Q&A Hero

Q: in response to stress, the adrenal glands release cortisol as well as two neurotransmitters, _____, which activate the sympathetic nervous system. a.dopamine and serotonin b.norepinephrine and epinephrine c.acetylcholine and antihistamine d.norepinephrine and serotonin

Q: research indicates that exposure to a stressor serves to activate: a.the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal system b.the norepinephrine system but not the epinephrine system c.primarily the right brain hemisphere d.primarily the left brain hemisphere

Q: if a persons hpa axis was inactive, the person would: a.have an overly active stress response b.be unable to cope with intense stress c.experience eustress but not distress d.not have a stress response

Q: the hpa axis involves initial activation of the: a.hypothalamus b.hippocampus c.hindbrain d.heart

Q: assume that a negative event has occurred in your life. under which of the following conditions is it likely to be most stressful? a.it occurred just after a positive event. b.it was just like an event you had experienced a year earlier. c.it was unexpected. d.you are female, not male.

Q: the difference between eustress and distress involves whether the event is perceived as: a.acute or chronic b.positive or negative c.occurring now or in the future d.involving the self or others

Q: the threat of military combat, adjustment to a new marriage, and thinking about an upcoming exam are all examples of: a.eustress b.chronic stress c.daily hassles d.stress

Q: recently, arianna and raymond had their first child. they are experiencing difficulty dealing with the lack of sleep and demands of the new baby. the kind of stress arianna and raymond are experiencing is called: a.eustress b.a daily hassle c.chronic stress d.major life stressor

Q: events that are particularly stressful for humans are those that are: a.boring and predictable b.catastrophic and uncontrollable c.repetitive d.a result of our own actions

Q: june feels that she has too many projects to do and too many people demanding too much of her. she knows she cannot keep up with the demands. what is she experiencing? a.stress b.eustress c.anticipatory coping d.emotional coping

Q: a stressor is any event or stimulus that: a.threatens an organism and elicits a coping response b.cannot be coped with c.cannot be coped with in the short term d.by definition has negative consequences for the organism

Q: psychologists use the term stress primarily to refer to our responses when: a.the demands placed on us exceed our abilities to respond to them b.we are emotionally aroused but do not know why c.the demands of a physical task require more effort than expected d.we experience high levels of physiological arousal

Q: anna felt that she could not succeed at her final exam, and thinking about the final exam made her feel physically ill. for anna, the final exam is a(n): a.form of eustress b.daily hassle c.hpa suppressor d.stressor

Q: joanie is in a research study in which she is told that a powerful new drug will dramatically increase her memory abilities. she is then administered the drug, which is in fact a placebo. how will joanie do on a memory test after taking the drug? a.she will remember about the same amount as she would have without it. b.she will be able to remember more if she believes the drug is effective. c.she will show memory interference because her expectation about the drug does not match the actual placebo effects. d.she will remember more regardless of what she believes about the drug.

Q: dr. anh decides to test her drug, sarzone, against a placebo in two randomly selected patient groups. she finds that in both patient groups, 20 percent of the patients reported fewer symptoms. dr. anh should conclude that: a.drugs are often ineffective in treating illness b.she made some mistakes in her research design c.patient expectations have little to do with the drug effects d.sarzone has no effect beyond that of patient expectations

Q: jim, a chronic migraine sufferer, is prescribed a pill the doctor says will be effective. jim says, i will try it, but nothing has worked so far. according to what you know about the placebo effect, the frequency and severity of jims headaches probably will _____ after taking the pills. a.decrease moderately b.increase moderately c.not change d.be worse than ever

Q: a researcher tells his participants that a specific biofeedback technique will make them experience pain relief, even though the researcher knows this technique is not actually effective. after participants have practiced the biofeedback technique, brain scans of their brain areas associated with pain relief should show: a.no effects in these brain areas b.activation patterns similar to those seen with pain relief c.activation in brain areas related to skepticism d.less activation in those brain areas than before the biofeedback training

Q: based on the principle of regression to the mean, if leshaun received an award for academic excellence in grade 7, but never received awards before that point, how is he likely to perform in grades 812? a.he will perform about the same as in grade 7. b.he will perform much worse than in grades 17. c.he will perform about the same as in grades 16. d.his performance will gradually get better and better throughout grades 812.

