STUDY
QUESTIONS (subject to additions/deletions)
PSYCHOLOGY 310 2011 - 2012
Dr. E. Pencer
(see also questions which are directly derived from readings)
1. What is the Biomedical Model?
2. How has the health of a population been measured, historically?
3. Why have we seen a shift to the Biopsychosocial model, and what are its advantages?
4. What factors have led to Psychology's prominent role in health?
5. Define Health Psychology.
6. Define Well-Being.
7. Why is well-being a useful concept in Health Psychology – for individual as well as policy makers?
8. How is well being measured and, briefly, what are some of the findings of well-being studies?
9. Sperry, in his 1988 article, Psychology: The New Mentalist Paradigm supports a shift from the classical neuroscience/behaviorist doctrine to what he calls a new "emergent interactionist reasoning." Discuss.
10. What is meant by "downward causal control"?
11. Briefly describe the Doctrine of Multilevel Analysis
12. Trace the evolution of the concept of "mind"
13. If "new" psychology is to be a legitimate approach to our study of health psychology, it will be necessary to review our systems in the sense that systems and paradigms share some common features. Discuss paradigms in terms of their advantages and possible disadvantages.
14. What is meant by quantitative and qualitative research.
15. Is there a "research" approach in the qualitative framework - discuss. Give an example of qualitative/phenomenological research.
16. Discuss how the work of Rogers contributes to our understanding of methodology shifts and the broadening perspective of psychology.
17. It has been said that phenomenology provides a method for investigating the human inner world as a legitimate subject matter for human psychology - discuss.
18. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages, if any, between correlational studies, retrospective studies and prospective studies.
19. What is the difference between modifiable and non-modifiable risks?
20. Safer sexual behavior (a modifiable risk) can be produced by appropriate gender specific interventions. Discuss.
21. The “Stages of Change Model” is appropriately applied to modifying risk behavior and enhancing relapse prevention in drug and alcohol abuse. Briefly discuss the 6 stages of change
22. Discuss the equipotentiality premise supported by General Process Learning theorists. Give examples of this support and indicate early objections to this approach.
23. Review evidence of poor learning in animals, which tends to support the Selective Association Principle rather than General Process Theory.
24. A series of experiments by Garcia and his co-workers at first seemed to conclude that an acquired taste aversion was a learned phenomenon based on classical conditioning but later shifted to an explanatory concept based on an alternative explanation. Describe these studies.
25. Species specific defense reactions provide additional evidence for the Selective Association Principle. Describe these studies.
26. Based on the above studies, what is the selective association argument and what might the implication of this work be for clinical applications (e.g., behavior modification)?
27. Review the differences between behavior observed to be acquired under the selective association principle and the "normal" rules of classical/operant conditioning.
28. Discuss observations of the selective quality of fear acquisition. Are phobias prepared fears?
29. What are the DSM IV criteria for Phobias?
30. What are the hallmarks of phobias acquired as a prepared fear? Review supporting evidence
31. What are the three possible paths to phobia acquisition (Rachman's Three Pathway Model). Can you describe the difference between the associative and non-associative models? What does the evidence reveal?
32. Are there problems with the Phobia Origins Questionnaire?
33. What are the implications for treatment plans
34. Review the evidence of the relationship between acquired taste aversions and chemotherapy. Discuss the "scapegoat" intervention employed by health psychologists to treat this problem
35. What is the significance of anticipatory nausea and vomiting? Describe Hall’s techniques for minimizing this problem.
36. Discuss the issues surrounding pregnancy anorexia and diet choice.
37. Discuss the possible role of the selective association principle to tumor anorexia.
38. Wilson, Alexander, Dawkins, Crawford, Crick, among others take a very particular position regarding the underlying premise of sociobiology. What are the basic assumptions that these individuals share.
39. Why are some scientists critical of evolutionary psychology/sociobiology as ideologically offensive and/or reductionist.
40. In what way do some scientists feel that this approach broadens our understanding of the regulation of behavior.
41. Distinguish between proximate and ultimate explanation of behavior.
42. Discuss definitions of altruism.
43. Differentiate in detail between proximate an ultimate explanation of altruism and reciprocal altruism with supporting evidence if any. Specifically describe Tomasello’s findings
44. Briefly, what are evolutionary accounts of how the following behaviors are regulated:
45. Do these accounts provide us with a better understanding of how psychologists might construct intervention plans?
46.
Define Jealousy.
