Comparison of biological and fostering relatives with and without a given disorder
to assess genetic versus environmental influences
Amygdala
A limbic system structure involved in memory and emotion, particularly fear and
aggression.
Anxiety disorders
psychological disorders characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or
maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety
blood-injection-injury phobia
Persistent and disproportionate fear of the sight of to vital fluids, physical harm, or
needles. Afflicted persons are likely to
experience a drop in blood pressure and
sometimes faint.
Anxiety sensitivity
A personality trait involves a high level of belief that certain bodily symptoms may
have harmful consequences. People with this trait are more prone to developing
panic attacks and perhaps panic disorder Ex. "When I notice that my heart is
beating rapidly, I worry that I might have a heart attack."
Association studies
Genetic research strategy comparing frequency of certain genetic markers known to
,be located on particular chromosomes in people with and without a particular
disorder
Attachment theory
Contemporary developmental and psychodynamic theory emphasizing the
importance of early experience with relationships in laying the foundation for later
functioning throughout life
Attribution
Process of assigning causes to things that happen
Behavior genetics
Field that studies heritability of mental disorders and other aspects of psychological
functioning such as personality and intelligence
Biopsychosocial viewpoint
A perspective that acknowledges the interacting roles of biological, psychosocial,
and sociocultural factors in the origins of psychopathology
Castration anxiety
The fear a young boy experiences when he desires his mother while at the same
time fearing that his father may harm him by cutting off his penis; this fear forces
the boy to repress his sexual desire for his mother and his hostility toward his father
Causal risk factor
A variable element that, when changed, changes the likelihood of the outcome of
interest (e.g., if effectively treating depression decreased the risk of suicide, we
would call it this)
Chromosomes
Chain-like structures within the cell nucleus that contain genes
Cognitive-behavioral perspective
A theory of abnormal behavior that focuses on how thoughts and information
processing can become distorted and lead to maladaptive emotions and behavior
,CAB Triangle
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) theory says affect, behavior, and cognition
each affect one another
ex. a thought can promote congruent emotions and behaviors, and an emotion can
also promote congruent thoughts and behaviors. In this case, the thought "the spider
is dangerous" may promote "negative affect' and "running away"
Concordance rate
The percentage of twins sharing a disorder or trait
Contributory cause
A condition that increases the probability of developing a disorder but that is
neither necessary nor sufficient for it to occur.
For example: A person can have gonorrhea without ever developing Pelvic
Inflammatory Disease. They can also have PID without ever having been infected
with gonorrhea.
Correlate
A factor that co-varies with, or is associated with, some outcome of interest (e.g.,
height and weight)
Developmental psychopathology
Field of psychology that focuses on determining what is abnormal at any point in
the growing-up process by comparing and contrasting it with normal changes that
occur
Developmental systems approach
Acknowledgment that genetic activity influences neural activity, which in turn
influences behavior, which in turn influences the environment, and that these
influences are bidirectional
Diathesis
Predisposition or vulnerability to developing a given disorder
, Diathesis-stress models
View of abnormal behavior as the result of tension operating on an individual who
has a biological, psychosocial, or sociocultural predisposition to developing a
specific disorder
Discrimination
Ability to interpret and respond differently to two or more similar stimuli
Ego
In psychoanalytic theory, the rational part of the personality that mediates between
the demands of the id, the constraints of the superego, and the realities of the
external world
Ego-defense mechanisms
In psychoanalytic theory, unconscious psychological processes that discharge or
soothe anxiety rather than coping directly with an anxiety-provoking situation;
usually unconscious and reality-distorting
Psychodynamic theory emphasizes the importance of the "executive branch of the
personality" in organizing normal personality development
Extinction
In behaviorism, the gradual disappearance of a conditioned response when it is no
longer reinforced
Family history method
Behavior genetic research strategy that examines the incidence of disorder in
relatives of an index case to determine whether incidence increases in proportion to
the degree of the hereditary relationship
Fixed marker
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