Download FRQ Post-Guidance for Abnormal Behavior and Treatments FRQ

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FRQ Post-Guidance for Abnormal Behavior and Treatments
FRQ Directions: Answer the following questions. It is not enough to answer a question by merely
listing facts. You should present a cogent argument based on your critical analysis of the questions
posted, using appropriate psychological terminology. Your answer will constitute 1/3 of your
assessment grade.
Orange= less effective
Blue=effective
28. Abnormal behavior used to be seen as possession, a curse, or an evidence of evil. Abnormally-behaving
individuals were treated with exorcisms, incarceration, and exile. Now, the overall view of abnormality has
changed.
In the 21st century, we see abnormal behavior as an illness.
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What is the name of the “model” that psychologists employ to explain abnormal behavior?
What are the model’s three parts and how are they defined?
What are the three criteria that qualify a person’s behavior to fit this behavior? Name them and explain
what each criteria means.
What is at least one advantage and disadvantage of this model?
Doesn’t address the prompt:
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Diagnosis (which disease the patient has), prognosis (probable outcome of disorder), etiology (origin of
disorder). Points earned: 0/3. Why? Look at the FRQ instructions. Lists aren’t enough. The student doesn’t
specify which part of the prompt the response addresses.
Does address the prompt:

The medical mode’s three parts are, first, diagnosis (which disorder the patient has), second, prognosis
(probable outcome of disorder), and, third, etiology (origin of disorder). Points earned: 3/3. Why? The
student connects the answer to the prompt.
Orange= less effective
Blue=effective
29. Often misunderstood, schizophrenia is a psychological disorder affecting one percent of the population. In
addition to treating the disorder, psychologists work to identify its nature and origins.
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Identify two characteristic symptoms used to diagnose schizophrenia.
Discuss a research finding that supports a genetic basis for schizophrenia.
Describe how medications used to treat schizophrenia affect the action of dopamine
neurotransmitters at the synapses.
People sometimes confuse schizophrenia with dissociative identity disorder (DID). Identify two key
characteristics that differentiate DID from schizophrenia.
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Answer’s language is not specific
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The genetic basis is that it’s passed down. Points earned: 0/2. Why? The genetic basis for what? You
didn’t say. And what is “it’s?” And where are your key vocab. words that would tie schizophrenia to
heredity?
Answer’s language is specific and utilizes key vocabulary
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A genetic research finding connected to schizophrenia indicates that schizophrenia is inherited. Twin
studies, for example, show a positive correlation between amount of DNA shared and the likelihood to
share a schizophrenic diagnosis with that family member. As the degree of relatedness decreases, so does
the probability of receiving a schizophrenic diagnosis. Why? Points earned: 2/2. The underlined words
scream “biological perspective,” don’t they? Isn’t that what genetics refers to? Show me you know those
words and that you can use them to explain a genetic basis for schizophrenia. Again, look at the FRQ
directions at the top.
Component only partially answered and explained
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Schizophrenia consists of delusions. DID is more like different personalities. Points earned: 1/2. Why?
First off, where is the student’s precise language and thorough explanation? Second, the student’s answer
only shows one difference between the two diseases, and prompt asks for two.
Component fully answered and explained
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Schizophrenia involves delusional, or distorted, thinking, while DID patients aren’t so much delusional as
they are confused due possessing more than one personality. Delusions are strange beliefs, but multiple
personalities cause lapses in time and memory, which would be very confusing for anyone. A second
difference consists in the etiologies of the disorders. Schizophrenia is highly heritable, while DID is often
caused by childhood abuse in the patient’s early environment. Points earned: 2/2. Why? The student
used key vocab. describing the symptoms of each disorder, listed two symptoms for each disorder, and
directly contrasted these symptoms in a thorough explanation.
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Orange= less effective
 Blue=effective
30. Explain the etiologies of mood disorders, anxiety disorders, and somatoform disorders using
 The cognitive perspective
 The behavioral perspective
Be sure to address each of the three kinds of disorders specifically. Be sure to use KEY WORDS from each
perspective. Here is a bank. You do not need to use all of the suggested words.
Cognitive: thought processes, automatic thoughts, assumptions, detection, standards of
evaluation, beliefs, emotional reaction
Answer does not address the prompt
Behavioral: environment, stimulus, response, acquisition, shaping, reinforcement, punishment,
model,addresses
attention,
Answer
theretention,
prompt reproduction, motivation
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Response lists vocabulary but does not explain its relevance
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Mood is cognitive because of thought processes and assumptions. These cause instability in mood. Points
earned: 0/1.5. Why? Student has used words provided by the prompt, but that’s it. Thank you, Captain
Obvious. Where is the explanation connecting these concepts to the symptoms of mood disorders? Did
you make it obvious for the grader through an explanation of these terms’ relevance to mood disorders
that you know what you’re talking about? Not remotely.
Response utilizes vocabulary to explain relevance to the prompt
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A cognitive etiology of a mood disorder may be based on the idea that depressed and bipolar people
struggle to detect automatic thoughts which lead them to believe that quality of life or self is below
average or (in the case of bipolar mania) that they are capable of taking on large quantities of
responsibility or activity. Points earned: 1.5/1.5. Why? The student not only uses the terms but explains
how they could reasonably connect to the symptoms of mood disorders. Is it obvious through the
explanation that the student understands what “detection” and “automatic thoughts” are? Yes. Is it
obvious that students know how those key terms would explain the origin of mood disorders? Yes.
Response connects cog. and beh. perspectives to symptoms of disorders
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A behavioral explanation would be that somatoform disorders are environmental and result from the
patient being reinforced for somatoform behaviors by his model. Points earned: 0/1.5. Why? The prompt
asks the student to explain how the behavioral perspective explains the origin or somatoform disorders.
How could a student offer such an explanation without making it evident in his/her explanation what a
somatoform disorder is?
Response connects cog. and beh. perspectives to symptoms of disorders
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A behavioral etiology of a somatoform disorder may be that somatoform disorders, like hypochondriasis
for example, have physical symptoms but no physical origins. The symptoms come from the patient’s
fears of becoming sick and reinforcement from his environment in the form of attention. Therefore, a
behaviorist would say that a patient’s fears of becoming ill originate from seeing someone in his
environment become ill, even someone in the news. Meanwhile, if a patient begins to act ill, he gathers
sympathy from those around him, and this attention reinforces (encourages) him to continue believing in
his sickness so that he can receive more attention. Points earned: 1.5/1.5. Was it evident that that
student knew what a somatoform disorder was? Yes, because he mentioned fear of illness and the need
for attention. Did the student use key behavioral words to explain where the symptoms of a somatoform
disorder might come from? Yes.