Deck 14: True-False

Question 1

The general adaptation syndrome in reaction to a chronic stressor is nonspecific;it doesn't vary,regardless of the stressor that is encountered.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Positive as well as negative events are important when considering the risk of stress-related illness.

Answer 2

True

Question 3

People who report having many daily hassles often report more physical and psychological problems than do people experiencing an infrequent but more severe life stressor.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Activation of the HPA axis increases sympathetic nervous system activity.

Question 5

Walter Cannon termed the physiological reactions to stress the general adaptation syndrome.

Question 6

Cortisol decreases the amount of glucose in the blood.

Question 7

The resistance phase of the general adaptation syndrome is equivalent to the fight-or-flight response.

Question 8

In response to stimulation from the hypothalamus,the pituitary gland releases catecholamines.

Question 9

The three phases of the general adaptation syndrome are the alarm phase,the anxiety phase,and the exhaustion phase.

Question 10

Exposure to a traumatic event may cause the hippocampus to decrease in size.

Question 11

The HPA axis that plays a role in reaction to stress is composed of the hypothalamus,the pituitary gland,and the amygdala.

Question 12

The adrenal glands are stimulated by a hormone called ACTH.

Question 13

During a fight-or-flight response,the adrenal glands release cortisol and catecholamines.

Question 14

Environmental psychology is the scientific examination of the reasons why people tend to pollute their habitat.

Question 15

On average,a positive event will produce the same amount of stress as will a negative event.

Question 16

Walter Cannon coined the term fight-or-flight.

Question 17

On the College Undergraduate Stress Scale,concerns about pregnancy produce the highest stress rating.

Question 18

In answer to stress,the body responds with an initial fight-or-flight reaction.

Question 19

Situations in which we feel we have no control are more stressful than are situations where we are required to take action.

Question 20

In males,the production of testosterone increases during the resistance stage of the general adaptation syndrome.

Question 21

If telomeres become too short,cells can no longer divide,which can lead to the development of tumors and a range of diseases.

Question 22

Chronic life stressors and brief life stressors both wear down the immune system and increase the likelihood of illness.

Question 23

Something as innocuous as having a conversation with a person of another race has been shown to produce posttraumatic stress disorder in some individuals.

Question 24

The body responds differently to stress depending on whether the stressor is perceived as a threat or a challenge.

Question 25

Thinking and writing about stressful events improves the functioning of the immune system.

Question 26

Chronic stress is an effect,but not a cause,of atherosclerosis.

Question 27

Telomerase is an enzyme that rebuilds telomeres at the tips of chromosomes.

Question 28

Hostility,especially in men,is a better predictor of heart disease than is smoking cigarettes.

Question 29

Burnout is particularly a problem for individuals in high-level management positions.

Question 30

Threats,but not challenges,increase the constriction of blood vessels.

Question 31

Primary appraisal involves determining if a stimulus is a threat or a challenge.

Question 32

The main cause of coronary heart disease is atherosclerosis.

Question 33

Research indicates that the use of repressive or avoidance responses to manage stress is harmful.

Question 34

Lymphocytes are cells that produce antibodies that fight infection.

Question 35

Ultimately,telomerase cannot keep up telomere production at a sufficient pace,and over time cells lose their ability to divide,causing aging and,in the end,cell death.

Question 36

Rational coping involves purposefully attending to and thinking about the stressor in an effort to overcome it.

Question 37

Both challenges and threats are stressors that increase heart rate.

Question 38

There is evidence that living at lower levels of society increases the risk of infections by weakening the immune system.

Question 39

Burnout occurs more often in the helping professions,in which workers encounter emotional turmoil.

Question 40

Conscientiousness is a feature of the Type A behavior pattern.

Question 41

Placebos have been shown to increase the release of endorphins,the brain's natural painkilling chemical.

Question 42

Aerobic exercise is a causal factor in promoting psychological well-being.

Question 43

Current U.S.government recommendations suggest that at least 1 hour of moderate exercise daily reduces the risk of chronic illness.

Question 44

People who use humor to reduce stress tend to live longer than do people who use other relaxation strategies.

Question 45

First-year college students tend to have weaker immune systems than do other college students.

Question 46

In response to a painful stimulus,high-pain-sensitive individuals exhibit more activity in the thalamus than do low-pain-sensitive individuals.

Question 47

Married people have a lower risk of mortality from cancer,pneumonia,and influenza than do single people.

Question 48

Biofeedback has been demonstrated to be about three times as effective in reducing stress as traditional relaxation therapy.

Question 49

Relaxation on a regular basis can reduce blood levels of cortisol,the biochemical marker of the stress response.

Question 50

Just thinking about a particular action will cause tension in the muscles associated with the action.

Question 51

In response to a painful stimulus,low-pain-sensitive individuals exhibit less activity in the anterior cingulate cortex than do high-pain-sensitive individuals.

Question 52

When faced with a stressor,men produce epinephrine,norepinephrine,and oxytocin.

Question 53

Meditation appears to have positive psychological effects,in part because it helps people improve their control over their attention.

Question 54

Aerobic exercise blocks the release of endogenous opioids in the brain,producing a runner's high.

Question 55

Relaxation on a regular basis has been shown to decrease the size of cancerous tumors.

Question 56

Despite early reports,recent research has indicated that biofeedback is not effective at treating brain-wave abnormalities in disorders such as epilepsy.

Question 57

Research has indicated that exercise is as effective as the most effective psychological interventions for depression.

Question 58

Current research suggests that humor can be helpful in reducing stress in the short term.

Question 59

Hans Selye developed relaxation therapy.

Question 60

The release of estrogen triggers a tend-and-befriend reaction to stress in females.

Question 61

People in France are leaner on average than are Americans,even though their diets are high in fat.

Question 62

A placebo can be mostly effective,even if you believe it will not work.

Question 63

Optimists stick to the medical regimens their caregivers have prescribed better than do pessimists.

Question 64

Shelley Taylor is known for her work on hardiness training.

Question 65

The three "C's" associated with hardiness are commitment,control,and challenge.

Question 66

The focus on psychosomatic disorders has shifted from concerns about mentally generated physical symptoms to excessive psychological concerns about explainable medical symptoms.

Question 67

When sick,optimists tend to utilize social support more than do pessimists.

Question 68

Placebos given to reduce pain have been shown to increase activity in the insula and thalamus.

Question 69

The average meal duration is greater in the United States than it is in France.

Question 70

A substantial number of people who seek medical care do so for treatment of psychological and emotional problems.

Question 71

Hardiness training has been shown to reduce levels of perceived personal stress more than does relaxation training.

Question 72

Dieters are better off focusing on increasing their exercise level instead of restricting their eating.

Question 73

Some effects of placebos are due to classical conditioning.

Question 74

Self-regulation is more effective when it focuses on what to do instead of on what not to do.

Question 75

Compliance to a medical treatment tends to decrease as the treatment becomes more frequent.

Question 76

Research has demonstrated that even die-hard pessimists can be trained to become significantly more optimistic.

Question 77

Malingering is a behavior in which individuals fabricate medical or psychological symptoms to get something they want.

Question 78

Physicians often focus on a patient's emotions and allow this focus to overshadow technical aspects of the patient's illness.

Question 79

Somatic symptom disorders are considered psychological disorders.

Question 80

Sexually active college females who do not use birth control rate themselves as more likely to become pregnant than are the average sexually active college female.