Question 1

Phrenologists believed they could assess people's personalities by measuring the ______.

Accepted Answer

Phrenologists believed that the bumps on people's heads were indicative of certain personality traits and abilities. They developed a whole system of analysis based on the size and shape of these bumps, which they believed corresponded to specific areas of the brain.

Question 2

Content, criterion, and construct are all types of ______.

Accepted Answer

Content, criterion, and construct are all types of validity, which refers to how well a test measures what it is intended to measure.

Question 3

Mary is feeling emotionally distressed and goes to the emergency room at a local hospital. When the clinician asks Mary about her troubling thoughts and feelings,
The clinician is attempting to ______.

Accepted Answer

The clinician is attempting to describe the presenting complaint by asking Mary about her troubling thoughts and feelings, which helps to identify the reason for her visit to the emergency room.

Question 4

The most widely used means of assessment is the ______.

Accepted Answer

The clinical interview is the most widely used means of assessment as it allows for direct interaction and observation, providing comprehensive information about the individual's psychological state.

Question 5

An eating disorder inventory concludes that Carrie does not have an eating disorder; Carrie is severely anorexic. This error is a ______.

Accepted Answer

This is a false negative because the conclusion drawn from the inventory (i.e. that Carrie does not have an eating disorder) is incorrect given that she is actually severely anorexic.

Question 6

In a(n) ______ interview, the clinician adopts his or her own style of questioning rather than follow any standard format.

Accepted Answer

In an unstructured interview, the clinician has no set questions or format and instead relies on their own style and judgment in guiding the conversation.

Question 7

Most clinical interviews include a psychosocial history which is information describing the client's ? _______.

Accepted Answer

A psychosocial history typically includes information about the client's developmental history, as it provides context for understanding their current psychological and social functioning.

Question 8

Tests which lack ______ produce high numbers of false negatives.

Accepted Answer

Tests that lack sensitivity are more likely to produce high numbers of false negatives because sensitivity measures the ability of a test to correctly identify those with the disease (true positive rate).

Question 9

Tests which lack ______ produce high numbers of false positives.

Accepted Answer

Specificity refers to a test's ability to accurately identify those who do not have the condition being tested for. A lack of specificity means that the test is not able to distinguish between those who have the condition and those who do not, resulting in a high number of false positives. Reliability measures consistency and reproducibility of test results, sensitivity measures a test's ability to accurately identify those who do have the condition, and face validity refers to the extent to which a test appears to measure what it claims to measure. While all these factors are important for a valid test, the lack of specificity is particularly problematic for producing false positives.

Question 10

In testing, the degree to which a test corresponds to the theoretical model of the underlying construct or ? trait it purports to measure is referred as the test's _________.

Accepted Answer

Construct validity is the degree to which a test measures the theoretical construct or trait it claims to measure. This involves examining the relationship between the test scores and other variables related to the construct, such as observable behaviors or physiological measures. Temporal validity refers to the extent to which a test is consistent over time, content validity refers to the degree to which a test covers the full range of relevant material, and criterion validity refers to the degree to which a test predicts or correlates with an external criterion.

Question 11

A test purporting to measure depression is found to correlate highly with behaviors theoretically associated with depression. This test can be said to have ______ validity.

Accepted Answer

Construct validity refers to the degree to which a test measures the theoretical construct it is intended to measure. In this case, the test is measuring depression, which is a theoretical construct, and it correlates highly with behaviors associated with depression, indicating that it is measuring what it is supposed to measure. The other types of validity (concurrent, predictive, and content) are not as relevant in this scenario.

Question 12

The degree to which a test classifying people as not having a particular disorder when, in fact, they do not have the disorder is known as ______.

Accepted Answer

Specificity refers to the accuracy of a test in classifying individuals without a disorder as negative. A high level of specificity means there are few false positives. Reliability refers to the consistency of a test's results over time, sensitivity is the degree to which a test correctly identifies individuals with a disorder, and face validity refers to how well a test appears to measure what it is intended to measure.

Question 13

A general intelligence test is found to be a reliable indicator of how successful students will be in various adult career tracks. The test can be said to have ______ validity.

Accepted Answer

Predictive validity assesses whether a test accurately predicts future outcomes or behaviors. In this scenario, the general intelligence test is being used to predict success in various career tracks, making B the correct answer. Concurrent validity measures how well a test results compare to a similar test that has already been validated, and it is not applicable here. Construct validity determines whether a test accurately measures the construct it claims to measure, and content validity evaluates whether a test covers all the relevant aspects of the construct.

Question 14

The degree to which a test correctly identifies people who have the disorder the test is intended to detect is called ______.

Accepted Answer

Sensitivity is the degree to which a test correctly identifies people who have the disorder the test is intended to detect. Specifically, sensitivity is the proportion of true positives, or the number of people with the disorder who test positive for it. Reliability refers to the consistency of test results, specificity refers to the degree to which a test correctly identifies people who do not have the disorder, and face validity refers to whether a test appears, on the surface, to measure what it is intended to measure.

Question 15

Interviews, psychological testing, self-report questionnaires, behavioral measures, and physiological measures are all used by clinicians as methods of ______.

Accepted Answer

These methods are all used in the process of assessment. Interviews, testing, and questionnaires gather information directly from the individual. Behavioral and physiological measures are often used to observe and measure aspects of their functioning. The information gathered through assessment is then used to inform diagnosis and treatment planning.

Question 16

The broad label that describes the use of different methods to arrive at diagnoses and conclusions about personality and cognitive function is______.

Accepted Answer

The term "assessment" encompasses a wide range of methods used to evaluate personality and cognitive functioning, including mental status evaluations, psychodiagnostic testing, and classification. Therefore, it is the most accurate and comprehensive choice.

Question 17

The degree to which a test corresponds to the theoretical model it purports to measure is called ______ validity.

Accepted Answer

Construct validity refers to the extent to which a test measures the intended theoretical construct or concept. Content validity concerns whether the test comprehensively covers the topic or skills being tested. Concurrent validity measures whether the results of the test match up with those of an already established test measuring the same construct, while predictive validity is concerned with how well the test predicts future outcomes.

Question 18

In an assessment technique, the degree to which responses correlate with an independent external standard of what the assessment technique is intended to assess is called ______.

Accepted Answer

Criterion validity refers to the degree to which responses on an assessment technique correlate with an external standard or criterion. This type of validity is often assessed through measures such as predictive validity, where scores on the assessment technique are used to predict future performance or outcomes, or concurrent validity, where scores on the assessment technique are compared to other measures of the same construct administered at the same time.

Question 19

Depression includes features such as sadness and lack of participation in previously enjoyed activities. If the items of a new test claiming to measure depression addresses
Neither of these qualities, it appears that the test lacks ______ validity.

Accepted Answer

Content validity refers to the degree to which a test accurately measures the specific construct or trait it is intended to measure. If a test claiming to measure depression does not address key features such as sadness and lack of participation in previously enjoyed activities, it has low content validity.

Question 20

Predictive validity is a type of ______ validity.

Accepted Answer

Predictive validity refers to the degree to which a test or measurement can accurately predict future outcomes or behaviors. This type of validity is determined by comparing the results of the test to a criterion measure that is taken at a later time. Therefore, the correct choice is criterion validity, which assesses the extent to which a measurement relates to an outcome that is expected based on theory or previous research. Temporal validity focuses on the stability of results over time, content validity tests how well a measure includes all the relevant content, and construct validity assesses the level to which a test measures the construct it is intended to measure.

Quiz 3: Classification and Assessment of Abnormal Behavior