Deck 13: Schizophrenic Disorders

Question 1

What is alogia?

A) lack of speech
B) illogical speech
C) inability to understand speech
D) lack of grammatical structure in speech

Answer 1

lack of speech

Question 2

When does the prodromal phase of schizophrenia occur?

A) after the active phase
B) at the point of greatest disturbance
C) before active psychotic symptoms are present
D) when the patient is treated with neuroleptic medications

Answer 2

before active psychotic symptoms are present

Question 3

Ted is taking notes in an abnormal psychology course; the topic today is the diagnosis of schizophrenia. When Ted reviews the material next week, how might he summarize the material on the symptoms used to identify schizophrenia?

A) No single symptom is indicative of schizophrenia.
B) Delusions and hallucinations define the disorder.
C) Psychosis is not found in any condition other than schizophrenia.
D) The "negative" symptoms indicate the absence of schizophrenia.

Answer 3

No single symptom is indicative of schizophrenia.

Question 4

How do positive and negative symptoms compare in terms of their course over time?

A) negative symptoms fluctuate
B) negative symptoms are more stable
C) positive symptoms get steadily worse
D) positive symptoms steadily improve

Question 5

The most common age when the symptoms of schizophrenia are seen is

A) before age three.
B) between six and ten years old.
C) in adolescence and early adulthood.
D) after age 40.

Question 6

Which of the following is an example of a positive symptom of schizophrenia?

A) flat affect
B) hallucinations
C) social withdrawal
D) lack of initiative

Question 7

The experience of most schizophrenics may be seen as falling into three phases; prodromal, active, and

A) terminal.
B) residual.
C) acute.
D) chronic.

Question 8

What are delusions?

A) examples of disorganized speech
B) rigidly held, idiosyncratic beliefs
C) sensory experiences in the absence of external stimuli
D) lifelong convictions that are limited to one's cultural group

Question 9

The feature that hallucinations in schizophrenia share in common is

A) visual experience.
B) auditory experience.
C) the voice of God.
D) sensory experience.

Question 10

Marvin has a long history of schizophrenia. His doctors say that he is currently in the residual phase, from which we can conclude that he

A) has recovered.
B) has recently suffered an acute relapse.
C) continues to be impaired in various ways.
D) is experiencing hallucinations but not delusions.

Question 11

Which of the following is considered one of the earliest signs that something is wrong in someone who may eventually meet the criteria for schizophrenia?

A) insomnia
B) social isolation
C) loose associations
D) auditory hallucinations

Question 12

When patients who are suffering delusions are confronted with contradictory evidence

A) they defend their beliefs with conviction.
B) they concede their error but develop a new delusion.
C) they defend their beliefs but only half-heartedly, knowing they are in error.
D) they are unable to engage in coherent speech.

Question 13

What is the long-term outcome for people with schizophrenia?

A) Most people recover.
B) Most people do not recover completely.
C) Males have a higher recovery rate than females.
D) Those who develop the disorder while young rarely recover completely.

Question 14

In January, Rita was beginning to perform poorly at work, was neglecting her appearance, becoming withdrawn, and exhibiting odd behaviors. In June, she showed the full‑blown symptoms of schizophrenia. Her behavior in January can be considered part of which phase of the disorder?

A) active
B) residual
C) prodromal
D) undifferentiated

Question 15

During an interview a patient says he frequently hears the voice of his sister coming from his image in the bathroom mirror. The psychologist who is conducting the interview most likely writes that the patient presents evidence of

A) delusions.
B) hallucinations.
C) negative symptoms.
D) loose associations.

Question 16

Symptoms of schizophrenia that include hallucinations and delusions and are also called psychotic symptoms are know as

A) positive symptoms.
B) negative symptoms.
C) aberrant symptoms.
D) hallucinatory symptoms.

Question 17

The phase of schizophrenia in which the most dramatic symptoms of psychosis have improved, but the person continues to be impaired in various ways is labeled

A) prodromal.
B) active.
C) residual.
D) acute.

Question 18

What term is used to describe patients who feel no joy or excitement, even when doing things they formerly enjoyed?

A) anhedonia
B) blunted affect
C) affective disorder
D) inappropriate affect

Question 19

Avolition refers to

A) lack of motivation.
B) lack of speech.
C) loose associations.
D) inappropriate affect.

Question 20

Monty, who has been diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia, shows only the slightest smile when happy or the slightest frown when upset. His limited emotional expressiveness is called

A) catatonia.
B) anhedonia.
C) dissociation.
D) blunted affect.

