Question 1

Which of the following is not one of the 'four Ds' that can be used to define what makes somebody 'abnormal'?&#10;A) Deviance&#10;B) Distress&#10;C) Difficult&#10;D) Dangerous

Accepted Answer

The 'four Ds' used to define abnormality in psychology are Deviance, Distress, Dysfunction, and Danger. "Difficult" is not one of the four Ds.

Question 2

Which of the following assumptions are not made by classification systems for psychological disorders, such as DSM-5 and ICD-10?&#10;A) Different psychological disorders are distinct from each other&#10;B) Diagnosis is possible only if the ultimate causes of symptoms are understood&#10;C) Diagnosis of a specific disorder will ensure that a person will receive the most appropriate treatment&#10;D) Two patients with the same diagnosis (e.g. 'Schizophrenia') are likely to be similar to each other.

Accepted Answer

Classification systems like DSM-5 and ICD-10 do not assume that the ultimate causes of symptoms must be understood for a diagnosis to be made. They focus on identifying and categorizing symptoms and behaviors to make a diagnosis.

Question 3

Which of the following criticisms were made of DSM 5?&#10;A) The number of different psychological disorders was reduced&#10;B) The threshold for being diagnosed with a psychological disorder was lowered&#10;C) The symptom-based approach was adopted&#10;D) Fewer people would receive medication for their psychological disorder

Accepted Answer

The DSM 5 faced criticism for lowering the threshold for being diagnosed with a psychological disorder, which could potentially lead to overdiagnosis and the medicalization of normal behavior.

Question 4

Psychological (or case) formulation&#8230;.&#10;A) Usually takes place alongside diagnosis of a specific disorder&#10;B) Is based on the psychoanalytic approach&#10;C) Is not suitable for patients who are seriously mentally ill&#10;D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

Psychological (or case) formulation typically occurs alongside the diagnosis of a specific disorder, integrating information from multiple sources to understand a person's psychological functioning and distress within a biopsychosocial framework. It is not limited to the psychoanalytic approach and is suitable for patients with a range of mental health conditions, including serious mental illness.

Question 5

What does the implicit association test (IAT) measure?&#10;A) The strength of automatic associations between different categories of objects&#10;B) Beliefs about a certain object, e.g. spiders&#10;C) Working memory capacity&#10;D) The likelihood that a person will behave in a certain way

Accepted Answer

The IAT measures the strength of automatic associations between different categories of objects (e.g., concepts like flowers vs. insects and attributes like pleasant vs. unpleasant), revealing implicit biases that individuals might not be consciously aware of.

Question 6

What can functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) tell us?&#10;A) Which parts of the brain have abnormal structure.&#10;B) If levels of neurotransmitters in the brain are within normal levels&#10;C) Which areas of the brain are relatively active, and which relatively underactive, at that moment in time&#10;D) The pattern of electrical activity on the scalp

Accepted Answer

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) is primarily used to measure and map brain activity. It does this by detecting changes in blood flow to different parts of the brain, assuming that areas with increased blood flow are more active at the time of scanning. This allows researchers and clinicians to identify which areas of the brain are relatively active or underactive during specific tasks or at rest.

Question 7

Which of the following statements about qualitative research methods are true?&#10;A) The aim is to gather a deep understanding of human experience&#10;B) Findings from qualitative research can be used to develop theories and hypotheses that can be tested in future research&#10;C) Caution is required before generalising the findings to people other than those who were studied&#10;D) All of the above

Accepted Answer

All the statements about qualitative research methods are true. Qualitative research focuses on understanding human experiences in depth (A), its findings can help in developing theories and hypotheses for future research (B), and due to its nature, findings are often specific to the context or participants studied, requiring caution when generalizing (C).

Question 8

Which of the following is a disadvantage of cross-sectional research methods?&#10;A) They do not allow us to characterise psychological disorders accurately&#10;B) They do not allow us to identify the causes or consequences of psychological disorders&#10;C) They do not allow us to demonstrate associations between different psychological constructs&#10;D) They do not enable us to quantify human behaviour or subjective experience

Accepted Answer

Cross-sectional research methods involve observing a wide variety of subjects at a single point in time, without manipulating the study environment. While they can demonstrate associations between variables, they cannot definitively establish cause and effect relationships. This is because they do not track changes over time or account for variables that may have influenced the subjects before the study.

Question 9

Studies that use prospective (or longitudinal) research methods can inform us&#8230;.&#10;A) Which symptoms cluster together&#10;B) If one symptom causes a different symptom&#10;C) Which psychological characteristics predict who will develop a psychological disorder in the future&#10;D) If one treatment is better than another

Accepted Answer

Prospective or longitudinal studies track participants over time, allowing researchers to observe how certain characteristics or factors may predict the development of psychological disorders in the future.

Deck 1: The Big Issues in Classification, Diagnosis, and Research Into Psychological Disorders