Deck 14: Social Psychology in Action 2

Question 1

Nora and Brian both took the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (Holmes & Rahe,1967).Nora checked off 4 events (marriage,change in residence,mortgage over $10,000,and began college)with a total of 126 life change units.Brian checked off 2 events (trouble with boss and minor violation of the law)with a total of 34 life change units.These scores suggest that

A) Brian is more likely to have undergone severe depression.
B) Brian is more likely than Nora to be feeling stress and anxiety.
C) Nora is more likely than Brian to have been physically ill.
D) Nora is likely to be happier than Brian.
E) Brian is more likely to be in a negative mood than Nora.

Answer 1

Nora is more likely than Brian to have been physically ill.

Question 2

In research using the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (Holmes & Rahe,1967),the more life change units respondents report,the greater

A) the odds that they have experienced illness.
B) their odds of death.
C) their self-reported stress.
D) their scores on a neuroticism scale.
E) the chance they suffer from depression.

Answer 2

the odds that they have experienced illness.

Question 3

Researchers often employ correlational designs to assess the relation between stress and physical health (e.g.Holmes & Rahe,1967).One problem with this approach is that researchers using this method

A) cannot make definitive causal statements.
B) do not sample adequately from all age groups.
C) do not often use representative samples.
D) cannot analyze the data statistically.
E) rely solely on respondents self-reports.

Answer 3

cannot make definitive causal statements.

Question 4

Sheldon Cohen and his colleagues (1991,1993)exposed some participants to the virus that causes the common cold and exposed other participants to an inert saline solution.They found that the more stress participants reported,the more likely they were to contract colds.Results of this study suggest that

A) interpretations of stress are more important than objective stress.
B) contracting a cold is often perceived as stressful.
C) physical illness can make us more susceptible to stress.
D) exposure to viruses can be a source of stress on the immune system.
E) stress can negatively affect our immune systems.

Question 5

What does the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (Holmes & Rahe,1967)measure?

A) career satisfaction
B) stress
C) mental health
D) life changes
E) social support

Question 6

Among the pioneers of research on stress,Hans Selye (1956,1976)was interested in

A) how the human body adapts to environmental threats.
B) mortality rates among immigrants to a new culture.
C) the relationship between physical health and perception of negative events.
D) the relationship between age and response to stress.
E) positive events that can actually take a toll on health.

Question 7

Which of the following is a major conceptual concern with measuring stress by counting objectively positive and negative life events?

A) A series of minor events often causes more stress than a major event.
B) Perceptions of an event are more important than the objective characteristics of the event.
C) Most people are not very accurate judges of the amount of stress they are under.
D) Only objectively negative events contribute to stress.
E) Most people don't confront enough major life events to experience stress.

Question 8

According to Clark and colleagues (1999),poverty and racism are powerful sources of stress.This suggests one problem with inventories such as the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (Holmes & Rahe,1967); specifically,this scale focuses on

A) self-reports of both stressors and health.
B) negative life changes only and not broad issues like poverty.
C) stressors experienced by the middle class, and neglects stressors experienced by the poor and minority groups.
D) objective stressors, not subjective judgments of stress.
E) both positive and negative life changes.

Question 9

From a social-psychological perspective,one problem with studies of the relation between the number of negative life events and reports of physical illness is that

A) objective situations have more influence than subjective situations.
B) researchers often ignore positive life events as a source of stress.
C) researchers often ignore respondents' subjective interpretations of negative life events.
D) stress is an inevitable consequence of social life.
E) people tend to over report the number of negative events in their life.

Question 10

According to the author of your text,which of the following stressors are omitted from the Social Readjustment Scale (Holmes & Rahe,1967)?

A) positive life events
B) stressors such as poverty and racism
C) stressors relevant to middle-aged people
D) stressors relevant to older adults
E) negative life events

Question 11

When people experience upheavals such as the death of a spouse,bankruptcy,or resettling in a new culture,their chance of dying increases.These phenomena suggest a relation between

A) perceptions and health.
B) social support and health.
C) stress and health.
D) social support and stress.
E) age and stress.

