Practice test for Psychological Disorders

Note: These questions are part of a larger data base of questions & are selected 
to represent the type of question you should expect on exams. Exam questions, 
however, may deal with topics not covered in the practice tests or in lectures but are discussed in 
your textbook. You are responsible for the content of your text book plus the content of 
lectures, interactive activities, & material on the web site.

Use these sample questions to test yourself & to practice for the test. 

1.  What was the most likely reason that someone would perform an exorcism?

•  to relive fluid pressure on the brain 
 •  to look into the brain to see what was wrong 
  •  to release evil spirits 
   •  to restore balance to the body's humors

2.  In 1972, a jet carrying a rugby team from Peru crashed high in the snow-covered Andes 
mountains. Many of the players survived for over 2 months by eating the remains of those 
who died. Psychologists justified their cannibalism because that was the only way they 
could have survived so long without food. By what definition might their behavior best 
be classified?

•  statistical 
 •  subjective discomfort 
  •  maladaptive 
   •  situational context 

3.  Which of the following is an example of cultural relativity?

•  Dr. Han believes that the voices his patient is hearing stem from a biological instead 
    of a psychological cause. 
 •  While Dr. Howard believes that hypnosis is the best way to understand all disorders, 
      his approach is not shared by all his colleagues. 
  •  While Dr. Akido knows that his patient, Aki, believes her anxiety has a biological 
        explanation, in learning more about her family of origin, he suspects it has a 
         psychological cause. 
    •  Dr. Roland uses a behavioral approach to treat all his clients who are younger than 
         age 10.

4.  How many axes does the DSM-5 use to aid mental health professionals in 
making a diagnosis?

•  one 
 •  two 
  •  four 
   •  five

5.  Typanophobia, also know as a fear of receiving an injection, is an example of

•  obsession. 
 •  social phobia. 
  •  anxiety attack. 
   •  specific phobia.

6.  Aaron hates to go to restaurants for fear that he will be seated in the far back of the restaurant 
and he will be unable to get out in case of emergency. This may be a 
symptom of

•  social phobia. 
 •  specific phobia. 
  •  agoraphobia. 
   •  claustrophobia.

7.  Ria experienced a sudden attack of intense fear when she was boarding a plane with her 
friends to fly to Mexico for spring break. Ria's heart raced, she became dizzy, and she was 
certain she would die in a plane crash if she boarded the plane. Subsequently she did not go 
on her trip, and the plane arrived safely in Mexico 3 hours later, Ria experienced

•  a depressive episode. 
 •  a panic attack. 
  •  panic disorder. 
   •  agoraphobia.

8.  Dr. Kirby has been meeting with 9-year old Loren, whose family lost everything in a tornado. 
In her initial visit, Loren was diagnosed with acute stress disorder. During a 2-month follow-up 
with Dr. Kirby, Loren is still exhibiting many of the same symptoms. 
What should Dr. Kirby do? 

•  Dr Kirby will revise Loren's diagnosis from ASD to posttraumatic stress disorder. 
 •  Dr Kirby will revise Loren's diagnosis from ASD to generalized anxiety disorder. 
  •  Dr. Kirby will continue treatment for acute stress disorder for at least 6 months. 
   •  Dr. Kirby should tell Loren she is cured so as to speed her recovery.

9.  Survivors of natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy in 2012 may experience 
higher incidences of

•  depression. 
 •  posttraumatic stress disorder. 
  •  anxiety disorders. 
   •  schizophrenia.
  
10.  Calvin is terribly worried that his college education was wasted when he didn't get 
his dream job. Furthermore, Calvin believes he ruined his future when he did poorly in 
his job interview. Calvin explains, "I had to ace the interview. It had to be prefect, and 
it wasn't!" How might a cognitive-behavioral psychologist classify this distorted 
thought process?

•  magnification 
 •  overgeneralization 
  •  all-or-nothing thinking 
   •  minimization

11.  Which type of depression is the most common type of mood disorder?

•  bipolar disorder 
 •  mania 
  •  seasonal affective disorder 
   •  major depressive disorder

12.  Behavioral theorists link depression to __________ whereas social cognitive 
theorists point to __________.

•  distortions in thinking; learned helplessness 
 •  biological abnormalities; distortions in thinking 
  •  unconscious forces; learned helplessness 
   •  learned helplessness; distortions in thinking

13.  Individuals with bulimia often rationalize that since they have had a single treat, 
their diet is ruined and therefore they might as well go ahead and eat excessively. Such 
irrational thinking is an example of the cognitive distortion known as

•  overgeneralization. 
 •  all or none thinking. 
  •  magnification. 
   •  minimization.
  
14.  Binge-eating disorder is different from bulimia in that individuals with 
binge-eating disorder

•  typically eat much smaller portions before purging the food. 
 •  do not typically purge the food they eat. 
  •  only purge their food after several binge sessions. 
   •  often resort to anorexic methods to rid themselves of the food they have eaten.

15.  Dissociative amnesia is different from retrograde amnesia because

•  dissociative amnesia is typically psychological in origin. 
 •  retrograde amnesia has been shown to not actually exist. 
  •  dissociative amnesia is caused by a physical blow to the head. 
   •  retrograde amnesia is caused by psychological trauma.

16.  Depersonalization/derealization disorder is a type of dissociative disorder that has been 
found to have possible __________ foundations for the experience of detachment.

•  biological 
 •  psychodynamic 
  •  behavioral 
   •  cognitive

17.  On your first call as a paramedic, you enter the house of a man who has covered his 
walls and ceiling in aluminum foil to protect his brain from the thought-controlling rays of 
the government. This is an example of a __________ delusion.

