Deviation from abnormality-Statistical infrequency

Question 1

A01

Outline Statistical infrequency as an explanation of abnormality

Answer 1

Statistical infrequency occurs when p has less common characteristic e.g being less intelligent
A behaviour is regarded as abnormal if it is statistically uncommon e.g IDD
The average IQ is set at 100
In a normal distribution, most ppl have a score in the range 85-115.
Only 2% of ppl have score below 70
ppl scoring below 70 are abnormal & liable to recieve a diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder (IDD)

Intellectual disability disorder is example of statistical infrequency

Statistical infrequency (also known as statistical deviation)

Question 2

A03

real applications in clinical practices

Strength of statistcal infrequency

Answer 2

• Statistical infrequency is used in clinical practice as part of formal diagnosis & to assess severity of individuals symptoms
  e.g diagnosis of intellectual disability disorder requires IQ below 70
  shows value of Statistical infrequency in diagnotic & assessment processes

Question 3

A03

Limitation of Statistical infrequency is that infrequent characteristics can be positive & negative

Limitation

Answer 3

infrequent characteristics can be positive & negative
For every person with IQ below 70 there is a person with IQ above 130-yet we would think of someone as abnormal for having high iQ
Having an IQ of 130 might be regarded as advantageous rather than as evidence of ‘abnormality’
means being unusual at one end of psychological spectrum does not make someone abnormal.

Question 4

A03

Statistical infrequency is objective measure of abnormality

Answer 4

• statistica;infrequency uses an objective, standardised measure thus reliable
  Distribution curves are based on real data, therefore, should be unbiased

• Statistical infrequency = Implies that a disorder is abnormal if its frequency is more than two
  standard deviations away from the mean incidence rates represented on a normally-distributed
  bell curve.