Question 12

Consider the findings from the study by Cohen and his colleagues (1991; 1993)on stress and the immune system.On a college campus,when would students be most susceptible to catching a cold?

A) just after returning from Spring Break
B) the second week of the semester
C) finals week, when there are many exams and papers due
D) during summer break
E) at the beginning of the fall term

Question 13

According to contemporary researchers (e.g.Holmes & Rahe,1967),stress reflects the degree to which people

A) interpret any given stimulus as threatening.
B) perceive events as negative.
C) must readjust their lives to physiological events.
D) perceive their lives as threatening.
E) must readjust their lives to external events.

Question 14

Based on the conceptualization of stress by Holmes and Rahe (1967),who is most likely to experience stress?

A) James, who is getting married next week
B) Sheila, who works 10 hours a day
C) Theron, who is working to pay his way through school
D) Jenna, who has a two exams in the upcoming month
E) Anna, who has a busy school routine

Question 15

The amount of stress people experience

A) affects physical health.
B) affects psychological health.
C) affects emotional well-being but does not impact physical health as long as you get enough exercise.
D) impacts physical health, but not necessarily emotional well-being.
E) affects physical and psychological health.

Question 16

According to most social psychologists,stress occurs when people

A) experience psychological illness.
B) experience a large number of changes in their lives.
C) respond maladaptively to changes in their lives.
D) experience physical illness.
E) believe that they cannot cope with environmental demands.

Question 17

Patrick has experienced a large number of changes in his life recently.He has lost his job,is getting a divorce,is facing income tax evasion charges,and his wife is expecting a child.Patrick has also reported an increase in anxiety and has been sick a lot over the last six months.Some researchers would suggest that increased stress has taken a toll on Patrick's health.Others would convincingly suggest that _______ would better account for this relation.

A) environmental pollution
B) a lack of exercise and improper diet
C) a clinical disorder
D) a genetic defect
E) certain personality traits

Question 18

Which of the following is a "third variable" explanation for the correlation between life changes and physical health problems?

A) Problems with physical health cause an increase in anxiety, which in turn causes stress.
B) Life changes cause an increase in anxiety, which in turn increases the chances of problems with physical health.
C) Problems with physical health necessitate changes in lifestyle, which in turn increase stress.
D) People with certain personality traits are more likely to experience life changes and also more likely to have health problems.
E) Problems with physical health are not always associated with anxiety.

Question 19

According to stress research pioneer Richard Lazarus (1966,1993),it is _______ and not _______ stress that causes problems for people.

A) negative; positive
B) physical; emotional
C) personal; social
D) subjective; objective
E) social; personal

Question 20

Hans Selye (1956,1976)originally defined stress as

A) disruptive or threatening life events.
B) physiological responses to threatening events.
C) perceptions of threat.
D) psychological responses to threatening events.
E) psychologically painful life events.

Question 21

Research investigating perceptions of control among victims of rape has shown that

A) victims who believed they had control over their outcomes blamed themselves for the rape and showed more symptoms of post-traumatic stress.
B) victims who believed they had control over their outcomes were more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
C) victims who believed they had control over their outcomes were more likely to press charges against their attackers.
D) victims who believed they had little control over their outcomes tended to become passive and withdrawn.
E) victims who believed they had control over their outcomes experienced less depression.

Question 22

Unlike perceived control,self-efficacy

A) is strongly related to positive health outcomes.
B) represents confidence in one's ability to perform specific behaviours to achieve a desired outcome.
C) can reduce feelings of learned helplessness.
D) does not have any impact on behaviour.
E) is more difficult to change.

Question 23

Based on Ellen Langer and Judith Rodin's (1976)study of perceived control in elderly nursing home residents,what would be the best thing for a nursing home administrator to say to residents?

A) "We are here to respond to your needs and make your life enjoyable."
B) "At each meal, you have a choice of three entrées."
C) "Please do not use tape to attach pictures to the walls."
D) "Don't worry, we have everything under control."
E) "Feel free to ask the aides to help you rearrange your room."

Question 24

_______ refers to people's belief that they can influence their environment and thus can influence the odds of positive or negative outcomes.