Question 21

Brenda has been diagnosed with the paranoid subtype of schizophrenia. What specific symptoms would you expect to see highlighted in her clinical record?

A) severe motor disturbances
B) silly, child-like behaviors
C) disorganized, even incoherent, speech
D) delusions with persecutory or grandiose content

Question 22

Which of these individuals is most likely to receive the diagnosis of schizophrenia of the residual type?

A) Beverly, who is currently psychotic
B) Carol, who is showing the first signs of schizophrenia
C) David, who was formerly psychotic but continues to have some problems
D) Eileen, who may have inherited the genes for schizophrenia but shows no symptoms

Question 23

Melissa begins giggling when discussing a recent car accident in which her brother was killed, and cries when telling a joke she heard on television. What term do we for this behavior?

A) anhedonia
B) catatonia
C) delusional thinking
D) inappropriate affect

Question 24

Tania suffers from schizophrenia, and hospital staff have observed that she has been purposelessly pacing back and forth and rubbing her hands together in a special pattern for several hours. Tania is exhibiting

A) paranoia.
B) catatonia.
C) motor fluidity.
D) dementia.

Question 25

A newly admitted patient exhibits incoherent speech, poorly organized hallucinations, and delusions that do not make sense. What is the likely diagnosis?

A) paranoid schizophrenia
B) catatonic schizophrenia
C) disorganized schizophrenia
D) undifferentiated schizophrenia

Question 26

The type of schizophrenia where speech is incoherent and affect is flat and inappropriate is most likely to be diagnosed as which type?

A) paranoid
B) residual
C) disorganized
D) demented

Question 27

DSM-IV-TR requires that two separate types of symptoms be present to justify a diagnosis of schizophrenia, except when

A) any one symptom has lasted for more than one year.
B) delusions are bizarre or hallucinations involve a running commentary.
C) the symptoms show evidence of a thought disorder.
D) there is also evidence of a significant manic or depressive episode.

Question 28

Schizophreniform disorder is distinguished from schizophrenia in that schizophreniform disorder is characterized by

A) a lack of psychotic symptoms.
B) more severe psychotic symptoms.
C) longer duration of psychotic symptoms.
D) shorter duration of psychotic symptoms.

Question 29

Eugen Bleuler coined the name "schizophrenia" to replace Emil Kraepelin's term "dementia praecox." Bleuler wanted a different name because he disagreed with the notion, implied by the name "dementia praecox," that the disorder always

A) had a viral cause.
B) resulted in memory loss.
C) involved split personality and dissociative fugue.
D) had an early onset and ended in profound deterioration.

Question 30

What is another term for disorganized speech?

A) delusion
B) catatonia
C) thought disorder
D) tardive dyskinesia

Question 31

With regard to schizophrenia, splitting of mental associations refers to

A) the meaning of the word schizophrenia.
B) a positive symptom.
C) a negative symptom.
D) none of the above

Question 32

The type of schizophrenia associated most with motor immobility is

A) catatonic.
B) residual.
C) disorganized.
D) undifferentiated.

Question 33

During an interview, a patient suffering from schizophrenia gives answers that seem to be responses to the questions but become lost in irrelevant details. What term is used to describe this phenomenon?

A) alogia
B) hallucination
C) perseveration
D) tangentiality

Question 34

Emil Kraepelin suggested that several types of psychosis should be distinguished from manic-depressive disorders and classified together under one category called

A) schizophrenia.
B) mood disorder.
C) thought disorder.
D) dementia praecox.

Question 35

Catatonia refers to disturbances in

A) speech.
B) motor function.
C) emotional expression.
D) capacity for intimacy.

Question 36

Mark is a patient who has been diagnosed with catatonia. Which of these symptoms might characterize his catatonic condition?

A) He appears frozen, like a mannequin.
B) He answers "Bohemia" to every question asked.
C) He believes he sees his dead father in the room.
D) He writes to the CIA about Napoleon's attempts to capture him.

Question 37

A graduate student is learning to use the DSM-IV-TR, and is overwhelmed by all of the information. When he comes to the subtypes of schizophrenia, he learns that the subtypes are organized in a hierarchy. What does this tell the student?

A) Each subtype has one symptom that distinguishes it from the others.
B) The subtypes are based on the number of symptoms a patient exhibits.
C) The highest subtype in the hierarchy for which symptoms are present is the only one diagnosed, even if symptoms of lower subtypes are also present.
D) The subtypes are listed in order of their severity, and patients often progress up and down the list.

