Chapter 8 (Using health services)

Question 1

Recognition and interpretation of symptoms

Answer 1

• some people are consistently more likely to notice symptoms than other people
• most frequent symptoms are “physical symptoms”
• neurotics recognize and report symptoms more quickly than those who are not neurotic

Question 2

Cultural differences

Answer 2

• Anglos report infrequent symptoms

- Mexican-Americans report frequently-occurring symptoms

Question 3

Attentional differences

Answer 3

those who focus on themselves are quicker to notice symptoms

Question 4

Situational factors

Answer 4

• boring situations make people more attentive to symptoms

- symptoms are noticed more on days at home

Question 5

medical students’ syndrome:

Answer 5

as medical students study an illness, many imagine they have it

Question 6

Stress

Answer 6

precipitates (causes) or aggravates the experience of symptoms

Question 7

Mood

Answer 7

people in positive moods report fewer symptoms than people in negative moods

Question 8

Interpretation of symptoms

Answer 8

• a psychological process
• individual, historical, cultural, social and psychological factors (important in understanding people’s interpretations of their
  symptoms)
  -prior experience
  -Expectations:
  -people ignore symptoms that are not expected and amplify symptoms that are expected
• seriousness of symptoms:
  
  • serious symptoms require more attentions

Question 9

Cognitive representations of illness

Answer 9

illness schemas