A) Learned helplessness
B) Perceived control
C) Social support
D) Self-efficacy
E) Self-delusion

Question 25

Based on Ellen Langer and Judith Rodin's (1976)study of perceived control in elderly nursing home residents,which of the following residents is most likely to feel happier,be more active,and live longer?

A) Jack, whose room is full of lush plants
B) Catherine, who is often escorted outside for walks
C) Janet, who is visited often by her family
D) Aron, who has his own personal aide to attend to his needs
E) Bess, who makes her own bed and has a choice of a vegetarian meal

Question 26

Richard Schulz (1976)randomly assigned nursing home residents to one of two conditions designed to manipulate perceived control over visitation schedules.He found that two months later,residents who

A) had health problems benefited more from the visits.
B) had a say in visit scheduling were more happy, active, and required fewer medications.
C) had health problems benefited the least from more visits.
D) were visited more were happier, more active, and lived longer.
E) did not receive visitors were less happy, less active, and took more medications.

Question 27

According to the authors of your text,one reason why self-efficacy increases the likelihood that people will engage in healthier behaviours is that self-efficacy influences

A) the resolution of cognitive dissonance.
B) their attributions in a positive way.
C) the number of people with whom we associate.
D) their persistence and effort.
E) the type of people with whom we associate.

Question 28

It is ethically impossible to conduct experimental studies of stress and immune responses in humans to determine whether severe stress actually causes susceptibility to health problems.However,Cacioppo and his colleagues (1998)found that _______.

A) stressors can increase anxiety which is related to infections.
B) major stressors can impact the length of the common cold.
C) even minor stressors can suppress immune responses.
D) people who experience stress are ill more often.
E) loud noises can suppress immune responses.

Question 29

In what way might perceived control be a detriment to dealing with an illness?

A) Perceived control may lead patients to blame themselves for the disease or for failure to recover.
B) Perceived control may lead a patient to stop taking his or her medicine because they believe they don't need it.
C) Perceived control may make a patient feel better, but actually increases the severity of the physical symptoms.
D) Perceived control may lead a patient to ignore the advice of medical professionals.
E) Perceived control alleviates physical symptoms, but decreases immunity toward other diseases.

Question 30

According to the authors of your text,one reason why self-efficacy increases the likelihood that people will engage in healthier behaviours is that self-efficacy

A) changes their attributions in a positive way.
B) helps their immune systems function optimally.
C) increases their cognitive dissonance.
D) results in positive illusions of control.
E) decreases arousal.

Question 31

Several months after he randomly assigned nursing home residents to either have control or a lack of control over visitation schedules,Richard Schulz (Schulz & Hanusa,1978)was dismayed to find that those residents who had originally controlled the duration and frequency of visits from college students later experienced poorer health and higher mortality rates.These findings seem directly at odds with research by Judith Rodin and Ellen Langer (1977),until one considers that

A) Langer and Rodin studied women and Schulz studied men.
B) people sometimes blame themselves for health problems.
C) a lack of perceived control is worse than losing it.
D) Schulz induced only a temporary sense of control, which was lost when the visits stopped.
E) Schulz did not control for the severity of the health problems.

Question 32

According to research by Shelley Taylor and her colleagues (1984),_____ is likely to reduce stress related to a negative life event such as cancer and can actually prolong life.

A) perceived control
B) subjective severity
C) an accurate attribution
D) objective severity
E) favorable attribution

Question 33

Research summarized in your textbook (Sastry & Ross,1998)finds that members of ________ cultures show less of a relationship between perceived control and psychological distress because of the________.

A) Western; culture of honor.
B) Western; importance of individual achievement.
C) Asian; emphasis on collectivist values.
D) Western; importance of stoicism.
E) Asian; they are taught to be controlled from childhood.

Question 34

Six months ago,a nursing home started a program in which some residents were allowed to choose their daily activities.All else being equal,which of the following residents is most likely to die sooner?

A) Edgar, who participated over the entire course of the program
B) Ruth, who recently joined the program
C) Martha, who was recently removed from of the program
D) Bill, who has been in the program for the last three months
E) George, who never participated in the program

Question 35

Research by Sastry and Ross (1998)suggests that a sense of control is more valued in ________ cultures.

