Deck 15: Social Psychology in Action 2: Social Psychology and Health

Question 1

Which of the following people, based on personality, would be most likely to experience life difficulties and health problems?

A) Tim, who is highly neurotic
B) Anna, who has a tendency to experience negative moods
C) Lionel, who scores high on openness to new experiences
D) Wilson, who is a Type B personality

Answer 1

Anna, who has a tendency to experience negative moods

Question 2

Bobby has just undergone a major upheaval in his life. He had to declare bankruptcy. Research has shown that he is more likely to ________ compared with people who did not experience such upheavals.

A) die
B) turn to religion
C) become aggressive
D) be optimists

Answer 2

die

Question 3

Research presented by the authors of your text suggests that when someone's spouse dies, the majority of widows/widowers respond

A) by expressing joy.
B) by becoming severely depressed.
C) by grieving heavily.
D) resiliently.

Answer 3

resiliently.

Question 4

According to research presented in the text, poverty and racism are powerful sources of stress. This suggests that one problem with inventories is that the scale focuses on

A) objective stressors, not subjective judgments of stress.
B) stressors experienced by the middle class, not the poor or minority groups.
C) both positive and negative life changes.
D) self-reports of both stressors and health.

Question 5

Many mental health professionals have argued that people who do not grieve heavily after the death of a spouse are in a state of denial. The authors of your text explain that

A) many times, people cannot get out of denial and accept the loss until they grieve properly.
B) only by forcing oneself to cry and grieve can one truly break free of denial.
C) there is actually no evidence for this assumption.
D) people who grieve are psychologically healthier than those who bottle it up using denial.

Question 6

People who have endured major trauma, such as survivors of the Los Angeles earthquake in 1994 or terrorist attacks on September 11, tend to be at an increased risk of

A) becoming violent.
B) having heart problems that may result in death.
C) developing cancer within a year of the event.
D) contracting HIV within five years of the event.

Question 7

Adi has had a number of stressors in his lifetime but is doing fine. As the authors of your text report this indicates that Adi and people like him are

A) psychologically frail.
B) in denial most of the time.
C) prone to respond very irrationally and emotionally.
D) remarkably resilient.

Question 8

Jared has recently survived a horrific tornado that devastated his town and injured or killed dozens of his friends, family, and neighbors. Based on information from your text, Jared is most likely to

A) become violent and angry.
B) turn to religion as a way to cope with the tragedy.
C) be at an increased risk of having heart problems.
D) seek a stable romantic partner to start a family.

Question 9

According to contemporary researchers Holmes and Rahe (1967), stress reflects the degree to which people

A) must readjust their lives to external events.
B) must readjust their lives to physiological events.
C) perceive their lives as threatening.
D) interpret any given stimulus as threatening.

Question 10

Based on the conceptualization of stress by Holmes and Rahe (1967), who is most likely to experience stress?

A) Anna, who has a busy school routine
B) James, who is getting married next week
C) Sheila, who works ten hours a day
D) Theron, who is working in order to pay his way through school

Question 11

Patrick has experienced a large number of changes in his life. He's lost his job, is getting a divorce, is facing income tax evasion charges, and his wife is expecting a child. Patrick has also reported an increase in anxiety and has been sick a lot over the last six months. Some researchers would suggest that increased stress has taken a toll on Patrick's health. Others would convincingly suggest that ________ better account for this coincidence.

A) certain personality traits
B) a genetic defect
C) environmental pollution
D) drug use

Question 12

George's wife has just died from cancer. Based on what the authors of your text report about how people deal with such loss, what is George most likely to do in response to her death?

A) Sell her belongings the next day to rid his memory of her.
B) Grieve heavily for several months.
C) Become severely depressed.
D) Be distressed for a short time, then bounce back.

Question 13

Mr. Smith's husband just died. Based on the work presented by the authors of your text, if he's like the majority of widows/widowers, he will respond

A) by expressing joy.
B) by becoming severely depressed.
C) by grieving heavily.
D) resiliently.

