Abnormal Chapter 4 Test

The major focus of a clinical practitioner when dealing with a new client is to gather what type of
information?
A) diagnostic
B) nomothetic
C) idiographic
D) dispassionate

C. Idiographic

A mental health practitioner attempts to learn about the behavior and emotional state of each
client. This approach to abnormal psychology is called:
A) behavioral.
B) nomothetic.
C) idiographic.
D) psychodynamic.

C. Idiographic

When graduate schools choose students based on test scores, college grades, and relevant
experience, they are engaging in:
A) assessment.
B) diagnosis.
C) treatment.
D) classification.

A. Assessment

The process of evaluating a person’s progress after being in treatment is called a:
A) nomothetic approach.
B) clinical assessment.
C) behavioral diagnosis.
D) functional analysis.

B. Clinical Assessment

A functional analysis involves:
A) using projective tests.
B) learning about a person’s behaviors.
C) learning about unconscious conflicts in the client.
D) obtaining information about the components of a person’s personality.

B. Learning about a person’s behaviors

One of the assumptions of a functional analysis is that:
A) abnormal behaviors are learned.
B) abnormal behaviors are maladaptive.
C) learning about unconscious conflicts will explain a person’s abnormal behavior.
D) learning the structure of a person’s personality will explain his or her abnormal behavior.

A. Abnormal behaviors are learned

Another term for developing norms for an assessment tool is:
A) reliability.
B) face validity.
C) predictive validity.
D) standardization

D. Standardization

If a new test for anxiety is normed on individuals who are waiting to take introductory psychology
final exams, the new test is surely lacking:
A) reliability.
B) adequate standardization.
C) validity.
D) structure.

B. Adequate Standardization

A new test for anxiety shows consistent levels of anxiety across time for people, but very few
people have taken the test, and accurate norms don’t exist. The test has:
A) high reliability, but inadequate standardization.
B) high reliability, and adequate standardization.
C) low reliability, and inadequate standardization.
D) low reliability, but adequate standardization.

A. High Reliability, but inadequate standardization

A clinician has developed a new assessment tool. Clients write stories about their problems, then
two different judges independently evaluate the stories in terms of how logically they are written.
For this assessment technique to be useful, there must be:
A) high interrater reliability.
B) low observer reliability.
C) high split-half reliability.
D) low test-retest reliability.

A. Higher interrater reliability

A panel of psychologists and psychiatrists evaluates the test results and clinical interviews of a
client in a sanity hearing. They all arrive at the same diagnosis. The panel has high:
A) internal validity.
B) predictive validity.
C) interrater reliability.
D) test-retest reliability.

C. Interrater reliability

A campus newspaper publishes an "Exam Anxiety" test, which was put together by the newspaper
staff one evening just before their publishing deadline. Despite its hasty construction, the test
MOST likely has:
A) standardization.
B) predictive validity.
C) face validity.
D) a standardization sample.

C. face validity

An assessment tool asks individuals to record all the times they feel sad, in order to try to measure
tendencies toward depression. However, individuals report wide variation from day to day in
terms of the number of "sad" episodes they record. This assessment tool has:
A) high test-retest reliability, and high face validity.
B) high test-retest reliability, and low face validity.
C) low test-retest reliability, and high face validity.
D) low test-retest reliability, and low face validity.

C. low test-retest reliability, and high face validity

Because people who exhibit mania have very elevated moods, a new test for mania includes
questions about how happy the person feels and how often he or she laughs. This test has:
A) face validity.
B) content validity.
C) construct validity.
D) concurrent validity.

A. face validity

A test is constructed to identify people who will develop schizophrenia. Of the 100 people the test
identifies, 93 show signs of developing schizophrenia within five years. The test may be said to
have high:
A) internal reliability.
B) predictive validity.
C) concurrent validity.
D) test-retest reliability.

B. Predictive reliability

A new assessment tool does a good job of differentiating those who later will be depressed and
those who will not be depressed, and it produces results similar to those of other tools measuring
depression. Therefore, the new assessment tool has good:
A) predictive validity.
B) face validity.
C) interjudge reliability.
D) test-retest reliability.

A. Predictive validity

If a new test for assessing anorectic tendencies produces scores comparable to those of other tests
for assessing anorectic tendencies, then the new test has high:
A) predictive validity.
B) standardization criteria.
C) concurrent validity.
D) performance criteria.

C. Concurrent validity

Clinical interviews are the preferred assessment technique of many practitioners. One particular
strength of the interview process is:
A) validity.
B) the reliability of the technique.
C) the chance to get a general sense of the client.
D) that it asks only open-ended questions.

C. The chance to get a general sense of the client

Dr. Martin has just asked a potential client to talk about herself. As she responds, the doctor’s next
question is based on some interesting point she brought up. There are few constraints on the
conversation. Dr. Martin has just:
A) used free association.
B) conducted an unstructured interview.
C) used a behavioral assessment technique.
D) employed (Rogers’) nondirective therapy.