A) agricultural
B) collectivist
C) East Asian
D) Industrialized
E) Western

Question 36

The authors of your text provide a "word of caution." It can be dangerous to overestimate the relation between perceived control and physical health,because

A) scientists still do not understand the mechanisms that explain this relation.
B) when health problems improve, people lose a sense of perceived control.
C) currently all the evidence is correlational.
D) when people's health does not improve with treatment, they may blame themselves.
E) it is impossible to determine whether perceived control and health are causally related.

Question 37

_______ refers to the belief in one's ability to carry out specific actions that produce positive outcomes.

A) Global attribution
B) Self-esteem
C) Perceived control
D) Self-efficacy
E) Control maintenance

Question 38

Bonita wants to get in good physical shape.She believes that she can eliminate fats from her diet,jog three times a week,avoid temptations when shopping for groceries,and distract herself when she gets a craving for cheesecake.In this case,Bonita is likely to _______ because she is _______.

A) fail; delusional.
B) succeed; high in self-efficacy.
C) fail; falling prey to an optimistic bias.
D) succeed; low in learned helplessness.
E) fail; making a global attribution.

Question 39

According to research by Suzanne Thompson and her colleagues (1993,1994),even when people experience life-threatening chronic diseases such as cancer or AIDS,they can maintain a sense of perceived control over _______,and thus maintain psychological adjustment.

A) their social networks
B) their choice of doctor
C) the course of the disease
D) the consequences of a disease
E) the course of their treatment

Question 40

A nursing home director in Connecticut cooperated with researchers Ellen Langer and Judith Rodin (1976)and gave some residents a speech that included such statements as "...You have the responsibility of caring for yourselves,of deciding whether or not you want to make this a home..." and "You should be deciding how you want your rooms to be arranged...how you want to spend your time..." and "If you are unsatisfied with anything here,you have the influence to change it...." Contents of this speech were designed to

A) improve residents' moods.
B) boost feelings of control.
C) deal with a staff shortage.
D) reduce stressors.
E) keep residents active.

Question 41

At Duke University,Tim Wilson and Patricia Linville (1982,1985)recruited first-year students who were concerned about their academic performance.Students in the experimental group received statistics on grade improvement over the course of college and saw videotapes of upper-year students who talked about the improvements in their grades after the first year.Compared to students who saw no statistics and no videotapes,experimental students improved their grades and were less likely to drop out.These impressive results suggest that

A) the statistics and videotapes prevented learned helplessness from setting in.
B) the intervention was successful in teaching students learning and study skills.
C) the intervention was effective because students' mood improved.
D) the intervention helped students see their lives more objectively.
E) statistics and videotapes distracted students from their academic problems.

Question 42

Ellen just failed her driving test.She attributed her failure to the fact that her boyfriend gave her a bad cold.What type of attribution is this?

A) unstable, external, and specific
B) stable, external, and specific
C) stable, external, and global
D) unstable, internal, and specific
E) stable, internal, and global

Question 43

Four students end up at the academic counseling centre concerned about their poor performance during their first term at university.All of them admit that the first term was difficult.Applying the concept of personal control,who will most probably do better next term?

A) Omar who says, "Maybe if I quit my part-time job I'll do better."
B) Lindsey who says, "Although I should have figured it out last term, I think I now know what information I need from my professors to do better."
C) Sarah who says, "I have to get used to getting lower grades than I did in high school."
D) Julien who says, "All I can do is study harder and hope that I do better."
E) Both Julien and Omar.

Question 44

After the termination of a romantic relationship,Sari explains the situation to a friend,and says,"I don't know what to do.It's all my fault.I can't ever make people I love happy.I guess no one could ever love me,and I'm destined to die alone." Sari's attribution for the break-up is internal,_______.

A) unstable, and global.
B) unstable, and specific.
C) stable, and specific.
D) pessimistic and specific.
E) stable, and global.

