Untitled Deck Flashcards
(41 cards)
What types of questions are addressed by health psychology?
Questions regarding the relationship between health behaviors and psychological factors, the impact of stress on health, and the promotion of healthy behaviors
Summarize the research investigating the relationship between smoking and personality.
Research indicates that certain personality traits, such as high levels of impulsivity and sensation-seeking, are associated with higher smoking rates
What is the relationship between smoking and media exposure?
Media exposure has been shown to influence smoking behavior, often normalizing or glamorizing smoking, which can lead to increased smoking rates
Identify factors that have contributed to reduced smoking rates in Canada.
- Comprehensive tobacco control policies
- Increased public awareness of health risks
- Higher taxes on tobacco products
- Smoking bans in public places
What factors have contributed to the rise in obesity rates?
- Increased availability of high-calorie foods
- Sedentary lifestyles
- Socioeconomic factors
- Marketing of unhealthy foods
Differentiate examples of good and bad quality nutritional research.
Good quality research is characterized by rigorous methodology, peer review, and replication, while bad quality research may lack control groups, have small sample sizes, or be biased
How does BMI categorize weights and what are its limitations?
BMI categorizes weights into underweight, normal weight, overweight, and obese; its limitations include not accounting for muscle mass, distribution of fat, and differences in body composition
What social influences affect our eating behaviors?
- Family and peer eating habits
- Cultural norms surrounding food
- Social settings and occasions
- Media portrayals of food
What is a novel example of social contagion?
The tendency for people to adopt eating habits or lifestyle changes based on the behaviors of their social networks
How does socioeconomic status affect obesity rates?
Lower socioeconomic status is associated with higher obesity rates due to factors such as limited access to healthy foods and lower levels of physical activity
What are the predictions and implications of set points?
Set points suggest that the body has a predetermined weight range it strives to maintain, which can make weight loss difficult and lead to weight regain
What factors make weight loss difficult to achieve?
- Biological mechanisms resisting weight loss
- Psychological factors such as emotional eating
- Environmental influences
- Unrealistic expectations
How can healthy behaviors be encouraged and maintained?
- Setting achievable goals
- Providing social support
- Utilizing behavior modification techniques
- Creating a supportive environment
Differentiate between mindful and mindless eating.
Mindful eating involves being fully aware of the eating experience and hunger cues, while mindless eating occurs without attention to the act of eating, often leading to overeating
Differentiate between primary and secondary appraisals.
Primary appraisal assesses the significance of a stressor, while secondary appraisal evaluates the resources available to cope with the stressor
What are the predictions and implications of individual zones of optimal functioning?
This concept suggests that individuals perform best when operating within a specific range of emotional arousal and stress, impacting performance and well-being
Differentiate the biological pathways of the fight-or-flight response and HPA response.
The fight-or-flight response involves immediate activation of the sympathetic nervous system, while the HPA response involves hormonal changes that occur over a longer duration
What are the stages involved in the general adaptation syndrome?
- Alarm stage
- Resistance stage
- Exhaustion stage
Identify novel examples of each stage of the general adaptation syndrome.
Examples include: Alarm - initial shock of a stressful event; Resistance - ongoing stress management; Exhaustion - burnout from prolonged stress
How does stress affect cognition and the brain?
Stress can impair cognitive functions such as memory and attention, and can lead to structural changes in the brain
How can extreme stress lead to heritable changes in children’s stress responses?
Extreme stress can alter epigenetic markers that may be passed down to offspring, affecting their stress response systems
What evidence supports the idea of transgenerational stress inheritance?
Studies show that stress experienced by parents can influence gene expression in their children, affecting their resilience to stress
How are oxytocin and vasopressin involved in social behaviors and health?
These hormones play key roles in social bonding, stress regulation, and overall health outcomes
What questions are addressed by psychoneuroimmunology?
Questions regarding the interactions between psychological processes, the nervous system, and immune function
