Deck 14: Social Psychology and Health

Question 1

It is currently estimated that about _____ deaths a year can be attributed to obesity.

A) 4,000
B) 600,000
C) 80,000
D) 400,000

Answer 1

400,000

Question 2

The realization that health is a psychological as well as a physical issue has given rise to the field of

A) epidemiology
B) oncology
C) psychological anthropology
D) health psychology

Answer 2

health psychology

Question 3

The study of health psychology focuses on

A) preventing and treating illnesses
B) promoting and maintaining health
C) improving the healthcare system
D) all of the above

Answer 3

all of the above

Question 4

The _____ model says health is social, biological, and psychological.

A) psychosocial
B) sociological
C) sociobiological
D) biopsychosocial

Question 5

Annual cancer deaths in the United States could be reduced by _____ percent if everyone stopped smoking.

A) 5-10
B) 25-30
C) 55-60
D) 85-90

Question 6

Your text describes disorders such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes as

A) preventable
B) epidemic
C) political
D) ecological

Question 7

Deaths due to vehicular accidents could be reduced by _____ percent if drunk driving were eliminated.

A) 5
B) 20
C) 50
D) 85

Question 8

Which of the following is described by your text as "preventable?"

A) diabetes
B) heart disease
C) cancer
D) all of the above

Question 9

Which of the following is classified by your text as a "health behavior?"

A) being no more than ten percent overweight
B) not eating between meals
C) eating breakfast each day
D) all of the above

Question 10

The reason many people do not engage in health behaviors is

A) they do not know the behaviors most associated with better health
B) they have biological predispositions that encourage unhealthy behavior
C) the consequences of health behaviors often do not appear for many years
D) all of the above

Question 11

Which of the following is NOT a basic health belief, as identified in your text?

A) general health values
B) psychological reactance
C) self-efficacy
D) personal vulnerability

Question 12

Which of the following is a basic health belief that contributes to the practice of health behavior?

A) belief that the threat to health posed by a disorder is severe
B) belief in personal vulnerability to a disorder
C) belief in the importance of general health values
D) all of the above

Question 13

Health behaviors are not likely to occur unless we feel

A) they will work
B) we are capable of doing them
C) vulnerable
D) all of the above

Question 14

________ refers to the belief that one is able to perform the response necessary to reduce a health threat.

A) Self-esteem
B) Self-monitoring
C) Self-efficacy
D) Coping

Question 15

The theory of reasoned action maintains that health behaviors are a direct result of

A) self-esteem
B) biased reasoning
C) behavioral intention
D) health beliefs

Question 16

Which of the following is NOT discussed in your text as being associated with health behaviors?

A) illness cognitions
B) health beliefs
C) self-efficacy
D) behavioral intention

Question 17

One factor that may undermine intentions to practice health behaviors like practicing safe sex is that

A) such behaviors are often unplanned
B) other positive consequences of the behavior override the negative consequences
C) peers may influence decisions about what is appropriate or desirable behavior
D) all of the above

Question 18

One problem with research showing that health beliefs are an important determinant of health behavior is that

A) the research is almost exclusively experimental
B) the research is rarely conducted on healthy people
C) health beliefs are not adequately defined
D) the research is conducted primarily on affluent middle-class individuals

Question 19

________ is a negative emotional experience accompanied by predictable physiological, biochemical, and behavioral changes.

A) Anger
B) Stress
C) Reactance
D) Disinhibition

Question 20

Which of the following dimensions has NOT been shown to affect the amount of stress generated by an event?

A) time of day
B) ambiguity
C) controllability
D) negativity

Question 21

A person is most likely to experience stress under which of the following circumstances?

A) when an event is negative
B) when an event is ambiguous
C) when an event in unpredictable
D) all of the above

Question 22

The experience of stressful life events are often measured by

A) asking people to report how negative their daily experiences are
B) asking people record the number of minor daily hassles they experience
C) asking people to check the particular stressful events they've experienced in the Last year
D) asking people to provide physiological measures of stress

Question 23

Waiting in line, doing household chores, and being stuck in a traffic jam are examples of

A) major stressful life events
B) health behaviors
C) daily hassles
D) stress buffering events

Question 24

A person confronted with a stressful situation that cannot be changed is most likely to engage in _____ coping.

A) emotion-focused
B) active
C) retroactive
D) non-aggressive

Question 25

An AIDS patient who says, "When I feel sad, I cry. But I won't let these feelings run my life,"Is using which of the following coping strategies?

A) distraction
B) direct action
C) emotional regularity
D) positive thinking

Question 26

Which of the following is NOT an external resource or impediment to coping?

A) time
B) daily hassles
C) coping style
D) money

Question 27

Which coping strategy is likely to be most successful for dealing with long-term threats?

A) avoidance
B) confrontation
C) hostility
D) pessimism

Question 28

Research on hostility has shown that

A) hostile people recover more quickly from stressful episodes
B) hostile people are especially likely to benefit from social support
C) hostility is a risk factor for heart disease
D) hostility is a psychological, rather than a physiological, phenomenon

Question 29

Which is NOT an example of a coping style identified in the text?

A) confrontation
B) hostility
C) hardiness
D) anxiety

Question 30

Researchers have identified a number of childhood traits that contribute to early death. These studies found that

A) introspective children died younger
B) conscientious children died later
C) lonely children died younger
D) intelligent children died later

Question 31

Sandy is a person who generally believes that good things are likely to happen to her and she enjoys a good challenge. She would be referred to by health psychologists as

A) likely to remain physically healthy
B) hardy
C) optimistic
D) all of the above

Question 32

Which is NOT a type of social support identified in the text?

A) emotional concern
B) self-enhancement
C) instrumental aid
D) self-appraisal

Question 33

You are not sure whether you made the right decision in breaking up with your boyfriend, but your friends tell you you did the right thing. This is referred to as ________ support.

