Lecture 1 Psychological Influences Flashcards
what is the leading cause of disease?
behaviour
define: behaviour
the actions or reactions of an individual to a situation – can be conscious or unconscious, voluntary or involuntary
define: health behaviour
behaviour that may have implications for health
what were the leading causes of death in the US in 2000?
tobacco
poor diet and physcal activity
alcohol consumption
how much does tobacco,
poor diet and physcal activity,
alcohol consumption account for premature deaths?
40%
what are the determinants of health behaviour?
background factors- characteristics that define the context in which people live their lives.
stable factors- individual differences in psycological activity that are stable over time
social factors- social connections in the intermediate environment; mostly stable, but fragile
situational factors- appraisal of personal relevance that shape responsiveness in a specific situation
what are three broad types of individual differences?
Emotional dispositions: Psychological processes involved in both the experience and expression
Generalised expectancies: Psychological processes involved in formulating expectations in relation to future outcomes
Explanatory styles: Psychological processes involved in explaining the causes of negative events
what is emotional dispositions?
Negative affect: Tendency toward the experience of negative affective states, e.g. hostility, depression, anxiety
Appraisal bias for heightened arousal and increased frequency
Evidence for causal role in development of physical disease - health behaviour impeded as a function of fatigue and apathy.
Emotional expression: The (low) expression of (negative) emotional experience, both unconscious repression and conscious suppression
Appraisal bias for neutralising threat or extreme intensity, both leading to maladaptive responses
Risk factor for recovery (post-MI) and cancer progression
what are generalised expectancies?
Locus of control: Expectations that future outcomes will be determined by factors that are either internal (self) or external (powerful others, and chance)
Internal loci generally associated with more favourable outcomes, and performance of health behaviours, but VERY dependent situational factors
Self-efficacy: Belief in one’s own ability to organise and execute a course of action, and the expectation that the action will result in, or lead to, a desired outcome
Heuristic belief in the beneficial effects of higher self-efficacy, deriving from appraisal bias for challenge rather than threat and expectation of success
what is self efficacy?
belief in the ability to change
what does self efficacy underpin?
goal-setting
effort investment
persistence in face of barriers
and recovery from setbacks
what is explanatory styles?
optimism (pessimism) - expectation of positive future outcome despite current negative events
Attributional style: Causal explanations of negative events as internal (self), stable (time), and global (situation)
what is social cognition theories?
Social cognition theories attempt to explain the relationship between social cognitions (e.g. beliefs, attitudes, goals, etc.) and behaviour
what are NICE interventions and programmes aimed at populations?
fiscal and legislative interventions
national and local advertising and mass media
campaigns (for example, information
campaigns, promotion of positive role models and general promotion of health-enhancing
behaviours)
point of sale promotions and interventions (for example, working in partnership with private
sector organisations to offer information, price reductions or other promotions).
