Question 1

Dr. Norton wants to control for all possible confounding factors in his study of treatment efficacy. He knows that as part of this study he must control for possible placebo effect, which refers to __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   improvement following treatment with a medically neutral substance
B)   a drug-induced change in specific "target" symptoms
C)   spontaneous improvement in the absence of any therapy
D)   the ability of a drug to prevent a disease A

Question 2

In her work as both a couples and family therapist, Rebecca believes that one of the most important factors to consider is __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   the differences between man and woman, parent and child
B)   the lack of communication between family members
C)   the relationships within the family system
D)   the problems of each individual family member C

Question 3

The technique of prefrontal lobotomy largely has been abandoned because the surgery __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   disconnected the patients' thoughts from their emotions
B)   impaired some higher cognitive functions
C)   was found to be reversible in far too many cases
D)   produced hallucinations and delusions B

Question 4

Devon has a strong aversion to any form of biological therapy, but is suffering from a mental disorder. Which of the following would be a nonbiological treatment?

Accepted Answer

A)   the use of drugs
B)   electroconvulsive shock
C)   psychoanalysis
D)   brain surgery

Question 5

Gina was one of the first patients to start using Prozac. Which features distinguish Prozac from earlier types of antidepressants that Gina could also have used?

Accepted Answer

A)   It was designed to act primarily on serotonin and minimally on norepinephrine.
B)   It is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor.
C)   It is just as effective against symptoms of depression as the tricyclics and MAO inhibitors.
D)   All of the above answers are correct.

Question 6

Bob is so afraid of cars he cannot leave his home. If a therapist who practices the therapeutic techniques of Dr. Joseph Wolpe were treating Bob, what would she likely recommend as a first step?

Accepted Answer

A)   expose the client to a busy downtown area
B)   ask the client to report any cognition he has about cars
C)   try to determine what cars might symbolize to the client
D)   construct an anxiety hierarchy of feared situations

Question 7

Miles is concerned that the ECT he is about to undergo will have cognitive side effects, such as short-term memory impairment. However, he is relieved to learn from his psychiatrist that these side effects can be reduced if the ECT is __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   given at night, before sleeping
B)   delivered to just one side of the brain
C)   given for just 30 to 60 seconds
D)   given along with antipsychotic drugs

Question 8

Antipsychotic drugs have drawbacks as well as advantages when they are used to treat schizophrenia; for example, these drugs __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   relieve symptoms only while they are being taken
B)   neither cure the disease nor alter its progress
C)   have serious side effects
D)   all of the above

Question 9

Mark has been suffering from both depression and anxiety and would very much like to receive psychotherapy. However, he lives in a remote part of Montana, and the nearest clinician is more than 3 hours away, making face-to-face therapy impractical. Mark could probably benefit from which recent development in provision of therapy?

Accepted Answer

A)   Internet-based therapy
B)   Fax-based psychoanalysis
C)   self-guided hypnosis
D)   virtual-reality therapy

Question 10

Gerald is pleased to learn that there are new drugs that he can take for his bipolar disorder instead of lithium. However, he is surprised to learn that these drugs were initially invented to treat __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   panic attacks
B)   epilepsy
C)   heart failure
D)   tuberculosis

Question 11

Dr. Rogers is eager to test the effects of his newly developed antidepressant drug and would like to administer it to a group of depressed patients to see whether they are less depressed after taking the drug than before. However, a simple "before and after" test of the new drug is inadequate because __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   people differ in the ways they respond to drugs
B)   mentally ill participants may forget to take their medication unless supervised
C)   spontaneous improvements may be attributed to the drug
D)   improvements might not occur until after the second testing

Question 12

Jennifer is terrified of insects. She will not walk on grass or go into any areas with trees. If Dr. Joseph Wolpe, the well-known behavioral therapist, were treating this phobia, which technique would he most likely use?

Accepted Answer

A)   systematic desensitization
B)   flooding
C)   aversion therapy
D)   modeling

Question 13

What is a psychotropic drug?

Accepted Answer

A)   a drug that causes psychosis
B)   a drug used to alleviate psychological symptoms
C)   a drug used for treating psychosis
D)   a drug used for treating mania

Question 14

One way in which group therapy may be more effective than individual therapy is that __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   the individual client gets much more personalized attention
B)   the group provides on-the-spot practice in interpersonal skills
C)   group therapists typically use a client-centered approach
D)   each patient learns that she is special and unique

Question 15

Gary attends Alcoholics Anonymous for his alcohol problems and has been sober for 23 years. AA would be considered a(n) __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   invalid treatment because it is not led by a professional
B)   superior treatment to any psychologist-led group
C)   shared problem group
D)   form of existential therapy

Question 16

Although Mary has significant psychological distress, she is much less likely to undergo psychosurgery today than she would have been 60 years ago. This is because __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   surgery is much more dangerous now than in the past
B)   it is reserved for severely disabled patients who have shown no improvement with other treatments
C)   psychosurgery has been shown to work no better than placebo
D)   none of the above

Question 17

Which of the following is a behavior therapy technique?

Accepted Answer

A)   client-centered therapy
B)   psychoanalysis
C)   contingency management
D)   rational-emotive therapy

Question 18

Psychoanalytically oriented therapists focus on __________, whereas behavior therapists focus on __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   doing; understanding
B)   feeling; action
C)   understanding; doing
D)   present; past

Question 19

One criticism of the use of randomized control trials is that __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   they inform researchers about the efficacy of a therapy, but do not indicate whether it will work in "real-world" situations
B)   they are more subject to experimenter bias than case studies are
C)   they do not control for placebo effects
D)   they fail to consider clinician expertise

Question 20

Behavior therapists often attempt to use classical conditioning or operant conditioning principles and techniques to acquire or increase desired behaviors, or extinguish or decrease undesired behaviors. Another behavioral approach to altering behaviors that is distinct from both operant and classical conditioning is __________.

Accepted Answer

A)   psychoanalysis
B)   unconditional positive regard
C)   modeling
D)   cognitive restructuring

Exam 17: Treatment of Mental Disorders