BAPSY Abnormal Psychology 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which neurotransmitter is most implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia according to the dopamine hypothesis?
- Serotonin
- GABA
- Dopamine (Correct answer)
- Norepinephrine
Correct answer: Dopamine
The dopamine hypothesis proposes that excess dopamine activity, particularly in mesolimbic pathways, underlies positive symptoms of schizophrenia.
Question 2: A patient avoids all social situations because they fear being humiliated or judged negatively. This pattern is most consistent with which personality disorder?
- Schizoid personality disorder
- Avoidant personality disorder (Correct answer)
- Paranoid personality disorder
- Dependent personality disorder
Correct answer: Avoidant personality disorder
Avoidant personality disorder is characterized by extreme social inhibition, feelings of inadequacy, and hypersensitivity to negative evaluation.
Question 3: The diathesis-stress model suggests that psychological disorders develop when:
- Stress alone exceeds coping capacity
- A genetic predisposition is triggered by environmental stressors (Correct answer)
- Biological factors override learned behaviors
- Social support fails to buffer stress
Correct answer: A genetic predisposition is triggered by environmental stressors
The diathesis-stress model holds that a pre-existing vulnerability (diathesis) combines with environmental stress to produce a disorder.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes 'depersonalization' as a symptom?
- Feeling detached from one's own mental processes or body (Correct answer)
- Believing one's thoughts are being broadcast aloud
- Seeing objects as larger than they actually are
- Forgetting one's personal identity entirely
Correct answer: Feeling detached from one's own mental processes or body
Depersonalization involves a sense of unreality or detachment from oneself, as if observing oneself from outside.
Question 5: Which DSM-5 criterion distinguishes Persistent Depressive Disorder (Dysthymia) from Major Depressive Disorder?
- Presence of suicidal ideation
- Duration of at least 2 years of depressed mood (Correct answer)
- Number of somatic symptoms
- Age of onset before 18
Correct answer: Duration of at least 2 years of depressed mood
Persistent Depressive Disorder requires depressed mood for at least 2 years in adults, whereas MDD is defined by discrete episodes.
Question 6: Exposure and response prevention (ERP) is considered the gold-standard behavioral treatment for which disorder?
- Panic disorder
- Obsessive-compulsive disorder (Correct answer)
- Social anxiety disorder
- Specific phobia
Correct answer: Obsessive-compulsive disorder
ERP involves exposing the patient to obsession-triggering stimuli while preventing the compulsive response, which is the evidence-based behavioral treatment for OCD.
Question 7: A child repeatedly pulls out their own hair, resulting in noticeable hair loss. The DSM-5 classifies this as:
- Body dysmorphic disorder
- Trichotillomania (Correct answer)
- Stereotypic movement disorder
- Excoriation disorder
Correct answer: Trichotillomania
Trichotillomania (hair-pulling disorder) is classified in DSM-5 under Obsessive-Compulsive and Related Disorders and involves recurrent compulsive hair pulling.
BAPSY Abnormal Psychology 2
Which neurotransmitter is most implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia according to the dopamine hypothesis?