B .Conducted an unstructured interview

If a clinician begins by asking, "Would you tell me about yourself?" the clinician is MOST likely
conducting a(n):
A) mental status exam.
B) interview schedule.
C) structured interview.
D) unstructured interview.

D. unstructured interview

The clinical interviewer MOST interested in stimuli that trigger abnormal responses would have
what orientation?
A) cognitive
B) psychodynamic
C) humanistic
D) behavioral

D. behavioral

Among her other questions, a clinical interviewer asks, "How do you feel about yourself today?
How do you feel about what’s going on in your life?" MOST likely, the clinical interviewer’s
orientation is:
A) biological.
B) behavioral.
C) psychodynamic.
D) humanistic.

D. humanistic

If a clinician is particularly interested in a client’s family background and community influences,
MOST likely, that clinician’s orientation is:
A) biological.
B) behavioral.
C) sociocultural
D) cognitive.

C. sociocultural

If a clinician is particularly interested in a client’s family medical history, that clinician’s
orientation is MOST likely:
A) behavioral.
B) biological.
C) sociocultural.
D) cognitive.

B. biological

An interviewer who asks a client questions such as "Where are you now?," "Why do you think
you’re here?," or even "Who are you?" is probably conducting a(n):
A) mental status exam.
B) behavioral interview.
C) sociocultural interview.
D) intelligence test.

A. mental status exam

A patient complains of a phobia. Two lines of questioning by the clinician concern the specific
object of the phobia and what the person does when he or she confronts that object. This
clinician’s orientation is probably:
A) biological.
B) behavioral.
C) humanistic.
D) sociocultural.

B. behavioral

One limitation of the clinical interview as an assessment tool is that:
A) each client is different.
B) the approach is too rigid.
C) the client may give an overly positive picture.
D) the clinician sees the client too infrequently.

C. the client may give an overly positive picture

Which of the following is a reason to question the validity of clinical interviews?
A) People respond differently to different interviewers.
B) People may respond differently to clinicians who are not of their race.
C) On different days, people might describe themselves differently.
D) Clinicians might overemphasize pathology.

D. Clinicians might overemphasize pathology

Your friend says, "I always trust my first impressions, especially when my first impression of
someone is negative." Based on research dealing with clinical interviews, your BEST answer
would be:
A) "You’re absolutely right; that’s what the research shows."
B) "Be careful; the research shows that first impressions, especially negative ones, may be
inaccurate."
C) "You’re partly right; first impressions are usually pretty accurate, but only with favorable
first impressions."
D) "You’re partly right; first impressions usually aren’t very accurate, except for unfavorable
first impressions."

B. "Be careful; the research shows that first impressions, especially negative ones, may be inaccurate."

Personality assessment using projective tests is designed to:
A) perform a functional analysis of the client.
B) learn about unconscious conflicts in the client.
C) obtain detailed information about specific dysfunctional behaviors.
D) obtain detailed information about specific dysfunctional cognitions.

B. learn about unconscious conflicts in the client

The assumption behind the use of projective tests as assessment tools is that:
A) they are relatively easy to score.
B) the responses come from the client’s unconscious.
C) they stimulate abnormal behaviors that the clinician can observe.
D) patient responses to specific stimuli will uncover specific disorders.

B. the responses come from the client’s unconscious

A clinician has developed a test that requires test takers to tell stories about a series of pictures of
city skylines. MOST likely, this new test is a
A) neuropsychological test.
B) personality inventory.
C) response inventory.
D) projective test.

D. projective test

When Rorschach testers ask questions like, "Did the person respond to the whole picture or to
specific details, and to the colors or the white spaces?" they are interested in the ______of the
response.
A) theme
B) content
C) style
D) images

C. style

When a clinician using the Rorschach focuses on the actual images that a person "sees," the
clinician is emphasizing:
A) style.
B) theme.
C) color.
D) latency to respond.

B. theme

The only test among the following that is NOT a projective test is the:
A) Rorschach.
B) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.
C) Draw-a-Person Test.
D) Thematic Apperception Test.

B. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

A patient looks at a series of black-and-white pictures, making up a dramatic story about each.
The patient is taking:
A) the Rorschach.
B) the Thematic Apperception Test.
C) the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.
D) an affective inventory.

B. the Thematic Apperception Test

If a clinician focused on where you placed your drawing on the page, the size of the drawing, and
the parts you omitted, you MOST likely took which of the following tests?
A) Rorschach
B) TAT
C) MMPI
D) Draw-a-Person

D. Draw-a-person

Use of projective tests has decreased in the past few decades because projective tests often have:
A) interrater reliability that is too high.
B) poor validity.
C) rigid scoring standards.
D) bias in favor of minority groups.

