PSY 307: Health Psychology - Physical Activity, Health-Compromising Behaviors, and Pain

Vocabulary flashcards covering the core concepts, theories, disorders, and physiological mechanisms of physical activity, health-compromising behaviors, and pain perception from Health Psychology.

Physical Activity (PA)

Any body movements that expend energy, purposefully or not, which can vary in type, frequency, intensity, and duration.

Exercise

A leisure activity that is intended to achieve specific goals such as fitness, increased performance, and/or health; physical activity without intended physical goals (e.g., as part of one's work) is not considered exercise.

Sport

A goal-oriented, competitive, rule-based game or contest involving physical exertion.

Health-Illness Continuum (Greenberg & Pargman, 1989)

A framework identifying four points—Death, Illness, Health, and Perfect Health—across which health can be evaluated in five domains: physical, mental, emotional, social, and spiritual.

Isometric Exercise

A form of exercise based on muscle contraction that involves contracting muscles without moving joints, held in a static position (e.g., planks).

Isotonic Exercise

A form of exercise where muscle tension remains unchanged while the muscle's length changes (e.g., lifting weights).

Aerobic Exercise

Low-to-moderate intensity, lengthy exercise ("with air") that increases oxygen consumption (e.g., jogging).

Anaerobic Exercise

Intense effort, short-range exercise ("without air") that creates an oxygen deficit.

Adherence

The level of participation in a behavioral regimen once a person has agreed to undertake it; research shows it drops by $50\%$ within the first $6$ months of starting an exercise routine.

Theory of Planned Behavior

A cognitive model that explains behavioral adherence based on intention, which is predicted by attitudes (value), subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control (expectancy).

Body Dysmorphia

A thought-body disorder characterized by an obsessive preoccupation that some aspect of one's own appearance is severely flawed and requires extreme measures to hide or fix it.

Imagery

The sensory experience of performing a sport without external stimuli, practiced either as an internal active experience within one's own body or as an external third-person observation of oneself.

Process Goals

Goals that are focused on technique and how one performs, independent of competitive outcomes.

Eminence

Fame or recognized superiority, especially within a particular sphere or profession, assessed through the examination of both brilliance and blunders.

Tripartite Theory of Genius (Renzulli, 1986)

A theory proposing that eminence is defined by the intersection of high intelligence ($\text{IQ} > 130$), high motivation, and high creativity.

Drudge Theory (Simonton, 2002)

A theory stating that eminence is attained through dogged determination, tedious practice, and outstanding mentoring.

Activity-Equivalent Calorie Labelling

Nutritional labelling that provides information about the amount of physical activity required to expend the number of calories present in food or drinks.

Native Advertising

Covert advertising that matches the format, look, and platform on which it appears.

Positive-Affect Smoker

An individual who smokes for positive reinforcement, seeking head rush, stimulation, relaxation, or pleasure (Tomkins, 1966).

Negative-Affect Smoker

An individual who smokes for negative reinforcement, seeking to reduce aversive states like anxiety, distress, and withdrawal symptoms (Tomkins, 1966).

Heavy (Binge) Drinker

A male who consumes $5$ or more drinks, or a female who consumes $4$ or more drinks, on a single occasion at least once a month in the past year.

CCSA Alcohol Risk Continuum

Canadian guidance categorizing alcohol consumption risk into Low Risk ($0\text{--}2$ drinks per week), Moderate Risk ($3\text{--}6$ drinks per week), and High Risk ($7+$ drinks per week).

Resveratrol

A polyphenol present in red wine that possesses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties and may inhibit cancer cell growth, though supplements show no proven benefit.

Wernicke–Korsakoff Syndrome (WKS)

A neurological condition caused by thiamine (vitamin $B_1$) deficiency; characterized by confusion and ataxia (Wernicke's encephalopathy) followed by severe anterograde amnesia (Korsakoff's syndrome).

Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD)

A cluster of physical and cognitive disabilities resulting from maternal heavy alcohol consumption during pregnancy; the most frequent cause of non-hereditary cognitive impairment worldwide.

Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) Facial Characteristics

A specific pattern of minor facial features including a small head, low nasal bridge, epicanthal folds, flat midface, smooth philtrum, underdeveloped jaw, small eye openings, short nose, and a thin upper lip.

Tension Reduction Hypothesis

A cognitive explanation proposing that individuals consume alcohol primarily because it reduces feelings of psychological tension.

Alcohol Use Disorder (AUD)

A DSM-5 medical diagnosis defined by an impaired ability to stop or regulate alcohol intake despite adverse social, occupational, or physical health consequences.

Aversion Therapy

A classical conditioning behavioral treatment where an attractive target stimulus (e.g., alcohol) is repeatedly paired with an emetic (vomit-inducing agent) so that consumption triggers nausea.

Harm Reduction

A public health framework aimed at minimizing the negative health and social impacts of risky behaviors (such as drug use) without mandating total abstinence.

Congenital Insensitivity to Pain (CIP)

An inherited condition present from birth characterized by the total inability to perceive physical pain, thought to be linked to elevated brain endorphin levels and treatable with naloxone.

Nociceptors

Specialized afferent nerve endings in the skin and tissues that detect injurious mechanical, thermal, or chemical stimuli.

A-delta and A-beta Fibers vs. C-Fibers

Myelinated A-fibers carry rapid, sharp, and localized pain signals, while unmyelinated C-fibers ($60\%$ of afferents) transmit dull, aching, diffuse pain at speeds approximately $100$ times slower.

Spinal Cord Horns and Roots

Afferent sensory nerves enter the spinal cord dorsally through the dorsal root and dorsal horn, whereas motor efferent nerves exit toward the body ventrally through the ventral horn and ventral root.

Substantia Gelatinosa

A gelatinous gray matter region located in the dorsal column that spans the length of the spinal cord, serving as a relay where sensory pain fibers terminate before sending signals upward to the thalamus.

Gate Control Theory (Melzack & Wall, 1965)

A model stating that spinal cord cells act as gating mechanisms that modulate incoming pain signals, influenced by competing peripheral sensory inputs and descending cognitive/emotional signals from the brain.

Periaqueductal Gray (PAG)

A midbrain structure involved in the descending inhibition of pain and defensive survival behaviors; electrical stimulation of this area produces profound stimulation-produced analgesia.

Chronic Pain

Pain that persists for longer than $6$ months, categorized as constant, intermittent, or progressive.

McGill Pain Questionnaire (Melzack, 1975)

A multidimensional assessment tool evaluating four domains of pain: location (anatomical drawings), description (sensory/affective verbal descriptors), temporal change, and overall intensity.

Catastrophizing

A cognitive distortion involving the irrational magnification and escalation of uncomfortable physical sensations into worst-case scenarios, intensifying both acute and chronic pain experiences.

Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulation (TENS)

A non-invasive pain management method that delivers low-voltage electrical currents across the skin surface to disrupt and block incoming pain transmissions to the spinal cord.