RPM BOARD EXAM

• What is the focus of abnormal psychology?

  It studies unusual patterns of behavior, emotions, and thoughts.
• What does the term "psychological disorder" refer to?

  It refers to psychological dysfunction within an individual associated with distress or impairment in functioning.
• What are the 4 D's of psychological disorder?

  • Psychological Dysfunction: Breakdown in cognitive, emotional, or behavioral functioning.
  • Distress or Impairment: Individual is extremely upset and cannot function properly.
  • Atypical or Not Culturally Expected (Deviance): Deviates from the average or norm of the culture.
  • Dangerousness: Creates potential harm to self or others.
• What is psychopathology?

  It is the scientific study of mental disorders.
• What is clinical psychology?


  It is the applied branch of psychology that seeks to understand, assess, and treat psychological conditions in a clinical setting.
• How is normal behavior defined in the context of psychology?

  Normal behavior is one that is like other people in society and can involve social conformity and personal comfort.
• What are the criteria for determining abnormal behavior?

  • Norm-violation
  • Statistical rarity
  • Personal Discomfort
  • Deviation
  • Maladaptiveness
• What is clinical assessment?

  It is the systematic evaluation and measurement of psychological, biological, and social factors in an individual presenting with a possible psychological disorder.
• What is the process of diagnosis in psychology?

  Diagnosis is the process of determining whether a particular problem afflicting the individual meets all criteria for a psychological disorder.
• What does epidemiology study?

  Epidemiology studies the distribution of diseases, disorders, or health-related behaviors in a given population.
• What is prevalence in the context of psychology?

  Prevalence is the number of active cases in a population during a given period of time.
• What is point prevalence?

  Point prevalence is the proportion of actual, active cases of a disorder in a given population at a specific point in time.
• What is 1 Year Prevalence?

  1 Year Prevalence refers to everyone who experienced depression at any point in time throughout the entire year.
• What is lifetime prevalence?

  Lifetime prevalence is the estimated number of people who have had a particular disorder at any time in their lives.
• What is incidence in psychology?

  Incidence is the number of new cases that occur over a given period of time.
• What is a sign in the context of psychological disorders?

  A sign is a manifestation of disease that the physicians receive.
• What is a symptom?

  A symptom is a subjective representation of the complaints of the patient.
• What is a syndrome?

  A syndrome is a group of symptoms that occur together more often by chance.
• What are the DSM-IV Axes?


  • Axis I: Clinical Disorder
  • Axis II: Personality Disorders & Mental Retardation
  • Axis III: General Mental Conditions
  • Axis IV: Psychosocial & Environmental Problems
  • Axis V: Global Assessment of Functioning
• What is the difference between one-dimensional and multidimensional approaches in psychology?

  One-dimensional approaches look for a single cause, while multidimensional approaches look for a systemic cause.
• What are genes?

  Genes are long molecules of DNA at various locations on chromosomes, within the cell nucleus.
• How many chromosomes do humans have?

  Humans have 46 chromosomes, arranged in 23 pairs.
• What is the difference between phenotypes and genotypes?

  Phenotypes are observable characteristics, while genotypes are the unique genetic makeup.
• What are polymorphisms?


  Polymorphisms are naturally occurring variations of genes.
• What does polygenic mean?

  Polygenic means influenced by multiple genes or by multiple polymorphisms of genes, with any one gene having only very small effects.
• What are endophenotypes?

  Endophenotypes are genetic mechanisms that ultimately contribute to the underlying problems causing the symptoms and difficulties experienced by people with psychological disorders.
• What is basic genetic epidemiology?

  Basic genetic epidemiology involves statistical analysis of family, twin, and adoption studies to determine if a disorder can be inherited and how much is attributable to genetics.
• What is advanced genetic epidemiology?

  Advanced genetic epidemiology studies the factors that influence the disorder.
• What is gene finding?

  Gene finding is the process of identifying what gene influences a particular behavior.
• What is molecular genetics?

  Molecular genetics is the biological analysis of individual DNA samples and the biological processes genes affect to produce symptoms of the disorder.
• What are family studies in genetics?

  Family studies examine behavioral patterns or emotional traits in the context of the family.
• What is a proband?

  A proband is a family member with the trait singled out for study.