Deck 4: Clinical Assessment, Diagnosis, and Treatment

Question 1

What are the weaknesses in assessment? What can be done to address these weaknesses? Be sure to address reliability, validity, and bias issues.

Answer 1

not answered

Question 2

Distinguish between neurological tests and neuropsychological tests, giving examples of each and describing in general how each type of test is used diagnostically.

Answer 2

not answered

Question 3

Provide evidence that psychotherapy is effective. Which elements need to be present for effectiveness?

Answer 3

not answered

Question 4

The inability to see or record all important behaviors when making observations is called _____.

Question 5

The _____ is a projective test that requires the client to describe what is happening in a scene portrayed in a vague picture.

Question 6

List and describe three important shortcomings of modern intelligence tests.

Question 7

If an examiner administered the same test now and in a week and correlated the results, a low correlation coefficient would indicate that the test has poor _____.

Question 8

The specific assessment technique in which clinicians observe clients in their everyday environment, such as at school or in the home, is called _____.

Question 9

Despite the fact that using diagnostic labels for psychological disorders is extremely common, what are some ethical factors one ought to consider in the use of diagnostic labels?

Question 10

Describe the potential negative impact of assessing/diagnosing someone of an ethnic minority background or an immigrant client without awareness of cultural background. What are the special considerations you may want to be aware of?

Question 11

A person lies on a machine that creates a magnetic field around his head, exciting hydrogen atoms in the brain. The signals given off by these atoms are converted into a detailed picture of the brain. The abbreviation for this procedure is _____.

Question 12

If a clinician had only 15 minutes to conduct a preliminary clinical interview, which information should he or she try to get, and why?

Question 13

A classification system such as the DSM-5 is judged by its reliability and validity. Define and discuss both reliability and validity, and explain why they are important criteria for DSM-5.

Question 14

A clinician who uses a published interview schedule is conducting a(n) _____ interview.

Question 15

During clinical observation, the observer becomes fatigued or changes the criteria that he or she has been using. This problem is known as _____.

Question 16

A clinician has to complete a clinical assessment, and the only tests available are the Rorschach inkblot test, the Thematic Apperception Test, and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory. Which two should the clinician use, and why? What would be the strengths and weaknesses of the two tests selected?

Question 17

Describe the purpose and features of DSM-5. Include the difference between categorical information and dimensional information, and provide an example of each.

Question 18

If a test result indicates anxiety and there are also reports of anxiety from spouse, parents, and coworkers, then that test shows _____ validity.

Question 19

A test that has a high degree of consistency is said to have good _____.

Question 20

The abbreviation for the technique that records brain waves through the patient's scalp is _____.

Question 21

Treatment approaches that are supported by research findings are said to be _____ supported treatments.

Question 22

A mental health practitioner attempts to learn about the behavior and emotional state of each client. This approach to abnormal psychology is called:

A) behavioral.
B) nomothetic.
C) idiographic.
D) psychodynamic.

Question 23

A new test for anxiety shows consistent levels of anxiety across time for people, but very few people have taken the test, and accurate norms do not exist. The test has:

A) high reliability but inadequate standardization.
B) high reliability and adequate standardization.
C) low reliability and inadequate standardization.
D) low reliability but adequate standardization.

Question 24

Developing the norms for scoring an assessment tool is part of:

A) reliability.
B) face validity.
C) predictive validity.
D) standardization.

Question 25

When dealing with a new client, the clinical practitioner's major focus is to gather which type of information?

A) Diagnostic
B) Nomothetic
C) Idiographic
D) Objective

Question 26

After assessment and interpretation of the findings, a clinician identifies the technical name of disorder the client has. This is the _____ information of an official DSM-5 diagnosis.

Question 27

A test is constructed to identify people who will develop schizophrenia. Of the 100 people the test identifies, 93 show signs of developing schizophrenia within five years. The test may be said to have high:

A) internal reliability.
B) predictive validity.
C) concurrent validity.
D) test-retest reliability.

