Maintenance of Behaviour Change

Question 1

Johansson et al. (1978) Social psychological and neuroendocrine stress reactions in highly mechanised work aims

Answer 1

To compare the stress responses of two very different groups of workers in a Swedish sawmill

Question 2

Johansson et al. (1978) Social psychological and neuroendocrine stress reactions in highly mechanised work procedure

Answer 2

One group of participants were high-risk workers: 14 sawyers, edgers and graders whose jobs involved preparing timber. The jobs were repetitive, isolating, low control, demanding with a lot of responsibility. The other group were low-risk workers: 10 maintenance workers, matched in terms of education and experience. They had more control, greater flexibility, and more contact with less responsibility. They measured illness levels from personnel records and took urine samples fours times a day for two days to test for stress hormones.

Question 3

Johansson et al. (1978) Social psychological and neuroendocrine stress reactions in highly mechanised work findings

Answer 3

Levels of hormones were higher in the high-risk group overall. The first sample each day showed that they had higher levels even before they left home. Levels in the high-risk group increased over the day, whereas levels decreased in the low-risk group. There were more illnesses and a higher absenteeism rate among the high-risk workers and lower levels of well-being.

Question 4

Johansson et al. (1978) Social psychological and neuroendocrine stress reactions in highly mechanised work conclusion

Answer 4

The demands of a job interact with a lack of control to create high levels of physiological arousal in the body. This leads to the production of stress hormones which may cause higher levels of illness and other negative consequences.

Question 5

Kiecolt-Glaser et al. (1984) Psychosocial modifiers of immunocompetence in medical students aims

Answer 5

To study the effects of a naturally occurring stressor (exams) on the immune system of human participants (students).

Question 6

Kiecolt-Glaser et al. (1984) Psychosocial modifiers of immunocompetence in medical students procedure

Answer 6

75 medical students gave blood samples twice – one month before an exam period and on the day of the final exam week (after two exams were taken). On both occasions the participants completed the Brief symptom inventory (BSI). At the first blood sample they completed the SRRS the stress of life events over the previous year. This was used to divide participants into high-stress or low-stress groups. They also filled in the UCLA loneliness scale to group them into high-loneliness or low-loneliness.

Question 7

Kiecolt-Glaser et al. (1984) Psychosocial modifiers of immunocompetence in medical students findings

Answer 7

There was significantly lower natural killer (NK) cell activity in:

· The second blood sample compared to the first.

· The high-stress group compared with the low-stress group.

· The high-loneliness group compared to the low-loneliness group.

Greater distress was reported during the exams than one month before.

Question 8

Kiecolt-Glaser et al. (1984) Psychosocial modifiers of immunocompetence in medical students conclusion

Answer 8

A relatively mild chronic stressor (exams) has a significantly direct suppressive effect on the immune system, even in a young and healthy sample. The build-up of many stressful life events can have negative effects on health.

Question 9

Griffiths (1994). The role of cognitive bias and skill in fruit machine gambling aims

Answer 9

To compare the thought processes of regular gamblers (RGs) and non-regular gamblers (NRGs).

Question 10

Griffiths (1994). The role of cognitive bias and skill in fruit machine gambling procedure

Answer 10

Used the ‘thinking aloud’ method with 30 RGs and 30 NRGs in a fruit machine arcade. They spoke their thoughts out loud while gambling. The verbalisations were recorded, and content analysis was used to place them into rational and irrational categories.

Question 11

Griffiths (1994). The role of cognitive bias and skill in fruit machine gambling findings

Answer 11

RGs made almost six times as many irrational verbalisations as the NRGs. RGs were prone to the illusion of control (I am going to bluff this machine) and to personify the machine (this machine likes me).

Question 12

Griffiths (1994). The role of cognitive bias and skill in fruit machine gambling conclusion

Answer 12

Cognitive factors may play a significant role in maintaining gambling behaviour.