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goodness of fit
the idea that behavior is problematic or not problematic depending on the environment in which it occurs
culture
the shared behavioral patterns and lifestyles that differentiate one group of people from another
culture-bound syndrome
the abnormal behaviors that are specific to a particular location or group
abnormal behavior
conduct that is inconsistent with the individual's developmental, cultural, and societal norms; creates emotional distress; or interferes with daily functioning
dimensional approach
an approach to understanding behavior that considers it from a quantitive perspective (gradual), not a qualitative perspective (is or is not)
developmental trajectory
the idea that common symptoms of a disorder may vary depending on a person's age
trephination
the process in which a circular instrument was used to cut away sections of the skull, possibly in an attempt to release demons from the brain
mass hysteria
a situation in which a group of people share and sometimes even act upon a belief that is not based on fact
emotional contagion
the automatic mimicry and synchronization of expressions, vocalizations, postures, and movements of one person by another - explanation for mass hysteria
animal magnetism
a force that Mesmer believed flowed within the body and, when impeded, resulted in disease
placebo effect
a condition in which symptoms of illness diminish or disappear not because of any specific treatment but because the patient believes the treatment is effective
dementia praecox
Kraepelin's name for a psychological disorder characterized by deterioration of mental faculties (now called schizophrenia)
schizophrenia
a disorder involving serious abnormalities in thought, perceptions, and behavior
talking cure
therapy in the form of discussion of psychological distress with a trained professional, leading to the elimination of distressing symptoms
psychoanalysis
a theory of abnormal behavior originated by Sigmund Freud that was based on the belief that many aspects of behavior were controlled by unconscious innate biological urges that existed from infancy
classical conditioning
a form of learning in which a conditioned stimulus (CS) is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (US) to produce a conditioned response (CR)
behaviorism
the theory that the only appropriate objects of scientific study are behaviors that can be observed and measured directly
scientist-practitioner model
An approach to psychological disorders based on the concept that when providing treatment to people with psychological disorders, the psychologist relies on the findings of research and in turn, when conducting research, the psychologist investigates topics that help to guide and improve …
neuron
a nerve cell found throughout the body, including the brain
synapse
a space between neurons
neurotransmitter
a chemical substance that is released into the synapse and transmits information from one neuron to another
neuroscience
the study of the structure and function of the nervous system and the interaction of that system and behavior
biological scarring
the process by which years of living with a disorder cause changes in the brain
behavioral genetics
the field of study that explores the role of genes and environment in the transmission of behavioral traits
viral infection theory
the theory that during the prenatal period or shortly after birth, viral infections could cause some psychological disorders
ego psychology
a form of psychodynamic theory that focuses on conscious motivations and healthy forms of human functioning
operant conditioning
a form of learning in which behavior is acquired or changed by the events that happen afterward
reinforcement
a contingent event that strengthens the response that precedes it
punishment
the application of something painful or removal of something positive
vicarious conditioning
a distinct type of learning in which the person need not actually do the behavior in order to acquire it
object relations theory
addresses people's emotional relations with important objects
brief psychodynamic therapy
a modern therapy based on psychoanalytic theory but designed to produce insights more quickly
nterpersonal therapy
treatment that strengthens social skills and targets interpersonal problems, conflicts, and life transitions
phenomenology
a school of thought that holds one's subjective perception of the world is more important than the world in actuality
sociocultural model
the idea that abnormal behavior must be understood within the context of social and cultural forces
the idea that abnormal behavior must be understood within the context of social and cultural forces
the idea that biological, psychological, and social factors probably contribute to the development of abnormal behavior and different factors are important for different individuals
diathesis-stress model of abnormal behavior
the idea that psychological disorders may have a biological predisposition (diathesis) that lies dormant until environmental stress occurs and the combination produces abnormal behavior
translational research
a scientific approach that that focuses on communication between basic science and applied clinical research
beneficence
the core ethical principle ensuring that researchers do no harm and maximize possible benefits and minimize possible harms
central nervous system
one part of the human nervous system that includes the brain and the spinal cord
peripheral nervous system
one part of the human nervous system that includes the sensory-somatic nervous system (controls sensations and muscle movements) and the autonomic nervous system (controls involuntary movements)
brain stem
a part of the brain located at its base that controls fundamental biological functions such as breathing
midbrain
a portion of the brain stem that coordinates sensory information and movement; includes the reticular activating system, the thalamus, and the hypothalamus
forebrain
a part of the brain that include the limbic system, basal ganglia, and cerebral cortex
limbic system
a brain region involved in the experience of emotion, the regulation of emotional expression, and the basic biological drives such as agression, sex, and appetite
hippocampus
the brain region that is part of the limbic system that also has a role in memory formation
cerebral cortex
the largest part of the forebrain; contains structures that contribute to higher cognitive functioning including reasoning, abstract thought, perception of time, and creativity
left hemisphere
the region of the brain primarily responsible for language and cognitive functions
right hemisphere
the region of the brain associated with creativity, imagery, and intuition
temporal lobe
one of four lobes of the brain; associated with understanding auditory and verbal information, labeling of objects, and verbal memory
parietal lobe
one of four lobes of the brain; integrates sensory information from various sources and may be involved with visuospatial processing
occipital lobe
one of four lobes of the brain; located at the back of the skull; center of visual processing
frontal lobe
