Ethics Potpurri
Which aspirational General Principle in the APA Ethics Code refers to "doing good and avoiding harm"?
Principle A: Beneficence and Non-maleficence
Which of the four lobes of the brain is primarily responsible for processing visual information
The occipital lobes
Who is the key figure associated with classical conditioning experiments involving dogs salivating to the sound of a tone?
Ivan Pavlov
If a test is consistent and produces repeatable results, it is said to have high what?
Reliability.
Prozac, Zoloft, and Lexapro belong to what popular class of antidepressants?
SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors).
According to the APA Ethics Code, can a psychologist withhold patient records that are needed for emergency treatment due to non-payment?
No, a psychologist cannot withhold records needed for a client's emergency treatment because of non-payment
An excess of this neurotransmitter is implicated in schizophrenia, while a deficit is linked to Parkinson's disease.
Dopamine.
In operant conditioning, the removal of an unpleasant stimulus to increase the likelihood of a behavior is called what?
Negative Reinforcement
A researcher mistakenly concludes that their new therapy is effective when it is not. What type of statistical error has been made?
A Type I error (alpha), also known as a "false positive"
Benzodiazepines like Xanax and Valium work primarily by enhancing the effect of which inhibitory neurotransmitter?
GABA (gamma-Aminobutyric acid).
What is the primary difference in a psychologist's obligation when receiving a subpoena versus a court order for client records?
With a subpoena, the psychologist can assert privilege on the client's behalf if the client does not consent to release records. With a court order, the psychologist must comply and cannot assert privilege
A patient presents with fluent but nonsensical speech and has difficulty comprehending what others are saying. What is this condition called, and which brain area is likely damaged?
Wernicke's Aphasia (or receptive aphasia), caused by damage to Wernicke's area in the left temporal lobe
This schedule of reinforcement, exemplified by a slot machine, results in the highest rate of responding and is the most resistant to extinction.
Variable Ratio (VR) schedule
On the MMPI, which validity scale is designed to detect naive, unsophisticated attempts to present oneself in an overly favorable light?
The L (Lie) Scale
To avoid a potentially fatal hypertensive crisis, patients taking MAOIs must avoid foods containing what substance?
Tyramine
For how long after termination of therapy is a psychologist prohibited from having a sexual relationship with a former client?
For at least two years after termination. (Even after two years, it is only permissible in the "most unusual circumstances" where the psychologist can demonstrate no exploitation has occurred)
This part of the autonomic nervous system is responsible for calming the body and activating "rest and digest" functions.
The Parasympathetic Nervous System
According to this principle, a high-frequency behavior (like playing video games) can be used to reinforce a low-frequency behavior (like doing homework).
The Premack Principle (also known as "Grandma's Rule")
The Taylor-Russell tables are used to evaluate a test's incremental validity by considering the base rate, the selection ratio, and what third piece of information?
The test's validity coefficient (r_xy).
While first-generation antipsychotics (like Haldol) carry a high risk of extrapyramidal symptoms, second-generation (atypical) antipsychotics are more associated with what class of side effects?
Metabolic side effects (e.g., weight gain, elevated blood sugar, high cholesterol)
You learn from a patient that their previous therapist engaged in a minor, correctable ethical violation. According to APA standard 1.04, what is your primary obligation?
Your primary obligation is to do nothing. Patient confidentiality trumps the duty to attempt an informal resolution or report the colleague's violation, unless the patient provides a release of information
Contrast the typical onset and pattern of decline for Alzheimer's Dementia versus Vascular Dementia.
Alzheimer's has an insidious (slow, progressive) onset.
Vascular Dementia has a more acute/sudden onset with a stepwise deterioration due to multiple small strokes.
Differentiate between counterconditioning and extinction as behavioral interventions, and provide a clinical example of each
Counterconditioning pairs the feared stimulus with a new response that is incompatible with fear (e.g., assertion training for social anxiety).
Extinction involves exposing the person to the feared stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus until the fear response disappears (e.g., flooding for a phobia)
Explain the statistical difference between test unfairness and differential validity.
Unfairness means that two groups with different predictor scores (test scores) achieve similar criterion scores (outcomes), which is shown by two parallel regression lines.
This classic mood stabilizer is highly effective for Bipolar Disorder but requires regular blood monitoring due to a narrow therapeutic window and risk of toxicity
Lithium (Lithobid)