Test Bank For Abnormal Psychology and Life A Dimensional Approach 3rd Edition by Chris Kearney

1. In the DeShawn case described in the beginning of the chapter, DeShawn, a 21-year-old student, was described as possibly having a series of problems associated with

  a.  cocaine.

  b.  alcohol.

  c.  sex.

  d.  family.

ANSWER:   b

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   Case: DeShawn

OTHER:   TYPE: factual

2. The model of mental health that sees varying levels of symptomatology on a spectrum between health and disorder depending on levels of stress and predisposition is known as the

  a.  integrative model.

  b.  medical model.

  c.  psychosocial model.

  d.  diathesis-stress model.

ANSWER:   d

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: factual

3. Diatheses are

  a.  solely environmental.

  b.  a result of interpretation.

  c.  genes that control disease onset.

  d.  biological or psychological.

ANSWER:   d

DIFFICULTY:   moderate

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: factual

4. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

  a.  A diathesis is a vulnerability to a certain disorder, but this does not mean a person will necessarily develop that disorder.

  b.  A diathesis may arise from either a predisposition to a disorder and stress factors, but not a combination of both.

  c.  A diathesis cannot affect a person’s perception of stress, only the level and type of stress itself.

  d.  A diathesis affects only the internal physiological structures of a person, not his or her external behaviors or experiences.

ANSWER:   a

DIFFICULTY:   moderate

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: factual

5. When DeShawn experiences the strong belief that alcohol will make him more social, he experiences a(n)

  a.  biological predisposition.

  b.  expectancy predisposition.

  c.  psychological predisposition.

  d.  psychosomatic predisposition.

ANSWER:   c

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: conceptual

6. Biological or psychological diatheses do not guarantee one will develop disorders like alcoholism or depression. A diathesis is best understood as a(n)

  a.  vulnerability.

  b.  disposition.

  c.  stressor.

  d.  impulse.

ANSWER:   a

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: conceptual

7. According to the diathesis-stress model, ____ is(are) needed to produce psychological problems.

  a.  a predisposition

  b.  stressors

  c.  both predisposition and stress

  d.  neither predisposition nor stress

ANSWER:   c

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: factual

8. According to your text, the combination of ____ and ____ will result in the most symptoms of alcohol abuse.

  a.  predisposition; high stress

  b.  predisposition; low stress

  c.  predisposition; moderate stress

  d.  genetic vulnerability; predisposition

ANSWER:   a

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: conceptual

9. Predispositions and stressors, like many human characteristics,

  a.  occur on a continuum.

  b.  are an all-or-none phenomenon.

  c.  are universal for all people.

  d.  can be reduced to CNS activity levels.

ANSWER:   a

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: factual

10. Regardless of individual differences,

  a.  outcomes are always predictable.

  b.  predispositions and stress always interact.

  c.  psychiatry will have appropriate medication.

  d.  the levels and magnitudes of factors are unimportant.

ANSWER:   b

DIFFICULTY:   moderate

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: conceptual

11. If Sam thrives on public speaking and making presentations, and George considers these same behaviors problematic, then we can recognize that

  a.  George has a phobia that will cause him to fail at school.

  b.  their perceptions of stress are different.

  c.  a different pattern of conditioning exists.

  d.  they should work together on projects.

ANSWER:   b

DIFFICULTY:   moderate

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: application

12. Teresa has a long family history of depression and has long been aware of her own increased risk. However, she had not had any significant problems with depression until her company suddenly closed, leaving her without a job and with substantial student loans and other financial obligations. Despite having no personal history of depression, she is now severely depressed. What has most likely changed?

  a.  her diathesis

  b.  her protective factors

  c.  her stressors

  d.  her resilience

ANSWER:   c

DIFFICULTY:   moderate

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: application

13. According to the diathesis-stress model, stress must ____ a predisposition for a disorder to occur.

  a.  be overwhelmed by

  b.  interact with

  c.  deescalate

  d.  be negated by

ANSWER:   b

DIFFICULTY:   moderate

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: factual

14. Suppose two people have virtually identical predispositions to impulsivity. Would they likely have the same risk of developing a disorder related to impulsivity?

  a.  Yes, when predisposition is the same, outcomes are the same.

  b.  Maybe, but only if they are the same sex.

  c.  Maybe, but only if they experience the same levels of stress.

  d.  No, the predisposition is ultimately unrelated to the disorder.

ANSWER:   c

DIFFICULTY:   moderate

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: conceptual

15. In the example described in your text, Mariella may have been troubled because significant college stress triggered her predisposition for depression. However, her friend, who had the same type of predisposition but stayed at home after high school,

  a.  showed no symptoms of depression.

  b.  experienced the same outcome.

  c.  failed out of college.

  d.  developed an anxiety disorder.

