Deck 3: Stress and Its Effects

Question 1

Which of the following statements regarding the nature of stress is correct?

A) Routine hassles may have significant negative effects on mental and physical health.
B) Major stressful events make up the majority of events that are stressful.
C) Most people effectively deal with everyday stress through the use of defense mechanisms.
D) Minor stressors always produce minor effects.

Answer 1

Routine hassles may have significant negative effects on mental and physical health.

Question 2

Secondary appraisal involves

A) making plans to avoid the situation.
B) tapping into your defense mechanisms.
C) determining if the threat is irrelevant to you.
D) evaluating your coping resources and options for dealing with stress.

Answer 2

evaluating your coping resources and options for dealing with stress.

Question 3

The notion that "stress lies in the eye of the beholder" suggests that

A) coping strategies tend to vary from individual to individual.
B) people's appraisals of stressful events are highly subjective.
C) there are certain events that just about everyone finds stressful.
D) the appraisal of stress generally involves the use of visual imagery.

Answer 3

people's appraisals of stressful events are highly subjective.

Question 4

Tonya is a new researcher in a marketing company. She, like the others, is vigilant about the e-mails that she receives from the CEO. Any time she sees a new e-mail from the CEO in her inbox, she dreads opening the e-mail. This week, she opened an email and found that she was addressed in the email about an analysis that she had completed incorrectly; Tonya had no idea how to do the analysis but had hurried to submit something without checking. Tonya's direct supervisor was copied on the e-mail. In this case, Tonya MOST LIKELY made which of the following conclusions?

A) Primary appraisal: "This matter is relevant but not threatening."
B) Primary appraisal: "This matter is stressful."
C) Secondary appraisal: "I can handle this stress."
D) Secondary appraisal: "This matter is irrelevant."

Question 5

Everyday hassles have been found to be predictive of mental and physical health. 

Question 6

Acute stressors

A) are threatening events that have a relatively short duration and clear endpoint.
B) are unpleasant environmental conditions to which one must adjust.
C) are conditions that have a relatively long duration and no apparent time limit.
D) always lead to physical illness.

Question 7

Studies show that the discrepancy between what individuals expect before immigrating and what they actually experience once they do immigrate is related to the amount of_____ they report.

A) discrimination
B) wealth
C) acculturation stress
D) social support

Question 8

Ismelda was born in Mexico, and she and her family immigrated to the United States when she was a child. She is the first in her family to attend college; she grew up bilingual and bicultural in a diverse area of Southern California. Based on this background, which of the following is MOST likely a significant cause of stress for Ismelda? 

A) Covert discrimination.
B) Overt interracial conflict.
C) Acculturation.
D) Effects of modernization.

Question 9

People who live in areas prone to earthquakes or hurricanes experience less stress because they are used to natural disasters.

Question 10

Primary appraisal is an initial evaluation of whether an event is

A) imminent.
B) detrimental to one's health.
C) relevant and stressful.
D) expected.

Question 11

According to a poll by the APA (2015),__________were the top three reported stressors.

A) romantic relationships, career challenges, and finances
B) work, money, and the economy
C) student loans, housing, and gas prices
D) finances, personal relationships, and global warming

Question 12

Roger grew up in a quiet rural area, and now he is getting ready for the move to New York City. His campus is in the city, and he will be riding the subway from his walk-up apartment in Brooklyn. Roger is somewhat familiar with navigating the city; he and his family have visited New York every winter as long as he can remember. Based on this information, which of the following is Roger MOST likely to experience? 

A) acute stress.
B) traumatic stress.
C) ambient stress.
D) rational stress.

Question 13

Which of the following MOST accurately paraphrases the key themes of the textbook definition of stress? Stress is any event or circumstance that_____

A) causes upset.
B) causes illness.
C) causes negative change.
D) causes reduced coping abilities.

Question 14

has been a major source of stress in many urban areas, such as northern India. 

A) Religious conflict
B) Crowding
C) Pre-attack overload
D) Coping deficiency

Question 15

The term "ambient stress" refers to

A) stress that seems to have no identifiable source.
B) specific situations in which stress is most likely to occur.
C) chronic environmental conditions that place adaptive demands on people.
D) stressful situations that result from demands placed on us by others.

Question 16

Michaela is a former basketball player. She reveled in the chance to take the last-second shot and win the game for her team. Now, as a former athlete, Michaela has adopted this competitor mindset in her business career. She enjoys being called on to make the tough sale after her coworkers are unable to close the deal. Despite being in a high-stress business environment, Michaela is demonstrating which of the following? 

A) A stress-is-debilitating mindset.
B) A stress-is-necessary mindset.
C) A stress-is-enhancing mindset.
D) A stress-is-competitive mindset.

