Module 2 Social Psychology and Health Flashcards
Holmes and Rahe (1967),
for example, suggested that stress is :
the degree to which people have to change and
readjust their lives in response to an external event. The more change required, the
more stress occurs.
systematic definition of stress
The negative feelings and beliefs
that occur whenever people feel
unable to cope with demands
from their environment
T/f: It turns out that even relatively mild
stressors such as these can lead to a suppression of the immune system
True. People were first exposed to the virus that causes the common cold, and then isolated. The greater the amount of stress they were experiencing, the greater the likelihood that they caught a cold from this virus.
perceived control
The belief that we can influence our environment in ways that determine whether we experience
positive or negative outcomes
Perceived control is __- correlated with health
positively correlated with health.
For example,
research conducted at the University of Manitoba found that first-year students who
felt that they had control over their academic performance reported less anxiety, stress,
boredom, and depression. Importantly, these students also achieved better grades than
those who perceived less control
explain the study done on perceived control in nursing homes
In two studies, elderly residents in nursing homes were made to feel more in control of their lives. In one (Rodin & Langer, 1977), the intervention endured over time so that people continued to feel in control. As seen in the left side of the figure, this intervention had positive effects on mortality rates. Those who received it were more likely to be alive 18 months later than those who did not. In the other study (Schulz & Hanusa, 1978), the intervention was temporary. Being given control and then having it taken away had negative effects on mortality rates, as seen in the right side of the figure
explain the relationships between disease, control, and well-being
Researchers have found that even when
people who are seriously ill with cancer or AIDS feel no control over the disease,
many of them believe that they can still control the consequences of the disease (e.g.,
their emotional reactions and some of the physical symptoms, such as how tired they
feel) In short, it is important to feel in
control of something—even if it is not the disease itself
self-efficacy
The belief in one’s ability to carry
out specific actions that produce
desired outcomes
why is self efficacy so important in terms of health?
People’s level of self-efficacy has been found to predict a number of other important health behaviours, such as the likelihood that they will quit smoking, lose weight,
lower their cholesterol, and exercise regularly
How does self-efficacy increase the lieklihood that people will engage in the desired behaviour to increase health outcomes?
1) influences people’s persistence and effort at a task. people with low self-efficacy tend to give up easily, whereas people high in self-efficacy set higher goals, try harder, and persist more in the face of failure.
2) , self-efficacy influences the way our bodies react while we are working toward our
goals. For example, people with high self-efficacy experience less anxiety while working on a difficult task, and their immune system functions more optimally
how can self-efficacy be increased?
- people need to have the BELIEF that they will succeed– ex/ you were selected because you showed that you had strong willpower and great potential to control your desires to smoke
- they need to visualize their success. In a series of studies, university students were asked about an important academic task such as a test or an essay that they would be writing in the next
few weeks. Participants who were asked to imagine that they were an observer, seeing
themselves carrying out the task successfully, subsequently reported higher achievement motivation than participants who did not engage in this kind of visualization - think about times you accomplished a similar goal.
- PLAN on how you will achieve your goal.
Learned helplessness
pessimism that results from attributing a negative
event to stable, internal, and global factors
stable attribution
The belief that the cause of an
event is a result of factors that
will not change over time, as opposed to unstable factors that will
change over time
internal attribution
The inference that a person is behaving in a certain way because of
something about him or her, such
as his or her attitude, character, or
personality
global attribution
The belief that the cause of an
event is a result of factors that apply in a large number of situations (ex/ OUR GENERAL INTELLIGENCE),
as opposed to the belief that the cause is specific and applies in only a limited number of situations
According to learned helplessness theory, making ___, ____, and ___ attributions for negative events leads to hopelessness, depression, reduced effort, and
difficulty in learning
According to learned helplessness theory, making stable, internal, and global
attributions for negative events leads to hopelessness, depression, reduced effort, and
difficulty in learning
Students who realize that poor academic performance in the first year of university is common and
that they are likely to improve (do not make a stable attribute) will probably do better than students who believe that poor performance
is a result of personal shortcomingsthat are unlikely to change
coping styles
the ways in which people react to stressful events
why is the tend and befriend method of coping with stress beneficial?
Befriending involves the creation of
close ties with other members of the species, which also confers a number of advantages. A close-knit group can exchange resources, watch out for predators, and share
child care
men and women coping mechanism differences
men fight or flight, but women are more likely to tend and befriend.
BUT: seeking social support like tend and befriend is actually beneficial to both gender.
social support
the perception that others are responsive and receptive to one’s needs.
T/F: when facing a stressful situation, the mere presence of another individual that you trust (like your partner) is enough
false.
people whose partners had been inattentive in the cliff walking task later kept greater physical distance from their partner than those with an attentive partner or no partner present. The researchers conclude that “mere presence is not enough”; social support requires that those around us
are responsive to our need
T/F: having social support lengthens your life
true. in a study with women who were going through health complications, Social support not only improved women’s moods and reduced their fears, but
also lengthened their lives by an average of 18 months. Other studies have shown that
interventions designed to increase social support and decrease stress in cancer patients
improve immune system functioning
T/F receiving social support is beneficial, but so is giving support
true! Interestingly, it is not just receiving
social support that is beneficial: A study of people aged 65 and over found that those who
gave support to others, such as helping family members with child care or doing errands
for a neighbour, lived longer than people who did not
how exactly does social support help you during tough times?
