Deck 12: Personality and Health

Question 1

The experimental technique known as the "Walk-In Ink Blot" triggered difficulty concentrating, boredom, panic, and hallucinations and delusions. A more common name for this method is ___________________.

A) sensory deprivation.
B) virtual adversity loading.
C) the cold water immersion test.
D) the inescapable shock test.

Answer 1

sensory deprivation.

Question 2

Who would we expect to respond the most adaptively to sensory deprivation?

A) Martin, who is an introvert and a low sensation seeker.
B) John, who is an introvert and a high sensation seeker
C) Sherry, who is an extrovert and a high sensation seeker.
D) Noel, who is an extrovert and a low sensation seeker.

Answer 2

Noel, who is an extrovert and a low sensation seeker.

Question 3

_______________ is a strong predictor of engaging in risky sexual behaviours.

A) Authoritarianism
B) Low implicit self-esteem
C) Sensation seeking
D) Agreeableness

Answer 3

Sensation seeking

Question 4

According to findings from the international sexuality project, the two best predictors of infidelity were:

A) perfectionism and low conscientiousness.
B) low self-monitoring and low self-esteem.
C) high self-monitoring and Machiavellianism.
D) low agreeableness and low conscientiousness.

Question 5

According to Lazarus and Folkman, primary appraisal involves _________________.

A) thinking of ways to directly solve the problem.
B) assessing whether the event is a threat or challenge.
C) determining whether you have the personal ability to cope with the event.
D) thinking of ways to ensure that the problem never happens again.

Question 6

Secondary appraisal involves ______________________ .

A) thinking of ways to indirectly solve the problem.
B) assessing whether the event is a threat or challenge.
C) determining whether you have the personal ability to cope with the event.
D) thinking of ways to deal with the problem the next time it occurs.

Question 7

Chang found that compared to optimists, pessimists were ______________in adaptive coping styles and ______________ in maladaptive coping styles.

A) similar; higher.
B) lower; higher.
C) higher; higher.
D) lower; lower.

Question 8

According to Chang, when it comes to primary appraisals of threat versus challenge, optimists:

A) are more likely than pessimists to believe that an event is a challenge rather than a threat.
B) do not differ from pessimists in determining whether an event is a threat or challenge.
C) are more likely than pessimists to believe that an event is a threat rather than a challenge.
D) are less likely than pessimists to be affected by factors such as their current mood when determining whether or an event is a threat or challenge.

Question 9

Kelly thinks of all exams as threats to her goal of getting into law school. Meera views exams as challenges to deal with on the road to getting accepted into law school. Research findings on processing bias suggest that Kelly's approach is typical of someone who is high on ____________ and Meera's response to exams is typical of a person who is high on _________________.

A) neuroticism, extroversion
B) pessimism, optimism
C) conscientiousness, openness
D) optimism, neuroticism

Question 10

Coping styles have been found to be

A) long-lasting
B) stable
C) Both A and B
D) Neither A nor B

Question 11

Which of the following is an example of a constitutional risk factor?

A) pessimism
B) coping style
C) response to stress
D) sensation seeking

Question 12

An intervention program called the Take-Charge Program designed to increase condom use included four sessions with peer counsellors. It was found that individual differences in perceived risk were ______________ to behaviour change following the intervention.

A) related
B) moderately related
C) moderately unrelated
D) unrelated

Question 13

People who are high in ___________ are likely to perceive stressors as threats.

A) conscientiousness
B) neuroticism
C) impulsivity
D) hardiness

Question 14

The Post-Traumatic Growth Inventory assesses which of the following?

A) Optimism
B) Appreciation of life
C) Confidence
D) Future goals

Question 15

________________ is the positive approach that describes people who are more likely to report positive changes after experiencing a traumatic event.