Question 17

Nicole is a new researcher in a marketing company. She is getting a hang of the culture, but is still stressed about the e-mails that she receives from the CEO. Any time she sees a new e-mail from the CEO in her inbox, she dreads opening the e-mail. This week, she opened an email and found that she was just copied on the message to her direct supervisor. In this case, Nicole MOST LIKELY made which of the following conclusions?

A) Primary appraisal: "This matter is relevant but not threatening."
B) Primary appraisal: "This matter is stressful."
C) Secondary appraisal: "I can handle this stress."
D) Secondary appraisal: "I cannot cope with this stress."

Question 18

The emerging consensus among contemporary researchers is that stress is

A) a stimulus event that presents difficult demands.
B) the response of physiological arousal elicited by a troublesome event.
C) a special stimulus-response transaction in which one feels threatened or experiences loss or harm.
D) a series of events that tend to elicit overwhelming feelings of anxiety.

Question 19

Research findings on minor hassles suggest that the effects of stress are

A) cumulative or additive.
B) mutually exclusive.
C) overwhelming to everyone.
D) inversely related to the number of demands.

Question 20

Whether or not an event is stressful is most likely to depend on 

A) how much physiological arousal it causes.
B) how much change there is.
C) how one appraises and adapts to the event.
D) whether one is prepared for the event.

Question 21

Which of the following is NOT a major source of stress described in your textbook?

A) Change.
B) Internal conflict.
C) Frustration.
D) Socialization.

Question 22

You are a talented artist and good at mathematics. You enjoy both and don't know which to major in at college. Which of the following types of conflict applies to your situation?

A) Approach-approach.
B) Avoidance-avoidance.
C) Approach-avoidance.
D) Frustration-aggression.

Question 23

Research supports a previous theory that internal conflicts generate considerable psychological stress. The theorist who first proposed this was

A) Freud.
B) Watson.
C) Selye.
D) Maslow.

Question 24

Any time you have to take a risk to pursue some desirable outcome, you are likely to find yourself in an__________ conflict.

A) approach-approach.
B) avoidance-avoidance.
C) anticipatory-avoidance.
D) approach-avoidance.

Question 25

Dealing with a rude store clerk and waiting for the results of an examination are two examples of

A) acute stressors.
B) ambient stressors.
C) environmental stressors.
D) chronic stressors.

Question 26

Internal conflict occurs when

A) pursuit of an important goal is thwarted.
B) an event is perceived as threatening.
C) two incompatible behavioral impulses compete for expression.
D) ambiguous stimuli are encountered in the environment.

Question 27

According to psychologists, frustration occurs when 

A) feelings of anger are aroused.
B) the pursuit of some goal is thwarted.
C) incompatible motivations are activated.
D) individuals perceive subjective threat.

Question 28

Current research indicates that

A) positive change is typically more stressful than negative change.
B) only negative change is stressful.
C) we have little reason to believe that change is inevitably stressful.
D) all change is inevitably stressful.

Question 29

_____are any noticeable alteration in one's life circumstances.

A) Stressors
B) Life conflicts
C) Life changes
D) Dissonances

Question 30

Which of the following is a common kind of frustration leading to stress?

A) Anger.
B) Anxiety.
C) Losses.
D) Subjective threat.

Question 31

Generally, which kind of conflict tends to be the least stressful?

A) Approach-approach.
B) Avoidance-avoidance.
C) Approach-avoidance.
D) All types are equally stressful.

Question 32

Research with the Social Readjustment Rating Scale has shown that people with higher scores

A) are less susceptible to stress.
B) know from experience how to handle stress.
C) tend to have pessimistic outlooks on life.
D) are vulnerable to physical and psychological problems.

Question 33

You want to ask someone to go on a date, but you are afraid of being rejected. Which of the following types of conflict applies to your situation?

A) Approach-approach.
B) Avoidance-avoidance.
C) Approach-avoidance.
D) Frustration-aggression.

Question 34

Individuals who score low on the Social Readjustment Rating Scale are more likely to develop illnesses than those who score high.

Question 35

Current research indicates that change is inherently and inevitably stressful.

Question 36

Threatening events that have a relatively long duration and no apparent time limit are referred to as

A) ambient stressors.
B) cultural stressors.
C) acute stressors.
D) chronic stressors.

Question 37

The Social Readjustment Rating Scale was designed to measure

A) frustration.
B) all kinds of stress.
C) change-related stress.
D) the anxiety produced by certain events.

Question 38

Holmes and Rahe concluded that change is stressful

A) only when it is undesirable.
B) only when it is overwhelming.
C) whether it is undesirable or desirable.
D) only when accompanied by pressure.