Question 14

The authors of your text provide examples of people in other cultures who have died after finding out that they ate a certain food that is considered forbidden in their culture, even though the food did not poison them. What is the explanation for these deaths?

A) These people were cursed.
B) Violating a taboo created such stress that they died.
C) These people were allergic to that particular food.
D) These people actually contracted bird flu.

Question 15

Joanne Hill, who is described in the introduction, attributes her strength in the face of adversity to

A) luck.
B) making different choices.
C) realism.
D) cloud busting.

Question 16

Mild, transient reactions to stressful events, followed by a quick return to normal, healthy functioning, is the definition of

A) coping.
B) stress.
C) locus of control.
D) resilience.

Question 17

The definition of resilience can best be rephrased as

A) denial.
B) optimism.
C) learned helplessness.
D) bouncing back.

Question 18

According to the authors of your text, which of the following stressors are omitted from many of the stress inventories?

A) positive life events
B) stressors relevant to young people
C) stressors relevant to the aged
D) stressors such as poverty and racism

Question 19

Hans Selye (1956, 1976) originally defined stress as

A) perceptions of threat.
B) psychological responses to threat.
C) physiological responses to threat.
D) disruptive or threatening life events.

Question 20

Researchers often employ correlational designs to assess the relationship between stress and physical health . One problem with this approach is that researchers using this method

A) cannot make definitive causal statements.
B) rely solely on respondents' self-reports.
C) do not often use representative samples.
D) do not sample adequately from all age groups.

Question 21

Sora is participating in research similar to the research presented in the text. He has been exposed to the virus that causes the common cold and he has been given six assignments to be completed in the next two days. If his results replicate the previous research findings reported in your text, what will happen to Sora?

A) He will complete the assignments on time and not get sick.
B) He will get sick.
C) He will quit the research.
D) He will be too stressed out to sleep.

Question 22

From a social-psychological perspective, one problem with studies on the relation between the number of negative life events and reports of physical illness is that

A) objective situations have more influence than subjective situations.
B) researchers often ignore respondents' construals of objectively negative life events.
C) researchers often ignore positive life events as a source of stress.
D) stress is an inevitable consequence of social life.

Question 23

Deming is feeling unable to cope with the demands of work, school, and home. Deming is feeling

A) stressed.
B) depressed.
C) anxious.
D) extraverted.

Question 24

The authors of your text report that researchers exposed some participants in a study to the virus that causes the common cold and others to saline solution. The findings from this study imply that

A) when people are under greater stress, their immune systems are weakened.
B) when people are under great stress, their immune systems are just as strong as when they are under low stress.
C) when people are under low stress, their immune systems are stronger than when they are under high stress.
D) stress level does not influence the strength of the immune system.

Question 25

In terms of psychological and physical health, the authors of your text report that it is better to have a(n)

A) internal locus of control.
B) false sense of control.
C) external locus of control.
D) grandiose sense of self.

Question 26

Brenda has a strong internal locus of control. She believes that

A) her fate is a matter of happenstance.
B) she can control her fate.
C) if she wants a job done right, she must do it herself.
D) self-control is a valuable quality.

Question 27

All of the following are likely to experience negative effects on their health except

A) Althea, who is a single mother living in poverty
B) Rhonda, who is an upper middle-class member of the National Association for the Advancement of White People
C) Christian, who works at the Museum of Tolerance
D) Stuart, who is a middle-class black who just moved to a mostly white neighborhood

Question 28

According to stress research pioneer Lazarus (1966, 2000), it is ________ and not ________ stress that causes problems for people.

A) physical; emotional
B) negative; positive
C) subjective; objective
D) social; personal

Question 29

Consider the findings from the study on stress and the immune system. On a college campus, when would students be most susceptible to catching a cold?

A) just after returning from Spring Break
B) the second week of the semester
C) finals week, when there are many exams and papers due
D) during summer break

Question 30

Research presented in this chapter demonstrated that the more a group expresses racist attitudes, the worse their health. This demonstrates a ________ correlation.

