Deck 12: Section 4: Stress, Health, and Coping

Question 1

Walter Cannon identified an endocrine pathway involving the _____ in the stress response, and Hans Selye identified an endocrine pathway involving _____ in the stress response.

A)release of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH); secretion of adrenaline and noradrenaline
B)adrenal cortex; the adrenal medulla
C)adrenal medulla; the adrenal cortex
D)release of corticosteroids; the secretion of catecholamines

Answer 1

adrenal medulla; the adrenal cortex

Question 2

According Shelley Taylor's research, when women are under a great deal of stress, they tend to:

A)escape and avoid.
B)trigger the fight-or-flight response.
C)trigger the tend-and-befriend response.
D)withdraw and ruminate.

Answer 2

trigger the tend-and-befriend response.

Question 3

Which of the following statements regarding gender differences in the effects of social support is TRUE?

A)Men with few or no social contacts are less likely to suffer negative effects than women with few or no social contacts.
B)Men are more likely to be distressed by negative events that happen to their friends and relatives, while women are more likely to be distressed only by negative events that happen to their husbands and children.
C)The health benefits of being married are greater for women than they are for men.
D)Women are more likely to suffer from the stress contagion effect.

Answer 3

Women are more likely to suffer from the stress contagion effect.

Question 4

_____ is to acute stress as _____ is to prolonged stress.

A)The fight-or-flight response; the general adaptation syndrome
B)The general adaptation syndrome; the fight-or-flight response
C)Psychoneuroimmunology; health psychology
D)Health psychology; psychoneuroimmunology

Question 5

According to Culture and Human Behavior: The Stress of Adapting to a New Culture, which pattern of acculturation tends to produce the LOWEST level of acculturative stress?

A)marginalization
B)assimilation
C)integration
D)separation

Question 6

_____ coping focuses on relieving or regulating the emotional impact of a stressful situation.

A)Problem-focused
B)Type A
C)Type D
D)Emotion-focused

Question 7

Research has generally found that people who have many friends, a large social network, and frequent contact with others are:

A)more likely to get sick because they are exposed to more germs than people who have few social contacts.
B)less likely to develop a serious illness than people who have little contact with others.
C)more likely to develop a serious illness because they experience more daily hassles as a result of the demands involved in having a large social networks.
D)more likely to experience the stress contagion effect and have lower resistance to infections, and a higher incidence of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Question 8

Vernessa is a middle-aged adult who experiences chronic stress. Research suggests that Vernessa will have shortened:

A)telomeres.
B)neurons.
C)axons.
D)dendrites.

Question 9

According to Focus on Neuroscience: The Mysterious Placebo Effect, one possible explanation for the placebo effect is that it:

A)is ineffective for reducing pain.
B)can have a harmful effect on the central nervous system.
C)reduces pain by activating the brain's natural opioid network.
D)increases pain by activating the brain's natural opioid network.

Question 10

The MOST damaging component of the Type A behavior pattern appears to be:

A)time urgency and impatience.
B)lack of personal control.
C)hostility.
D)competitiveness.

Question 11

The relationship between psychological factors and illness, stress, and coping are all topics that are studied in the field of _____, which is guided by the _____ model.

A)health psychology; psychoneuroimmunology
B)health psychology; biopsychosocial
C)behavioral medicine; psychoneuroimmunology
D)behavioral medicine; general adaptation

Question 12

Assume that each of the following individuals is middle aged. Who is MOST likely to develop coronary problems?

A)Mae, who is an unemployed widow
B)Calvin, who is a Type A businessman
C)Sanjay, who is neurotic and depressed
D)Claire, who is both Type A and hostile

Question 13

Investigating the relationship between stress and susceptibility to the common cold, psychologist Sheldon Cohen and his colleagues found that:

A)it is a myth that stress is associated with greater susceptibility to the common cold and respiratory infections.
B)when people are under chronic or long-term stress, their immune system functioning responds strongly, reducing susceptibility to the common cold and other infections.
C)the higher a person's level of stress, the higher the rate of respiratory infections and colds.
D)those with a pessimistic explanatory style are more susceptible to the common cold than those with an optimistic explanatory style.

