Deck 6: Stress, Coping and Health

Question 1

You missed a final exam and also missed your first day on the job because your car would not start. These negative life events most likely will cause distress provided you

A) also lacked adequate resources to cope with these stressors.
B) also have adequate resources to cope with these stressors.
C) also coped effectively with these negative life events.
D) also coped effectively with the distress you experienced.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

Stress exhibits or shows itself in different domains or categories. These domains consist of a person's

A) physical (physiological) symptoms, psychological symptoms, and medical ailments.
B) physical (physiological) symptoms, psychological symptoms, and maladaptive behaviors.
C) anxiety, depression, and sickness behavior.
D) eustress, distress, and stress

Answer 2

B

Question 3

Which characteristic of a life-change event will not lead to stress?

A) demand
B) threat
C) benign
D) challenge

Answer 3

C

Question 4

According to the same-domain effect,

A) both positive and negative events produce distress.
B) both positive and negative events produce eustress.
C) psychological events create psychological stress; physical events create physiological stress.
D) negative events decrease the quality of life; positive events improve the quality of life.

Question 5

Eustress is to _______________ as distress is to _______________.

A) a positive event---a negative event
B) maladaptive behaviors---physiological arousal
C) life demand---coping
D) a negative event---a positive event

Question 6

Which statement is true or mostly true?

A) Predictable demands produce more stress than unpredictable demands do.
B) Uncontrollable demands produce more stress than controllable demands do.
C) Small demands produce more stress than large demands do.
D) A person experiences more stress if she has many, not few, coping resources.

Question 7

Which negative life demands become most stressful? Life demands that are

A) both predictable and controllable
B) predictable but not controllable
C) neither predictable nor controllable
D) not predictable but controllable

Question 8

When given a choice, students prefer announced exams over unannounced exams. The announced exam is less stressful because a student can prepare for the exam by studying according to the

A) safety hypothesis
B) retrospective hypothesis
C) same domain effect
D) preparatory response hypothesis

Question 9

When given a choice, students prefer announced exams over unannounced exams. This information reduces stress because students can relax, except on the day of the exam. This interpretation of reduced stressed by being able to relax is based on the

A) safety hypothesis
B) retrospective hypothesis
C) same domain effect
D) preparatory response hypothesis

Question 10

What is the definition of a life change unit? The life change unit

A) refers to a coping resource
B) refers to a degree of adjustment
C) is a stressful event
D) is an unpredictable stressor

Question 11

A questionnaire or psychological scale measures the magnitude of the stressors that a person experiences or must cope with. What type of question would be asked on the questionnaire or scale?

A) In the past month, how many nights did you have trouble sleeping? 0 to 31
B) In the past month, how much did you worry? 1 = not at all to 7 = very much
C) In the past month, have your troubles accumulated? 1 = not at all to 7 = very much
D) Do you isolate yourself in order to reduce stress? no, yes

Question 12

Symptoms like feeling hopeless, anxious, fatigued, or depressed indicate what?

A) maladaptive behaviors
B) psychological immune disorder
C) physiological symptoms of stress
D) psychological symptoms of stress

Question 13

You play computer games to relieve your stress. However, gaming also negatively interferes with other aspects of your life. In this case, gaming is an instance of

A) maladaptive behaviors
B) physiological symptoms of stress
C) psychological symptoms of stress
D) psychological immune disorder

Question 14

What is the self-medication hypothesis for psychological stress? The self-medication hypothesis is a case of

A) using psychoactive drugs to feel even more euphoric than you do now.
B) eating comfort foods in order to reduce feelings of distress.
C) another person putting an ice cube on your burned finger.
D) seeing a counselor, who can help reduce your distress

Question 15

What is the relationship between stress and eating?

A) Some people eat more when stressed.
B) Some people eat less when stressed.
C) Some people eat more and others eat less when stressed.
D) None of the above

Question 16

A person who suffers from comorbidity is characterized by

A) neither psychological distress symptoms nor by psychoactive drug use.
B) either psychological distress symptoms or psychoactive drug use, but not both.
C) premature death from stressors that had a strong impact on the person.
D) psychological distress symptoms plus psychoactive drug use.

Question 17

Post-traumatic stress disorder

A) refers to flashbacks and distress resembling those to the original stressful event.
B) refers to the recovery from stress following an instance of acute distress.
C) results from accumulated amounts of eustress.
D) results from daily life demands exceeding a critical level of accumulation.

Question 18

Experiential avoidance is a characteristic of PTSD. What does this involve? Experiential avoidance involves

A) re-experiencing the intrusive and distressing recollections of the original traumatic event.
B) trying to prevent painful memories and thoughts associated with the original trauma
C) taking drugs or using alcohol in order to alleviate or escape the distress of PTSD.
D) giving up on life.

Question 19

An individual can be the instigator or be the rejected partner in a romantic break-up or the break-up can be mutual. What process leads to the worst amount of distress and to lesser amounts of distress? From worst to lesser amounts of distress:

A) mutual break-up, instigator, rejected
B) instigator, rejected, mutual break-up
C) rejected, mutual break-up, instigator
D) rejected, instigator, mutual break-up

Question 20

What is the dose-response relationship between stressors and stress?

A) nonexistent; there is no relationship
B) as stressors increase, stress increases initially but then decreases
C) as stressors increase, stress decreases
D) as stressors increase, stress increases

Question 21

Many people suffered from PTSD as a result of the September 11^th, 2001, terrorist attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. What factor(s) contributed towards PTSD?

A) distance from World Trade Center + loss of possessions + loss of job
B) distance from World Trade Center + loss of possessions
C) distance from World Trade Center
D) no factor contributed to PTSD

Question 22

Effort/reward imbalance indicates what type of stressor?

