BAPSY Abnormal Psychology 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best characterizes antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)?
- Intense fear of abandonment and unstable relationships
- Pervasive disregard for and violation of others' rights since age 15 (Correct answer)
- Odd beliefs and magical thinking with social isolation
- Grandiosity and lack of empathy with need for admiration
Correct answer: Pervasive disregard for and violation of others' rights since age 15
ASPD is defined by a persistent pattern of violating others' rights, deceitfulness, impulsivity, and lack of remorse, with conduct disorder symptoms before age 15.
Question 2: Seasonal affective disorder (SAD) is most commonly associated with depression onset during which season?
- Spring
- Summer
- Fall/Winter (Correct answer)
- Late spring
Correct answer: Fall/Winter
SAD most commonly presents with depressive episodes beginning in fall or winter, likely linked to reduced sunlight and disrupted circadian rhythms.
Question 3: Conversion disorder (Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder) involves:
- Excessive worry about having a serious illness
- Neurological symptoms inconsistent with known neurological disease (Correct answer)
- Fabricating symptoms to assume the sick role
- Intentional production of symptoms for external gain
Correct answer: Neurological symptoms inconsistent with known neurological disease
Conversion disorder presents with neurological symptoms (e.g., paralysis, blindness) that cannot be explained by a neurological condition and are incompatible with recognized disease.
Question 4: Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) requires symptom onset before which age according to DSM-5?
- Age 5
- Age 7
- Age 12 (Correct answer)
- Age 16
Correct answer: Age 12
DSM-5 changed the age-of-onset criterion from age 7 (DSM-IV) to several symptoms present before age 12.
Question 5: Which of the following is a hallmark feature of narcissistic personality disorder?
- Chronic feelings of emptiness and fear of abandonment
- Grandiose sense of self-importance and lack of empathy (Correct answer)
- Submissive behavior and excessive need for reassurance
- Detachment from social relationships and restricted affect
Correct answer: Grandiose sense of self-importance and lack of empathy
Narcissistic personality disorder is characterized by grandiosity, need for admiration, and lack of empathy, distinguishing it from other Cluster B disorders.
Question 6: In classical conditioning terms, a phobia is conceptualized as a conditioned fear response where the phobic stimulus functions as the:
- Unconditioned stimulus (UCS)
- Unconditioned response (UCR)
- Conditioned stimulus (CS) (Correct answer)
- Conditioned response (CR)
Correct answer: Conditioned stimulus (CS)
The phobic stimulus has been paired with an aversive unconditioned stimulus and now elicits fear on its own, making it a conditioned stimulus.
Question 7: Which of the following disorders involves the presence of two or more distinct personality states or identities?
- Schizophrenia
- Dissociative identity disorder (Correct answer)
- Borderline personality disorder
- Depersonalization/derealization disorder
Correct answer: Dissociative identity disorder
Dissociative identity disorder (formerly multiple personality disorder) is defined by two or more distinct personality states accompanied by amnesia between states.