Question 28

A panel of psychologists and psychiatrists evaluates the test results and clinical interviews of a client in a sanity hearing. They all arrive at the same diagnosis. The panel has high:

A) internal validity.
B) predictive validity.
C) interrater reliability.
D) test-retest reliability.

Question 29

The DSM-5 requires clinicians to include severity as part of a proper diagnosis. This is considered _____ information.

Question 30

Which is NOT one of the three categories of clinical assessment techniques used by mental health professionals?

A) Interventions
B) Tests
C) Observations
D) Clinical interviews

Question 31

A disadvantage of using clinical observation to assess clients' behavior is that the clinician may be influenced by information and expectations that he or she already has about the client. This problem is known as _____.

Question 32

Because people who exhibit mania have very elevated moods, a new test for mania includes questions about how happy a person feels and how often he or she laughs. This test has:

A) high face validity.
B) low face validity.
C) no face validity.
D) masked face validity.

Question 33

A clinician asks a patient to record the frequency of her hallucinations and the circumstances under which they occur. This technique is called _____.

Question 34

The process of evaluating a person's progress after being in treatment is called a:

A) nomothetic approach.
B) clinical assessment.
C) behavioral diagnosis.
D) functional analysis.

Question 35

A campus newspaper publishes an Exam Anxiety test, which newspaper staffers put together one evening just before their publishing deadline. Despite its hasty construction, the test MOST likely has:

A) standardization.
B) predictive validity.
C) face validity.
D) concurrent validity.

Question 36

A clinician has developed a new assessment tool. Clients write stories about their problems, and then two different judges independently evaluate the stories in terms of how logically they are written. Which UNIQUE reliability consideration applies to this type of assessment?

A) Interrater reliability
B) Observer reliability
C) Face reliability
D) Test-retest reliability

Question 37

To measure tendencies toward depression, an assessment tool asks individuals to record all the times they feel sad. However, individuals report wide variations in the number of sad episodes from day to day. This assessment tool has:

A) high test-retest reliability and high face validity.
B) high test-retest reliability and low face validity.
C) low test-retest reliability and high face validity.
D) low test-retest reliability and low face validity.

Question 38

Graduate school personnel review applying students' test scores, college grades, and relevant experience to determine who will be granted admission. This is similar to a clinician engaging in:

A) assessment.
B) diagnosis.
C) treatment.
D) classification.

Question 39

A new test for anxiety is initially given to individuals who are waiting to take introductory psychology final exams. Their scores are used as the norm. It is later determined that the new test lacks adequate standardization. What is the MOST likely reason based on this information?

A) The test was initially administered to students, but in practice, it was administered to nonstudents as well.
B) Students about to take an exam would likely be experiencing higher than normal anxiety.
C) The initial test was administered before the students took their exams rather than after the exams.
D) All of the students' initial scores were used in determining the norms for scoring the live tests.

Question 40

During the clinical assessment, a clinician focuses on identifying dysfunctional thoughts and behaviors. This professional is MOST likely a _____ clinician.

A) psychodynamic
B) cognitive-behavioral
C) sociocultural
D) humanistic-existential

Question 41

When a clinician using the Rorschach test focuses on the actual images that a person describes, the clinician is emphasizing:

A) style.
B) theme.
C) color.
D) latency to respond.

Question 42

Using projective tests for personality assessment is designed to:

A) identify any underlying physiological conditions.
B) learn about unconscious conflicts in the client.
C) obtain detailed information about specific dysfunctional behaviors.
D) obtain detailed information about specific dysfunctional cognitions.

Question 43

A clinician has developed a test that requires test-takers to tell stories about a series of pictures of city skylines. MOST likely, this new test is a:

A) neuropsychological test.
B) personality inventory.
C) response inventory.
D) projective test.

Question 44

An interviewer who asks a client questions such as "Where are you now?", "Why do you think you're here?", or even "Who are you?" is probably conducting a(n):

A) mental status exam.
B) behavioral interview.
C) sociocultural interview.
D) intelligence test.

