477 Psych - Key Terms for Exam 1 2007 United Nations Treaty (p 10) New convention adopted by the UN to protect the rights of persons with disabilities around the world. Countries that ratified the convention agree to enact laws and other measure to improve rights, and abolish legislation, customs, and practices that discriminate against them. Adaptational failure (p 35) The failure to master or progress in accomplishing developmental tasks. Psychopathologies often seen as adaptive failures. These are rarely due to a single cause, but rather an ongoing interaction between the individual and their environment Adultmorphism (Lecture 1) The view that childhood disorders represent the downward extension of adult disorders Conditions cannot be perfectly replicated so the conditions only resemble or approximate the situation one wishes to generalize Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) p. 47 BF Skinner No implicit assumptions are made about the underlying needs or motives that contribute to the abnormal behavior, just the functional relationships between stimuli, responses, and consequences Attachment styles p. 50 Emotional bond between child and caregiver From it emerges the internal working model of relationships REVIEW ATTACHMENT STYLES ON PAGE 51 Analogue research p 69
Behavior analysis or functional analysis of behavior (p. 91)
More general approach to organizing and using assessment information in terms of ABC across many levels. Goal is to identify as many factors as possible that could be contributing to the behaviors, thoughts, or feelings and develop hypotheses for the factors that are most important/most easily changed
Behavioral assessment (p. 90) Strategy for evaluating the child's thoughts, feelings, and behaviors in specific settings (usually by observing their behavior directly), and then using this information to formulate hypotheses about the nature of the problem and what can be done about it.
Target behaviors: identify behaviors that are the primary cause of concern, with the goal of then determining the specific factors that may be contributing to these behaviors ABC assessment: Antecedents (events immediately preceding a behavior), Behaviors of interest, Consequences (events following behavior)
Behavioral genetics (p. 39)
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Investigates the possible connections between genetic predisposition and behavior, taking into account environmental and genetic influences
Behavioral treatment (p.110) Assumes that abnormal behavior is learned Use positive reinforcement , modeling, and systematic desensitization
Behaviorism Brain structure and function p 41 Brainstem o Hindbrain (lowest): autonomic activities (think "automatic": breathing, heart beat, digestion) o Medulla Pons Cerebellum: motor coordination
Midbrain: coordinates movement and sensory input Reticular activating system (RAS): arousal, tension
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Diencephalon (highest) Thalamus and hypothalamus: regulation of behavior and emotion
Categorical vs. dimensional systems Checklist and rating scales (p. 91) Ask parents, teachers, and kids to rate the presence or absence of a wide variety of behaviors or the frequency and intensity of these behaviors Unlike interview, there is a known degree of standardization, comparable to a reference group, economical to administer and score. Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL): leading checklist for assessing child behavioral problems. Known for its validity and reliability across multiple countries Classical conditioning Neutral Stimuli + Unconditioned Stimuli = Conditioned Response Classification vs. Diagnosis p. 99
Classification : the system for representing the major categories and dimensions of the child psychopathology and the relations among them Diagnosis : the actual assignment of thse cases to catgories within the classification system
Client centered treatment p 111 Unconditional positive regard View children as a result of their environment and circumstances that interfere with their capacity for personal growth and adaptive functioning Clinical interview (p.87)
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Initial assessment that is especially important in obtaining information and setting the stage for collaboration and cooperation among the child and family because children do not usually refer themselves for treatment
Most universally used method of assessment w/ parents and kids but varies significantly in the kinds of information obtained and meaning assigned to it and are often intergrated with other methods of assessment (observations and psychological testing)
Flexible, conversational style Also observe non-verbal communications Most are unstructured: informal and flexible, but has low standardization and may result in selective or biased information gathering
Semi-structured : specific questions designed to elicit information in a relatively consistent manner regardless of who is doing the interview. Also can be administered by computer. Drawback: loss of spontaneity and maybe comfort