Describe research in this area supportive of an evolutionary account of sexual
differences in jealousy.
47.
Discuss some examples of
the practical value of evolutionary psychology (e.g., clinical treatment of
depression among others)
48. In trying to understand human behavior, notions of purpose, belief, expectation, deliberation, etc., enter our reflections:
· How is this approach reflected in our everyday lives and in societies' institutions.
· Referring to behaviorism's central features, how does behaviorism respond to the above assertions, and what are the logical conclusions that follow from these central features.
49. B. F. Skinner (1971) has stated, "An experimental analysis shifts the determination of behavior from autonomous man to the environment. ... Is man the "abolished? Certainly not as a species or as an individual. It is autonomous ... man who is abolished, and that is a step forward." What does Skinner mean by this and what are the implications of his statement.
50. The limited effectiveness of traditional psychotherapy combined with increasing interest in learning theory, led to research on the application of learning principles to psychopathology and its treatment. Describe early work in this area.
51. Is symptom substitution a problem in the purely behavioral approach to maladaptive behavior. Why/why not.
52. Define behavior modification/behavior therapy.
53. Describe five distinct approaches or theoretical models of behavior modification.
54. Contrast the DSMIV diagnosis with behavioral diagnoses in terms of advantages or disadvantages.
55. What are the main characteristics of a behavior diagnosis
56. Describe the 6 factors necessarily included in a behavioral assessment.
57. Demonstrate your familiarity with the ethical issues surrounding the goals of therapy, the means of achieving these, and the clients understanding and collaboration in therapy.
58. What are the basic elements of the classical conditioning paradigm.
· Explain the following terms: generalization decrement; extinction; spontaneous recovery; extinction below zero.
· Describe procedures for the following: discrimination training; conditioned inhibition; temporal conditioning.
59. What is experimental neurosis? What did Pavlov conclude from this demonstration.
60. What is conditioned fear? What are the implications of this finding?
61. What is the conditioned emotional response (CER).
62. How would classical conditioning account for the following?
· Acquisition of phobias and the maintenance of phobias.
· Acquisition of health related pathology ( psychosomatic illness)
· Acquisition of sexually deviant behavior.
· Gulf War syndrome
63. What are the "five rules" of classical conditioning?
64. Demonstrate how you would use aversive counterconditioning to treat:
· deviant behavior
· smoking
· self-injurious behavior
· alcoholism
65. Why does aversive therapy largely fail in the long term for certain conditions?
66. Discuss the use of imagery in human classical conditioning. What is the clinical value of such treatments
67. Describe the phenomenon of learned helplessness.
68. What are the three major behavioral components of helplessness?
69. What physiological events accompany helplessness?
70. Is there evidence that exposure to purely mental stressors may have the same effects?
71. Describe the evidence linking helplessness/stress and organic illness (e.g., tumor rejection).
72. Describe the current informational explanation of helplessness.
73. On occasion, classical conditioning is a hidden component of other situations or procedure producing unwanted effects. Discuss this in the case of:
· chemotherapy
· development of hypertension
74. Interoceptive conditioning can sometimes lead to the development of conditioned responses which are compensatory to the anticipated unconditioned responses.
· Discuss the implications of this in drug abusers.
· Discuss the role of this factor in tolerance to analgesics in chronic pain patients (refer to specific experimentation)
75. What procedures could be productively employed in health psychology interventions to counteract the negative effects of the compensatory reaction?
76. Describe a simple study in which the compensatory CR has been directly observed rather than inferred.
77. What is psychoneuroimmunology? Describe an early study illustrating the effects of psychological variables and health outcomes.
78. What are the hallmarks of acquired immunity?
79. What are the characteristics of non-specific immunity?
80. Briefly define the following:
· b lymphocytes
· t lymphocytes
· memory b cells
· immunoglobulins
· NK cells
81. How can we measure immunocompetence?
82. Referring to specific experiments demonstrate classical conditioning of immunosuppression and immunenhancement.
83. What are the implications to these demonstrations ?
84. Describe the Herbert et al meta analysis showing the relationship between stress and the immune response.
85. Briefly describe a number of studies showing the relationship between psychological functioning after natural disasters and the immune response, including in pregnancy.
86. As well, describe immune effects of short term or acute stressors ( stress and vaccination response; exam stress and wound healing; affective disorders and recovery from surgery etc)
87. Review findings relating progression of HIV and concealment of homosexual identity as well as social support, dispositional optimism, positive coping etc
88. Describe the role of psychological states in immune suppression and tumor progression in humans, including the positive outcomes following psychosocial treatment.