Q: the placebo effect is most often based on: a.whether or not the placebo is prescribed by a doctor b.patient expectations about the placebos effectiveness c.the dosage of the placebo d.the initial, biochemical effect of the placebo

Q: which of the following variables contribute to how much pain is felt? a.context b.expectations c.thoughts about the pain d.all of the above

Q: the leading cause of death in the united states is: a.car accidents b.suicide c.aids d.heart disease

Q: teenagers and young adults are most likely to die from: a.car accidents b.homicides c.suicide d.aids

Q: juan-carlos is extremely afraid of being attacked and killed by sharks, even though he very rarely goes swimming in the ocean. this example illustrates the fact that: a.people often fear the wrong causes of death b.both common and rare events are highly stressful c.shark attacks are becoming increasingly common d.men tend to be afraid of rare events, whereas women are afraid of more common events

Q: which of the following interventions has the greatest potential for reducing the number of adolescent deaths? a.methamphetamine awareness b.accident prevention c.aids awareness d.anorexia prevention

Q: if dr. arzun is using the biopsychosocial model as a frame of reference for understanding heart disease, she will be most likely to recommend which of the following for a patient with heart disease? a.medication b.exercise c.stress reduction d.all of the above

Q: the fact that when you are sick you will almost always get better defines: a.problem-focused coping b.a facet of positive psychology c.the medical model of health d.the principle of regression to the mean

Q: sarah is trying to function at her best and be the healthiest person she can possibly be. sarah is concerned with her own: a.positive emotionalism b.well-being c.health empowerment d.self-control

Q: thoughts and behaviors affect the environment. the environment affects human biology. in turn, biology affects behavior. this description fits the: a.medical model b.multistratum model c.circularity model d.biopsychosocial model

Q: according to the traditional medical model, individuals are _____ recipients in their health and well-being, whereas in the biopsychosocial model individuals take a(n) _____ role in their health and well-being. a.passive; active b.active; passive c.active; neutral d.neutral; passive

Q: compared to the medical model of health, the biopsychosocial model: a.includes more factors b.ignores human biology c.is rarely used in practice d.is more simplistic

Q: health psychology is considered a(n) _____ field. a.medical b.interactive c.isolated d.interdisciplinary

Q: dr. haverford suggests to her patient that the patients mood problems stem from serotonin dysregulation, but mentions nothing about social or behavioral factors related to mood. dr. haverford is using which approach to understanding the patients problems? a.the intradisciplinary model b.the behaviorist model c.the single stratum model d.the medical model

Q: psychiatrists often view their patients problems using a medical model perspective. this means that, in the eyes of the psychiatrist, a patient should: a.take a leading role in his or her own treatment b.accept the psychiatrists recommendations c.focus on multiple kinds of alternative therapies d.seek out drug therapy plus talk therapy to increase well-being

Q: in contrast to the _____ model, the biopsychosocial model focuses on multiple aspects of health and well-being. a.single stratum b.medical c.componential d.interactive

Q: health psychologists focus on: a.the absence of disease b.subjective reports of health more than research findings c.theories rather than research d.promoting health and well-being

Q: there is an area of the hypothalamus that typically differs in size between men and women. research has found that the size of this area in gay men is comparable to that of heterosexual women. what is the most reasonable interpretation of this finding? a.this area of the hypothalamus plays a role in the development of sexual orientation. b.this area of the hypothalamus develops in response to sexual orientation. c.this area of the hypothalamus is influenced by the same underlying genetic pattern as sexual orientation. d.a causal connection cannot be deduced from this finding.

Q: most psychologists and physicians today believe that ones sexual orientation: a.is greatly influenced by ones peers b.is not a choice c.is a choice d.none of the above

Q: an evolutionary explanation of mate preferences might suggest that men seek physically attractive women because: a.their attractiveness will facilitate the partners sexual capacity b.their attractiveness confers higher status on their partners c.their attractiveness indicates higher probable levels of fertility d.highly attractive women are also assumed to have other positive qualities

Q: research on possible factors in the development of male homosexuality has found a causal role: a.for family patterns with dominant mothers and submissive fathers b.for underlying maladaptive personality structures c.for early sexual experience with same sex adults d.does not exist for any family or environmental factors

Q: research on the role of hormones in the development of homosexuality has found that: a.lesbians have higher levels of testosterone than heterosexual women b.gay men have higher levels of estrogen than heterosexual men c.homosexuals have had prenatal exposure to unusual levels of androgens d.both a and b

Q: who has the highest probability of having a same-sex sexual orientation? a.hui, who has an identical twin brother who is gay b.shanaz, who has an identical twin sister who is a lesbian c.carlos, who has a fraternal twin sister who is a lesbian d.hui and shanaz have equal probabilities

Q: when people meet on the internet, they have the freedom to present themselves in any way that they please. research on mating strategies suggests that to be most successful in generating interest from the opposite sex, men should present themselves as _____ and women should present themselves as _____. a.professionally successful; physically attractive b.physically attractive; physically attractive c.intelligent; kind d.professionally successful; intelligent and kind

