Psychology MCQs ~Stress, Health and Coping~

1. Psychology MCQs ~Stress, Health and Coping~

2. 1. A traumatic event would be defined as a a. situation of extreme danger outside normal human experience. b. human disasters of extreme severity but not natural disasters of extreme severity. c. any event that threatens a person's well-being. d. any natural disaster that causes human trauma. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Research suggests that an adult who was assaulted as a child will be twice as likely as someone who was not assaulted to show a. depressive disorder. b. aggressive behavior. c. antisocial personality disorder. d. adult passivity.

3. 3. Stress can be reduced if events are a. uncontrollable. b. controllable, even though we believe they are uncontrollable. c. controllable, but only if we exercise that control. d. believed to be controllable, even if we never exercise that control. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 4. Subjects in one study reported in the book were exposed to a loud, unpleasant noise. What effect did the subject's belief that they could control the noise if they chose to do so have on their performance on subsequent tasks? a. Those who would not control the noise showed more stress-induced aggression. b. Those who did not believe that they could control the noise showed more stress. c. Exposure to loud noise improved subsequent performance. d. Subjects frequently who frequently pressed the button to turn off the noise showed more stress.

4. 5. Laboratory experiments with both humans and animals have found that being able to predict a stressful event a. is less important than knowing the duration of the stress. b. often leads to learned helplessness and agitation. c. usually reduces the received severity of the event. d. is less useful than knowing the intensity of the stress. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6. The "Life Event Scale" has been criticized as inadequate for what reason? a. negative events are usually more stressful than positive events b. All of these choices are criticisms of the scale. c. some people do not find major changes stressful d. there are differences in how people are affected by stress

5. 7. Substance abuse, violence, and ________ are common correlates of post-traumatic stress disorder. a. memory loss b. narcolepsy c. attentional problems d. interpersonal problems -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8. After losing an important court case, Ashley came home and took it out on her husband. Ashley's behavior illustrates a. repression. b. apathy. c. an approach-avoidance conflict. d. displaced aggression.

6. 9. Which of the following is an example of learned helplessness? a. Donna doesn't complain to the manager of a business when she gets bad service because "it never does any good anyway." b. Emmett complains to the manager of a business because of bad service and gets into such an argument that he decides to shop elsewhere in the future. c. Kay calls a repair person when her high-tech toaster breaks down because she doesn't know how to fix it. d. Irvin ends an argument with his supervisor even though he knows he's right. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 10. One explanation for why abused wives may be reluctant to abandon their abusive relationship is that a. they have learned to ignore the pain. b. All of these choices are true. c. they have developed learned apathy. d. they have developed learned helplessness.

7. 11. Kelly has an important exam in her biology class tomorrow. Her sympathetic nervous system is fully active and she is staying up all night to try to cope with the stress of the situation. What phase of the general adaptation syndrome is she currently experiencing? a. activation b. resistance c. alarm d. exhaustion -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 12. Selye described a set of physiological responses that is displayed by all organisms in response to stress called the a. pituitary-adrenal stress configuration. b. global adjustment syndrome. c. general adaptation syndrome. d. sympathetic arousal index.

8. 13. When compared with non-sufferers, individuals with PTSD show differences in a. blood flow to certain areas of the brain. b. resting levels of adrenal hormones. c. reactivity to situations that remind them of their trauma. d. All of these choices are true. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 14. Current research suggests that individuals who develop PTSD may be predisposed to show the disorder because of their a. abnormally low levels of cortisol. b. extremely strong memory systems in the brain. c. abnormally high levels of activity in the amygdala d. extremely fast response of the pituitary-adrenal system

9. 15. Joan has just initiated a marital separation with Bob. Which of the following statements best describes Joan and Bob? a. Bob and Joan are probably each experiencing the same amount of distress. b. Joan's T-cells are probably multiplying more readily than Bob's. c. Bob's T-cells are probably multiplying more readily than Joan's. d. Bob is experiencing less distress than Joan. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 16. Anita and Joan are both being treated for breast cancer. Anita is very optimistic about the treatment. She is in a cancer-recovery support group. Joan is depressed and has withdrawn from personal contact. What does the research suggest about their survival? a. Joan will out survive Anita. b. Anita will out survive Joan. c. There is nothing we can predict with this limited amount of information. d. Their survival rates will depend on the severity of the cancer.

