Foundations of
Health Psychology
Health Psychology
Describe the biomedical model.
Model of health which focuses only on biological explanation and excludes other factors like psychology or sociology
Name the 3 factors of the COM-B model.
Capability
Opportunity
Motivation
During the stress response, the sympathetic nervous system releases hormones known as…
Catecholamines (stress hormones), including epinephrine/adrenaline
What is the gold standard used to measure health and well-being in a society?
Infant mortality rates
What’s a nocebo effect?
When an inactive substance causes an unpleasant effect (Ex. hair loss, nausea, asthma)
A researcher plans to measure life satisfaction in a variety of female participants who are 20, 25, 30, or 35. This research design can best be described as…
A cross-sectional design
Insulin resistance is implicated in which two diseases in particular?
Cancer and Type 2 Diabetes
Describe how ulcers are formed.
H. Pylori + Stress = Ulcers
(Without stress, no ulcers)
Through what 5 ways can we measure SES?
Zip code
Education
Income
SES Ladder
Parental education
With which diseases / health conditions have placebos NOT been demonstrated to have a positive effect? Name at least 3.
Cancer, HIV/AIDS, dialysis, vision, hearing
Populations, which are European, rich, democratic, Western, and industrialized, are referred to in social science research as…
WEIRD populations
What is known as an “adaptation night” in sleep research?
No meaningful data collected, participant acclimates to new sleeping arrangement in lab
When making a stress appraisal, we can view a stressor as either a threat or a challenge. How do we determine if something is a threat or a challenge?
Threat = demands greater than resources
Challenge = resources greater than demands
What’s the difference between the stress-buffering model and the direct effects model?
Direct effects model: social support is healthy for us because it directly causes positive health outcomes
Stress-buffering model: social support is healthy for us because it buffers/reduces the harmful effects of stress
Imagine you are designing a new placebo. Which characteristics would you give it to make it most effective? Name at least 2.
Medical setting > non-medical, complicated instructions > simple, drugs > behavior change, expensive > sale, cool colors for tranquilizing, hot colors for stimulating
A doctor advises his patient that if he smokes more, his risk for lung cancer will be higher than if he smoked less. This advice best corresponds to which element of the Bradford Hill Criteria?
Dose-response relationship
Your classmate says they know they should be getting 8 hours of sleep at night, but it’s difficult due to their severe insomnia. Which factor of the COM-B model is present in this scenario?
Capability
Knowledge they should get more sleep
Physical incapability of getting more sleep
Describe how Cohen’s stress and cold study utilized a double-blind research design.
Participants did not know if they received the cold virus. Researchers did not know who received the cold virus.
Describe allostatic load. Give some examples of external and internal stresses.
The cumulative wear and tear of the body due to stress - Ex. pollution, traffic, chronic illness, poor nutrition, traumatic relationships, etc.
How can a doctor’s personality type / behavior influence the effectiveness of a placebo? Use a research study to support your answer.
Highly competent and highly warm doctors can cause placebos to work better. (Ex. Size of skin reaction to placebo cream was lowest when assigned to a highly competent, warm doctor)
Describe the 4 disadvantages of the biopsychosocial model.
Specific links between each factor still to be understood
Requires comprehensive data rarely obtained (bio, psycho, social)
Developed and applied in WEIRD (Western, European, Industrialized, Rich, Democratic) populations: more research needed in minority populations
Not integrated in health care
Describe the physiological process behind insulin resistance, including the purpose of insulin itself.
Insulin regulates glucose by triggering cells to remove it from blood to be stored in cells.
Insulin resistance occurs when cells ignore insulin, so glucose stays in blood circulation rather than being stored in cells.
Why does chronic stress harm the brain, and specifically memory?
Over time, large doses of cortisol shrink the hippocampus, which is responsible for memory
Describe the 4 types of social support with an example illustrating each.
Informational: advice, suggestions (Ex. Friend choosing art career or ultra sound tech career - think about how much lifestyle means to you)
Instrumental: money, time, concrete help (Ex. Ride to hospital)
Emotional: empathy, concern, caring, love trust (Ex. listening)
Appraisal: feedback, affirmation, social comparison (I.e. how you think/perceive about the stressful event) (Ex. "Rejection is redirection")
Describe classical conditioning and how might a placebo work via classical conditioning.
Classical conditioning - dog salivates to bell alone after bell is repeatedly presented with food (stimulus associated w/ response)
Patient associates method of receiving drug (needle) with pain relief over time, so eventually the needle alone produces pain relief.