PSYB32H3 Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Personal Distress, Abnormal Psychology, Sketchpad
Document Summary
Chapter 1 introduction: definitional and historical considerations. Digit span: a test of working memory, working memory: mental sketchpad; how much information can we hold in our mind for long enough to do something with it. For example: remembering people"s names long enough to introduce them to someone else, remembering phone numbers. Because the field is continually evolving, it is not possible to offer a simple definition of abnormality that captures it in its entirety. The characteristics presented constitute a partial definition, but they are not equally applicable to every diagnosis. - davison, neale, blankstein, & flett, abnormal psychology, second canadian edition: since no to patients are alike, there are no defined black and white symptoms that apply to every diagnosis a lot of grey area is involved. Back in the day the church blamed any abnormal activity onto evil spirits, demonology, and exorcism.
