PSY-250 Study Guide - Quiz Guide: Endocrinology, Sympathetic Nervous System, Stimulus Control
29 Mar 2018
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PSY 250: Health Psychology
Exam 2 Study Guide
This guide recapitulates important lecture topics for each chapter. It also includes a list of textbook topics that warrant
further review. This guide should only be used as a study aid. It does not include (or make reference to) all exam
material. You are still responsible for all other lecture and textbook material.
Chapters 4 & 5: Health-Promoting & Compromising Behaviors
▪ Exercise guidelines: Aerobic exercise (high intensity & long duration) is the recommended form;
▪ individuals should engage in 30 minutes of moderate exercise each day and 20 minutes of vigorous exercise three
times per week.
▪ Exercise vs. stress: Exercise only involves SAM axis activation while stress can activate both axes;
• epinephrine may be metabolized differently and/or released in different amounts during exercise
▪ Physical & mental benefits of exercise
• Decreased risk of chronic illness
• Weight control & increase in HDL levels (i.e., good cholesterol)
• Effective coping strategy; can buffer against adverse effects of stress
• Enhances immune functioning via several pathways (e.g., flushes bacteria out of airways, increases
circulation & effectiveness of antibodies & other cells)
• Effects on mood (equally effective as SSRIs in treating depression)
• Increases hippocampal & frontal lobe volume, which predicts enhanced cognitive functioning
▪ Predictors of exercise:
o gender (men exercise more than women & this gap worsens with age);
o Habits of family & friends;
o high self-efficacy (reap more mood benefits & report less output/cost); convenience (i.e., number of
exercise facilities);
o low SES & minority neighborhoods and schools are disadvantaged due to less physical recess & lowered # of
facilities;
o importance predicts onset while perceived barriers predict maintenance
▪ Risk factors for health-compromising behaviors:
• low self-esteem, poor self-control, frequent interpersonal conflicts, deviance, peer pressure
▪ Eating behavior
• Weight is regulated around a set point via the ventromedial hypothalamus (governs the cessation of eating),
leptin (protein secreted from fat cells to decrease appetite), and ghrelin (substance secreted by stomach to
stimulate appetite)
• Deviations from set point can produce changes in emotions, metabolic rate, and/or ghrelin release
• Many people ignore their internal hunger signals and are motivated by other factors (e.g., visual cues)
• Obesity: contributes to 40% of all cancers & many chronic illnesses; stress eating results in weight that is
distributed around the abdomen & is part of metabolic syndrome (i.e., set of symptoms that include high
LDL, low HDL, high triglycerides, hypertension) which predicts CVD, diabetes, hypertension, etc.
• Windows of vulnerability for unhealthy eating: childhood since number of fat cells is determined early in
life and adolescence since the size of fat cells is still being determined; adolescence is window of
vulnerability for most health habits
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2
▪ Eating disorders:
• Common symptoms are body dissatisfaction & cognitive preoccupation;
• Biopsychosocial factors include
▪ genes,
▪ serotonin,
▪ self-esteem construal (overemphasis on body/appearance),
▪ stress,
▪ perfectionist personality (esp. for anorexics),
▪ comorbid mental illness (depression, anxiety, OCD),
▪ cultural pressure to be thin,
▪ family issues (e.g., communication, mental illness including alcoholism)
• BED (binge-eating disorder) is the most common; involves periods of excessive consumption that lead to
guilt; does not involve compensatory behavior
• Anorexia involves self-induced starvation to the point where one is severely below weight; it is hard to treat
due to extensive level of distortion; high mortality rate
• Bulimia involves bingeing (consuming thousands and thousands of calories in a short period of time and
then feeling guilty afterward) and purging (any compensatory behavior including using laxatives, vomiting, &
excessive exercise); usually are of normal weight or slightly overweight; better prognosis
▪ Alcohol Abuse
• Problem-drinking vs. alcoholism: only the latter involves true physical dependence (i.e., tolerance, cravings,
withdrawal symptoms, etc.)
– Problem Drinking:
• Consumption of large amounts of alcohol
• Unable to cut down on drinking, even in the face of serious interpersonal & occupational
problems
• Does not involve physical dependence
– Alcoholism:
• Involves physical dependence on alcohol (i.e., body has incorporated the substance into its
normal functioning)
• Key features of addiction include tolerance, cravings, addiction, and withdrawal symptoms
• Biopsychosocial model of alcoholism:
– genes,
– physical addiction (e.g., GABA, glutamate),
– way of coping with stress,
– short-term increases in mood and self-esteem,
– drinking behavior of friends & family
– comorbid mental illness (esp. social anxiety),
– idos of ulerailit hih ilude
• adolescence
• mid-late adulthood,
• Comorbid mental illnesses
– Anxiety disorders (e.g., GAD, Social, PTSD): GABA plays role
– Bipolar disorder: drink during either (or both) phases
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
This guide recapitulates important lecture topics for each chapter. It also includes a list of textbook topics that warrant further review. This guide should only be used as a study aid. It does not include (or make reference to) all exam material. You are still responsible for all other lecture and textbook material. Effective coping strategy; can buffer against adverse effects of stress. Enhances immune functioning via several pathways (e. g. , flushes bacteria out of airways, increases circulation & effectiveness of antibodies & other cells) Effects on mood (equally effective as ssris in treating depression) Problem drinking: consumption of large amounts of alcohol, unable to cut down on drinking, even in the face of serious interpersonal & occupational problems, does not involve physical dependence. Involves physical dependence on alcohol (i. e. , body has incorporated the substance into its normal functioning: key features of addiction include tolerance, cravings, addiction, and withdrawal symptoms, biopsychosocial model of alcoholism:
