Deck 1: Introducing Health Psychology

Question 1

​The leading cause of death in the United States

A) ​is due to acute, infectious disease.
B) ​is due to risky sexual behaviors.
C) ​has shifted from cardiovascular disease to cancer.
D) ​has shifted from acute to chronic diseases.

Answer 1

​has shifted from acute to chronic diseases.

Question 2

​How has life expectancy in the U.S. changed from a century ago to today?

A) ​It has risen to be more than 65% longer.
B) ​It has increased to almost 35% longer.
C) ​It has increased, but not significantly.
D) ​It has exceeded 100 years of age.

Answer 2

​It has risen to be more than 65% longer.

Question 3

​Which of these most correctly describes changes in U.S. health and health care over the past century or so?

A) ​Preventing and treating infectious diseases have decreased chronic diseases equally.
B) ​Preventing and treating infectious diseases have reduced chronic disease, but not as much.
C) ​Preventing and treating infectious diseases have enabled predomination of chronic diseases.
D) ​Preventing and treating infectious diseases have had no effect at all upon chronic diseases.

Answer 3

​Preventing and treating infectious diseases have enabled predomination of chronic diseases.

Question 4

​Health psychologist Angela Bryan has begun to investigate genetic influences on

A) ​people's responses to interventions with physical activity.
B) ​people's tendencies to engage in risky sexual behaviors.
C) ​people's likelihood to engage in safer sexual behaviors.
D) ​people's responses to interventions with sexual activity.

Question 5

​During the first few years of the 21^st century, deaths from some chronic diseases in the United States

A) ​began to rise more rapidly than during the previous 50 years.
B) ​began to decrease while deaths not due to lifestyles began to increase.
C) ​began to increase while deaths not due to lifestyles began to decrease.
D) ​were replaced by acute diseases as the leading cause of death.

Question 6

​Clara did not have any history of type 1 diabetes, but as an older adult she has developed type 2 diabetes. Related to this development, what is most likely about the contributions of lifestyle factors?

A) ​Her condition likely developed because Clara had long been eating an unhealthy diet.
B) ​Her condition likely developed from unhealthy diet and smoking cigarettes for years.
C) ​Her condition likely developed because of unhealthy diet and never getting any exercise.
D) ​Her condition likely developed through contributions from each of these factors, plus stress.

Question 7

In 1900, most deaths in the United States were caused by ____, whereas today most are due to ____.

A) pneumonia. . . cancer
B) ​chronic diseases. . . cancer
C) ​infectious diseases. . . chronic diseases
D) ​cancer. . . alcohol-related causes

Question 8

​_________ diseases are a class of diseases that include heart disease, cancer, and stroke.

A) ​Infectious
B) ​Chronic
C) ​Unintentional
D) ​Cardiovascular

Question 9

​What is true about the time frames of diseases 100 years ago in the United States?

A) ​Illnesses lasted longer because fewer treatments existed then.
B) ​Illnesses were shorter because sick people got well in weeks.
C) ​Illnesses were shorter because sick people died within weeks.
D) ​Illnesses lasted for shorter times as results of all these causes.

Question 10

​How do the numbers of Americans dying each year from chronic diseases compare to the numbers of Americans living with chronic diseases each year?

A) ​About 65 times as many people die from them as live with them every year.
B) ​About 65 times as many people live with them as die from them every year.
C) ​About the same number of people live with them as die from them in a year.
D) ​About 10 times as many people live with them as die from them every year.

Question 11

​People's beliefs about health and illness may be incorrect. Which of these common beliefs is true?

A) ​The United States ranks in the top five nations in the world in terms of life expectancy.
B) ​The 30-year increase in life expectancy in the United States during the 20th century was due primarily to improved medical care.
C) ​Infectious and chronic diseases have both decreased in the United States today.
D) ​None of these is true.

