Health Psychology Terms Chapter 3

abstinence violation effect

a feeling of loss of control that results when a person has violated self-imposed rules

behavioral assignments

home practice activities that support the goals of a therapeutic intervention

choice architecture

organizing the context in which people make decisions

classical conditioning

pairing of an unconditioned reflex with a new stimulus, producing a conditioned reflex- Pavlov

cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

the use of principles from learning theory to modify the cognitions and behaviors associated with a behavior to be modified

cognitive restructuring

recognize and modify internal monologue to promote health behavior change

contingency contracting

an individual forms a contract with another person detailing what rewards or punishments are contingent on the performance or nonperformance of a behavior

discriminative stimulus

an environmental stimulus that is capable of eliciting a particular behavior

fear appeals

efforts to change attitudes by arousing fear to induce the motivation to change behavior

health behaviors

behaviors undertaken by people to enhance or maintain their health

health belief model

someone will practice a health behavior based on if they perceive a health threat and if a practice will reduce that threat

health habit

a health behavior that is firmly established and often performed automatically

health locus of control

the perception that one’s health is under personal control

health promotion

maintaining health is a personal and collective achievement

modeling

learning from observing another person performing a target behavior

operant conditioning

the pairing of a voluntary, nonautomatic behavior with a new stimulus through reinforcement or punishment

perceived barriers

aspects of one’s life that interfere with practicing good health behaviors

primary prevention

measures designed to combat risk factors for illness before it can develop

relapse prevention

set of techniques to prevent relapse to prior habits after initial success

self determination theory (SDT)

theory that autonomous motivation and perceived competence are fundamental to behavior change

self-efficacy

the perception that one is able to perform a particular action

self-monitoring

assessing the frequency, antecedents and consequences of a target behavior

self-regulation

the conscious and unconscious ways in which people control their own actions, emotions, and thoughts

self-reinforcement

systematically rewarding oneself to increase or strengthen a target behavior

social engineering

social or lifestyle change through legislation

stimulus-control interventions

interventions that remove discriminative stimuli and substitute for new discriminative stimuli that evoke a desired behavior

teachable moment

certain times are more effective for teaching particular health practices

theory of planned behavior

a person’s behavioral intentions and behaviors can be understood by knowing the person’s attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control toward the behavior

transtheoretical model of behavior change

health behavior change process that draws on the stages people go through to bring successful long-term change

window of vulnerability

at certain times, people are more vulnerable to particular health problems