Question 14

According to the textbook's suggestions for providing effective social support, you are MOST likely to be perceived as helpful if you:

A)pretend to be cheerful and downplay the other person's situation by saying something like "I wouldn't worry about it because I'm sure everything will turn out okay."
B)talk about yourself and problems you have experienced in the past.
C)tell the person, "I know exactly how you feel."
D)ask questions in a way that encourages the other person to express his or her feelings and emotions.

Question 15

Which of the following lists the four emotion-focused coping strategies discussed in the textbook?

A)planful problem solving, confrontive coping, and seeking social support
B)seeking social support, denial, distancing, and planful problem solving
C)denial, distancing, seeking social support, and positive reappraisal
D)confrontive coping, denial, distancing, and positive reappraisal

Question 16

Psychologist Janice Kiecolt-Glaser is known for:

A)describing the endocrine system pathways involved in response to chronic stress.
B)research demonstrating that even minor stressors, such as taking exams, can reduce the effectiveness of immune system functioning.
C)explaining why women exhibit the "tend-and-befriend" response rather than the "fight-or-flight" response when threatened.
D)her research on classically conditioning the immune system, which helped establish the interdisciplinary field of psychoneuroimmunology.

Question 17

Wesley and Jonathan have just been informed that the corporation they work for has been bought, their jobs have been eliminated, and they are both being laid off. Jonathan immediately begins to work on his résumé, while Wesley heads for the nearest bar and spends the evening drinking with his buddies. Jonathan's coping style can be described as _____ focused, whereas Wesley's coping style can be described as _____.

A)problem; distancing
B)emotion; seeking social support
C)problem; escape-avoidance
D)emotion; escape-avoidance

Question 18

According to Martin Seligman, people who use stable, internal, and global explanations for negative events:

A)have a strong immune system response to stress, with high levels of lymphocytes, T-cells, and helper T cells.
B)have an optimistic explanatory style.
C)are prone to the stress contagion effect.
D)have a pessimistic explanatory style.

Question 19

Brenda forgot to set her alarm clock, overslept, missed her train, and was late to work. When she got to her office, she realized that she'd left the power adapter for her laptop at home. By afternoon, Brenda had a mountain of work on her desk and a tension headache. Brenda's high level of stress:

A)is due to her Type B behavior pattern.
B)can best be explained as the cumulative effect of daily hassles.
C)can best be explained by the social contagion effect.
D)is due to the release of the hormone oxytocin by the adrenal medulla.

Question 20

_____ refers to a negative emotional state occurring in response to events that are perceived as taxing or exceeding a person's resources or ability to cope.

A)Stress
B)Anxiety
C)An attitude
D)An appraisal

Question 21

You know that your friend Jeffrey's wife has left him and that his company has just been bought out by a big corporation, meaning that his job is in jeopardy. You stop over at Jeffrey's apartment after work one evening and notice that he is gulping coffee and chain-smoking cigarettes. He explains that the stress is getting to him and that he's had trouble sleeping. Because you've read the advice in "Minimizing the Effects of Stress," you know that common stimulants like nicotine and caffeine:

A)will probably make Jeffrey feel better because they can temporarily relieve stress.
B)can help Jeffrey compensate for the sleep deprivation that he's experiencing.
C)should be avoided because they cause physiological arousal and will only increase his feelings of nervousness and stress.
D)can reduce feelings of anxiety and depression, which explains why they are commonly used by people who are under a great deal of stress.

Question 22

As compared with members of individualistic cultures, members of collectivistic cultures are more likely to _____ to cope with stress.

A)seek social support and use emotion-focused coping strategies
B)resort to confrontive coping and planful problem solving
C)seek social support and use problem-focused coping strategies
D)assume personal responsibility and use multiple coping strategies