Q: according to sexual strategies theory, men and women differ in their sexual behavior because they: a.operate under different cultural constraints b.face different adaptive problems c.have different distributions of hormones d.differ in their levels of erotic plasticity

Q: an evolutionary explanation of mate preferences might suggest that women seek men with high status because: a.they confer the prestige of their status on their partners b.they have more resources with which to support their families c.their high status implies good genetic potential for intelligence d.their high status implies good adaptive skills

Q: many college students spend a year studying in another country. the country where they are studying will often have different attitudes and practices concerning sex. a female students sexuality is likely to be _____. a male students sexuality is likely to be _____. a.changed by any other culture; unchanged by any other culture b.unchanged by any other culture; changed by any other culture c.changed by a more conservative culture; changed by a less conservative culture d.changed by a less conservative culture; changed by a less conservative culture

Q: the finding that men would like to have more sexual partners than would women makes sense from the perspective of evolutionary psychology. this is because: a.women lose value as potential mates with each additional partner b.having multiple partners makes men appear more desirable c.women are less likely to have healthy babies with multiple partners d.men can increase their number of offspring with multiple partners

Q: comparisons of sexual motivation in men and women have found that: a.men and women have roughly equal sexual motivation b.women have equal sexual motivation, but are more culturally constrained c.men have a higher level of sexual motivation d.differences between men and women are culture specific

Q: studies examining erotic plasticity in men and women have found that: a.men have higher levels of erotic plasticity than women b.women have higher levels of erotic plasticity than men c.men and women have equal levels of erotic plasticity d.none of the above

Q: makena and her husband have always had a good sexual relationship. however, after she started taking antidepressants, makena started losing interest in sex. the most likely reason is: a.enhanced functioning of serotonin b.lower levels of estrogen c.lower levels of oxytocin d.higher levels of testosterone

Q: makena has recently started taking an antidepressant that increases levels of serotonin. you might expect that she will start to: a.experience less pleasure from sex b.have more interest in sex c.experience more pleasure from sex d.have less interest in sex

Q: jack enjoys erotic movies and wishes that his wife would watch them with him, but she says that she just does not enjoy them. based on current research, you could suggest to jack that his wife might enjoy erotic movies more if: a.he chose erotic films developed for women b.he showed them to her during specific parts of her menstrual cycle c.created a romantic environment for watching erotica d.both a and b

Q: massoud is an international student studying in america. in his culture, women are expected to be very modest. he really likes hillary, an american girl whom he has gotten to know in his art history class. however, massoud is distressed and is reevaluating his opinion of hillary because she spontaneously kissed him on their second date. though she probably did not realize it, hillary has: a.offended massouds sense of his masculinity b.violated massouds sexual script c.implied a more serious relationship than massoud assumed d.made massoud fearful of being trapped

Q: a group of rats has had an area of their brains damaged, resulting in a disruption of sexual behavior. the area that was damaged was most likely the: a.amygdala b.hypothalamus c.prefrontal cortex d.cerebellum

Q: men and women have a(n) _____ amount of sex hormones, with _____ distributions of hormones. a.equal; equal b.equal; different c.different; different d.different; equal

Q: the most important hormone for sexual functioning in men is _____ and in women is _____. a.testosterone; estrogen b.estrogen; estrogen c.testosterone; testosterone d.androgen; progesterone

Q: which neurotransmitter appears to be responsible for the decreased sexual interest in those taking antidepressants? a.dopamine b.serotonin c.nitric oxide d.all of the above

Q: in terms of their sexuality, women have more choice and control than do females of many species. this phenomenon is largely due to the lesser effect of _____ on women. a.oxytocin b.androgen c.nitric oxide d.estrogen

Q: which hormone is released during sexual arousal and orgasm in both men and women? a.estrogen b.testosterone c.oxytocin d.serotonin

Q: which individual conducted pioneering work in the 1940s on womens sexual attitudes? a.sigmund freud b.alfred kinsey c.william masters d.abraham maslow

Q: marte has just lost 15 pounds. even though she has developed better eating habits and is thrilled by her new weight, she has a stronger urge to eat and a desire to eat more frequently than she did even before she lost the weight. the most likely reason for martes problem is: a.an increase in ghrelin b.a decrease in glucose c.a decrease in leptin d.both b and c

Q: animals that lack the gene needed to produce _____ become extremely obese. a.glucose b.ghrelin c.leptin d.androgen

Q: sally is having a very hard time losing weight and keeping it off because she feels hungrier the more weight she loses. this condition is most likely due to the effects of: a.insulin b.glucose c.ghrelin d.hunger pangs

Q: short-term eating control primarily involves _____; long-term regulation of body fat primarily involves _____. a.leptin; glucose b.glucose; leptin c.glucose; glucose d.leptin; leptin

