Term
| What is considered "abnormal"? |
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Definition
| *"Abnormal” is behavior or emotions that distress (cause you discomfort and anxiety), dysfunction (impair your ability to function), or deviance (deviate greatly from a cultural norm). |
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Term
| How are psychological disorders diagnosed? |
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Definition
| DSM (Diagnostic and Statistic Manual of Mental Disorders). 100’s of different diagnoses. Specifies exactly what symptoms must be present for particular diagnosis. # of listings in DSM has increased from handful to hundreds. CONTROVERSY: + recognize many problems, get treatment. – label everything “disorder” problematic. |
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Term
| Three Basic Points for Modern Therapy |
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Definition
1 – Different disorders have different causes.
2 – The same disorder can have different causes in different people.
3 – Different treatments must be used to overcome different causes of abnormal behavior. |
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Term
| What are the consequences of labeling someone with a psychological disorder? |
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Definition
| People are not abnormal, behaviors are abnormal. Not “schizophrenics”, but “people who suffer from schizophrenia.” |
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Term
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Definition
Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Phobias
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
Panic Disorder |
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Term
| Generalized Anxiety Disorder |
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Definition
*Approximately 6.8 million American adults experience GAD, affecting about twice as many women as men.
*Constant worry about many issues.
*The worry interferes with functioning.
*Physical symptoms (headaches, stomach aches, muscle tension, irritability) |
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Term
| Phobia (Specific and Social) |
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Definition
*Phobia – an intense, irrational fear that may focus on objects, events, or particular social settings.
*Specific phobias – fear of specific object.
Top three fears – 1. Snakes, 2. Being buried alive, 3. Heights
Top five fears of men – 1. Being buried alive, 2. Heights, 3. Snakes, 4. Drowning, 5. Public Speaking
Top five fears of women – 1. Snakes, 2. Being bound/tied up, 3. Being buried alive, 4. Heights, 5. Public speaking
*Some unusual specific phobias
Ailurophobia – fear of cats
Algobphobia – fear of pain
Uxoripophibia – fear of one’s wife
Monophobia – fear of being alone
Panaphobia – fear of everything
Santa phobia – fear of being stuck in a chimney |
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Term
| Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder |
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Definition
*20% of people with OCD have only obsession or compulsions; the rest have both
*Generally appears before the age of 25
*Fairly genetic
Example: A college student has the urge to shout obscenities while sitting through class. Compulsion: He checks his watch and every sixty seconds will bite his tongue to prevent himself from yelling. |
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Term
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Definition
| *Characterized by recurring severe panic attacks |
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Term
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Definition
| Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder |
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Term
| Major Depressive Disorder (biological and psychological factors) |
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Definition
*Depression of mood (prolonged hopelessness and lethargy; very severe)
*Lasts without remission for at least 2 weeks
*Symptoms: Sadness, feelings of worthlessness, changes in sleep, changes in eating
*Connection between stressful life events and onset of depression
*Connection between negative cognitions and depression |
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Term
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Definition
*(formerly manic-depressive disorder) Cycling between depression and mania
*Mood levels swing from severe depression to extreme euphoria (mania)
*Between .6 and 1% of US population will have bipolar disorder in their lifetime.
*Affects both sexes equally.
*Onset is sudden and, typically, no precipitating event is obvious
*First episode usually manic and occurs between 20 and 30
*Fairly genetic
*Symptoms of mania: Mood or Emotional Symptoms (euphoric, elevated mood; in some cases irritability), Grandiose Cognition (no limits to abilities; flight of ideas; messengers of God), Motivation Symptoms (compulsive gambling, reckless driving, etc.), and Physical Symptoms (lessened need for sleep) |
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Term
| Symptoms of Schizophrenia |
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Definition
| delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech, grossly disorganized behavior, negative symptoms |
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Term
| Causes of Schizophrenia (prenatal and biochemical) |
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Definition
*Prenatal – Being born in winter or spring, prenatal exposure to infections
*Biochemical – Brain abnormalities such as enlarged ventricles, loss of gray matter as the disorder develops |
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Term
| What is conformity and what is the relationship between conformity and social norms? |
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Definition
*Conformity – adjusting one’s behavior or thinking to coincide with a group standard.
*Conformity happens because of social norms (rules) |
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Term
| Asch's Conformity Study (methodology and results) |
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Definition
*It’s not easy being a minority of one (1955)
*Groups of 5 – 7 “confederates; shown a card with a line, then another card with three lines; asked which line matched the first one in length; the real participant answered last; the first few times everyone gave the obvious correct answer, then the confederates all gave a wrong answer
*Participants conformed to the majority 37% of the time; 25% conformed none of the time; 75% conformed at least once; 5% conformed every time |
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Term
| III. Reasons for conforming (differences between informational and normative social influence) |
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Definition
*Informational social influence – uncertain situations lead people to look to others for information. This leads to private conformity (acceptance).