Question 45

In a study by Collins and Feeney (2004),participants' played a computer game in which their avatar navigated a perilous obstacle course on a cliff-sided canyon in a virtual world,either with or without the support of their romantic partner's avatar.Results emphasized the importance of ________ in social support

A) perceived control
B) responsiveness
C) self-disclosure
D) culture
E) optimism

Question 46

The concept of _______ refers to the ways in which people react to stressful events.

A) coping style
B) attributional style
C) self-efficacy
D) explanational style
E) immune reactions

Question 47

_______ refers to the perception that others are responsive and receptive to our needs.

A) Perceived facilitation
B) Social facilitation
C) A positive attribution style
D) Social support
E) Perceived control

Question 48

David Spiegel and his colleagues (1989)randomly assigned breast cancer patients either to a series of weekly meetings to discuss their problems and fears or to a control group.Which of the following best reflects the results of their experiment?

A) Women who met in groups felt better about their illness, but didn't live longer.
B) Women who met in groups didn't feel any different and didn't live longer.
C) Women who met in groups felt better and lived longer.
D) Women who met in groups didn't feel any different, but lived longer.
E) Women who met in groups felt worse, but lived longer.

Question 49

In a study by Collins and Feeney (2004)participants' played a computer game in which their avatar navigated a perilous obstacle course on a cliff-sided canyon in a virtual world,either with or without the support of their romantic partner's avatar.Results showed that having an inattentive partner was ________ than having _______ partner in terms of stress.

A) significantly better; an attentive
B) significantly better; no
C) not significantly better; no
D) no different; an attentive
E) significantly worse; no

Question 50

David Spiegel and his colleagues (1989)studied the role of social support among women with breast cancer and discovered that social support

A) had no effect on their physical or mental well-being.
B) reduced fear and prolonged their life-expectancy.
C) played a bigger role towards the end of these women's lives.
D) can sometimes lead to greater psychological distress.
E) only made a difference if provided by family and friends.

Question 51

According to recent work on social support by Brown and his colleagues (2003),older adults who__________ experience benefits to their health and live longer than those who do not.

A) only receive social support
B) provide social support for others
C) refuse to accept help from others in order to maintain their independence
D) rely on family-but not friends-for social support
E) have replaced family support with the support of friends

Question 52

_______ is a state of pessimism that results when people think their negative outcomes are due to stable,internal,and global factors.

A) A maladaptive attribution
B) Dissonance
C) Low self-efficacy
D) Dejection
E) Learned helplessness

Question 53

In an experiment conducted by Mordechai Blittner,Joel Goldberg,and Michael Merbaum (1978),smokers who wanted to quit responded to an ad for a 14-week treatment program.Some participants were told that they were selected for participation based on their "strong willpower and greater potential to control and conquer their desires and behaviour," whereas others were told that they were selected randomly.This manipulation was designed to

A) create positive attributions.
B) boost participants' self-esteem.
C) increase participants' sense of self-efficacy.
D) decrease participants' susceptibility to learned helplessness.
E) boost participants' mood.

Question 54

Beth,Diana,Jen,and Lynne just lost the state high school soccer championship game.Beth attributed the loss to a biased referee,Diana attributed the loss to bad weather,Jen attributed the loss to being too slow to compete at that level of competition,and Lynne attributed the loss to an outstanding performance by the other team's goalie.Which player is most likely to become depressed?

A) Both Beth and Lynne
B) Diana
C) Jen
D) Lynne
E) Beth

Question 55

Amos has just been fired from his job at a major software firm.As he packs up the contents of his desk,he says to a colleague,"It just goes to show what can happen when your supervisor has it in for you."" Amos' attribution in this case can best be characterized as

A) specific.
B) stable.
C) global.
D) internal.
E) universal

Question 56

Tim Wilson and Patricia Linville (1982,1985)performed a study for which they recruited first-year students who were concerned about their academic performance.Students in the experimental group received statistics on grade improvement over the course of college and saw videotapes of upper-year students who talked about the improvements in their grades after the first year.Students exposed to the statistics and videotapes actually did better in school and were less likely to drop out.In all likelihood,Wilson and Linville refuted _______ attributions in these students.

