research methods and psychopathology mock questions

• outline and evaluate failure to function adequately and deviation from ideal mental health (refer to rob)

  failure to function

  • way of judging abnormality as an inability to deal with the demands of everyday living
  • behaviour is maladaptive or irrational
  • the behaviour causes distress to themselves or others

  deviation

  • abnormality judged by the lack of signs of ideal mental health
  • must meet criteria such as self actualisation
  • more they fail to meet the more abnormal they are

  failure

  +recognises patients perspective

  -relies on subjective judgement

  -not all maladaptive behaviour is mental Illness (smoking)

  deviation

  +positive holistic approach to diagnosis

  -criteria for ideal mh are unrealistic
• outline and evaluate cognitive approach to explain depression

  • cognitive approach works on idea that depression is a result of disturbance in thinking
  • Becks negative triad - childhood negative schemas develop providing a negative frame work for viewing the world negatively - this translates to irrational thinking in adulthood
  • negative triad - think -ve about themselves world + future
  • ABC model - develop depression in response to negative events
  • a - activating event b - belief c - consequences
  • depression is caused by irrational thinking

  eval

  - cognitive explanations don't explain anger that comes with depression

  - don't distinguish cause and effect (does depression cause thinking or other way round)

  - reductionist

  +CBT
• outline and evaluate cognitive approach to treating depression

  • Becks CBT
  • pateint led
  • identifying negative/irrational thoughts
  • thought catching
  • challenge negative thoughts
  • behavioural activation - doing something pleasurable to raise mood

  evaluation

  -not for all - severely depressed can't find motivation to do it need SSRIs

  +better than medication- march found that those on CBT had better results than SSRIs and combined was best

  +treats root of cause not just ellviate symptoms
• congtive ways to treat depression

  • aim is to change irrational thoughts and negative schemas to alleviate depression
  • Becks - CBT - identify irrational thoughts (thought catching) - test validity of this thought(question it) - hw tasks + reinforcement of positive thoughts
  • Ellis REBT - ABCDE - confrontation of thought using empirical/logical arguments/disputing - challenge-ve thoughts
• outline and evaluate neural explanations of OCD

  • low/too high (abnormal ) levels of neurchemicals such as serotonin ans dopamine are thought to cause obsessive thoughts
  • there are genes that cause these lack of /increase of chemicals
  • serotonin - reuptake is too high due to lots of transporter proteins
  • also links to frontal lobe

  evaluate

  -issue of causation - neurotransmitter imbalances/structural abnormalities may be a symptom rather than cause

  +supported by successful SSRI treatments which show serotonin is a factor

  -reductionst doesn't take into account environmental factors
• describe and evaluate two process model of phobias

  • suggests that we learn and maintain phobias through classical and operand conditioning
  • classical - learn new behaviours through association
  • ns becomes C's
  • makes a cr = fear
  • generalisation

  evaluation

  -not all fears are learnt though trauma can't explain so not complete theory

  -doesnt consider observational learning of phobias

  -reductionist as it ignores biological factors (biological preparedness)
• limitation of two process model of phobias

  not all people with fears have a traumatic experience

  not all who have a traumatic experience develop a phobias

  ignores cognitive processes

  doesn't explain biological preparedness
• treatment of phobias

  systematic desensitisation

  • relaxation training
  • formation of anxiety hierarchy
  • gradual exposure
  • based on ideal you can't be scared and relaxed

  flooding

  • bombarded by fear
  • anxiety will subside (adrenaline runs out)

  evaluation

  ethical issues

  high cost

  effective for specific phobias but not general