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?
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?
