D&H2 Summary
Chapter 1: looking at abnormality
Abnormality
o Mental illness
o Cultural norms
Cultural relativism: there are no universal standards or rules for
labeling a behavior abnormal (only relative to cultural norms)
o Four D’s of abnormality
Dysfunction
Distress
Deviance (hearing voices)
Dangerousness
History
o Biological theories
o Supernatural theories
o Psychological theories
o Mental hygiene movement: separated from nature, stress from rapid
social changes
o Moral treatment movement: restore dignity and tranquility
Modern perspectives
o Biological perspectives: general paresis (paralysis due to syphilis)
o Psychoanalytic perspective: mesmerism (hypnosis and unconscious)
o Behaviorism: classical conditioning and reinforcements
o Cognitive revolution: cognitions and self-efficacy beliefs (can I do it?)
Chapter 3: assessing and diagnosing abnormality
Face validity: test appears to measure what it’s supposed to measure
Content validity: test assesses all important aspects of phenomenon
Concurrent/convergent validity: test yields same results as other measures
of same behavior, thoughts or feelings
Predictive validity: test predicts the behavior it is supposed to measure
Construct validity: test measures what it’s supposed to measure, not
something else
Test-retest reliability: test produces similar results when given at two points
in time
Alternate form reliability: two versions of same test produce similar results
Internal reliability: different parts of same test produce similar results
Interrater/interjudge reliability: 2 or more judges who administer and score a
test come to similar conclusions.
Chapter 2: theories and treatment of abnormality
Biopsychosocial approach:
o Transdiagnostic risk factors: increase risk or multiple types of
psychological problems
Diathesis-stress model: risk factors + experiences
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, Biological approaches:
o Brain dysfunction:
Hindbrain: cerebellum
Midbrain: sensory info, controls movement, reward responses
Forebrain
Cerebral cortex: outer layer cerebrum, most advanced thinking
process
Frontal, parietal, occipital and temporal lobes
Subcortical structures
Thalamus: info from sense receptors to cerebrum
Hypothalamus: eating, drinking, sexual beh, processing
basic emotions
Limbic system: instinct
o Biochemical imbalances:
Neurotransmitters
Endocrine system: produces hormones
Pituitary gland
HPA-axis
o Genetic abnormalities:
o Drug therapies:
Antipsychotic drugs -> psychosis (phenothiazines)
Antidepressant drugs -> SSRI’s and SNRI’s
Lithium -> mood stabilizer -> bipolar
Anticonvulsants -> mania
Antianxiety drugs -> barbiturates (-), benzodiazepines
o Electroconvulsive therapy -> mood disorders, seizures, rTMS
o Psychosurgery: destroy part of brain
Psychological approaches:
o Behavioral approaches:
Classical conditioning: US, UR, CS, CR
Operant conditioning: best = continuous reinforcement schedule
Modeling: observing behavior and imitating it
Systematic desensitization therapy
o Cognitive approaches
o Psychodynamic approaches: unconscious processes
Catharis: recounting painful memories under hypnosis and
releasing the connected emotions
Freud:
Id (pleasure principle), ego (reality principle), superego
(moral standards)
Psychosexual stages:
o Oral stage: mistrust & fear of abandonment
o Anal stage: overly controlling
o Phallic stage: genitals (Oedipus complex and
Electra complex)
o Latency stage: socialize
Ego psychology: regulating defenses for healthy functioning
Object relations perspective
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, Self-psychology and Relational psychoanalysis
Collective unconscious: wisdom of spiritual, religious + sexual
drives stored in memories of individuals
Psychodynamic theories:
Free association: client’s resistance and transference are
clue
Interpersonal therapy
o Humanistic approaches:
Self-actualization
Client-centered therapy -> reflection
o Family systems approaches
o Third-wave approaches: poor regulation of emotions, meditation
Dialectical behavior therapy: controlling impulsive beh
ACT
Sociocultural approaches:
o Socioeconomic transdiagnostic risk factor, disintegration, social norms
and policies, implicit and explicit rules of what is normal
o Cultural issues: individual vs collective, expression of emotion, initiative
vs authority, tension socioeconomic groups
Primary prevention (no disorder), secondary prevention (disorder at
earliest stages), tertiary prevention (reduce impact)
Common components effective treatments:
o Positive relationship therapist, explanation or interpretation of why
suffering, confront painful emotions
Chapter 4: the research endeavor
Correlation coefficient: r = -1 till +1
Statistical significance: p < 0.05 occurred by chance
Epidemiology: frequency and distribution of disorder
o Prevalence: proportion of pop who has disorder
o Incidence: number of new cases that develop during that time
o Risk factors
Demand characteristic: participants guess what the study is about
Therapy outcome studies:
o Simple control groups: no therapy but tracked at same time
o Wait list control groups: receive therapy at later time
o Placebo control group: same as experimental group, but fake
o In lab its efficacy, in real world its effective
Single-case experiment designs:
o Reversal design: ABAB
o Multiple baseline design
Genetic studies:
o Family history study: probands (those that clearly have disorder)
o Monozygotic twins (100%) dizygotic twins (+-50%)
o Concordance rate: for MZ if one has it other also has it if only
determined by genetics
o Adoption studies: you can find big difference in genetics and
environment
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