Deck 14: Health and Well being

Question 1

Following a terrible car accident, Ruby is anxious, socially withdrawn, has difficulty sleeping, and experiences flashbacks of the crash.Ruby is most likely suffering from

A) the illusion of invulnerability.
B) posttraumatic stress disorder.
C) a depressive explanatory style.
D) Type A behavior.

Answer 1

posttraumatic stress disorder.

Question 2

According to Lazarus and Folkman (1984), the way in which stress is experienced and the particular coping strategies that are used depend primarily on

A) a person's amount of social support.
B) the health of the immune system.
C) a subjective appraisal of the situation.
D) the general adaptation syndrome.

Answer 2

a subjective appraisal of the situation.

Question 3

All of the following are examples of microstressors except

A) traffic.
B) noisy neighbors.
C) natural disasters.
D) waiting in a long line.

Answer 3

natural disasters.

Question 4

In interviews with hospital patients, Holmes and Rahe (1967)found that illness was often preceded by either a positive or negative major life event.This finding is consistent with the hypothesis that

A) stress is caused by change.
B) childhood trauma can exacerbate stress, especially among those who are ill.
C) negative events are experienced as more stressful than positive events.
D) life itself, rather than stress, produces physical illness.

Question 5

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

A) is most likely to occur when an individual feels personally responsible for the outcome of a traumatic event.
B) is more prevalent among men versus women.
C) is observed among military personnel, but not the general citizenry.
D) often occurs three to six months after a soldier's return rather than immediately afterward.

Question 6

Efforts to reduce stress are known as

A) appraisal.
B) coping.
C) explanatory style.
D) adaptation.

Question 7

The process by which we make judgments about the demands of potentially stressful events is called

A) coping.
B) subjective well-being.
C) appraisal.
D) stress-and-coping process.

Question 8

Compared to life in the year 1900, Americans are more likely to die from

A) infectious diseases, such as pneumonia.
B) preventable diseases, such as heart attacks and strokes.
C) natural disasters, such as hurricanes and floods.
D) All of these

Question 9

How do scientists measure stressors and their effects?

A) Self-report measures
B) Physiological measures
C) Self-report and physiological measures
D) Self-report measures for major life events and physiological measures for daily hassles

Question 10

What do getting married, surviving a tornado, and dealing with a long, congested commute to work all have in common?

A) They are all major life events.
B) They are all catastrophes.
C) They are all daily hassles.
D) They are all stressors.

Question 11

Marla studies the link between psychological stress and physical health.Marla is most likely a(n)

A) forensic psychologist.
B) health psychologist.
C) industrial/organizational psychologist.
D) social worker.

Question 12

Anything that causes stress is known as a(n)

A) stressor.
B) alarm reaction.
C) social support.
D) major life event.

Question 13

Major positive and negative life events

A) result in similar levels of distress and physical illness.
B) are a more common source of stress than everyday hassles.
C) have different effects on physical illness.
D) are related to psychological, but not physical, illness.

Question 14

By definition, stress is

A) a state of arousal.
B) anxiety-producing.
C) permanent.
D) inescapable.

Question 15

Sarah is stressed about her upcoming exam, so she goes to the gym to work out and feels less stressed afterwards.Shianne is also stressed about her exam, but she decides to budget extra time to study and hires a tutor, which makes her feel less stressed.Both Sarah and Shianne are engaged in

A) coping.
B) appraisal.
C) learning helplessness.
D) adaptation.

Question 16

The APA conducted a nationwide survey in 2008 that asked men and women to indicate the sources of stress in their lives.Four out of five cited which of the following?

A) Love
B) Illness
C) Money
D) Work

Question 17

The distressing effects of a natural disaster are most likely to emerge among an individual who

A) was least distressed before the event.
B) is high in self-efficacy.
C) experienced the most danger during the event.
D) relies on emotion-focused coping.

Question 18

Health psychology

A) is one of the oldest subfields in all of psychology.
B) recognizes the clear distinction between biological and psychological factors.
C) is the application of psychology to the promotion of physical health.
D) focuses primarily on mental health and psychological well-being.

