Deck 13: Physical Health

Question 1

Which of the following statements best describes the relationship between the cultural practice of yam farming and a genetic mutation related to sickle-cell anemia?

A) Yam farming had environmental consequences that increased malaria rates, which in turn selected for the genetic mutation related to sickle-cell anemia.
B) Yam farming improved the quality of the local diet, which decreased malaria rates, and that in turn selected for the genetic mutation related to sickle-cell anemia.
C) The genetic mutation related to sickle-cell anemia compromised the average health of the population, leading people to farm yams in order to improve their diet.
D) The genetic mutation related to sickle-cell anemia protected people against malaria, allowing them to engage in sedentary agricultural practices such as yam farming.
E) Yam farming and the genetic mutation related to sickle-cell anemia arose separately, but each one influenced the other in a cycle of mutual constitution.

Answer 1

Yam farming had environmental consequences that increased malaria rates, which in turn selected for the genetic mutation related to sickle-cell anemia.

Question 2

The fact that people from some cultures lack an enzyme that allows them to digest milk reflects the fact that

A) cultural practices can affect human evolution.
B) cultural practices are shaped by the local geography.
C) people from different cultures differ more in terms of their genes than they do in terms of their cultural practices.
D) this inability is due to a proximal cause.
E) genetic differences are difficult to overcome.

Answer 2

cultural practices can affect human evolution.

Question 3

Which of the following statements best describes the sleep pattern in medieval Europe?

A) It matches the pattern found for American adults in a room that is kept dark the majority of the time.
B) It is highly similar to the pattern still observed among adults in today's Japan.
C) It can still be observed among people imprisoned in rooms that are kept permanently bright.
D) It has persisted to the modern age in Western societies, explaining why they differ from Japan.
E) It is no longer observed in any society that still exists, due to the cultural shifts of modernity.

Answer 3

It matches the pattern found for American adults in a room that is kept dark the majority of the time.

Question 4

Cross-cultural comparisons of obesity rates reflect that the fact that

A) obesity is largely the result of genetics.
B) obesity rates are unrelated to a country's gross domestic product (GDP).
C) cultural differences in obesity are largely a product of the percentage of fat in diets.
D) people from "heavier" cultures tend to have more children than those from "lighter" cultures.
E) None of these statements is correct.

Question 5

The fact that the amount of ultraviolet radiation (UVR) that reaches different parts of the world has led to the evolution of differences in skin color is an example of which of the following?

A) acquired biological differences
B) existential universal
C) distal cause
D) nonuniversal
E) proximal cause

Question 6

Research reveals that the French paradox (the tendency for French people to have low body fat percentages despite eating a diet high in fat) is due, in part, to the French

A) consuming less red wine.
B) consuming fewer calories.
C) going to the gym more often.
D) avoiding high-fat foods.
E) having a different sense of humor.

Question 7

Molly and Marvin live in two different societies and they both want to eat some nuts.Based on Rozin and colleagues' research on portion size, what is the best predictor of how much they will eat?

A) the average size of the nuts that grow locally
B) the average size of the nut packages that are sold in local stores
C) the extent to which people in each society are raised to eat nuts
D) the extent to which their friends are also eating nuts
E) The best predictor will depend on the local cultural context.

Question 8

You read a newspaper article arguing that since ethnic groups with different cultural practices also differ genetically, apparent cultural differences are best understood as actual genetic differences.Based on existing research, what would be the best argument against this position?

A) The article is incorrect because in fact there is no evidence that ethnic groups differ in any way that can be linked to genetics.
B) The article is incorrect because the genetic differences between human groups are no larger than the differences between chimpanzee groups.
C) The article is incorrect because immigrants and their children tend to show response patterns influenced by their local cultural contexts.
D) The article is incorrect because the principle of culture-gene coevolution dictates that cultural effects supersede genetic effects.
E) None of the above: The article is correct.

Question 9

Which of the following examples best illustrates culture-gene coevolution?

