Question 1

Carolyn worked for the same company for twelve years. Six months ago the company closed down. Carolyn had been feeling extremely depressed over the loss of her job, and she had considered seeing a therapist for help with her depression. However, for the past week she has been feeling much better, and has decided that she doesn't need professional treatment after all. In this case, Carolyn appears to have experienced

Accepted Answer

Carolyn's sudden improvement without any outside intervention or treatment suggests that she experienced spontaneous remission, which is when symptoms of an illness or condition improve on their own without any medical or therapeutic intervention.

Question 2

Which of the following is NOT among the core denominators that account for much of the improvement experienced by clients?

Accepted Answer

The specific methods and techniques used by the therapist are important in the therapeutic process, but they are not one of the core denominators that account for much of the improvement experienced by clients. The other options are all recognized as important factors in the therapeutic process.

Question 3

Therapists who think the primary role of therapy is to assist a client in changing his or her maladaptive behavior employ

Accepted Answer

Behavior therapy focuses on changing maladaptive behaviors by using techniques such as reinforcement, conditioning, and modeling. The primary goal is to modify or eliminate the problematic behavior, rather than exploring underlying emotions or thoughts. Group and insight therapies tend to be more focused on exploring underlying issues, while cognitive therapy emphasizes changing problematic thoughts and beliefs.

Question 4

In virtually all forms of insight therapy that produce positive outcomes,

Accepted Answer

In virtually all forms of insight therapy that produce positive outcomes, therapists provide tangible support for the client. This can include offering empathy, understanding, and practical advice to the client. It may also involve providing a safe and supportive environment for the client to explore their thoughts and emotions, and giving them tools and strategies to cope with their problems. While drug therapy or other forms of therapy may be used in conjunction with insight therapy, the provision of tangible support from the therapist is a consistent and important feature of successful insight therapy. Option A is incorrect because drug therapy is not necessarily used in all insight therapies, and may not be necessary depending on the client's needs. Option B is incorrect because while insight therapy may be integrated with other forms of therapy, it is not a requirement for success. Option D is incorrect because spontaneous remission is not a significant factor in the success of insight therapy.

Question 5

Which of the following is NOT among the common factors shared by various approaches to therapy?

Accepted Answer

The therapist actively controlling the direction of therapy is not a common factor shared by various approaches to therapy. In fact, many approaches to therapy emphasize the importance of client autonomy and self-determination in the therapeutic process. The other options (A, B, and D) are common factors shared by various approaches to therapy. These include proposing a rationale for the client's problems, cultivating hope and positive expectations in the client, and providing emotional support and understanding.

Question 6

According to behavior therapists, pathological behaviors

Accepted Answer

Behavior therapists believe that pathological behaviors can be modified directly through the application of established principles of conditioning. They focus on changing overt behaviors rather than exploring underlying emotions or unconscious conflicts, and use techniques such as reinforcement, punishment, and exposure to modify these behaviors.

Question 7

A behavior therapist's major concern in treating an abnormal behavior would be to discover

Accepted Answer

A behavior therapist is focused on finding the specific situational factors that are triggering the abnormal behavior, rather than searching for unconscious conflicts or underlying thought patterns. This allows the therapist to develop interventions that target the specific situation that is triggering the behavior, rather than attempting to delve into the client's past.

Question 8

Behavior therapy assumes that psychological disorders are caused by

Accepted Answer

Behavior therapy assumes that psychological disorders are caused by past conditioning, specifically abnormal learning experiences. This means that psychological disorders can be treated by changing a person's patterns of behavior through various techniques like relaxation training, exposure therapy, and modeling.

Question 9

Your psychology professor tells you that in her private practice she considers herself to be a behavior therapist, accordingly she is most likely to argue that pathological behaviors

Accepted Answer

If the professor considers herself a behavior therapist, she is most likely to argue that pathological behaviors can be modified directly through the application of established principles of conditioning, such as reinforcement or punishment. This approach emphasizes observable behavior rather than underlying emotions, thoughts, or unconscious conflicts.

