Cyp 3.5 Psy/270

What is meant by ‘statistical infrequency’ as a definition of abnormality? [2 marks]

Gavin describes his daily life. ‘I sometimes get gripped with the thought that my family is in danger. In particular, I worry about them being trapped in a house fire. I now find that I can only calm myself if I check that every plug socket is switched off so an electrical fire couldn’t start. I used to switch each socket on and off, but now I have to press each switch six times. It takes me ages to leave the house.’
Outline two characteristics of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Refer to Gavin in your answer. [4 marks]

Tommy is six years old and has a phobia about birds. His mother is worried because he now refuses to go outside. She says, ‘Tommy used to love playing in the garden and going to the park to play football with his friends, but he is spending more and more time watching TV and on the computer.’

Explain how this procedure could be used to help Tommy overcome his phobia. [4 marks]

Explain why systematic desensitisation might be more ethical than using flooding to treat Tommy’s phobia. [2 marks]
Outline and evaluate at least one cognitive approach to explaining depression. [12 marks]

Read the item and then answer the questions that follow.
The data from the laboratory experiment are shown in Table 1.
Table 1:
Time taken for the cat to escape from the puzzle box Attempt Time taken for the cat to escape from the puzzle box (seconds)
1. 63
2. 60
3. 45
4. 37
5. 18
6. 15
7.