A) A population began farming a healthier strain of rice, but it contains a mild toxin.This led the population to develop a genetic mutation that allows people to safely digest the toxin.
B) A population could not bury its dead because the climate was too cold, making the ground too hard to dig.This led the population to develop a funeral ritual of offering its dead to the animals.
C) The average height of a country has increased within a year due to an influx of very tall immigrants, carrying with them their genes for height.
D) A population lives in a very cold climate that has constant snowstorms, which has led to the development of a genetic mutation that causes people to have a lot of body fat to keep warm.
E) The average body-mass index (BMI) of a population has improved in a year due to the population drinking more red wine and having a more positive attitude about food.

Question 10

Researchers are trying to understand why the people of Oculus have such good vision, especially since their ancestors only two generations ago were unusually myopic.Which of the following explanations is the most plausible?

A) Levels of individualism rapidly increased during this time.
B) One generation ago, people starting spending more time outdoors.
C) The education level rapidly increased during this time.
D) One generation ago, people started spending more time swimming.
E) The prevalence of genes for good vision rapidly increased during this time.

Question 11

As described in the textbook, certain populations engaged in farming practices that ended up increasing rates of malaria.Which of the following statements best describes the importance of this finding to the study of culture and biology?

A) Since high malaria rates select for the gene responsible for sickle-cell anemia, this finding demonstrates that cultural practices can affect the genetic risk for certain diseases.
B) Since malaria has a high mortality rate, this finding demonstrates that cultural practices can lead to the gradual elimination of a particular group for biological reasons.
C) Since malaria is carried by certain livestock, this finding demonstrates that biological diseases are affected by cultural norms regarding how near to livestock one should live.
D) Since malaria is a genetic disease, this finding demonstrates that cultural practices can be strong enough to change the prevalence of genes that cause malaria.
E) Since the prevalence of malaria leads to more traditional healers claiming they can help malaria sufferers, this finding demonstrates that biological diseases can change health beliefs.

Question 12

A certain country has been experiencing huge gains in its economy.Based on research about economic effects covered in this textbook, which of the following is the most likely consequence of these gains?

A) On average, hours of sleep per night will decrease.
B) On average, rates of aggressive surgical interventions will increase.
C) On average, newborns in that country will grow up to be taller.
D) On average, collectivism in that country will increase.
E) On average, rates of myopia will decrease.

Question 13

Research on obesity rates and genetically based skin color illustrates different types of biological change because

A) genetically based skin color demonstrates culture-gene coevolution but obesity rates do not.
B) obesity rates demonstrate variable effects of genes across cultures and genetically based skin color demonstrates the same effects of genes across cultures.
C) obesity rates demonstrate an evoked cultural response but genetically based skin color does not.
D) obesity rates show how distal causes can lead to biological changes and genetically based skin color shows how proximal causes can lead to biological changes.
E) obesity rates demonstrate culture-gene coevolution but genetically based skin color does not.

Question 14

Which of the following statements regarding height is FALSE?

A) As a country's wealth increases, the average height of the country's population also increases.
B) As a country's wealth inequality increases, the average height of the country's population also increases.
C) As a country's caloric consumption increases, the average height of its population also increases.
D) As a country's diet becomes more nutritious, the average height of its population also increases.
E) As a country's dairy consumption increases, the average height of the country's population also increases.

Question 15

You try to portray people's attitudes about dogs using a Chernoff figure.After averaging all their responses, you find that the Chernoff figure for your sample has a very small face with very small and unhappy features.What does this figure represent?

A) Your sample prefers smaller dogs.
B) Your sample cares very little about dogs.
C) Your sample does not like smaller dogs.
D) Your sample is annoyed by the questions.
E) Your sample has negative attitudes toward dogs.

Question 16

Which of the following statements best reflects research on cultural differences in sleep patterns among European Canadians, Asian Canadians, and the Japanese?

A) Japanese people sleep more efficiently than European Canadians.
B) Japanese people sleep less than European Canadians.
C) European Canadians report feeling more tired during the day than the Japanese.
D) Asian Canadians sleep less than European Canadians.
E) Asian Canadians sleep more efficiently than European Canadians.

Question 17

One group of people has developed special lungs to breathe underwater while another group has not, but with training, everyone can develop those special lungs to breathe underwater.What is this an example of?

A) distal cause
B) innate biological variation
C) accessibility universal
D) sexual selection
E) acquired biological variation

Question 18

On Planet X, some areas receive very little ultraviolet radiation (UVR).What skin color would you expect the people of Planet X to have if they live in those areas?

