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UMass Amherst PSYCH 380 - Psych 380 Exam 1 Study Guide

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Psych 380 Exam 1 Study Guide:- Abnormal psychology is the scientific study of abnormal behavior in an effort to describe, predict, explain, and change abnormal patterns of functioning- Mental disorder is a mental or bodily condition marked primarily by sufficient disorganization of personality, mind, and emotions to seriously impair the normal psychological functioning of the individual- Four D’s:o Deviance: from behavior, thoughts, and emotions that differ largely from a society’s ideas about proper functioning from social norms; judgements of abnormality vary from society to society as norms grow from a particular culture – also depend on specific circumstances Ex) marathon runners (difference between loving to run vs. wanting to lose weight/trying to fit an idealo Distress: according to many clinical theorists: behavior, ideas, or emotions usuallyhave to cause distress before they can be labeled abnormal Ex) man is miserable, finds it painful to go to work, feels empty, no joy – this is showing distress Ex) man has never experienced happiness – but is okay with it (this isn’t getting in the way of his life; he has a good job, has a few relationships, enjoys working, is okay with his life – NO distress)o Dysfunction: abnormal behavior tends to be dysfunctional  it interferes with daily functioning; culture plays a roleo Danger: abnormal behavior may come dangerous to oneself or others  Ex) man who has never been happy shows no danger to himself or anyone else Ex) man who is distressed about never being happy shows some suicidal thoughts – he is a danger to himself- Treatment (or therapy) is a procedure designed to change abnormal behavior to more normal behavior; treatment is anything put in place to help this person with this condition- 3 essential features of all forms of therapy:o 1. Patient who seeks helpo 2. Trained healero 3. Series of contacts between patient and healer, through which the healer tries to produce certain changes in the patient’s emotional state, attitudes, and behavior- Clinical treatment is surrounded by conflict and confusion:o Lack of agreement about goals or aimso Lack of agreement about successful outcomeso Lack of agreement about failureo Are clinicians seeking to cure? To teach?o Are sufferers patients (ill) or client (having difficulty)?- Now psychiatric conditions are more openly talked about due to the internet; hundreds of psychologists in Amherst, MA- Large majority of treatment is on an outpatient basis (no hospitalization/ institutionalization but in a clinic/therapy office/etc)- More severe psychological disturbances are treated inpatient (hospitalization/ institutionalization)- Positive psychology is the study and enhancement of positive feelings, traits, and abilities- Multicultural psychology is the field that examines the impact of culture, race, ethnicity, and gender on behaviors and thoughts and focuses on how such factors may influence theorigin, nature, and treatment of abnormal behavior- Multicultural psychologists seek to understand how race, culture, ethnicity, gender, etc. affect behavior and thought and how people of different cultures, races, and genders may differ psychologically- Research is the systematic search for facts through the use of careful observations and investigations; it is the key to accuracy in all fields, but is particularly important in the field of abnormal psychology- Clinical researchers face many challenges:o Measuring unconscious motiveso Assessing private thoughtso Monitoring mood changeso Calculating human potential- 4 approaches to methods of research:o The case study Provides a lot of details about rare disorders and cases; answers questions such as: what contributed to this and what treatments were effective; problem is that we don’t know if its generalizable or not – will apply to a larger populationo Correlational methods: Is there a relationship between two variables that we are concerned about? Allow you to answer some questions that people are genuinely interested in; also takes some ethical problems out because you are just looking at the world; looking at the strength of the relationship to the “perfect relationship” (1:1); correlation is not causation Positive correlation is an increase in one leads to an increase in another Negative correlation is an increase in one leads to a decrease in the other No correlation – ex) depression and IQ do not effect each other (no slope)o Experimental method: Gives definitive evidence for causation; a research procedure in which a variable is manipulated and the manipulations effect on another variable isobserved; indep variable is the one you’re interested in; dep variable is theconsistent one Random assignment make sure the researcher and the participants are blind (double blind research study) Control group is one not affected at all to make a baseline for the experimento Alternative experimental designs: Quasi-experimental design: does not have random assignment, but make use of groups that already exist; ex) abused children Natural experiments: nature manipulates the indep variable and the experimenter observes the effects; ex) psych impact of flooding Analogue experiments: might use animal models of human behavior, comes with ethical challenges – treating animals humanely; ex) looking at dogs and their signs of symptoms Single-subject experiments: an outgrowth of case studies; establish the baseline of anxiety and introduce CBT for a few weeks then switch back to treatment as usual and see the effects on their anxiety levels; ex) ABAB treatment Main difference between single-subject and case study is that during a case study you are observing the participant and taking in info. In the single-subject, you are purposefully switching the variables and observing changes- Biological model adopts a medical perspective; main focus is that a psychological abnormality is an illness brought about by malfunctioning parts of the organism (typicallypoint to problems in brain, anatomy, or brain chemistry)o Treatments are medicines/drugs (most popular), ECT (used primarily for depression), psychosurgery (removing parts of the brain)o Weaknesses are it simplifies everything we do to a biological cause- Psychodynamic model is the oldest and most famous psychological model; based on a belief that a person’s behavior is determined largely by the dynamic interaction of psych


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UMass Amherst PSYCH 380 - Psych 380 Exam 1 Study Guide

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