Question 12

​Compared to historically, Americans today have

A) ​more control over their health, and most people exert that control.
B) ​less control over their health, but many people utilize more of it.
C) ​more control over their health, but many people do not utilize it.
D) ​less control over their health, and cannot apply what they have.

Question 13

​One hundred years ago, the majority of American deaths were due to

A) ​behavioral factors.
B) ​illness from viruses.
C) ​disease from bacteria.
D) ​injuries from accidents.

Question 14

​As a health psychologist, Angela Bryan develops interventions to change health behaviors that are affected by _______ factors.

A) ​psychological
B) ​sociological
C) ​biological
D) ​all these

Question 15

​Based on the real-world profile of Angela Bryan, how should health psychologists evaluate how effective their interventions are in changing health behaviors?

A) ​By anecdotal feedback from patients they have treated
B) ​By patients' responses to self-reporting questionnaires
C) ​By applying valid and reliable research methodologies
D) ​By interdisciplinary partners' views of patient progress

Question 16

​Diseases that killed most people a century ago were more often from

A) ​tainted foods than unhealthy habits.
B) ​unsafe drinking water than bad foods.
C) ​others who were ill than food or water.
D) ​not taking available medicine prescribed.

Question 17

​The field of health psychology developed

A) ​to increase life expectancy, which was much shorter then.
B) ​to address challenges in medical care, which was changing.
C) ​to try to find cures for infectious diseases that caused deaths.
D) ​to change medicine's focus from biological to psychosomatic.

Question 18

​In America today, what is a fact about chronic diseases?

A) ​They cause a comparable percentage of deaths now as infectious diseases caused in the past.
B) ​They cause the majority of deaths now, but a lower percentage than infectious diseases once did.
C) ​They cause a comparable percentage of deaths now to the percentage that infectious diseases cause now.
D) ​They cause a very low percentage of actual deaths, but many people are living with them now.

Question 19

​Chronic diseases

A) ​develop and persist over a period of time.
B) ​are due to infectious agents such as bacteria or viruses.
C) ​are not as common today as during the 19th century.
D) ​include influenza and pneumonia.

Question 20

​Which of the following is most correct about health care in the United States today?

A) ​People historically had more control over their health than they have today.
B) ​Conditions that kill people today are more related to non-behavioral factors.
C) ​Contributions to rising health care costs today include unhealthy behaviors.
D) ​Increasing health care costs today are due to technology, and not behaviors.

Question 21

​What two factors can help explain some of the ethnic differences in health and life expectancy?

A) ​Poverty and age
B) ​Poverty and low education level
C) ​Low education level and age
D) ​Low education level and drug use

Question 22

​All of the following are factors in life expectancy EXCEPT:

A) ​age
B) ​education
C) ​ethnicity
D) ​mother's personality

Question 23

​Better-educated individuals report experiencing less stress than those with less education. How does this relate to their health status?

A) ​They report fewer symptoms because stress contributes to these.
B) ​They report fewer symptoms because stress affects perceptions.
C) ​They report no difference because stress has little health impact.
D) ​They report more symptoms because stress raises the awareness.

Question 24

​In the United States, young people have a low mortality rate; those who die are most likely to die from

A) ​cancer.
B) ​unintentional injuries.
C) ​homicide.
D) ​HIV infection.

Question 25

​Older people have higher probabilities of dying than younger people. How does this affect the statistics for causes of death?

A) ​This has no effect, since these two are not directly related.
B) ​This skews causes of death toward causes for older people.
C) ​This skews causes of death toward those for young people.
D) ​This has no effect, as causes of death differ by age groups.

Question 26

​Researchers have found that having more education provides benefits

A) ​for people who live in the United States, primarily.
B) ​for better health, but not for longer life expectancy.
C) ​for longer life expectancy, but not for better health.
D) ​for people who live in various nations of the world.

Question 27

​Which of the following ethnic groups has the most statistical justification for concern about dying from accidental injury?

