GRE Subject Test: Psychology : Social
Study concepts, example questions & explanations for GRE Subject Test: Psychology
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Example Questions
Example Question #151 : Social
A therapist that asks a client to exaggerate his/her body language during a session is likely practicing which of the following?
Person-centered therapy
Psychoanalytic therapy
Gestalt therapy
Adlerian therapy
Gestalt therapy
Gestalt therapy was concerned with body language and therapists who practice this will often ask clients to exaggerate their body language so they can analyze it together. CBT is concerned with irrational cognitions and behaviors. Adlerian therapy focused on family and place in the family. Person-centered therapy was about building a good relationship between client and therapist. Psychoanalytic therapy focused on the unconscious and previous childhood experiences.
Example Question #152 : Social
Which of the following treatments has been extensively researched and found to effectively treat borderline personality disorder?
Dialectical behavior therapy
Feminist therapy
Rational emotive behavior therapy
Cognitive behavioral therapy
Logotherapy
Dialectical behavior therapy
“Dialectical behavior therapy” is the most widely researched treatment for borderline personality disorder. It was developed by Marsha Linehan and includes 4 core components: mindfulness, distress tolerance, emotional regulation, and interpersonal effectiveness. On the other hand, “logotherapy” is an existential therapy developed by Viktor Frankl and focuses on finding meaning in life. “Cognitive behavioral therapy” is an effective treatment for depression and anxiety, and looks at the impact of one's thoughts on emotions and behaviors. “Rational emotive behavior therapy” was developed by Albert Ellis and focuses on modifying irrational thoughts. “Feminist therapy” emphasizes the impact of women's social roles and includes an equal relationship between therapist and client, therapist self-disclosure, and advocating for socio-political change.
Example Question #1 : Neurophysiological Factors
When Jeanie was a child she experienced intense periods of stress and trauma. As an adult, she struggles with severe depression. Despite using multiple prescription anti-depressant medications, Jeanie does not find any one of them to be significantly effective. Which of the following best describes what has happened to Jeanie's brain?
None of these
Jeanie's brain is overproducing the neurotransmitters that the anti-depressant is delivering. Instead of decreasing Jeanie's depression, it is intensifying it by producing more of what she already has.
Jeanie's brain is not receptive to the type of neurotransmitter being delivered by the anti-depressant. Jeanie needs an anti-depressant that delivers a different combination of neurotransmitters than the ones she has already tried.
The early developmental stress Jeanie experienced caused the neural connections in her hippocampus to stunt growth, resulting in a smaller than average hippocampus. Antidepressants are ineffective initially because Jeanie's brain needs more neurogenisis in her hippocampus to assist with her mood.
The early childhood stress Jeanie experienced caused her limbic system to rewire it's route through her brain. Therefore, the anti-depressants are effecting a part of her brain that she does not currently have access to and becoming ineffective.
The early developmental stress Jeanie experienced caused the neural connections in her hippocampus to stunt growth, resulting in a smaller than average hippocampus. Antidepressants are ineffective initially because Jeanie's brain needs more neurogenisis in her hippocampus to assist with her mood.
Many women with depression possess an underdeveloped hippocampus—a key component in mood stabilization. Early stress can cause the development of the hippocampus to halt; therefore, the hippocampus is unable to do its job proficiently. Over time, antidepressants may assist with neurogenesis and improve Jeanie's depression but the effects will not be felt as quickly as they might be in someone with an average sized hippocampus.
Example Question #1 : Neurophysiological Factors
The presence of excessive dopamine receptors within the limbic system has been proposed to contribute to positive symptoms of which psychological disorder?
Psychosis
Bipolar Disorder
Parkinson's Disorder
Schizophrenia
Tourette's Syndrom
Schizophrenia
Medical researchers have long such proposed that excessive dopamine in the limbic system--leading to hyperactive, damaged connections between speech and language comprehension as well as hyperactive abnormalities of prefrontal attention--can contribute to positive symptoms of schizophrenia.
Example Question #153 : Social
Which of the following is not an example of primary prevention?
Parent education
Psychotherapy
Promoting access to prenatal and postnatal care
Promoting access to education
All of these
Psychotherapy
Primary prevention refers to efforts to prevent mental illnesses before they occur. These efforts aim to increase access to quality health care, education, and parenting classes—these factors can help protect individuals against experiencing mental illness. Psychotherapy, medical interventions (e.g. medications), and group therapy are all examples of intervention, not primary prevention.
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