Question 1

Some people are more vulnerable to PTSD because they have a sensitive ________,which floods the body with stress hormones.

Accepted Answer

The limbic system is responsible for regulating emotions and the stress response, and it includes the amygdala and the hypothalamus. When someone experiences a traumatic event, the amygdala sends signals to the hypothalamus to release stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which can lead to the symptoms of PTSD. Therefore, people with a sensitive limbic system may be more vulnerable to developing PTSD after experiencing trauma. The motor cortex is responsible for controlling movement, the cerebellum is responsible for balance and coordination, and the frontal lobe is responsible for decision-making and self-control, but these areas are not directly involved in the stress response or the development of PTSD.

Question 2

Julius is obsessed with avoiding germs and feels compelled to bathe at least 10 times a day. His therapist suggests that Julius continues his maladaptive bathing because this behavior temporarily reduced his anxiety on many past occasions. The therapist's suggestion most directly reflects a ________ perspective.

Accepted Answer

The therapist's suggestion reflects a learning perspective, specifically the principles of operant conditioning. The behavior of excessive bathing has been reinforced in the past by reducing Julius's anxiety, leading him to continue the behavior despite its maladaptive nature.

Question 3

Luke suffers from acrophobia,a fear of high places. Luke's therapist suggests that his reaction to heights is a generalization of the fear triggered by a childhood playground accident in which he fell off a jungle gym. The therapist's suggestion reflects a ________ perspective.

Accepted Answer

The therapist's suggestion that Luke's fear of heights is a generalization of a childhood playground accident suggests that it is a learned response. This suggests a learning perspective, which focuses on how experiences and environmental factors shape behavior and emotions. The psychoanalytic perspective would focus more on unconscious conflicts and early childhood experiences as the source of the phobia, while the humanistic perspective would be more concerned with Luke's self-actualization and growth potential. The biological perspective would look at physiological factors, such as genetics or brain chemistry, as the cause of the phobia, rather than environmental experiences.

Question 4

A psychological disorder in which the symptoms take a bodily form without apparent physical cause is a

Accepted Answer

A somatoform disorder involves physical symptoms that are not fully explained by a general medical condition, substance use, or another mental disorder. People with this disorder often have varying degrees of anxiety, depression, or other emotional problems that may or may not be apparent to others.

Question 5

A person attacked by a fierce dog develops a fear of all dogs. This best illustrates

Accepted Answer

The person's fear of all dogs after being attacked by a fierce dog is an example of stimulus generalization, where the fear response to one specific stimulus (the fierce dog) is generalized to other similar stimuli (all dogs).

Question 6

A traumatic experience may trigger a lasting phobia in a child with a sensitive,high-strung temperament. The same experience,however,may have no long-term impact on a child with a more relaxed temperament. This best illustrates the role of ________ in the development of phobias.

Accepted Answer

Genetic predispositions play a role in the development of phobias, as research suggests that some people may have a genetic vulnerability to developing anxiety disorders. This can include a predisposition to have a sensitive, high-strung temperament, which can make children more susceptible to developing phobias following a traumatic experience.

Question 7

Positive psychological changes that result from struggling with extremely challenging life crises demonstrate

Accepted Answer

Post-traumatic growth refers to positive psychological changes that can occur following a major life crisis or traumatic event. This may include an increased appreciation for life, improved relationships, increased personal strength and resilience, and a greater sense of purpose or spirituality. Dissociation, observational learning, and natural selection do not refer specifically to positive psychological changes resulting from struggle and crisis.

Question 8

We can more easily extinguish a fear of driving a car than a fear of holding snakes. This is best explained from a ________ perspective.

Accepted Answer

The biological perspective explains this phenomenon by suggesting that certain fears, such as fear of snakes, are evolutionarily ingrained in humans as a survival mechanism, making them harder to extinguish than fears that are learned through personal experience, like driving a car.

Question 9

Two years after being brutally beaten and raped,Brianna still experiences jumpy anxiety and has trouble sleeping and vivid flashbacks of her assault. Brianna is most clearly showing signs of

Accepted Answer

Brianna is showing symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), which is a mental health condition that can occur after experiencing or witnessing a traumatic event such as rape, war, or natural disasters. Symptoms of PTSD include anxiety, insomnia, and recurrent and intrusive flashbacks or nightmares of the event. Panic disorder and generalized anxiety disorder involve different sets of symptoms, while conversion disorder involves physical symptoms that can't be explained by medical tests.

