BAPSY Abnormal Psychology 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best characterizes antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)?
- Intense fear of abandonment and unstable relationships
- Pervasive disregard for and violation of others' rights since age 15 (Correct answer)
- Odd beliefs and magical thinking with social isolation
- Grandiosity and lack of empathy with need for admiration
Correct answer: Pervasive disregard for and violation of others' rights since age 15
ASPD is defined by a persistent pattern of violating others' rights, deceitfulness, impulsivity, and lack of remorse, with conduct disorder symptoms before age 15.
Question 2: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is most commonly associated with depression onset during which season?
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall/Winter (Correct answer)
- Late spring
Correct answer: Fall/Winter
SAD most commonly presents with depressive episodes beginning in fall or winter, likely linked to reduced sunlight and disrupted circadian rhythms.
Question 3: Conversion disorder (Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder) involves:
- Excessive worry about having a serious illness
- Neurological symptoms inconsistent with known neurological disease (Correct answer)
- Fabricating symptoms to assume the sick role
- Intentional production of symptoms for external gain
Correct answer: Neurological symptoms inconsistent with known neurological disease
Conversion disorder presents with neurological symptoms (e.g., paralysis, blindness) that cannot be explained by a neurological condition and are incompatible with recognized disease.
Question 4: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) requires symptom onset before which age according to DSM-5?
- Age 5
- Age 7
- Age 12 (Correct answer)
- Age 16
Correct answer: Age 12
DSM-5 changed the age-of-onset criterion from age 7 (DSM-IV) to several symptoms present before age 12.
Question 5: Which of the following is a hallmark feature of narcissistic personality disorder?
- Chronic feelings of emptiness and fear of abandonment
- Grandiose sense of self-importance and lack of empathy (Correct answer)
- Submissive behavior and excessive need for reassurance
- Detachment from social relationships and restricted affect
Correct answer: Grandiose sense of self-importance and lack of empathy
Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy, distinguishing it from other Cluster B disorders.
Question 6: In classical conditioning terms, a phobia is conceptualized as a conditioned fear response where the phobic stimulus functions as the:
- Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
- Unconditioned response (UCR)
- Conditioned stimulus (CS) (Correct answer)
- Conditioned response (CR)
Correct answer: Conditioned stimulus (CS)
The phobic stimulus has been paired with an aversive unconditioned stimulus and now elicits fear on its own, making it a conditioned stimulus.
Question 7: Which of the following disorders involves the presence of two or more distinct personality states or identities?
- Schizophrenia
- Dissociative identity disorder (Correct answer)
- Borderline personality disorder
- Depersonalization/derealization disorder
Correct answer: Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder (formerly multiple personality disorder) is defined by two or more distinct personality states accompanied by amnesia between states.
Which of the following best characterizes antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)?