Deck 9: Understanding and Managing Pain

Question 1

Marisol is learning to control her heart rate and respiration while viewing visual displays of these processes. Marisol is using ______.

A) meditation
B) biofeedback
C) systematic desensitization
D) progressive muscle relaxation

Answer 1

biofeedback

Question 2

Psychologists believe that work stress produces physical pain, rather than that physical pain leads to work stress. This conclusion is based on the results of ______ research.

A) longitudinal
B) cross-sectional
C) case study
D) experimental

Answer 2

longitudinal

Question 3

To dull her arthritis pain, Sadie takes two over-the-counter anti-inflammatory pills containing mainly acetaminophen. These pills are MOST likely to block pain signals ______.

A) near the nociceptors
B) in the brain
C) near the dorsal root ganglion
D) in the spinal cord

Answer 3

near the nociceptors

Question 4

Based on the textbook's discussion, a health psychologist should expect a(n) ______ correlation between scores on an inventory of catastrophizing beliefs about pain and the frequency with which coping strategies such as avoidance and wishful thinking are used. Higher scores on the inventory indicate a greater tendency to catastrophize with respect to pain.

A) near-zero
B) negative
C) perfect
D) positive

Question 5

With respect to cognitive techniques for reducing pain, focused attention is a key element of both ______.

A) meditation and mindfulness
B) meditation and distraction
C) hypnosis and mindfulness
D) hypnosis and distraction

Question 6

The specificity and pattern theories of pain both assume that pain is ______.

A) a physiological phenomenon
B) detected by receptors geared especially for pain
C) determined primarily by the intensity of stimulation
D) mainly psychological

Question 7

People in chronic pain are ______ times as likely to feel anxious or depressed as people who are not in pain.

A) 1.5
B) 2
C) 3
D) 4

Question 8

Patients with back pain are MOST likely to find that exercise ______.

A) increases their pain
B) has no effect on their pain
C) alleviates their pain, but only if the exercise targets the back muscles
D) alleviates their pain, even if the exercise does not relate specifically to the back

Question 9

Biofeedback is NOT widely used for managing pain because ______.

A) it is not effective
B) its utility is limited to a few types of pain
C) its benefits are short-lived
D) it is time-consuming and expensive

Question 10

Which sequence correctly arranges the types of pain medication with respect to their sites of action, from MOST peripheral to MOST central?

A) opioids, analgesics, local anesthetics
B) opioids, local anesthetics, analgesics
C) analgesics, opioids, local anesthetics
D) analgesics, local anesthetics, opioids

Question 11

Approximately one in ______ American adults report experiencing back pain in the last 3 months.

A) eight
B) five
C) four
D) three

Question 12

Which type of pain is correctly matched with an example?

A) progressive pain--Elise shakes her hand rapidly after a paper cut.
B) recurrent acute pain--Sandy lies down to rid herself of a blinding migraine.
C) intractable-benign pain--Jamal's lower back always seems to be hurting.
D) acute pain--Grover's arthritis has become so bad the pain is now almost crippling.

Question 13

Of those testing positive for any type of substance abuse, nearly ______ suffer from chronic pain.

A) 40%
B) 60%
C) 70%
D) 90%

Question 14

Increasing the experience of pain is to decreasing the experience of pain as ______ is to ______.

A) endorphins; glutamate
B) substance P; serotonin
C) glutamate; substance P
D) serotonin; endorphins

Question 15

Which behavioral approach to reducing pain is NOT based on relaxation?

A) guided imagery
B) systematic desensitization
C) biofeedback
D) progressive muscle relaxation

Question 16

Which statement BEST expresses the relationship between gate-control theory and neuromatrix theory?

A) Neuromatrix theory replaces gate-control theory.
B) Neuromatrix theory opposes gate-control theory.
C) Gate-control theory replaces neuromatrix theory.
D) Neuromatrix theory extends gate-control theory.

Question 17

Jackie loves the attention she receives from family members when she complains of pain. Jackie also relishes a day away from her workplace. These statements BEST illustrate the learning concepts of ______ and ______, respectively.

A) positive reinforcement; modeling
B) positive reinforcement; negative reinforcement
C) modeling; negative reinforcement
D) negative reinforcement; positive reinforcement

Question 18

Which statement is FALSE with respect to the potential limitations of self-report measures of pain?

A) People may misrepresent the amount of pain they are experiencing.
B) People may not remember their experiences of pain accurately.
C) Self-report measures are difficult to use with children.
D) The use of self-report measures is limited to only a few type of pain.

Question 19

Compared to such variables as the severity of the disease and obesity, the use of passive coping strategies is a(n) ______ predictor of pain.

A) much weaker
B) weaker
C) equally good
D) stronger

Question 20

As compared to those receiving medication for migraines, chronic migraine patients who receive massage therapy report experiencing ______.

A) less pain, and more headache-free days
B) less pain, but the same number of headache-free days
C) about the same amount of pain, but more headache-free days
D) more pain, and fewer headache-free days

Question 21

Psychologists believe that placebos change patients' ______.

A) thoughts, but neither their behavior nor their physiological responses
B) thoughts and behavior, but not their physiological responses
C) thoughts and physiological responses, but not their behavior
D) behavior as well as their physiological responses

Question 22

It is estimated that up to ______ of the effectiveness of a placebo may reflect the practitioner's attitude toward it.

A) 25%
B) 45%
C) 70%
D) 90%

Question 23

There is a consistent physiological signature associated with the experience of pain.

Question 24

As compared to people in other cultures, people in the United States may be more reluctant to report impairment as a result of lower back pain.

Question 25

In the context of the gate-control theory of pain, explain how the "pain gates" may be opened or closed by physiological and psychological mechanisms. Make explicit reference to the distinction between A-delta and C-fibers on the one hand, and specific spinal cord and brain areas on the other.

Question 26

People born with an insensitivity to pain tend to die early.

Question 27

More than a half-century ago, Beecher (1959) found that some pain reduction was reported by just over ______ of those given a placebo instead of the morphine they believed they were receiving.

A) 15%
B) 25%
C) 40%
D) 50%

Question 28

Research suggests that chiropractic therapy may be as effective as traditional medicine for the treatment of back pain.

Question 29

Which psychological method is especially useful for managing pain in children?

A) hypnosis
B) distraction
C) biofeedback
D) meditation

Question 30

Fake surgery can actually "heal" people.

Question 31

Surgery generally offers long-lasting relief from back pain.

Question 32

"Hypnosis is not really a unique or special approach to managing pain." Support this statement by explaining how hypnosis incorporates other behavioral or cognitive techniques for pain management that may seem less "special" or "mysterious," and how hypnosis may reflect placebo and expectancy effects.

Question 33

The great majority of people seeing a doctor with a complaint of back pain have no apparent physical basis for the pain.

Question 34

Attempting to take one's mind off one's pain is largely ineffective.

Question 35

Kirsch and Sapirstein (1999) found that ______ of the effectiveness of antidepressant drugs may reflect the placebo effect rather than any actual changes in brain chemistry.

A) little if any
B) some
C) about half
D) most