Question 38

Which of the following individuals exhibits behavior that would be described by the term disorganized speech?

A) Harold, who uses words in peculiar ways
B) Pat, who tends to overuse the past tense
C) Susan, whose speech contains some grammatical errors.
D) Rebecca, who discusses strong convictions about preposterous ideas

Question 39

For a diagnosis of schizophrenia, DSM-IV-TR requires a decline in the person's functioning and the presence of active psychotic symptoms over a continuous period of at least

A) one week.
B) one month.
C) six months.
D) one year.

Question 40

What aspect of the symptoms of schizophrenia is described by the term "loose associations"?

A) social withdrawal
B) shifting topics too abruptly
C) disruptions in neurotransmitter functioning
D) lack of relation between cognitive and emotional symptoms

Question 41

Worldwide, how many people out of every 100 will experience or display symptoms of schizophrenia at some time during their lives?

A) 1
B) 5
C) 10 d 15

Question 42

What evidence suggests that the development of schizophrenic disorders is not entirely explained by genetics?

A) MZ twins are not 100 percent concordant.
B) DZ twins are not 100 percent concordant.
C) Concordance rates for MZ twins are less than for DZ twins.
D) Concordance rates for DZ twins are less than for MZ twins.

Question 43

After reviewing the results of the follow-up research conducted by Manfred Bleuler, what conclusion could we reach concerning the outcome of schizophrenia?

A) The long-term prospects for people with this disorder remains dismal in most cases.
B) About half of those diagnosed with schizophrenia will either recover or exhibit at least some improvement.
C) Contrary to general opinion, schizophrenia is more of an episodic disorder from which recovery rates tend to be quite high.
D) The deterioration that occurs in schizophrenia is not reversible, and consequently few, if any, people will make any meaningful recovery.

Question 44

At a conference on schizophrenia, a psychologist presents a critique of the subtypes. What major criticism is likely to be included in the presentation?

A) The subtypes have distinctly different etiologies.
B) Several of the subtypes are more like mood disorders.
C) Dozens of subtypes add to the confusion surrounding the disorder.
D) The subtypes are unstable over time and have poor diagnostic reliability.

Question 45

Cross-cultural studies of the rate of schizophrenia show

A) higher rates in Western cultures.
B) higher rates in rural populations.
C) higher rates in urban populations.
D) higher rates in poor societies.

Question 46

What has research shown concerning the link between schizophrenia and the lateral ventricles of the brain?

A) On average, schizophrenics have enlarged lateral ventricles.
B) All patients with schizophrenia have enlarged lateral ventricles.
C) Enlarged lateral ventricles are found only in schizophrenia.
D) Enlarged lateral ventricles predict early onset of schizophrenia.

Question 47

Rich always heard that there are no gender differences in the rate of schizophrenia; however, he has just been told that closer inspection yields certain differences of interest. Which of the following describes some of those differences?

A) Men have more positive symptoms and a more chronic course.
B) Men develop the disorder earlier and have a more chronic course.
C) Women develop the disorder later and have a more chronic course.
D) Women have more negative symptoms and a less chronic course.

Question 48

According to DSM-IV-TR, brief psychotic disorder refers to psychotic symptoms lasting how long?

A) less than twenty-four hours
B) one day to one month
C) one month to six months
D) six months to twelve months

Question 49

The textbook suggests that there is a great irony involved in research on schizophrenia which is that

A) the original physicain who developed the diagnostic category was later diagnosed with schizophrenia himself.
B) for over 100 years we have known the diagnostic category that we now recognize as schizophrenia may well be composed of many different kinds of mental disorders.
C) we have had a clear model of the cause of schizophrenia for over 100 years, but still no effective treatment.
D) None of these are what the textbook suggests.

Question 50

The type of schizophrenia that includes schizophrenic patients who display prominent psychotic symptoms and either meet the criteria for several subtypes or otherwise do not meet the criteria for the catatonic, disorganized, or paranoid types is labeled

A) differentiated.
B) undifferentiated.
C) residual.
D) standard.

Question 51

Cross-cultural studies of the rate of schizophrenia in various types of communities found that clinical and social outcomes at two- and five-year follow-ups were significantly better in developing countries such as Nigeria and India. What aspect of life in these cultures has been hypothesized to account for these outcomes?

A) less stressful lifestyles
B) milder forms of schizophrenia
C) greater tolerance and acceptance of people with schizophrenia
D) racial differences in response to medication and dietary factors

Question 52

The Office of the Surgeon General asked for an update on genetic linkage and schizophrenia. Attention is being paid to a form of the COMT gene (called the Val allele) which seems to

A) decrease the rate of apoptosis.
B) alter the functioning of the amygdala.
C) affect the breakdown of dopamine.
D) alter GABA activity.

