Answers and Explanations to the Abnormal
Psychology Quiz
1. In the _______ test, a series of ambiguous shapes/figures
is shown to a patient with the hope that the patient will project his/her own
feelings and emotions onto the picture and reveal underlying, critical information
about his/her personality.
Rorschach Inkblot
Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory
Thematic Apperception Test
Myers Brigg
Correct Answer = Rorschach Inkblot
Explanation = this test was first used by Leonardo Davinci
to examine the creativity of young artists. A person is shown several ambiguous
shapes that are actually two exact inkblots joined together to form a single
inkblot. Thus, each inkblot has two identical sides. The person being given
the test then tells what they see in each inkblot. There is a set criteria to
score each response and provide an overall evaluation of the person's motivations,
conflicts, the presence of any disorders, etc. For example, if a person responds
to an inkblot by saying they see "a man stabbing a young woman", it
may indicate that the person is projecting their own hatred of women, insecurities,
and aggression onto the image.
2. The class of disorders marked by feelings of excessive
apprehension and anxiety are called:
simple phobias
social phobias
anxiety disorders
obsessive compulsive disorders
Correct Answer = anxiety disorders
Explanation = many people experience anxiety, but the anxiety
that occurs when a person has an anxiety disorder results in disruptions to
daily life and functioning. There are several different types of anxiety disorders,
including generalized anxiety disorder, phobias, obsessive compulsive, and panic
disorder. Approximately 10-15% of adult Americans suffer from anxiety disorders,
although this number is difficult to validate.
3. Peter seems to be suffering from prolonged, vague, unexplained
but intense fears that do not seem to be attached to any particular object.
If you were a clinical psychologist, you might diagnose Peter with:
obsessive compulsive disorder
social phobia
simple phobia
generalized anxiety disorder
Correct Answer = generalized anxiety disorder
Explanation = while the other types of disorders listed
here involve fear of something specific, GAD causes more general, persistent,
life fears, and not fear of something specific like heights or snakes. People
with GAD just seem to always find things negative, they are continuous afraid
that things are about to go bad no matter how good or stable things are at the
time, and are often on the look out for danger, even though none exists. The
stress and anxiety a person with GAD experiences occurs even when they are in
an environment that would be considered relaxing by others.
4. Bobby does not enjoy living (despite seeing fireworks
when he kissed his neighbor who had mumps), is sad and easily tired, has no
interests, and has problems eating and sleeping. He has had these episodes more
than once and each time it lasted for at least two weeks. He would be diagnosed
with:
schizophrenia
major depression
an anxiety disorder
melancholia
Correct Answer = major depression
Explanation = we know that Bobby is suffering from major
depression because of 1) his symptoms (easily tired, sad, loss of interest in
activities that used to be enjoyable to him, etc.), and 2) the length of time
and frequency of the problems. If Bobby had the same symptoms continuously for
2 years, he would be diagnosed with Dysthymia. However, because Bobby has had
episodes of these symptoms that have lasted for two weeks, we know that he has
major depression and not dysthymia.
5. If the symptoms experienced by Bobby in the question
above lasted for a matter of years as opposed to weeks, Bobby may be diagnosed
with:
major depression
obsessive compulsive disorder
unipolar depression
dysthymia
Correct Answer = dysthymia
Explanation = as indicated in the previous explanation,
dysthymia is very similar to major depression in terms of symptoms, but dysthymia
is a chronic type of depression, lasting two years or more.
6. If a person has mood swings which go from intense depression
to incredible hyperactivity and happiness, they would most likely be diagnosed
with:
major depression
dysthymia
unipolar depression
bipolar depression (manic depression)
Correct Answer = bipolar disorder (manic
depression)
Explanation = the question above is essentially a very
basic definition of bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder is a chemical imbalance
that results in monumental mood swings from states of complete euphoria in which
the person feels like they are on top of the world and can do anything, to states
of complete depression to the extent of suicide (depending on the severity of
the disorder). The euphoria is not comparative to a person who feels happy after
doing something well, winning an award or game, etc. Instead the euphoria can
result in the person engaging in extremely risky and maladaptive behaviors like
unprotected sex with multiple partners, going on huge shopping sprees and spending
way more money than they can afford, etc. The most effective treatments seems
to be drug therapy which controls the changes in the brain chemicals.
7. Alice cleans the house constantly. In fact, sometimes
she spends up to 10 hours or more a day cleaning, but she still always feels
unsure if the house is adequately clean. It is possible that Alice has a psychological
disorder called:
obsessive compulsive disorder
generalized anxiety disorder
bipolar disorder
brady analitis
Correct Answer = obsessive compulsive disorder
(OCD)
Explanation = first, let's get this out of the way - there
is no such thing as "brady analitis". If you choose this one, please
go back and read your text book (again or for the first time?). Obsessive compulsive
disorder contains two components; "obsessive" refers to the continuous
and overwhelming thought pattern that something must be done or something has
not be done properly, and "compulsive" refers to the actual behaviors
performed to satisfy the obsession. People with obsessive compulsive disorder
have feelings as though something they have just completed is not really completed,
or that if they do not engage in some behavior that something bad will happen.
For example, a person may feel that they need to count every step they take
and that if they lose track, something bad is going to happen. Not engaging
in their ritualistic behavior causes fear and anxiety, even though many people
with OCD often realize that their behaviors are irrational. There are many different
obsessions, including cleaning, hand washing, and counting. There are several
types of therapies that work well for OCD, including behavioral, cognitive,
and drug therapy (or combination of drug therapy with another form).
8. One semester the PsychGuy had a student who was fearful
of giving a class presentation. He was afraid that when he stood in front of
the class he would make a mistake or not be able to speak properly which would
cause him tremendous embarrassment. A psychologist might diagnose this student
with:
a social phobia
obsessive compulsive disorder
a compulsion
generalized anxiety disorder
Correct Answer = a social phobia
Explanation = a social phobia results from increased self-focus,
which causes a person to be overly concerned with how others view them and the
fear of public scrutiny. People with social phobias have difficulties performing
normal behaviors in front of others such as speaking (fear of public speaking
is a widespread problem) and eating. The symptoms include dry mouth, respiratory
problems, dizziness, and more. All due to being overly concerned with embarrassment
in public.
9. Which of the following is NOT one of the four main types
of preoccupations of Obsessive-Compulsive disorder:
checking
slowness
doubting
talking
Correct Answer = talking
Explanation = people with OCD often engage in continuous
and overwhelming amounts of checking and doubting their own behaviors. As a
result, they are often so preoccupied with these behaviors that they become
slow to perform any other daily behaviors. However, people with OCD don't usually
have any problems or preoccupations with talking.
10. All of the following are characteristics of schizophrenia
EXCEPT:
delusional thinking
hallucinations
increased social interaction
lack of appropriate emotion
Correct Answer = increased social interaction
Explanation = one thing most schizophrenics do not have,
is an increase in social interaction. One reason may be that many schizophrenics
become paranoid and distrustful of others.