Deck 14: Emotion in Clinical Psychology

Question 1

Which of the following best summarizes the general principle for diagnosing psychological disorder, according to the DSM-5?

A) A condition is a diagnosable disorder if the individual's behavior is markedly different from that of most other people.
B) A condition is a diagnosable disorder if it clearly has a biological origin.
C) A condition is a diagnosable disorder if other people find it unpleasant to be around.
D) A condition is a diagnosable disorder if it causes significant distress or impairment in someone's life.

Answer 1

D

Question 2

Which of the following clinical disorders does NOT include emotional symptoms?

A) Depression
B) Obsessive-compulsive disorders
C) Schizophrenia
D) All three disorders above include emotional symptoms.

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Which of the following statements about the diagnosis of psychological disorders using the DSM-5 is FALSE?

A) Most health insurance companies will only pay for treatment if the client has received a DSM-5 diagnosis.
B) Two people with the same DSM-5 diagnosis will presumably have the same set of symptoms.
C) Diagnosis in psychology emphasizes symptoms rather than causes of illness.
D) None of the statements above are false; all are true.

Answer 3

B

Question 4

The two core criteria defining a major depressive episode in the DSM-5 are and/or persisting almost every day for at least 2 weeks.

A) depressed mood; loss of interest and pleasure
B) depressed mood; feelings of worthlessness
C) crying; impaired concentration
D) feelings of worthlessness; suicidal thoughts

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT a symptom of depression in the DSM-5?

A) Loss of interest or pleasure
B) Increased or decreased appetite
C) Impaired concentration
D) All of the above are symptoms of depression

Question 6

The normal bereavement process that people experience after the death or other loss of a loved ones closely resembles the symptom profile for .

A) general anxiety disorder
B) obsessive compulsive disorder
C) a major depressive episode
D) post-traumatic stress disorder

Question 7

Drugs that increase availability of serotonin in the synaptic gap, often used to treat disorders such as depression and anxiety, take at least before showing significant effects.

A) 2-3 hours
B) 2-3 days
C) 2-3 weeks
D) 2-3 months

Question 8

The term coheritability refers to the extent to which two traits share a common genetic basis, and thus tend to run in families together. According to your textbook, which of the following disorders has NOT demonstrated high coheritability with major depressive disorder?

A) Autism spectrum disorder
B) Alcohol or drug addiction
C) Panic disorder
D) Eating disorders such as binge eating and bulimia

Question 9

In a classic study (Seligman & Maier, 1967), dogs learned that a certain tone predicted a shock from the floor. At first, all dogs were harnessed in place and could not move. However, half of the dogs could stop the shock by pressing a panel with their noses ("press"); the other half got the same number and duration of shocks, but could not stop them ("yoked"). Later, all dogs were freed from the harness, and could jump to another room to escape the shock when they heard the tone. Which of the following best describes the results?

A) None of the dogs learned to escape to the next room, because they were all used to being in the harness.
B) The "press" dogs never learned to escape, because they kept trying to turn off the shock with their nose; "yoked" dogs learned to escape quickly.
C) The "press" dogs learned quickly to escape to the next room, but the "yoked" dogs never attempted to escape.
D) Once released from the harness, all of the dogs spent all of their time in the escape room.

Question 10

In a classic study (Seligman & Maier, 1967), dogs learned that a certain tone predicted a shock from the floor. At first, all dogs were harnessed in place and could not move. However, half of the dogs could stop the shock by pressing a panel with their noses; the other half got the same number and duration of shocks, but could not stop them. Later, all dogs were freed from the harness, and could jump to another room to escape the shock when they heard the tone. Which of the following best describes the implications of this study for our understanding of psychological disorder?

A) Fears are learned quickly by associating neutral stimuli (such as a tone) with pain.
B) The experience of intense physical pain can cause a major depressive episode.
C) Like humans, dogs are capable of experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder.
D) Appraisals of low control contribute substantially to the symptoms of depression.

Question 11

In a classic study (Seligman & Maier, 1967), dogs learned that a certain tone predicted a shock from the floor. At first, all dogs were harnessed in place and could not move. However, half of the dogs could stop the shock by pressing a panel with their noses ("press"); the other half got the same number and duration of shocks, but could not stop them ("yoked"). Later, all dogs were freed from the harness, and could jump to another room to escape the shock when they heard the tone. The "press" dogs learned quickly to escape to the next room, but the "yoked" dogs never attempted to escape. Results of this study have been influential in researchers' understanding of .

A) panic disorder
B) depression
C) obsessive-compulsive disorder
D) specific phobia

Question 12

Amelia worked for several years under a supervisor who did not like her very much, and was impossible to please - no matter how hard she worked, the supervisor was not impressed. That supervisor has now left the company, and Amelia's new supervisor is much more fair-minded, and inclined to think well of Amelia. However, Amelia continues not to work very hard, assuming that her efforts will go unnoticed. This is an example of .

A) internal attribution
B) generalized anxiety
C) learned helplessness
D) dysthymia

Question 13

Which of the following explanatory styles, or ways of explaining failures and other negative events, has been linked to vulnerability to depression?

A) Internal, unstable, specific
B) Internal, stable, global
C) External, unstable, specific
D) External, stable, global

Question 14

Doug has been feeling depressed recently, and is seeing a therapist. In one session, Doug describes an event from the preceding week in which his girlfriend had cancelled a date to go to the movies. Doug is very upset by this, assuming that his girlfriend no longer enjoys spending time with him, and is probably going to break up with him soon. The therapists asks questions about the girlfriend, and Doug mentions that she has been under a lot of pressure at work lately. The therapist asks whether the girlfriend might have cancelled the date because she was tired and stressed from work. The therapist appears to be practicing:

A) cognitive therapy
B) systematic desensitization therapy
C) psychodynamic therapy
D) exposure therapy

Question 15

People with bipolar disorder experience periods of major depression, as well as periods in which:

A) they feel highly energetic and pursue impulsive, reward-seeking behaviors to excess.
B) they feel calm and relaxed, enjoying normal pleasures and social interactions.
C) they are highly anxious and avoid taking any kind of risks.
D) they are paranoid and suspicious of the people around them.

Question 16

Which of the following disorders is characterized by intense, occasional bursts of "fight-flight" sympathetic nervous system arousal that are commonly interpreted as a heart attack?

A) generalized anxiety disorder
B) specific phobia
C) panic disorder
D) All three disorders above are characterized by this symptom.

Question 17

Which of the following distinguishes a diagnosable phobia from normal fear?

A) A phobia is an exaggerated fear of something that is not objectively dangerous.
B) A phobia is an intense response to the idea of some threat, whereas normal fear is a response to the actual presence of a threat.
C) Phobias are caused by powerful negative personal experiences, whereas normal fear is innate.
D) A phobia interferes with one's ability to live a full, normal life.

Question 18

Which of the following is NOT a common phobia?

A) Glossophobia - the fear of public speaking
B) Hoplophobia - the fear of firearms
C) Arachnophobia - the fear of spiders
D) Acrophobia - the fear of heights

Question 19

Which of the following is the correct definition of epigenetics?

A) Effects in which environmental conditions elicit or inhibit the expression of particular genes
B) The science of determining how common different gene variants are in a given population
C) The probability of inheriting one allele versus another from one's parents.
D) A research method in which the traits of identical twins are compared with those of non-identical twins, used to estimate heritability.

Question 20

For which of the following emotional disorders is exposure therapy considered to be the most effective treatment?

A) Bipolar disorder
B) Panic disorder
C) Specific phobia
D) Major depressive disorder

Question 21

Research indicates that cognitive behavior therapy is an effective treatment for:

A) major depressive disorder.
B) generalized anxiety disorder.
C) panic disorder.
D) Cognitive behavior therapy is an effective treatment for all three disorders above.

Question 22

Most anxiolytic drugs - those that are prescribed to relieve anxiety - act by altering the effectiveness of a neurotransmitter called GABA. What does GABA do?

A) GABA specifically increases activity in the amygdala, so reducing GABA effectiveness reduces anxiety.
B) GABA specifically reduces activity in the hypothalamus, which drives "fight-flight" arousal.
C) GABA generally inhibits neural action potentials, thereby slowing activity throughout the brain.
D) GABA interferes with the sympathetic nervous system's ability to influence peripheral organs, blocking effects such as a racing heart, sweating, and stomach discomfort commonly associated with anxiety.

Question 23

Which of the following is recognized by the DSM-5 as a psychological disorder?

A) Sociopathy
B) Psychopathy
C) Antisocial personality disorder
D) All of the above are DSM-5 psychological disorders.

Question 24

Which of the following disorders has been described as involving a lack of appropriate emotional responding, rather than excessive emotional responding in inappropriate circumstances?

A) Bipolar disorder
B) Agoraphobia
C) Obsessive-compulsive disorder
D) Antisocial personality disorder

Question 25

According to research presented in your textbook, which of the following is NOT impaired in people with antisocial personality disorder?

A) Empathic accuracy - the ability to detect what others are feeling
B) Emotional empathy - the tendency to feel what others are feeling
C) Guilt - the tendency to feel remorse after hurting another person
D) All of the above ARE impaired in people with antisocial personality disorder.

Question 26

The DSM-5 defines diagnosable psychological disorders as combinations of symptoms with clear biological origins.

Question 27

Although later episodes of major depression may occur spontaneously, most people with depression can trace their first episode to a particular stressful event.

Question 28

Researchers have identified two specific genes that increase people's vulnerability to depression throughout the world.

Question 29

Studies consistently show that antidepressant medications are more effective than talk therapy at treating major depression.

Question 30

Panic attacks often begin when a person starts breathing heavily for some reason, assumes that a panic attack is beginning, and this appraisal brings on a full-blown attack.

Question 31

Trauma severity, and the intensity of someone's emotional reaction to the initial trauma, are not good predictors of whether the person will go on to develop PTSD.

Question 32

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is characterized by intense anxiety, which is relieved by performing compulsive acts.

Question 33

Antisocial personality disorder is characterized by deficits in emotional empathy - the tendency to feel the emotions others around you are experiencing.

Question 34

Imagine that, on the way to class one day, you get into a car accident. You are okay, but your car and the car of the other driver are seriously damaged. (i) Give an example of an internal, stable, global attribution you might make for this event. (ii) Give an example of an internal, unstable, specific attribution you might make. (iii) Give an example of an external, stable, global attribution you might make. (iv) Which of these attribution styles has been linked to vulnerability to major depressive disorder?

Question 35

List three simple activities people can engage in to reduce risk of depression.

Question 36

Differentiate generalized anxiety disorder, specific phobia, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Question 37

Your textbook has strongly emphasized the principle that emotions are functional - that they facilitate helpful, adaptive responses to important situations. In psychological disorders, however, emotions can become dysfunctional. In your essay, give three examples of psychological disorders in which an emotional response that is functional in one context becomes dysfunctional when it appears in inappropriate contexts. In each case, compare and contrast the characteristics of the normal emotional response with the symptoms of the corresponding disorder.