Cuestionario: Week 1 and 2 AB Psych — 25 preguntas

1. Which statement best defines abnormal behaviour?

A. Behaviour that reflects an underlying biological dysfunction

B. Behaviour that causes distress in every individual

C. Behaviour that differs from societal standards of normality

D. Behaviour that is statistically rare in every society

Answer: (C)

Explicación

Abnormal behaviour is generally understood as behaviour that does not conform to societal standards of normality, although no universally accepted definition exists. Statistical rarity or dysfunction alone does not define it.

2. When does a violation of a social norm contribute to classifying behaviour as abnormal?

A. When the behaviour is uncommon but positively admired

B. When the behaviour is negatively judged as socially unacceptable

C. When the behaviour occurs in a different culture

D. When the behaviour is difficult for others to understand

Answer: (B)

Explicación

Norm violation contributes to classification as abnormal when the behaviour is negatively evaluated as socially unacceptable or inconsistent with social expectations.

3. A person experiences intense suffering from intrusive mental experiences but continues to perform daily tasks effectively. Which criterion is most directly illustrated?

A. Dysfunction

B. Norm violation

C. Distress

D. Statistical rarity

Answer: (C)

Explicación

Distress refers to suffering caused by behaviour or mental experiences. Dysfunction instead concerns interference with effective everyday functioning.

4. Why should statistical rarity, norm violation, distress, and dysfunction be considered together when evaluating abnormal behaviour?

A. The criteria measure the same feature from different perspectives

B. No single criterion is necessary or sufficient on its own

C. Each criterion is sufficient by itself in different cultures

D. The criteria apply only when a mental disorder is diagnosed

Answer: (B)

Explicación

None of the four criteria is necessary or sufficient on its own, so they must be considered together when evaluating whether behaviour may be abnormal.

5. What distinguishes a mental disorder from abnormal behaviour in general?

A. A mental disorder must be statistically rare in the population

B. A mental disorder is defined solely by the person’s distress

C. A mental disorder must violate social expectations

D. A mental disorder involves dysfunction underlying mental functioning

Answer: (D)

Explicación

A mental disorder is a syndrome involving clinically significant disturbances that reflect dysfunction in psychological, biological, or developmental processes. Abnormal behaviour does not necessarily involve such underlying dysfunction.

6. According to DSM-5, which feature is typically associated with a mental disorder?

A. Behaviour that is merely unusual or uncommon

B. A disagreement with social conventions without dysfunction

C. A response that is culturally approved and expected

D. Significant distress or disability in important areas of life

Answer: (D)

Explicación

DSM-5 states that mental disorders are usually associated with significant distress or disability in social, occupational, or other important activities.

7. Which situation would DSM-5 generally exclude from the definition of a mental disorder?

A. A behavioural pattern causing clinically significant distress

B. A culturally approved response to a common stressor without individual dysfunction

C. A disturbance in emotion regulation reflecting psychological dysfunction

D. A syndrome causing substantial occupational disability

Answer: (B)

Explicación

DSM-5 excludes expectable or culturally approved responses to common stressors, as well as socially deviant behaviour, unless they result from dysfunction in the individual.

8. What two components does Wakefield’s concept of mental disorder require?

A. Cultural difference and behavioural unpredictability

B. Statistical rarity and social disapproval

C. An internal dysfunction and harm to the individual

D. A diagnosis and a biological cause

Answer: (C)

Explicación

Wakefield’s account combines a factual component—an internal dysfunction—with a value component—harm to the individual.

9. What happened in Rosenhan’s first diagnostic study?

A. Eight psychiatric patients pretended to be healthy and were discharged immediately

B. Twelve hospitals rejected all participants after detecting their deception

C. Hospital staff sent healthy volunteers to test whether real patients could be identified

D. Eight healthy pseudo-patients reported unfamiliar voices and were admitted to psychiatric hospitals

Answer: (D)

Explicación

Eight healthy pseudo-patients reported hearing unfamiliar voices, were admitted to 12 psychiatric hospitals, behaved normally afterward, and remained diagnosed until discharge.

