Abnormal Psyc - Chapter 3

A factor that co-varies with, or associated with, some outcome of interest

A correlate that occurs before some outcome of interest (e.g depression is a risk factor for suicide)

A risk factor that can change within a person (e.g level of depression can vary within a person)

A risk factor that cannot change within a person (e.g race cannot vary within a person, and white race is a marker of increased risk of suicide death)

A variable risk factor that, when changed, doesn’t influence the outcome of interest (I.e it can vary, but it is still a marker of increased risk for the outcome of interest.

A variable risk factor that changed, changes the likelihood of the outcome of interest (e.g if effectively treating depression decreased the risk of suicide, we would call it a casual risk factor).

Factors that are related to the development (or cause) of a particular disorder

A condition that must exist for a disorder to occur

A condition that guarantees the occurrence of a disorder

A condition that increases the probability of developing a disorder but not that is neither necessary nor sufficient for it to occur

View of abnormal behavior as the result of stress operating on an individual who has biological. Psychosocial, or sociocultural predisposition to developing a specific disorder

Predisposition or vulnerability to developing a given disorder

Effects created within an organism by the application of a stressor

Influences that modify a persons response to an environmental stressor, making it less likely that the person will experience that adverse effects of the stressor

The ability to adapt successfully to even very difficult circumstances

Field of psychology that focuses on determining what is abnormal at any point in the developmental process by comparing and contrasting it with normal and expected changes that occur

A viewpoint that acknowledges the interacting roles of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors in the origins of psychopathology

Long molecules of DNA that are present at various locations on chromosomes and that are responsible for the transmission of hereditary traits

The Chain like structures within a cell nucleus that contain the genes

Caused by the action of many genes together in an additive or interactive fashion

A persons total genetic endowment

The observed structural and functional characteristics of a person that result from the interaction between the genotype and the environment

Differential sensitivity susceptibility to their environments by people who have different genotypes

Genotypic vulnerability that can shape a child’s environmental experiences

Field that studies the heritability of mental disorders and other aspects of psychological functioning such as personality and intelligence

The use of identical and non identical twins to study genetic influences on abnormal behavior

The percentage of twins sharing a disorder or trait

Studies of mental disorders capitalize on several currently known locations on chromosomes of genes for other inherited physical characteristics or biological processes (such as eye color or blood group)

Genetic research strategy comparing frequency of certain genetic markers known to be located on particular chromosomes in People with and without a particular disorder

Site of communication from the axon of one neuron to the dendrites or cell body of another neuron - a tiny filled space between neurons

Chemical substances that are release into a synapse by a presynaptic neuron and that transmit nerve impulsive from one neuron to another

Chemical messengers secreted by endocrine glands that regulate development of and activity in various parts of the body

Endocrine gland associated with many regulatory functions

The HPA axis is a hormonal feedback system that becomes activated by stress and results in the production of cortisol

Human stress hormone released by the cortex of the adrenal glands

A child’s reactivity and characteristic ways of self regulation, which is believed to be biologically programmed

In psychoanalytic theory, the reservoir of instinctual drives and the first structure to appear in infancy

I’m psychoanalytic theory a term used to describe the instinctual drives of the id, the basic constructive energy of life, primarily sexual in nature

Demand that an instinctual need be immediately gratified regardless of reality or moral consideration

Gratification of id demands by means of imagery or fantasy without the ability to undertake the realistic actions needed to meet those instinctual demands

The rational part of the personality that mediates between the demand of the id, the constraints of the superego, and the realities of the external world

Reality oriented rational processes of the ego for dealing with external world and the exercise of control over id demands

Awareness of the demand of the environment and the adjustment of behavior to meet these demands

Conscience, ethical or moral dimensions (attitudes) of personality

Inner mental struggles resulting from the interplay of the id, ego, and superego when the three subsystems are striving for different goals

5 stages of psychosexual development, each characterized by a dominant mode of achieving sexual pleasure: the oral stage, the anal stage, the Phallic stage, the latency stage, and the genital stage

Psychodynamic theory emphasizing the importance of the ego-the “executive branch of the personality” in organizing normal personality development

The viewpoint focuses on an infant or young child’s interactions with “objects” (I.e real or imagined people) as well as how they make symbolic representations of important people in their lives

Approach to understanding abnormal behavior that views much of psychopathology as rooted in the unfortunate tendencies we develop while dealing with our interpersonal environments, thus focuses on our relationships, past and present, with Other people

Contemporary developmental and psychodynamic theory emphasizing the importance of early experiments with attachment relationships in laying the foundation for later functioning throughout life

Modification of behavior as a consequence of experience

A basic form of learning in which a neutral stimulus is paired repeatedly with an unconditioned stimulus that naturally elicits an unconditioned response, after repeated pairings, the neutral stimulus becomes conditioned that elicits a conditioned response

Gradual disappearance of a conditioned response when it is no long we reinforced

The return of a learned response at some time after extinction has occurred

Form of learning in which if a particular response is reinforced, it becomes more likely to be repeated on similar occasions

The process of rewarding desired response

Tendency of a response that has been conditioned to one stimulus to be elicited by other, similar stimuli

Ability to interpret and respond differently to two or more similar stimuli

Learning through observation alone without directly experiencing an unconditioned stimulus (for classical conditioning) or a reinforcement (for instrumental conditioning)

A theory of abnormal behavior that focuses on how thoughts and information processing can become distorted and lead to maladaptive emotions and behavior

An underlying representation of knowledge that guides current processing of information and often leads to distortions in attention, memory, and comprehension

Is simply the process of assigning cause to things that happen