A) Appreciation of life
B) Positive outlook
C) Benefit finding
D) Optimism

Question 16

________________ are important because they determine, in part, the way that people respond to stressful situations.

A) Cognitive appraisals
B) Coping interpretations
C) Event interpretations
D) Challenge appraisals

Question 17

Coping can be defined as

A) the regulation of physiological responses after encountering a problem
B) the emotions that arise in response to a problem
C) the perception of the intensity of a problem
D) the ways in which people try to deal with a problem

Question 18

___________-focused coping involves taking actions to directly solve the problem.

A) Remedial
B) Problem
C) Goal
D) Emotion

Question 19

Which form of coping is adaptive (or positive) in most circumstances?

A) Emotion-focused
B) Avoidance-focused
C) Problem-focused
D) Goal-focused

Question 20

The goodness of fit hypothesis is based on whether a particular coping strategy is adaptive when taking into account ____________

A) the characteristics of the individual.
B) the role of others in the situation.
C) the other coping options that are available.
D) what the situation calls for.

Question 21

The cultural adjustment that occurs when an individual changes jobs from one country to another is called sojourner adjustment. As rated by the managers at the new jobs, individuals high in ____________ were more likely to show better personal adjustment, job performance, assignment completion, and interpersonal relationships.

A) extroversion
B) openness to experience
C) agreeableness
D) conscientiousness

Question 22

When a situation is uncontrollable, what is the most adaptive coping style?

A) Emotion-focused
B) Task-focused
C) Avoidance-focused
D) Goal-focused

Question 23

Which one of these coping styles is not a part of the Coping with Health Injuries and Problems (CHIP) measure?

A) Avoidance coping
B) Emotion focussed
C) Proactive coping
D) Task focussed

Question 24

People with chronic illnesses are most likely to use what type of coping?

A) Emotional preoccupation
B) Palliative
C) Distraction
D) Catastrophization

Question 25

Which of the Big Five traits was cited as being the most predictive of individual differences in coping styles?

A) Extroversion
B) Neuroticism
C) Conscientiousness
D) Agreeableness

Question 26

Research has concluded that there is a clear role for personality in the coping process. Which of the following statements supports this statement?

A) There is moderate consistency in coping responses across stressors and problem situations.
B) Neuroticism produces less consistent use of an individual's coping strategies
C) Greater coping consistency is associated with greater coping effectiveness
D) Coping varies with the situation

Question 27

Which one of the following is not a problem associated with measuring coping through self-report checklists?

A) Measures are too artificial because they are removed from naturalistic contexts.
B) Individuals are asked to report on an event that might have occurred months ago.
C) There are no clear individual differences that can be identified.
D) The range of coping responses needs to be expanded.

Question 28

Meta-analyses have shown that stress causes

A) type A behaviour.
B) reduced immunity.
C) weight gain.
D) mental fatigue.

Question 29

Which of the following statements about the constitutional risk factor model is false?

A) It is based on the premise that personality is a risk factor for health and illness.
B) Sensation seeking is an example of a constitutional risk factor.
C) Sensation seeking is associated with a host of biological factors.
D) The role of environmental factors has become more important in recent years.

Question 30

Sensation seeking has been found to be

A) highly heritable
B) moderately heritable
C) mildly heritable
D) not heritable

Question 31

Which two traits were found to be protective against risky behaviours?

A) agreeableness and openness
B) neuroticism and agreeableness
C) extroversion and conscientiousness
D) agreeableness and conscientiousness

Question 32

Procrastination has been found to be a ______________ between daily stressful events and depression.

A) mediator
B) moderator
C) Both A and B
D) Neither A nor B

Question 33

Results from longitudinal designs are more informative about health behaviours than cross-sectional designs because participants may

A) not return for future research sessions.
B) develop an illness later.
C) switch doctors.
D) be faking or lying.

Question 34

What is the problem with self-report measures of health symptoms?

A) Measures differ in their range of item content.
B) Response keys (e.g., frequency vs. intensity) may be different across measures.
C) Personality factors may influence the perception of symptoms.
D) All of the above

Question 35

The ___________ hypothesis explains that neuroticism and negative affect cause an individual to be more attentive to somatic cues.

