Discuss one explanation for MDD (e.g., cognitive - negative cognitive style, in onset and relapse of depression).
Alloy et al
Aim: To investigate the role of cognitive style in the onset and relapse of depression.
Method: Non-depressed college freshmen, some with a history of depression, were assessed for cognitive style and followed longitudinally with regular mood and cognitive processing assessments.
Results: Students with a high-risk cognitive style showed significantly higher rates of developing and relapsing into depression, alongside biased processing of emotional information.
Conclusion: A negative cognitive style is implicated in both the initial development and recurrent episodes of depression.
Explain a cognitive explanation of the etiology of depression (e.g., cognitive style).
Alloy et al
Aim: To investigate the role of cognitive style in the onset and relapse of depression.
Method: Non-depressed college freshmen, some with a history of depression, were assessed for cognitive style and followed longitudinally with regular mood and cognitive processing assessments.
Results: Students with a high-risk cognitive style showed significantly higher rates of developing and relapsing into depression, alongside biased processing of emotional information.
Conclusion: A negative cognitive style is implicated in both the initial development and recurrent episodes of depression.
Explain a cognitive explanation of the etiology of depression (e.g., rumination).
Nolen Hoeksema
Aim: To investigate the role of rumination in depressive symptoms.
Method: A large community sample of adults was interviewed multiple times over a year, with assessments of depression and rumination.
Results: Individuals experiencing or maintaining depression exhibited higher rumination scores compared to those without a history of depression or those who recovered.
Conclusion: Rumination is associated with both the presence and persistence of depressive symptoms.
Explain a sociocultural explanation of the etiology of depression (e.g., social factors and stressful life events)
Brown and Harris
Aim: To examine the link between social factors, stressful life events, and depression in women.
Method: Women from South London underwent semi-structured interviews about their daily lives and any depressive episodes, with life events independently rated for severity.
Results: Depressed women frequently experienced adverse life events, and social class influenced depression risk, with contributing factors categorized as protective, vulnerability, and provoking.
Conclusion: Social factors and life stress are significantly linked to depression, with social class playing a role in susceptibility.
Explain a biological explanation of the etiology of MDD (e.g., gene-environment interaction)
Caspi et al
Aim: To investigate the gene-environment interaction of the 5-HTT gene in relation to depression.
Method: A large sample of participants was genotyped for the 5-HTT gene, completed a stressful life events questionnaire, and were assessed for depression.
Results: Individuals with one or more short 5-HTT alleles showed more depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation when exposed to increased stressful life events.
Conclusion: The interaction between genetic predisposition and environmental stressors significantly increases the likelihood of developing depression.
Evaluate a research method (e.g., twin studies) in the study of the etiology of disorders
Kendler et al
Aim: To investigate the heritability of major depression, including gender differences and changes in influencing factors over time.
Method: A large number of twin pairs from a national registry. Telephone interviews were conducted to assess lifetime major depression using established diagnostic criteria.
Results: Higher concordance rates for major depression were found in women compared to men. Identical twins showed significantly higher concordance rates than non-identical twins.
Conclusion: Major depression shows higher heritability in women, suggesting some gender-specific genetic risk factors.
Discuss one explanation for eating disorders (e.g., sociocultural - media influence)
Becker et al
Aim: To investigate the impact of television’s introduction on disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in Fijian adolescent girls.
Method: Two groups of Fijian adolescent girls were studied using a standardized questionnaire and interviews, one before widespread TV exposure and another a few years later.
Results: The later group, exposed to television for longer, showed significantly higher rates of disordered eating attitudes and related behaviors.
Conclusion: The introduction of television appears to contribute to the adoption of Westernized beauty ideals and an increase in disordered eating among Fijian girls.
Evaluate a research method (e.g., longitudinal/quasi-experimental design) in the study of the etiology of disorders
Caspi et al
Aim: To investigate the gene-environment interaction of the 5-HTT gene in relation to depression.
Method: A large sample of participants was genotyped for the 5-HTT gene, completed a stressful life events questionnaire, and were assessed for depression.
Results: Individuals with one or more short 5-HTT alleles showed more depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation when exposed to increased stressful life events.
Conclusion: The interaction between genetic predisposition and environmental stressors significantly increases the likelihood of developing depression.
Discuss prevalence rates with regard to depression (e.g., in relation to social factors)
Brown and Harris
Aim: To examine the link between social factors, stressful life events, and depression in women.
Method: Women from South London underwent semi-structured interviews about their daily lives and any depressive episodes, with life events independently rated for severity.
Results: Depressed women frequently experienced adverse life events, and social class influenced depression risk, with contributing factors categorized as protective, vulnerability, and provoking.
Conclusion: Social factors and life stress are significantly linked to depression, with social class playing a role in susceptibility.
Discuss one explanation for MDD (e.g., sociocultural - life events).
Brown and Harris
Aim: To examine the link between social factors, stressful life events, and depression in women.
Method: Women from South London underwent semi-structured interviews about their daily lives and any depressive episodes, with life events independently rated for severity.
Results: Depressed women frequently experienced adverse life events, and social class influenced depression risk, with contributing factors categorized as protective, vulnerability, and provoking.
Conclusion: Social factors and life stress are significantly linked to depression, with social class playing a role in susceptibility.
Evaluate the effectiveness of treatments for MDD (e.g., comparing therapies and medication)
Elkin et al
Aim: To compare the effectiveness of different treatments for Major Depressive Disorder (MDD).
Method: Patients with MDD were randomly assigned to different active treatments or a placebo, receiving treatment for a set period with various symptom assessments.
Results: All active treatments were similarly effective and superior to placebo, with medication showing faster initial response and therapies offering interpersonal benefits, though long-term remission was generally low.
Conclusion: Various treatments for MDD are effective, but specific benefits and long-term remission rates vary.