A) instrumental
B) emotional concern
C) self-appraisal
D) information

Question 34

Social support improves health by

A) increasing the practice of good health behavior
B) improving immune function
C) reducing physiological responses to stress
D) all of the above

Question 35

According to your text, social support may be most effective when it is

A) invisible
B) unasked for
C) reciprocal
D) all of the above

Question 36

While a college student, Carlos attends a stress management program. Which of the following is NOT something Carlos is likely to do as part of the program?

A) learn to recognize his negative self-talk
B) explore his unresolved conflicts with his parents
C) learn muscle relaxation and meditation techniques
D) attempt to set realistic goals for managing his stress

Question 37

Stress management programs

A) are particularly relevant for college students
B) often entail a wide variety of strategies
C) may involve attempts to monitor physiological reactions
D) all of the above

Question 38

People are most likely to notice physical symptoms under which circumstance?

A) when they are in a good mood
B) when they are bored
C) if they are male
D) when they are satisfied with their lives

Question 39

Which is NOT an important source of explanations about the meaning of physical symptoms?

A) an individual's mood
B) an individual's expectations
C) situational factors
D) an individual's attachment style

Question 40

Which one of the following is NOT one of the three models of illness described in your text?

A) chronic
B) acute
C) reactive
D) cyclic

Question 41

________ illness is short in duration with no long-term consequences.

A) Acute
B) Chronic
C) Reactive
D) Cyclic

Question 42

The higher incidence of hypertension and strokes among African Americans is most likely a result of

A) low income
B) stressful living conditions
C) racial prejudice
D) all of the above

Question 43

One of the earliest judgments that most patients make is whether their practitioner is

A) friendly
B) attractive
C) competent
D) healthy

Question 44

Which of the following factors contributes most to faulty patient-practioner communication?

A) patients
B) the treatment setting
C) practitioners
D) all these factors can contribute

Question 45

Adherence to doctor recommendations is lowest for

A) directions to take pills
B) lifestyle advice
C) recommendations for surgery
D) expensive procedures

Question 46

Patients are more likely to follow doctor recommendations when

A) treatments do not seem "medical"
B) more than one medication is being taken
C) patients are happy with their care
D) patients are given instructions orally

Question 47

In a study by Mahler and Kulik (1998), patients awaiting heart surgery were shown one of three preparatory videotapes or no videotape at all. Which group of patients recovered more effectively from the surgery?

A) those shown a tape with an expert conveying information
B) those shown a tape with the expert and patient interviews
C) those shown a tape with the expert and patient accounts emphasizing their "ups And downs"
D) all three groups fared equally, and better than the group shown no tape

Question 48

At any time, 50% of the population has a(n) ________ condition or illness.

A) chronic
B) acute
C) reactive
D) psychosomatic

Question 49

When a person experiences health problems, is it better for their adjustment if they blame themselves, another person, or the environment?

A) themselves
B) another person
C) the environment
D) it depends on the person and their illness

Question 50

The effect of chronic illness or disease on individuals' lives is

A) sometimes positive
B) almost exclusively negative
C) not well studied
D) most negative for those with otherwise positive views about life

Question 51

Health is a psychological issue as well as a physical one.

Question 52

According to the text, in the U.S., health problems associated with infectious diseases are less threatening than in the past.

Question 53

Health beliefs have not done a very good job of predicting most health behaviors.

Question 54

Adolescents who engage in risky sexual behaviors are unlikely to use condoms consistently.

Question 55

The association between health beliefs and health behavior varies according to social class.

Question 56

Minority group members are more likely to experience a wide range of undesirable life events.

Question 57

In recent years social class differences in overall health have been narrowing in the U.S.

Question 58

Mass media communications are somewhat effective in changing public opinion about health behaviors.

Question 59

The ways people cope with stressful events have an impact on health and illness.

Question 60

Repeated exposure to stressful events produces wear and tear on the physiological system.

Question 61

Stress is equally likely to be generated by positive or negative events.

Question 62

Uncontrollable or unpredictable events are more stressful than controllable or predictable ones.

Question 63

Ambiguous events are often perceived as more stressful than clear-cut events.

Question 64

Although stressful life events are associated with greater risk of illness, daily hassles are unrelated to health.

Question 65

It is possible that the cumulative effect of the small irritations of daily life as well as major, less common stressful events predict illness and psychological stress.

Question 66

Problem-solving coping and emotion-focused coping can occur simultaneously.

Question 67

Cultural orientation does not influence the type of coping strategies a person uses.

Question 68

Generally speaking, avoidance is a more effective coping strategy than confrontation.

Question 69

The set of attitudes that makes people stress-resistant is referred to as hardiness.

Question 70

Chronic illness is characterized by alternating periods of many symptoms or no symptoms at all.

Question 71

Cancer is an example of an acute illness.

Question 72

The experience of symptoms and the decision whether to seek treatment are not influenced by quality of life.

Question 73

Medical treatments involving one medication are more likely to be adhered to by a patient than treatments involving several medications.

Question 74

Patients are less likely to follow treatments that must be continued over several months than they are to follow treatments that continue for only a few days.

Question 75

Control or sense of control does not influence a patient's perception of a procedure.

Question 76

Research has tended to show that patients who blame themselves for their disorders adjust somewhat better than do patients who blame others.

Question 77

Chronic disease can confer positive as well as negative outcomes.

Question 78

At one time our major health problems in the U.S. involved __________ diseases such as influenza and tuberculosis.

Question 79

Actions undertaken by people who are healthy to enhance or maintain their good health are known as __________.

Question 80

In Belloc and Breslow's classic study of 6,000 California residents, the more __________ __________ people practiced, the fewer illness of all kinds they reported having.