AQA A-Level Psychology: Psychopathology QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTION

AQA A-Level Psychology: Psychopathology QUESTIONS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONWhat is abnormality? Any pattern of behaviour that causes people significant distress, causes them to harm themselves or others, or interferes with their ability to function in daily life. How can someone be defined as abnormal? Deviation from social norms Failure to function adequately Deviation from ideal mental health Statistical infrequency 00:39 01:23 What is a social norm? An unwritten rule about what's acceptable within a certain society What does deviation from social norms suggest about abnormality? Those that think or behave in ways that violate these societal norms are seen as abnormal What are weaknesses of deviation from social norms to define abnormality? It's culturally irrelevant as societal norms differ ebtween cultures and society. What one society may deem socially acceptable, another may think it completely unacceptable What does failure to function adequately suggest about abnormality? If a person is unable to cope with the demands of everyday life and live independently in society then they are classed as abnormal What characteristics did Rosenhan and Seligman decide if a person is failing to function adequately? Suffering Maladaptive - danger to oneself Unpredictability and loss of control Unconventionality Irrationality Causes others discomfort Violates social/moral standards What are strengths of FFA to define abnormality? It considers the patients' personal experiences to assess psychopathic behaviour What are weaknesses of FFA to define abnormality? Patients could show the same psychological/behavioural symptoms but be given different diagnosis based on how well they handle their symptoms Some people may be defined as abnormal through their free will - unconventionality What does deviation from mental health ideals suggest about abnormality? People who don't meet the ideal mental health standards are considered abnormal What are the six categories of ideal mental health? -Having a positive view of yourself and strong sense of identity -Being capable of personal growth and self-actualisation -Being independent of others and self regulating -Having an accurate view of reality - Being able to integrate and resist stress -Being able to avoid personal distress What are weaknesses of ideal mental health as a way of defining abnormality? Individualistic cultures would be more self actualised, communistic cultures would see it as selfish/self-centred Idealistic - suggests that those who are normal will have ideal mental health throughout their lives 00:03 01:23 What does statistical infrequency suggest about abnormality? Behaviour that is statistically uncommon is seen as abnormal. What are weaknesses of statistical infrequency as a way of defining abnormality? Misdiagnosis of abnormality - depression is very common so those who don't experience it would be classed as abnormal Having a high IQ for example is abnormal but not a bad thing Labelling can be unhelpful - telling someone they have a low IQ and are abnormal will reduce self-esteem What are characteristics of Anti Social Personality Disorder? Absence of prosocial internal standards Failure to conform to law or culturally normative ethcal behaviour What is the behaviourist approach? A way of explaining behaviour in terms of what is observable and in terms of learning. What are the two types of learning? classical conditioning and operant conditioning What did Pavlov study? classical conditioning with dogs What did Pavlov do? Conditioned dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell Bell rang - given food - salivated Repeated multiple times Bell rang - salivated Associated bell ringing with pleasure of food What factors affect classical conditioning? If the time between UCS and NS is too long it won't work If CS is presented on it's own - break SR bond (extinction) If extinction occurs - CR occurs quicker If an animal has been conditioned, they will respond to similar stimuli in the same way What is the two process model to phobias? Phobia learnt through classical conditioning - associate phobic stimulus with fear Maintained through operant conditioning - avoid stimulus - reinforcement as they feel calm What are emotional characteristics of a phobia? Emotional response of anxiety/fear which is out of proportion to the phobic stimuli Unpleasant state of high arousal Prevents sufferer from relaxing Can't experience positive emotions What are behavioural characteristics of a phobia? Panic - crying, screaming, freezing, fleeing Avoidance - effort to keep away from phobic stimulus Endurance if they can't get away What are cognitive characteristics of a phobia? Irrational thought processes Person knows their fear is excessive Selective attention to phobic stimulus Cognitive distortions What is systematic desensitisation? A behavioural therapy designed to reduce phobic anxiety through the principle of Classical conditioning. Suffers are cured if they learn to relax in presence of phobic stimulus. It is impossible to be afraid and relaxed at the same time (counter-conditioning) what happens during systematic desensitisation? Patients are taught how to relax using breathing techniques, visualisation etc An anxiety hierarchy is created - phobic stimuli in order from least to most anxiety inducing Patient is exposed to least and progresses when they can remain relaxed on that level What are advantages of systematic desensitisation? Gilroy et al followed up 42 patients who received treatment for spider phobia in 3 45 min sessions of SD after both 3 months and 33 months the SD group were less fearful than the relaxation group Suited to more diverse patients eg learning difficulties Lower refusal and attrition rates What are disadvantages of systematic desensitisation? Expensive Symptom substitution may occur Takes 5-10 sessions What is flooding? Patients are exposed