BIOLOGICAL- Stress & Personality

Question 1

What are the 3 components in a Type A personality?

Answer 1

-Time pressured-Competitive-Angry

Question 2

What are the 3 components in a Type B personality?

Answer 2

-Relaxed-Non-competitive-Passive

Question 3

How do psychologists measure Type A behaviour?

Answer 3

Personality questionnaires, tending to be designed by a Licket scale, with answers ranging from strongly agree to strongly disagree.

Question 4

What was the method for Friedman and Rosenman’s study?

Answer 4

3200 participants (all men) were given questionnaires. From their responses, and from their manner, each participant was put into one of three groups:Type A behaviour: competitive, ambitious, impatient, aggressive, fast talkingType B behaviour: relaxed, non-competitive.Type C behaviour: ‘nice,’ hard working but become apathetic when faced with stress.They were looked at again 8 years later to see who had developed coronary heart disease. Other factors contributing to CHD were kept constant across all the participants

Question 5

What were the results form Friedman and Rosenman’s study?

Answer 5

70% of those who had developed CHD were from the Type A group.Suggests that a Type A personality can contribute to the likelihood of CHD

Question 6

How does coronary heart disease relate to stress?

Answer 6

That a factor contributing to coronary heart disease is stress and therefore if a Type A person has more occurrences of CHD, it is likely they are more stressed.

Question 7

Make an evaluative comment on Friedman and Rosenman’s study

Answer 7

IT had low population validity, because they’re only men from California, so it cannot be generalised to everyone

Question 8

What did Shekelle find?

Answer 8

That there was no difference in incidents of heart disease between TAB and TBB groups, contradicting the findings from Friedman and Rosenma’s research, implying it is not reliable

Question 9

Which component of Type A behaviour seems to be the most important in predicting coronary heart disease?

Answer 9

Hostility

Question 10

What did Miller do and find?

Answer 10

Did a meta-review which identified hostility as a risk factor, independent of TAB

Question 11

What are the three components in a hardy personality?

Answer 11

-Control-Commitment-Challenge

Question 12

Explain Control in regards to a hardy personality

Answer 12

Influencing things in your life rather than attributing control to outside influences

Question 13

Explain Commitment in regards to a hardy personality

Answer 13

Purpose and involvement in the world.Tend to resist giving up in times of stress

Question 14

Explain Challenge in regards to a hardy personality

Answer 14

Challenges are seen as stuff to be over-come, or as opportunities to change and grow

Question 15

Explain why a person with a hardy personality may be less prone to stress related illnesses

Answer 15

Because being hardy would mean that the SAM and PAS systems would be activated less frequently, straining the heart less

Question 16

Name and explain a study into hardiness

Answer 16

Kobasa800 business executives of a large US company were tested using the SRRS. Those who scored highly were then examined and split into two groups; those who were frequently ill and those who were rarely ill. She found a difference in personality between the two with those reporting few illnesses being described as hardy.

Question 17

State 2 evaluative points on Kobasa’s research into her own theory

Answer 17

-Based on self-report (unreliable)-Issue of cause and effect

Question 18

State and explain the procedure of a piece of research into hardness in old people

Answer 18

Langer and RodinCompared 2 groups of OAPs in nursing homes (all ppts were of a similar age, health condition and been in the ward for the same amount of time). One group had quite a lot of control, whereas the other group was quite restrained.

Question 19

What were the results from Langer and Rodin’s research?

Answer 19

Residents given more personal control were happier, more active and more alert, and after 18 months they were in a better condition than those who had less control.

Question 20

Explain why TAB is more useful when considered in conjunction with hardiness than alone

Answer 20

Because Type A behaviour includes hardy characteristics; competitiveness is similar to commitment. So being Type A does include hardy traits as well. This could explain inconsistencies in research about this topic