PSYCH257 Lecture : Abnormal Psychology 2nd CDN edition Chapter 3
16 Oct 2011
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First step: describe openly major difficulties (presenting problem); insecure + anxiety. Recog"d frank repeatedly twitched every so ofter due to fear of seizuring. Clinical assessment: systematic evaluation and measurement of psychological, biological, and social factors in an individual presenting with a possible psychological disorder. Diagnosis: process of determining if individual"s problem meets all criteria for a psychological disorder. Frank: 24 yr old mechanic; severe distress + anxiety over marriage. Brian: 30 yr old bookkeeper; thoughts of harming self/others; usu. First, collect information across broad range of indiv"s functioning; determine source of problem. 3 concepts that help determine value of assessments. I) reliability: degree to which a measurement is consistent. Ii) validity: whether it measures what it"s meant to. Iii) standardization: process by which a set of standards is determined for a technique. Narrow focus via rule out problems in some areas, concentrate on most relevant areas. To make its use consistent across diff. measures.
