ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY COMPETENCY EXAM INTERVENTION QUESTIONS

1. Why do people with body dysmorphic disorder feel compelled to check their lives?
a. They are obsessed with how good they look
b. They are obsessed with their weight
c. They are obsessed with their perceived defect
d. They are obsessed with cleanliness
2. The function of serotonin is to
a. Regulate our behavior, mood, and thought processes [Dopamine: turn on circuits in the
brain to aid in exploratory behaviors]
3. This preventive strategy prepares people to tolerate an anticipated threat by changing the
things they say to themselves before or during a stressful event.
A. Stress Inoculation Training
B. Systematic Desensitization
C. Prolonged Exposure
D. Flooding
4. Enlarged ___ in children with ASD (autism) may play a role in their excessive anxiety and fear
which contributes to their social withdrawal.
A. Hippocampus
B. Thalamus
C. Amygdala
D. Hypothalamus
5. Which of the following will be least effective when treating people with obsessions alone
a. Medication
b. Cognitive
c. Behavioral
d. Cognitive-Behavioral
6. Positive symptoms of schizophrenia are a result of dopamine ___ in the mesolimbic pathway
while negative symptoms are explained by dopamine ___ in the mesocortical pathway.
a. Underactivity, Underactivity
b. Underactivity, Overactivity
c. Overactivity, Underactivity
d. Overactivity, Overactivity
7. Asking a person who he/she is, what time it is and where he/she is an assessment of ___.
a. Registration
b. Recall
c. Orientation
d. Attention
8. An individual with a __ will least likely to seek treatment voluntarily.
a. Phobia
b. Personality disorder
c. Somatization Disorder
d. Mood disorder
9. Which could be the LEAST possible different diagnosis?
a. Conversion disorder
b. Psychotic disorder due to another medical condition
c. Schizophrenia
d. Bipolar disorder with psychotic features
10. Mrs. White was a quiet, proper, full-time homemaker and a devoted mother. Her husband
recontacted her therapist, alarmed over changes in this wife’s behavior. She had gone to visit
a favorite cousin in town and during the visit had behaved in a much more carefree, reckless
manner than she usually did. Mrs. White apparently went shopping and bought hundreds of
dollars’ worth of elaborate clothing. What after identity is in control or Mrs. White?
A. Persecutor Identity
B. Protector Identity
C. Child Identity
D. Host Identity
11. James scored less than 70 in an IQ test but he does not have difficulties in different areas
such as self-care, communication, work, home living etc. Can he be diagnosed with
Intellectual Disability?
- No, his IQ score is not sufficient for diagnosis of ID
12. __ is to reduce pain as __ is to anomalous blending of the senses
a. Synesthesia; Analgesia
b. Anesthesia; Analgesia
c. Analgesia; Euphore
d. Analgesia; Synesthesia
13. A person is said to have __ when he/she is suffering a from persistent depression also
experience episodes of major depression.
- Double depression
14. According to __, mental illness is a myth and not “illnesses” in a sense that physical illness is
a. Thomas Szasz
b. Pilippine Pinel
c. Lightner Witmer
d. John Grey
15. Blackouts during intoxication may result from the interaction of alcohol and;
a. Glutamate
b. Serotonin
c. GABA
d. Parietal lobe
16. A difference between conduct disorder and oppositional defiant disorder is.
a. Conduct disorder problem behaviors most likely bring the individual in conflict with
authority
b. Oppositional defiant disorder involves problems of emotional dysregulation not present in
conduct disorder.
17. What test asks a person to provide detailed information about themselves in one specific
area of functioning?
a. Response inventory
b. Personality inventory
c. Neurological test
d. Projective test
18. Which of the following is TRUE regarding phobia
I. Avoidance of feared object acts as negative reinforcement
II. It is not possible to develop phobia through vicarious experiences
III. Individuals with specific phobia may fear related and similar stimulus
IV. Covert desensitization is more effective than in vivo desensitization
- I AND III are TRUE
19. To which disorder the treatment EMDR is associated with?
a. Specific Phobia
b. PTSD
c. Intellectual Disability
d. Schizophrenia
20. This happens when a person withdraws from chronic alcohol use. This may cause frightening
hallucinations and body tremors.
a. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
b. Delirium Tremens
c. Withdrawal
d. Wernicke-Korsakoff Syndrome
21. Which of the following would most likely be a delusion of a patient suffering from delusion of
reference?
a. A stranger has been following me for the last 15 minutes
b. Alien spaceships will be coming down from the sky to capture me
c. My thoughts are being broadcast to all the people in the world
d. My neighbors are inserting ideas that I do not want
22. Dr. Jones is interested in whether a new treatment for autism will be helpful. She recruits 30
participants, and she randomly assigns 15 to receive drug X and 15 to received a placebo.