10. 17. According to behavioral theory, why are so many fears difficult to extinguish? a. All of these choices are correct. b. If a person's first reaction to fear is escape, that person will quickly judge the situation as no longer dangerous. c. People chronically avoid the fear-evoking situation and never challenge their fears. d. Fears learned through classical conditioning are nearly impossible to change. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 18. Sue always looks on the bright side of things and emphasizes positive aspects in her life while Juanita seems to focus only on the negative aspects of her life. Based upon the research discussed in the book, who will recover more quickly from disease? a. Sue because her attribution style may not reflect the reality of the situation. b. Juanita because she is more realistic about her life. c. Sue because her immune system should be functioning better. d. Juanita because her immune system should be functioning better.

11. 19. The personality characteristics of hardiness are summarized by the terms a. challenge, stress-resistant, and control. b. commitment, control, and stress-resistant. c. control, challenge, and commitment. d. high-stress and low-illness. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 20. Ken has a lot of interpersonal conflict with his co-workers and has few friends and no close family members. What would we predict about his cardiovascular health? a. He would show an increased risk of coronary heart disease. b. He would show the same risk as others in the general population. c. We could not predict anything with the limited amount of information provided. d. It would depend upon subjective health estimates.

12. 21. Kathy is having difficulty with a class. She decides to cut down on her social life and study more. She is employing ________ coping. a. behavior-focused b. emotion-focused c. problem-focused d. cognitive-focused -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 22. Becky joined a support group after her husband committed suicide. The group meetings are often confrontational and challenging. What effect will this conflict have on her recovery? a. She will recover more quickly because she is actively dealing with the problem. b. She may show poorer physical and emotional health. c. She will show little lasting effect of the group meetings. d. It is not possible to predict her later functioning without more information.

13. 23. Bill uses repressive coping to deal with his financial difficulties. Evidence suggests that he would show more ________ in response to stressors than would someone who did not use this coping style. a. effective coping b. coping style changes c. problem solving difficulties d. autonomic nervous system activity -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 24. Which type of strategies for coping with stress help to reduce depression? a. None of these choices are true. b. distraction c. ruminative d. negative avoidant

14. 25. People who engage in ruminative coping a. are usually poor at problem solving skills in general. b. effectively cope with problems and issues. c. solve their problems more quickly than most others. d. are more likely to find an effective solution to their problems. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 26. Margie's first reaction to a stressor is to feel sorry for herself. She usually, however, eventually tries problem-solving. What is the best conclusion we can make in regard to Margie? a. She is more likely to show depression after the problem-solving than before it. b. Margie's first reaction will probably have little influence on her problem-solving ability in the long run. c. She is likely to do a poor job of problem-solving. d. Margie's use of problem-solving approach should enable her to cope effectively with the stressor.

15. 27. A person who ruminates about their grief will probably a. find creative solutions their personal issues. b. resolve their problems more completely. c. be more likely to address their problems in a productive manner. d. remain depressed for a longer period of time. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 28. In the study addressing the effects on cognitive style and earthquakes, those who used rumination before an earthquake were more likely to ________ after the quake. a. seek assistance b. be depressed c. find creative solutions d. resolve their conflicts

16. 29. Biofeedback helps people control tension headaches and similar disorders by providing a. electro-mechanical relaxation of the central nervous system. b. electrical massage. c. systematic stimulation of specific muscle groups. d. immediate information concerning their physical state. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 30. The most important variable in learning to control headaches and hypertension is learning how to a. control bodily functions. b. ruminate. c. relax. d. modify reflexive responding to stressors.

17. Q1:a Q2:b Q3:d Q4:b Q5:c Q6:b Q7:d Q8:d Q9:a Q10:d Q11:b Q12:c Q13:d Q14:a Q15:b Q16:b Q17:c Q18:c Q19:c Q20:a Q21:c Q22:b Q23:b Q24:b Q25:a Q26:c Model Answers • Q27:d • Q28:b • Q29:d • Q30:c

18.  Good Luck 