Question 39

The four major types of stress described in your textbook are

A) pressure, anxiety, environment, and social demands.
B) frustration, anger, pressure, and change.
C) frustration, internal conflict, pressure, and change.
D) internal conflict, pressure, anxiety, and social demands.

Question 40

Whenever others expect you to conform to their expectations or perform in certain ways, you tend to experience

A) anger.
B) conflict.
C) frustration.
D) pressure.

Question 41

The pressure to_____and the pressure to_____are two subtypes of pressure.

A) perform; conform
B) change; remain constant
C) approach; avoid
D) win; succeed

Question 42

Research suggests that positive emotional reactions to stress may have the adaptive quality of enhancing 

A) fear reactions.
B) social, intellectual, and physical resources.
C) avoidance strategies.
D) use of defense mechanisms.

Question 43

Research on gender and the fight-or-flight response indicates that

A) fighting may be more adaptive for females than males because females need to fight off predators from their offspring.
B) fighting and fleeing may be less adaptive for females because both responses may endanger offspring.
C) men are more likely to fight and women are more likely to flee.
D) men and women are equally likely to expend a lot of effort on the care of offspring in times of stress.

Question 44

The fight-or-flight response is a reaction that begins in response to a threat. This is a(n)_____  reaction. 

A) involuntary
B) voluntary
C) unusual
D) cultural

Question 45

Betty jumped when she heard a loud crashing sound behind her. This is because her sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system

A) was conserving her bodily resources for an emergency.
B) was preparing to tend for those in stressful circumstances.
C) was mobilizing her bodily resources for an emergency.
D) was calming her body after the fight-or-flight response.

Question 46

Sometimes, anxiety helps us by motivating us to study for a test, but if we become too anxious, we pass our optimal level of arousal and spend too much time worrying instead of studying. This type of correlation is described as

A) a downward spiral.
B) the inverted-U hypothesis.
C) negative.
D) positive.

Question 47

Actual stressors have greater psychological and physical effects on us than anticipatory stressors do.

Question 48

The fight-or-flight response occurs in the

A) cerebral cortex.
B) parasympathetic division of the limbic system.
C) sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system.
D) synaptic vesicles in the brain.

Question 49

Janet has found studying for finals and her graduate school entrance exams during the Fall semester to be extremely overwhelming. According to research, the only behavior NOT likely to occur is__________

A) poorer academic performance.
B) escape behaviors such as drinking.
C) increased depression.
D) increased concentration.

Question 50

The correlation between test-related anxiety and exam performance is thought to be

A) positive.
B) negative.
C) U-shaped.
D) nonexistent.

Question 51

Ruth has been dealing with the loss of her home in a fire. Research suggests that Ruth is most likely to experience

A) positive emotions.
B) negative emotions.
C) both positive and negative emotions.
D) posttraumatic stress disorder.

Question 52

are largely uncontrollable and are accompanied by physiological changes. 

A) Conflicts
B) Pressures
C) Stressors
D) Emotions

Question 53

Psychologists study responses to stress at which of the following levels?

A) Behavioral.
B) Emotional.
C) Physiological.
D) All of these.

Question 54

An alternative to the fight-or-flight response that may be present for females is the

A) tend-and-befriend response.
B) lock-and-load response.
C) freeze-and-free-up response.
D) cat-and-mouse response.

Question 55

A study of baseball players' smiles indicated that positive emotions are related to increased longevity.

Question 56

The optimal level of arousal is related to

A) level of self-esteem.
B) the complexity of the task.
C) personality type.
D) the optimism of the individual.

Question 57

In humans, the fight-or-flight response is less adaptive than it was in ancestral humans because 

A) our stressors are usually of short duration.
B) social evolution has surpassed biological evolution.
C) most modern human stressors can't be managed with these strategies.
D) modern humans don't have adequate equipment to fight or flee from threats.

Question 58

If a potentially stressful event is viewed with alarm, the stress may trigger__________

A) an emotional response.
B) a physiological response.
C) a behavioral response.
D) all of these responses.

Question 59

Hans Selye's work was important because it showed

A) how prolonged physiological arousal that is meant to be adaptive could lead to diseases.
B) how ambient stress could lead to a traumatic stress response.
C) that positive change is just as stressful as negative change.
D) that children do not react to stress the same way that adults do.

Question 60

The "fight-or-flight" response was first described by

A) Martin Seligman.
B) Ray Rosenman.
C) Walter Cannon.
D) Hans Selye.

Question 61

are hormones that help mobilize the body for action. 