A) positive
B) negative
C) neutral
D) zero

Question 31

Twenge and his colleagues (2004) report that in the last forty years, college students are believing more and more that they ________ over the good and bad things in life.

A) do not have much control
B) have strong control
C) must turn to God to watch
D) should be unemotional

Question 32

Researchers exposed some participants to the virus that causes the common cold and exposed other participants to an inert saline solution. They found that the more stress participants reported, the more likely they were to contract colds. Results of this study suggest that

A) stress can negatively affect our immune systems.
B) physical illness can make us more susceptible to stress.
C) exposure to viruses can be a source of stress on the immune system.
D) interpretations of stress are more important than objective stress.

Question 33

When is Sam most likely to catch a cold?

A) when he is exposed to the cold virus and is undergoing a divorce, but he does not find the divorce to be very stressful
B) when he is exposed to the cold virus and recently got a speeding ticket, which was very stressful for him.
C) when he is exposed to the cold virus and goes outside on a cold day with wet hair
D) when he is exposed to the cold virus, regardless of what is going on in his life

Question 34

The authors of your text report that researchers exposed some participants in a study to the virus that causes the common cold and others to saline solution. Results of this study showed that ________ of participants reporting the least stress caught the cold, and ________ of participants reporting the most stress caught the cold.

A) 10 percent; 100 percent
B) 0 percent; 50 percent
C) 27 percent; 50 percent
D) 12 percent; 89 percent

Question 35

Based on the information from your text, complete the following analogy. External control: internal control :: ________: ________.

A) chance; circumstance
B) luck; God
C) chance; self
D) self; willpower

Question 36

Lucile believes that she can control many things in her life-such as her health through her eating and exercise habits, her success in school through studying, and her happiness in friendships by being a kind person to others. Lucile is exhibiting a strong

A) external locus of control.
B) internal locus of control.
C) desire to affiliate with others.
D) need for cognition.

Question 37

Which of the following is a major conceptual concern with measuring stress by counting objectively positive and negative life events?

A) Only objectively negative events contribute to stress.
B) Perceptions of an event are more important than objective characteristics.
C) Most people don't confront enough major life events to experience stress.
D) A series of minor events often cause more stress than a major event.

Question 38

People with a strong external locus of control are best described as believing that

A) their fate is a matter of happenstance.
B) they can control their fate.
C) they can control other people very easily.
D) controlling others is important for success.

Question 39

It is ethically impossible to conduct experimental studies of stress and immune responses in humans to determine whether severe stress and prolonged stress actually causes susceptibility to health problems. However, some researchers have measured ________ and found that ________.

A) immune responses; loud noises can suppress immune responses
B) reports of illness; people who experience stress are ill more often
C) immune responses; even minor stressors can suppress immune responses
D) bacterial infections; stressors can increase infection rates

Question 40

According to most social psychologists, stress is defined as the negative feelings and beliefs that arise when people

A) experience a large number of changes in their lives.
B) respond maladaptively to changes in their lives.
C) experience physical or psychological illness.
D) believe that they cannot cope with environmental demands.

Question 41

Research summarized in your textbook suggests that a sense of control is more valued in ________ cultures.

A) Western
B) collectivist
C) East Asian
D) industrialized

Question 42

Based on information from your text on an internal sense of control, who is most likely to be psychologically well-adjusted?

A) Adam, who blames himself for getting lung cancer
B) Lola, who is HIV positive and feels she can control her daily activities
C) Charles, who blames his mother for his being schizophrenic
D) Tyler, who feels it is his own actions, as well as chance, that made him an alcoholic

Question 43

Which of the following is false?

A) People with fatal illnesses such as AIDS and terminal cancer may still maintain a sense of control over the consequences of their illness.
B) When a disease is poorly understood (e.g., AIDS), people in the culture may come to see it as a sign of moral weakness.
C) A sense of perceived control fosters psychological adjustment to serious illness.
D) A sense of perceived control affects only psychological adjustment and has no effect on physical symptoms.