Question 45

One limitation of the clinical interview as an assessment tool is the:

A) lack of validity in minority groups.
B) rigidity of the approach.
C) clinician's possible overreliance on first impressions.
D) time gap between client sessions.

Question 46

A client complains of a phobia. Two lines of questioning by the clinician concern the specific object of the phobia and what the person does when confronted with that object. This clinician's orientation is MOST likely:

A) biological.
B) cognitive-behavioral.
C) humanistic.
D) sociocultural.

Question 47

The assumption behind the use of projective tests as assessment tools is that:

A) they allow for comparison of a client's behavior against a norm.
B) the responses come from the client's unconscious.
C) they stimulate abnormal behaviors that the clinician can observe.
D) patient responses to specific stimuli will uncover specific disorders.

Question 48

Among other questions, a clinical interviewer asks, "How do you feel about yourself today? How do you feel about what's going on in your life?" MOST likely, the clinical interviewer's orientation is:

A) biological.
B) cognitive-behavioral.
C) psychodynamic.
D) humanistic.

Question 49

One particular strength of the clinical interview process is:

A) high validity.
B) the reliability of the technique.
C) the chance to get a general sense of the client.
D) that it asks only open-ended questions.

Question 50

Which statement about clinical interviews is TRUE?

A) Research shows that most clients speak objectively about their own behavior.
B) Clinicians' biases can influence how they interpret the information obtained from clinical interviews.
C) Clinicians agree that the clinical interview is the most useful clinical assessment tool.
D) Clients share more details with clinicians who are viewed as cool and distant.

Question 51

If a clinician begins by asking, "Would you tell me about yourself?", the clinician is MOST likely conducting a(n):

A) mental status exam.
B) personality test.
C) structured interview.
D) unstructured interview.

Question 52

A new assessment tool does a good job of differentiating those people who later will be depressed and those people who will not be depressed. It also produces results similar to those of other tools measuring depression. Therefore, the new assessment tool has:

A) good predictive validity and good content validity.
B) good predictive validity but poor content validity.
C) poor predictive validity and poor content validity.
D) poor predictive validity and good content validity.

Question 53

If a clinician is particularly interested in a client's family medical history, that clinician's orientation is MOST likely:

A) cognitive-behavioral.
B) biological.
C) sociocultural.
D) psychodynamic.

Question 54

If a clinician is particularly interested in a client's family background and community influences, MOST likely that clinician's orientation is:

A) biological.
B) humanistic.
C) sociocultural.
D) psychodynamic.

Question 55

Dr. Lamoureux has just asked a potential client to talk about herself. After the client responds, the clinician asks a question based on an interesting point the client made. There are few constraints on the conversation. Dr. Lamoureux has just:

A) used free association.
B) conducted an unstructured interview.
C) completed a response inventory.
D) employed a projective test.

Question 56

One reason to question the validity of clinical interviews is that:

A) people respond differently to different interviewers.
B) people may respond differently to clinicians who are not of their race.
C) on different days, people might describe themselves differently.
D) interviewers may make mistakes in how they interpret the information they gather.

Question 57

The type of clinical interviewer who would be MOST interested in stimuli that trigger abnormal responses, the resultant consequences, and the client's assumptions and interpretation would have which orientation?

A) Biological
B) Psychodynamic
C) Humanistic
D) Cognitive-behavioral

Question 58

Which test is NOT a projective test?

A) Rorschach test
B) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
C) Draw-a-Person test
D) Thematic Apperception Test

Question 59

If a new test for assessing anorexic tendencies produces scores comparable to those of other tests for assessing anorexic tendencies, then the new test has high:

A) predictive validity.
B) standardization criteria.
C) concurrent validity.
D) interjudge reliability.

Question 60

When Rorschach testers ask questions like, "Did the person respond to the whole picture or to specific details, and to the colors or the white spaces?", they are interested in the _____ of the response.

A) theme
B) content
C) style
D) images

Question 61

If a clinician wanted to know more detailed information about a person's functioning in a specific area, the clinician would use a:

A) response inventory.
B) Thematic Appreciation Test.
C) measure of reliability.
D) validity assessment.