Q: anthony loves to cook. continually developing marvelous and complicated recipes, he explores new restaurants, new cookbooks, and innovative places to get ingredients. his friends find it odd, however, that he never really wants to eat the food he cooks and eats other peoples cooking very moderately. anthony most probably has damage to his: a.lateral hypothalamus b.right frontal lobes c.limbic system d.both b and c

Q: in an accident, shuchun has received damage to his prefrontal cortex. this condition is likely to cause shuchun to have a lessened ability to: a.eat sufficiently to maintain body weight b.avoid eating excessively c.taste sweetness and saltiness d.taste hot flavors

Q: morwenna has always been overweight and ammon has always been thin. if they both look at pictures of food, a brain scan is likely to show that morwenna has _____ than ammon. a.more activity in the limbic system b.less activity in the limbic system c.more activity in the ventromedial hypothalamus d.less activity in the ventromedial hypothalamus

Q: damaging the ventromedial region of the hypothalamus of a rat will cause _____, and as a result the rat will become _____. a.hyperphagia; dangerously thin b.aphagia; obese c.aphagia; dangerously thin d.hyperphagia; obese

Q: remy the rat has lost his appetite and is losing so much weight that he is in danger of dying. remy most probably has damage to the _____ region of the hypothalamus. a.ventromedial b.lateral c.anterior d.superior

Q: when the lateral region of the hypothalamus is damaged, rats will develop _____, which leads to _____. a.aphagia; weight loss b.hyperphagia; obesity c.aphagia; obesity d.hyperphagia; weight loss

Q: nitya has been eating a large tuna fish sandwich. after eating the first half, she is no longer hungry and wraps the other half for later. when she is putting the wrapped sandwich in the fridge, she notices a piece of apple pie and ends up eating the whole piece. the most likely reason that nitya felt hungry when she saw the new food is: a.gourmand syndrome b.stretch receptors c.set point d.sensory-specific satiety

Q: which of the following actions will not increase the likelihood of a young childs learning to like an unfamiliar food? a.initially giving the child small amounts b.initially sweetening the food c.initially putting the food inside a familiar food that the child likes d.having the child watch a family member eating the food

Q: weight-loss programs frequently suggest that you use small plates. according to the concept of sensory-specific satiety, why might this strategy be effective for limiting the amount you eat? a.the small plate will be a cue to remembering your diet. b.you will eat a smaller amount of a smaller portion. c.you will eat more slowly so as not to finish too soon. d.there will not be room on the plate for too many different foods.

Q: people tend to eat much more from a buffet than they will eat if they order a meal. given what you know about eating behavior, how might you explain this result? a.people eat more when there is variety. b.smaller portions create the illusion of eating less. c.a subset of a large set of choices seems smaller than it is. d.people eat more in an unstructured situation.

Q: which brain region shows decreased activity when the same food is eaten repeatedly, but shows increased activity when a new food is presented? a.frontal lobes b.thalamus c.amygdala d.hippocampus

Q: people become full fairly quickly when they have only one type of food to eat because of: a.ease of self-regulation b.classical conditioning c.sensory-specific satiety d.habituation of taste receptors

Q: why is sensory-specific satiety adaptive? a.it increases the likelihood that nutritional needs will be met. b.it decreases the likelihood of maladaptive obesity. c.it increases the likelihood of adaptation to a vanishing food source. d.it decreases the likelihood of ingesting poisonous substances.

Q: last night, gavan had a wonderful dinner of many courses. in the morning, he is so full that he cannot imagine eating. at his early morning meeting, pastries are available. though everyone else is eating and the pastries look and smell delicious, gavan is too full to try one. yet a few minutes later, he feels quite hungry. the best explanation for gavans hunger would come from: a.a failure of satiety cues b.poor self-regulation c.classical conditioning d.observational learning

Q: blythe had a large and late breakfast. even though she was planning to skip lunch, she starts to feel hungry at noon and decides to eat. the best explanation for blythes decision would come from: a.classical conditioning b.poor self-regulation c.homeostatic adjustment d.low self-efficacy

Q: students have been asked to leave the library and wait several blocks away. in which of the following situations would the students be most likely to want to wait together? a.there is a routine fire drill. b.there is a bomb threat. c.there is a film crew taping a news segment. d.no explanation has been given, but nobody is concerned.

Q: esmeralda is very anxious about taking her final exam in organic chemistry. instead of doing last-minute studying in her dorm, esmeralda goes to the exam room. several students are already there, discussing their nervousness about the final. social comparison theory would predict that esmeralda will _____ in the presence of other anxious people. a.become more anxious b.become too aroused c.feel validated d.both a and b