A) ​European Americans
B) ​Hispanic Americans
C) ​African Americans
D) ​Asian Americans

Question 28

​What do current death rate statistics resulting from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases reflect most about health and health care trends in the United States?

A) ​A fall in healthy lifestyle behaviors
B) ​A decrease in socioeconomic levels
C) ​An increase in the aging population
D) ​An increase in environmental toxins

Question 29

​Cardiovascular disease and cancer account for _____ of all deaths in the US.

A) ​the vast majority
B) ​a small minority
C) ​more than a half
D) ​around one third

Question 30

​What is most accurate about recent statistics on death rates relative to education?

A) ​People with high school educations die half as often as people with less education.
B) ​People with college educations die less than half as often as high school graduates.
C) ​People with college educations die half as often as those with less than high school.
D) ​People with high school or college get the same benefit compared to those without.

Question 31

In a 2013 interview, award-winning popular singer Linda Ronstadt told Dan Rather she could no longer sing, as she had lost that kind of control over her voice due to Parkinson's disease. Deaths caused by this diagnosis have been _______ in recent years.

A) fewer
B) more
C) equal
D) none

Question 32

​In the United States, the three leading causes of death for adults ages 35 to 44 are

A) ​unintentional injuries, cancer, and heart disease.
B) ​suicide, homicide, and HIV infection.
C) ​HIV infection, heart disease, and pneumonia.
D) ​cancer, HIV infection, and pneumonia.

Question 33

Individuals who have gone to college have lower death rates from ______ than those who have not.

A) infectious diseases, but higher from chronic diseases
B) unintentional injuries than from any kinds of disease
C) unintentional injuries, chronic and infectious diseases
D) chronic and infectious diseases than accidental injury

Question 34

​Hypothetically, if you considered yourself plus your five nearest neighbors, all adults, how many of you would be likely to have one or more chronic diseases in a given year, based on current/recent statistics?

A) ​Four out of the six
B) ​Nearly three of six
C) ​Almost two in six
D) ​Above three in six

Question 35

​According to the National Center for Health Statistics (2016), the main causes of death for people aged 1-44 years are ranked in which order, from high to low?

A) ​Homicide; suicide; unintentional injuries
B) ​Suicide; unintentional injuries; homicide
C) ​Homicide; unintentional injuries; suicide
D) ​Unintentional injuries; suicide; homicide

Question 36

In the United States, people ages 15 to 24 are most likely to die from _______ and _______.

A) cancer. . . . heart disease
B) unintentional injuries . . . . homicide
C) homicide . . . . cancer
D) suicide . . . . HIV infection

Question 37

​According to the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS, 2016), what is true about the prevalence of these causes of death for Americans aged 1-44 years?

A) ​Deaths from suicide and homicide combined are fewer than from accidents.
B) ​Deaths from suicide and homicide combined are more than from accidents.
C) ​Deaths from accidental injuries occur to more than one third of this group.
D) ​Deaths from homicide exceed deaths from suicide, but not from accidents.

Question 38

​People who graduate from college show the following positive outcomes EXCEPT

A) ​higher average incomes.
B) ​more likely to exercise.
C) ​better access to health care.
D) ​more likely to eat a high-fat diet.

Question 39

​In the United States during the early years of the 21st century,

A) ​deaths from Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases increased.
B) ​deaths from accidents increased significantly.
C) ​deaths from heart disease increased significantly.
D) ​deaths only moderately related to lifestyle decreased significantly.

Question 40

​Of the following, which describes an acute disease?

A) ​Alberto was so sick from pneumonia that he had to be hospitalized.
B) ​Brian had a heart attack; he now takes medication and is doing fine.
C) ​Claudia had a minor stroke, but did not lose any mobility or speech.
D) ​Donna was treated for a breast lump, and is pronounced cancer-free.

Question 41

​Which cause of death is within the top ten causes for Hispanic Americans, but not for European Americans, African Americans, or Asian Americans?

