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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

17
Model Answers

• Q1a
• Q2b
• Q3d
• Q4b
• Q5c
• Q6b
• Q7d
• Q8d
• Q9a
• Q10d
• Q11b
• Q12c
• Q13d

• Q14a
• Q15b
• Q16b
• Q17c
• Q18c
• Q19c
• Q20a
• Q21c
• Q22b
• Q23b
• Q24b
• Q25a
• Q26c

• Q27d
• Q28b
• Q29d
• Q30c

18
? Good Luck ?