A) internal
B) global
C) specific
D) external
E) stable

Question 57

People high in self-efficacy are more persistent and exert more effort at a task.They also experience less anxiety and their immune systems function better.These characteristics of self-efficacy contribute to successful goal attainment.In this sense,self-efficacy is most strongly related to

A) positive illusions.
B) unstable attributions.
C) stable attributions.
D) global attributions.
E) the self-fulfilling prophecy

Question 58

In an experiment conducted by Mordechai Blittner,Joel Goldberg,and Michael Merbaum (1978),participants who _______ were most likely to successfully quit smoking.

A) were told that they had "willpower"
B) were given concrete instructions
C) underwent a behavioural treatment program
D) underwent a longer treatment program
E) were taught to use stable and global attributions

Question 59

Shelley Taylor and her colleagues have argued that there are gender differences in coping with stress.According to their research women are more likely than men to

A) respond to stress by either attacking the source of the stress or fleeing from it.
B) respond to stress with nurturant activities designed to protect oneself and create social networks.
C) isolate themselves when they become stressed.
D) suffer from mental illness as a result of stress and dysfunctional coping strategies.
E) suffer from physical illness as a result of stress and dysfunctional coping strategies.

Question 60

If you are convinced that the cause of some stressful event will remain constant over time,you are making a(n)_______ attribution.

A) external
B) internal
C) stable
D) specific
E) global

Question 61

According to your text,health problems due to unsafe sex,drinking,and smoking are prevalent because they are

A) addictive.
B) pleasurable.
C) difficult to avoid.
D) subject to social pressure.
E) genetic.

Question 62

Both Ellen Langer and Judith Rodin (1976)and Richard Schultz (1976)conducted field experiments in which nursing home residents were provided more control over their situations.Unlike Langer and Rodin,however,Schultz and Hanusa (1978)later found that those elderly participants who had earlier been allowed to schedule visits with college students actually had more health problems and higher mortality rates than those participants who had never had control over the visits.Explain these apparently contradictory findings.

Question 63

Gain frame message is to _______ as loss frame message is to _______.

A) health; illness.
B) illness; health.
C) prevention; detection.
D) detection; prevention.
E) prevention; cure.

Question 64

Jenn uses a cognitive dissonance technique to encourage students in her Social Psychology class to use condoms when they have sex.She does so by asking her students to produce a video on the dangers of unprotected sex to be shown to local high school students.What else can she do to increase condom use among her students?

A) She can first ask students to recall the times that they had unprotected sex.
B) She can tell the students that if they don't like the video, she will erase it.
C) She can provide factual information on the prevalence of AIDS among the high school population.
D) She can tell the students that the video is very important.
E) She can suggest that the students use a fear appeal.

Question 65

Pennebaker's research on the effects of "opening up" or confiding in others shows that those people who________ show the most improvements to their health.

A) write the stories with the least amount of traumatic content
B) write the stories with the most traumatic content
C) write stories that start out incoherent but become more organized
D) write stories that focus on relationships
E) write stories that focus on other people

Question 66

Which of the following statements is FALSE?

A) On average, women are more optimistic than are men.
B) Optimistic people tend to be healthier than pessimists.
C) Optimistic people tend to be less stressed and less depressed than pessimists.
D) In general, people expect more good things to happen to them than to their peers.
E) Most people have a healthy balance of optimism and reality-monitoring.

Question 67

Alex Rothman (1993)and his colleagues (Rothman & Salovey,1997)studied how message framing influences people's health-related behaviours.If you wanted to use results of their experiment to encourage people to use sun screen to prevent skin cancer,which of the following messages would you use?

A) An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
B) Skin cancer is one of the biggest killers of young people.
C) Skin cancer is one of the easiest cancers to prevent.
D) More people die from skin cancer than from heart attacks.
E) Skin cancer can affect anyone.

Question 68

What is the relationship between hardiness,discrimination,and stress as discovered by Dion and colleagues' (1992)research in Toronto's Chinese community?

A) People high in hardiness experience less stress from discrimination.
B) People low in hardiness experience more stress even though they experience less discrimination.
C) People low in hardiness experience less stress from discrimination.
D) People high in hardiness experience more discrimination and therefore more stress.
E) People high in hardiness experience less discrimination and therefore less stress.

