Chapter 1 Flashcards
illness/wellness continuum
A model that describes health and sickness as overlapping concepts that vary in degree, rather than being separate categories.
health
A positive state of physical, mental, and social well-being that changes in degree over time.
infectious diseases
Illness caused by the body being invaded by microorganisms, such as bacteria and viruses
chronic diseases
illnesses that persist and generally get worse over a long period of time
mind/body problem
The issue regarding the relationship between processes and functions of the mind and those of the body.
biomedical model
The view that illness results from physical causes, such as infection or injury; psychosocial processes are not viewed as causal factors.
risk factors
Characteristics or conditions that occur more often among individuals who develop particular diseases or injuries than among those who do not.
personality
Cognitive, affective, or behavioral predispositions of people in different situations and overtime.
psychosomatic medicine
A field that studies the relationships between people’s symptoms of illness and their emotions.
behavioral medicine
An interdisciplinary field that studies the relationships between behavior and health.
health psychology
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.
behavioral methods
Psychological techniques that use mainly operant and classical conditioning principles to change behavior.
cognitive methods
Psychological techniques that focus on changing people’s feelings and thought processes.
biopsychosocial method
The view that health and illness involve the interplay of biological, psychological, and social factors in people’s lives.
system
A continuously changing entity that consists of constantly interrelated components.
mortality
death, usually with reference to large populations
morbitity
the condition of illness, injury, or disability
prevalence
the total number of cases existing at a given moment in time
incidence
The number of new cases reported during a given period of time, such as the previous year.
epidemic
The situation in which the occurrence of a health problem has increased rapidly.
sociocultural
Relating to or involving social and cultural features or processes.
theory
a tentative explanation of phenomena
variable
A measurable characteristic of people, objects, or events that may change in quantity or quality.
experiment
A controlled study in which variables are manipulated and observed to assess cause–effect relationships.
placebo
An inactive substance or procedure that may cause a change in an individual’s behavior or health.
double-blind
An experimental procedure where neither the subject nor the researcher knows which research treatment the subject is receiving.
correlation coefficient
A statistic that reflects the degree and direction of relationship between two variables; it can range from +1.00, through.00, to−1.00.
correlational studies
Nonexperimental research conducted to determine the degree and direction of relationship between variables.
quasi-experimental studies
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.
retrospective approach
A research strategy where by the histories of subjects are examined for their relationships to recent conditions, such as health problems.
prospective approach
A research strategy where by characteristics of subjects are measured and later examined for their relationships to future conditions, such as health problems.
cross-sectional approach
Method of studying developmental trends by observing different groups of subjects of different ages within a relatively short period of time.
longitudinal approach
Method of studying developmental changes in the same subjects by making repeated observations over a long period of time.
twin studies
Research to assess the influence of heredity in determining a characteristic by focusing on differences between identical and fraternal twins.
adoption studies
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.
epigenetics
The process in which chemical structures within or around DNA govern gene action.