10. How were Rosenhan’s pseudo-patients typically labelled when discharged?

A. Healthy volunteers with no psychiatric history

B. Patients with schizophrenia in remission

C. Patients with temporary adjustment reactions

D. Patients with manic-depressive psychosis in recovery

Answer: (B)

Explicación

The pseudo-patients were diagnosed with schizophrenia or manic-depressive psychosis, stayed between 7 and 53 days, and were usually discharged with the label schizophrenia in remission.

11. What did Rosenhan conclude about psychiatric labels and hospital treatment?

A. Labels had little effect once patients behaved normally

B. Labels mainly affected diagnosis but not patients’ rights or daily experiences

C. Labels strongly shaped staff interpretations, while patients experienced depersonalisation and stigma

D. Labels improved patient autonomy by clarifying treatment responsibilities

Answer: (C)

Explicación

Rosenhan concluded that psychiatric labels strongly influenced how staff interpreted behaviour and that hospital patients experienced depersonalisation, loss of autonomy, and stigma.

12. How does the classification of psychological disorders commonly differ from the classification of many medical disorders?

A. Psychological disorders change over time, whereas medical disorders cannot be diagnosed more than once

B. Psychological disorders are treated as categorically distinct, whereas medical disorders are usually viewed along a continuum

C. Psychological disorders are often viewed along a continuum, whereas medical disorders are often treated as categorically distinct

D. Psychological disorders are classified only by biological causes, whereas medical disorders are classified by symptoms

Answer: (C)

Explicación

Psychological health and disorder are often understood as dimensional, with an arbitrary cutoff on a continuum. In contrast, medical classification commonly assumes a clearer qualitative boundary between health and disorder.

13. What does comorbidity mean in the classification of psychological disorders?

A. A person’s diagnosis changes from one disorder to another over time

B. A person meets criteria for more than one disorder at the same time

C. A person has symptoms that fall below the diagnostic threshold

D. A person receives different treatments for the same disorder

Answer: (B)

Explicación

Comorbidity refers to the presence of more than one diagnosable disorder in the same individual. A diagnosis changing over time is instead called diagnostic instability.

14. Which situation best illustrates fear rather than anxiety?

A. A person repeatedly imagines a possible accident while traveling tomorrow

B. A person’s heart races when a dangerous animal suddenly approaches

C. A person worries that an important exam might go badly next month

D. A person feels tense while anticipating an uncertain medical result

Answer: (B)

Explicación

Fear is an immediate alarm reaction to perceived danger. The other examples involve apprehension about threats expected in the future, which characterizes anxiety.

15. Which statement best defines anxiety?

A. It is an immediate alarm reaction that occurs only when physical danger is present

B. It is a bodily reaction that increases muscle tension without involving thoughts or behaviour

C. It is apprehension about a future threat involving physiological, cognitive and behavioural responses

D. It is a learned fear response limited to one particular object or situation

Answer: (C)

Explicación

Anxiety involves apprehension about an anticipated threat and includes physiological, cognitive and behavioural responses. An immediate alarm response to current danger is more specifically fear.

16. What distinguishes a true alarm from a false alarm?

A. A true alarm follows an immediate dangerous threat, whereas a false alarm occurs without a direct physical threat

B. A true alarm is learned through conditioning, whereas a false alarm is inherited biologically

C. A true alarm causes anxiety, whereas a false alarm produces only cognitive responses

D. A true alarm concerns a future threat, whereas a false alarm concerns an immediate dangerous threat

Answer: (A)

Explicación

A true alarm occurs when fight-or-flight is triggered by an immediate dangerous threat. A false alarm occurs when the response is activated despite the absence of a direct physical threat.

17. Which bodily pattern is produced by the fight-or-flight response?

A. Increased heart rate, metabolism, blood pressure, breathing and muscle tension

B. Reduced breathing and metabolism while maintaining ordinary muscle tension

C. Increased digestion and relaxation with reduced muscle readiness

D. Reduced heart rate, metabolism, blood pressure, breathing and muscle tension

Answer: (A)

Explicación

The fight-or-flight response mobilizes the body by increasing heart rate, metabolism, blood pressure, breathing and muscle tension. These changes prepare the person to freeze, flee or fight.

