early development
of disorders, MRI sensitive to instrument error, difficult to interpret, value in cortical activity and
cognitive processes /
What is the difference between a PET scan and an fMRI?
, PET scan: measures organ's metabolic activity using natural compounds, radioactive / fMRI: measures
oxygen level showing problems with how and from where it is supplied, high speed
Describe the use of neuropsychological tests in evaluating the behavioral effects of organic brain
disorders.
Impairments may manifest before lesions are detectable by scanners. Halstead'Reitan battery: 1.
Halstead category test (ability to learn and remember material) 2. Tactual performance test
(measures motor speed, response to unfamiliar, and ability to learn and use tactile and kinesthetic
cues) 3. Rhythm test (measures attention and sustained concentration through an audio perception
task) 4. Speech sounds perception test (ability to identify spoken words 5. Finger oscillation task
(measures the speed at which an individual can depress a lever with the index finger)
Distinguish between structured and unstructured clinical assessment interviews.
Structured: Assessment using a set list of questions designed to cover all aspects - more thorough,
answers can be quantified or clearly determined, typically take longer, some questions may be
unnecessary / Unstructured: Assessment with freely thought questions, asked subjectively based on
judgement or previous responses - more personal, can bring important information that may be
missed in structured interviews
What are the assumptions behind the use of projective personality tests? How do they differ from
objective tests?
In trying to make sense out of vague, unstructured stimuli, individuals "project" their own problems,
motives, and wishes into the situation. Objective personality tests rely on structured assessments.
What advantages do objective personality tests offer over less structured tests?
They can be evaluated using computers. Evaluation is easier and faster. They offer reliable results that
are admissible in court.
What is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI2)? Describe how the MMPI2 scales
work.
Scores on this objective personality assessment are graphed and compared to averages reflecting
normal and abnormal behaviour in 15 homogeneous content themes and 5 personality disorder
scales. Scores for symptoms indicating specific disorders make up an individual's personality profile.
The results are recommended for professional use only.
What are some ethical issues that clinicians should be aware of when evaluating a patient's test
results?
1. Potential cultural bias of the instrument or the clinician 2. Theoretical orientation of the clinician 3.
Underemphasis on the external situation 4. Insufficient validation 5. Inaccurate data or premature
evaluation
Are there concerns over cultural biases in some psychological tests?
Yes - some tests may not elicit valid information from a minority group
What is test validity?
How reliable the test is in assessing what is proposed
Why is a classification system needed in abnormal psychology?
Concepts Exam Questions With Verified
Answers Graded A+
What is the difference between clinical diagnosis and psychological assessment?
The information collected through various means of measurement are gathered during the
psychological assessment. This information is evaluated and compared to the descriptions and
requirements for disorders in the DSM-5 to come to a clinical diagnosis.
What components must be integrated into a dynamic formulation?
The individual's personality traits, behaviour patterns, environmental demands, etc. of the current
situation including hypotheses of the driving forces behind the maladaptive behaviour
Describe the important elements in a social or behavioral history.
- long-term personality characteristics - environmental supports, demands, and stressors - knowledge
of the issues involved in multicultural assessment and appropriate testing measures
What does it mean to use culturally fair assessments?
Assessments have been tested to ensure that they account for any possible performance differences
on the scales between groups and across translations
What is the impact of professional orientation on the structure and form of a psychological
evaluation?
Determines how the clinician goes about the assessment process, such as preferred methods of
assessment - Ex. Psychodynamic/analytic clinicians may choose unstructured personality assessments
such as the Rorschach inkblots or proceed with therapy without assessment allowing conflicts to arise
naturally
Does providing test feedback to clients aid them in their adjustment?
yes - when patients are given appropriate feedback on test results, they tend to improve (reduced
symptoms, increased self-esteem)—just from gaining a perspective on their problems as a result of
the testing.
Compare and contrast five important neurological procedures. What makes each one particularly
valuable?
EEG: assesses brain wave patterns, can be done awake/asleep, may reveal brain tumours, dysrhthmia,
or lesions, can guide further specialized testing / Computerized Axial Tomography: images of parts of
the brain using X-Rays, provides rapic access to structural information of affected areas / Magnetic
Resonance Imaging: measures variations in magnetic fields caused by varying amouts of water
content, sharper (differentiates subtle variations in soft tissue), less complicated, and less damaging
(no ionizing radiation) than CAT, research questions reliability / Positron Emission Tomography: tracks
natural compounds such as glucose as they are metabolized, shows level of functioning, clear-cut
diagnoses of brain pathology, low-fidelity pictures, admitted into court/questionable / functional MRI:
measures oxygen levels of specific regions, thought to be best of current options for depicting brain
abnormalities, potential treatment, may detect lying, may aid in understanding of early development
of disorders, MRI sensitive to instrument error, difficult to interpret, value in cortical activity and
cognitive processes /
What is the difference between a PET scan and an fMRI?
, PET scan: measures organ's metabolic activity using natural compounds, radioactive / fMRI: measures
oxygen level showing problems with how and from where it is supplied, high speed
Describe the use of neuropsychological tests in evaluating the behavioral effects of organic brain
disorders.
Impairments may manifest before lesions are detectable by scanners. Halstead'Reitan battery: 1.
Halstead category test (ability to learn and remember material) 2. Tactual performance test
(measures motor speed, response to unfamiliar, and ability to learn and use tactile and kinesthetic
cues) 3. Rhythm test (measures attention and sustained concentration through an audio perception
task) 4. Speech sounds perception test (ability to identify spoken words 5. Finger oscillation task
(measures the speed at which an individual can depress a lever with the index finger)
Distinguish between structured and unstructured clinical assessment interviews.
Structured: Assessment using a set list of questions designed to cover all aspects - more thorough,
answers can be quantified or clearly determined, typically take longer, some questions may be
unnecessary / Unstructured: Assessment with freely thought questions, asked subjectively based on
judgement or previous responses - more personal, can bring important information that may be
missed in structured interviews
What are the assumptions behind the use of projective personality tests? How do they differ from
objective tests?
In trying to make sense out of vague, unstructured stimuli, individuals "project" their own problems,
motives, and wishes into the situation. Objective personality tests rely on structured assessments.
What advantages do objective personality tests offer over less structured tests?
They can be evaluated using computers. Evaluation is easier and faster. They offer reliable results that
are admissible in court.
What is the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI2)? Describe how the MMPI2 scales
work.
Scores on this objective personality assessment are graphed and compared to averages reflecting
normal and abnormal behaviour in 15 homogeneous content themes and 5 personality disorder
scales. Scores for symptoms indicating specific disorders make up an individual's personality profile.
The results are recommended for professional use only.
What are some ethical issues that clinicians should be aware of when evaluating a patient's test
results?
1. Potential cultural bias of the instrument or the clinician 2. Theoretical orientation of the clinician 3.
Underemphasis on the external situation 4. Insufficient validation 5. Inaccurate data or premature
evaluation
Are there concerns over cultural biases in some psychological tests?
Yes - some tests may not elicit valid information from a minority group
What is test validity?
How reliable the test is in assessing what is proposed
Why is a classification system needed in abnormal psychology?