B. poor validity

Which of the following statements about the use of projective techniques by today’s clinicians is
TRUE?
A) Projective tests are not used any more.
B) The centrality of projective tests has declined since their introduction.
C) Current clinicians rely on projective tests as a primary source of insight about their patients.
D) Projective tests have a more prominent place in the clinician’s repertoire than they did 50
years ago.

B. The centrality of projective tests has declined since their introduction

Which of the following tests is a personality inventory?
A) Draw-a-Person
B) MMPI-2
C) Rorschach
D) Thematic Apperception Test

B. MMPI-2

Clients check off either "Applies" or "Does Not Apply" to a series of 200 items dealing with what
they do and what they think in a variety of situations. The kind of test they are taking MOST
likely is a:
A) projective test.
B) personality inventory.
C) neuropsychological battery.
D) sentence-completion test.

B. personality inventory

The test that reports one’s results on clinical scales such as "hypochondriasis" (HS) and
"Psychopathic deviate" (PD) is the:
A) Sentence-Completion Test.
B) Thematic Apperception Test.
C) Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test.
D) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory.

D. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory

Youssef is the kind of person who breaks laws and rules with no feeling of guilt and is
emotionally shallow. He would probably score high on the MMPI-2 scale called:
A) paranoia.
B) schizophrenia.
C) psychasthenia.
D) psychopathic deviate.

D. psychopathic deviate

George is consumed with concern that his house will burn down. Before he leaves, he makes sure
that all his appliances are unplugged. He often has to go back home and check to make sure he did
not leave any plugged in. Which MMPI-2 scale would he MOST likely score high on?
A) schizophrenia
B) psychasthenia
C) social introversion
D) psychopathic deviate

D. Psychopathic Deviate

Of the following, who is MOST at risk for misinterpreting a cultural response as pathology?
A) an immigrant client
B) an ethnic-minority client
C) a dominant-culture assessor
D) an ethnic-minority assessor

C. a dominant-culture assessor

The MMPI-2 is considered by many to be superior to the original MMPI because the MMPI-2:
A) was tested on a more diverse group of people.
B) produces results that are not comparable to the results of the original MMPI.
C) has fewer items.
D) produces only one score.

A. was tested on a more diverse group of people

Compared to projective tests, personality inventories:
A) have higher validity.
B) are less standardized.
C) have lower reliability.
D) are more difficult to administer and evaluate.

A. have higher validity

Among the following, the test with the highest validity in identifying psychological disturbances
is the:
A) Thematic Apperception Test.
B) Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Test.
C) Rorschach..
D) Draw-a-Person.

B. Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Test

Compared to projective tests, personality inventories generally have:
A) greater reliability and greater validity.
B) greater reliability and poorer validity.
C) poorer reliability but greater validity.
D) poorer reliability and poorer validity.

A. greater reliability and greater validity

If a clinician wanted to know more detailed information about a person’s functioning in a specific
area, the clinician would use:
A) a response inventory.
B) a validity assessment.
C) a measure of reliability.
D) standardization.

A. a response inventory

An inventory that asks about one’s level of anxiety, depression, or anger is a(n) ______ inventory.
A) cognitive
B) affective
C) social skills
D) functional

B. affective

An inventory that asks about how one would act with others in a variety of situations is a(n)
______ inventory.
A) cognitive
B) affective
C) social skills
D) functional

C. social skills

A response inventory that asks individuals to provide detailed information about their typical
thoughts and assumptions is a(n):
A) social skill inventory.
B) cognitive inventory.
C) affective inventory.
D) behavioral inventory.

B. cognitive inventory

Which of the following is designed to disclose a patient’s thoughts and assumptions?
A) the MMPI-2
B) the Rorschach
C) an affective inventory
D) a cognitive inventory

D. a cognitive inventory

Which of the following is a valid critique of the use of response inventories?
A) Response inventories don’t have good face validity.
B) Response inventories are not used much these days.
C) Response inventories are standardized too rigidly.
D) Response inventories are improvised as the need arises and are not well-tested.

D. response inventories are improvised as the need arises and are not well-tested.

A person taking a polygraph test is suspected of lying when measures of physiological variables
such as heart rate and perspiration are:
A) higher for control than test questions.
B) higher for test than control questions.
C) evenly high for test and control questions.
D) unchanging for test and control questions.

B. higher for test than control questions

A client is hooked up to an apparatus that measures galvanic skin response and blood pressure,
after which the client verbally answers a series of questions. The type of clinical test being used
is:
A) projective.
B) psychophysiological.
C) neuropsychological.
D) affective response inventory.