A) ​Suicide
B) ​Homicide
C) ​Chronic liver disease
D) ​Pneumonia & influenza

Question 42

​Which of these is correct about relationships between statistics for mortality rates and life expectancy?

A) ​Infant mortality rates decrease average life expectancy for the population more than adult or elderly mortality rates.
B) ​Mortality rates increase as adults become older, but causes of death for the elderly are not higher than overall causes.
C) ​Elderly mortality rates decrease average life expectancy for the population more than infant or child mortality rates.
D) ​Although mortality rates are higher for elderly than younger adults, causes of death are similar for both groups.

Question 43

Among historical and cultural perspectives about health, which one of the following is most different from the others?​

A) ​Ancient China's
B) ​Early Christians'
C) ​Native Americans'
D) ​Western Africans'

Question 44

African Americans are more likely to die from _______ than European, Hispanic, or Asian Americans.

A) homicide or septicemia
B) kidney or liver disease
C) suicide and homicide
D) diabetes and stroke

Question 45

​Rhona is a 32-year-old African American college professor. Gena is a 32-year-old Hispanic American engineer. Leah is a 32-year-old European American who has been unemployed for most of the past 10 years and living below the poverty level. Helen is a 32

A) ​Rhona.
B) ​Gena.
C) ​Leah.
D) ​Helen.

Question 46

How do life expectancies today compare between Americans of European descent and Americans of African descent, and with people in other countries?​

A) ​The life expectancies for both these groups are essentially comparable.
B) ​The life expectancies are considerably longer with African Americans.
C) ​The life expectancies of both groups are longer than in other countries.
D) ​The life expectancies are significantly longer for European Americans.

Question 47

​What best describes the relationship between ethnicity and mortality in America today?

A) ​Ethnicity is related to life expectancy, but not to cause of death.
B) ​Ethnicity is related to cause of death, but not to life expectancy.
C) ​Ethnicity is related to both life expectancy and to cause of death.
D) ​Ethnicity is related to neither life expectancy nor cause of death.

Question 48

​The single most important contributor to an increase in life expectancy is

A) ​the decrease in the infant mortality rate.
B) ​the increase in individuals' beliefs in the importance of exercise.
C) ​advancement in medical technology.
D) ​advancement in medical care.

Question 49

​The increase in life expectancy since 1900 is due mostly to

A) ​decreases in cancer deaths.
B) ​the conquest of influenza.
C) ​major lifestyle changes.
D) ​none of these factors.

Question 50

In which ethnic group(s) is septicemia among the 10 foremost causes of death?

A) Hispanic Americans
B) African Americans
C) Asian Americans
D) All three of these

Question 51

​Which of the following cultural views of health would be most compatible with that of ancient Roman physician Galen?

A) ​That of late 19^th-century German physician Rudolf Virchow
B) ​That of late 19^th-century Austrian physician Sigmund Freud
C) ​That of the 17^th-century philosopher/scientist René Descartes
D) ​That of the ancient Babylonians and Assyrians and Hebrews

Question 52

​How do income and education relate to health and life expectancy in America today?

A) ​Income affects health problems; education affects life expectancy.
B) ​Income affects life expectancy; education affects health problems.
C) ​Income and education both affect both health and life expectancy.
D) ​Income and education influence neither health nor life expectancy.

Question 53

​In Table 1.1 of your textbook, why are some causes of death not listed for each ethnic group?

A) ​No data are available for those causes in those groups.
B) ​They are not leading causes of death for those groups.
C) ​They do not cause any deaths for those ethnic groups.
D) ​Cause-of-death profiles are the same for some groups.

Question 54

​In the United States, people living below the poverty level generally

A) ​are more likely to have lower levels of education.
B) ​are more likely than others to have health insurance.
C) ​are more likely members of ethnic minority groups.
D) ​are more likely to correspond to choices a and c both.

Question 55

Which statement is most accurate about education and health?

