PSYC 313 Midterm Ch. 6

A relationship between discrimination and poor health has been found for:

African American men and women.

_____ refers to the physiological costs of chronic exposure to the physiological changes that result from repeated or chronic stress.

Allostatic load

Which of the following is a valid criticism of Holmes and Rahe's (1967) stressful life events inventory?

It fails to consider individual differences in the experience and reporting of events.

Which of the following situations would be least stressful?

Karl, a file clerk, has been working intensively for three weeks on a new job responsibility.

Who among the following is least likely to experience illness due to the stress associated with her job?

Miranda, a married mother with two young children, is a lawyer with flexible hours

_____ is a syndrome that results after exposure to a stressor of extreme magnitude, marked by emotional numbing and other symptoms, such as hyperalertness, sleep disturbance, or impaired concentration.

Post-traumatic stress disorder

_____ is the degree of change that occurs in autonomic, neuroendocrine, and/or immune responses as a result of stress.

Reactivity

_____ occurs when a person has no clear idea of what to do and no idea of the standards used for evaluating work.

Role ambiguity

_____ is defined as a conflict that occurs when a person receives inconsistent information about work tasks or standards from different individuals.

Role conflict

Which of the following statements is true of T.H. Holmes and R.H. Rahe's (1967) stressful life events inventory?

Some of the items on the inventory list are vague.

Who among the following is most likely to experience illness due to the stress associated with her job?

Susie, a single mother of a five-year-old boy, works long hours in a low-paying position.

Which of the following statements is true according to Hans Selye's general adaptation syndrome?

The response to a threat is nonspecific with respect to a stressor.

Which of the following would be considered a stressful life event?

a significant change in job responsibilities

Professor Woster brings his participants into the laboratory, attaches electrodes and sensors to them, and has them play a computer game. One group of participants hears six loud bursts of noise at random intervals. The second group hears the same bursts of noise also at random intervals, but just before each burst, a bluebird flies across the computer screen. Professor Woster is using the _____ paradigm to study the effect of noise on physiological responses.

acute stress

The _____ paradigm takes people into the laboratory, exposes them to short-term stressful events, and then observes the impact of that stress on their physiological, neuroendocrine, and psychological responses.

acute stress

According to Selye (1956, 1976), the _____ phase of the general adaptation syndrome is responsible for the person becoming mobilized to meet the threat.

alarm

The correct sequence of phases of the general adaptation syndrome is:

alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

The first phase of the general adaptation syndrome is:

alarm.

Risky families are those that:

are high in conflict or abuse and low in warmth and nurturance.

When events are perceived as harmful or threatening, they are first identified by the:

cerebral cortex

Terry is involved in a long-term but ultimately unsatisfying relationship with Lee. This is an example of:

chronic stress.

Researchers investigating the effects of multiple roles on women conclude that:

combining motherhood with employment can help improve self-esteem.

Chronic stress appears to:

contribute to psychological distress and physical illness.

Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis results in the secretion of:

cortisol

Karoshi is a Japanese term that refers to:

death from overwork.

The rapid release of oxytocin in response to some stressful events, and its effects are especially influenced by:

estrogen.

According to Selye (1956, 1976), the _____ phase of the general adaptation syndrome occurs if the person fails to overcome the threat and depletes its physiological resources in the process of trying.

exhaustion

The last phase of the general adaptation syndrome is:

exhaustion

Studies of vulnerable populations, for example children, older adults, etc., who are exposed to a chronic stressor indicate that they:

exhibit little adaptation to chronic stressors

According to its critics, Selye's (1956, 1976) model:

fails to consider the role of psychological appraisal in stress.

The adrenal cortex produces _____ in response to stress.

glucocorticoids

In the context of appraisal of stressors, _____ is the assessment of a damage that has already been done, as for example being fired from a job.

harm

Hassles are minor life events that:

have a cumulative effect on health and illness

A high waist-to-hip ratio is an indication of a:

high allostatic load.

The relationship between scores on the stressful life events inventory and illness is:

modest.

Stress is a _____ experience accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological, cognitive, and behavioral changes that are directed either toward altering the stressful event or accommodating to its effects.

negative emotional

One of the criticisms of Selye's general adaptation syndrome concerns the fact that _____ produce the same biological responses.

not all stressors

Animals with high levels of _____ are calmer and more relaxed, which may contribute to their social and nurturing behavior.

oxytocin

The primary biological factor in the tend-and-befriend mechanism is:

oxytocin

The process of secondary appraisal involves the evaluation of one's:

personal resources.

Of the four most important pathways by which stress affects health, the first one to occur is usually related to:

physiology

The correct order of the pathways by which stress affects health is:

physiology, health behaviors, psychosocial resources, and use of health services.

Studies conducted to test individual differences in stress reactivity, such as the one conducted by S. Cohen and colleagues in 2002, suggested that _____ is an important factor that influences the stress-illness relationship.

psychobiological reactivity to stress

The occurrence of daily hassles:

reduces psychological well-being over the short term.

According to T.H. Holmes and R.H. Rahe (1967), an event is potentially stressful if it:

requires adaptation

According to Selye (1956, 1976), the _____ phase of the general adaptation syndrome is responsible for the person making efforts to cope with the threat.

resistance

Mike has been having difficulty meeting the demands of the two executives who oversee his work area and communicate different expectations. One executive is concerned about production and constantly urges Mike to meet performance quotas. The other is concerned about quality assurance and would like Mike to slow down and focus on the quality of his work. This is an example of:

role conflict.

Workers who suffer from work overload _____ compared with workers who do not experience overload.

sustain more health risks

When an organism perceives a threat, the fight-or-flight response is due to:

the arousal of the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system.

Of the four most important pathways by which stress affects health, the last one to occur is usually related to:

the use of health services