Chapter 18: Health Psychology

Test Bank

Multiple Choice

1. ______ examine the ways in which psychological processes influence physical well-being and illness.

A. Forensic psychologists

B. Health psychologists

C. Counseling psychologists

D. Social workers

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Definitions: Health Psychology Versus Behavioral Medicine

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. ______ is an interdisciplinary field interested in the ways in which our minds influence our bodies.

A. Health psychology

B. Behavioral medicine

C. Medical psychology

D. Internal medicine

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Definitions: Health Psychology Versus Behavioral Medicine

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. ______ is the psychological or physiological response to difficult or demanding internal or external circumstances.

A. Vulnerability

B. Stress

C. Depression

D. Hyperactivity

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Stress

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. The fight-or-flight response ______.

A. probably hindered a more expedient evolution of primitive humans

B. occurs in response to a perceived threat

C. was first described by Hamermesh and Lee in 2007

D. occurs during the third stage of general adaptation syndrome

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Stress

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. ______ stress refers to a syndrome defined by stress levels that are consistently high and unremitting, often due to a hectic, fast-paced lifestyle.

A. Chronic

B. Congenital

C. General

D. Global

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Stress

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. The general adaptation syndrome hypothesis was developed by ______.

A. Hans Selye

B. Walter Cannon

C. Albert Ellis

D. Lightner Witmer

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Stress

Difficulty Level: Medium

7. Which of the following statements about general adaptation syndrome is TRUE?

A. The fight-or-flight system works better in response to prolonged, repeated stressors than in response to temporary stressors.

B. The more specific the stressor, the more unlikely adaptation will occur.

C. Long-term exposure to stress bolsters our immune system.

D. With prolonged exposure to stress, our bodies eventually wear out and break down.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Stress

Difficulty Level: Medium

8. Researchers estimate that about ______ of all visits to health-care providers result from stress-related disorders.

A. 10–20%

B. 25–40%

C. 50–60%

D. 75–90%

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Stress and Physical Illness

Difficulty Level: Medium

9. The ______ controls the release of our body’s stress hormone, cortisol.

A. PTA axis

B. ADA axis

C. HPA axis

D. LOU axis

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Stress and Physical Illness

Difficulty Level: Medium

10. Stephen finds the link between emotional stress and physical illness fascinating. In fact, he is a researcher who studies the interactions among behavior, the nervous system, and the immune system. Of the following fields, which is Stephen most likely associated with?

A. neurology

B. immunology

C. microbiology

D. psychoneuroimmunology

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Stress and Physical Illness

Difficulty Level: Medium

11. ______ has been defined as the process of managing demands that are appraised as exceeding the resources of the person.

A. Coping

B. Social support

C. Detoxification

D. Chronic stress

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Stress and Coping

Difficulty Level: Easy

12. Which of the following statements about stress and coping is NOT true?

A. Researchers propose there may be a disease-prone personality that predisposes people to stress-related illnesses.

B. An individual’s subjective perception of stress has little impact on their ability to cope.

C. Problem-focused coping emphasizes proactive, constructive attempts to take action about a stressful situation.

D. Both nature and nurture factors contribute to how well someone is able to cope with stress.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Stress and Coping

Difficulty Level: Medium

13. Which of the following statements about social support is TRUE?

A. Social support has no documented connection to psychological health or physical health.

B. Social support in the form of friendships enhances physical health, but social support in the forms of family relationships and romantic relationships weakens physical health.

C. Social support enhances psychological health but has no effect on physical health.

D. Social support is the perception that one has relationships that can provide support in a time of crisis.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Social Support

Difficulty Level: Medium

14. Current estimates (e.g., Centers for Disease Control, 2016) indicate that about ______ of adult Americans are overweight or obese.

A. 18%

B. 40%

C. 67%

D. 91%

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Weight Management

Difficulty Level: Medium

15. Which of the following is NOT a component of the ABCDS approach to weight loss?

A. activity increase

B. dietary change

C. social support

D. belief change

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Weight Management

Difficulty Level: Medium

16. ______ is currently the single greatest cause of preventable death in the United States.

A. Stress

B. Smoking

C. Obesity

D. Chronic fatigue

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Smoking

Difficulty Level: Easy

17. ______ is a technique for promoting physical health in which patients write about what they value most in life.

A. Values affirmation

B. Healthful writing

C. Narrative weight management

D. Parable telling

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Weight Management

Difficulty Level: Medium

18. ______ has been shown to be both a significant detriment to smoking cessation and a significant predictor of relapse.

A. Use of nicotine gum or patches

B. Social support

C. The presence of smokers in one’s social group

D. An irregular exercise schedule

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Smoking

Difficulty Level: Medium

19. When the ABCs of relapse prevention are applied to smoking, “B” represents ______.

A. beliefs

B. smoking

C. benefits of smoking cessation

D. physical exercise

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Smoking

Difficulty Level: Medium

20. Rolland experiences negative symptoms, including headaches and irritability, when he does not consume alcohol. A health psychologist evaluating Rolland would describe this symptom as ______.

A. abuse

B. dependence

C. tolerance

D. withdrawal

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Alcohol Use

Difficulty Level: Medium

21. Medically supervised detoxification is most commonly a component of the treatment of ______.

A. alcoholism

B. smoking

C. obesity

D. chronic stress

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Alcohol Use

Difficulty Level: Easy

22. Chronic pain is defined as pain that lasts at least ______.

A. 1 week

B. 1 month

C. 3 months

D. 6 months

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Pain Management and Biofeedback

Difficulty Level: Easy

23. A health psychologist who is using biofeedback with a patient is most likely treating ______.

A. alcohol dependence

B. smoking

C. chronic pain

D. obesity

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: Pain Management and Biofeedback

Difficulty Level: Medium

24. The purpose of ______ is to achieve control over the body via educating patients about bodily processes of which they are typically unaware. Technology is used to convert some physiological functions into sights or sounds the patient can monitor.

