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AS Psy - Abnormality
AS Psychology (AQA) - Individual Differences - Abnormality
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| What is the 'Statistical Infrequency' explanation of abnormality? | Researchers + government collect data; a 'norm' is found. When graphed, a 'normal distribution' is found. Those at the extremes are abnormal. |
| What is the 'Deviation From Social Norms' explanation of abnormality? | Society dictates standards of acceptable behaviour in place for good reasons. Those who do not adhere to the social expectations are deviating from the social norms and hence are abnormal. |
| What is the 'Failure To Function Adequately' explanation of abnormality? | Abnormality is judged in terms of not being able to cope with day-to-day tasks. 'Failure to function adequately' refers to the individual's ability/inability cope day-to-day. |
| What is the 'Deviation from Ideal Mental Health' explanation of abnormality? | Jahoda (1958) identified 6 categories: Self-attitudes; Personal growth and self-actualisation; Integration; Autonomy; Having an accurate perception of reality; & Mastery of the environment. Absence of these criteria = abnormality |
| What are the limitations of the 'Statistical Infrequency' definition? | Does not distinguish between desirable and undesirable abnormal behaviour; Cultural relativism |
| What are the limitations of the 'Deviation from Social Norms' definition? | Susceptable to abuse; Social expectations change with time; Cultural relativism |
| What are the limitations of the 'Failure to Function Adequately' definition? | Who judges what is 'adequate'?; Cultural relativism |
| What are the limitations of the 'Deviation from Ideal Mental Health' definition? | Criteria too high; Cultural relativism |
| What are the four models of abnormality? | Biological (Medical), Psychodynamic, Cognitive and Behavioural |
| What are the assumptions of the biological (medical) model about the causes of abnormality? | All mental disorders are related to a change in the body - genes, biochemical substances, neuroanatomy and/or microbes. Abnormality is inherited. Certain genes lead to abnormal biochemistry and/or abnormal neuroanatomy. |
| What are the assumptions of the psychodynamic model about the causes of abnormality? | Mental disorder results from psychological causes - 'unconscious unresolved conflicts of childhood'. Conflicts between id, ego and superego cause anxiety. Early experiences cause mental disorder (Under-developed ego). Unconscious motivations are a cause. |
| What are the assumptions of the behavioural model about the causes of abnormality? | Abnormal behaviours are learned through conditioning. Only behaviour is important, the mind is an unnecessary concept. The same laws apply to human and non-human animal behaviour. |
| What are the assumptions of the cognitive model about the causes of abnormality? | Abnormality is caused by faulty thinking - faulty and irrational thinking prevents the individual from behaving adaptively. The individual is in control - the individual controls his/her own thoughts. Abnormality is faulty control. |
| What are the criticisms of the biological (medical) model of abnormality? | (+) Led to more humane treatment in 18th century. (-) Inhumane - Szasz (1972) - mental illness created as a form of social control. (-) Cause or effect? (-) Inconclusive evidence |
| What are the criticisms of the psychodynamic model of abnormality? | (+) Very influential. (-) Too much emphasis on sex. (-) Poor research evidence. |
| What are the criticisms of the behavioural model of abnormality? | (+) Scientific & testable due to its simplicity. (-) Can't account for all human behaviour. (-) Treat symptoms, not cause. |
| What are the criticisms of the cognitive model of abnormality? | (-) Faulty thinking a cause or effect of a mental disorder? (-) Blames the patient, not situational factors. (+) Theraputic success. |
| What is an eating disorder? | A term which refers to a serious disruption of a person's eating habits or appetite and which may reflect abnormal psychological functioning. |
| What are the most common eating disorders? | Anorexia Nervosa and Bulimia Nervosa |
| What are the DSM-IV Clinical Characteristics of Anorexia? | 1. Anxiety - excessive fear of being fat, fearful of weight gain. 2. Weight - <85% of normal weight = abnormal; odd eating habits develop. 3. Body-image distortion - see themselves as fat. 4. Amenorrhoea - periods stop for more than 3 months. |
| What are the DSM-IV Clinical Characteristics of Bulimia? | 1. Binge - eating excessive amount of food in short period of time. 2. Purge - self-induced vomiting/misuse of laxatives/stop eating for long period of time. 3. Frequency - Must binge + purge twice a week for 3 wks. 4. Body image. 5. Differs from Anorexia |
| What are the aims of Holland et al's study into the causes of Anorexia? | To explore the possibility of anorexia having a genetic basis by studying identical and non-identical twins. |
| What are the procedures of Holland et al's study into the biological causes of Anorexia? | 45 pairs of female twins - at least 1 twin had anorexia. Interviewed to establish clinical characteristics, records made of body mass + length of amenorrhoea. Blood tested to find that 25 Identicals (MZ) + 20 DZs. |