A) always light
B) always dark
C) light unless their diet contains a lot of Vitamin D
D) dark unless their diet contains a lot of Vitamin D
E) light unless their diet contains a lot of Vitamin A

Question 19

Any changes in biological characteristics within a culture must have occurred through long periods due to genetic evolution because cultural changes cannot account for biological changes.Do you agree with this statement?

A) No: Obesity rates have risen faster than can be explained by changes in the genetic makeup of a population.
B) Yes: The epidemiological paradox suggests that genetic changes primarily drive biological changes.
C) No: The fact that European Americans have better health than Hispanic Americans is evidence that cultural changes can account for biological changes.
D) Yes: The French paradox suggests that the lower obesity rates in France than in the United States can be attributed to genetic differences between the two populations.
E) No: The fact that Melanesians live in different locations than people from Equatorial Africa but still have similar skin colors means that culture cannot account for biological changes.

Question 20

Over the last 50 years, the average height of the people from the reclusive country of Druidia has been increasing.Based on data profiled in the textbook, which of the following is likeliest to be associated with this increase?

A) an influx of genetically tall people into the country
B) genetic changes over the last 50 years
C) the country undergoing an industrial revolution
D) more people moving into cities, leading to more calories being consumed per person
E) improved diet during infancy and adolescence

Question 21

Which of the following is the best example of the "salmon bias"?

A) An immigrant grandmother has been diagnosed with terminal cancer and decides to head back to her home country to live out her last days.
B) A child of immigrant parents desires to congregate close to his heritage culture due to familiarity and a need for social connection.
C) A long-term immigrant repeatedly chooses to use her vacation time to visit the country of her birth even though she could travel anywhere she likes.
D) Just as indigenous people of the Pacific Northwest prefer to eat Pacific salmon, so too other people prefer to eat familiar foods from their heritage culture.
E) An immigrant mother in the late stages of pregnancy decides to return to her home country to have her child.

Question 22

The belief that illnesses are caused by ghosts

A) was historically common but is now rare.
B) is a common culture-bound delusion.
C) is the most widespread theory of disease.
D) is central to traditional Chinese medicine.
E) is increasing worldwide over time.

Question 23

Lara has a low socioeconomic status (SES) and lives in a low-SES neighborhood.Larry has a low SES but lives in a high-SES neighborhood.(Note that low SES here means a maximum of $30,000 per year.) Which of the two people will likely have a longer life expectancy?

A) Larry will have a longer life expectancy.
B) Lara will have a longer life expectancy.
C) They both will have the same life expectancy.
D) Whoever has more money will have a longer life expectancy.
E) The answer cannot be determined from the information given.

Question 24

Eric's medical results show that there is an infection in his pancreas.What is his American physician most likely to do in response to these results?

A) consult an interdisciplinary team for a second opinion
B) prescribe vitamins and lots of rest
C) recommend antibiotics or surgery
D) look elsewhere for the cause of the infection
E) take a "wait-and-see approach" before intervening

Question 25

Research discussed in the textbook reveals that the relation between socioeconomic status and health is explained by

A) cognitive deficits.
B) relative deprivation for income.
C) levels of stress.
D) education levels.
E) All of these options are correct.

Question 26

Dr.House is a medical doctor in the United States.He is giving a seminar on health-related behaviors both to doctors from other countries and ordinary American citizens.Which group is most likely to agree with Dr.House?

A) the doctors from other countries
B) the ordinary American citizens
C) Neither will agree with him.
D) Both groups will equally agree with him.
E) The answer cannot be determined from the given information.

Question 27

The relation between income and health can be summarized as follows:

A) Absolute income predicts health outcomes for low levels of income, whereas income relative to those around one predicts health outcomes for high levels of income.
B) There is a linear relation between absolute income and health, but a curvilinear relation between relative income and health.
C) Income is largely unrelated to health once you control for dietary practices.
D) Wealthy people have poor health because of all the stress they experience.
E) More wealth will always cause more happiness, which causes people to be healthier.

Question 28

A researcher conducts a series of in-depth health studies in a society where health beliefs have not been examined before.In her notes, she writes: "It is interesting that the metaphors they use to describe the body resemble a blend of American and Chinese metaphors." Which metaphor would be consistent with this statement?