Question 44

According to research by Taylor and her colleagues (1984), ________ is likely to reduce stress related to a negative life event such as cancer and can actually prolong life.

A) perceived control
B) an accurate attribution
C) objective severity
D) subjective severity

Question 45

Recall that Schulz (1976) randomly assigned nursing home residents to one of two conditions designed to manipulate perceived control over visitation schedules. He found that two months later, residents who

A) were visited more were happier, more active, and lived longer.
B) did not receive visitors were less happy, less active, and took more medications.
C) had a say in visit scheduling were happier, more active, and required fewer medications.
D) had health problems benefited more from the visits.

Question 46

Recall that a nursing home director in Connecticut cooperated with researchers Langer and Rodin (1976). To some residents he gave a speech that included such statements as "You have the responsibility of caring for yourselves, of deciding whether or not you want to make this a home...." and "You should be deciding how you want your rooms to be arranged...how you want to spend your time...." To others he said that there would be movie nights and plants for them that the nurses would care for. The researchers then kept track of health problems and deaths of all the residents. What was the independent variable of this research?

A) the health of the residents
B) the control they were given
C) the nurses who took care of the plants
D) the movies that residents attended

Question 47

Based on Langer and Rodin's (1976) study of perceived control in elderly nursing home residents, which of the following residents is most likely to feel happier, be more active, and live longer?

A) Bess, who makes her own bed and has a choice of a vegetarian meal
B) Aron, who has his own personal aide to attend to his needs
C) Catherine, who is often escorted outside for walks
D) Jack, whose room is full of lush plants

Question 48

The authors of your text provide a "word of caution." It can be dangerous to overestimate the relationship between perceived control and physical health, because

A) scientists still do not understand the mechanisms that explain this relationship.
B) when health problems become chronic, people may blame themselves.
C) when health problems improve, people lose a sense of perceived control.
D) it is impossible to determine whether perceived control and health are causally related.

Question 49

Recall that a nursing home director in Connecticut cooperated with researchers Langer and Rodin (1976). To some residents he gave a speech that included such statements as "You have the responsibility of caring for yourselves, of deciding whether or not you want to make this a home...." and "You should be deciding how you want your rooms to be arranged...how you want to spend your time...." and "If you are unsatisfied with anything here, you have the influence to change it...." Contents of this speech were designed to

A) reduce stressors.
B) improve residents' moods.
C) deal with a staff shortage.
D) boost feelings of control.

Question 50

________ refers to Leo's belief that he can influence his environment, and can influence the odds of positive or negative outcomes.

A) Self-efficacy
B) Learned helplessness
C) Social support
D) Perceived control

Question 51

Lenny believes that he has very little control over many things in his life such as health, success in school, and happiness in relationships. Lenny is exhibiting a strong

A) external locus of control.
B) internal locus of control.
C) desire to affiliate with others.
D) need for cognition.

Question 52

In what way might perceived control be a detriment to dealing with an illness? Perceived control

A) may lead patients to blame themselves for the disease or for failure to recover.
B) may make a patient feel better, but actually increases the severity of the physical symptoms.
C) alleviates physical symptoms, but decreases immunity toward other diseases.
D) may lead a patient to ignore the advice of medical professionals.

Question 53

The concept of ________ refers to the ways in which people react to stressful events.

A) immune reactions
B) attributional style
C) coping style
D) self-efficacy

Question 54

Based on Langer and Rodin's (1976) study of perceived control in elderly nursing home residents, what would be the best thing for a nursing home administrator to say to residents?

A) "We are here to respond to your needs and make your life enjoyable."
B) "We'll give you a plant for your room, which the nurse will water."
C) "You'll have a student visitor occasionally, depending on the student's schedule."
D) "At each meal, you have a choice of three entrées."

Question 55

Research summarized in your textbook (Sastry & Ross, 1998) finds that members of ________ cultures show less of a relationship between perceived control and psychological distress because of the ________.

