Cultural and Religious Beliefs

Question 1

What is attribution theory?

Answer 1

• Individuals are motivated to see their social world as predictable and controllable.
• Focuses on attributions of causality.

Question 2

What are the types of attribution?

Answer 2

1 - Internal vs external.

2 - Stable vs unstable.

3 - Global vs specific.

4 - Controllable vs uncontrollable.

Question 3

What does Wallston and Wallston’s 1982 scale measure?

Answer 3

The degree to which an individual believes they can control their health.

Question 4

What is unrealistic optimism?

Answer 4

Weinstein’s theory that people continue to practice unhealthy behaviours because of inaccurate risk perceptions.

Question 5

List the cognitive factors associated with unrealistic optimism.

Answer 5

1 - Lack of personal experience of the risk.

2 - The belief that the problem is preventable.

3 - The belief that the problem has not yet appeared.

4 - The belief that the problem is infrequent.

Question 6

What is the health belief model?

Answer 6

A model that helps to explain and predict health behaviours.

Question 7

List the factors, according to the health belief model, that determine a person’s readiness to take health action.

Answer 7

1 - The perceived susceptibility to the disease.

2 - The perceived severity of the disease.

3 - The perceived benefits of taking action.

4 - The perceived barriers to performing the action.

5 - Demographic variables (e.g. class, age and gender).

6 - Psychological characteristics (e.g. personality and peer pressure).

7 - Approval of action from others.

Question 8

List 2 examples of health related actions that can be explained by the health model.

Answer 8

1 - Cancer screening.

2 - Wearing a condom.

Question 9

What is the theory of planned behaviour?

Answer 9

Attitudes towards:

• Behaviour,
• Subjective norms, and
• Perceived behavioural control

together shape an individual’s behaviour.