B. psychophysiological

Which of the following is NOT a form of neuroimaging?
A) MRI
B) CAT scan
C) GSR
D) PET

C. GSR

Imagine that you are asked to give a scientific opinion on the use of polygraphic evidence. Your
BEST response would be:
A) "Although they are used widely, they are not particularly reliable."
B) "The APA endorses their use."
C) "On average, 50 out of 100 truths are categorized as lies."
D) "Most courts admit evidence from polygraphs in criminal trials."

A. "Although they are used widely, they are not particularly reliable."

If your friend had her brain waves recorded in order to measure electrical activity, she MOST
likely had a(n):
A) PET scan.
B) MRI.
C) CAT scan.
D) EEG.

D EEG

The assessment instrument MOST likely to be used to detect subtle brain abnormalities is the:
A) neuropsychological test.
B) intelligence test.
C) psychophysiological test.
D) projective test.

A. neuropsychological test

The technique that uses X-rays of the brain taken at different angles to create a static picture of the
structure of the brain is called:
A) electroencephalography.
B) magnetic resonance imaging.
C) position emission tomography.
D) computerized axial tomography.

D. computerized axial tomography

How does an MRI make a picture of the brain?
A) It measures the degree of activity in the various areas scanned.
B) It uses X-rays, and pictures are taken at several different angles.
C) It relies on the magnetic properties of the atoms in the cells scanned.
D) It uses a recording of the electrical impulses produced by the neurons in the brain.

C. It relies on the magnetic properties of the atoms in the cells scanned.

If it were necessary to get the clearest and most accurate picture of the physical anatomy of the
brain in order to aid in the diagnosis of a psychological disorder, the method of choice would be:
A) MMPI-2.
B) fMRI.
C) DAP.
D) PET.

B. fMRI

A friend of yours is required to take a polygraph test as part of a job application. This requirement
is:

A) illegal; polygraph tests can’t be used as part of a job application.
B) very rare; 20 years ago, such polygraph testing was common but has almost disappeared
today.
C) legal; in fact, in some employment categories, polygraph use may be on the increase.
D) legal; in recent years, polygraph use has increased in both public and private sector job
applications.

C. legal; in fact, in some employment categories, polygraph use may be on the increase.

A prisoner eligible for parole is required to take a polygraph test. Although the prisoner tells the
truth in response to one question, the polygraph operator records the response as a lie. According
to recent research, this kind of error is:
A) extremely common; over one-third of true statements are interpreted as lies.
B) unusual; less than 10 percent of true statements are interpreted as lies.
C) rare; less than 3 percent of true statements are interpreted as lies.
D) very rare; less than 1 percent of true statements are interpreted as lies.

B. unusual; less than 10 percent of true statements are interpreted as lies

When a person has organic brain impairment, that person would MOST likely have difficulty
completing:
A) a CAT scan.
B) an EEG.
C) the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test
D) an MRI.

C. the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test

A clinical diagnostician is dissatisfied with tests that cannot specify the type of brain damage or
brain impairment that clients have. Your BEST suggestion for that diagnostician would be to use:
A) the Bender Visual-Motor Gestalt Test.
B) the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale.
C) the Beck Inventory.
D) a battery of neuropsychological tests.

D. a battery of neuropsychological tests

Binet and Simon are known for their work in creating a(n):
A) projective test.
B) personality inventory.
C) intelligence test.
D) brain scan.

C. Intelligence test

A person with a mental age of 10 and a chronological age of 8 has an IQ of:
A) 125.
B) 80.
C) 150.
D) 40.

A. 125

Which category of clinical tests tends to have the BEST standardization, reliability, and validity?
A) projective tests.
B) intelligence tests.
C) response inventories.
D) personality inventories.

B. Intelligence tests

A strength of intelligence tests include their:
A) lack of racial or cultural bias.
B) accuracy even when test takers have high anxiety.
C) relatively low reliability.
D) large standardization sample.

D. large standardization sample

The MOST legitimate criticism of intelligence tests concerns their:
A) validity.
B) cultural fairness.
C) reliability.
D) standardization.

B Cultural fairness

A therapist’s preferred method of assessing abnormal behavior is to watch clients in their
everyday environments and record their activities and behaviors. This approach is known as:
A) self-monitoring.
B) battery observation.
C) structured observation.
D) naturalistic observation.

D. naturalistic observation

A clinician who is using naturalistic observation would be MOST likely to do which of the
following?
A) observe parent-child interactions in an office setting
B) observe parent-child interactions in the family’s home
C) have a parent self-monitor family interactions in an office setting
D) have a parent self-monitor family interactions at home

B. observe parent-child interactions in the family’s home

Under the instructions of a psychologist, Tina’s mother records the number of times Tina hits her
brother at home, and what happens immediately prior to the hitting. In this situation, Tina’s
mother is:
A) a participant observer.
B) demonstrating observer bias.
C) conducting structured observations.
D) engaging in self-monitoring behavior.

