Health Psychology Exam 1 Review

What percentage of patients do not adhere to their medication?

A) 75

B) 50

C) 25

D) 35

C) 25

Which of the following diseases is NOT associated with problems with treatment adherence?

A) Diabetes

B) cancer

C) Hypertension

D) pulmonary disease

B) cancer

When people believe that they are less likely than others to experience the effects of non-adherence, this is called the:

A) unreality bias

B) optimistic bias

C) futuristic fallacy

D) invincibility fallacy

B) optimistic bias

Which of the following emphasizes the importance of cognitions or beliefs about the disease or treatment in determining adherence?

A) continuum theories

B) stage theories

C) cognitive enhancement theory

D) optimistic generativity model

A) continuum theories

Which theory was the first to be applied to health behavior and was specifically developed to explain health behavior rather than general behavior?

A) common-sense model

B) health belief model

C) social cognitive theory

D) operational conditioning theory

B) health belief model

Which model posits that self-efficacy and outcome expectations determine behavior?

A) Social cognitive theory

B) Theory of planned behavior

C) Health Belief Model

D) Common-sense Model

A) Social cognitive theory

One's belief that an illness will last a very long time is an example of which type of illness representation?

A) time-line

B) cause

C) cure-control

D) susceptibility

A) time-line

What theory suffers from a lack of ability to predict intentions rather than behaviors?

A) Health Belief Model

B) Social Cognitive Theory

C) Theory of Planned Behavior

D) Behavioral conditioning theory

C) Theory of Planned Behavior

Which stage theory suggested that we actually move back and forth between 5 different stages in carrying out health behaviors?

A) Transtheoretical Model

B) Common-sense Model

C) Health Action Process Approach

D) Stage Contingency Model

A) Transtheoretical Model

Which stage theory posits two stages going from motivation (intentions) to action and proposes that different stages need different approaches to improve adherence?

A) Transtheoretical Model

B) Common-sense Model

C) Health Action Process Approach

D) Stage Contingency Approach

C) Health Action Process Approach

An agreement between a provider and client that specifies rewards for "good" behaviors and punishments for "bad behaviors" is called:

A) Motivational Interview contract

B) Contingency contract

C) Verbal complicity

D) Adherence agreement

B) Contingency contract

Which of the following set of variables is MOST predictive of treatment adherence?

A) disease characteristics

B) treatment characteristics

C) patient characteristics

D) cognitions about the disease or treatment

E) a and b

E) a and b

Of all the theories which is the best at predicting health behaviors?

A) Transtheoretical Model

B) Health Belief Model

C) Social Cognitive Theory

D) Theory of Planned Behavior

C) Social Cognitive Theory

Which of the following patient demographics is associated with treatment adherence?

A) sex

B) race

C) age

D) all of the above

D) all of the above

The Health Belief Model proposes that two sets of variables predict treatment adherence in patients:

A) 1) perceptions of disease threat- like severity and susceptibility and 2) perceptions of consequences of disease, like benefits and costs

B) 1) confidence around one's ability to carry out the treatment (self-efficacy) and 2) outcome expectations

C) 1) one's attitude toward the treatment and 2) subjective norms

D) none of the above

A) 1) perceptions of disease threat- like severity and susceptibility and 2) perceptions of consequences of disease, like benefits and costs

Which of the following is NOT true regarding the theory of planned behavior and treatment adherence?

A) Subjective norms refers to the real or perceived pressure to engage in the treatment.

B) There is a large gap between intention to engage in the treatment and actual treatment adherence.

C) Intentions are predicted by attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control.

D) The theory of planned behavior is a stage theory of treatment adherence.

D) The theory of planned behavior is a stage theory of treatment adherence.

In the Transtheoretical model (a stage model), people progress and regress through a series of stages. Which of the following stages is characterized by taking the necessary actions to get ready to engage in treatment?

A) precontemplation

B) contemplation

C) preparation

D) action

E) maintenance

C) preparation

Health psychology is the study of how:

A) psychologists can help people adjust to disease and illnesses

B) psychosocial factors affect health behaviors

C) psychological or behavioral factors that may influence health or influence

D) all of the above

A) psychologists can help people adjust to disease and illness

One of the main reasons for the rise of health psychology was:

A) change in causes of disease from chronic infectious illnesses to acute illnesses like stroke and heart attacks

B) change in the types of populations that were becoming sick and dying: from older adults to young children and adolescents

C) change in causes of death from acute infectious illness to chronic, behaviorally-based illnesses

D) all of the above

C) change in causes of death from acute infectious illness to chronic, behaviorally-based illnesses

According to the article that you read by Andrew Baum, the major psychosocial factor that impacts illness is:

A) depression

B) stress

C) anxiety

D) social support

B) stress

According to the contemporary view of illness and the biopsychosocial model, health is ____________ and is the result of __________ factors.

A) the absence of disease; biological

B) a positive state of well-being; psychological, social, and biological

C) feeling well physically; psychological and social

D) both physical and psychological health; psychological and biological

B) a positive state of well-being; psychological, social, and biological

According to the article by Baum, putting on sunscreen in order to prevent skin cancer would be an example of a ______________.

