ABNORMAL PSYCH EXAM 2 Learning Objectives for Topic III How are Abnormal Behaviors Classified Assessed KEY TERMS 1 Know all KEY TERMS in Chapter 4 Diagnosis refers to the identification or recognition of a disorder on the basis of its characteristic symptoms Assessment the process of gathering information Classification System used to subdivide or organize a set of objects Categorical Approach to Classification assumes that distinctions among members to different categories are qualitative In other words the differences reflect a different in kind quality rather than a difference in amount quantity Dimensional Approach to Classification one that describes the objects of classification in terms of continuous dimensions rather than assuming that an object either has or does not have a particular property it may be useful to focus on a specific characteristic and determine how much of that characteristics the object exhibits Culture Bound syndromes patterns of erratic or unusual thinking and behavior that have been identified in diverse societies around the world and do not fit easily into the other diagnostic categories that are listed in the main body of the DSM IV TR Reliability refers to the consistency of measurements Validity refers to the meaning or importance of a measurement Comorbidity defined as the simultaneous appearance of two or more disorders in the same person at the same time Behavioral Coding System focus on the frequency of specific behavioral events Use more frequently in research studies than clinical settings Reactivity people may alter their behavior either intentionally or unintentionally when they know they are being observed Personality Inventories referred to as objective tests Consist of series of straightforward questions and the person being tested is required to indicate if the questions are true false Actuarial Interpretation analysis of specific test results on the basis of a set of explicit rules that are derived from empirical research Projective Tests the person is presented with a series of ambiguous stimuli ink blots 5 2 What is meant by assessment Ch 4 6th ED pg 88 Custom pg 98 and what purposes does it serve in research and treatment of psychopathology Ch 4 6th ED pgs 102 103 Custom pgs 112 113 Assessment Process of gathering and organizing info for making decisions May use many different methods of gathering the information Why is assessment important Assessment is the basis of all science Systematic observation gathering of info Rational Decisions Depending on having relevant info of known quality Assessment procedures can be used to describe the natural of a person s problem The clinician must collect info to support the diagnostic decision and rule out possible alternative explanations for symptoms Assessment procedures are used for making predictions planning treatments and treatments Also used to evaluate the likelihood that a particular form of for a specific patient and to provide the details of the effectiveness evaluating treatment will be helpful of the treatment 3 Why must we be concerned about the consistency of behavior across time and situations when we attempt to assess it and why do psychologists often obtain assessment information from more than one source Ch 4 6 th ED pg 103 Custom pgs 113 Assessment involves the collection of a specific sample of a person s behavior None of these would be important if we assumed that they were isolated events They are useful in the way that they are representative examples of the way that the person would behave or feel in other situations Psychologists therefore must be concerned about the consistency of behavior across time and situations They want to know if they can generalize or draw inferences about the person s behavior in the natural environment on the basis of samples of behavior that are obtained in their assessment Psychologists seek out more than 1 source of info when conducting an assessment One way of evaluating the possible meaning importance of info is to consider the consistency across sources 4 What criteria and methods are used to evaluate assessment procedures Ch 4 6th ED pg 104 Custom pgs 114 Note What you read for objective 4 above also is relevant 1 Reliability 2 Validity can refer to various types of consistency Assessment procedures must be reliable if they are to be useful in research The validity of an assessment refers to its meaning or importance 6 The more consistent the info provided by diff assessment procedures the more valid each procedure is considered to be Cultural differences present an important challenge to the validity of assessment procedures cultural background 5 What types of procedures are used to assess psychological factors When would you want to use each type It is often difficult to understand the thoughts behaviors of people from a that is different from our own What are the advantages and limitations of each type Ch 4 6th ED pgs 104 114 Custom pgs 114 124 1 Interviews them more often than not the best way to find out something about someone is to talk to Most commonly used procedure Most of the categories defined in DSM IV are based on info that can be collected in an interview Interviews provide an opp To ask people for their own description of their problems Interviews allow clinicians to observe important features of a person s appearance and non verbal cues Advantages 1 The interviewer can control the interaction and can probe further when 2 By observing the patient s nonverbal behavior the interviewer can try to detect of resistance In that sense the validity of the info may be enhanced 3 An interview can provide a lot of info in a short period of time It can cover past events and many diff settings Disadvantages 1 Some patients may be unable or unwilling to provide a rational account of their problems This may be particularly true of young children who have not skills as well as some psychotic and demented patients who are developed verbal unable to speak coherently 2 People may be reluctant to admit experiences that are embarrassing or They may feel that they should report to the interview only those feelings and that are socially desirable Negative stereotypes about people with mental interfere with an open and honest discussion of a person s 3 Info provided by the client is filtered through the client s eyes It is a subjective account and may be influenced distorted by errors in memory and by necessary areas frightening
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