Discuss one explanation for MDD (e.g., biological - gene-environment interaction)
Caspi et al
Aim: To investigate the gene-environment interaction of the 5-HTT gene in relation to depression.
Method: A large sample of participants was genotyped for the 5-HTT gene, completed a stressful life events questionnaire, and were assessed for depression.
Results: Individuals with one or more short 5-HTT alleles showed more depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation when exposed to increased stressful life events.
Conclusion: The interaction between genetic predisposition and environmental stressors significantly increases the likelihood of developing depression.
Discuss a biological explanation of the etiology of MDD (e.g., genetic and environmental factors).
Kendler et al
Aim: To investigate the heritability of major depression, including gender differences and changes in influencing factors over time.
Method: A large number of twin pairs from a national registry. Telephone interviews were conducted to assess lifetime major depression using established diagnostic criteria.
Results: Higher concordance rates for major depression were found in women compared to men. Identical twins showed significantly higher concordance rates than non-identical twins.
Conclusion: Major depression shows higher heritability in women, suggesting some gender-specific genetic risk factors.
Discuss prevalence rates with regard to depression (e.g., cultural differences in presentation)
Parker et al
Aim: To compare the self-reported symptom identification and help-seeking motivations for depression between Chinese and Caucasian patients.
Method: Depressed out-patients from Malaysian Chinese and Australian Caucasian backgrounds completed a symptom questionnaire and identified their primary reason for seeking professional help.
Results: Chinese patients were more likely to report somatic symptoms as their primary reason for seeking help, and less likely to identify cognitive/emotional symptoms, despite both groups reporting a similar number of total somatic symptoms.
Conclusion: Cultural norms influence the presentation and reporting of depressive symptoms, with Chinese culture encouraging somatic expression over emotional/cognitive acknowledgment.
Discuss a cognitive explanation of the etiology of depression (e.g., rumination and neural predictors).
Farb et al
Aim: To investigate neural predictors of depressive relapse and how formerly depressed individuals respond to emotional challenges.
Method: Formerly depressed patients and healthy controls viewed emotional movie clips while their brain activity was tracked using fMRI, and their cognitive modes and depression severity were assessed via questionnaires.
Results: Formerly depressed patients who relapsed showed increased activity in a frontal brain region when faced with sadness, and this activity was linked to higher rumination.
Conclusion: Differences in brain responses to emotional challenges, particularly increased frontal lobe activity linked to rumination, predict future depressive relapse in formerly depressed individuals.
Discuss a sociocultural explanation of the etiology of eating disorders (e.g., media influence)
Becker et al
Aim: To investigate the impact of television’s introduction on disordered eating attitudes and behaviors in Fijian adolescent girls.
Method: Two groups of Fijian adolescent girls were studied using a standardized questionnaire and interviews, one before widespread TV exposure and another a few years later.
Results: The later group, exposed to television for longer, showed significantly higher rates of disordered eating attitudes and related behaviors.
Conclusion: The introduction of television appears to contribute to the adoption of Westernized beauty ideals and an increase in disordered eating among Fijian girls.
Discuss the role of culture in the treatment of disorders (e.g., Taoist Cognitive Therapy for GAD)
Chang et al
Aim: To investigate the efficacy of Taoist Cognitive Therapy (TCT) for Chinese Americans diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD).
Method: A small sample of Chinese Americans with GAD received a course of TCT, with symptom reduction and related psychological measures assessed before, during, after treatment, and at follow-up.
Results: Most GAD-only participants experienced significant reductions in anxiety and worry, with associated improvements in depression and cognitive flexibility, although daily functioning improvements varied.
Conclusion: Taoist Cognitive Therapy shows promise as an effective and culturally adaptable cognitive therapy for GAD, suggesting that cognitive therapy can be culturally sensitive.
Discuss the role of culture (e.g., power distance and self-control) in the treatment of disorders.
Zhang et al
Aim: To investigate how power distance influences consumer spending and impulsive buying, particularly for “vice” products.
Method
Study 1: Participants were primed for either high or low power distance, then given a hypothetical amount of cash to purchase snack items.
Study 2: Similar priming was used, but participants were offered a mix of “vice” (unhealthy) and “virtue” (healthy) products.
Results
Study 1: High power distance individuals spent less money and bought fewer items.
Study 2: High power distance individuals spent less on “vice” products and bought fewer of them, with no significant difference for “virtue” products.
Conclusion: Power distance influences impulsive buying of “vice” products, suggesting that higher power distance is associated with greater self-control.
Discuss the effectiveness of a biological treatment for OCD (e.g., factors influencing SSRI response).
Park et al
Aim: To investigate the relationship between patients’ beliefs about worry and the effectiveness of SSRI treatment for OCD.
Method: A sample of OCD patients from South Korea completed a questionnaire on their beliefs about worry before starting a four-week course of SSRI medication, with symptom reduction tracked.
Results: Younger age and a belief that “worrying helps to cope” were identified as key predictors of a slower or less effective early response to SSRI treatment.
Conclusion: Positive beliefs about worry are associated with a delayed response to SSRI treatment for OCD, suggesting they may create psychological resistance and highlighting the potential benefit of combined cognitive and pharmacological approaches.
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MASTER biological studies17
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Biological studies - SL/HL30
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Biological terminology25
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MASTER cognitive studies16
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Cognitive studies - SL/HL25
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Cognitive terminology12
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Types of experiment/sampling techniques12
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MASTER - Sociocultural studies13
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Sociocultural studies19
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Sociocultural terminology8
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MASTER - abnormal studies18
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Abnormal studies19
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Abnormal terminology15
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MASTER - Human Relationships studies16
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Human Relationships studies22
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Human Relationships terminology15
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sERP CBM - tbc4