Question 19

Imagine that an earthquake occurs in Missouri soon after a hurricane strikes Florida and a flood strikes South Dakota.Jorge, a psychiatrist with a specialty in dealing with suicidal individuals, is ready to be dispatched to one of these locations to offer assistance.Based on the suicide rates that follow major disasters, Jorge will be

A) equally needed in all locations.
B) most needed in Missouri and Florida.
C) most needed in Florida and South Dakota.
D) most needed in Missouri and South Dakota.

Question 20

Which of the following appears to be true?

A) The stress caused by positive events can be as long-lasting as the stress caused by negative events.
B) People can experience positive and negative emotions simultaneously.
C) A positive major life event usually offsets the stress that is caused by several negative microstressors.
D) Negative events produce more antibodies than do positive events.

Question 21

Sapolsky (2004)argues that for humans, from an evolutionary perspective, psychological stress is a(n)

A) "recent invention."
B) "adaptive benefit."
C) "long-term selection advantage."
D) "nuisance variable."

Question 22

Psychological stress has been implicated as a factor in a wide variety of illnesses.This can be explained by the fact that stress

A) can be experienced as either positive or negative.
B) compromises the body's immune system.
C) is both a cause and effect of illness.
D) promotes an illusion of invulnerability to disease.

Question 23

Prolonged response to job stress resulting in emotional exhaustion, cynicism, disengagement, and lack of personal accomplishment is known as

A) general adaptation syndrome.
B) PTSD.
C) burnout.
D) learned helplessness.

Question 24

Which of the following concerning personality and coronary heart disease is true?

A) Individuals with a Type B personality are more likely to have coronary heart disease than those with Type A personalities.
B) Observations of a person's behavior are a better indicator of Type A personality than self-reports.
C) An estimated 5 million Americans suffer from coronary heart disease.
D) The most toxic personality ingredient associated with coronary heart disease is competitiveness.

Question 25

While walking home alone late at night, Winona suddenly hears footsteps behind her.She can feel her heart pounding, her breathing quicken, and the adrenaline racing through her body.Within the framework of the general adaptation syndrome, Winona is in the _______ stage.

A) alarm
B) exhaustion
C) recovery
D) resistance

Question 26

Selye's (1936)general adaptation syndrome includes all of the following stages except

A) alarm.
B) exhaustion.
C) recovery.
D) resistance.

Question 27

High levels of hostility have been found to predict

A) decreased use of alcohol and cigarettes.
B) greater use of emotion-focused coping.
C) more intense cardiovascular responses to events.
D) risky behaviors.

Question 28

Regina learns that hostility is a factor in the development of high blood pressure, so she now tries to push down her anger.How will this affect her body?

A) Her blood pressure will probably decrease.
B) Her blood pressure will probably increase.
C) Her blood pressure will remain stable at its current level.
D) Her blood pressure will decrease, but only if she believes that suppression can have such an effect.

Question 29

Gurjit is easily angered when threatened and hates it when his coworkers are not prepared.In addition, he is always in a rush and feels that he has to be the best employee in the company.Gurjit's personality is most consistent with

A) optimism.
B) hardiness.
C) self-focused depression.
D) the Type A behavior pattern.

Question 30

Women experiencing burnout at work are likely to show _____ as a symptom; men experiencing burnout at work are likely to show _____.

A) depersonalization; the same symptom as women
B) emotional exhaustion; the same symptom as women
C) depersonalization; emotional exhaustion
D) emotional exhaustion; depersonalization

Question 31

Penelope tends to be hostile and angry much of the time.She recently had an argument with her best friend, Daisy.Daisy, who is more easygoing, is wary about bringing up the debated subject again, even after a significant period of time has elapsed.Daisy probably recognizes that

A) Penelope has a strong fight-or-flight response.
B) Penelope, because of her hostile nature, will exhibit intense reactions long after the argument by just being reminded of it.
C) people who are high in hostility are also likely to remember events in ways that minimize their feelings of anger.
D) Penelope has the three most important risk factors for coronary heart disease.

Question 32

Which of the following is not a reason that socioeconomic status is negatively associated with the experience of daily hassles?

A) Low-income neighborhoods are more crowded than high-income neighborhoods.
B) People from low SES backgrounds have fewer medical resources.
C) Low-income families are more likely to have a poor diet.
D) Children in low-income neighborhoods have greater access to charter and magnet schools.