•  persecution 
 •  reference 
  •  influence 
   •  grandeur
  
18.  Rodney has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. He rarely smiles and often shows 
little emotion to any situation. Psychologists refer to this characteristic as 

•  catatonia. 
 •  flat affect. 
  •  positive symptoms. 
   •  negative symptoms.
  
19.  What neurotransmitter was first believed to be the cause of schizophrenia?

•  GABA 
 •  serotonin 
  •  epinephrine 
   •  dopamine

20.  Colleen found herself attracted to her psychology instructor. She would frequently 
go by his office just to be near him. When he didn't respond to her advances, Colleen 
eventually told him that she had thoughts of killing herself so that he would spend time 
trying to counsel her. What personality disorder best describes Colleen's thinking 
and behavior?

•  borderline personality disorder 
 •  schizoid personality disorder 
  •  schizotypal personality disorder 
   •  antisocial personality disorder

21.  Which of the following is a sufficient criterion for judging behavioral abnormality?

•  The behavior is not common statistically. 
 •  The behavior goes against social norms. 
  •  The behavior causes subjective discomfort. 
   •  The behavior causes an inability to function from day to day. 
    •  The behavior causes emotional distress.

22.  In the United States, insanity is a term typically used by

•  psychologists. 
 •  psychiatrists. 
  •  the social work system. 
   •  the legal system.

23.  What are common characteristics of personality disorders?

•  psychotic behaviors
 •  being introverted or extroverted 
  •  having a personality versus being boring 
   •  mood swings, outbursts of anger and a need to be instantly gratified
  
24.  Someone quick to brag or show off may show signs of which personality disorder? 

•  antisocial 
 •  schizotypal 
  •  narcissistic 
   •  borderline

25.  Your friend, who seemed to be in good spirits a moment earlier, turned visibly angry 
and anxious after seeing something on TV she didn't like. Her sour mood and angry 
demeanor continued for several hours. This drastic change of mood might be attributed 
to which of the following?

•  schizoid personality disorder 
 •  borderline personality disorder 
  •  schizotypal personality disorder 
   •  histrionic personality disorder

26.  Avoidant personality disorder relies on which of the following?

•  being shy 
 •  being confident 
  •  being in denial 
   •  being extroverted

27.  Which two personality disorders are often confused with one another?

•  histrionic and schizoid 
 •  avoidant and borderline 
  •  schizoid and schizotypal 
   •  narcissistic and paranoid

28.  Which group of mental health disorders does NOT usually occur alongside 
personality disorders?

•  mood disorders 
 •  anxiety disorders 
  •  panic disorders 
   •  psychotic disorders
  
29.  Which of the following mental disorders can be treated with medication and therapy?

•  panic disorder 
 •  schizophrenia 
  •  bipolar disorder 
   •  all of the above
  
30.  Agoraphobia is the fear of ______ .

•  open spaces 
 •  spiders 
  •  heights 
   •  snakes

31.  Which is NOT a sign of an eating disorder?

•  eating only orange foods (carrots, cheese curls, oranges) 
 •  excessive exercise 
  •  obsession with food 
   •  use of laxatives

32.  Among what group of people are mood disorders found more often?

•  the poor 
 •  the wealthy 
  •  immigrants 
   •  Single people without a 'significant other'

33.  A person’s tendency to become addicted to a drug depends not only on the properties 
of the drug but also on the reason the person uses the drug. What does this observation suggest?

•  There is a genetic predisposition to drug addiction 
 •  Psychological factors influence drug addiction 
  •  Drug addiction depends on the biochemistry of a drug 
   •  None of these

34.  Which is likely true about people with somatoform disorders?

•  They intentionally produce their symptoms 
 •  They have symptoms that are caused by a medical condition 
  •  They may pay too much attention to bodily symptoms 
   •  They do not experience real symptoms

35.  People with obsessive-compulsive disorder often do which of the following?

•  Experience anxiety-producing thoughts, impulses, or images 
 •  Have panic attacks 
  •  Have false beliefs that they hold despite contradictory evidence 
   •  Have sensory or perceptual experiences that occur without an 
       external stimulus

36.  Which of the following disorders is characterized by an inability to remember a 
traumatic incident?

•  Post–traumatic stress disorder 
 •  Conversion disorder 
  •  Schizophrenia 
   •  Dissociative amnesia

37.  Which of the following might contribute to the onset of antisocial personality disorder?

•  Abnormal physiological arousal 
 •  An inability to control impulses 
  •  Brain damage 
   •  All of these

38.  Which subtype of schizophrenia often involves relatively normal cognitive functioning?

•  The paranoid type 
 •  The disorganized type 
  •  The catatonic type 
   •  The undifferentiated type

39.  What is a culture-bound disorder?

•  A disorder that is bound to occur in most cultures 
 •  A disorder specific to a particular cultural context 
  •  A disorder not included in one of the DSM’s diagnostic categories 
   •  Any disorder whose onset is highly influenced by cultural factors

40.  Insanity refers to which of the following?

•  The inability to take responsibility for one’s actions 
 •  The existence of a psychological disorder 
  •  A specific diagnostic category in the DSM 
   •  A defense available to someone who committed a crime and 
       who has a psychological disorder

----------------------------------------------------------------------------                                
WAKE! For the Sun, who scatter'd into flight 
The Stars before him from the Field of Night, 
Drives Night along with them from Heav'n, and strikes 
The Sultan's Turret with a Shaft of Light. 

- Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam