MASTER - abnormal studies

Question 1

Luhrmann

Answer 1

Aim: To compare the characteristics and interpretations of auditory hallucinations in individuals with schizophrenia across different cultures.

Method: Researchers conducted structured interviews with individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia from the United States, India, and Ghana about their voices.

Results: Significant cultural differences emerged in the positivity, violence, familiarity, and attributed causes of the voices reported by participants.

Conclusion: The study suggests that cultural context shapes the experience of auditory hallucinations, implying that the distressing Western experience is not universal and can be influenced by interpretation.

Question 2

Friedlander and Stockman

Answer 2

Aim: To investigate if the timing of information biases clinicians’ final mental illness diagnoses and prognoses.

Method: Clinicians evaluated patient case studies presented over multiple interviews, with the timing of key evidence manipulated.

Results: For less severe cases, early negative information led to poorer final evaluations; however, this effect was not significant for more severe cases.

Conclusion: Early information can bias clinical diagnoses in less severe situations, but symptom severity may reduce this anchoring effect.

Question 3

Li-Repac

Answer 3

Aim: To investigate if cultural stereotyping by therapists influences their diagnoses of patients from different cultural backgrounds.

Method: Therapists of different cultural backgrounds rated videotaped interviews of White and Chinese-American patients on various psychological measures.

Results: Therapists’ cultural background influenced their perceptions of patients’ traits and pathology, with culturally similar patients often being viewed differently.

Conclusion: Cultural stereotyping can affect professional diagnostic judgments, suggesting a bias in how therapists perceive patients from diverse cultural backgrounds.

Question 4

Alloy et al

Answer 4

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.

Question 5

Nolen Hoeksema

Answer 5

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.

Question 6

Brown and Harris

Answer 6

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.

Question 7

Elkin et al

Answer 7

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.

Question 8

Caspi et al

Answer 8

Aim: Investigate gene-environment interaction for the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTT) in relation to depression.

Method: Large sample of NZ participants divided into three groups based on 5-HTT alleles:

Group 1: Two short alleles
Group 2: One short, one long allele
Group 3: Two long alleles

Participants completed a “Stressful Life Events” questionnaire and were assessed for depression.

Results:
Individuals with one or more short alleles showed more depression symptoms and suicidal ideation in response to stressful events.
The effect was strongest with increased stressors; inheritance of the gene alone was not sufficient for depression.

Conclusion: Interaction between genetic predisposition and environmental stressors increases the likelihood of developing depression.

Question 9

Kendler et al

Answer 9

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.

Question 10

Parker et al

Answer 10

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.

Question 11

Farb et al

Answer 11

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.

Question 12

Becker et al

Answer 12

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.

Question 13

Braun et al

Answer 13

Aim: To investigate the anxiolytic (anxiety-reducing) effect of a drug on male rats using elevated mazes.

Method: Male rats were randomly assigned to receive either the drug or a saline solution before exploring two different elevated mazes, with their exploratory behavior filmed.

Results: Rats receiving the drug spent more time in the open, anxiogenic areas of both mazes compared to control rats.

Conclusion: The study demonstrates that the tested drug has a clear anxiolytic effect on rats.

Question 14

Amir et al

Answer 14

Aim: To test the efficacy of a self-directed OCD treatment program combining sERP with Cognitive Bias Modification (CBM).

Method: Participants with OCD underwent a seven-week self-directed program involving sERP and various CBM tasks, with symptom severity assessed before and after treatment.

Results: A significant portion of participants completed the program, showing a substantial reduction in OCD symptom severity that was maintained at follow-up.

Conclusion: The integrated self-directed ERP and CBM treatment program demonstrates effectiveness in reducing OCD symptoms.

Question 15

Chang et al

Answer 15

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.

Question 16

Zhang et al

Answer 16

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.

Question 17

Park et al

Answer 17

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.