A) Amphetamines
B) Immunosteroids
C) Catecholamines
D) Neurotransmitters

Question 62

Selye's general adaptation model has been criticized because

A) it ignores cultural influences on stress.
B) the order in which the stages occur may vary between individuals.
C) it ignores individual differences in the appraisal of stress.
D) there is no link between stress and physical illness.

Question 63

You hate mathematics and feel a knot forming in your stomach when you read in the college catalog that Calculus I is required for your chosen major. You are in the__________  stage of the general adaptation syndrome.

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

Question 64

Pressure to perform may disrupt attention to task performance by

A) making one feel self-conscious.
B) making one focus on the task.
C) encouraging one to focus on the source of the pressure.
D) overemphasizing the importance of the task.

Question 65

Empirical work on pressure and task performance in non-professionals reveals which of the following trends?

A) Choking under pressure is just an excuse used by incompetent people.
B) Choking under pressure is a phenomenon unique to amateur performers.
C) Non-professionals are less likely to choke under pressure than are professional athletes.
D) Choking under pressure is a fairly common experience.

Question 66

The general adaptation syndrome is a

A) general coping strategy for dealing with stress.
B) severe stress-related psychological disorder.
C) model of the body's stress response.
D) physiological-based solution for stressful problems.

Question 67

Being followed when walking home late at night or narrowly escaping a car accident are experiences that would activate the

A) resistance reaction.
B) alarm reaction.
C) non-sympathetic nervous system.
D) exhaustion reaction.

Question 68

Coping efforts are

A) not necessarily adaptive or maladaptive.
B) necessarily healthy.
C) permanent.
D) effective.

Question 69

_____ involves active efforts to master, reduce, or tolerate the demands of stress.

A) Coping
B) Adjustment
C) Stress tolerance
D) General adaptation

Question 70

_____ _____is credited with formulating the theory of stress reactions called the general adaptation syndrome.

A) Hans Selye
B) Neal Miller
C) Walter Cannon
D) Michael Scheier

Question 71

Research findings indicate that on a cognitive task, stress may increase one's tendency to

A) systematically review options.
B) jump to conclusions too quickly.
C) consider a variety of options.
D) organize information into categories.

Question 72

To say someone is coping means they are making all healthy choices in the face of adversity.

Question 73

Vito does not enjoy public speaking, but had to present his literature review on contemporary behaviorism in his General Psychology course. When his name was drawn by his professor, his heart began to beat faster and Vito's face became redder as he approached the front of the classroom. As he uttered the name of his presentation, "What the B.F.? Behaviorism Today" the class chuckled. He smiled and began walking the class through his slides. As he went on, his stammering speech began to smooth, rate of speech normalized, and the redness of his cheeks disappeared. Before he knew it, the 5-minute presentation was over and he received a round of applause. By the time Vito returned to his desk, his legs felt rubbery and overall, he was "physically drained." Which of the following sequences is MOST accurate in Vito's experience?

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

Question 74

Mounting evidence from research indicates that stress may _____the functioning of the immune system.

A) stimulate
B) destroy
C) suppress
D) enhance

Question 75

You realize that no matter how much you hate writing, you will not be able to drop out of English class this semester if you want to go to the graduate school of your choice. You hunker down for a miserable semester of hard and studious labor. You are in the_____ stage of the general adaptation syndrome.

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

Question 76

Which of the following was NOT cited in your text as a disruptive effect of severe stress on cognitive functioning?

A) Inability to integrate new information.
B) Reduced working memory efficiency.
C) Decrease in cortisol production.
D) Poorly organized view of options.

Question 77

Terry has been practicing free-throw shots in the backyard. Terry has the chance to shoot a half-court basket for a $10,000 prize at a professional basketball game. Research indicates that Terry is

A) more likely to make the shot in front of a large crowd than in the backyard, because the added pressure increases the ability to filter out distractions.
B) less likely to choke under the pressure than a professional athlete, because professionals have their job on the line.
C) very likely to choke under pressure.
D) less likely to make the shot if Terry is female.

Question 78

After barely squeezing through Anatomy 101 with a passing grade, you sleep 16 hours a day for the first 10 days of summer break and refuse to see any of your friends. You are in the_____  stage of the general adaptation syndrome.

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

Question 79

The "master gland" of the endocrine system is the

A) pituitary.
B) adrenal cortex.
C) adrenal medulla.
D) hypothalamus.

Question 80

Bart coped with flunking his midterm by telling everyone he was positive his professor's poor teaching was the reason Bart got such a bad grade. This is an example of

A) adaptive behavior.
B) positive coping.
C) how coping allowed him to handle the situation effectively.
D) an unhealthy coping response.