U8- Clinical Psychology Review

A generalized anxiety disorder is a disorder characterized by excessive anxiety and worry that ____.

• includes panic attacks and phobias
• disrupts daily life
• affects most of the general population
• is not correlated with particular objects or situations

Which brain structures are thought to be involved in generalized anxiety disorder?

• The hippocampus and prefrontal cortex
• The amygdala and prefrontal cortex
• The cerebellum and hypothalamus
• The amygdala and pons

Which of the following is a cognitive explanation for Jim’s generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)?

• Jim feels that worrying prevents bad things from happening.
• Jim’s father and other family members experienced GAD.
• Jim likes how alcoholic drinks soothe his feelings of anxiety.
• Jim’s wife recently moved out of their home after fifteen years of marriage.

What is one of the primary characteristics of panic disorder?

• borderline agoraphobia
• chronic anxiety
• more common in males than females
• fear of future attacks

Gabriel has become so fearful of going outside of his home alone and of being in open spaces such as parking lots that he has difficulty holding a job. This is best described as ____.

• a phobia
• agoraphobia
• a panic attack
• claustrophobia

Which perspective suggests that phobias might be exaggerations of an otherwise useful sense of caution?

• The evolutionary perspective
• The social perspective
• The integrative perspective
• The cognitive perspective

What is an obsession?

• Repetitive, ritualistic behavior associated with high anxiety
• Flashbacks, dreams, hypervigilance, and avoidance of stimuli associated with a traumatic event
• Preoccupation with or aversion to a specific topic
• An intrusive, distressing thought

Of the following, who is demonstrating a compulsion?

• Andrew, who has a precise, daily coffee-making routine that cannot be disrupted
• Diane, who has repeated doubts as to whether she turned the stove off before she left for work
• Henry, who keeps picturing himself hitting his boss
• Ellen, who worries about the contamination on other people’s hands and on door knobs at her office

What of the following is NOT a characteristic of PTSD?

• Hyperviligance
• Flashbacks and dreams about a traumatic event
• An attraction toward stimuli surrounding an traumatic event
• Emotional numbness

Alejandra, a resident of lower Manhattan, suffers from PTSD after witnessing the attack on the twin towers of the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001. A certain acrid burning smell can trigger intense feelings of jitteriness and distress for her. This is an example of ____.

• positive reinforcement
• operant conditioning
• classical conditioning
• observational learning