After Seeing a Friend of Yours Being Uncharacteristically Quiet, You

question 66

True/False

After seeing a friend of yours being uncharacteristically quiet, you decide that your friend must be depressed. You later find out that your friend is not depressed but sleepy from staying up all night working on a term paper. You made this error because you failed to distinguish between observation and inference.

---

Definitions:

Psychological Test

A standardized measure of a sample of a person’s behavior, used to assess and evaluate diverse mental functions and characteristics.

Mental Status Examination

The most frequently used semi-structured interview in psychiatric settings. Screens for patients’ emotional, intellectual, and neurological functioning. Used in formal diagnosis or to plan treatment.

Sensorium

The total sensory apparatus of the body, including the perception and processing of sensory information.

Detect Sarcasm

The ability to interpret and understand sarcasm, often through recognizing tone, context, or social cues that imply a discrepancy between the literal and intended meaning.