AP Psychology: Abnormal Behavior 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A clinician evaluates whether a behavior deviates from cultural norms, causes distress, and impairs daily functioning. Which approach to defining abnormality is being used?
- The biopsychosocial model
- Deviance, distress, and dysfunction criteria (Correct answer)
- The medical model exclusively
- Diagnostic labeling theory
Correct answer: Deviance, distress, and dysfunction criteria
Abnormality is commonly defined by deviation from norms, personal distress, and dysfunction in daily life.
Question 2: The DSM-5 is primarily used by clinicians to do which of the following?
- Classify and diagnose mental disorders (Correct answer)
- Prescribe specific medications
- Measure intelligence quotient
- Determine legal insanity in court
Correct answer: Classify and diagnose mental disorders
The DSM-5 provides standardized criteria for classifying and diagnosing psychological disorders.
Question 3: A person experiences a sudden, intense fear of dying along with a racing heart, sweating, and chest pain that peaks within minutes. This best describes a:
- Generalized anxiety episode
- Panic attack (Correct answer)
- Dissociative episode
- Manic episode
Correct answer: Panic attack
Panic attacks involve abrupt surges of intense fear with physical symptoms that peak quickly.
Question 4: Which neurotransmitter is most associated with the regulation of mood and is targeted by SSRIs used to treat depression?
- Dopamine
- Acetylcholine
- Serotonin (Correct answer)
- GABA
Correct answer: Serotonin
Low serotonin activity is linked to depression, and SSRIs increase serotonin availability.
Question 5: A psychologist explains a client's depression as resulting from learned helplessness after repeated uncontrollable negative events. This explanation reflects which perspective?
- Behavioral/cognitive perspective (Correct answer)
- Psychodynamic perspective
- Humanistic perspective
- Biological perspective
Correct answer: Behavioral/cognitive perspective
Learned helplessness is a behavioral-cognitive concept developed by Martin Seligman.
Question 6: Which disorder is characterized by alternating episodes of mania and depression?
- Major depressive disorder
- Bipolar disorder (Correct answer)
- Dysthymia
- Cyclothymia is unrelated
Correct answer: Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder involves cycling between manic and depressive states.
Question 7: A young man hears voices that others cannot hear and believes the government is monitoring his thoughts. These symptoms are examples of:
- Negative symptoms of schizophrenia
- Positive symptoms of schizophrenia (Correct answer)
- Dissociative symptoms
- Obsessive-compulsive symptoms
Correct answer: Positive symptoms of schizophrenia
Hallucinations and delusions are positive symptoms because they add abnormal experiences.
AP Psychology: Abnormal Behavior 2
A clinician evaluates whether a behavior deviates from cultural norms, causes distress, and impairs daily functioning.
Which approach to defining abnormality is being used?