18. Which set correctly identifies Barlow’s triple vulnerability?

A. Inherited vulnerability, immediate fear vulnerability and diagnostic vulnerability

B. Generalised psychological vulnerability, conditioned vulnerability and medical vulnerability

C. Biological vulnerability, generalised psychological vulnerability and specific psychological vulnerability

D. Biological vulnerability, social vulnerability and treatment vulnerability

Answer: (C)

Explicación

Barlow’s triple vulnerability consists of biological, generalised psychological and specific psychological vulnerabilities. These vulnerabilities describe interacting predispositions toward anxiety and related problems.

19. What is included in biological vulnerability to anxiety and depressive disorders?

A. Avoidance that reduces anxiety after a feared situation is escaped

B. A learned fear of a particular object after it is paired with an adverse event

C. Beliefs that the world is dangerous and events are beyond personal control

D. An inherited predisposition described as the general neurotic syndrome

Answer: (D)

Explicación

Biological vulnerability includes an inherited predisposition toward anxiety and depressive disorders, known as the general neurotic syndrome. The other choices describe generalised or specific psychological processes.

20. Which example best represents generalised psychological vulnerability?

A. A person develops fear of elevators after being trapped in one

B. A person believes that the world is dangerous and that important events are beyond personal control

C. A person inherits a broad predisposition toward anxiety and depressive disorders

D. A person avoids dogs because leaving their presence reduces anxiety

Answer: (B)

Explicación

Generalised psychological vulnerability involves broad beliefs that the world is dangerous and that events cannot be controlled, often fostered by early stress or loss. Fear of a particular object reflects specific psychological vulnerability.

21. How can conditioning create specific psychological vulnerability?

A. Escaping a feared situation reduces anxiety and reinforces future avoidance

B. Pairing a conditioned stimulus with an adverse unconditioned stimulus creates an expectation of threat and conditioned fear

C. Inheriting a general neurotic syndrome produces broad vulnerability to anxiety and depression

D. Experiencing early stress creates beliefs that all events are beyond personal control

Answer: (B)

Explicación

Specific psychological vulnerability develops when a conditioned stimulus is paired with an adverse unconditioned stimulus. The pairing creates an expectation of threat and a conditioned fear response.

22. What most clearly distinguishes specific phobia from generalized anxiety disorder?

A. Specific phobia involves fear of a particular object or situation, whereas generalized anxiety disorder involves several events or activities

B. Specific phobia involves unexpected panic attacks, whereas generalized anxiety disorder involves fear of public places

C. Specific phobia involves worry about several activities, whereas generalized anxiety disorder involves fear of one object

D. Specific phobia involves fear of social scrutiny, whereas generalized anxiety disorder involves fear of being alone

Answer: (A)

Explicación

Specific phobia is a marked and persistent fear of a particular object or situation. Generalized anxiety disorder involves excessive worry about several events or activities.

23. Which pattern of symptoms best characterizes panic disorder?

A. Excessive worry about several activities

B. Recurrent unexpected panic attacks

C. Anxiety in situations where escape may be difficult

D. Persistent fear of social scrutiny

Answer: (B)

Explicación

Panic disorder involves recurrent unexpected panic attacks. Fear of social scrutiny characterizes social anxiety disorder, while escape-related anxiety characterizes agoraphobia.

24. A person becomes highly anxious on public transportation because they fear that escaping or obtaining help would be difficult if panic symptoms began. Which disorder does this pattern most directly indicate?

A. Social anxiety disorder

B. Agoraphobia

C. Specific phobia

D. Generalized anxiety disorder

Answer: (B)

Explicación

Agoraphobia involves anxiety about situations in which escape may be difficult or help unavailable if panic symptoms occur, including public transportation. The concern is not limited to one specific object or social scrutiny.

25. Which situation is most characteristic of social anxiety disorder?

A. Fear of encountering a particular animal

B. Fear of experiencing panic symptoms on a crowded train

C. Fear of being judged while speaking in front of other people

D. Worry about several unrelated daily activities

Answer: (C)

Explicación

Social anxiety disorder involves marked fear of social situations involving possible scrutiny, including being observed or performing. The other options describe agoraphobia, specific phobia, and generalized anxiety disorder, respectively.