AQA A-Level Psychology: Depression & OCD (Continued) &
Attachment
OCD: Biological Treatments
70. Combo of SSRIs and CBT:
o Drugs reduce emotional symptoms, enabling better CBT
engagement.
o Commonly used together for enhanced effectiveness.
71. Tricyclics:
o Same serotonin system effect as SSRIs.
o More severe side effects.
73. Strength of Drug Therapy: Effective Symptom Relief:
o Soomro et al.: SSRIs significantly reduce symptoms compared to
placebo.
o Greater effectiveness when combined with CBT.
o Approximately 70% of patients benefit from SSRIs; others helped
by alternative drugs or drug+CBT combinations.
74. Strength of Drug Therapies: Cost-Effective and Convenient:
o Cheaper than psychological therapies (good for NHS).
o Less disruptive to patients' lives (no weekly appointments).
75. Limitation of Drug Therapies: Side Effects:
o Side effects can lead to treatment discontinuation, reducing
effectiveness.
76. Limitation of Drug Therapies: Unreliable Evidence:
o Potential bias in research sponsored by drug companies.
o Suppression of negative findings for economic gain.
77. Limitation of Drug Therapies: Trauma-Related OCD:
o Drug therapies target biological origins, but some OCD stems
from trauma.
, o Psychological therapies may be more effective in trauma-induced
cases.
o Drug therapies are not universally effective.
Attachment: Caregiver-Infant Interactions
78. Alert Phases:
o Infants signal readiness to interact from birth.
79. Interactional Synchrony:
o Caregiver responds to infant signals in a timed, rhythmic, and
appropriate way.
o Matching of emotional states, particularly positive ones.
80. Meltzoff and Moore (1977):
o Infants as young as two weeks imitate facial and hand gestures.
81. Isabella et al. (1989):
o Higher interactional synchrony correlates with better attachment
quality.
82. Reciprocity:
o Mutual responsiveness between caregiver and infant.
o Close attention to verbal and facial cues.
83. Limitation of Caregiver-Infant Interaction Studies:
Interpretation Difficulties:
o Observations limited to gestures and movements.
o Difficult to determine infant's perspective.
84. Strength of Caregiver-Infant Interaction Studies: Well-
Controlled Procedures:
o Filmed interactions from multiple angles for detailed recording.
o Infants unaware of observation, minimizing demand
characteristics.
o High validity.
Attachment
OCD: Biological Treatments
70. Combo of SSRIs and CBT:
o Drugs reduce emotional symptoms, enabling better CBT
engagement.
o Commonly used together for enhanced effectiveness.
71. Tricyclics:
o Same serotonin system effect as SSRIs.
o More severe side effects.
73. Strength of Drug Therapy: Effective Symptom Relief:
o Soomro et al.: SSRIs significantly reduce symptoms compared to
placebo.
o Greater effectiveness when combined with CBT.
o Approximately 70% of patients benefit from SSRIs; others helped
by alternative drugs or drug+CBT combinations.
74. Strength of Drug Therapies: Cost-Effective and Convenient:
o Cheaper than psychological therapies (good for NHS).
o Less disruptive to patients' lives (no weekly appointments).
75. Limitation of Drug Therapies: Side Effects:
o Side effects can lead to treatment discontinuation, reducing
effectiveness.
76. Limitation of Drug Therapies: Unreliable Evidence:
o Potential bias in research sponsored by drug companies.
o Suppression of negative findings for economic gain.
77. Limitation of Drug Therapies: Trauma-Related OCD:
o Drug therapies target biological origins, but some OCD stems
from trauma.
, o Psychological therapies may be more effective in trauma-induced
cases.
o Drug therapies are not universally effective.
Attachment: Caregiver-Infant Interactions
78. Alert Phases:
o Infants signal readiness to interact from birth.
79. Interactional Synchrony:
o Caregiver responds to infant signals in a timed, rhythmic, and
appropriate way.
o Matching of emotional states, particularly positive ones.
80. Meltzoff and Moore (1977):
o Infants as young as two weeks imitate facial and hand gestures.
81. Isabella et al. (1989):
o Higher interactional synchrony correlates with better attachment
quality.
82. Reciprocity:
o Mutual responsiveness between caregiver and infant.
o Close attention to verbal and facial cues.
83. Limitation of Caregiver-Infant Interaction Studies:
Interpretation Difficulties:
o Observations limited to gestures and movements.
o Difficult to determine infant's perspective.
84. Strength of Caregiver-Infant Interaction Studies: Well-
Controlled Procedures:
o Filmed interactions from multiple angles for detailed recording.
o Infants unaware of observation, minimizing demand
characteristics.
o High validity.