to the phobic stimulus without being allowed to leave until they calm down and extinction is used to cure phobia What are advantages of flooding? Ethical as patients give fully informed consent Lose phobias quicker - after 3 sessions What are disadvantages of flooding? Patients could be traumatised afterwards What is OCD? A serious anxiety related condition where a person experiences frequent intrusive and unwelcome obsessive thoughts which are often followed by repetitive compulsions, impulses or urges What is the OCD cycle? What are behavioural characteristics of OCD? Compulsive, repetitive behaviour to reduce anxiety Avoidance behaviour - keep away from situations that trigger obsessive thoughts What are emotional characteristics of OCD? Unpleasant emotions eg anxiety and distress Depression - compulsions bring temporary relief Irrational guilt What are cognitive characteristics of OCD? Obsessive irrational thoughts that occur over and over An awareness that the thoughts are irrational What are the genetic explanations of OCD? It is inherited - Lewis observed that of his OCD patients, 37% has parents with OCD & 21% had siblings with OCD Diatheses-stress model Candidate genes increase vulnerability Aetiologically heterogeneous What does the diatheses-stress model suggest about OCD? Certain genes make us more vulnerable to developing the disorder but a trigger in the environment must occur for OCD to be expressed What are candidate genes? Genes that create vulnerability for OCD for example How is OCD aetiologically heterogeneous? The genes that are present in a patient suffering with OCD could be completely different in a different patient suffering from OCD What are advantages of the genetic explanation for OCD? Good supporting evidence - 68% of monozygotic twins had OCD What are disadvantages of the genetic explanation for OCD? Too many genes contribute to OCD Seems environment can trigger/increase risk of OCD What are neural explanations for OCD? Genes associated with OCD are likely to affect levels of neurotransmitters as well as structures in the brain Low serotonin, most likely due to faulty gene, is linked to OCD What are the two parts of the brain associated with OCD? The parahippocampus gyrus - processing unpleasant emotions The lateral frontal lobes - decision making What is the worry circuit? The orbital frontal cortex sends signals to the brain about potential worries which are usually suppressed. In OCD sufferers, this worry isn't suppressed so the thalamus is alerted, which then confirms this to the OFC which creates a worry circuit and obsessive thoughts What are advantages of the neural explanation of OCD? Anti-depressant medication increases serotonin and are effective in reducing the symptoms of OCD Family and twin studies provide evidence that there is a gene which reduces serotonin and potentially causes OCD What are disadvantages of the neural explanation for OCD? Not sure which neural mechanisms are involved in OCD Can't be sure which came first - OCD or neural damage Concordance rates between MZ twins with OCD should be 100% What is the biological approach to treating OCD? drug therapy What are SSRIs? selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors How do SSRIs work? They block the receptor sites on the pre-synaptic neuron so serotonin continually stimulates the post-synaptic neuron and can't be absorbed so there's more serotonin in the brain - thus reducing the symptoms of OCD What are tricyclics? Antidepressants which block the synapses from reabsorbing serotonin and noradrenaline so more neurotransmitters are left to ease the effect of teh synapse fire How does diazepam work? It slows down the central nervous system by enhancing the neurotransmitter GABA which is involved in regulating the excitation of the brain - thus having a calming effect What are advantages of drug therapy to treat OCD? Clear evidence that it reduces symptoms of OCD and improves patients' lives Somro et al reviewed 14 studies comparing SSRIs and placebos - SSRIs having a greater effect Combination of drugs can be used for those who don't react to the drug on its on More cost effective than psychological therapy and non-disruptive to patient's life What are disadvantages of drug therapy for treating OCD? Side effects eg indigestion, loss of libido and blurred vision What are other treatments for OCD? Psychosurgery Deep brain stimulation What happens in psychosurgery? Part of the brain tissue is destroyed using radio frequency waves - effecting the orbital frontal cortex and the thalamus What happens in deep brain stimulation? An implant is placed into the brain which is associated with blocking out irrelevant thoughts and obsessions What are the 4 categories of depression? Major depressive disorder - severe but short term Persistent depressive disorder - long term/ recurring Disruptive mood disorder - child like tantrums Premenstrual dysphoric disorder - disruption to mood prior to/and or during menstruation What are behavioural characteristics of depression? Shift in activity - increase or decrease Sleeping less/waking up in the night/early in the morning or oversleeping/sleeping for longer than normal Loss or increase in appetite Poor personal hygiene Aggression and self harm What are cognitive characteristics of depression? Reduced concentration Delusions eg guilt, punishment, personal inadequacy Negative and irrational thoughts Biased recall What are emotional characteristics of depression? Lack of enthusiasm/interest/ pleasure in usual activities Sadness and extreme low mood Self-directed anger Feelings of worthlessness/ self-reproach. What is Beck's cognitive theory of depression? Some people are more vulnerable to depression due to their cognition - faulty information processing, negative self schema and negative triad What is faulty information processing? Attending to all negative aspects of a situation and ignoring any positives What is a negative self schema? All the information about ourselves is interpreted negatively