PSYC 3360 SMU - Exam 1

health psychology

understanding psychological influences on how people stay healthy, why they become ill, and how they respond when they do get ill

health

a complete state of physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

wellness

optimum state of health

health promotion and maintenance

focus on issues such as how to get children to develop good health habits, how to promote regular exercise, and how to design a media campaign to get people to improve their diets

prevention and treatment of illness

what health psychologists deal with

etiology

origins or causes of illness

health care system and the formation of health policy

health psychologists focus on

biomedical model

assumes that psychological and social processes are largely irrelevant to the disease process

conversion hysteria

The viewpoint, originally advanced by Freud, that specific unconscious conflicts can produce physical disturbances symbolic of the repressed conflict; no longer a dominant viewpoint in health psychology.

psychosomatic medicine

Dunbar and Alexander. Linked patterns of personality to physical illness (i.e. ulcer-prone personality linked to an excessive need for love or dependency). Criticized for methodological problems.

what causes the onset of disease?

biological pathogen and social and psychological factors

Biopsycholosocial Model

the idea that the mind and the body together determine health and illness logically

acute disorders

short-term illnesses, often the result of a viral or bacterial invader and usually amenable to cure; until 20th century major cause of illness and death in US

chronic illness

main contributors to disability and death in modern times

theory

a set of analytical statements that explain a set of phenomena, such as why people practice poor health behaviors

randomized clinical trial

A target treatment is compared against the existing standard of care or a placebo control

evidence-based medicine

medical interventions go through rigorous testing and evaluation of their benefits before they become the standard of care

correlational research

health psychologists measure whether a change in one variable corresponds with changes in another variable

prospective research

research that looks forward in time to see how a group of people change, or how a relationship between two variables changes over time

longitudinal research

same people are observed at multiple points in time

retrospective designs

look backward in time in an attempt to reconstruct the conditions that led to a current situation

Epidemiology

study of the frequency, distribution, and causes of infectious and noninfectious disease in a population

morbidity

number of cases of a disease in a population

mortality

number of deaths due to particular causes

meta-analysis

combines results from different studies to identify how strong the evidence is for particular research findings

nervous system

complex network of interconnected nerve fibers

sympathetic nervous system

prepares the body to respond to emergencies, to strong emotions such as anger or fear, and to strenuous activity

parasympathetic nervous system

controls activities of organs under normal circumstances and acts antagonistically to the sympathetic nervous system

medulla

hindbrain structure that regulates heart rate, blood pressure, and respiration

pons

hindbrain structure that connects the hindbrain to the midbrain and helps control respiration

cerebellum

hindbrain structure that coordinates voluntary muscle movement, the maintenance of balance and equilibrium, and the maintenance of muscle tone and posture

thalamus

forebrain structure that processes sensory information for all senses, except smell, and relays it to the cerebral cortex.

hypothalamus

forebrain structure that regulates sexual motivation and behavior, cardiac function, blood pressure, respiration, water balance, and appetite; serves as an interface between the nervous system and the endocrine system

cereal cortex

largest portion of the brain; involved in higher-order intelligence, memory, and personality

neurotransmitters

chemicals that regulate nervous system functioning

Catecholamines

epinephrine and norepinephrine; promote the activity of sympathetic stimulation

endocrine system

consists of glands that control many of the body's activities by producing hormones

pituitary gland

The endocrine system's most influential gland.; under the influence of the hypothalamus, the pituitary regulates growth and controls other endocrine glands.

adrenal glands

small glands located at the top of each of the kidneys; produces epinephrine and norepinephrine

cardiovascular system

heart, blood vessels, blood

Atherosclerosis

deposition of fatty compounds on the inner lining of the coronary arteries

angina pectoris

chest pain that results when the heart does not get enough oxygen

myocardial infarction

Heart attack occurs due to lack of blood flow through the coronary arteries to the heart muscle aka clot

ischemia

lack of blood flow and oxygen to heart

blood pressure

the force that blood exerts on the walls of the arteries

platelets

clump together to block small holes that develop in blood vessels

respiratory system

brings oxygen into the body; gets rid of carbon dioxide

renal system

kidneys, ureters, bladder, urethra; regulates bodily fluids by removing surplus water, surplus electrolytes, and the waste products generated by the metabolism of food

kidney dialysis

medical procedure for removing waste from the blood

immune system

a complex response system that protects the body from bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substances

immunity

resistance to invading organisms

nonspecific immune mechanisms

general set of responses to any kind of infection or disorder

specific immune mechanisms

always acquired after birth, fight particular microorganisms and their toxins

phagicytosis

process by which certain white blood cells ingest microbes

humoral immunity

specific immunity produced by B cells that produce antibodies that circulate in body fluids

cell-mediated immunity

type of immunity produced by T cells that attack infected or abnormal body cells

lymphatic system

the drainage system of the body; believed to be involved in immune functioning

autoimmunity

occurs when the body attacks the body's own tissues

health promotion

a philosophy that has at its core the idea that good health, or wellness, is a personal and collective achievement

health behaviors

behaviors undertaken by people to enhance or maintain their health

health habit

a health behavior that is firmly established and often performed automatically, without awareness

primary prevention

taking measures to combat risk factors for illness before it has a chance to develop

health locus of control scale

measures the degree to which people perceive their health to be under personal control

Health Belief Model

Addresses the relationship between a person's beliefs and behaviors

Theory of Planned Behavior

a health behavior is the direct result of a behavioral intention

self-determination theory

a theory that guides health behavior modification, builds on the idea that people are actively motivated to pursue their goals

cognitive behavioral therapy

a popular integrative therapy that combines cognitive therapy (changing self-defeating thinking) with behavior therapy (changing behavior)