Question 33

Married couples who are financially strained are more likely to experience

A) high levels of satisfaction, but low levels of commitment.
B) high levels of commitment, but low levels of satisfaction.
C) illusions of invulnerability in their relationship.
D) conflict in their relationship.

Question 34

Research on burnout suggests it is more likely when workers lack

A) support from their supervisors.
B) cordial relationships with their coworkers.
C) adequate resources at work.
D) All of these

Question 35

When females are isolated and in social distress, they experience

A) elevated levels of oxytocin.
B) heightened fight-or-flight response.
C) posttraumatic stress disorder.
D) lower affiliative responses.

Question 36

Elaine is a college student.Which of the following does research suggest will be the most stressful for Elaine?

A) She and her boyfriend are constantly fighting.
B) She lives in a suite in her college dormitory.
C) It is the beginning of her junior year.
D) Her parents are selling their home.

Question 37

Caleb has a Type A personality.The aspect of his behavior that is likely to place Caleb at greatest risk for coronary heart disease is his

A) mistrust of other people.
B) competitive orientation.
C) impatience.
D) workaholism.

Question 38

Which of the following has been demonstrated in research concerning the impact of gender on responses to stress?

A) Men and women exhibit the fight-or-flight response to the same degree.
B) Women become more nurturing and affiliative than do men.
C) Women react more aggressively than men.
D) Men are less likely than women to suffer negative health consequences following prolonged stress.

Question 39

A pattern of behavior characterized by extremes of competitive striving for achievement, a sense of time urgency, hostility, and aggression is called

A) Type A personality.
B) Type B personality.
C) depressed explanatory style.
D) a hardy disposition.

Question 40

Bernie is about to be attacked by the class bully, and thus is under stress.According to general adaptation syndrome, Bernie can expect

A) his digestive functions to accelerate.
B) his stress to impede his ability to defend himself.
C) higher levels of adrenaline in his bloodstream.
D) local immunological defenses to be activated immediately.

Question 41

When Ayanna passes an class, she thinks her success is due to her hard work.When she fails a class, she thinks her failure is due to a lack of hard work.These perceptions reflect a sense of _____ and make it _____ likely that Ayanna will get sick.

A) self-efficacy; less
B) optimism; more
C) pessimism; more
D) control; less

Question 42

Based on research concerning the link between stress and illness, which of the following people is most likely to actually contract a cold if exposed to a cold virus?

A) Carrie, who has a Type B personality
B) Charlotte, who is happily married, but just had an argument with her husband
C) Samantha, who has been unemployed for two months
D) Miranda, who got a speeding ticket on her way home from work

Question 43

Which of the following best characterizes the relationship between stress and illness?

A) Stress increases the number of lymphocytes in the bloodstream, which diminishes the body's ability to fight off disease.
B) Stress increases levels of adrenaline and other hormones that suppress immune cell activity and increase susceptibility to illness.
C) Stress increases the negative attributions that people make, and negative attributions can become self-fulfilling prophecies.
D) Under high levels of stress, people tend to sleep too much, which weakens the immune system and makes illness more likely.

Question 44

Research by Sbarra and colleagues (2011)on divorce showed that

A) people divorced at the start of a study were more likely to die from all causes of death at follow-up.
B) people who experienced a divorce prior to age 65 showed dramatic resilience.
C) men who experienced divorce were more resilient than divorced women.
D) young people who get divorced experience less stress than people who divorce after 65.

Question 45

A person's belief that he or she is capable of the specific behavior required to produce a desired outcome in a given situation is called

A) self-efficacy.
B) control.
C) hardiness.
D) internal explanatory style.

Question 46

After an extraordinarily stressful week at work, Mahmoud spends the weekend in bed with the flu.Which of the following best explains why Mahmoud became ill?

A) Mahmoud depleted his body's stress-fighting resources, thus increasing his susceptibility to illness.
B) Prolonged activity of Mahmoud's stress-fighting resources caused other bodily systems to break down, increasing his susceptibility to illness.
C) Mahmoud's natural stress-fighting resources weakened with prolonged use, making his body more susceptible to illness.
D) Mahmoud has a Type B, rather than a Type A, personality.

Question 47

Which of the following is not a method used to observe operations in the immune system?