A) The body is like a machine inhabited by ghosts that need to be honored through rituals.
B) The body is like an integrated system of opposing forces that need to be kept in balance.
C) The body is like a machine that needs to be protected from dangerous external influences.
D) The body is like an integrated system that needs to be supported by moral behaviors.
E) The body is like a machine powered by energy sources that need to be kept in balance.

Question 29

According to the so-called epidemiological paradox, which of the following people is most likely to have the best health outcome?

A) Maribel, who immigrated to the United States mainland from Puerto Rico 1 year ago
B) Hans, who immigrated to the United States mainland from Germany 10 years ago
C) Juan, who immigrated to the United States mainland from Mexico 5 years ago
D) Simone, who immigrated to the United States mainland from Puerto Rico 10 years ago
E) Marisol, who immigrated to the United States mainland from Mexico 10 years ago

Question 30

You are advising the medical staff at a U.S.hospital about the psychological and cultural factors that research shows are associated with positive health outcomes.Which of the following practices would you recommend for American patients during their stay?

A) organizing activities in order to increase emotional arousal
B) providing social support without being asked
C) giving patients control of when the plants in their room are watered
D) assigning patients an advisor familiar with traditional healing
E) ensuring access to a diet rich in lactose

Question 31

A researcher wishes to study the link between SES and health outcomes.Based on existing research, what comparison would most likely yield group differences between high and low SES?

A) She should study high- and low-SES people who differ in their access to quality health care.
B) She should study high- and low-SES people with diseases that respond well to treatment.
C) She should study high- and low-SES people that differ in the danger level of their jobs.
D) She should study high- and low-SES people who have diseases with genetic causes.
E) She should study high- and low-SES people who differ in terms of life stress.

Question 32

A researcher is conducting some of the first health investigations in a society that has not yet been widely studied.There is a minority group that experiences considerable discrimination and social disadvantage and that also has higher rates of hypertension than the majority.Based on existing research, what is the most plausible hypothesis?

A) Discrimination against people in this minority group leads to poor-quality medical care for people at risk for hypertension.
B) Discrimination against people in this minority group leads to stress that in turn creates risk for hypertension.
C) Discrimination against people in this minority group leads to selective pressure on the genes responsible for hypertension.
D) Discrimination against people in this minority group leads physicians to incorrectly overdiagnose hypertension.
E) Discrimination against people in this minority group interacts with genes predisposing people to stress to increase rates of hypertension.

Question 33

Which of the following people may have particularly bad health outcomes?

A) Crystal, who recently moved to the United States from Mexico
B) Lisa, who recently settled in Florida after leaving New York
C) Ronaldo, who is low SES but lives in a high-SES neighborhood
D) Fernando, who has always lived in a low-SES neighborhood
E) Varun, who lives near his large extended family in California

Question 34

Which of the following is the best explanation for why European Americans have better health outcomes than African Americans for most diseases?

A) fewer genetic risk factors among European Americans than African Americans
B) fewer discrimination experiences for European Americans than African Americans
C) higher SES for European Americans than African Americans
D) the long period of time that has now elapsed for African Americans since their migration to the United States
E) None of the above; African Americans have better outcomes for most diseases.

Question 35

Traditional societies share at least one similarity with the modern practice of scientific medicine, specifically,

A) a belief that organ deterioration is at least partially responsible for illness.
B) a class of people who are responsible for studying the cause of illnesses.
C) a belief that stress is at least partially responsible for illness.
D) a class of people who are primarily responsible for treating illnesses.
E) a belief that some illnesses are ultimately impossible to explain.

Question 36

Which of the following beliefs would be unusual for a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine?

A) Illnesses are often caused by witchcraft.
B) Some people can suffer from "liver fire."
C) Illnesses are often caused by imbalances.
D) Some people can be treated with acupuncture.
E) Illnesses are often caused by an unhealthy lifestyle.

Question 37

Your friend is experiencing stomachaches and goes to see a doctor.The doctor tells your friend that the problem is the result of forces being out of balance in his body, and gives him a remedy that is designed to bring those forces back into balance.What type of doctor is she most likely to be?

