psych 6 Flashcards

1
Q

Biopsychosocial model of Health Psychology

A
  • maintains the premise ad practices of a medical model by looking at biological problems
  • accounts fro the importance of psychological and social factors
  • allows for proper assessment, diagnosis and treatment for mental and physical disorders
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2
Q

Identify and describe four of the psychological responses to stress discussed in the lecture

A
  • Emotional instability: e.g., irritability and losing temper, hypersensitivity and crying, etc..
  • Problem solving difficulties: e.g., trouble making decisions, poor choices, easily frustrated
  • Ruminative thinking: obsessively worrying and intrusive disturbing mental images
  • Catastrophizing: using extreme absolute language, over-reacting to minor problems, etc.
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3
Q

Explain how the Sympathetic Adrenal Medullary (SAM) system operates

A
  • stress is perceived by the cerebral cortex
    • signals the hypothalamus to activate the sympathetic nervous system (fight or flight).
  • This stimulates the Adrenal Medulla glands to secrete catecholimines, epinephrine, and norepinephrine.
  • The effects are raised blood pressure, irregular heart rate, sweating, and constriction of peripheral blood vessels
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4
Q

problem-focused and emotion-focused coping

A
  • problem-focused coping is reducing the demands of the stressful situation or expanding the resources available to deal with the stressor
  • i.e., dealing directly with the problem or situation
  • emotion-focused coping is aimed at controlling the emotional response to the stressful situation
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5
Q

Explain and provide an example for the term defensive attribution, and give a reason for why people might use defensive attributions

A
  • Defensive attributions are a tendency to blame (make internal attributions about) victims for their misfortunes
  • one feels less likely to be victimized in a similar way
    • E.g., blaming a rape victim for the clothes she wore or blaming a mugging victim for being out so late, etc..
  • People use defensive attributions to create an illusion of safety and to avoid confronting the ugly reality that bad things happen to good people for no reason
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6
Q

Briefly explain the procedure and results of the Asch study discussed in class

A

Subjects had to identify which line matched the target line from a choice of three
- The task was designed to be very easy. There were five confederates that answered out loud first, then the subject answered.
- On some trials, all the confederates answered the same incorrect response. When this occurred 35% of subjects conformed and answered incorrectly as well and the majority of subjects conformed at least one time.
- There was no conformity when the confederates were not unanimous in their answers.

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7
Q

What is deindividuation and what are some circumstances where it might occur?

A
  • deindividuation is a loss of self-awareness and evaluation apprehension that can occur when a situation allows one to feel anonymous
  • it can occur when one is in a crowd, or when one is wearing a mask, or wearing a uniform that many others are wearing, etc…
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8
Q

List 4 desirable phenomena that can result from being in a group

A
  • Social, moral and language development
  • sense of membership and identity
    -charity
    -emotional comfort
    -support
    -social facilitation
  • cooperation
  • survival
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9
Q

Explain the relationship between social support and stress

A
  • Social support is two-way communication where a person can confide their concerns and receive support
  • people who have low social support tend to have a decreased lifespan
  • social support can buffer a person against the effects of stress allowing them to share their feelings and problems with others who can listen and offer help
  • social support is a positive force that allows for shared enjoyment and thus reduces overall susceptibility to stress
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10
Q

What is stress

A
  • Stress is a psychobiological process.
  • a stimulus (stressors) like catastrophies (earthquake, flood or war), life events (marriage, divorce) and circumstances (poverty, overcrowding).

-A response (strain) both physiological and psychological.

  • A process where transactions between the person and environment lead to perceived discrepancies between the demands of the situation and the resources of the person
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11
Q

List 8 behavioural responses to stress discussed in class

A
  • procrastination & avoidance
- lowered performance

  • increased alcohol & drug use and abuse

  • increased use of prescription drugs
  • under eating due to apathy, depression
  • overeating as an escape

  • weight loss

  • increased recklessness, gambling

  • aggression and criminal acts

  • poor relations with family and friends

    -suicide or attempted suicide
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12
Q

List 3 positive emotion-focused coping strategies

A

meditation
social support
individual or group therapy

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13
Q

Describe and give an example of a stable and an unstable internal attribution for why you aced your final exam in PSY100

A

internal attributions are inferences made about the causes of behaviors or events that consider the causes as being due to personality, traits, or personal dispositions.

  • stable internal attribution: I am smart
  • unstable internal attribution: I put a lot of effort in
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14
Q

What are norms? Provide two examples

A

norms are the unwritten rules and codes of behavior for a particular society
- e.g., not cutting in line in front of other, eating ice cream with a spoon, not wearing clothes inside out, etc…

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15
Q

How does being in a crowd lead to a greater likelihood of committing violent or unacceptable behavior?

A
  • crowds can lead to deindividuation which is a loss of self awareness and evaluation apprehension
  • When deindividuation is combined with the high states of arousal, and diffusion of responsibility created by being in a crowd, these factors can disinhibit violent or unacceptable behaviors
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16
Q

What is Cognitive Dissonance and how does one reduce it

A
  • cognitive dissonance is an aversive state that can arise when our attitudes and our behaviors are not consistent.
  • We can reduce dissonance by either changing our behaviors to fit our attitudes or adjusting our attitudes to be consistent with our behaviors
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17
Q

In the Aronson and Mills (1959) sex group study discussed in class, how did the researchers get women to come back to the group?