A) Western; culture of honor
B) Western; importance of individual achievement
C) Asian; emphasis on collectivist values
D) Asian; samurai warrior tradition

Question 56

Several months after he randomly assigned nursing home residents to control or a lack of control over visitation schedules, Schulz (Schulz & Hanusa, 1978) was dismayed to find that those residents who had originally controlled the duration and frequency of visits from college students later experienced poorer health and higher mortality rates. These findings seem directly at odds with research by Rodin and Langer (1977), until one considers that

A) Schulz induced only a temporary sense of control.
B) Langer and Rodin studied women and Schulz studied men.
C) a lack of perceived control is worse than losing it.
D) people sometimes blame themselves for health problems.

Question 57

Gina believes that if she eats well, exercises regularly, and learns all she can by reading and talking to experts, she can prevent her breast cancer from returning. Gina has

A) an external locus of control.
B) a sense of perceived control.
C) high self-esteem.
D) a high degree of neuroticism.

Question 58

Six months ago, a nursing home started a program in which some residents were allowed to choose their daily activities. All else being equal, which of the following residents is likely to die soonest?

A) Edgar, who participated over the entire course of the program
B) Ruth, who recently joined the program
C) Martha, who recently dropped out of the program
D) George, who never participated in the program

Question 59

According to research on perceived control , even when people experience life-threatening chronic diseases such as cancer or AIDS, they can maintain a sense of perceived control over ________, and thus maintain psychological adjustment.

A) the consequences of a disease
B) their social networks
C) the course of their treatment
D) the course of the disease

Question 60

The authors of your text report that one response to stress is attacking or fleeing from the source of it. This is better known as the ________ response.

A) fight-or-flight
B) tend-and-befriend
C) acceptance
D) social support

Question 61

Recall that Pennebaker and Beale (1986) asked some participants to keep journals in which they described a traumatic event and asked other participants to keep journals about trivial events. Although writing about traumatic events initially contributed to negative mood and high blood pressure, over the following six months, those who "opened up" experienced fewer illnesses. How does Pennebaker explain these and similar results with first-year college students and Holocaust survivors?

A) Fighting back traumatic thoughts can take a toll on our bodies.
B) Feedback from others corrects pessimistic attributional styles.
C) Thinking and talking about traumatic events helps us habituate to them.
D) Reflecting on traumatic events reduces our need for support from others.

Question 62

In the "tend-and-befriend" response to stress discussed in your text, tending refers to

A) building a strong social network.
B) arguing with the source of stress.
C) nurturing activities.
D) turning the other cheek when someone insults you.

Question 63

When Kate encounters a lot of stress, she often turns to friends for help. When Kate is not under stress, she will often nurture her friends who are under stress, and continue to build up her social network. Kate seems to respond to stress using the ________ response.

A) learned helplessness
B) fight-or-flight
C) denial
D) tend-and-befriend

Question 64

Carlos finds it difficult to get all of his chores done in time so that he can study at night. Which type of social support would be most effective?

A) Brian telling Carlos that he'll cover the chores for a week.
B) Lucas telling Carlos that he would be happy to help with the chores, just give him a call.
C) Marcus offering to do Carlos's homework for a small fee.
D) Martin suggesting that everyone pitch in to help with all of the chores instead of dividing them up.

Question 65

Thinking about the "tend-and-befriend" response to stress discussed in your text, befriending refers to

A) building a strong social network.
B) manipulating the source of stress and pretending to be their ally.
C) nurturing activities.
D) turning the other cheek when someone insults you.

Question 66

Hiro, who is Japanese, is struggling with demands and schedules at work. He is not very likely to ask for social support from his family and friends. Why?

A) Asking for help could demonstrate his independence from his group.
B) Asking for help could disrupt the harmony of his group.
C) Asking for help is a symbol of weakness and lack of independence.
D) Asking for help will affect his locus of control.

Question 67

Which of the following is false?

