Chapter 1

Question 1

illness/wellness continuum

Answer 1

A model that describes health and sickness as overlapping concepts that vary in degree, rather than being separate categories.

Question 2

health

Answer 2

A positive state of physical, mental, and social well-being that changes in degree over time.

Question 3

infectious diseases

Answer 3

Illness caused by the body being invaded by microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses

Question 4

chronic diseases

Answer 4

illnesses that persist and generally get worse over a long period of time

Question 5

mind/body problem

Answer 5

The issue regarding the relationship between processes and functions of the mind and those of the body.

Question 6

biomedical model

Answer 6

The view that illness results from physical causes, such as infection or injury; psychosocial processes are not viewed as causal factors.

Question 7

risk factors

Answer 7

Characteristics or conditions that occur more often among individuals who develop particular diseases or injuries than among those who do not.

Question 8

personality

Answer 8

Cognitive, affective, or behavioral predispositions of people in different situations and overtime.

Question 9

psychosomatic medicine

Answer 9

A field that studies the relationships between people’s symptoms of illness and their emotions.

Question 10

behavioral medicine

Answer 10

An interdisciplinary field that studies the relationships between behavior and health.

Question 11

health psychology

Answer 11

A field of psychology that examines the causes of illnesses and study ways to promote and maintain health, prevent and treat illness, and improve the health care system.

Question 12

behavioral methods

Answer 12

Psychological techniques that use mainly operant and classical conditioning principles to change behavior.

Question 13

cognitive methods

Answer 13

Psychological techniques that focus on changing people’s feelings and thought processes.

Question 14

biopsychosocial method

Answer 14

The view that health and illness involve the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors in people’s lives.

Question 15

system

Answer 15

A continuously changing entity that consists of constantly interrelated components.

Question 16

mortality

Answer 16

death, usually with reference to large populations

Question 17

morbitity

Answer 17

the condition of illness, injury, or disability

Question 18

prevalence

Answer 18

the total number of cases existing at a given moment in time

Question 19

incidence

Answer 19

The number of new cases reported during a given period of time, such as the previous year.

Question 20

epidemic

Answer 20

The situation in which the occurrence of a health problem has increased rapidly.

Question 21

sociocultural

Answer 21

Relating to or involving social and cultural features or processes.

Question 22

theory

Answer 22

a tentative explanation of phenomena

Question 23

variable

Answer 23

A measurable characteristic of people, objects, or events that may change in quantity or quality.

Question 24

experiment

Answer 24

A controlled study in which variables are manipulated and observed to assess cause–effect relationships.

Question 25

placebo

Answer 25

An inactive substance or procedure that may cause a change in an individual’s behavior or health.

Question 26

double-blind

Answer 26

An experimental procedure where neither the subject nor the researcher knows which research treatment the subject is receiving.

Question 27

correlation coefficient

Answer 27

A statistic that reflects the degree and direction of relationship between two variables; it can range from +1.00, through.00, to−1.00.

Question 28

correlational studies

Answer 28

Nonexperimental research conducted to determine the degree and direction of relationship between variables.

Question 29

quasi-experimental studies

Answer 29

Nonexperimental research in which subjects are categorized or separated into two or more groups on the basis of existing characteristics and then compared regarding other variables.

Question 30

retrospective approach

Answer 30

A research strategy where by the histories of subjects are examined for their relationships to recent conditions, such as health problems.

Question 31

prospective approach

Answer 31

A research strategy where by characteristics of subjects are measured and later examined for their relationships to future conditions, such as health problems.

Question 32

cross-sectional approach

Answer 32

Method of studying developmental trends by observing different groups of subjects of different ages within a relatively short period of time.

Question 33

longitudinal approach

Answer 33

Method of studying developmental changes in the same subjects by making repeated observations over a long period of time.

Question 34

twin studies

Answer 34

Research to assess the influence of heredity in determining a characteristic by focusing on differences between identical and fraternal twins.

Question 35

adoption studies

Answer 35

Research with subjects adopted at very early ages, comparing their characteristics with corresponding traits of their adoptive and natural parents to assess the influence of heredity.

Question 36

epigenetics

Answer 36

The process in which chemical structures within or around DNA govern gene action.