A) Education predicts both longevity and health, whereas intelligence does not.
B) Educated people use good health habits, rather than avoid bad health habits.
C) Educated people have more access to health information, and to health care.
D) Education predicts not whom one associates with, but attitudes about health.

Question 56

​When comparing how two American ethnic groups rank in life expectancy with each other and with other world nations, which of these is true?

A) ​African Americans rank half as high as European Americans, but higher than Israelis.
B) ​African Americans and European Americans rank about the same, but lower than Canadians.
C) ​African Americans rank half as high as European Americans, both lower than the Japanese.
D) ​African Americans rank twice as high as European Americans, both higher than Italians.

Question 57

​For which of the following ethnic groups is kidney disease a more common cause of death than for the others?

A) ​African Americans
B) ​European Americans
C) ​Hispanic Americans
D) ​Asian Americans

Question 58

​Which of the following has been less influential than the others in raising our life expectancy?

A) ​Better public sanitation
B) ​Increased immunization
C) ​New medical innovation
D) ​More milk pasteurization

Question 59

Pneumonia and influenza (together) account for one of the 10 leading causes of death in which ethnic group(s)?

A) European Americans
B) European and African Americans
C) European, Hispanic, and Asian Americans
D) European, Hispanic, African, and Asian Americans

Question 60

​Carla is a teenager living in poverty who is pregnant. What is true about associated health risks to her and her baby?

A) ​Her baby is more likely to have a low birth weight, but this is not a risk.
B) ​She is equally as likely to be abused as poor teens who are not pregnant.
C) ​Her baby is more likely to have low birth weight, raising mortality risk.
D) ​She is more likely to be abused, but her baby cannot be abused in utero.

Question 61

Which of the following has been the LEAST significant contributor to escalating medical costs?

A) Increases in population
B) The aging of the population
C) More sophisticated medical technology
D) Increases in the number of complex surgical procedures

Question 62

​Which of these most accurately describes how medical costs interact with life expectancy in the United States today?

A) ​People with chronic conditions incur more medical costs than older people.
B) ​Older Americans today have poorer health than older Americans in the past.
C) ​Older Americans today represent more of Americans with chronic diseases.
D) ​Medical costs are due to more people living longer, not to chronic diseases.

Question 63

​Research from outside your textbook finds the U.S. behind many other developed nations in achieving positive health care outcomes. How does this best relate to research cited in your textbook about current U.S. health care expenditures?

A) ​U.S. health care spending is comparable to U.S. positive health care outcomes.
B) ​U.S. health care spending far outweighs the U.S. positive health care outcomes.
C) U.S. health care spending is even lower than U.S. positive health care outcomes.
D) ​U.S. health care spending, as it rises, lowers U.S. positive health care outcomes.

Question 64

​The biomedical model of disease

A) ​existed in the 1800s until the biopsychosocial model in the early 1900s.
B) ​conceives of disease as caused by being exposed to specific pathogens.
C) ​is more common among the public than with health care professionals.
D) ​cannot explain infectious illnesses or the prevalence of viral illnesses.

Question 65

During the past 30 years, death rate from heart disease in the United States has declined. At the same time,

A) medical care expenses have increased.
B) rates of smoking tobacco have increased.
C) Americans' life expectancy has decreased.
D) biomedical model acceptance has increased.

Question 66

​Business owner Bill is financially very rich and enjoys better health than his rich, but not very rich, peers. Research has discovered that this difference is most affected by

A) ​his social status as indicated by his level of income.
B) ​his social status as indicated by his education level.
C) ​his social status as indicated by his occupation level.
D) ​his social status as indicated by his own perspective.

Question 67

​What best reflects an advantage of the biopsychosocial model of health?

A) ​It treats health as a positive state rather than a negative of illness.
B) ​It regards illness as a negative factor rather than a positive factor.
C) ​It has aspects both superior and inferior to the biomedical model.
D) ​It covers more factors, but cannot explain individual differences.