A. biofeedback

B. cognitive psychotherapy

C. detoxification

D. the ABCDS system

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Pain Management and Biofeedback

Difficulty Level: Easy

25. ______ represent(s) an economical and relatively quick alternative to biofeedback for pain management.

A. Relaxation training

B. Transdermal patches

C. Detoxification

D. The ABCDS system

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Pain Management and Biofeedback

Difficulty Level: Medium

26. Health psychologists can increase compliance with medical regimens by doing all of the following EXCEPT ______.

A. serving as liaisons between the medical provider and the patient

B. thoroughly educating the patient on the proposed treatment

C. aiding the patient in bolstering his or her social support systems

D. applying the operant technique of positive punishment to inconsistent patients

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Compliance With Medical Regimens

Difficulty Level: Medium

27. Health psychologists may play a significant role in helping patients cope with stress associated with ______.

A. surgery

B. chemotherapy

C. deep brain stimulation

D. Health psychologists may assist patients with any of the other listed choices

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Coping With Medical Procedures

Difficulty Level: Easy

28. When Lisa needs health-care services, she goes to a facility where she has a personal primary-care physician who is responsible for arranging her care with all other professionals housed in the same complex. Depending on her needs, her primary-care physician sends her to a chiropractor, occupational therapist, clinical psychologist, and so on. Lisa receives her care from a(n) ______.

A. HMO

B. private practice cooperative

C. patient-centered medical home

D. state-run clinic

Cognitive Domain: Application

Answer Location: A Trend in Health Psychology: Patient-Centered Medical Homes

Difficulty Level: Medium

29. The diseases that cause the greatest danger for death within today’s society ______.

A. include tuberculosis and pneumonia

B. feature behavioral components

C. are HIV and the Zika virus

D. are treatment-resistant sexually transmitted diseases

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Health Psychology

Difficulty Level: Medium

30. Smoking has proven to be a major risk factor for ______.

A. heart disease

B. cancer

C. stroke

D. Smoking contributes risk to developing all of these choices

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Smoking

Difficulty Level: Medium

31. Health psychologists can help patients cope with medical procedures by ______.

A. distracting the patient from learning about the medical procedure

B. using cognitive-behavioral interventions to help the patient preemptively catastrophize possible negative outcomes

C. using relaxation training and cognitive techniques to help the patient think differently about the unpleasantness of the situation

D. maximizing child patients’ separation anxiety so they quickly reattach to their parents following surgery

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Coping With Medical Procedures

Difficulty Level: Medium

32. ______, in which multiple types of care are found in one centralized location, have been proposed as a solution for delivering higher quality and more cost-effective primary care.

A. Patient-centered medical homes

B. Primary-care clinics

C. Family-centered care houses

D. Government-run medicenters

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: A Trend in Health Psychology: Patient-Centered Medical Homes

Difficulty Level: Medium

Short Answer

1. ______ is an interdisciplinary field interested in the ways in which our minds influence our bodies.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Definitions: Health Psychology Versus Behavioral Medicine

Difficulty Level: Easy

2. What is the name of an organism’s response when it perceives a threat and its body rapidly mobilizes energy reserves via the sympathetic nervous system and endocrine system?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Stress

Difficulty Level: Easy

3. The ______ controls the release of our body’s stress hormone, cortisol.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Stress

Difficulty Level: Easy

4. What is the “A” component of the ABCDS of weight loss?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Clinical Applications

Difficulty Level: Easy

5. A therapist who promotes physical health by having their patients write about the things they value most in life is using what technique?

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Clinical Applications

Difficulty Level: Easy

6. What are the components of the ABCs of relapse prevention for smokers? (What do A, B, and C stand for?)

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Clinical Applications

Difficulty Level: Easy

7. ______ is when the body requires increasing amounts of alcohol to achieve the same effect (i.e., level of drunkenness).

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: Clinical Applications

Difficulty Level: Easy

8. What type of facility has been proposed as a solution for delivering higher quality and more cost-effective primary care? This type of facility provides care that is patient centered, highly accessible and affordable, comprehensive, and coordinated.

Cognitive Domain: Knowledge

Answer Location: A Trend in Health Psychology: Patient-Centered Medical Homes

Difficulty Level: Easy

Essay

1. What are several hypotheses proposed to explain how social support protects our health? Describe two of the three discussed in the textbook.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Clinical Applications

Difficulty Level: Medium

2. Describe the health psychology technique known as values affirmation.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Clinical Applications

Difficulty Level: Medium

3. Briefly summarize the hypotheses offered to explain how social support positively influences physical health.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Definitions: Clinical Applications

Difficulty Level: Medium

4. Culturally competent health psychologists appreciate that clients from diverse cultures may perceive their sickness as coming from any of four sources (identified by Huff, 1999). List these four sources and offer an example of each.

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Cultural Factors in Health Psychology

Difficulty Level: Medium

5. Define the five components of the ABCDS of weight loss as used by health psychologists. (What does each letter in the acronym stand for?)

Cognitive Domain: Comprehension

Answer Location: Clinical Applications

Difficulty Level: Medium