Chapter 10 Flashcards
(25 cards)
What is life expectancy?
The number of years individuals can be expected to live in a certain population, computed based on the observed age of dying in that population.
An important indicator of health and illness.
What factors affect life expectancy in developing countries?
High child mortality rate, infectious disease, poor housing, and malnutrition.
These factors lead to a lower life expectancy.
What factors affect life expectancy in developed countries?
Smoking and dietary choices.
In developed countries, individual behavior increasingly determines life expectancy.
What percentage of people suffer from chronic illnesses in developed countries?
A higher percentage compared to developing countries due to longer life spans and medical treatments.
Chronic diseases are responsible for 86% of total years with illness or disability in developed countries.
What is the adherence rate to prescribed medications among patients?
⅓ of patients do not adhere to the prescribed meds.
This complicates the management of chronic illnesses.
What can social psychologists do to promote healthy behaviors?
Develop ways to prevent unhealthy behaviors and encourage adherence to healthy behaviors.
They can also study how to encourage behavior change in those with unhealthy habits.
What are the two psychological factors referred to in health-specific models?
Motivation to engage in a behavior and self-efficacy expectations.
These factors are crucial for understanding health behaviors.
What do positive outcome expectations refer to?
Expectations of positive happenings or experiences (rewards) that follow a certain action.
Central in the motivation for healthy behavior.
What is risk perception?
The threat of a certain illness based on perceived vulnerability and perceived seriousness.
It includes one’s estimate of the risk of contracting a disease.
What is unrealistic optimism?
A subjective and strategically lowered personal estimation of the risk of a negative event based on biased social comparison.
Example: Self-comparison to family members who never contracted a certain disease.
What is necessary for a person to engage in healthy behaviors?
A sufficiently high level of self-efficacy.
Without it, motivation to engage in healthy behavior is lacking.
What do implementation intentions specify?
When and where a person will engage in the specified behavior.
Example: “When I come home on Wednesday I will start to exercise X.”
What are the two psychological systems distinguished in dual-process models?
A conscious and rational psychological system and an unconscious and automated psychological system.
This distinction helps understand behavior initiation.
What does symptom perception involve?
Detection, interpretation, and attribution of bodily sensations.
It determines whether symptoms are taken seriously by the patient.
What are illness beliefs?
Ideas about the manifestation, consequences, and control over a specified illness.
These beliefs influence how patients perceive their health.
What is social support?
The embedding of a person in an adequate social network where they are loved and valued.
It plays a crucial role in a patient’s health and recovery.
What are the three types of support in social support?
- Emotional support
- Tangible assistance
- Instrumental support
Each type has different ways of helping patients.
What does the transtheoretical model (TTM) identify?
Five successive stages of behavior change: precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance.
Movement through these stages is caused by different psychological factors.
What is the significance of stage-specific tasks in the TTM?
People must finish stage-specific tasks to move to the next stage.
Skipping stages is not possible, but regression can occur.
What is fear-appeal in health-related interventions?
A persuasive message that stresses the danger of a certain action to induce fear and recommends a specific action to avert the danger.
It can be effective but needs to be complemented with messages of self-efficacy.
What are the three main classes of tailoring mechanisms in computer-tailored persuasion?
- Adaptation
- Feedback
- Personalization
These mechanisms enhance the relevance of health messages.
What does message framing refer to?
The wording of persuasive messages to promote healthy behavior.
It can focus on benefits (gain-framed) or costs (loss-framed) of behavior.
What does Regulatory Focus Theory (RFT) distinguish?
Two strategies: focusing on accomplishments (promotion) and focusing on safety (prevention).
This theory influences how health messages are framed.
What must social psychologists be aware of in their interventions?
That interventions are applied within environments that may support or oppose their goals.
The context can significantly impact the effectiveness of behavioral change strategies.