Cognitive behavioral treatment View psychological disturbances as partly a result of faulty thought patterns and partly from faulty learning and environmental experiences Address distortions in both the cognitive content (ex: erroneous beliefs) and the cognitive process (irrational thinking and faulty problem solving) Cohort studies A group of individuals who are followed during the same time and experience the same cultural or historical events. Usually includes people of the same age, gender, or occupation. Comorbidity The existence of more than one disorder. The ability to use internal and external resources to achieve successful adaptation Competence Consent/Assent
Informed consent: participants are fully informed of the nature of the research as well as the risks, benefits, and expected outcomes, and alternatives, before they agree to participate Assent: child must show some form of agreement to participate without necessarily understanding the full significance of the research, which may be beyond their cognitive capabilities
Continuity Implies that developmental changes are gradual an quantitative and future behaviors can be predicted by early patterns The degree of continuity vs. discontinuity will vary as a function of the environment and the transaction the child has with it Conventional treatment model Cross-sectional research
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Different individuals at different ages or stages of development are studied at the SAME POINT IN TIME
Cultural beliefs and values Cultural considerations in treatment approach p. 82 Cultural patterns reflect learned behaviors and values Greater risk for misdiagnosis o o Less likely to receive treatment than their white counterpart More likely to be diagnosed with a psychotic disorder than a mood/anxiety disorder
Defining psychological disorder Developmental deviance Developmental history Part of initial assessment where information is obtained regarding developmental milestones and historical events that may have a bearing on the child's current difficulties. May include birth, age of developmental milestones, medical history, family background, interpersonal skills, educational history, and parent's expectations for the treatment Developmental norms Developmental pathways (p 13) The sequence and timing of particular behaviors and possible relationships between the behaviors over time. View as an active, dynamic process that can account for many different beginnings and outcomes. Developmental psychopathology
The multidimensional study of childhood and adolescent disorders that focuses on the importance of developmental processes and tasks, focusing on key sequences and milestones
Developmental p tasks 45 Discontinuity p 32 Implies that developmental changes are abrupt and qualitative, and early patterns are a not good predictors of future development DSM-IV-TR multiaxial diagnostic system p. 101
Classification system consisting of several domain of information that may assist a clinician in planning the treatment of a disorder o o o o o Axis 1 : Clinical Disorders Axis 2 : Personality Disorders/Mental Retardation Axis 3 : Medical Conditions Axis 4 : Psychosocial and Environmental Problem Axis 5 : Global assessment of function
Eclectic treatment p. 110 More than 70% of clinicians refer themselves as eclectic, aka drawing from different psychological approaches, with different techniques for each different individual
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Electroencephalogram (EEG) Link electrical brain activity with ongoing thinking, emotion, or states of arousal Refers to the differences in the threshold and intensity of emotional experience, which provide clues to an individual's level of distress and sensitivity to the environment. Emotion regulation p 45 Involves enhancing, maintaining, or inhibiting emotional arousal, which is usually done for a specific purpose or goal Epidemiological research p 58 The study of the incidence, prevalence, and co-occurrence of childhood disorders and competencies in clinic referred and community samples Equifinality p 14 Similar outcomes, different experiences (vs. multifinality) Ethical issues Etiology Study of the CAUSES of psychopathology Family history Family systems Family treatment Gender differences in disorders Health promotion History of mental health views and key historical figures Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis Hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal glands Stress and emotional regulation Emotion reactivity p 45
Hypotheses Idiographic assessment approach p. 81 Focuses on obtaining understanding of the INDIVIDUAL rather than understanding a large group (see nomothetic) Internalizing and externalizing problems p. 20 One of the most obvious differences in the normal emotional development between boys and girls Girls Internalize: anxiety, depression, somatic complaints, and withdrawn behavior Boys Externalize: "act out" through aggression and delinquent behaviors
Kauai Study Longitudinal research Follows the same individuals over an EXTENDED TIME Mediating variables
Act in the "middle" influencing the relationship between A and B