A. a participant observer

The knowledge that a person a clinician is about to interview has already been diagnosed as
having an anxiety disorder could lead to:
A) reactivity.
B) observer bias.
C) observer drift.
D) increased accuracy of the diagnosis.

B. observer bias

One way a clinician might try to reduce observer drift would be to:
A) increase the number of different behaviors being monitored.
B) try to focus on different aspects of one behavior being monitored.
C) decrease the lengths of the observation periods.
D) try not to learn too much about a client before making observations.

C. decrease the lengths of the observation periods

How difficult is it for a typical person to buy an intelligence test, or view Rorschach cards?
A) Not difficult at all; one can buy intelligence tests and view Rorschach cards online.
B) Somewhat difficult; one can buy intelligence tests online, but cannot view Rorschach cards
online.
C) Somewhat difficult; one can view Rorschach cards online, but cannot buy intelligence tests
online.
D) Difficult; only those in the medical or psychological professions can view Rorschach cards
online, and buy intelligence tests online.

A. Not difficult at all; one can buy intelligence tests and view Rorschach cards online

"I’ve just experienced overload," says the participant observer. "I simply can’t:
A) write down all the important things I’m seeing."
B) concentrate on my observations anymore."
C) be impartial anymore."
D) be sure the person I’m observing is acting like she usually would."

A. write down all the important things I’m seeing

Imagine that you know you are being observed and you change your behavior in order to make a
good impression. This is known as:
A) observer drift.
B) observer bias.
C) reactivity.
D) naturalistic change.

C. reactivity

A student who is quiet in class might be the life of the party on the weekend. Clinical observation
of that student in class would lack:
A) observer bias.
B) validity.
C) reactivity.
D) an analog.

B. Validity

A client reports having infrequent, but extremely disturbing, tactile hallucinations. The MOST
useful of the following ways to gather information about this person would involve:
A) self-monitoring.
B) naturalistic observations.
C) structured observations.
D) a neuropsychological battery.

A. self-monitoring

When someone is watching, Jennifer actually eats fewer sweets than usual. This tendency to
decrease a behavior while being observed is an example of:
A) reactivity.
B) observer bias.
C) observer drift.
D) poor reliability.

A. reactivity

An adult frequently displays symptoms of depression at home, but seldom does so at work. In this
case, clinical observations of this person at home would lack:
A) observer bias.
B) observer drift.
C) structure.
D) cross-situational validity.

D. cross-situational validity

The term used to refer to the comprehensive view of the causes and the maintenance of a person’s
abnormal behavior that a psychologist develops is:
A) a model.
B) a diagnosis.
C) an interpretation.
D) the clinical picture.

D. the clinical picture

Deciding that a client’s psychological problems represent a particular disorder is called:
A) psychotherapy.
B) assessment.
C) diagnosis.
D) triage.

C. diagnosis

Symptoms such as sadness, loss of appetite, and low energy cluster together to form a:
A) treatment.
B) classification system.
C) syndrome.
D) medical condition.

C. syndrome

A cluster of symptoms that go together and define a mental disorder is called a:
A) syndrome.
B) classification system.
C) DSM axis.
D) treatment approach.

A. syndrome

Of the following statements, which is MOST accurate?
A) The DSM in some form has been in use for over 100 years.
B) The DSM was originally developed by the American Psychoanalytic Association.
C) The DSM served as the model for the classification system Emile Kraepelin later developed.
D) The classification system Emil Kraepelin developed served as the model for the DSM.

D. The classification system Emil Kraepelin developed served as the model for he DSM

The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (presently DSM-5) was developed
by:
A) the American Psychoanalytic Association.
B) the American Psychiatric Association.
C) the American Psychological Association.
D) the American Phrenological Association.

B. The American Psychiatric Association

If a clinician is using the ICD to make a diagnosis, MOST likely that clinician is:
A) old-fashioned; the ICD has been out-of-date for over 30 years.
B) cognitive-behavioral in orientation; the ICD was developed by cognitive-behavioral
psychologists.
C) practicing outside the United States.
D) practicing in the United States.

C. practicing outside the United States

DSM-5 is the classification system for abnormal behaviors that is:
A) used by the World Health Organization.
B) most widely used in the United States.
C) used for medical disorders.
D) used exclusively for children.

B. most widely used in the United States

Approximately how many mental disorders does the DSM-5 list?
A) 100 mental disorders
B) 200 mental disorders
C) 300 mental disorders
D) 400 mental disorders

D. 400 mental disorders

The DSM-5 is the first edition of the DSM that requires clinicians to provide:
A) both categorical information and dimensional information.
B) only categorical information.
C) only dimensional information.
D) neither categorical information nor dimensional information.

