chapter 14

Question 1

1) _____________ psychologists study both positive and negative impacts that humans’
behaviour and decisions have on their health, survival, and well-being.

Answer 1

Health

Question 2

2) Health psychologists are primarily interested in how an individual’s ____________
affects his or her health.

Answer 2

behaviour

Question 3

3) Unlike in the past, most premature deaths in Canada today can be attributed to
____________.

Answer 3

lifestyle factors

Question 4

According to some research, the average smoker dies ____ years earlier than the
average nonsmoker.

Answer 4

7 to 14

Question 5

_________ is the leading cause of preventable disease and death in Canada.

Answer 5

d. Smoking

Question 6

Which of the following has been the MOST DIFFICULT for health psychologists to
demonstrate through research?

Answer 6

Watching movie stars smoke causes adolescents to smoke.

Question 7

Which of the following best describes the current research on whether smoking in
movies contributes to adolescent smoking?

Answer 7

Correlational research suggests that adolescent smoking and movies are related, but it
has been difficult to establish the nature of this correlation.

Question 8

While most students have heard of the “freshman 15,” in reality, students who gain
weight when they enter college put on an average of _____ pounds.

Answer 8

6

Question 9

9) Which of the following is NOT listed in your textbook as a health consequence of
being overweight?

Answer 9

a. osteoporosis

Question 10

Kendra goes to the doctor’s office for a physical. After measuring Kendra’s weight
and height, the doctor enters the data into a mathematical formula and then tells Kendra
that she is overweight. The doctor most likely used the formula to calculate Kendra’s
________________.

Answer 10

a. body mass index

Question 11

11) Which statistic is commonly used to screen people for weight categories that indicate
whether they are considered normal weight, underweight, overweight, or obese?

Answer 11

c. body mass index

Question 12

12) The body mass index allows people to

Answer 12

calculate a healthy body weight for their height.

Question 13

13) What do twin and adoption studies indicate about the role of genes in body weight?

Answer 13

Genes account for between 50% and 90% of the variation in body weight.

Question 14

Some researchers believe that the body has mechanisms to keep your body weight
within a small range. For example, if you began eating more calories than usual, your

Krause, Corts, Dolderman, Smith, Psychological Science, Canadian Edition,

Chapter 14: Health, Stress, and Coping

Copyright © 2015 Pearson Canada Inc. Page 7 of 52
body may increase its energy expenditure to keep your weight within the range. This
range is referred to as the body’s ___________.

Answer 14

b. set point

Question 15

Patrick decided to lose weight by dieting. He found that it was relatively easy to lose
the first 18 pounds or so, but after that, he felt his body was fighting his effort to lose
more weight. Patrick’s experience is consistent with the concept of _______________.

Answer 15

d. a set point

Question 16

According to set point theory, the set point is initially set by _______________, but
can be modified by ______________.

Answer 16

genetic factors; environmental factors

Question 17

According to set point theory, which of the following could cause a person’s set point
to change?

Answer 17

gaining a large amount of weight

Question 18

According to your textbook, why do some researchers question the role of a
physiological set point in making it difficult for people to lose excess weight?

Answer 18

Lower activity levels associated with weight gain appears to explain the difficulty of
weight loss better than set point theory.

Question 19

Research discussed in your textbook indicates that television advertisements can have
a significant impact on ____________.

Answer 19

snacking

Question 20

Jim likes to watch TV and Jim’s twin brother, John, likes to go on social networking
sites online. What is likely to be true of the two brothers?

Answer 20

John is more likely to be obese than Jim.

Question 21

The increase in the number of children living sedentary lifestyles is likely due in part
to ___________.

Answer 21

a. video games

Question 22

For __________, lower income is associated with higher obesity rates, while the
opposite is true for ___________.

Answer 22

d. women; men

Question 23

According to your textbook, people who __________ have less brain tissue and
older-looking brains than is typical for their age.

Answer 23

are obese

Question 24

In a study described in your textbook, psychologists studied students who lived in
poorly designed and crowded dormitories. By comparing these students to others who
had better accommodations, the psychologists determined that the stressful living
conditions caused the students to

Answer 24

lose their sense of control and feel helpless.

Question 25

Stress, poor diet, and discrimination collectively place children growing up in
___________ at greater risk for developing health problems.

Answer 25

b. poverty

Question 26

26) High stress levels and poor nutrition put children who grow up in low socioeconomic
status communities at a greater risk of developing ___________ as adults.

Answer 26

heart disease

Question 27

People with low socioeconomic status tend to have worse health than do those with
high status. One reason for this is ________________.

Answer 27

environmental stressors

Question 28

Dr. Benno leaves his practice in a wealthy suburb and begins seeing patients at a
clinic in a poor urban area. What can he expect will be the difference between his new
patients and his former ones?

Answer 28

The new patients will be generally in worse health.

Question 29

Which of the following is true about discrimination?

Answer 29

d. Discrimination has a long-term effect on both physical and mental health.

Question 30

30) _____________ is as great a mortality risk as smoking, obesity, and high blood
pressure.

