• Thompson Rivers University

• PSYC 3991

 Assignment 2 Part A: Short-Answer Questions 1. According to Tiet et al., why might a higher IQ be beneficial in coping with adverse life events? Can you think of another reason? According to Tiet et al., a higher IQ protects youth whose mothers are psychologically disturbed (2001). An explanation for this finding is that youth with higher IQ are better able to cope with adverse life events, such as integrating their experiences into their mental schemata, and therefore better able to ward off negative effects when at risk (Tiet et al., 2001). Youth with higher IQ may also be more likely to find alternative solutions to problems they encounter when they have a psychologically disturbed mother (Tiet et al., 2001). Similarly, I believe that intelligence may act as a vulnerability factor because children with higher IQ may be more sensitive to their surroundings, which makes them more susceptible to life stressors than individuals with lower IQ's 2. Why do Tiet et al. conclude that IQ is a more generalizable protective factor, compared to gender? According to Tiet et al., the generalizability of the protective factors was examined by comparing pairs of full and compact models (2001). Gender effect varied significantly across the two risk factors (Tiet et al., 2001). The protective effect of IQ was not statistically different across the two risk factors (Tiet et al., 2001). The protective effect of being a girl is specific to maternal psychopathology, whereas the protective effect of higher IQ is generalizable across the two risk factors examined (Tiet et al., 2001). These findings accentuate the relevance of the specificity or generalizability of protective factors (Tiet et al., 2001). 3. The results of the study by Qouta found that mental flexibility increased resilience under what circumstance, but not under what other circumstance? Can you suggest a possible explanation for this finding? According to Qouta et al., the beneficial role of mental flexibility was symptom-specific, being valid for emotional disorders but not for PTSD (2001). Intifada-related traumatic events increased risk for PTSD, and mental flexibility was not able to attenuate that increase (Qouta et al., 2001). The study described that emotional disorders are a function of both the child’s cognitive style and the traum