Question 69

According to a number of polls,in which of the following ways have unhealthy health habits among Canadians failed to improve? They are _______ than in the past.

A) experiencing more exercise-related injuries
B) suffering more from eating disorders
C) binge drinking more
D) smoking more
E) smoking and suffering from eating disorders

Question 70

The authors of your text suggest that many health problems stem from sex,eating,drinking,and smoking behaviours in particular,because these behaviours

A) are necessities.
B) are proscribed by culture.
C) are inexpensive ways to entertain oneself.
D) are all addictive.
E) tend to be so pleasurable.

Question 71

All of the following behaviours or conditions EXCEPT ________ have become more prevalent in recent years.

A) smoking
B) obesity among adult Canadians
C) binge drinking among college students
D) seat belt use
E) cervical cancer screening

Question 72

The tendency people have to believe that good events are more likely to happen to us than our peers and that bad events are less likely to happen to us than to our peers is called

A) hardiness.
B) self-efficacy.
C) unrealistic optimism.
D) an avoidant coping style.
E) resilience.

Question 73

While,__________ has been decreasing,_______________ has been increasing in Canada..

A) general lack of fitness; smoking
B) rates of women getting mammograms; rates of people getting the flu shot
C) smoking; obesity
D) rates of people getting the flu shot; smoking
E) osteoporosis; obesity

Question 74

Contrast the assumptions used by Holmes and Rahe (1967)in their Life Stress Inventory with the assumptions used by Richard Lazarus (1966)in his approach to studying stress.

Question 75

Many public service announcements (e.g.stop smoking,practice safe sex,use seatbelts,apply sunscreen,etc.)appeal to people's ________ in order to get them to change their behaviours.

A) fears
B) sense of empathy
C) hopes
D) tendency to conform
E) sense of accomplishment

Question 76

Pennebaker and Beale (1986)asked some participants to keep journals in which they described a traumatic event and asked other participants to keep journals about trivial events.Although writing about traumatic events initially contributed to negative mood and high blood pressure,over the following six months those who "opened up" experienced fewer illnesses.How does Pennebaker explain these and similar results with first-year college students and Holocaust survivors?

A) Those who "opened up" received better social support.
B) Thinking and talking about traumatic events helps us habituate to them.
C) Feedback from others corrects pessimistic attributional styles.
D) Gaining insight into an experience and giving it meaning can help us move on.
E) Reflecting on traumatic events reduces our need for support from others.

Question 77

Based on longitudinal research conducted by James House and his colleagues (1982),which of the following people would be most likely to die over the next twelve years?

A) Gladys, a widow who volunteers to teach children to read
B) Jean, who cooks a large dinner for her family every Sunday
C) Selma, who babysits her grandchildren every week
D) Oscar, who lives alone and seldom has contact with others
E) Harry, who plays bridge every day at the senior citizens' center

Question 78

Alex Rothman and his colleagues (1993; Rothman & Salovey,1997)studied how message framing influences people's health-related behaviours.If you wanted to use results of their experiment to encourage women to have mammograms to detect breast cancer,which of the following messages would you use?

A) The healthy choice is to see your doctor regularly.
B) You can live with breast cancer, but you have to catch it first.
C) Undetected breast cancer kills over two million women each year.
D) An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
E) If you catch it early, you can survive breast cancer.

Question 79

Shelley Taylor found that those in East Asian collectivistic cultures are ________ likely to seek help from others because________.

A) more; they have been raised with interdependence as a core value.
B) not; because others anticipate their needs and provide that help without asking.
C) less.; it will disrupt the harmony of the group and open them up to criticism from others.
D) less; because being independent and 'standing on your own two feet' is a core value in their culture.
E) more; it helps to foster harmony in the family and emphasize their strong bond.

Question 80

After his mother's death,Steve began to keep a diary of his thoughts and feelings.Compared to his brother Marc who chose not write about the tragedy,Steve is

A) less likely to show an immediate increase in blood pressure.
B) less likely to become ill over the next six months.
C) more likely to visit the student health center.
D) less likely to spend more time thinking about the tragedy.
E) more likely to feel better soon.