A) accumulated
B) chronic
C) severe
D) unpredictable

Question 23

What are the consequences of effort/reward imbalance for university students?

A) Students are unaffected by any changes in this imbalance.
B) A greater imbalance leads directly to withdrawing from the university
C) A greater imbalance leads to burnout; then consider withdrawing from the university
D) A greater imbalance leads to greater satisfaction with the academics of university life.

Question 24

A unique form of stress for minority group members is race-related vigilance. This vigilance refers to

A) stress that results from being chased by a group of vigilantes.
B) maladaptive behavior
C) stress that results from a lack of preparation for unpredictable stressors
D) preparation for and anticipation of being discriminated against.

Question 25

What set of circumstance(s) is most likely to produce headaches in an individual?

A) A stressful problem produces headaches, but only in headache prone individuals.
B) A stressful problem produces headaches in all individuals.
C) There are no known circumstances that produce headaches.
D) Relaxation produce headaches, but only in headache prone individuals.

Question 26

What would be the most representative finding from the field of psychoneuroimmunology?

A) Psychological stressors can worsen an existing physical ailment.
B) Stressors degrade the immune system; thus, increasing the likelihood of a cold or flu.
C) Stress is mostly good for the immune system; it helps a person ward off a cold or the flu.
D) Stressors are a type of pathogen.

Question 27

What statement best describes sickness behavior?

A) Feeling sleepy resulting from chronic sleep deprivation.
B) It is the body's reaction to cytokines and pathogens.
C) Low motivation due to energy directed to the immune system to fight pathogens.
D) Feeling physiological distress, such as a fever and achy joints.

Question 28

What process is not part of the sequence of coping with stress?

A) planning
B) execution
C) feedback
D) setting

Question 29

During primary appraisal a person

A) examines whether a life demand is relevant, positive, or stressful.
B) examines whether to cope with the stressor or with the resulting stress.
C) decides whether to use a physical or psychological coping strategy.
D) judges what resources she has available to cope with the stressor.

Question 30

During secondary appraisal a person

A) decides whether to use a physical or psychological coping strategy.
B) judges what resources she has available to cope with the stressor.
C) actually copes with the stressor and the stress.
D) examines whether a life demand is relevant, positive, or stressful.

Question 31

Problem-focused coping is to emotion-focused coping as

A) handling stress is to handling a stressor
B) using primary appraisal is to handling a stressor
C) handling a stressor is to handling stress
D) handling stress is to using secondary appraisal

Question 32

Ms. Panic is either going running for 30 minutes or taking a nap for an hour in order to alleviate her feeling of "being overwhelmed." Running or taking a nap is an example of

A) primary appraisal.
B) secondary appraisal.
C) problem-focused coping.
D) emotion-focused coping.

Question 33

Mr. Panic is anxious, and in a panic (feels stressed) about the paper that is due in his Motivation class. He reads the course syllabus in order to understand what is required for the paper. After doing so, he is less stressed and feels much less anxious. Examining the course syllabus is an example of

A) problem-focused coping.
B) emotion-focused coping.
C) primary appraisal.
D) secondary appraisal.

Question 34

Your romantic partner broke-up with you. What coping strategy will help reduce your feelings of love for your ex-partner?

A) fantasize about winning the lottery and how to spend the money
B) reappraise your ex as having been inconsiderate with annoying habits
C) do not do anything
D) play video games on the Internet until mentally exhausted

Question 35

What type of coping is most effective when stressors are controllable?

A) emotion focused coping
B) wishful thinking, distancing, self-blame, and isolating yourself
C) problem focused coping
D) re-appraising feelings of distress

Question 36

When a stressor is uncontrollable, what is the best coping strategy to use?

A) problem focused coping
B) secondary appraisal of your coping resources
C) using affordances
D) emotion focused coping

Question 37

When stressors are mild or of low intensity, what is a good coping strategy?

A) re-appraise the nature of the stressor
B) re-appraise the feelings of stress
C) wishful thinking, distancing, self-blame, and isolating yourself
D) emotion focused coping

Question 38

How do affordances influence coping?

A) The presence of affordances in a stressful situation increases feelings of stress.
B) Affordances are opportunities in the stressful situation that help a person cope.
C) Affordances are symptoms of stress that make coping more difficult.
D) Affordances reduce the ability to re-appraise a stressor.

Question 39

Emotion regulation refers to

A) selecting a coping strategy after performing a secondary appraisal.
B) coping in order to decrease a negative emotion and to increase a positive emotion
C) selecting what emotion to experience, how intensely, when, and their expression
D) a type of problem-focused coping

Question 40

In the sequence of coping with stressors and stress, what occurs during the planning phase?

A) Set a goal of how effective coping should be.
B) Evaluate feedback about the effectiveness of the coping strategy.
C) Determining what coping strategy to employ.
D) Appraise life demands and how to deal with them.

Question 41

a. Differentiate among stressors, stress, and the same-domain effect.
b. Regarding stress, differentiate among the three categories or indicators of stress

Question 42

a. What are features of life-events that can make them become stressors resulting in stress.
b. What is the dose-response relationship for stressors and stress.

Question 43

What is the relationship between stressors, the immune system, physical ailments (e.g., colds or influenza), and sickness behavior?

Question 44

What is race-related vigilance? What types of behaviors does it motivate?

Question 45

a. What are the two major types of coping?
b. Describe how the effectiveness of a coping strategy depends on the nature of the stressor. In other words, why does the characteristic of the stressor determine which coping strategy is best?

Question 46

What steps are involved in the stressor-stress coping process?