A) Only women are likely to seek social support during a crisis because of the opposing forces of the "fight-or-flight" and "tend-and-befriend" responses.
B) Females evolved a "tend-or-befriend" response because pregnancy and caring for young children makes fighting or fleeing difficult.
C) Under stress, women are likely to seek out others, especially other women.
D) Nurturing behavior ("tending") improves immune function in mammals.

Question 68

After his mother's death, Steve began to keep a diary of his thoughts and feelings. Compared to his brother Marc, who chose not write about the tragedy, Steve is

A) less likely to show an immediate increase in blood pressure.
B) more likely to feel better soon.
C) less likely to become ill over the next six months.
D) more likely to visit the student health center.

Question 69

In collectivist cultures which type of social support is more acceptable?

A) visible support, because it shows that everyone in the group deserves help
B) visible support, because it is more effective
C) invisible support, because it shows that the group (but not the individual) needs help
D) invisible support, because it is less effective

Question 70

Based on longitudinal research conducted by House and his colleagues (1982), which of the following people would be most likely to die over the next twelve years?

A) Harry, who plays bridge every day at the senior citizens' center
B) Oscar, who lives alone and seldom has contact with others
C) Selma, who babysits her grandchildren every week
D) Gladys, a widow who volunteers to teach children to read

Question 71

Under stress, women are more likely than men to seek out the companionship of

A) the significant men in their lives.
B) other women.
C) anyone who they think might be supportive.
D) anyone, whether or not they expect that person to be supportive.

Question 72

Pennebaker's research on the effects of "opening up" or confiding in others shows that those people who write ________ show the most improvements to their health.

A) the stories with the least amount of traumatic content
B) the stories with the most traumatic content
C) stories that start out incoherent but become more organized
D) stories that focus on relationships

Question 73

Researcher Taylor and her colleagues (2000) pointed out that most research on the fight-or-flight response is limited by having been done primarily on

A) rats.
B) males.
C) nonhuman species.
D) organisms that are experiencing novel as opposed to familiar stressors.

Question 74

Your text explains the underlying reasons why women tend to use a "tend-and-befriend" approach while males tend to be more prone to use a "fight-or-flight" response to stress. What type of explanation do they provide for this gender difference?

A) cognitive dissonance
B) cultural
C) evolutionary
D) attribution theory

Question 75

Who is most likely to ask for social support when it is needed?

A) Sora. He is Japanese.
B) Jihun. He is Korean.
C) Alekso. He is Finnish.
D) Bai. He is Chinese.

Question 76

With regard to gender differences in coping strategies, male is to female as fight-or-flight is to

A) talk-and-walk.
B) care-and-share.
C) tend-and-befriend.
D) shop-'til-you-drop.

Question 77

________ refers to the perception that others are responsive and receptive to our needs.

A) Social facilitation
B) Social support
C) A positive attribution style
D) Perceived control

Question 78

When James is under stress, he tends to either get very confrontational and argumentative, or back away and totally withdraw from the stressful situation. James is exhibiting a ________ response to stress.

A) learned helplessness
B) fight-or-flight
C) denial
D) tend-and-befriend

Question 79

Spiegel and his colleagues (1989) randomly assigned breast cancer patients to either a series of weekly meetings to discuss their problems and fears or to a control group. Based on other research on social support, what would you expect to happen in this experiment? Women who met in groups would

A) feel worse, but live longer.
B) feel better and live longer.
C) feel better about their illness, but not live longer.
D) not feel any different, but live longer.

Question 80

Amberly is really struggling to make ends meet. Even though she has roommates, she still has bills to pay and a very tight food budget. Given the work of Bolger and his colleagues, which of the following would you suggest?

A) Maria should suggest that the group have a potluck meal once a week where each roommate brings what she can, because she is really having trouble buying a wide variety of foods.
B) Molly should give Amberly $20 the next time they are out at the grocery store.
C) Mandy should suggest that Amberly consider going to the food bank for groceries.
D) Madeline should buy groceries for Amberly.