A) disability
B) symptom perception
C) psychosomatic
D) temperament

Question 36

High levels of which personality trait is linked with more visits to the doctor?

A) Anxiety
B) Hardiness
C) Neuroticism
D) Conscientiousness

Question 37

Defensive pessimism can be useful because it __________ people but it can also be damaging because it has been associated with greater levels of __________.

A) motivates, stress
B) protects, illness
C) prepares, depression
D) strengthens, loneliness

Question 38

The most destructive element of the Type A personality is

A) competitive behaviour.
B) increased risk of coronary disease.
C) hostility.
D) stress.

Question 39

According to the Type C personality model, what is the most important contributor of cancer proneness?

A) Lack of parental closeness
B) Increased tendency to experience stress
C) A sense of helplessness
D) Inability to express emotions

Question 40

The main component of Type D personality style is the

A) negative affectivity and social inhibition.
B) repression and negative affectivity.
C) depression and anxiety.
D) irritability and anger.

Question 41

Which type of personality style is represented by protective factors?

A) Type A
B) Type C
C) Type D
D) Hardy

Question 42

Hardiness is defined by which of the following orientation(s) toward the world?

A) Challenge
B) Challenge and control
C) Challenge, control, and commitment
D) Challenge, control, commitment, and connection

Question 43

High levels of ____________ from the Five Factor Model has been linked with health behaviours, whereas high levels of ____________ havw been linked with a higher rate of death and participation in unhealthy behaviours.

A) neuroticism, conscientiousness
B) conscientiousness, neuroticism
C) Openness to experience, extroversion
D) conscientiousness, extroversion

Question 44

When an individual is high in naïve optimism, she:

A) overestimates the likelihood of positive events.
B) undermines the likelihood of negative events.
C) sees herself as having less risk than the average person.
D) All of the above

Question 45

What type of optimism is a consistent predictor of health outcomes?

A) Defensive optimism
B) Unrealistic optimism
C) Dispositional optimism
D) Functional optimism

Question 46

Which one of the following is not a component of Bandura's (1997) self-efficacy theory?

A) Success
B) Magnitude
C) Strength
D) Generality

Question 47

Joan received cognitive-behavioural therapy training as a way to increase her sense of self-efficacy in exam situations. As a result of the training she

A) got better grades on her exams.
B) developed a greater internal locus of control.
C) became more nervous in exams.
D) felt more confident about exams and other stressful situations.

Question 48

What is the correlation between self-efficacy and health outcomes measures?

A) .50
B) .01
C) .70
D) .30

Question 49

In general, self-efficacy has been linked to which one of the following?

A) Academic distress
B) Finding challenges threatening
C) Lower levels of anxiety
D) Lower job satisfaction

Question 50

Which one of the following is not a type of locus of control?

A) God locus of control
B) organizational
C) chance
D) internal beliefs

Question 51

Explain Zuckerman's (1994) theory linking sensation seeking to individual differences in arousal.

Question 52

Explain how optimism and pessimism can affect one's levels of stress.

Question 53

Describe the limitations associated with cross-sectional research in health studies.

Question 54

Explain the three models that explain individual differences in Type A behaviour.

Question 55

Contrast the Type A, Type C, Type D, and hardy personalities. Outline the characteristic behaviours of each and how these behaviours may contribute to specific illnesses.

Question 56

Define self-efficacy and Bandura's (1994) four sets of factors that contribute to a sense of self-efficacy.

Question 57

Contrast the differences among problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidance-focused coping.

Question 58

Describe the differences between adaptive and maladaptive coping styles. In what types of situations are adaptive coping styles considered maladaptive and some maladaptive coping styles considered adaptive?

Question 59

Explain the link between personality factors and risky behaviours. Give some examples.

Question 60

Explain the differences between mediation and moderation in terms of health, procrastination, and stress.