Exam #1: Abnormal Psychology: Chapters 1-4
Questions and Correct Answers | Latest Update
ABAB Design Ans: An experimental design, often involving a single
subject, wherein a baseline period (A) is followed by a treatment (B). To
confirm that the treatment resulted in a change in behavior, the
treatment is then withdrawn (A) and reinstated (B).
Abnormal Psychology Ans: Field of psychology concerned with the
study, assessment, treatment, and prevention of abnormal behavior.
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Acute Ans: Term used to describe a disorder of sudden onset, usually
with intense symptoms (short in duration).
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Analogue Studies Ans: Studies in which a researcher attempts to emulate
the conditions hypothesized as leading to abnormality.
Bias Ans: Observer bias occurs when the researcher has preconceived
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ideas and expectations that influence the observations he or she makes
in the research study.
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Case Study Method Ans: An in-depth examination of an individual or
family that draws from a number of data sources, including interviews
and psychological testing.
Chronic Ans: Term used to describe a long-standing or frequently
recurring disorder, often with progressing seriousness (long in duration).
Comorbidity Ans: Occurrence of two or more identified disorders in the
same psychologically disordered individual.
Comparison or Control Group Ans: Group of subjects who do not exhibit
the disorder being studied but who are comparable in all other respects
to the criterion group. Also, a comparison group of subjects who do not
receive a condition or treatment the effects of which are being studied.
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Correlation Ans: The tendency of two variables to change together. With
positive correlation, as one variable goes up, so does the other; with
negative correlation, one variable goes up as the other goes down.
Correlational Method/Correlational Research Ans: A research strategy
that examines whether and how variables go together (covary) without
manipulating (changing) any variables.
Correlation Coefficient Ans: A statistic that ranges from +1.0 to -1.0 and
reflects the degree of association between two variables. The magnitude
of the correlation indicates the strength of the association, and the sign
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indicates whether the correlation is positive or negative.
Criterion Group Ans: Group of subjects who exhibit the disorder under
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study.
Dependent Variable Ans: In an experiment, the factor that is observed to
change with changes in the manipulated (independent) variables.
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Direct Observation Ans: Method of collecting research data that involves
directly observing behavior in a given situation.
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Direction of Effect Problem Ans: Refers to the fact that, in correlational
research, it cannot be concluded whether variable A causes variable B or
whether variable B causes variable A.
Double-Blind Study Ans: Often used in studies examining drug treatment
effects, a condition where neither the subject nor the experimenter has
knowledge about what specific experimental condition (or drug) the
subject is receiving.
Effect Size Ans: A statistical term referring to the strength of the
relationship between two variables in a statistical population.
Epidemiology Ans: Study of the distribution of diseases, disorders, or
health-related behaviors in a given population. Mental health
epidemiology is the study of the distribution of mental disorders.
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Etiology Ans: Factors that are related to the development (or cause) of a
particular disease.
Experimental Research Ans: Research that involves the manipulation of a
given factor or variable with everything else held constant.
External Validity Ans: The extent to which the findings from a single
study are relevant to other populations, contexts, or times.
Family Aggregation Ans: The clustering of certain traits, behaviors, or
disorders within a given family. Family aggregation may arise because of
genetic or environmental similarities.
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Generalizability Ans: The extent to which the findings from a single
study can be used to draw conclusions about other samples.
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Hypothesis Ans: Statement or proposition, usually based on observation,
that is tested in an experiment; may be refuted or supported by
experimental results but can never be conclusively proved.
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Incidence Ans: Occurrence (onset) rate of a given disorder in a given
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population.
Independent Variable Ans: Factors whose effects are being examined and
which is manipulated in some way, while other variables are held
constant.
Internal Validity Ans: The extent to which a study is free of confounds,
is methodologically sound, and allows the researcher to have confidence
in the findings.
Labeling Ans: Assigning a person to a particular diagnostic category,
such as schizophrenia.
Lifetime Prevalence Ans: The proportion of living persons in a
population who have ever had a disorder up to the time of the
epidemiological assessment.
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Longitudinal Design Ans: A research design in which people are followed
over time.
Meta-Analysis Ans: A statistical method used to combine the results of a
number of similar research studies. The data from each study are
transformed into a common metric called the effect size. This allows the
data from the various studies to be combined and then analyzed. You can
think of a meta-analysis as being like research that you are already
familiar with, except that the "participants" are individual research
studies, not individual people.
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Negative Correlation Ans: A relationship between two variables such that
a high score on one variable is associated with a low score on another
variable.
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Nomenclature Ans: A formalized naming system.
1-Year Prevalence Ans: The total number of cases of a health-related
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state or condition in a population for a given year.
Placebo Treatment Ans: An inert pill or otherwise neutral intervention
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that produces desirable therapeutic effects because of the subject's
expectations that it will be beneficial.
Point Prevalence Ans: The number of cases of a specific condition or
disorder that can be found in a population at one given point in time.
Positive Correlation Ans: A relationship between two variables such that
a high score on one variable is associated with a high score on another
variable.
Prevalence Ans: In a population, the proportion of active cases of a
disorder that can be identified at a given point in time or during a given
period.