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Medical model Moderating variables Influence the strength and direction of the relationship between two variables Directly assess the association between variations in DNA sequences and variations in a particular trait or traits Multifinality p 14 Different outcomes, similar experiences Emphasizes the importance of obtaining information from different informants in a variety of settings and using a variety of settings and using a variety of methods that include interviews, observations, questionnaires, and tests. Multiple-baseline design Multiply determined Natural experiment Naturalistic observation Neural plasticity and development p. 37 "use it or lose it" nature provides the basic processes, but nurture provides the experiences needed to select the most adaptive network of connections. Neuroimaging p. 64 methods used to examine the structure and/or function of the living brain A measure that attempts to link brain functioning with objective measures of behavior known to depend on an intact CNS. Neurotransmitters implicated in psychological disorders p.43 Nomothetic assessment approach Unlike the idiographic approach, the nomothetic assessment emphasizes general inferences that apply to large groups of individuals. Broad nomothetic knowledge can help clinicians reach a better hypothesis to test at an idiographic level. Operant conditioning Operational definition Organization of development p 36 Perspective that focuses on early patterns of adaptation such as infant eye contact and speech sounds, that evolve over time and transform into higher functions, such as speech and language. Prior patterns are incorporated into successive reorganization Prevalence of psychological disorders and treatment in children Prevention Neuropsychological testing p. 98 Multimethod assessment approach Molecular genetics p. 39
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Prevention vs. treatment vs. maintenance Projective tests p. 95
Present the client (in this case, child) with ambiguous stimuli such as an inkblot or pictures of people and have the individual describe what he or she sees. The idea is that the child will essentially "project" their personality (unconscious fears, needs, and inner conflicts) onto their interpretation of the ambiguous stimuli. Has generated much controversy over the last 50 years and some clinicians argue that this form of testing meets minimum standards of reliability and validity.
Prospective design Protect Protective triad (p 17) Refers to the combination of resources and events that promote resilience. These include individual opportunities, close family ties, and support from community resources Psychoanalytic theory Psychodynamic treatment Psychological testing Qualitative research Random assignment Reliability (consistency of measures, inter-rater, test-retest) p 62 Consistency and repeatability of results using a specific method of measurement Resilience p 15
Children who are able to thrive despite their stressful environment using their self-coping skills, abilities, and coping skills to combat or rebound from their experiences. NOT universal, categorical or fixed attribute.
Retrospective design Risk factors (biological, dispositional/psychological, social/ecological) p 15 Most common risk factors: o o o o o Screening Refers to the identification of a child at risk, who are then referred for a more thorough evaluation Windows of time when environmental influences on development are enhanced Sensitive periods p 36 Shared and non-shared environment Single-case experimental design Social cognition p 48 Low SES Abuse and Neglect Inadequate childcare Low birth weight Parental mental illness
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How children think about themselves and others, resulting in the formation of mental representations of themselves and others, their relationships, and their social world
Social learning p 47
Behaviors can be learned through observational learning, without reinforcement or practice
Standardization p 62 Specifies a set of standards or norms for a method of measurement to be used consistently across different assements Structured observation Temperament p 45
Positive affect and approach: "easy child" approachable and adaptive Fearful/inhibited: "slow to warm up" cautious, had a tendency to show stress or negativity towards some situations
Transactional model Treatment effectiveness Treatment efficacy Validity (construct, internal, face, external, convergent, discriminant, criterion-related) The extent to with a method actual measures what its supposed to measure o o o o Criterion related: how well a measure predicts behaviors as expected Face: the extent to which it appears to assess the construct Convergent: correlation between measures expected to be related Discriminate: degree of correlation between measures NOT supposed to be related
Vulnerability factors General Notes: This list is not necessarily exhaustive but it should cover most of the material you need to know Review ALL case studies presented in lecture you do not have to remember every detail about the case, focus on the conclusions drawn If there are any slight discrepancies between lecture notes and the book, go with the lecture notes
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