one of the four lobes of the brain; seat of reasoning, impulse control, judgment, language, memory, motor function, problem solving, and sexual and social behavior
endocrine system
a system in the body that sends messages to the bodily organs via hormones
hormones
a chemical messenger that is released into the bloodstream and acts on target organs
neurotransmitter
the chemical substance that relays electrical signals between one neuron and the next
neuroimaging
the technology that takes pictures of the brain
neuroanatomy
the brain structure
familial aggregation
the process of examining whether family members of a person with a particular disorder are more likely to have that disorder than family members of people without the disorder
proband
the person with a particular disorder in a familial aggregation study
molecular genetics
the study of the structure and function of genes at a molecular level
genomewide linkage analysis
a technique that uses samples of families with many individuals who are ill with the same disorder or large samples of relatives who have the same disorder to identify genomic regions that may hold genes that influence a trait
candidate gene association study
The study that compares one or a few genes in a large group of individuals who have a specific trait or disorder with a well-matched group of individuals who do not have the trait or disorder
genomewide association study
The study of unbiased search of the human genome comparing cases and controls on genetic variants scattered across the genome for evidence of association
case study
the comprehensive description of an individual (or group of individuals) that focuses on the assessment or description of abnormal behavior or its treatment
experimental variable
the variable being tested in an experimental study
control group
the comparison group for an experimental study in which the variable to be studied is absent
single-case design
an experimental study conducted with a single individual
correlation
the relationship between variable
correlation coefficient
a statistical figure that describes the direction and strength of a correlation
controlled group designs
an experiment in which groups of participants are exposed to different conditions, at least one of which is experimental and one of which is control
independent variable
the variable in a controlled experiment the the experimenter controls
dependent variable
the variable in a controlled experiment that is assessed to determine the effect of the independent variable
random assignment
the most critical feature of a randomized control design in which each participant has an equal probability of being assigned to each experimental or control condition
placebo control
a control group in which an inactive treatment is provided
cohort
a group of people who share a common characteristic and move forward in time as a unit
cross-sectional design
a research design in which participants are assessed once for the specific variable under investigation
longitudinal design
a research design in which participants are assessed at least two times and often more over a certain time interval
epidemiology
a research approach that focuses on the prevalence and incidence of mental disorders and the factors that influence those patterns
prevalence
the number of cases of a disorder in a given population at a designated time
incidence
the number of new cases that emerge in a given population during a specified period of time
experimental epidemiology
a research method in which the scientist manipulates exposure to either causal or preventive factors
comorbidity
the co-occurrence of two or more disorders existing in the same person, either at the same time or at some point in the lifetime
clinical assessment
the process of gathering information about a person and his or her environment to make decisions about the nature, status, and treatment of psychological problems
screening
an assessment process that attempts to identify psychological problems or predict the risk of future problems among people who are not referred for clinical assessment
diagnosis
the identification of an illness
differential diagnosis
a process in which a clinician weighs how likely it is that a person has one diagnosis instead of another
clinical significance
an observed change that is meaningful in terms of clinical functioning
normative
a comparison group that is representative of the entire population against which a person's score on a psychological test is compared
self-referent comparison
comparison of responses on a psychological instrument with a person's own prior performance
reliability
the extent to which a psychological instrument produces consistent results each time it is given
test-retest reliability
the extent to which a test produces similar scores over time when given to the same individual(s)
interrater agreement
the amount of agreement between two clinicians who are using the same measure to rate the same symptoms in a single patient
validity
the degree to which a test measures what it is intended to assess
clinical interview
a conversation between and interviewer and a patient whose purpose is to gather information and make judgments related to assessment goals
unstructured interview
a clinical interview in which a clinician decides what questions to ask and how to ask them
structured interview
a clinical interview in which the clinician asks a standard set of questions, usually with the goal of establishing a diagnosis
personality test
a psychological test that measures personality characteristics
intelligence tests
a test that measures intelligence quotient (IQ)
intelligence quotient
a score of cognitive functioning that compares a person's performance to his or her age-matched peers
projective tests
a test derived from psychoanalytic theory in which people are asked to respond to ambiguous stimuli
functional analysis
a strategy of behavior assessment in which a clinician attempts to identify causal links between problem behaviors and environmental variables; also called behavioral analysis or functional assessment
self-monitoring
a procedure with behavioral assessment in which the patient observes and records his or her own behavior as it happens
behavioral observation
the measurement of behavior as it occurs by someone other than the person whose behavior is being observed
behavioral avoidance tests
the behavioral assessment strategy used to assess avoidance behavior by asking a patient to approach a feared situation as closely as possible
psychophysiological assessment
the evaluation strategies that measure brain structure, brain function, and nervous system activity
diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM)
a classification of mental disorders originally developed in 1952; has been revised over subsequent years and is a standard of care in psychiatry and psychology
multiaxial system
a system of diagnosis and classification used by the DSM that requires classifying a patient's behavior on five different dimension
international classification of diseases
a classification system for mental disorders developed in Europe that is an international standard diagnostic system for epidemiology and many health management purposes

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