A. both categorical information and dimensional information

Which of the following differentiates the DSM-5 from earlier versions of the DSM?
A) Psychologists, not psychiatrists, are primarily responsible for the DSM-5.
B) Psychiatrists, not psychologists, are primarily responsible for the DSM-5.
C) The DSM-5 does not require both dimensional and categorical information.
D) The DSM-5 requires both dimensional and categorical information.

D. The DSM-5 requires both dimensional and categorical information

A friend says to you, "I wonder how likely I am to qualify for a DSM diagnosis in my lifetime."
Based upon survey results, your MOST accurate answer would be (assuming your friend is
"typical"):
A) "Unlikely; about 10 percent of people would ever qualify for a DSM diagnosis."
B) "Somewhat unlikely; about 20 percent of people would ever qualify for a DSM diagnosis."
C) "Pretty likely; about one-third of people would ever qualify for a DSM diagnosis."
D) "Likely; almost half of people would ever qualify for a DSM diagnosis."

D. Likely; almost half of people would ever qualify for a DSM diagnosis

Of the people who would qualify for a DSM diagnosis in their lifetime, surveys show what
percent would show comorbidity?
A) about 28 percent
B) about 10 percent
C) about 8 percent
D) less than 5 percent

A. about 28 percent

The existence of disorders such as koro, susto, amok, and windigo remind us that:
A) people in other cultures experience much worse disorders than we do.
B) people experience the same disorders around the world, but call them different things.
C) culture and diagnosis should be entirely independent.
D) classifications applied in one culture may not be appropriate in another.

D. classification applied in one culture may not be appropriate in another

Assessment tools such as the Severity of Illness Rating Scale are used to provide what kind of
information for making a diagnosis?
A) categorical
B) dimensional
C) psychosocial
D) sociocultural

B. dimensional

A clinician can include three kinds of information in making a diagnosis: a diagnostic category, a
severity rating for the disorder, and additional information about possibly relevant medical
conditions and sociocultural factors. According to the DSM-5, a clinician is required to include:
A) all three kinds of information.
B) a diagnostic category and additional information, but not a severity rating.
C) a diagnostic category and a severity rating, but not additional information.
D) a diagnostic category and a severity rating, but only additional medical information

C. a diagnostic category and a severity rating, but not additional information

Compared to the original DSM, which appeared in the 1950s, the DSM-5 has:
A) over five times as many diagnostic categories.
B) about twice as many diagnostic categories.
C) slightly more diagnostic categories.
D) slightly fewer diagnostic categories.

A. over five times as many diagnostic categories

Dr. Ross and Dr. Carman agree that Suzette is suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder. Their
judgment is said to have:
A) reliability.
B) generalizability.
C) external validity.
D) internal validity.

A. reliability

The greater reliability of the DSM-5 over earlier versions is MOST likely because of its:
A) ability to predict the outcome of disorders more accurately.
B) greater applicability to minority populations.
C) greater reliance on labeling mental disorders.
D) field trials of new criteria and categories.

D. field trials of new criteria and categories

Which of the following is NOT a procedure that DSM-5 developers relied on to improve
reliability?
A) conducting field trials for new criteria and categories
B) reducing substantially the number of different diagnostic categories
C) conducting extensive research reviews
D) increasing the number of diagnostic categories and criteria

B. reducing substantially the number of different diagnostic categories

Concerns about the reliability and validity of the DSM-5 diagnoses are MOST likely to center on
which factors?
A) categories based on weak research, and reflecting bias (for example, gender or racial bias)
B) categories based on field research, and reflecting bias (for example, gender or racial bias).
C) categories that reflect overly restrictive descriptions
D) categories too few in number to represent the breadth of human psychological disorders

A. categories based on weak research, and reflecting bias (for example, gender on racial bias)

DSM-5 tried to ensure the validity of the new edition by using all of the following procedures
EXCEPT:
A) decreasing the number of diagnostic categories.
B) increasing the accuracy of predicting future symptoms of disorders.
C) consulting with clinical advisors.
D) conducting extensive research reviews.

C. consulting with clinical advisors

The DSM-5 task force and various work groups:
A) got going within a year of the publication of the DSM-IV.
B) began their work in 2006.
C) began their work in 2010.
D) won’t start their work until 2016, at the earliest.

B. began their work in 2006

A present-day clinician uses terms like "dementia" and "mental retardation" for diagnostic
categories. That clinician is using terms:
A) common to both the DSM-5 and previous forms of the DSM.
B) not used in the DSM-5 but used in previous forms of the DSM.
C) used in the DSM-5 but not used in previous forms of the DSM.
D) not used in either the DSM-5 or in previous forms of the DSM.