Question 53

What is one of the indirect lines of evidence supporting the hypothesis that viral infections play a role in the etiology of some cases of schizophrenia?

A) The rates of schizophrenia tend to be elevated during periods of famine.
B) There is slightly elevated rate of schizophrenia among people born in the winter months.
C) There is a correlation between indices of air pollution and rates of schizophrenia around the world.
D) High doses of drugs designed to fight viral infections can reduce some of the symptoms of schizophrenia.

Question 54

Schizoaffective disorder involves

A) split personality.
B) emotionally-based delusions.
C) "cut off" emotions and lack of expressiveness.
D) overlapping symptoms of schizophrenia and a major mood disorder.

Question 55

A research report you are reading uses the term spectrum of schizophrenia disorders. Which of the following best illustrates this concept?

A) Mood disorders with psychotic features are similar to schizophrenia.
B) The rate of schizophrenia depends on the types of viruses that are prevalent in a given environment.
C) A family with a member suffering from schizophrenia is at higher risk for disorders such as schizoaffective disorder.
D) Efforts to understand one's place in the world lead many to experience an existential crisis that appears similar to schizophrenia.

Question 56

What have researchers discovered from their examinations of the pregnancy and birth records of people who later develop schizophrenia?

A) Their mothers experienced more complications at the time of labor and delivery.
B) Their mothers experienced fewer complications at the time of labor and delivery.
C) Their mothers experienced more complications during pregnancy but not at the time of labor and delivery.
D) Their mothers experienced fewer complications during pregnancy.

Question 57

Two patients are in the local mental hospital, one with the diagnosis of delusional disorder, the other with schizophrenia. What is the major difference between the two patients?

A) The patient with delusional disorder shows evidence of a mood disorder.
B) The patient with schizophrenia has negative, but not positive symptoms.
C) The patient with schizophrenia has no history of schizophrenia in the family.
D) The content of the delusions in delusional disorder is not bizarre, and there is no social or occupational impairment except in areas related to the delusions.

Question 58

Leonard Heston conducted an adoption study of the possible causes of schizophrenia. What was the major finding in his study?

A) There was no evidence of a genetic influence on schizophrenia.
B) Adopted individuals had higher rates of schizophrenia regardless of the mental health status of their parents.
C) The environment one grows up in has a much greater impact on the incidence of schizophrenia than do genetic factors.
D) Adopted children born to mothers who were schizophrenic developed schizophrenia at a higher rate than did children born to normal mothers.

Question 59

What do studies of concordance rates for schizophrenia in monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins show?

A) almost 100 percent concordance in MZ twins, 0 percent in DZ
B) very low rates of concordance in either type of twin
C) consistent evidence of higher concordance in DZ than MZ
D) consistent evidence of higher concordance in MZ than DZ

Question 60

What diagnostic category is used to describe individuals who experience transient symptoms of schizophrenia and complete recovery?

A) catatonia
B) anhedonia
C) split personality
D) brief psychotic disorder

Question 61

Based on the results of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), what areas of the brain have been found to be smaller in people with schizophrenia compared to those without the disorder?

A) corpus callosum and pons
B) parts of the limbic system
C) cerebellum and basal ganglia
D) prefrontal cortex and medulla

Question 62

Studies using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) have found diminished size of structures in the limbic systems of schizophrenics' brains. Why is this finding potentially important?

A) The limbic system integrates cognition and emotion.
B) The limbic system coordinates eye tracking and visual perception.
C) The limbic system is the seat of consciousness and sense of identity.
D) Abstract reasoning and problem solving are organized in the limbic system.

Question 63

High rates of schizophrenia are found in groups that have

A) migrated to a new country.
B) stayed in the same small town of village for their whole lifetime.
C) moved within a given country frequently.
D) None of these are accurate.

Question 64

Expressed emotion in families is thought to influence the

A) development of schizophrenia.
B) probability of relapse by schizophrenic patients.
C) content of delusions shown by schizophrenic patients.
D) display of positive or negative symptoms by schizophrenic patients.

Question 65

The most consistent findings as to the cause of schizophrenia point toward structural as well as functional irregularities in regions of the brain which play an important role in cognitive and emotional processes. All of the following are included in this list of brain regions EXCEPT

A) frontal cortex.
B) parietal lobe.
C) limbic systems.
D) temporal lobe.