A) secondary prevention

B) treatment adherence

C) primary prevention or preventative behavior

D) none of the above

C) primary prevention or preventative behavior

Morbidity rates refer to the:

A) proportion of disease in a population

B) life expectancy rates

C) leading causes of death for a disease

D) proportion of deaths in a population

A) proportion of disease in a population

What are the top 2 leading causes of death in the U.S. as of 2000?

A) Unintentional injuries and chronic respiratory diseases

B) Cancer and stroke

C) heart disease and diabetes

D) Heart disease and cancer

D) Heart disease and cancer

A century ago, people in the U.S. lived on average to 50 years old. Today they live to be on average 80 years old. What is the explanation for that difference?

A) improvement in medical care

B) better sanitation, vaccinations

C) lowering of infant death rate

D) healthier lifestyle

C) lowering of infant death rate

The decline in deaths due to cancer, stroke, and heart disease is largely due to:

A) the reduction of poverty

B) healthy eating campaigns

C) decreases in smoking

D) improvement of care for African Americans

C) decreases in smoking

Health symptoms fall into two general categories, illness behavior and sick role behavior, that occur in stages. All of the following are true about illness behaviors EXCEPT:

A) illness behaviors are activities undertaken by people who experience symptoms but who have not yet received a diagnosis.

B) illness behaviors refer to activities of person after a diagnosis is received.

C) the goal of illness behaviors is to determine one's health status.

D) the goal of illness behaviors is to determine a remedy for one's symptoms.

B) illness behaviors refer to activities of person after a diagnosis is received.

Which of the following person traits are not linked to seeking medical attention?

A) Hostility

B) Stress

C) Anxiety

D) Neuroticism

A) Hostility

Which of the following is true regarding the relationship between demographics and seeking medical attention?

A) Men are more likely to seek medical attention than women.

B) People who have low SES are more likely to seek medical attention than people with high SES.

C) Young adults are the most likely to seek medical attention if needed.

D) European Americans are more likely to seek medical attention than African Americans.

D) European Americans are more likely to seek medical attention than African Americans.

The model that proposes that medical care seeking can be predicted by lay beliefs that people have about disease, including the cause, time-line, and controllability of the disease is called:

A) The Sick Role Theory of Disease

B) The Common Sense Model

C) Social Cognitive Theory

D) Specificity Theory

B) The Common Sense Model

Which of the following explains the breakdown in communication in the patient/doctor interaction?

A) practitioners' personal characteristics

B) verbal communication between doctor and patient

C) interruptions by other medical staff

D) a and b

D) a and b

Patients evaluate technical competence above all else in their doctors. What characteristics convey this in a provider?

A) Personal characteristics like empathy, respect, and thoroughness

B) The difficulty of the language that they use; more medical jargon = better qualified

C) The schools that they attended, followed by the number of years in practice

D) A firm and sometimes arrogant demeanor that instills cooperation and confidence

A) Personal characteristics like empathy, respect, and thoroughness

In a study by Ellen Langer, some patients in hospital were allowed to watch what they wanted on TV or choose whether they wanted to care for a plant. What problem did this study improve on?

A) the feelings of homesickness that patients experience.

B) the patients' inability to concentrate on medical information because of high levels of anxiety

C) the loss of personal control associated with being treated as a non-person in the hospital environment.

D) all of the above

C) the loss of personal control associated with being treated as a non-person in the hospital environment.

How is psychoneuroimmunology differ from Seyle's GAS theory? In other words, what variables does it discuss are in constant conversation with one another?

A) behavior

B) Nervous system

C) immune system

D) endrocrine system

E) all of the above

E) all of the above

Which health outcome is shorten telemores NOT associated with?

A) susceptibility to infection

B) may cause cancer

C) leads to shortened longevity

D) responsible for cardiovascular disease

D) responsible for cardiovascular disease

Through which systems does stress impact the immune system?

A) peripheral nervous system

B) secretion of hormones (endocrine system)

C) compromising health behavior

D) all of the above

D) all of the above

Which model proposes that two factors produce disease, specifically, a predisposition and a major or chronic stressor?

A) Common-sense model

B) Theory of Behavioral Intention

C) Diathesis Stress Model

D) Social Cognitive Theory

C) Diathesis Stress Model

What two types of interventions modulate the effects of stress on disease?

A) hyponosis

B) meditation

C) progressive relaxation

D) b and c

E) a and b

E) a and b

The interaction-based approach to or definition of stress (by Lazarus) emphasizes which of the following?

A) The identification of specific life events that are stressful (e.g., daily hassles).

B) Stress impacts illness via physiological mechanisms.

C) Stress occurs when an individual evaluates whether s/he can cope with an event they appraise as stressful.

D) Individual differences with regard to the appraisal of stress.

C) Stress occurs when an individual evaluates whether s/he can cope with an event they appraise as stressful.

