Deck 14: Psychopathology

Question 1

The basic idea that ties the triune brain to psychopathology is the potential conflict between cognitive, emotional, and _____ responses.

A) behavioral
B) mammalian
C) reptilian
D) social

Answer 1

reptilian

Question 2

According to Hughlings Jackson, evolution involved the movement from the more _____ centers of the lower brain processes to the more _____ ones of the neocortex.

A) autonomic, somatic
B) automatic, voluntary
C) primitive, enhanced
D) reflexive, cognitive

Answer 2

automatic, voluntary

Question 3

Researchers have offered several arguments supporting the hypothesis that sleep has been shaped by natural selection. Which of the following is NOT one of those arguments?

A) All vertebrates share similar mechanisms that control sleep and dreaming.
B) Every species exhibits deficits in response to a lack of sleep.
C) Patterns of sleep and sleep requirements are universal across species.
D) Sleep is found in a variety of organisms and universally among vertebrates.

Answer 3

Patterns of sleep and sleep requirements are universal across species.

Question 4

In Hughlings Jackson's view of the brain, the higher levels of the cortex were seen to _____ the lower subcortical ones.

A) incorporate
B) influence
C) inhibit
D) integrate

Question 5

One model of psychopathology views disorders as a breakdown of normal function. For example, Frith (1992) has suggested that the _____ of schizophrenics result from a breakdown in a mechanism that identifies whether an action was produced by the self or another.

A) auditory hallucinations
B) delusional thoughts
C) negative symptoms
D) paranoid fears

Question 6

Common forms of mental illness, such as schizophrenia, are found at similar rates the world around, suggesting that mental illness is not a concept created by a given _____ but rather is part of the human condition in both its recognition and its prevalence.

A) culture
B) environment
C) genome
D) time period

Question 7

Given that it is more common to see male psychopaths and female hysterics, some researchers suggest that the disorders result from different

A) developmental pathways.
B) environmental influences.
C) hormonal interactions.
D) reproductive strategies.

Question 8

Many of the outward expressions of social anxiety in humans parallel what is seen in the _____ of primates, suggesting the disorder may have once had a function.

A) attachment behaviors
B) dominance interactions
C) predator warnings
D) reactions to strangers

Question 9

You try hummus at a party, and 30 minutes later you get sick; after that, you feel revulsion every time you even see hummus. This type of one-trial learned taste aversion is exhibited in a wide range of species, and is known as the _____ effect.

A) Freud
B) Garcia
C) Skinner
D) Watson

Question 10

Evidence suggests sleep serves several functions. Which of the following is NOT a generally accepted function of sleep?

A) Sleep allows for the restoration of certain physiological functions.
B) Sleep consolidates information learned during waking hours.
C) Sleep developed as a protective mechanism during the night.
D) Sleep provides for the expression of unfulfilled wishes.

Question 11

A World Health Organization (WHO) study examined the presence of schizophrenia in a number of countries with very different racial and cultural configurations and found that the risk of developing the disorder

A) depended mainly on family dynamics.
B) increased as you went farther from the equator.
C) was higher in economically advanced countries.
D) was remarkably similar across countries.

Question 12

In MacLean's concept of the triune brain, the first component was involved in the regulation of basic systems such as temperature, breathing, and sleep, as well as fixed types of displays seen in relation to self-preservation and sexuality. This is a large part of the ____ in reptiles and birds.

A) forebrain
B) hindbrain
C) left brain
D) midbrain

Question 13

Murphy (1976) studied mental illness in two distinctly different cultures, the Inuit of Alaska and the Yoruba of Nigeria. She found that

A) mental illness existed in both cultures, but they were qualitatively different.
B) neither culture exhibited signs of schizophrenia, unlike Western cultures.
C) processes of disturbed thought and behavior occurred in both cultures.
D) the concepts of normality and abnormality were very different in the two cultures.

Question 14

In thinking about mental disorders as dysfunctions of evolved processes, Nesse (2005) asks three questions. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

A) Are the cognitive and brain mechanisms normal or defective?
B) Are the symptoms in the interest of the individual, his or her genes, or neither?
C) Do other members of the individual's family exhibit the symptoms as well?
D) Did the symptoms arise from novel aspects of the environment?