A) Lymphocyte count in a blood draw
B) Extract blood, add cancerous tumor cells, and measure effectiveness of natural killer cells
C) Inject a foreign agent in the skin and measure the amount of swelling
D) Swab the inside of a cheek and measure the level of cortisol

Question 48

Lucille lives in a nursing home where she gets to choose her daily activities.Peggy Sue lives in a nursing home where the staff schedules all activities.Research suggests that compared to Peggy Sue, Lucille will be

A) happier, but not healthier.
B) healthier, but not happier.
C) happier and healthier.
D) just as happy and healthy.

Question 49

Research in Israel on resilience in the face of terrorism and violence indicates that ______ tend to be more resilient than _______ .

A) Arabs; Jews
B) women; men
C) more educated people; less educated people
D) single people; married people

Question 50

Which of the following concerning the link between stress and illness is true?

A) Stress can increase vulnerability to short-term illnesses, like colds, but does not affect the course of more serious long-term diseases, like cancer.
B) Stress can influence whether or not a person contracts a particular illness, but not the time course or outcome of that illness.
C) Stress increases susceptibility to coronary heart disease, but not colds or cancer.
D) Stress can influence both short-term and long-term illnesses, including colds, coronary heart disease, and cancer.

Question 51

Ralph has had a stressful month.His girlfriend dumped him, he failed three exams, and someone stole his car.According to Abramson et al.'s (1989)notion of hopelessness, Ralph's reactions to these events depend on his

A) upbringing.
B) achievements.
C) attributions.
D) self-esteem.

Question 52

Psychoneuroimmunology is the study of the relationship between psychological factors,

A) the nervous system, and the brain.
B) the heart, and the nervous system.
C) the immune system, and the brain.
D) the immune system, and the heart.

Question 53

In an experiment that tested the effects of negative emotions on the immune system, experimenters gave each participant a blister using a vacuum pump.Which participants took the longest to heal?

A) Participants who had financial problems
B) Participants who had recently undergone a major life stressor
C) Participants who ate an unhealthy diet
D) Participants who had anger-control problems

Question 54

Monty studies hard for math, but never seems to "get it." Week after week, he fails his math tests.By the end of the year, Monty does not even try to study for math.Monty is demonstrating

A) problem-focused coping.
B) hardiness.
C) learned helplessness.
D) self-efficacy.

Question 55

If Maurice has a depressive explanatory style, then he is likely to attribute his failures to

A) stable, global, and internal factors.
B) stable, global, and external factors.
C) unstable, situational, and internal factors
D) unstable, situational, and external factors.

Question 56

The habitual tendency to attribute negative events to causes that are stable, global, and internal is characteristic of

A) hardiness.
B) optimism.
C) Type A behavior.
D) a depressive explanatory style.

Question 57

According to Seligman (1975), depression results primarily from

A) proactive coping.
B) learned helplessness.
C) high self-complexity.
D) specific external attributions.

Question 58

Hardiness has all of the following features except

A) commitment.
B) concentration.
C) control.
D) challenge.

Question 59

Which of the following has been demonstrated in research concerning the impact of stress on the immune system?

A) Individuals deprived of sleep for long periods of time exhibit a weakened immune system.
B) Recently divorced or widowed individuals show increased functioning of their immune systems.
C) Both positive and negative events weaken the immune system.
D) Stress weakens the immune systems of rats, but not humans.

Question 60

Stress may weaken the immune system in part by increasing

A) the number of lymphocytes in the bloodstream.
B) blood pressure.
C) unhealthy behaviors.
D) physical exertion and rest.

Question 61

The biological explanation for the correlation between optimism and physical health focuses on

A) risky behaviors and adrenaline.
B) alcohol consumption.
C) the immune system.
D) genetic heritability.

Question 62

Within Carver et al.'s (1989)multidimensional framework, individuals who cope with stressful events by trying to find the good in the situation are relying on

A) mental disengagement.
B) restraint coping.
C) active coping.
D) positive reinterpretation.

Question 63

Cognitive and behavioral efforts to reduce the distress produced by a stressful situation are called _____ coping.

A) problem-focused
B) emotion-focused
C) proactive
D) reactive

Question 64

Upfront efforts to ward off or modify the onset of a stressful event are called _____ coping.