Research reveals that daily hassles scales are ______ predictive of mental health than major life events.

A) more

B) equally

C) less

D) differentially; daily hassles predict psychological illness and major life events predict physical illness

A) more

Which type of stressor is described as follows: Events that are part of people's everyday life and come from physical and psychosocial environment.

A) Cataclysmic events

B) Major Life events

C) Daily hassles

C) Daily hassles

Who was the researcher to first identify specific stressors that were predictive of illness?

A) Seyle

B) Lazarus

C) Holmes

D) Cohen

A) Seyle

One main criticism of the General Adaptation Syndrome was that it neglected __________ as potential mechanisms that explain the pathway between stress and illness.

A) psychological responses to the stress

B) physiological responses to the stress

C) health behaviors

D) differences in demographics (age, race, gender)

A) psychological responses to the stress

In Seyle's work on the General Adaptation Syndrome, he focused on the diseases of adaptation which were associated with which stage in the stress response?

A) alarm- body's defense are mobilized

B) resistance- body adapts to cause of stress

C) exhaustion- body's capacity to resist finally breaks down

D) all of the above

B) resistance- body adapts to cause of stress

The ____________ scale by Holmes & Rahe focuses on 43 life events that are differentially rated; participants' total scores based on these events predicts the level of illness.

A) Perceived Stress

B) Daily Hassles

C) Social Readjustment Rating Scale

D) Life Events

C) Social Readjustment Rating Scale

A behavioral stress-management technique that focuses on tightening and relaxing one's muscles while one is breathing in and out is called:

A) meditation or mindfulness practices

B) progressive relaxation

C) self-affirmation

D) expressive writing

B) progressive relaxation

Coping refers to:

A) the emotional or tangible aid received from another person

B) the imbalance between the stress in one's life and one's ability to deal with it

C) the strain caused by a threatening situation

D) thoughts and behaviors used to manage internal and external demands of a stressful situation

D) thoughts and behaviors used to manage internal and external demands of a stressful situation

Coping can be maladaptive (result in greater stress or poorer health outcomes).

A) True

B) False

A) True

Attempts to do something constructive so as to minimize the harm that the stressor is causing is____________ coping.

A) problem-focused

B) emotion-focused

C) reactive

D) proactive

A) problem-focused

Research reveals that daily hassles scales are ______ predictive of mental health than major life events.

A) more

B) equally

C) less

D) differentially; daily hassles predict psychological illness and major life events predict physical illness

A) more

The "wear and tear" that the body experiences as a result of prolonged activation of the physiological stress response is called:

A) allostasis

B) allostatic load

C) homestasis

D) stress and strain

B) allostatic load

One main criticism of the General Adaptation Syndrome was that it neglected __________ as potential mechanisms that explain the pathway between stress and illness.

A) psychological responses to the stress

B) physiological responses to the stress

C) health behaviors

D) differences in demographics (age, race, gender)

A) psychological responses to the stress

Structural support refers to:

A) the tangible aid that people in one's social network provides (e.g., money)

B) the number of social ties a person has

C) the information support a person receives

D) all of the above

B) the number of social ties a person has

In the Almeda County Study there is a strong link between support and longevity (as much as smoking or sedentary lifestyle).

A) True

B) False

A) True

Which is true (according to Rotter) about the internal locus of control?

A) It involves the believe that you can control your own life or destiny.

B) It involves the belief that the environment or others control your life.

C) It is linked to better adaptation to chronic illness.

D) both a and c

D) both a and c

________ has been linked to positive health outcomes in women's cardiac health and 80 other diseases/ conditions.

A) Optimism

B) Conscientiousness

C) Openness

D) Happiness

A) Optimism

The model that suggests that two factors cause disease, namely, a predisposition to a disease and some sort of stressor is called:

A) Gate Control Theory

B) Common Sense Model

C) Diathesis-Stress Model

D) Biopsychosocial Model

C) Diathesis-Stress Model

________ is a multidisciplinary field that focuses on the interactions between behavior, the nervous system, endocrine system, and the immune system to explain the effects of stress on illness.

A) Psychoneuroimmunology

B) Behavioral Medicine

C) Psychosomatic medicine

D) Epidemiology

A) Psychoneuroimmunology

How does stress impact the immune system?

A) via the Peripheral Nervous System

B) through hormones secreted by the endocrine system

C) by poor health behaviors

D) all of the above

D) all of the above

Which of the following shorten telomeres, compounds on the end of our chromosomes linked to longevity?

A) life stress

B) ambivalent relationship in women

C) mental disorders such as depression and anxiety

D) all of the above

D) all of the above

The ______________ predicts that depression is caused by genetic predisposition that is activated by a major life stressor, especially work stress and health problems.

A) genetic-stress theory

B) kindling hypothesis

C) neurotic gene theory

D) the stress activation hypothesis

B) kindling hypothesis

Which of the following stress management techniques are demonstrated to be effective?

A) Hypnosis

B) Meditation

C) Progressive Relaxation

D) all of the above

E) both a and b

E) both a and b