Question 15

In developing a categorization system to consider psychopathology, Nesse (2005) suggests that there are five conditions in which normal responses may be maladaptive. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

A) They are not harmful to the individual but are viewed as abnormal by society.
B) They are the products of abnormal experiences or upbringing.
C) They are useful to the person, such as anxiety or anger, but experienced as aversive.
D) They benefit the individual's genes but are at odds with the individual's self-interest.

Question 16

Disorders that have very similar end states--depression, for example--may have developed from distinctly different beginning conditions. Which of the following is NOT a typical beginning condition for depression?

A) Death of a significant person in one's life.
B) Decline in social status.
C) Extreme stress that elicits self-preservation instincts.
D) Loss of sense of agency.

Question 17

Genetic studies suggest that depression is

A) equally influenced by genetic and environmental factors.
B) less influenced by genetic than environmental factors.
C) more influenced by genetic than environmental factors.
D) not due to genes at all, only environmental factors.

Question 18

Although there is no single definition of a psychopathological process, five key characteristics are generally agreed upon. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

A) The person acts in maladaptive ways that are not in his or her best interest.
B) The person cannot fully consider alternative ways of thinking, feeling, or behaving.
C) The person has difficulty connecting with the environment or the self.
D) The person is deemed abnormal but may be given a special status in some cultures.

Question 19

Three facts about schizophrenia suggest that it is a disorder that has always been part of the human experience. Which of the following is NOT one of those supporting facts?

A) The experience of schizophrenia is remarkably similar across countries.
B) The disorder has a similar time course among all cultures.
C) The gene for schizophrenia has also been identified in other species.
D) The risk of developing schizophrenia is similar worldwide.

Question 20

The transition from reptiles to mammals included three important processes associated with the development of the limbic system. Which of the following was NOT one of them?

A) Dominance hierarchies and competition for mates.
B) Nursing of the infant in the context of maternal care.
C) Oral communication for maintaining mother-child contact.
D) Play and its role in social development.

Question 21

Natural function is what a particular process evolved to do; for example, the heart is designed to pump blood. Other processes, such as the sounds that the heart makes, are _____ of this purpose.

Question 22

The study of the role natural selection has played in the development of mental disorders is known as _____.

Question 23

Underlying the mind/body dichotomy is the dualism of French philosopher _____, who described human beings as influenced by both physiological processes, such as the body, which could be measured scientifically, and mental processes, including the soul, which follow different laws.

Question 24

Allen and Badcock (2003) suggest that a depressed state represents a risk management strategy in response to a situation that has a low probability of success and high probability of risk. Intrinsic to this way of thinking is the assumption that a depressed mood was _____ in our evolutionary history.

Question 25

Crow (2000) suggests that schizophrenia is related to problems of development in relation to _____, which involve the inability of the person to distinguish his or her thoughts from speech itself, including what others say to the person.

A) auditory processing
B) language
C) source monitoring
D) theory of mind

Question 26

Feygin et al. (2006) suggest that OCD results from the exaggeration of normal traits, which can be mapped on a developmental trajectory. In particular, they discuss four developmental themes as a response to stress. Which of the following is NOT one of them?

A) Environmental cleanliness.
B) Fear of being abandoned by one's caregiver.
C) Loss similar to anxious development.
D) Physical security in one's own environment.

Question 27

_____ include feeling anxious, tense, and fearful of being with others as well as being troubled and unable to sleep; traditionally this was referred to as neurosis.

Question 28

Burns (2004, 2006) suggested that _____ is related to the evolution of the social brain in humans. Because brain development needed to be lengthened, there was a long period of time in which complex gene interactions or accidents could happen.

A) autism
B) depression
C) OCD
D) schizophrenia

Question 29

Schizophrenia exhibits two types of symptoms. The lack of affect in situations that call for it, poor motivation, and social withdrawal are all examples of _____ symptoms, whereas visual or auditory hallucinations, delusions, and bizarre thoughts are all examples of _____ symptoms.

A) chronic, acute
B) general, specific
C) negative, positive
D) passive, active

Question 30

It has been suggested that individuals with autism fail to develop a(n)

A) ability to inhibit urges.
B) full sense of self.
C) social hierarchy.
D) theory of mind.

Question 31

Andrews (2007) rejects the hypothesis that depression results from a novel reaction of the nervous system to the modern environment because depression is

A) an adaptive response to a significant personal loss.
B) connected to other traits that are extremely adaptive.
C) mostly determined by genes and not environment.
D) seen in a variety of animals whose environment has not changed.