Answer 30

Chronic social isolation

Question 31

Which of the following is true about health effects of marriage on men and women?

Answer 31

While both men and women benefit from the marriage, men typically experience the
greater health benefits.

Question 32

Larry and Kim just got married. Although every marriage is different, how is their
marriage most likely to affect their health?

Answer 32

Both Larry and Kim will benefit, but Larry will benefit more.

Question 33

Which of the following may explain why the health benefit of heterosexual marriage
is different for men versus women?

Answer 33

Women tend to recognize and support the health of others more than men.

Question 34

The unintentional spreading of a behaviour as a result of social interactions is referred
to as _____________.

Answer 34

b. social contagion

Question 35

When Wally decided to quit smoking, several of his friends began smoking less.
Overtime, most of Wally’s friends eventually stopped smoking as well. This is an
example of social _____________.

Answer 35

a. contagion

Question 36

Overtime, groups of people who interact regularly can become increasingly similar in
terms of body weight, smoking habits, and even happiness. This increased similarity is
likely due to ____________.

Answer 36

social contagion

Question 37

37) ________ occurs when the demands of a situation exceed our ability to cope
effectively.

Answer 37

a. Stress

Question 38

Events which cause people to experience stress are called ___________.

Answer 38

d. stressors

Question 39

Which of the following would most likely be an acute stressor?

Answer 39

having a fight

Question 40

According to Lazarus and Folkman, our first task when faced with a potential stressor
is to determine whether it is a challenge or threat. This evaluation is referred to as
_____________.

Answer 40

primary appraisal

Question 41

Miranda is questioning whether her upcoming business trip, where she must travel
through an area with many mountains, will pose a danger for her. As such, this example
illustrates _______________.

Answer 41

primary appraisal

Question 42

Imagine that you have just flunked a class. You evaluate this situation and decide that
flunking a class is stressful and important enough to be upset about. Next you decide to
repeat the class in summer school. You have made \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_.

Answer 42

both a primary and a secondary appraisal

Question 43

After we have decided that a certain event is a stressor, we must decide how we will
deal with it and what resources are available for coping. This process is called
______________.

Answer 43

secondary appraisal

Question 44

Which of the following is true regarding the relationship between stress and major
life events?

Answer 44

Major life events can cause significant stress, even if they are good or positive life
events.

Question 45

According to its developers, a person who has a higher score on the Social
Readjustment Rating Scale is more likely than people with lower scores to have
___________ in the near future.

Answer 45

a higher chance of becoming ill

Question 46

46) The Social Readjustment Rating Scale was designed to measure change due to
________________.

Answer 46

b. major life events

Question 47

The Social Readjustment Rating Scale measures stress related to _____________.

Answer 47

positive and negative life events

Question 48

48) ______________ measures the amount of stress in a person’s life resulting from
major life changes.

Answer 48

The Social Readjustment Rating Scale

Question 49

Which of the following is true about stress?

Answer 49

d. Low levels of stress can be motivating.

Question 50

Kenya is experiencing absolutely no stress while taking a test. What effect is this
most likely to have on her performance, and why?

Answer 50

It will lower her grade because her arousal level will be low.

Question 51

51) Generally speaking, low levels of arousal facilitate ______________, while higher
levels of arousal facilitate ______________.

Answer 51

solving complex tasks; solving simple tasks

Question 52

52) The term “fight-or- flight response” was coined by American psychologist
______________.

Answer 52

Walter Cannon

Question 53

53) According to Cannon, the “fight-or- flight response” is

Answer 53

a general response to many different types of stressors.

Question 54

Which psychologist is credited with proposing the general adaptation syndrome?

Answer 54

a. Selye

Question 55

What is the correct sequence of stages in the general adaptation syndrome?

Answer 55

alarm, resistance, exhaustion

Question 56

56) Which major life event on the Social Readjustment Rating Scale has the highest
number of “stress units”?

Answer 56

Death of a spouse

Question 57

Adelaida hears a rattling sound as she hikes through the desert. Her muscles tense and
her blood pressure rises. According to Hans Selye, she is in the _______________.

Answer 57

alarm phase

Question 58

In which stage of the general adaptation syndrome has the body reached the limits of
its ability to adapt to stress and may result in the development of stress-related diseases?

Answer 58

exhaustion

Question 59

Which stage of the general adaptation syndrome might explain why college students
tend to experience a higher rate of absenteeism from class around midterm and final
exam time each semester?

Answer 59

exhaustion

Question 60

For the past six months, Dahlia’s job has been extremely stressful, but she doesn’t feel
that she can quit because she needs the money for tuition. Dahlia has been having chronic
headaches and is behind in all of her classes. According to Hans Selye, Dahlia is in the
______ stage of the general adaptation syndrome.

Answer 60

c. exhaustion

Question 61

When you are under stress, the _______________ sends messages to the endocrine
glands along two major pathways.

Answer 61

hypothalamus

Question 62

When a person is under stress, the hypothalamus activates the __________ system,
producing the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine into the body.

Answer 62

sympathetic nervous

Question 63

Which of the following is a key stress hormone released by the adrenal glands?

Answer 63

cortisol