A
  • subjects in the experimental condition were given an embarrassing initiation into the group, thus making them more likely to feel that the group was interesting and useful in order to justify the effort the subjects made to get into the group.
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18
Q

Describe Richard Lazarus’ modern view of stress

A
  • stress is a transaction between a person and their environment
  • There is a primary appraisal that determines if something is benign or stressful based upon one’s subjective determination of the demands of the situation and the resources available to deal with the situation
  • Then there is a secondary appraisal where we determine how to deal with the stressor
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19
Q

Describe three ways that we influence the impact of a stressor and provide examples for each

A
  • Behaviourally: e.g., using drugs or practicing meditation
  • Cognitively: e.g., engaging in repression or denial, or doing cognitive restructuring or using affirmations
  • Emotionally: e.g., falling into despair, self-pity and hopelessness, or being optimistic and hopeful
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20
Q

Identify and explain the three stages of the General Adaptation Syndrome

A
  • Alarm: fight or flight reaction triggered by some stressor.
    • Sympathetic Adrenal Medullary (SAM) system is activated and body is readied for extreme action to deal with situation.
  • Resistance: stress is prolonged and eventually the Hypothalmic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical (HPA) system is activated in an effort to calm the body and relax the body’s taxed resources and systems
  • Exhaustion: if the stressor continues the body’s systems become overburdened and there is a weakening of immune and organ systems
21
Q

List 3 ways to make the use of affirmations more effective

A
  • state affirmations in the positive (out loud, into the mirror)
  • write them down on paper
  • post them everywhere for repeated viewing
22
Q

Discuss three theories of why behaviours change attitudes

A
  • Self-Presentation (Impression Management): we want others to see that our attitudes and behaviors are consistent i.e., we are not hypocrites
  • Self-Justification (Cognitive Dissonance): we want to be and feel consistent with our actions and beliefs (avoids aversive state of dissonance)
  • Self-Perception: we observe how we act and form our attitudes to be consistent with our actions
23
Q

List 2 factors that can increase the likelihood of resistance to authority in situations where one believes the authority figure is wrong

A
  • when someone has knowledge, expertise, or experience in the area
  • when there is social support or others agreeing to resist as well
24
Q

Describe and give an example of a stable and an unstable external attribution for why you aced your final exam in PSY100

A

external attributions are inferences made about the causes of behaviors or events that consider the causes as being due to things inherent in the situation, environment or context, external to the person.

  • stable external attribution: the Professor always writes easy tests
  • unstable external attribution: the test was really easy
25
Q

Describe the Fundamental Attribution Error and provide an example

A
  • The FAE is the tendency to overestimate internal dispositional factors and underestimate external situational factors when making attributions about the causes of other people’s behaviors.
  • E.g., I see that the person beside me failed the test, thus I assume it is because they are not very smart and do not take into account any situational factors that may have contributed, like, they had the flu and couldn’t study
26
Q

Give two examples of adaptive ways and two examples of maladaptive ways that one could cognitively influence the impact of a stressor

A
  • Adaptive: do some cognitive restructuring, seek objective views, view stress as a challenge and failure as a learning opportunity, etc…
  • Maladaptive: use defense mechanisms like denial or rationalization, catastrophize the situation, overreact, allow irrational thinking
27
Q

Explain Lazarus’ concepts of primary and secondary appraisal and give an example for each

A
  • Primary appraisal is a cognitive appraisal of a stressor in the environment as being either benign (irrelevant) or stressful (trouble),
    • i.e., “Is this a threat to my well being?”. E.g., a paper due is appraised as stressful whereas another assignment is viewed as easy to do.
  • If the primary appraisal states that the stimuli are trouble, then a secondary appraisal takes place to decide if the person has the necessary resources to deal with the problem,
    • i.e., “Do I have what it takes to deal with this?” E.g., you decide you can do the assignment if you work hard and dedicate some time to it, or you decide that you can’t do it.
28
Q

Explain how the Hypothalmic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical (HPA) system operates

A
  • the hypothalamus releases corticotrophin releasing factor (CRF) which influences the Pituitary gland to secrete adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). This causes the adrenal cortex to release corticosteroids like cortisol that reduce inflammation and help the body return to a normal state after acute stress reactions.
29
Q

List 3 positive problem-focused coping strategies

A
  • Assertiveness/social skills training
  • Time management
  • Seek help from others
  • Deal with the situation or stressor
30
Q

Explain the difference between internal and external attributions

A
  • internal attributions are inferences made about the causes of behaviors or events that consider the causes as being due to personality, traits, or personal dispositions
  • external attributions are inferences made about the causes of behaviors or events that consider the causes as being due to things inherent in the situation, environment or context, external to the person
31
Q