After 3 weeks of treatment, she measures social engagement. In this study, the independent
variable is:
a. Medication condition
b. Drug X
c. Social engagement
d. Autism
23. Kate believes she is the one being talked about in the foreign TV show that she is watching.
This is an example of ___
a. Delusion of grandour
b. Delusion of reference
c. Persecutory delusion
d. Nihilistic delusion
24. Psychogenic amnesia is characterized by the following EXCEPT:
a. Often involves anterograde amnesia
b. Caused by psychological factors
c. Can involve retrograde amnesia
d. Often involves amnesia for personal information not for general info
25. Which of the following is true?
I. Pseudocyesis is the belief that one is pregnant but in fact that she is not
II. Somatic symptoms may have organic cause
III. A person with illness anxiety disorders may insist unnecessary medical procedures
IV. People with conversion disorder are aware that they can function normally
I AND III ARE TRUE
26. People with narcolepsy may experience __ which is the sudden loss of muscle tone
a. Cataplexy
b. Catalepsy
c. Isolated sleep paralysis
d. Sleep paralysis
27. Susan is concerned about how Trina, her daughter, has been behaving for the past few days.
She had kept herself in her room most of the day and only eats once a day. She also is not her
usual talkative self which troubled her parents. There are nights that Susan would wake up in
the middle of the night to hear Trina’s sobs which would stop whenever she started to knock
on her room. Trina even refused to go out with friends and refused any visitor that would come
to their home. Susan noticed that Trina started behaving this way after the results of the
licensure exam came out last week. She passed the exam but she was aiming to be in the top
ten which she failed to do so. She said it was okay since she wasn’t really confident with her
answers however, she started behaving strangely. According to Susan, Trina also behaved this
way right after college graduation wherein she finished only second behind her ultimate rival.
After vacation in the province, she seemed to return to her usual self. Susan thought that her
 daughter was already okay after that incident but now, it seems that things are not going well
again.
a. Yes, because she is displaying dysfunctional behavior
b. Yes, because her behavior is not proportional to her problem
c. No, it can be an understandable response to disappointment or frustration
d. No, because all four Ds are not satisfied
28. What are the subtypes or bulimia nervosa according to dsm5
a. Purging type and non-purging type
b. Restricting type and binge eating/purging type
c. Restricting type and purging type
d. None of the above
29. Which of the following is FALSE
a. Visual hallucination is the most common hallucination among people with schizophrenia
b. Hallucination happens without any input from the surrounding environment
c. Hallucination is positive symptom of schizophrenia
d. Hallucination is true to the person
30. Jasper has been increasingly difficult to manage since nursery school. At school, he teases and
kicks other children, trips them, and calls them names. He is described as bad tempered and
irritable, though at times he seems to enjoy school. Often, he appears to be deliberately trying
to annoy other children, though he always claims that others have started the arguments. He
does not get in serious fights but does occasionally exchange a few blows with another child.
Jasper sometimes refuses to do what his two teachers tell him to do, and this year he has been
particularly difficult during arithmetic, art, and science lessons. He gives many reasons why he
should not have to do his work and argues when told to do it. At home, Jasper’s behavior varies.
Some days, he is defiant and rude to his mother, needing to be told to do everything several
times, though he usually complies eventually. Other days he is charming and volunteers to help
but his unhelpful days predominate. His mother says, “The least little thing upsets him, and
then he shouts and screams.” Jasper is described as spiteful and mean with his younger
brother, Mark. His mother also says that he tells many minor lies, though when pressed he is
truthful about important things.