A) problem-focused
B) emotion-focused
C) proactive
D) anticipatory

Question 65

Sue Ellen typically explains negative events using temporary, specific, external attributions.According to Seligman (1991), Sue Ellen could best be described as possessing

A) a Type B personality.
B) hardiness.
C) learned helplessness.
D) optimism.

Question 66

Frazier's (2003)research on blame, control, and coping among rape victims indicates that

A) assigning blame leads to less stress.
B) self-blame is only adaptive when it leads to feelings of future safety.
C) blaming the assailant is the best way to recover from the trauma.
D) past control is more important that present control.

Question 67

Although Heloise would like to quit smoking, she is convinced that she is addicted and will never be able to stop.With respect to smoking, Heloise is

A) high in self-efficacy.
B) low in self-efficacy.
C) high in self-complexity.
D) low in self-complexity.

Question 68

According to Sarkar and colleagues (2009), heart disease patients were more likely to survive hospitalization when they

A) had high ratings of self-efficacy.
B) had low ratings of self-efficacy.
C) had depressive explanatory styles.
D) made stable, global attributions.

Question 69

Research suggests that procrastination is problematic.Nonetheless, a more controlling orientation epitomized by tackling tasks head-on can be problematic too in that it can

A) prevent problem-focused coping.
B) lead to development of a Type B personality.
C) lead to decrements in attention.
D) be physiologically taxing.

Question 70

Sean believes that he has a high sense of control over his own health, so when his kidney transplant unexpectedly fails, he is likely to

A) avoid feeling depressed.
B) feel particularly depressed.
C) seek out the company of more pessimistic patients in the same situation.
D) exhibit a particularly strong immune response.

Question 71

Janoff-Bulman's research indicates that self-blame is adaptive in the long term when it is directed at ______ as opposed to ______.

A) one's behavior; oneself as a person
B) one's past behavior; one's present behavior
C) emotion; behavior
D) one's character; one's behavior

Question 72

In their study of procrastination, Tice and Baumeister (1997)found that, compared to non-procrastinators, procrastinators tended to report

A) lower levels of stress throughout the semester.
B) higher levels of stress throughout the semester.
C) lower levels of stress early in the semester and higher levels late in the semester.
D) higher levels of stress early in the semester and lower levels late in the semester.

Question 73

Which of the following has not been revealed by research on the relationship between optimism and health?

A) Optimists are more likely than pessimists to make a quicker and fuller recovery from coronary artery bypass surgery.
B) A positive correlation exists between hopelessness and mortality.
C) Optimism can have negative consequences when it leads people to believe that they have control over uncontrollable events.
D) Optimists are more likely than pessimists to take an emotion-focused approach to dealing with stress.

Question 74

"The biology of hope" (described by Norman Cousins, 1989)says that

A) positive expectations can be self-fulfilling.
B) positive expectations lead to optimism.
C) negative expectations are inevitable.
D) when there's hope, there's life.

Question 75

Characterological self-blame reduces future control because it is a(n)

A) unstable, internal attribution.
B) stable, internal attribution.
C) unstable, external attribution.
D) stable, external attribution.

Question 76

According to Seligman (1991), a non-depressive explanatory style is characteristic of

A) Type B personality.
B) optimism.
C) learned helplessness.
D) low self-efficacy.

Question 77

One limitation to the positive relationship between a sense of control and resiliency is that

A) setting control expectations too high can be harmful when outcomes are negative.
B) a personal sense of control often predicts oversensitivity to the needs and feelings of others.
C) it is much stronger in collectivist cultures than in individualistic cultures.
D) it tends to disappear when a person opts for emotion-focused coping rather than problem-focused coping.

Question 78

Upon discovering that she has lung cancer, Mary blames the illness on her stupidity and lack of willpower.The blame she assigns herself is _____, and it is likely to _____ her sense of future control.

A) situational; increase
B) behavioral; increase
C) characterological; decrease
D) cathartic; decrease

Question 79

Cognitive and behavioral efforts to alter a stressful situation are called _____ coping.

A) problem-focused
B) emotion-focused
C) proactive
D) efficacious

Question 80

A 2001 study of 1,306 adult men from the Boston area found that optimism was

A) positively correlated with emotion-focused coping.
B) positively correlated with problem-focused coping.
C) negatively correlated with coronary heart disease 10 years later.
D) negatively correlated with self-serving appraisal styles.