Stress - Workplace Stress

Question 1

State 2 problems with correlational studies?

Answer 1

1 = cannot tell the extent of the variable so therefore cannot know which one is causing the other
2 = participants may have got the illness anyway no matter what their job was F.E if a perfectionist cant do their job = stress = even though the job appealed to them in the first place

Question 2

Explain the Johansson et al study?

Answer 2

14 finishers (no control + lots of stress) and 10 cleaners (lots of control + less stress)
The finishers have a heavy workload and little control leading to high levels of stress.
Stress levels were higher within the finishers and they also had more days off work, more illness and higher levels of stress.

Question 3

What does too much/little work mean the data is?

Answer 3

Quantitative

Question 4

What does too difficult/too much responsibility mean the data is?

Answer 4

Qualitative

Question 5

What does low control mean?

Answer 5

You have little control over what you do, how much you do or how you do your job

Question 6

What does decision latitude mean?

Answer 6

Do you decide what you do? if no then then you have low decision latitude meaning that you have little control over your job

Question 7

What does little influence mean?

Answer 7

Are any decision run past you, does your opinion get considered? if not then you will most probably have little influence over the company

Question 8

How did Johansson measure stress?

Answer 8

Physiologically - through adrenaline levels

Behavioural - through absenteeism

Question 9

What advantages do questionnaires have?

Answer 9

You can receive a large amount of information through data bases or asking lots of questions about different subjects to get the answers you were looking for

Question 10

What disadvantages do questionnaires have?

Answer 10

Memory lapses
People lying - not saying everything - don’t want people to know
Lying to themselves as the don’t want to look like an idiot

Question 11

State an example of a low control but high demand job?

Answer 11

Waitress or Waiter

Question 12

State an example of a low control and low demand job?

Answer 12

Cleaner or a Janitor

Question 13

State an example of a high control and high demand job?

Answer 13

Teacher

Question 14

State an example of a high control but low demand job?

Answer 14

Architect

Question 15

State a final evaluation for Johansson’s experiment?

Answer 15

It does not account for individual differences - meaning that it may just be that some people are more vulnerable to stress.
It also does not identify which stressors in work are most stressful - should’ve separated out factors such as low control and repetitive work

Question 16

What were the findings of the Van der Doef and Maes experiment?

Answer 16

There is a strong negative correlation between job control and illness
With a combination of high job demands and low control causing an increase in the chance of developing heart disease

Question 17

How do the results of Van der Doef relate to the Karasek model?

Answer 17

High demand and low control gives you high strain causing illness and strain on organs

Question 18

Explain how Marmot et al relates to Karasek model?

Answer 18

Workers that had low paid graded jobs are more likely to get ill, they felt as though they had less control.
The fact that the majority smoked was obese or had a drinking problem also added to this illness issue

Question 19

Explain the advantages of Marmot et al?

Answer 19

Large sample size and very representative as they had a range of jobs from top jobs such as banks and bin men.
Longitudinal so they were not relying on peoples memory