ANSWER:   a

DIFFICULTY:   moderate

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: factual

16. Thom has a family history of alcoholism and has struggled with addiction himself. He believes that, in his case, his use of drugs relates to his desire for excitement and sensation-seeking. When he notices that his five-year-old daughter is quite a daredevil, he becomes concerned and wonders whether she might also be at risk of substance use disorders. Thom is most accurately described as worrying about a possible

  a.  diathesis

  b.  protective factor

  c.  stressor

  d.  resilience

ANSWER:   a

DIFFICULTY:   moderate

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: application

17. The perception of stress can be influenced by a person because stress is best described as

  a.  subjective.

  b.  declarative.

  c.  consistent.

  d.  invariant.

ANSWER:   a

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: factual

18. Because it partially determines the range and variety of life events we experience, a(n) ____ can also control the stressors to which we are exposed.

  a.  diathesis

  b.  instigator

  c.  phenotype

  d.  hypothesis

ANSWER:   a

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

KEYWORDS:   WWW

OTHER:   TYPE: conceptual

19. Nancy, like many in her family, has a tendency to be impulsive, to make rash decisions, and to act without thinking about possible outcomes. As a result, she sometimes finds herself buying luxury items she cannot afford or making less-than-healthy relationship decisions, which, in turn, results in her experiencing higher levels of stress that lead to her making more impulsive decisions. This illustrates the

  a.  direction of causation between diatheses and stress

  b.  independent nature of diathesis and stress

  c.  reduction of diathesis by stress

  d.  interaction of diathesis and stress

ANSWER:   d

DIFFICULTY:   moderate

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: application

20. Where one person is naturally outgoing and social, and another person naturally prefers solitude and isolation, it would follow that

  a.  these two people might choose different experiences.

  b.  the isolated individual needs to be more outgoing.

  c.  people are easily categorized by a behavior or two.

  d.  the differences were conditioned.

ANSWER:   a

DIFFICULTY:   moderate

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: application

21. The cause of a mental disorder is also called its

  a.  diathesis.

  b.  vulnerability.

  c.  etiology.

  d.  epidemiology.

ANSWER:   c

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: factual

22. When mental health professionals study the etiology of a disorder, they are investigating

  a.  prevention models.

  b.  treatment outcomes.

  c.  its causes.

  d.  its resilience.

ANSWER:   c

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: application

23. If one person has a greater tendency toward psychological problems than another person, we can properly consider the first person to have more

  a.  weakness.

  b.  denial and repression.

  c.  risk factors.

  d.  self destructive tendencies.

ANSWER:   c

DIFFICULTY:   moderate

REFERENCES:   The Diathesis-Stress Model

OTHER:   TYPE: application

24. According to the National Comorbidity Survey-Replication (NCS-R), who is most likely to have a severe mental disorder?

  a.  someone with an anxiety-related disorder

  b.  someone with a mood disorder

  c.  someone with a personality disorder

  d.  someone with a substance use disorder

ANSWER:   b

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   Epidemiology: How Common Are Mental Disorders?

OTHER:   TYPE: factual

25. Scientists who make observations, survey people, and use other methods to investigate the extent of a public health problem are known as

  a.  entomologists.

  b.  epidemiologists.

  c.  ethnographers.

  d.  etiologists.

ANSWER:   b

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   Epidemiology: How Common Are Mental Disorders?

OTHER:   TYPE: factual

26. Joan has a career where she studies the patterns of disease or disorder in the general population. She is most likely working as a(n)

  a.  etiologist.

  b.  psychologist.

  c.  diathesis specialist.

  d.  epidemiologist.

ANSWER:   d

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   Epidemiology: How Common Are Mental Disorders?

OTHER:   TYPE: application

27. Who is considered to be one of the modern “fathers” of epidemiology”?

  a.  Eberhard Schairer

  b.  Richard Doll

  c.  Bradford Hill

  d.  John Snow

ANSWER:   d

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   Epidemiology: How Common Are Mental Disorders?

OTHER:   TYPE: factual

28. ____ refers to new cases of a particular disorder within a specific time period, whereas ____ refers to all cases of a particular disorder within a specific time period.

  a.  Prevalence; incidence

  b.  Incidence; prevalence

  c.  Epidemiology; etiology

  d.  Etiology; epidemiology

ANSWER:   b

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   Epidemiology: How Common Are Mental Disorders?

OTHER:   TYPE: factual

29. Jane is counting all cases of a mental disorder within a specific time period. She is attempting to determine the

  a.  prevalence.

  b.  comorbidity.

  c.  logistics.

  d.  cohort effects.

ANSWER:   a

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   Epidemiology: How Common Are Mental Disorders?

OTHER:   TYPE: application

30. Both prevalence and lifetime prevalence estimates help us understand the

  a.  likelihood of mental disorder.

  b.  cause of mental disorder.

  c.  effects of mental disorder.

  d.  severity of mental disorder.

ANSWER:   a

DIFFICULTY:   easy

REFERENCES:   Epidemiology: How Common Are Mental Disorders?

OTHER:   TYPE: conceptual