| What are the findings of Holland et al's study into the biological causes of Anorexia? | 56% MZs concordant for Anorexia; 5% DZs. More Anorexia in relatives than found in normal population. Measures taken showed greater similarity between MZs. |
| What are the conclusions of Holland et al's study into the biological causes of Anorexia? | Anorexia has large genetic component. What is inherited is a genetic sensitivity to environmental factors. |
| What are the criticisms of Holland et al's study into the biological causes of Anorexia? | (-) Unreliable diagnosis. - could be a susceptability to develop eating disorders rather than anorexia specifically. (-) MZ twins treated more similarly = confounding variable. |
| What are the three biological explanations of Anorexia? | Genetic factors, Biochemical factors, Neuroanatomy. |
| What are the criticisms of the biological explanations of Anorexia? | (+) Stimulated research and research support; (-) Research relies on v. small samples; (-) Cannot account for increasing numbers of Anorexia sufferers. |
| What studies have investigated genetic factors in relation to biological explanations of Anorexia? | Holland et al - Twin study; Gorwood et al - genes may dictate abnormal levels of neurotransmitters or abnormal development of the hypothalamus; Klump et al - OCD |
| What has been found about biochemical factors in relation to biological explanations of Anorexia? | Increased levels of serotonin associated with suppressed appetite. No food eaten, serotonin levels drop. |
| What has been found about neuroanatomy in relation to biological explanations of Anorexia? | People w/ anorexia may have a a malfunctioning hypothalamus: LH and VMH regulate hunger. If LH is damaged, VMH still sends signals to suppress hunger. |
| What are the aims of Becker's study into the psychological causes of Anorexia? | To see if TV affects Anorexia in adolescent girls. |
| What are the procedures of Becker's study into the psychological causes of Anorexia? | 63 Fijian girls - questionnaire on attitudes towards eating and their TV habits. 3 yrs later - 17 yrs old - requestioned. |
| What are the findings of Becker's study into the psychological causes of Anorexia? | Girls which vomited to control weight 3% --> 15%, Girls w/ risk of disordered eating: 13% --> 29% |
| What are the conclusions of Becker's study into the psychological causes of Anorexia? | Strong link between exposure Western ideals of thinness and changed attitudes towards eating. Changed attitudes = more likely to develop Anorexia. |
| What are the criticisms of Backer's study into the Psychological causes of Anorexia? | (-) Findings do not necessarily demonstrate a cause. (-) Changed attitudes may not lead to eating disorders. |
| What are the three psychological explanations of Anorexia? | Psychodynamic approach; Behavioural approach; and Cognitive approach. |
| What are the aims of Kendler et al's study into the biological causes of Bulimia? | To establish whether the increased incidence of bulimia in families was due to genetic or environmental factors. |
| What are the procedures of Kendler et al's study into the biological causes of Bulimia? | 1000 pairs of twins were interviewed |
| What are the findings of Kendler et al's study into the biological causes of Bulimia? | MZ twins 26% concordance, DZ - 16%. Of the sample, there were 123 cases of bulimia - most of these p's also experienced other mental disorders at some point. |
| What are the conclusions of Kendler et al's study into the biological causes of Bulimia? | Strong genetic component in Bulimia. Lower heritablity estimate than for Anorexia. |
| What are the criticisms of Kendler et al's study into the biological causes of Bulimia? | (-) Contradictory findings - Bulik et al; (-) Twins may not be representative - lacks population validity. |
| What are the three biological explanations for Bulimia? | Genetic factors, Biochemical factors and Neuroanatomy. |
| What are the criticisms of the biological explanations of Bulimia? | (-) Cause or effect? (-) Research based on small samples. |
| What are the aims of Cutts and Barrios' study into the psychological causes of Bulimia? | Investigate whether a fear of weight gain is more prevalent in people with Bulimia. |
| What are the procedures of Cutts and Barrios' study into the psychological causes of Bulimia? | 30 females aged 18-25 assigned to a bulimia sufferer or a control. Neutral story read out, story depicting weight gain read out - psychological responses measured. |
| What are the findings of Cutts and Barrios' study into the psychological causes of Bulimia? | Similar responses to the neutral scene. Those with bulimia had higher psychological activity when imagining the weight gain + higher subjective stress and higher overt behaviour. |
| What are the conclusions of Cutts and Barrios' study into the psychological causes of Bulimia? | Support the view that fear of weight gain may be a factor in Bulimia. |
| What are the criticisms of Cutts and Barrios' study into the psychological causes of Bulimia? | (+) Useful applications; (-) Extraneous variables. |
| What are the three psychological explanations of Bulimia? | Psychodynamic approach; Behavioural Approach; Cognitive approach. |
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Introspectre.