Clinical Therapy

Note: These questions are part of a larger data base of questions on module 11. The 
questions are selected to represent the type of question you should expect on unit exam one. You 
can, in fact, expect to see many of these very same questions on that exam. Exam questions, however, 
may deal with topics not covered in the self tests or in lectures but are discussed in your textbook. You 
are responsible for the content of your text book plus the content of lectures, interactive activities, 
& material on the web site.

---- Use these sample questions to test yourself & to practice for the test. ----

The tendency of mildly depressed people to make accurate rather than self-serving judgments 
is referred to as

b. the Barnum effect.
b. depressive realism.
c. realistic pessimism.
d. accurate explanatory style.

2. “Explanatory style” refers to 

 one’s habitual way of explaining life events. 
 the complexity of one’s persuasive arguments. 
 the pitch and speed with which one communicates. 
 whether one uses reason or emotion in debating an issue. 

3. Which type of explanatory style is used when explaining life events in terms of factors that 
are stable, global, & internal? 

 positive 
 realistic 
 negative 
 repressive 

4. Compared to depressed people, normal people 

 exaggerate their control of events around them. 
 readily accept responsibility for both success & failure. 
 have realistic perceptions of the good & bad things the future holds. 
 describe themselves with a fairly even mix of positive & negative qualities. 

5. Which of the following attributions regarding a failure or a setback illustrates the global 
quality of a depressed person’s explanatory style? 

 “It’s all my fault.” 
 “It’s going to last forever.” 
 “The whole world is against me.” 
 “It’s going to affect everything I do.” 

6. Which of the following best illustrates an internal attribution for a failure or setback? 

 “It’s all my fault.” 
 “I’ll never succeed.” 
 “This ruins everything.” 
 “The whole world is against me.” 

7. In those vulnerable to depression, negative experiences first cause 

 a depressed mood. 
 further negative experiences. 
 self-focused & self-blaming thoughts. 
 blaming others for the negative experience. 

8. According to self-presentation theory, we will feel social anxiety when we are 

 depressed. 
 in any situation in which we can be observed. 
 motivated & able to impress others, but they ignore us. 
 motivated to impress others but doubt our ability to do so. 

9. Labeling oneself as shy, depressed, or under the influence of alcohol can serve what function? 

 anger-reducing 
 self-handicapping 
 group-identification 
 concurrence-seeking 

10. Both assertiveness training & rational-emotive therapy are examples of psychotherapeutic 
techniques that 

 encourage changes in explanatory style. 
 utilize social support to change behavior. 
 use counter conditioning strategies. 
 utilize the attitudes-follow-behavior principle. 

11. The vicious cycles that maintain depression, loneliness, & shyness can be broken by 

 positive experiences that alter self-perceptions. 
 training in more effective social skills. 
 changing negative thought patterns. 
 all of the above. 

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                             Social Psychology
                               Robert C. Gates