Question 62

Use of projective tests has decreased in the past few decades because projective tests often have:

A) interrater reliability that is too high.
B) poor validity.
C) rigid scoring standards.
D) bias against majority groups.

Question 63

A response inventory that asks individuals to provide detailed information about their typical thoughts and assumptions is a(n) _____ inventory.

A) social skill
B) cognitive
C) affective
D) behavioral

Question 64

Ethan is consumed with concern that his house will burn down. Before he leaves, he makes sure that all his appliances are unplugged. He often has to go back home and check to make sure he did not leave any plugged in. Which MMPI-2 scale would he MOST likely score high on?

A) Schizophrenia
B) Psychasthenia
C) Social introversion
D) Psychopathic deviate

Question 65

A valid critique of the use of response inventories is that they:

A) do not have good face validity.
B) have a long development cycle.
C) are standardized too rigidly.
D) are not well tested.

Question 66

Jacob is the kind of person who breaks laws and rules with no feeling of guilt and is emotionally shallow. He would probably score high on the MMPI-2 scale called:

A) paranoia.
B) schizophrenia.
C) psychasthenia.
D) psychopathic deviate.

Question 67

The validity of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Test is BEST described as:

A) highly valid.
B) better than that of projective tests.
C) about the same as that of projective tests.
D) highly invalid.

Question 68

Which tool is designed to uncover counterproductive patterns of thinking?

A) MMPI-2
B) Rorschach test
C) An affective inventory
D) A cognitive inventory

Question 69

Who is MOST at risk for misinterpreting a cultural response as pathology?

A) A male assessor
B) A female assessor
C) A dominant-culture assessor
D) An ethnic-minority assessor

Question 70

The test that reports the person's results on clinical scales such as "hypochondriasis" and "Psychopathic deviate" is the:

A) sentence-completion test.
B) Thematic Apperception Test.
C) Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test.
D) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.

Question 71

Compared with projective tests, personality inventories generally have:

A) greater reliability and greater validity.
B) greater reliability and poorer validity.
C) poorer reliability but greater validity.
D) poorer reliability and poorer validity.

Question 72

Clients check off either "True," "False," or "Cannot say" to a series of 500 items dealing with what they do and what they think in a variety of situations. The kind of test they are taking MOST likely is a:

A) projective test.
B) personality inventory.
C) neuropsychological test.
D) sentence-completion test.

Question 73

Which test is a personality inventory?

A) Draw-a-Person
B) MMPI-2
C) Rorschach
D) TAT

Question 74

A client looks at a series of black-and-white pictures that show people in different scenarios. The clinician asks the client to make up a dramatic story to explain what is happening in each picture. The patient is taking:

A) the Rorschach test.
B) the Thematic Apperception Test.
C) the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.
D) an intelligence test.

Question 75

A(n) _____ inventory asks about how one would act with others in a variety of situations.

A) cognitive
B) affective
C) social skills
D) functional

Question 76

Which statement about the current use of projective techniques by clinicians is TRUE?

A) Projective tests are no longer used.
B) Projective tests are being increasingly used by humanistic clinicians.
C) Projective tests, when used, serve as a secondary source of insight about clients.
D) Projective tests have a more prominent place in the clinician's repertoire than they did 50 years ago.

Question 77

A(n) _____ inventory asks about one's level of anxiety, depression, or anger.

A) cognitive
B) affective
C) social skills
D) functional

Question 78

Many consider the MMPI-2 to be superior to the original MMPI because the MMPI-2:

A) was tested on a more diverse group of people.
B) produces results that are not comparable to the results of the original MMPI.
C) has fewer items.
D) produces only one score.

Question 79

Compared with projective tests, personality inventories:

A) have greater test-retest reliability.
B) are less standardized.
C) have lower reliability.
D) are more difficult to administer and evaluate.

Question 80

If a clinician focused on where a person placed a drawing on a page, the size of the drawing, and the parts omitted, the person MOST likely took which test?

A) Rorschach
B) TAT
C) MMPI
D) Draw-a-Person