AP®︎ Psychology: Topic 5.3 Practice Test
Prepare for your quiz, test, or the AP exam with focused practice questions on Topic 5.3 of AP Psychology – Explaining and Classifying Psychological Disorders.
Questions List
Topic 5.3
Question 1 Easy
This question tests the following: 5.3.A.1
What is a key factor for determining a psychological disorder?
What You’re Being Tested On:
Explore the learning objectives taken directly from the College Board’s AP® Psychology Curriculum. Ensure you’re prepared for the exact topics covered on the AP® exam, in-class tests, and quizzes, and gain confidence in your mastery of the material.
Topic 5.3: Explaining and Classifying Psychological Disorders
Learning Objective: 5.3.A
Describe the approaches used to define behaviors and mental processes as psychological disorders.
Essential Knowledge: 5.3.A.1
Level of dysfunction, perception of distress, and deviation from the social norm are all factors used to identify psychological disorders.
Essential Knowledge: 5.3.A.2
Diagnosing or classifying psychological disorders has positive and negative consequences depending on the nature of the disorder, the individual being diagnosed, and the presence of cultural/societal norms, stigma, racism, sexism, ageism, and discrimination.
Essential Knowledge: 5.3.A.3
Diagnosing psychological disorders requires specialized training and the use of evidence-based diagnostic tools. The American Psychiatric Association developed the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders to classify mental disorders. The World Health Organization developed the International Classification of Mental Disorders (ICD) to classify mental disorders. These classification systems are updated regularly to be responsive to new research and practice advances.
Learning Objective: 5.3.B
Explain how psychological perspectives define psychological disorders.
Essential Knowledge: 5.3.B.1
Most psychologists employ an eclectic approach (using more than one psychological perspective) when diagnosing and treating clients.
Essential Knowledge: 5.3.B.2
The behavioral perspective proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on maladaptive learned associations between or among responses to stimuli.
Essential Knowledge: 5.3.B.3
The psychodynamic perspective proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on unconscious thoughts and experiences, often developed during childhood.
Essential Knowledge: 5.3.B.4
The humanistic perspective proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on a lack of social support and being unable to fulfill one’s potential.
Essential Knowledge: 5.3.B.5
The cognitive perspective proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on maladaptive thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, or emotions.
Essential Knowledge: 5.3.B.6
The evolutionary perspective proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on behaviors and mental processes that reduce the likelihood of survival.
Essential Knowledge: 5.3.B.7
The sociocultural perspective proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on maladaptive social and cultural relationships and dynamics.
Essential Knowledge: 5.3.B.8
The biological perspective proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on physiological or genetic issues.
Learning Objective: 5.3.C
Explain how interaction models define psychological disorders.
Essential Knowledge: 5.3.C.1
The biopsychosocial model assumes that any psychological problem potentially involves a combination of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors.
Essential Knowledge: 5.3.C.2
The diathesis-stress model assumes that psychological disorders develop due to a genetic vulnerability (diathesis) in combination with stressful life experiences (stress).