Question 32

Jung described the manner in which each stage of life brings forth a particular pattern of functioning, which he called a(n) _____.

Question 33

Hughlings Jackson believed that in mental disorders such as schizophrenia, the higher systems were no longer _____ the lower ones, resulting in illusions, hallucinations, and delusions, a process he called "dissolution of the nervous system."

Question 34

Studies on fear of snakes among wild-reared and lab-reared monkeys show that fear can be learned through _____, but only in relation to evolutionary important objects.

Question 35

In Freudian theory, the experience of sexual and self-preservation instincts can come into conflict with the restrictive rules of society, leading to _____.

Question 36

Bowlby laid out in great detail the manner in which evolutionarily significant processes such as _____ could, in certain circumstances, lead to anxiety rather than comfort; if an emotional caregiver were not present or a close connection could not be established, then the result was distress.

Question 37

_____ reflect a rigid, manipulative approach to dealing with social relationships, two common types being psychopaths and hysterics; from an evolutionary perspective, these people clearly qualify as "cheaters."

Question 38

It has been noted that highly gifted and creative individuals manifest schizophrenic-like traits, referred to as _____ traits, without having the disorder.

A) archetypal
B) dissociative
C) dysthymic
D) schizotypal

Question 39

Individuals with _____ display problems in three areas: social functions, communications, and restrictions in behaviors and interests.

A) autism
B) multiple sclerosis
C) schizophrenia
D) Williams syndrome

Question 40

An important question for evolutionary psychologists is why schizophrenia _____, given that the disorder does not appear to have any reproductive advantage.

A) appears at the same rate in all cultures
B) has not disappeared over time
C) involves both positive and negative symptoms
D) is more prevalent now than in the past

Question 41

_____ symptoms of schizophrenia include lack of affect in situations that call for it, poor motivation, and social withdrawal.

Question 42

According to Bowlby, a disruption of a relationship is experienced as a loss and results in withdrawal and depressed mood; this loss of _____ leads to depression, which protects the individual from further hurt until mental healing can take place.

Question 43

Discuss the six critical questions concerning psychopathology that relate to other evolutionary processes.

Question 44

Theories of _____ relate depression to dominance hierarchies. For example, Price (1996) suggested that there is a connection between depressive mood and losing a fight for status and resources; from this viewpoint, depression is seen as an involuntary deescalating strategy that signals to the other individual that he has won.

Question 45

Theories of _____ suggest that a depressive mood protects the organism by conserving energy. According to these theories, clinical depression results when an individual does not move on to the next situation and instead continues in a situation in which there are few positive payoffs.

Question 46

What are personality disorders? What is the evolutionary perspective on these disorders? Consider both reproductive strategies and the concept of "cheaters."

Question 47

A model of OCD based on animal behavior links the disorder to _____. These patterns typically involve social or sexual displays and are triggered by particular stimuli, resulting in behaviors that are very similar each time they are manifested. These fixed patterns of behavior are repeated frequently under conditions of trauma, stress, or in non-natural settings such as a zoo.

Question 48

_____ is one of the most debilitating of mental disorders; it affects one's ability to express oneself clearly, to have social relationships, and to express and experience positive emotions. It affects about 1% of the population, and it is seen throughout the world with similar symptoms, regardless of culture or geographical location.

Question 49

The _____ hypothesis suggests that when significant interpersonal relationships are disrupted, including social humiliation or defeat, depressed mood is the outcome; in this sense, it is a protective mechanism associated with risk aversion that prevents further critical losses.

Question 50

_____ is characterized by repetitive thoughts and feelings, usually followed by repetitive behaviors; these often involve avoiding contamination, aggressive impulses, sexual content, somatic concerns, and the need for order.

Question 51

Discuss the five reasons why researchers believe sleep has been shaped by natural selection.

Question 52

_____ symptoms of schizophrenia include hallucinations, delusions, and bizarre thoughts.

Question 53

Discuss the historical perspective on psychopathology, including the thinking of Hughlings Jackson, MacLean, Freud, Jung, Bowlby and Panksepp.

Question 54

Although there is no single definition of abnormal processes, five ideas have been critical in the conceptualization of psychopathology. Discuss each of these.