AP Psychology : Other Treatment Principles

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for AP Psychology

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Example Questions

Example Question #81 : Psychological Abnormalities

What are two well-known and generally successful ways to treat acute and post-traumatic stress disorders?

Possible Answers:

Hypnosis and water-treatment therapy

Electroconvulsive therapy and hypnosis

Group therapy and re-exposure to trauma

Re-exposure to trauma and deep breathing techniques

Group therapy and behavioral-exposure treatments

Correct answer:

Group therapy and behavioral-exposure treatments

Explanation:

Many approaches and treatments have found to be successful in reducing PTSD. Some of the most successful include eye movement desensitization and reprocessing, participation in rap or therapy groups, psychological debriefing, insight therapy, and behavioral exposure techniques.

Example Question #82 : Psychological Abnormalities

Which of the following is not a way that phobias are treated?

Possible Answers:

Flooding

Relaxation training

Avoidance therapy

Modeling by therapists

Systematic desensitization

Correct answer:

Avoidance therapy

Explanation:

Exposure treatments are some of the most effective treatments for phobias. Exposure treatments include systematic desensitization, flooding, relaxation training, and participant modeling. Avoidance is not a viable means of overcoming a phobia.

Example Question #83 : Psychological Abnormalities

Which of the following is not a way that therapists can help individuals with dissociative identity disorder?

Possible Answers:

All of these answers are ways therapists help people with dissociative identity disorder

Try to help the patient merge their subpersonalities into a single, integrated identity

Help the individual recognize the disorder and educate the patient on the full nature of their disorder

Try to get the subpersonalities to all obtain equal power and "face time" in the life of the person

Help the client recover their lost memories and missing pieces of their past

Correct answer:

Try to get the subpersonalities to all obtain equal power and "face time" in the life of the person

Explanation:

Dissociative identity disorder is highly disruptive due to the overarching presence of subpersonalities that are controlling different aspects of a person's life. The goal in therapy is to fuse all the personalities, not help them all obtain equal power and "face time" in the life of a person.

Example Question #1 : Other Treatment Principles

Which treatment modality advocates unconditional positive regard for the client?

Possible Answers:

Bio-behavioral

Humanistic

Developmental

Psychoanalytic

Psychodynamic

Correct answer:

Humanistic

Explanation:

Humanistic psychology, pioneered by Carl Rogers and Abraham Maslow, is a psychological perspective that advocates the study of the whole person. Unconditional positive regard occurs when therapists support and accept the client wholeheartedly, regardless of the client's expressed views and behaviors.

Example Question #85 : Psychological Abnormalities

Seasonal affective disorder (SAD), caused by an increase in melatonin production by the pineal gland, can be treated using which of the following?

Possible Answers:

Electroconvulsive therapy

Phototherapy

Cognitive therapy

Behavorial therapy

Psychotherapy

Correct answer:

Phototherapy

Explanation:

Seasonal affective disorder is a mood disorder associated with episodes of depression during the winter months, and appears to be related to a lack of sunshine causing increased melatonin production by the pineal gland. It can be helped by phototherapy with bright white fluorescent lights.

Behavorial therapy is used to change maladaptive behaviors such as smoking or alcohol abuse. Cognitive therapy is used to remove negative thoughts that harm a person's emotional health. Psychotherapy is any means of treating psychiatric disorders by mental rather than pharmacological means. Electroconvulsive therapy is the use of electric shock to produce convulsions and treat drug-resistant psychiatric disorders. 

Example Question #86 : Psychological Abnormalities

Which of the following is not an aspect of psychodynamic/psychoanalytic therapy?

Possible Answers:

Free association

Unconditional positive regard

Transference

Resistance 

Dream analysis

Correct answer:

Unconditional positive regard

Explanation:

Free association, dream analysis, resistance, and transference are all aspects of psychodynamic/psychoanalytic therapy. Free association is when a patient talks in a relaxed and aimless way about anything that comes to mind so the therapist can try to determine any thoughts that might be repressed. Dream analysis is when the content of a patient's dreams is analyzed in order to understand the patient's unconscious, especially their wishes. Resistance is when a patient blocks memories from the conscious mind and/or becomes resistant to therapy when the therapist is getting near the heart of why the patient is in therapy. Transference is when the patient begins to react to the therapist in ways influenced by their childhood desires. 

Unconditional positive regard is an aspect of person-centered humanistic therapy. 

Example Question #2 : Other Treatment Principles

Which of the following is not a method of treatment for depression?

Possible Answers:

Person-centered therapy

Cognitive therapy

Group therapy

Anti-depressant medications (like SSRIs)

Systematic exposure

Correct answer:

Systematic exposure

Explanation:

SSRIs, cognitive therapy, group therapy, and person-centered therapy are all treatments for depression; systematic desensitization is a therapy for anxiety disorders, especially phobias. 

Example Question #3 : Other Treatment Principles

All of the following are true statements about Selective Serotonin Re-uptake Inhibitors (SSRIs), EXCEPT __________.

Possible Answers:

they are never combined with cognitive talk therapy

they block the reabsorption of serotonin

All of the other statements are true.

they are often used to treat mood disorders

they are often used to treat depression

Correct answer:

they are never combined with cognitive talk therapy

Explanation:

SSRIs CAN be, and are often, combined with cognitive talk therapy. In fact, it would be quite rare for a person to be prescribed anti-depressants without some element of talk therapy being used as a part of their course of treatment.

Example Question #4 : Other Treatment Principles

What does it mean when a person develops a "tolerance" to a drug?

Possible Answers:

They experience different effects from the same dosage of the drug due to changes in neurotransmitter reactivity.

They can be more easily convinced to take the drug.

They undergo a physiological change, which requires more of the drug to produce the same effects as a smaller dose used to.

They can begin to take other drugs without experiencing overlapping side effects.

Correct answer:

They undergo a physiological change, which requires more of the drug to produce the same effects as a smaller dose used to.

Explanation:

Though the amount of drug they must take increases, the types of effects of the drug are the same. Tolerance can eventually lead to withdrawal symptoms if the drug is not taken.

Example Question #5 : Other Treatment Principles

Which of the following is a reason why people do not seek treatment for psychological disorders?

Possible Answers:

The potentially high financial cost of treatment 

All of these answers are correct.

Lack of awareness that they need treatment

Social stigma surrounding therapy and treatment

Uncertainty about where to start or where to search for services

Correct answer:

All of these answers are correct.

Explanation:

There are many reasons why people may resist or not seek out treatment for a psychological disorder. Social stigma surrounds psychological disorders and their treatment; someone might be afraid of seeming "crazy" if he or she seeks treatment. In addition, some disorders, particularly personality disorders, are characterized by a lack of awareness, so people who have them might not realize they need help. Lastly, people might be overwhelmed at the thought of how/where to start treatment and worried that therapy and medication will be too costly.

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