B. not used in the DSM-5 but not used in previous forms of the DSM.

In DSM-5, which of the following diagnostic categories would no longer be considered an anxiety
disorder?
A) Asperger’s syndrome
B) binge eating disorder
C) obsessive-compulsive disorder
D) specific phobia

C. obsessive-compulsive disorder

Studies show that if you want the MOST accurate assessment of a psychological disorder, what is
better, judgments of clinicians or computer models and actuarial tables?
A) judgments of clinicians; they’re about 10 percent more accurate
B) judgments of clinicians; they’re about 35 percent more accurate
C) judgments of computer models and actuarial tables; they’re about 10 percent more accurate
D) judgments of computer models and actuarial tables; they’re about 35 percent more accurate

C. judgments of computer models and actuarial tables; they’re about 10 percent more accurate

Studies show that errors in diagnosis MOST commonly involve information gathered:
A) early in the assessment process, and in a hospital setting.
B) late in the assessment process, and in a hospital setting.
C) early in the assessment process, and in a private office setting.
D) late in the assessment process, and in a private office setting.

A. early in the assessment process, and in a hospital setting

Studies of diagnostic conclusions made by clinicians show that:
A) they overemphasize information gathered early in the assessment process.
B) they pay too much attention to some information and too little to other information.
C) they don’t allow enough of their own expectations to enter into the decision.
D) they do not allow their own biases to play a role in their decisions.

B. they pay too much attention to some information and too little to other information

Recently, a client diagnosed with schizophrenia has begun to exhibit more symptoms, often
saying, "They tell me I’m crazy, so I must be crazy." MOST likely, this is an example of:
A) self-fulfilling prophecy.
B) therapist bias.
C) learned helplessness.
D) nomothetic disturbance.

A. self-fulfilling prophecy

An institutionalized individual behaving abnormally says, "The doctor claims I’m schizophrenic!
How else would you expect me to act?" The individual’s comments reflect:
A) misdiagnosis.
B) reading-in-syndrome.
C) a misunderstanding of multiaxial diagnosis.
D) self-fulfilling prophecy.

D. self-fulfilling prophecy

After some people are told their DSM diagnoses, their "symptoms" appear to stay the same or
even get worse. Many theorists would attribute this to the development of:
A) generalized anxiety.
B) self-fulfilling prophecies.
C) somatic symptom disorders, as opposed to psychiatric disorders.
D) crises of faith.

D. crises of faith

Surveys show that over 1/3 (33 percent) of Americans:
A) think they should be able to deal with their psychological problems on their own.
B) would not tell their boss they were receiving mental health treatment.
C) would not want to go to a therapist to get a required diagnosis.
D) All the answers are correct.

D. all the answers are correct

A friend of yours says, "I’m not going to the counseling center; my friends will think I’m mentally
ill!" Your friend’s attitude is:
A) common: about one-third of people surveyed expressed a similar opinion.
B) very common: over half of people surveyed expressed a similar opinion.
C) not very common: about one-tenth of people surveyed expressed a similar opinion.
D) rare: only about 2 out of 100 people surveyed expressed a similar opinion.

A. common: about one-third of people surveyed expressed a similar opinion

"Let’s just do away with diagnosis," says a clinician, "all we do is make things worse." That
clinician’s viewpoint is:
A) shared by a strong majority of those working in the area of abnormality.
B) shared by almost nobody working in the area of abnormality.
C) shared by some of those working in the area of abnormality.
D) represented in the DSM-5, which does not require a specific diagnosis.

C. shared by some of those working in the area of abnormality

A clinical psychologist you know says, "How do I decide on the best treatment? Simple, I make
sure to read the most recent research studies in therapy, and follow their advice." The clinical
psychologist you know is:
A) typical; almost all therapists read about and use the most current forms of therapy.
B) common; most therapists read about and use the most current forms of therapy.
C) unusual; most therapists base therapy decisions on something besides what they can read in
research journals.
D) rare; almost all therapists make treatment decisions based upon what’s available on Web
sites.

C. unusual; most therapists base therapy decisions on something besides what they can read in research journals.

A clinical psychologist you know says, "How do I decide on the best treatment? Simple, I make
sure to read the most recent research studies in therapy, and follow their advice." The clinical
psychologist believes in using:
A) intuitively-based treatment.
B) culture-constrained treatment.
C) evidence-based treatment.
D) meta-analytical treatment.

C. evidence-based treatment

Studies show that most therapists these days are MOST likely to learn about the latest information
on treatment of psychological disorders from:
A) reading research articles.
B) talking with professional colleagues.
C) conducting their own research.
D) writing grants.

B. talking with professional colleagues

Therapies that have received clear research support are called:
A) meta-analyses.
B) idiographic.
C) evidence-based.
D) outcome complex.

C. evidence-based

Standardizing and combining the findings of many different studies is called:
A) outcome study.
B) rapprochement.
C) eclecticism.
D) meta-analysis.

