Health beliefs and behaviours lecture

Question 1

What is meant by health behaviour?

Answer 1

The action that an individual engages in that affects their health either positively or negativly

Question 2

What are the key examples of negative health behaviour?

Answer 2

Smoking
Obesity
Inactivity
Alcohol misuse

Question 3

What makes it difficult to use research on health behaviour?

Answer 3

between individual variation in action
within individual variation in action

Question 4

What are the two main methods by which we can learn behaviour?

Answer 4

Observation
Association

Question 5

What theories underpin behavioural theory?

Answer 5

Behaviour is determined by prior learning
Behviour is changeable through the lifespan
Changes in behaviour are generally caused by changes in the environment

Less important

Question 6

What are the theories behind how we elicit and maintain behviour?

Answer 6

Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Modelling - vicarious learning by observation of others

Question 7

What are the key ideas of classical conditioning or learning by association?

Answer 7

Stimuli can be associated together leading to a conditioned response
When a neutral stimuli is paired with a unconditioned stmuli that leads to an unconditioned reaction
The neutral stimuli can replace the unconditoined stimuli as a conditioned stimuli leading to the same but now called conditioned response

(pavlows dog - food, bell and salivation)

Question 8

What is the key idea of the four variables in classical conditioning?
Neutral stimuli

Answer 8

NS - does not cause a response before conditioning
Unconditioned stmuli - automoatically triggers a response without learning
Unconditioned response - natural unlearnt response to a stimuli
Conditioned stimuli - originally irrelevant stimuli that is now learnt to cause a response
COnditioned response - response that was originally uncontrolled but have learnt to cause be a certain stimuli

Question 9

Apply classical conditioning to a habit of going to the takeaway regularly.

Answer 9

Originally go to takeaway (neutral stimuli) with friends (unconditioned stimuli) and have fun (unconditioned response).
Repeated regularly
Associated takeaway food (conditioned stimuli) with fun (conditioned response)
Therefore goes to the takeaway more often)

Question 10

How does the fear response link to classical conditioning?

Answer 10

Shows classical conditioning using observable stimuli rather than internal behaviour
The little Albert experiment
Pair a neutral stimuli with crying due to previous experience of that stimuli with a scary noise causing the baby to cry.

Question 11

How does psychological therapy link to classical conditioning?

Answer 11

Aims to unpair classical conditioning responses
e.g alcohol is not good to stop alcoholics

Question 12

How can abnormal behavior be explained by classical conditioning?

Answer 12

Abnormal behaviour arise from faulty conditioning or repeated bad experiences
These behaviours can be fixed by relearning or replacing the association
This is shown clearly in exposure therapy.

Question 13

What is key to learning thorugh classical and operant conditioning?

Answer 13

Must have repitition of the same stimuli and response

Question 14

What is a slight difference between the function of operant and classical conditioning in terms of learned behavior?

Answer 14

Operant - reinforces behavioural decision by reward or punishment
Classical conditioning - helps form new behaviours

Question 15

What is the key idea od operant conditioning?

Answer 15

A behaviour is strengthene by a reinforces (reward) and behaviour is lost by a punisher.
Therefore behviour is an interaction between the environment and the indivdual (play on phone at home not in school)

Question 16

How can operant conditioning be applied to changing behaviour?

Answer 16

Change the persons environment (hence the likleness of a reward or punishment) in order to change their behaviour.
The environment is easier to change than the individual’s behaviour by classical conditioning.
Shown by public health interventions

Question 17

What is a theory that undermines operant conditioning?

Answer 17

Consider events as repetitive stimuli
Hence relies on declarative memory
In mice thoery
Learns blue light means food will be released (is a fact not a behavioural response to reward/punishment)

Question 18

What undermines experiments trying to explain how behaviour is formed?

Answer 18

Most research conducted on animals arguably have lower cerebral functions - lack higher human qaulities
Classical conditioning undermined - by people from healthy environments being unhealthy or people will an adverse upbrining flurishing in later life.

Question 19

What are the negatives of behavioural theories when applied to health behaviour?

Answer 19

Does not take into account cognition, thoughts and beliefs
Does not consider other determinants of health
Simplistic view that could cause victim blaming (ingores limitation on persons choice)

Question 20

What does cognitive psychology suggest about behaviour?

Answer 20

People actively interpret their environment and appraise what is going on around them
Therfore what we think about a situation will influence how we behave - explains variation between individuals
INternal perceptions and thoughts about themselves and the world will influence their bahviour

Question 21

What is meant by observational or social learning?

Answer 21

Humans learns through observed model behaviour and observed reinforcement of that behaviour
We are more likley to learn from the behaviour of a person we view as very similar to our self
We copy others to have the same rewards
Therfore the environment has a strong affect on behaviour.
Adopting behaviour because it is popular sociallyq

Question 22

What are the three factors that influence observational/social learning?

Answer 22

The indivdual - what they think out others and themself
THe individuals behviour - what they are already doing
The environment

Question 23

What do models use to predict health behavior?

Answer 23

Predict an individuals behaviour based on their cognitive processes and social circumstances

Question 24

What are the key ideas of the health belief model?

Answer 24

Uses a persons attitudes and beliefs to predict how they will behave.
Includes:
percieved suseptibility
Percieved severity of disease
Percieved benefits of taking action
Percieved barriers to taking action

Question 25

How can the health belief model be applied to health promotion?

Answer 25

Education and promotion should be used to change an individual internal processes in order to alter their behaviour

Question 26

How can the health belief model be applied to health promotion?

Answer 26

Education and promotion should be used to change an individual internal processes in order to alter their behavior.
A persons thoughts may be changed by external or internal factors

Question 27

What is meant by a cue to action?

Answer 27

Causes behaviour to change

Question 28

What are modifying variables in the health belief model?

Answer 28

Characteristics that influence personal perceptions
Demographic variables - age and gender
Psychological characteristics - personality, pressure
Cue to action - doctor saying you will die if you don’t

Question 29

What is meant by self efficacy?
What model of behaviour does this link to?

Answer 29

Belief in ones ability to take action and make a difference
Health belief model

Question 30

What are the negatives of the health belief model?

Answer 30

Does not account for motivation differening from intentions
Peoples actions are not always rational - so may not be based on their preceptions
Does not take the social determinants of health into account.