List 3 undesirable phenomena that can result from being in a group

A

panic, the risky shift, groupthink, social loafing, mob behavior

32
Q

List 4 reasons why we form groups according to Schutz’s Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation

A
  • psychological needs for group formation
  • inclusion
  • control
  • affection
33
Q

Give two examples of adaptive ways and two examples of maladaptive ways that one could emotionally influence the impact of a stressor

A
  • Adaptive: be optimistic, look on the bright side, express emotions openly, share problems with others
  • Maladaptive: feel hopelessness, helplessness, or self-pity, suppress or hide emotions
34
Q

List 4 of the effects of prolonged exposure to stress

A
  • suppress cellular immune functioning
  • produces hemodynamic changes (increased heart rate and blood pressure)
  • provokes irregular heart rhythms
  • produces neurochemical imbalances (depression, panic disorder)
  • atherosclerosis
  • destruction of neurons in the hippocampus (memory impairment, senility)
35
Q

List and explain the three components of Sternberg’s Love Triangle

A
  • Passion:fast developing physiological reaction of desire and lust for another
  • Intimacy: steadily developing physical and emotional closeness with another

Commitment: gradually developing cognitive agreement to be committed partners, including fidelity and resource sharing

36
Q

Which components of Sternberg’s Love Triangle make up Romantic Love, Hollywood Love and Companionate Love?

A

Romantic Love = intimacy and passion
Hollywood Love = passion and commitment
Companionate Love = commitment and intimacy

37
Q

According to the lecture, what is a group?

A

a group is two or more people who, for longer than a few moments, interact with and influence one another and perceive one another as “us”

38
Q

What is Cognitive Dissonance and how does one reduce it?

A
  • cognitive dissonance is an aversive state that can arise when our attitudes and our behaviors are not consistent.
  • We can reduce dissonance by either changing our behaviors to fit our attitudes or adjusting our attitudes to be consistent with our behaviors.
39
Q

Give an example of both a stable and unstable internal attribution and a stable and unstable external attribution.

A
  • stable internal attribution: I failed the test because I am stupid.
  • unstable internal attribution: I failed the test because I didn’t study
  • stable external attribution: I failed the test because the professor always makes unfair tests
  • unstable external attribution: I failed the test because the test was unfair
40
Q

Explain the three types of stress identified by Lazarus and give an example for each.

A
  • Loss (or harm/loss): when someone loses a loved one or a possession
  • Threat: anticipated harm from something like worrying someone is going to beat you up or worried that you will get your heart broken, etc…
  • Challenge: viewing the stressor as an opportunity for growth or a way to expand one’s abilities or competence
41
Q

With regards to making attributions, explain the self-serving bias and provide an example

A

the self-serving bias occurs when we make internal dispositional attributions for our successes and external situational attributions for our failures.
- E.g., I passed the test because I am smart, but I failed the test because it was written unfairly.

42
Q

What is the Mere Exposure effect and how does it contribute to attraction?

A
  • the mere exposure effect states that merely being exposed to something or someone will make us prefer that thing or person over someone or something that we have not been exposed to.
  • It contributes to attraction by the more we are exposed to someone or something the more familiar it becomes to us and the more likely we are to like it.
43
Q

What are the 4 functions of attitudes discussed in the lectures?

A
  • knowledge function: to help organize and structure the environment
  • instrumental function: in helping maximize rewards and minimize punishments
  • ego-defensive function: by helping us deal with internal conflicts and defend against anxiety
  • value-expressive function: in helping us express ideals important to our self-concept
44
Q

Health Psychology is the educational, research and clinical contribution of Psychology to what three goals

A
  • the promotion and maintenance of health
  • the prevention and treatment of illness
  • the analysis and improvement of the health care system and health policy formation
45
Q

Give two examples of adaptive and two examples of maladaptive ways that one could behaviorally influence the impact of a stressor.

A
  • Adaptive: one could seek help (therapy), engage in meditation, learn a new skill, etc…
  • Maladaptive: one could use drugs or alcohol, gambling, sex, or any distraction
46
Q

List 4 positive emotion-focused coping strategie

A
  • Focused breathing/meditation
  • Progressive muscle relaxation
  • Cognitive restructuring
  • Self hypnosis
  • Anger management
  • Thought stopping procedures
  • Stress inoculation training
47
Q

What are the ABCs of attitudes? (and D) of attitudes?

A

A = affect (feelings)
B = behavior
C = cognitions (thoughts)
D = disputing beliefs

48
Q

Explain the difference between internal and external attribution

A
  • internal attributions are inferences made about the causes of behaviors or events that consider the causes as being due to personality, traits, or personal dispositions.
  • external attributions are inferences made about the causes of behaviors or events that consider the causes as being due to things inherent in the situation, environment or context, external to the person
49
Q

Explain the evolutionary gender differences regarding what makes a person jealous.

A

men:
- more distressed about sexual infidelity than emotional infidelity
- throughout evolution men weren’t sure the kid they were raising was theirs or if their partner had sex with someone else

women:
- more distressed about emotional infidelity than sexual infidelity
-emotional commitment to someone else created the threat that resources would be diverted to someone else