Psychology Lessons 11-13 PDF

**Lesson 11: Experimental Psychopathology** This lesson introduces a field of psychology that studies abnormal behaviors (like anxiety or depression) using experiments to understand: 1. **What causes them (etiology)**. 2. **What keeps them going (maintenance)**. 3. **How to treat or reduce th...

**Lesson 11: Experimental Psychopathology** This lesson introduces a field of psychology that studies abnormal behaviors (like anxiety or depression) using experiments to understand: 1. **What causes them (etiology)**. 2. **What keeps them going (maintenance)**. 3. **How to treat or reduce them (amelioration)**. Key points: - **Focus:** Study how abnormal behaviors arise and how to fix them. - **Methods:** Use lab experiments, sometimes on people with disorders, sometimes by creating temporary symptoms in healthy people. - **Origins:** Inspired by scientists like Pavlov (who worked on conditioned reflexes) and William James (who analyzed natural psychopathology). **Lesson 12: Type I Research (Non-Clinical Experimental Psychopathology)** This research involves: - **Who?** People with no history of psychological disorders. - **What?** Trying to mimic psychological issues (e.g., temporary sadness or stress). - **Why?** To understand the causes of problems like depression or anxiety by studying their \"building blocks.\" Example: - **Hopelessness theory of depression:** *Researchers make people feel stressed or hopeless in a controlled way to see how these emotions impact their mood and thought patterns.* Takeaway: This research helps find the processes that might lead to mental health problems and guide future treatments. **Lesson 13: Type II--IV Research (Clinical and Descriptive Studies)** **Type II: Quasi-Experimental Research** - **Who?** People who already have mental health issues or are at risk. - **What?** Researchers test how certain factors (like stress or medication) affect existing conditions. - **Why?** To find ways to reduce symptoms or prevent worsening. Example: *Studying how trust and attention work differently in people with certain conditions (like autism or anxiety).* **Type III: Non-Patient Research** - **Who?** Healthy people without disorders. - **What?** No experiments---just observe natural behaviors. - **Why?** To identify traits (like perfectionism) that might increase mental health risks. **Type IV: Descriptive Research** - **Who?** People with or without disorders. - **What?** Compare behaviors, symptoms, or thought patterns (no experimental changes). - **Why?** To describe how mental health issues appear and differ from normal functioning. In summary: - **Lesson 11:** Big picture---what is experimental psychopathology? - **Lesson 12:** Studying causes of disorders in healthy people. - **Lesson 13:** Examining disorders in those who have them or may develop them. **Lesson 11: Experimental Psychopathology** This field is all about **using scientific experiments** to understand abnormal behaviors and mental health issues. Here\'s a deeper dive: **Key Goals:** 1. **Phenomenology:** Understand what psychological disorders feel like or how they are experienced (e.g., what does depression feel like?). 2. **Etiology:** Investigate what causes disorders to develop (e.g., genetic predispositions, life stressors). 3. **Maintenance:** Study what keeps disorders going (e.g., avoidance behaviors in anxiety keep fear alive). 4. **Amelioration:** Find ways to reduce or resolve the disorders (e.g., therapy, medication). **Definitions:** - **Kimmel\'s Definition (1971):** - Study behavior in people with disorders under controlled experimental conditions (e.g., how does a person with PTSD react to stress differently?). - Or, induce temporary \"abnormal\" behaviors in healthy individuals for study (e.g., create stress in a lab setting). **Two Broad Methods:** 1. **With clinical populations:** Study those with known disorders to see how they behave under experimental conditions. 2. **With non-clinical populations:** Temporarily create symptoms (e.g., make someone feel stressed) to study the processes behind them. **Origins:** - **Pavlov\'s Work:** Pavlov studied conditioned reflexes and noted how maladaptive behaviors could arise from stress or repeated exposure to certain conditions. - **William James:** Focused on studying disorders as they occur naturally in people, with an aim to make findings clinically relevant. **Example Research Areas:** - How people with depression interpret negative situations. - How stress influences people with anxiety disorders. **Lesson 12: Type I Research (Non-Clinical Experimental Psychopathology)** **What is Type I Research?** This is research on **healthy individuals** with no history of mental health problems. Researchers create conditions to mimic aspects of psychopathology in a temporary, controlled way. **Purpose:** 1. To understand processes that lead to abnormal behaviors. 2. To identify which factors (like stress, negative thoughts) can cause or maintain disorders. **How It Works:** - Researchers manipulate an independent variable (like inducing stress) and observe the results on healthy individuals. - These experiments don't exactly replicate disorders like depression but focus on specific features, like hopelessness or negative thinking. **Example: Hopelessness Theory of Depression** - **Hypothesis:** *Negative events + a hopeless mindset* *= depression*. - **Experiment:** - Baseline Mood (T1): Measure participants\' mood. - Stress Induction: Make them fail a test (e.g., an unsolvable anagram puzzle). - Post-Stress Mood (T2): See how their mood changes. - Intervention: Test for resilience or vulnerability to stress using additional challenges. This helps pinpoint what thoughts or feelings make someone vulnerable to depression. **Key Takeaway:** Type I research helps us **isolate building blocks** of mental health issues, like stress or negative self-talk. This is critical for creating interventions later. **Lesson 13: Type II--IV Research** **Type II: Quasi-Experimental Psychopathology** - **Who?** People who already have mental health issues or are at risk (e.g., those with mild symptoms, family history, or known risk factors). - **What?** Researchers test how certain factors (independent variables) affect existing conditions. **Purpose:** To learn: 1. **What makes symptoms worse?** 2. **What reduces symptoms or prevents worsening?** **Challenges:** - Researchers can't control everything because the disorder already exists. Unknown factors (like individual history) might interfere. **Example:** Study how people with anxiety process social interactions using a task involving gaze and facial expressions: - Participants view faces looking directly at them or away. - Researchers measure how these cues affect attention, trust, and memory. - Findings may reveal why social anxiety worsens in certain situations. **Type III: Non-Patient Psychopathology Research** This involves **healthy people** with no manipulations. Researchers simply observe behaviors or characteristics that may contribute to mental health issues. **Purpose:** Identify **risk factors** for disorders by studying personality traits, thought patterns, or stress responses. **Example:** Studying perfectionism as a risk factor for anxiety and depression. **Type IV: Descriptive Psychopathology Research** - **Who?** People with diagnosed disorders (clinical or subclinical). - **What?** No experiments---just observe and describe how the disorder works. **Purpose:** 1. Compare behaviors or brain processes between clinical and healthy groups. 2. Look for characteristic features of disorders (e.g., emotional processing in PTSD). **Challenges:** - Making sure findings are meaningful in clinical practice. - Translating lab-based results into real-world treatments. **Big Picture:** 1. **Type I (Lesson 12):** Inducing psychopathology in healthy people to study causes. 2. **Type II (Lesson 13):** Testing the effects of variables on people with existing disorders. 3. **Type III & IV (Lesson 13):** Observing behaviors and patterns without manipulations.