*Normative social influence: threat of negative consequences for failure results in conformity. This leads to public conformity (compliance or obedience). |
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Term
| Milgram obedience studies |
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Definition
*It’s not easy saying “no” (1963, 1974)
*Done after WWII Nuremburg trials. “I was only following orders.” 63% fully complied with experimenter and administered the full range of shocks |
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Term
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Definition
| *Attitude – an evaluation (positive or negative) of an object, person, or idea |
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Term
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Definition
Affect
Behavioral Tendency
Cognition |
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Term
| Bases of attitudes (differences and application) |
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Definition
| *Cognitively – based on beliefs about merits of object. EX., Attitudes toward dishwashers (Loudness? Cleaning ability?) *Affectively – based on feelings and values more than nature of the object EX., “I don’t like you, but I love you Seems that I’m always, thinking of you You treat me badly, I love you madly…” *Behaviorally – based on how one behaves toward an object EX., (self-perception theory) “How do you feel about working out?” “I guess I don’t like it because I never do it.” |
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Term
| Stanford Prison Experiment |
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Definition
| 24 students played prisoners; the ones playing “officers” displayed authoritarian measures, while the ones playing “prisoners” displayed passive attitudes; Zimbardo, the “Prison Superintendant”, even began to allow abuse as if it were a real prison |
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Term
| What is cognitive dissonance? |
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Definition
| Dissonance – an “aversive motivational state” (feeling of tension, irritation, or discomfort) that results from inconsistencies among cognitions. We want to reduce dissonance when we experience it. |
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Term
| How is dissonance reduced? |
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Definition
*Change a behavior/cognition/attitude
*Add consonant cognitions (rationalize)
*Alter the importance of the cognitions (trivialize) |
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Term
| Festinger & Carlsmith (1959) study (understand the results and the explanation behind them) |
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Definition
| *The participants in the $1 group rated the experience more positively than those in the $20 group. The $1 group experienced dissonance between the conflicting cognitions “I told someone the task was interesting” and “I thought the task was boring”. When paid $1 participants were forced to internalize the attitude they were induced to express because they had no other justification. Those in the $20 condition had external justification for their behavior and experienced less dissonance. |
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Term
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Definition
1. Reciprocation
2. Social Validation
3. Consistency/Commitment
4. Friendship/Liking
5. Scarcity
6. Authority |
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Term
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Definition
We are more willing to comply with a request from someone of who has done something for us before. E.g., free samples in stores
*Reciprocation following concessions: People are more likely to comply with a small request if they’ve initially denied a large request.
*Cialdini (1975); students asked to volunteer at Juvenile Detention Facility for 2 hours a week, for 2 years (large request) % who say yes: 0
*Then asked to escort kids to the zoo for 2 hours, for 1 evening (small request) % who say yes: 50
*Control PS (Who didn’t receive initial big request): 16% |
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Term
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Definition
We are more likely to comply with a request if similar others are doing so (others as indicator of “correct” behavior). E.g., claims that a product is “fastest growing”, fund-raising drives report on who has donated or how much has been given
*Effects of social proof are strongest when: People are unsure how to act and Others are similar to the self |
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Term
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Definition
After committing to a position, we are more likely to comply with requests that are consistent with that position. E.g., initiation rituals
*Commitment and the Foot-In-The-Door Effect: Getting people to comply with a small request makes them more likely to grant a larger request later. |
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Term
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Definition
| We are more willing to comply with the requests of people we like. E.g., tupperware parties, attractive salespeople who are complimentary |
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Term
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Definition
We try to secure those opportunities that are scarce or dwindling. Scarcity induces reactance (threat to freedom). E.g., “limited time offer!”, “one day sale!
*Mazis (1975); Dade County, Florida passes ban on laundry products containing phosphates. This lead to smuggling, hoarding, etc. and an increased perception of effectiveness of phosphates (compared to Tampa control subjects) |
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Term
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Definition
We are more willing to follow the suggestions of authority figures. E.g., titles, use of “experts” in ads, uniforms/business clothing
*Hofling (1966) Researchers phone hospital wards claiming to be physician; orders 20 mg of astrogen to patient. Nurses comply 95% of the time. |
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Term
| What is the official definition of serial killing? |
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Definition
| *The Crime Classification Manual defines serial murder as “3 or more separate events in 3 or more separate locations with an emotional cooling off period in between the homicides.” |
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Term
| Types of serial killers (4 types) |
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Definition
1.Visionary
2.Missionary-oriented
3.Hedonistic
4.Power/control-oriented |
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Term
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Definition
| They believe that visions or voices guide their actions. |
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Term
| Missionary-Oriented Serial Killers |
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Definition
| They believe that they have to remove a certain group from society |
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Term
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Definition
| Killers who derive pleasure or gain from the killing. |
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Term
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Definition
| Enjoy controlling their victims with some sexual control. |
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