D. meta-analysis

In order to study the general effectiveness of treatment, Smith and Glass and their colleagues
performed a(n):
A) meta-analysis of many studies.
B) analysis of their clinical cases.
C) survey of many clients who had received therapy.
D) controlled study that involved random assignment of subjects to treatment conditions.

A. meta-analysis of many studies

Support for the use of evidence-based forms of psychotherapy:
A) has declined in recent years.
B) has increased in recent years.
C) has been stable for many years.
D) increased a few years ago, but is now declining.

B. has increased in recent years.

Patients receiving therapy for a psychological problem, on average, experience improvement
greater than do ______ of people with similar problems who do not receive treatment.
A) 25 percent
B) 75 percent
C) 100 percent
D) 0 percent

B. 75 percent

Those who are MOST likely to visit "suicide sites" on the Internet—sites that celebrate suicide
and describe ways to commit suicide—are:
A) the elderly, who are at low risk for imitative suicidal behavior.
B) the elderly, who are at high risk for imitative suicidal behavior.
C) teenagers and young adults, who are at low risk for imitative suicidal behavior.
D) teenagers and young adults, who are at high risk for imitative suicidal behavior.

D. teenagers and young adults, who are at high risk for imitative suicidal behavior

If you consulted a pro-anorexia site on the Internet, you would learn about:
A) how to eat in a healthful manner.
B) how to eliminate guilt when eating too much.
C) effective treatments for anorexia.
D) how to be a better anorexic.

D. how to be a better anorexic

"You know, it really doesn’t matter. One kind of psychotherapy is generally just about as good as
any other." One who agrees with this statement is:
A) making an accurate statement about what we know about psychotherapy.
B) falling victim to the uniformity myth.
C) accurately reflecting the findings of most meta-analyses.
D) failing to notice therapeutic rapprochement.

B. falling victim to the uniformity myth.

The movement that has tried to find the common strategies that "good" therapists use is called:

A) uniformity.
B) particularity.
C) rapprochement.
D) idiosyncatics.

C. rapprochement

A college graduate is:
A) more likely to seek therapy than someone who goes on to graduate school.
B) equally likely to seek therapy as those with a high school education.
C) less likely than someone with a postgraduate degree to seek therapy.
D) less likely than someone with a high school degree to seek therapy.

C. less likely than someone with a postgraduate degree to seek therapy

A person who primarily prescribes medication but does not conduct psychotherapy is called a:
A) pharmacist.
B) psychopharmacologist.
C) clinical psychologist.
D) family practice nurse.

B. psychopharmacologist

Surveys of very successful therapists show that they generally do all of the following EXCEPT:
A) disregard ethical principles when they think their clients might benefit.
B) help clients focus more on the clients’ behaviors.
C) pay attention to their interactions with their clients.
D) All the answers are true about very successful therapists.

A. Disregard ethical principles when they think their clients might benefit

A psychiatrist says, "I’m a strong believer in a combined approach to therapy. In fact, I frequently
participate in combined approaches, although I don’t do psychotherapy." Based on this statement,
the MOST likely specialty of the psychiatrist is:
A) eclecticism.
B) psychopharmacology.
C) rapprochement.
D) cognitive-behavioral.

B. psychopharmacology

Those who are MOST likely to have been in therapy at some time in their lives are those:
A) with graduate education, and the elderly.
B) from the Northeast, and men.
C) who are middle-aged, and women.
D) who are from the West, and those with a high school diploma only.

C. who are middle-aged, and women

Which of the following is the BEST conclusion you could draw about the effectiveness of the
various assessment techniques?
A) There is one standard assessment battery used by all clinicians.
B) When all is said and done, no technique stands out as superior.
C) Clinicians have abandoned the use of assessment.
D) Assessment is used at the beginning of therapy but not thereafter.

B. When all is said and done no technique stands out as superior

If a graph shows the years of the twentieth century along the horizontal axis, and confidence in
assessment of abnormality—from low confidence to high confidence—going up the vertical axis,
then confidence in assessment of abnormality over the past 50 years would be a(n):
A) " "-shaped function—high, then low, then high.
B) inverted " "-shaped function—low, then high, then low.
C) decreasing linear function (\ )—steadily decreasing confidence.
D) increasing linear function (/)—steadily increasing confidence.

A. ""-shaped function-high, then low, then high"

Which of the following factors leads to increased respect for assessment and diagnosis?
A) the ability to identify disorders without assessment
B) more global and less precise DSM-IV-TR categories
C) increased assessment research
D) decreased emphasis on clinical studies involving "real" patients

C. increased assessment research

There has been a recent increase in attention to and research in assessment. That said, use of
effective assessment tools may be decreasing because:
A) today’s clinicians simply aren’t trained well enough in their uses.
B) most assessment tools are too simplistic, and patients can figure out the "right" answers.
C) there are too many from which to choose.
D) they are expensive to administer and evaluate.

D. they are expensive to administer and evaluate.