Question 10

Some psychologists believe that due partly to a broader definition of trauma,mental health professionals have been overdiagnosing

Accepted Answer

PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) has indeed been overdiagnosed according to some psychologists, due to a broader definition of trauma. This can result in individuals being labeled with PTSD who may not actually meet the full criteria for the disorder.

Question 11

The anterior cingulate cortex,a brain region that monitors our actions,seems especially likely to be hyperactive in those with

Accepted Answer

The anterior cingulate cortex is involved in monitoring and regulating our behaviors and is thought to be associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder, making choice C the best answer.

Question 12

Obsessive thoughts typically ________ anxiety and compulsive behaviors typically ________ anxiety.

Accepted Answer

Obsessive thoughts typically increase anxiety because they are intrusive and unwanted, leading to distress. Compulsive behaviors, on the other hand, are actions taken to reduce the anxiety caused by these thoughts, thus they typically decrease anxiety temporarily.

Question 13

Rats that received unpredictable electric shocks in a laboratory experiment subsequently became apprehensive when returned to that same laboratory setting. This best illustrates that anxiety disorders may result from

Accepted Answer

This experiment demonstrates classical conditioning, as the rats learned to associate the laboratory setting with the negative experience of receiving electric shocks. This resulting anxiety is a hallmark symptom of anxiety disorders.

Question 14

According to the ________ perspective,anxiety is sometimes produced by the submerged mental energy associated with repressed impulses.

Accepted Answer

The psychoanalytic perspective, developed by Sigmund Freud, emphasizes the role of unconscious thoughts and desires in motivating behavior. According to this perspective, anxiety can be a result of repressed impulses or thoughts, which surface into consciousness and cause distress.

Question 15

Most political dissidents who survive dozens of episodes of torture do not later exhibit PTSD. This best illustrates survivor

Accepted Answer

Resiliency refers to the ability to recover from adversity and traumatic events. The fact that most political dissidents who survive torture do not exhibit PTSD suggests that they have a high level of resiliency. This means they are able to bounce back from the traumatic experiences they have endured without exhibiting long-lasting negative symptoms.

Question 16

It has been suggested that compulsive acts typically exaggerate behaviors that contributed to the survival of the human species. This idea best illustrates the ________ perspective.

Accepted Answer

The suggestion that compulsive acts are exaggerated behaviors that were adaptive for human survival would best align with the biological perspective, which focuses on the role of genetics and biology in shaping behavior. The other perspectives (humanistic, learning, psychoanalytic) would not necessarily emphasize this evolutionary perspective on behavior.

Question 17

Melissa is fearful of men and refuses to go out on dates. Her therapist suggests that she is fearful because she was sexually abused by her father when she was young. The therapist's suggestion most clearly reflects a ________ perspective.

Accepted Answer

The answer of Melissa is fearful of men and refuses...

Question 18

Some studies suggest that an anxiety gene affects the brain's level of the neurotransmitter

Accepted Answer

The neurotransmitter that is most commonly associated with anxiety is serotonin. Studies have suggested that certain genetic variations may affect the brain's ability to produce and regulate serotonin, which can contribute to the development of anxiety disorders.

Question 19

As Jordan watches,his brother receives an electric shock from touching the frayed toaster cord. Jordan is now intensely afraid of toasters. This best illustrates that fear can be learned through

Accepted Answer

Jordan's fear of toasters was learned through observational learning, as he observed his brother receiving an electric shock from touching the frayed toaster cord. Jordan's fear was not due to stimulus generalization (responding to similar stimuli), habit (a learned behavior), or reinforcement (strengthening a behavior through reward or punishment).

Question 20

Compulsive hand washing often increases in frequency because it relieves feelings of anxiety. This best illustrates the impact of ________ on compulsive behaviors.

Accepted Answer

Compulsive hand washing is a behavior that is reinforced by the relief of anxiety that follows it. This leads to an increase in the frequency of the behavior. Reinforcement is a key concept in the behaviorist approach to understanding and changing behavior.

Quiz 6: The Fundamental Attribution Error