BAPSY Abnormal Psychology and Diagnosis 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which eating disorder involves recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting?
- Anorexia nervosa (restricting type)
- Binge eating disorder
- Bulimia nervosa (Correct answer)
- Avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder
Correct answer: Bulimia nervosa
Bulimia nervosa is defined by recurrent binge eating paired with inappropriate compensatory behaviors (purging, fasting, excessive exercise) occurring at least once per week for 3 months.
Question 2: Which of the following is NOT one of the core features required for a PTSD diagnosis in DSM-5?
- Intrusion symptoms (e.g., flashbacks)
- Persistent avoidance of trauma-related stimuli
- Alterations in cognition and mood
- Depersonalization or derealization (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Depersonalization or derealization
PTSD requires intrusion, avoidance, negative alterations in cognitions/mood, and alterations in arousal/reactivity; depersonalization/derealization are specifiers for a subtype, not core criteria.
Question 3: A person repeatedly steals items they don't need and feel tension before stealing relieved by the act itself. This is most consistent with:
- Antisocial personality disorder
- Conduct disorder
- Kleptomania (Correct answer)
- Impulse control disorder NOS
Correct answer: Kleptomania
Kleptomania is characterized by recurrent failure to resist impulses to steal objects not needed for personal use, with rising tension beforehand and relief/gratification afterward.
Question 4: Which defense mechanism involves attributing one's own unacceptable thoughts or feelings to someone else?
- Rationalization
- Projection (Correct answer)
- Displacement
- Reaction formation
Correct answer: Projection
Projection involves unconsciously attributing one's own unacceptable impulses, thoughts, or emotions onto another person.
Question 5: In the context of psychological assessment, 'reliability' refers to:
- Whether a test measures what it claims to measure
- The consistency of a test's results across time or raters (Correct answer)
- The extent to which test results predict real-world outcomes
- Whether a test produces results applicable to a target population
Correct answer: The consistency of a test's results across time or raters
Reliability refers to the degree to which a measure produces consistent, stable results — whether across time (test-retest), items (internal consistency), or raters (inter-rater).
Question 6: Which somatic symptom disorder involves preoccupation with having or acquiring a serious illness based on misinterpreting normal bodily sensations?
- Illness anxiety disorder (Correct answer)
- Somatic symptom disorder
- Conversion disorder
- Factitious disorder
Correct answer: Illness anxiety disorder
Illness anxiety disorder (formerly hypochondriasis) involves high anxiety about having a serious illness with minimal or no somatic symptoms, based on misinterpretation of bodily signs.
Question 7: Which approach to defining abnormality uses statistical rarity as the primary criterion, classifying behaviors that deviate significantly from the average as disordered?
- Harmful dysfunction model
- Statistical infrequency model (Correct answer)
- Social norms model
- Biological model
Correct answer: Statistical infrequency model
The statistical infrequency model defines abnormality as any behavior that is statistically rare compared to the general population, though this approach has limitations (e.g., high IQ is also rare but not disordered).
BAPSY Abnormal Psychology and Diagnosis 5
Which eating disorder involves recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by compensatory behaviors such as self-induced vomiting?