A) sub-Saharan African
B) indigenous
C) American
D) French
E) Chinese

Question 38

The fact that people who move to New York City are at increased risk of heart disease is an example of which of the following?

A) nonuniversal
B) existential universal
C) acquired biological differences
D) proximal cause
E) distal cause

Question 39

Which of the following is an example of the "epidemiological paradox"?

A) Ideas usually thrive in areas of high density, but some ideas persist even in areas of low density due to lack of exposure to new ideas that could displace them.
B) Ideas tend to spread from person to person in patterns that resemble contagious diseases, but some ideas do not spread to other cultural groups even when they are useful.
C) Although some remedies work well to stop communicable diseases in some regions, the same remedies are much less effective in other regions.
D) Even though diseases generally have higher incidence rates in hotter regions of the world, some countries (e.g., Australia) experience relatively few epidemics per year.
E) Immigrants to the United States from certain countries (e.g., Mexico) can have lower SES than locally born people but still have better health.

Question 40

Paul has returned home from a trip during which he got sick and needed to visit a local doctor.The doctor told him he should take vitamins and get plenty of rest.Hearing this story, his friend Martin says: "That's interesting-I recently had the same symptoms and my doctor immediately put me on medication." Of the five possible explanations that follow, which one is best?

A) Paul and Martin live in an individualistic culture but Paul was visiting a collectivistic culture.
B) Paul and Martin live in the United States but Paul was visiting France.
C) Paul and Martin live in a Western society but Paul was visiting a traditional society.
D) Paul and Martin live in France but Paul was visiting Japan.
E) Paul had a female physician while traveling; Martin's regular physician is male.

Question 41

A collection of societies uses seashells as currency.A large-scale survey suggests that one hundred seashells is the threshold that separates people who are wealthy from people who are not wealthy.Draw a line graph that depicts the expected relationship between the average number of seashells per person and a society's general health outcome as a dependent variable (for which a higher score means better health outcomes).

Question 42

You are trying to convince your parents that studying psychology is not a waste of time.Your parents, on the other hand, complain that psychology is not an exact science due to its subjectivity.They contrast it to modern medicine, which they think is an objective science, such that all doctors agree on all things medicine related.Your parents are, of course, wrong-but how are they wrong? Cite two pieces of evidence from the textbook to support your claim.

Question 43

Alice complains about how it is unfair that French people eat fattier foods but they have better cardiovascular health than Americans do.Alice is a European American and blames this difference on genetic differences between European Americans and French people.Based on existing psychological research, please provide two alternative explanations that contradict Alice's statement?

Question 44

Cereans are an alien race living on a distant planet called Alderaan, whose bodies function the same way as humans' bodies do.A galactic scholar has been learning about the Cereans' evolutionary history.The following is an excerpt from the scholar's work:
The Cereans first appeared approximately 50,000 years ago.Throughout their evolutionary history, they have lived in a region on Alderaan that gets very little sunlight, resulting in very little exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UVR).The Cereans have never migrated elsewhere.Approximately 10,000 years ago, they discovered a food source that provides an ample supply of Vitamin D for their dietary needs.
Based on this scholar's work, draw a line graph that approximates the expected relationship between the Cereans' evolutionary history, starting with -50,000 (meaning when Cereans first appeared) and ending at 0 (meaning now), and their skin tone (a smaller value means lighter skin tone; a higher value means darker skin tone).

Question 45

Donald makes the following argument: "The human brain and body has basically been the same for millennia; cultures can change from one generation to the next.So of course cultures are different from each other-but it doesn't make sense that culture would affect human biology." Evaluate Donald's argument, making reference to the relevant literature.

Question 46

Dana is a health researcher who lives in a country that has experienced waves of refugees from Atlantis over the past decade.Although the Atlanteans arrive with many socioeconomic disadvantages, they actually tend to have better health outcomes compared with the local population.Dana wishes to understand this phenomenon but there are no studies yet; she decides to consult the research literature from other societies where a similar pattern has been observed in hopes of finding evidence for explanations that might generalize to the Atlanteans.Provide your research recommendations: (1) what literature she should consult; (2) what hypotheses should be high priority for testing because there is supportive evidence in this literature; and (3) what hypotheses should be low priority because they were tested but not supported in this literature?