Question 68

​Stefan is highly wealthy and attributes his good health largely to his positive living habits of adhering to a nutritious diet and regular exercise, avoiding harmful substances, and minimizing and managing stress. Stefan is most likely to

A) ​be very highly educated.
B) ​have a certain occupation.
C) ​be of a specific ethnicity.
D) ​have no spouse/children.

Question 69

​In Sheldon Cohen's research on the common cold, all participants received a cold virus injection and after a week,

A) ​all of the participants in the study had developed a cold.
B) ​only some of the participants in the study caught a cold.
C) ​only the healthy participants in the study caught a cold.
D) ​only those with recent stressful experiences got a cold.

Question 70

​Dorian comes down with a "bug," which has hardly ever happened before, so he wonders why. Which statement is most appropriate regarding this?

A) ​His being exposed to a contagious microbe is the single most salient factor.
B) ​Psychological more than biological factors determine if he gets sick or not.
C) ​Biological and psychological factors combined outweigh any social factors.
D) ​Biological, social, and psychological factors interacted to create this result.

Question 71

​College graduates generally live longer than people who drop out of high school. Which of these conditions is most likely to explain these differences?

A) ​College graduates are more likely to smoke cigars.
B) ​High school dropouts are more likely to seek health care.
C) ​High school dropouts are less likely to use illicit drugs.
D) ​College graduates are less likely to smoke cigarettes.

Question 72

​Which of these has been a major health trend in the U.S. since 1900?

A) ​Cost of medical care has risen faster than inflation.
B) ​Health has been more frequently defined as the absence of illness.
C) ​Acute illnesses have replaced chronic diseases as the leading causes of death.
D) ​The biomedical model has been accepted by most psychologists.

Question 73

​Chronic illnesses in the U.S. are responsible for the majority of health care spending. In which category do they account for the largest proportion of money spent?

A) ​Overall health care spending
B) ​Prescriptions that are written
C) ​Hospitalizations for patients
D) ​Patients' visiting physicians

Question 74

​How much has health care in America gone up in cost per person, per year, between 1970 and 2013?

A) ​To more than seven times what it was
B) ​To more than three times what it was
C) ​To more than five times what it was
D) ​To more than ten times what it was

Question 75

​Many medical advances during the 19th century were prompted by the biomedical model that

A) ​emphasized emotional more than physical factors in disease.
B) ​took the place of the Cartesian model for health and disease.
C) ​led to a search for microscopic organisms that cause disease.
D) ​promoted a holistic perspective regarding health and disease.

Question 76

​Compared to the biomedical model of health, the biopsychosocial model promotes an approach to medical care that is more

A) ​reductive.
B) ​aggressive.
C) ​conservative.
D) ​comprehensive.

Question 77

​Sheldon Cohen's research on the common cold showcases that the ________ approach to understanding sickness and infection is inadequate.

A) ​biopsychosocial
B) ​biomedical
C) ​psychological
D) ​biochemical

Question 78

An inverse relationship exists between educational level and death rates, which means that

A) people who graduate from high school have higher death rates than those who do not.
B) people who attend college have higher death rates than those who drop out of high school.
C) people who attend college live longer than those who have never attended college.
D) both a and b are true.

Question 79

​Based on research by Sheldon Cohen and colleagues, which of these people is more likely to catch a cold if they are all exposed to someone who has it?

A) ​Wanda, who goes to bed and gets up at the same times each day
B) ​Xavier, who is very friendly and regularly interacts with others
C) ​Yolanda, who feels and expresses gratitude and joy in life daily
D) ​Zvi, who has just succeeded in coping with divorce and custody

Question 80

​Among approaches that could rein in growing health care expenses, which is not only less expensive, but also more proactive?

A) ​Screening people for disease and death risks
B) ​Treating chronic disease most appropriately
C) ​Detecting disease earlier, facilitating control
D) ​Preventing disease through healthy lifestyles