Question 10

Clients' subjective ratings of changes in their feelings, measures of clients' behavioral change, and therapists' subjective ratings of change in clients' adaptive functioning could all be used as measures of

Accepted Answer

These measures all relate to the effectiveness of therapy, as they are indicators of positive changes in clients' mental health and behavioral patterns. They can be used to evaluate the success of therapeutic interventions and guide future treatment decisions.

Question 11

Which of the following assumptions are LEAST likely to be made by a behavioral therapist?

Accepted Answer

Behavioral therapists typically focus on observable behaviors and do not delve into underlying psychological issues. Therefore, it is less likely that they would assume overt behaviors are symptoms of underlying problems.

Question 12

Therapists who tend to see symptoms as the problem rather than as signs of more internal, underlying problems are

Accepted Answer

Behavior therapists tend to focus on symptom reduction and do not typically view symptoms as manifestations of deeper underlying issues. They believe that by targeting and changing specific behaviors, symptoms will naturally decrease.

Question 13

"What has been learned can be unlearned" is a central assumption of

Accepted Answer

The statement "What has been learned can be unlearned" is a central assumption of behavior therapy. This therapy aims to change unwanted behaviors by replacing them with more desirable ones through conditioning and reinforcement. The focus is on learning how to behave differently, so the idea that learned behaviors can be unlearned is key to this approach.

Question 14

Many times, an individual with a psychological disorder will recover from the disorder without receiving any treatment. This phenomenon is called

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous remission refers to the resolution of a disorder without any treatment. This can occur in various psychological disorders, including depression, anxiety disorders, and substance use disorders. It is important to note, however, that not all psychological disorders will resolve on their own and may require treatment.

Question 15

Dr. Dieringer is a behavior therapist. Her major concern in treating an abnormal behavior would be to discover

Accepted Answer

As a behavior therapist, Dr. Dieringer's focus would be on identifying situational factors that are contributing to the abnormal behavior. This approach emphasizes the importance of understanding how the environment and specific triggers affect behavior, rather than exploring unconscious conflicts or thought patterns.

Question 16

Behavior therapy requires that

Accepted Answer

Behavior therapy is focused on specific, observable behaviors and requires that the client's complaints be translated into concrete, measurable goals that can be targeted for change. This is in contrast to psychodynamic therapies, which focus on understanding underlying, often unconscious, psychological processes. The other options are not accurate descriptions of behavior therapy.

Question 17

With regard to psychological disorders, spontaneous remission refers to a

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous remission refers to a recovery from a disorder that occurs without formal treatment. It is often observed in certain psychological disorders like depression or anxiety.

Question 18

The main assumption of behavior therapy is that maladaptive behavior is the result of

Accepted Answer

Behavior therapy is based on the principle that maladaptive behavior is learned and therefore can be unlearned. It focuses on changing problematic behaviors through the use of behavior modification techniques such as operant and classical conditioning, reinforcement, and punishment. Behavior therapy does not typically delve into unconscious conflicts or emotions, which would be the focus of psychodynamic therapies. While irrational thoughts may be a component of some maladaptive behaviors, they are not considered the underlying cause according to behavior therapy.

Question 19

You make an appointment to see a therapist and, as you are waiting, you notice that a large number of the books on the therapist's shelves deal with the work of Joseph Wolpe. You might expect that this therapist will

Accepted Answer

Joseph Wolpe was a pioneer in behavior therapy and specifically developed the technique of systematic desensitization, which uses counterconditioning to reduce anxiety responses. Therefore, if a therapist has a large number of books on Wolpe's work, it is likely that they will emphasize this type of behavior therapy technique.

Question 20

The recovery from a disorder without formal treatment is referred to as

Accepted Answer

Spontaneous remission refers to the recovery from a disorder without formal treatment or intervention. A placebo effect refers to improvement in symptoms due to a perceived treatment, rather than an actual active intervention. Reified recovery is not a commonly used term in psychology or psychiatry. Countertransference refers to the therapist's reactions or emotions towards a patient, which may interfere with the therapeutic process.

Quiz 29: Treatment of Psychological Disorders Part 1