• What psychological disorder best fits Jasper’s condition
a. Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder
b. Conduct Disorder
c. Oppositional Defiant Disorder
d. Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
• Which of the following would be the LEAST choice for a differential diagnosis?
a. Intellectual Disability
b. Bipolar Disorders
c. Intermittent Explosive Disorder
d. Borderline Personality Disorder
31. Dr. Jones is interested in whether a new treatment for autism will be helpful. She recruits 30
participants and she randomly assigns 15 to receive drug x and 15 to receive a placebo. After
3 weeks of treatment, she measures social engagement. In this study, what is the dependent
variable?
a. Treatment
b. Drug x
c. Social engagement
d. Autism
32. Misinterpretation on own bodily cues shown by individuals with Panic Disorder is a __ factor
- Cognitive
33. Grace just don’t care much about what’s going on around her. She shows little interest in
performing day to day activities. This is referred to as ___.
a. Apathy
b. Anhedonia
c. Alogia
d. Tangentiality
34. This approach is anchored on the individual’s thoughts and experiences
a. Psychodynamic
b. Cognitive
c. Behavioral
d. Cognitive-behavioral
35. This culture bound disorder is associated with a vague mix of physical symptoms, including
dizziness, weakness and fatigue which are attributed to semen loss.
a. Koro
b. Dhat
c. Amok
d. Pa-leng
36. What criteria/symptom in the DSM-5 best described this circumstance in Patricia’s life: in the
early treatment sessions, she sat silently, not wanting to talk much about herself. She also
found excuses to either leave the sessions early or delay her appointments. Sometimes even
after arriving at the treatment facility on time, she would change her mind and leave if believed
her attire was improper.

a. Patricia is preoccupied with being criticized or rejected on social

b. Patricia shows restraint within intimate relationships because of the fear of being
shames or ridiculed
c. Patricia is inhibited in new interpersonal situations because of feelings of inadequacy
d. None of the above
37. Which of the following refers to persistent thoughts, ideas, or impulses that seem to invade a
person’s consciousness
a. Panic
b. Anxiety
c. Obsession
d. Compulsion
38. A rapid cycling specifier will be given is the patient experience ___ episodes in a year
a. At least 2 mood episodes in the previous 12 months
b. At least 4 mood episodes in the previous 12 months
c. At least 2 mood episodes in the previous 6 months
d. At least 4 mood episodes in the previous 6 months
39. In this approach, certain essential characteristics are identified to be able to classify it, but at
the same time allows for certain non-essential variations
a. Classical approach
b. Categorical approach
c. Dimensional approach
d. Prototypical approach
40. A student who falls ill whenever they have oral exam but otherwise feels fine on regular
school days might be suspected to:
a. Be malingering
b. Have conversion disorder
c. Be suffering from social phobia
d. Have factitious disorder
41. What kind of drugs reduce one’s hallucinations or delusions?
a. Antipsychotic
b. Antianxiety
c. Antidepressant
d. Antihallucinogen
42. In response to stress, the hypothalamus first excites the ___ responsible for quickening our
heartbeat and stimulates our body organs directly.
a. Sympathetic nervous system
43. Which of the following is false regarding the anorexia nervosa in dsm5
a. Amenorrhea is a diagnostic criterion
b. The subtype refers only to the last 3 months
c. Significantly low body weight means 15% below normal weight
d. People with anorexia nervosa are never satisfied with their weight
44. Individuals with personality disorders may not feel subjective ____.
a. Danger
b. Distress
c. Deviance
d. Disability
45. Based on his circumstance, what could be the one possible contributor to the development of
Patricia’s condition… from unpleasant childhood experiences, patricia had become
devastated by her father’s…
- Sociocultural
46. Which of the following definitions of mental disorders is currently thought best?
a. Personal distress
b. Harmful dysfunction
c. Norm violation
d. None of the above
47. DSM5 does not describe an intoxication for
a. Cocaine use disorder
b. Tobacco use disorder
c. Caffeine-related disorder
d. Stimulant-related disorder
48. A depressive individual most often has negative views about the self, others, and the world.
Which of the theories would be the best to use in this instance
a. Biological
b. Humanistic
c. Psychological
d. Cognitive
49. Based on the 4Ds of abnormality, which of the following point to dysfunction?
a. As an undergraduate student, she used to have a few close friends but she had decided
to distance herself from them because her GPA was not good as theirs.
b. She had always been shy and withdrawn since childhood and people who knew her said
she was very insecure and afraid of criticism
c. This behavior appeared to have originated from unpleasant childhood experiences, when
she had become devastated by her alcoholic father’s obnoxious
d. None of the above.