Question 66

A study was done in the Netherlands following WWII that looked at the causes of schizophrenia. Based on the finding of this study a logical social policy would be one that

A) assisted pregnant mothers with nutrition.
B) taught communication skills to young families.
C) provided housing for poor families.
D) None of the above follow from that study.

Question 67

According to the social selection hypothesis, the rate of schizophrenia is higher in the lower classes in the United States because

A) the stresses of living in poverty trigger schizophrenic symptoms.
B) poor health care and nutrition trigger schizophrenic symptoms.
C) schizophrenics are less able to find or hold good jobs.
D) only poor schizophrenics are labeled as mentally ill.

Question 68

The neurological impairments found in schizophrenic patients have also been studied in the unaffected twins of schizophrenic patients. Compared to the neurological impairments of "well" twins, the neurological impairments in their schizophrenic twins are

A) marked by more activity in the occipital lobe.
B) marked by a larger hippocampus and smaller amygdala.
C) marked by a smaller hippocampus and amygdala.
D) about the same as the "well" twin.

Question 69

The current emphasis on using brain imaging procedures with patients suffering from schizophrenia is based on the belief that such procedures

A) can assist with diagnosis.
B) might identify the neuropathology that causes schizophrenia.
C) allow us to determine which medication will be of greatest benefit to the patients.
D) will show that schizophrenia is actually a form of split personality.

Question 70

Which of the following describes the relationship between the rate of schizophrenia and social class found in studies done in Chicago 50 years ago?

A) The highest rates are found in the upper classes.
B) The highest rates are found in the lower classes.
C) The highest rates are found in the middle classes.
D) The rates of schizophrenia are similar across classes.

Question 71

Which of the following symptoms of schizophrenia is most difficult for family members to accept and tolerate?

A) delusions
B) withdrawal
C) hallucinations
D) disorganized speech

Question 72

One of the first neurochemical theories of schizophrenia focused on altered activity of this system.

A) serotonin.
B) dopamine.
C) norepinephrine.
D) estrogen.

Question 73

Which of the following conclusions about expressed emotion (EE) is most accurate?

A) EE is a significant cause of schizophrenia.
B) EE is a poor predictor of relapse in schizophrenic patients.
C) EE is a better predictor of outcome for mood and eating disorders than it is for schizophrenia.
D) EE is a significant cause of both schizophrenia and mood disorders.

Question 74

Measures of blood flow in various areas of the cerebral cortex show that while working on various tasks, schizophrenic patients do not show expected increases in blood flow to the

A) cerebellum and corpus callosum.
B) occipital lobes and parietal lobes.
C) prefrontal cortex and temporal lobes.
D) lateral ventricles and corpus callosum.

Question 75

The newspaper contains a report of a research team in Europe that has found a brain area in a group of schizophrenic patients that is smaller than the same area in normal individuals. The article was written by a well-known science writer who has a keen understanding of schizophrenia. What is he likely to conclude?

A) Dietary factors account for most differences in brain size.
B) A complex disorder such as schizophrenia is not likely to be traced to a single brain site.
C) The differences are probably the result of differences in the size of the individuals that made up the respective groups.
D) Most such differences have been found to be the result of drug treatments for the disorder, rather than reflecting some underlying cause.

Question 76

In studies of twins in which one twin had schizophrenia and the other did not, the schizophrenic twins always showed reduced activity in which lobe of the brain when compared with their unaffected co-twins?

A) occipital
B) frontal
C) parietal
D) medulla

Question 77

Expressed emotion refers to

A) family members being negative and intrusive.
B) family members showing acceptance and caring.
C) the appropriateness of a schizophrenic person's affect.
D) the schizophrenic person's stated desire to engage in social relations.

Question 78

What conclusion is warranted concerning the causal role of disturbed communication in families?

A) Disturbed communication is a significant cause of schizophrenia.
B) Disturbed communication does not cause people to develop schizophrenia.
C) Disturbed communication is responsible for the onset of schizophrenia, but not for its continuation.
D) Disturbed communication is a cause of schizophreniform disorder but not schizophrenia.

Question 79

Current neurochemical hypotheses regarding schizophrenia focus on

A) dopamine deficiencies.
B) excessive levels of dopamine.
C) a broad array of neurotransmitters.
D) dietary deficiencies.

Question 80

What does the social causation hypothesis propose as the cause of the high rate of schizophrenia in the lower classes in the United States?

A) inappropriate mothering
B) labeling and rejection by society
C) stressful events and poor health care
D) high negative emotions in lower class families