Research Concepts
Felicia came to see her advisor about doing a research study for her Ph.D. dissertation. “What are you going to investigate?” her advisor asked. “I believe that drinking orange juice before an IQ test will raise a person's score,” she said. Felicia just formulated a _____________ for her study
What is a hypothesis?
This part of our brain is responsible for what is called executive functioning. Executive functioning includes planning, organizing, short/long-term goals, foresee consequences of our actions, and exercise good judgment by inhibiting impulses.
What is the prefrontal cortex?
The most widely used classification system of mental disorders
What is the DSM-5 (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 5th edition)?
A professional may develop this after an assessment and description of an individual's psychological symptoms, understanding of client's concerns, inferences about what might be causing distress, and background information
What is a diagnosis or psychodiagnosis?
Conditions or attributes that lessen or eliminate the risk of a negative psychological or social outcome
What are protective factors?
A researcher finds that when people report their sexual activity on a mailed questionnaire, they indicate higher levels of bizarre fantasies than when they are administered the same questionnaire in person. This indicates the questionnaire may have low __________.
What is reliability?
Any group of chemicals (such as Dopamine, Serotonin, Acetylcholine, GABA, etc) that help transmit messages between neurons
What are neurotransmitters?
Refers to the presence of two or more disorders in the same person
What is comorbidity?
The study of the effects of medications on thoughts, emotions, and behaviors
What is psychopharmacology?
A term that is difficult to define and sometimes confused with religion. It can be a source of strength and provide purpose and meaning during difficulty. Our book defines it as a belief in an animating life force or energy beyond what we can perceive with our senses.
What is spirituality?
While developing a study, a research team debates how to conceptualize and measure a few of their variables, including "depression" and "excessive alcohol consumption." The researchers are trying to develop concrete definitions of these variables, otherwise known as?
What are operational definitions?
The process by which the human brain changes to adapt to environmental changes or compensate for injury
What is neuroplasticity?
The 4 D's or four major factors involved in judging psychopathology
What are distress, deviance, dysfunction, and danger?
A treatment approach that involves the gradual or rapid exposure to feared objects or situations
Philosophy that with appropriate treatment and support those with mental illness can improve and live satisfying lives even with any limitations caused by their illness
What is recovery movement?
The best way to test cause and effect relationships amongst variables is to design a study with an experimental design. However, this type of study design does NOT allow for researchers to understand cause and effect?
What is a correlational study?
This term refers to understanding how environmental factors influence gene expression. Our book notes the four biggest environmental factors to be: nutrition, behavior, exposure to stress, and contact with toxins.
What is epigenetics?
This model assumes that the behavior of one [group] member directly affects the entire system. This includes both healthy and unhealthy influences. This model has three distinct beliefs: 1. Personality development is strongly influenced by our [group's] characteristics, 2. Mental illness in an individual often reflects unhealthy [group] dynamics, and 3. Treatment must focus on the system rather than the individual
What is family systems model or family systems theory?
According to our textbook, this type of therapy is rapidly becoming the treatment of choice for many disorders. This type of therapy focuses on a person's observable behaviors and also on how thoughts influence emotions and behaviors.
What is Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)?
The ability to mentally and emotionally adapt to situational demands. Stems from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).
What is psychological flexibility?
A statistical method in which researchers combine and analyze the results from numerous studies focused on the same or similar phenomena
What is meta-analysis?
The prevalence of disorders involving reactivity to stress (such as depression, anxiety, and eating disorders) is higher in this particular group whereas disorders involving impulsivity and risk-taking (such as substance abuse and attention deficit disorders) are more prevalent in the other group. Researchers believe the difference between the two groups are due to the way this part of the human develops?
What is brain development in men and women?
The psychological, physical, and social pressures experienced by individuals who are adapting to a new culture.
What is acculturative stress?
Psychoanalysts believe that client reactions such as anger, love, or disappointment directed toward the therapist are signs of other relationship issues. They refer to this process as __________.
What is transference?
Mention countertransference
Improvement produced by expectations of a positive treatment outcome. This effect can happen to people when they receive a pill that they believe is medication but is really just an inactive substance.
What is placebo effect?