- help you interpret an event as less stressful than you would
otherwise interpret it - we do interpret an event as stressful, social support can help us cope.
how does social support operate differently in different cultures?
When under stress,
members of East Asian cultures are less likely to seek social support than members of Western cultures. Members of collectivistic cultures are concerned that seeking support will disrupt the harmony of the group and
open them up to criticism from others.
Members of collectivistic cultures are less
likely to directly ask for help in a way that shows that they are having problems. But
they do benefit from interacting with supportive others
research has shown that personality traits affect stress-coping styles.
For example, University of Manitoba researchers found that
elderly people who were high in ____ reported that they were more physically
active than other people their ag
high in OPTIMISM
These researchers also have found that first-year university students with high optimism
are less stressed, less depressed, and more likely to feel in control of their lives than
those who are less optimistic
T/F: people are actually found to have less optimism in general
fasle. The good news is that most people have been found to have an optimistic outlook on life. In fact, there is evidence that most people are unrealistically optimistic
about their live
hardiness is another personality trait that affects stress-coping skills.
hardiness is a combination of ___ ____ and ___ ___ ___
self esteem and sense of control that helps people interpret and deal with stressful events in a positive, effective manner.
Hardiness
was associated with fewer health symptoms, finding the training less stressful, greater satisfaction with training and with
general life satisfaction
people high in hardiness tend to make different attributions for negative events:
In other words,
the hardy participants, unlike their less hardy counterparts,
treated the discrimination they experienced as an ISOLATED event, and not as an ongoing issue that pervaded all aspects
of their lives.
resilience
defined as the ability to recover from negative experiences and adapt to the demands
of life. People who are high in resilience showed higher life satisfaction, greater
optimism, more positive emotions, and less depression than those who are low in resilience
T/F: resilience is a rare human quality
false. In fact, resilience may be the norm rather than
the exception. Studies of bereaved spouses, for example, typically find that fewer
than half show signs of significant, long-term distress. The remainder show no signs
of depression and are able to experience positive emotions
opening up has been seen to actually help in the long term. survivors of the Holocaust who disclosed the most about
their World War II experiences improved their health over the next several months.
Why does opening help lead to better health?
- people who write or talk about negative events construct a more meaningful narrative or story that explains the events
- people might be less inclined to suppress thoughts about a traumatic event if
they have written about it. Usually, trying to suppress thoughts
can lead to a preoccupation with those very thoughts, because the act of not trying to
think about them can actually make us think about them more. Thus,
writing about or confiding in others about a traumatic event can help us gain a better
understanding of the event and move forward with life
Using social psychological interventions to promote healthier behaviour
- fear inducing – like cigarette packages
- induce cognitive dissonance.
- theory of planned behaviour/subjective norms;
people are more likely to use condoms when they believe other
people approve of condom use (subjective norms), when they believe that condom use
is an issue that they can control, and when they have strong intentions to use condoms.
When trying to get people to engage in
behaviour that will prevent disease, it is best to use a “____ frame,” emphasizing what they
have to gain by engaging in this behaviour
When trying to get people to engage in
behaviour that will prevent disease, it is best to use a “gain frame,” emphasizing what they
have to gain by engaging in this behaviour
When trying to get people to detect the presence of a disease, it is best to use a “____ frame,”
emphasizing what they have to lose by avoiding this behaviour
When trying to get people to detect the presence of a disease, it is best to use a “loss frame,”
emphasizing what they have to lose by avoiding this behaviour
To
give an example, Rothman and colleagues presented women with information trying to get them to avoid skin cancer (Rothman, Salovey, Antone, Keough, & Martin,
1993). Some participants received a message that focused on the positive benefits of
being concerned about skin cancer (e.g., “If they are detected early, most of these
cancers are curable”). Other participants received a message framed in terms of the
negative consequences of not being concerned about skin cancer (e.g., “Unless they
are detected and treated early, most of these cancers are not curable”). It turned out
that the gain-framed message worked best with prevention behaviour (i.e., requesting
a sample of sunscreen). The loss-framed message worked best on detection behaviour
(i.e., the women’s intention to perform exams of their skin
A _____ frame focuses
our attention on the possibility that we might have a problem that can be dealt with by
performing detection behaviours (e.g., examining our skin for cancer). A ____ frame
focuses our attention on the fact that we are in a good state of health and that to
stay that way, we should perform preventive behaviours (e.g., using sunscreen when
exposed to the sun and condoms when having sex).
A LOSS frame focuses
our attention on the possibility that we might have a problem that can be dealt with by
performing detection behaviours (e.g., examining our skin for cancer). A GAIN frame
focuses our attention on the fact that we are in a good state of health and that to
stay that way, we should perform preventive behaviours (e.g., using sunscreen when
exposed to the sun and condoms when having sex).
