ASPPB Assessment & Diagnosis of Psychological Disorders 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A psychologist administers the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). What does a score of 29-63 indicate?
- Severe depression (Correct answer)
- Moderate depression
- Mild depression
- Minimal depression
Correct answer: Severe depression
BDI-II scores of 29-63 fall in the severe range, indicating a high level of depressive symptomatology requiring immediate clinical attention.
Question 2: Which diagnostic change from DSM-IV-TR to DSM-5 MOST significantly affected Autism Spectrum Disorder?
- Asperger's Disorder and PDD-NOS were collapsed into a single ASD diagnosis (Correct answer)
- ASD was reclassified as a personality disorder
- A new specifier for intellectual disability was removed
- DSM-5 requires neurological confirmation of ASD
Correct answer: Asperger's Disorder and PDD-NOS were collapsed into a single ASD diagnosis
DSM-5 collapsed Autistic Disorder, Asperger's Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and PDD-NOS into a single Autism Spectrum Disorder category with severity specifiers.
Question 3: In the context of neuropsychological assessment, what does the Trail Making Test Part B primarily measure?
- Cognitive flexibility and set-shifting (Correct answer)
- Visual-spatial construction
- Verbal fluency
- Sustained attention
Correct answer: Cognitive flexibility and set-shifting
TMT-B requires alternating between numbers and letters in sequence, making it a sensitive measure of cognitive flexibility, mental set-shifting, and executive function.
Question 4: A clinician using the Rorschach Comprehensive System notes a low Afr (Affective Ratio). What does this suggest?
- Avoidance of emotionally evocative stimuli (Correct answer)
- Emotional instability and lability
- Heightened empathy
- Psychotic thought process
Correct answer: Avoidance of emotionally evocative stimuli
A low Afr in the Comprehensive System suggests the client tends to withdraw from or avoid situations with strong emotional demands.
Question 5: Which of the following BEST describes the clinical utility of the Conners' Rating Scales in assessment?
- Measuring ADHD symptoms across multiple informants and settings (Correct answer)
- Diagnosing autism spectrum disorder in toddlers
- Assessing suicidal ideation in adolescents
- Evaluating executive function in TBI patients
Correct answer: Measuring ADHD symptoms across multiple informants and settings
The Conners' Rating Scales obtain parent, teacher, and self-report ratings of ADHD-related behaviors across settings, supporting DSM diagnostic criteria requiring multi-informant evidence.
Question 6: A clinician is diagnosing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder. Which DSM-5 criterion requires the individual to avoid trauma-related thoughts, feelings, or external reminders?
- Criterion C (Correct answer)
- Criterion B
- Criterion D
- Criterion E
Correct answer: Criterion C
PTSD Criterion C covers persistent avoidance of trauma-related stimuli, including both internal (thoughts and feelings) and external (people, places, activities) reminders.
Question 7: When interpreting an IQ score, a psychologist reports a 95% confidence interval. What is the primary purpose of this interval?
- To account for measurement error and express the range in which the true score likely falls (Correct answer)
- To identify the percentile rank of the obtained score
- To compare scores across different editions of the test
- To determine if the score qualifies for a learning disability
Correct answer: To account for measurement error and express the range in which the true score likely falls
Confidence intervals around IQ scores reflect the standard error of measurement, acknowledging that the obtained score is an estimate of the true score within a probable range.
ASPPB Assessment & Diagnosis of Psychological Disorders 3
A psychologist administers the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II).
What does a score of 29-63 indicate?