Abnormal Psychology Study Guide PDF

Chapter 1 study guide - Abnormal Psychology: Overview and Research Approaches ABA Design - refers to experimental design involving a single subject that is followed with a baseline and then by treatment and then confirmation that treatment results in a change in abnormal behavior Abnormal Psycholo...

Chapter 1 study guide - Abnormal Psychology: Overview and Research Approaches ABA Design - refers to experimental design involving a single subject that is followed with a baseline and then by treatment and then confirmation that treatment results in a change in abnormal behavior Abnormal Psychology - refers to a branch of psychology that is concerned with the study of assessment, treatment, and prevention of abnormal behavior. Acute - refers to describe a disorder that is sudden and onset usually with intense symptoms Analogue studies - Refers to researchers study to attempt to emulate the condition hypothesized as a leading abnormality Bias - refers to a researcher that l has preconceived ideas and expectations that influence the observations he or she make during a research study case study - An in-depth examination of an individual or family that draws from a number of data sources, including interviews and psychological testing. Chronic- used to describe a long-standing or frequently recurring disorder, often with progressing seriousness. Comorbidity - used to describe a long-standing or frequently recurring disorder, often with progressing seriousness. comparison or control group- used to describe a long-standing or frequently recurring disorder, often with progressing seriousness. Correlation- 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. correlation coefficient - 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 indicates whether the correlation is positive or negative. correlational research- A research strategy that examines whether and how variables go together (co-vary) without manipulating (changing) any variables. criterion group - Group of subjects who exhibit the disorder under study. dependent variable - In an experiment, the factor that is observed to change with changes in the manipulated (independent) variables. direct observation- Method of collecting research data that involves directly observing behavior in a given situation. double-blind study- 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 - A statistical term referring to the strength of the relationship between two variables in a statistical population. Epidemiology- 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. Etiology - Factors that are related to the development (or cause) of a particular disorder. experimental research - Research that involves the manipulation of a given factor or variable with everything else held constant. external validity- The extent to which the findings from a single study are relevant to other populations, contexts, or times. family aggregation- t he clustering of certain traits, behaviors, or disorders within a given family. Family aggregation may arise because of genetic or environmental similarities. Generalizability- The extent to which the findings from a single study can be used to draw conclusions about other samples. Generalization. Hypothesis - 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. Incidence- Occurrence (onset) rate of a given disorder in a given population. independent variable- Factor whose effects are being examined and which is manipulated in some way, while other variables are held constant. Index case.See Proband. internal validity - The extent to which a study is free of confounds, is methodologically sound, and allows the researcher to have confidence in the findings. Labeling - ssigning a person to a particular diagnostic category lifetime prevalence - The proportion of living persons in a population who have ever had a disorder up to the time of the epidemiologic assessment. longitudinal design - A research design in which people are followed over time. Meta-analysis- 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. negative correlation- A relationship between two variables such that a high score on one variable is associated with a low score on another variable. Nomenclature- formalized naming system 1-year prevalence, - The total number of cases of a health-related state or condition in a population for a given year. placebo treatment - An inert pill or otherwise neutral intervention that produces desirable therapeutic effects because of the subject’s expectations that it will be beneficial. point prevalence- The number of cases of a specific condition or disorder that can be found in a population at one given point in time. Polygenic. positive correlation - A relationship between two variables such that a high score on one variable is associated with a high score on another variable. Prevalence - 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. prospective research- method that often focuses on individuals who have a higher-than-average likelihood of becoming psychologically disordered before abnormal behavior is observed. random assignment- Research approach that attempts to retrace earlier events in the life of a subject retrospective research- Research approach that attempts to retrace earlier events in the life of a subject Sampling- The process of selecting a representative subgroup from a defined population of interest. self-report data- Data collected directly from participants, typically by means of interviews or questionnaires. single-case research design- An experimental research design (e.g., an ABAB design) that involves only one subject. statistical significance - A measure of the probability that a research finding could have occurred by chance alone. Stereotyping- the tendency to jump to conclusions (often negative) about what a person is like based on the beliefs about that group that exist (often incorrectly) in the culture (e.g., French people are rude, homosexuals have good taste in clothes, and patients with mental illness are dangerous). Stigma- refers to negative labeling third variable problem - Refers to the problem of making causal inferences in correlational research, where the correlation between two variables could be due to their shared correlation with an unmeasured third variable.