89. What is the effect of mood on immune functioning?
90. Can we reduce immune response reactions through health psychology interventions including cognitive behavioral stress management and massage therapy?
91. Describe the vanishing or fading technique with reference to specific applications.
92. Describe in some detail the following methods of behavior modification:
· toleration method/systematic desensitization
· flooding method
· implosion method
· incompatible response method/counter conditioning
95. We have already considered Skinner's view that the determining factors of behavior can only be found in the environment and not in the person.
· How then does Skinner address such concepts of creativity, intentions, freedom, thinking, self-control, etc.
· We have seen (in other contexts) evidence that environmental experiences alone are not sufficient accounts of behavior (e.g., yoked control experiments in which self-paced vs. "yoked" pace yield different effects). Elaborate on such evidence in this context.
96. Distinguish between operants and respondents
97. Describe Skinners technique of shaping by successive approximation.
98. Common sense reveals that we behave differently in different settings (parents vs. friends, etc.). How is this accounted for in Skinnerian terms ?
99. Describe various types of reinforcers used in Skinner's behavioral technology. What is the specific importance of secondary reinforcers?
100. As an example, describe details of a demonstration of shaping in a clinical setting.
101. Are there any limitations in the success of these interventions? (Why?)
102. What is chaining?
103. Skinnerian technique can be used to eliminate behaviors. Discuss the following techniques:
· extinction
· omission training (DRO)
· DRI
· time out
104. Despite much success there are a number of constraints on operant conditioning. Discuss these in detail and the means of overcoming then when possible.
105. Why use schedules of reinforcement?
106. Discuss a number of schedules of reinforcement giving an example of each kind.
107. Concurrent schedules of reinforcement are one means by which choice behavior can be studied.
· What do studies of such schedules reveal about behavior allocation amongst alternatives.
· What are the boundary conditions, which limit the matching law.
· How would you apply the matching law in behavior therapy.
108. Describe Lovaas' work on teaching language to autistic children, making reference to specific techniques (e.g., use of reinforcers, use of supporting stimulation).
109. With regard to specific applications discuss token economies in terms of procedures, advantages and problems. What does contingency contracting mean?
110. Discuss the concept of competence citing animal evidence in support of this concept. Indicating how this foreshadowed such concepts as "mastery" or "power".
111. What is effectance and what are said to be its components?
112. What are the similiarities and differences between Freud's and Frankl's approach to therapy?
113. What lies at the core of logotherapy?
114. Discuss Victor Frankl's psychotherapeutic view of logos - and the three concepts upon which logotherapy is based.
115. What is Frankl's view on reductionism.
116. Discuss evidence (e.g., Crumbauch and others) in support of the view that the human has a "will to meaning."
117. Review applications of logotherapy with specific attention to health psychology interventions? Is there some relationship to the immune response material covered earlier?
118. Frankl assumes that we are free to choose our attitudes towards ourselves with respect to our physical and psychological conditions. Not all would agree! Review a number of definitions of freedom.
119. Review a number of philosophical conceptions of freedom from negative freedom to opportunities.
120. Discuss what is meant by Steiners two concepts of perceived freedom - outcome freedom and decision freedom.
121. What are the features of perceived freedom?
122. What are the problems with the attributional approach to perceived freedom?
123. Describe work concerned with the "experience of freedom" (de Charms, Lefcourt, Westcott).
124. What cognitive and personal factors, defined as basic capabilities which people possess, are central to social cognitive theory?
125. What are the characteristics of what Bandura calls Triadic Reciprocality?
126. Discuss modeling as imitation learning. In contrast, what is the social learning view of modeling ?
127. What are the five separate psychological effects of modeling. How can modelling be used to enhance health behaviors?
128. Describe in detail the four constituent processes that govern observational learning according to Bandura.
129. According to Bandura, self-regulation operates through a set of subfunctions that must be developed and properly used for self-directed change.
· Describe the self-observation subfunction.
· Describe the judgmental subfunction.
130. What is meant by self-efficacy and how is it different from response-outcome expectation?
131. How do self-efficacy beliefs affect a person's behavior? How does this apply to specific health behaviors?
132. Describe a number of sources of self-efficacy information. Indicate how you might apply these sources to enhance an individual's self-efficacy.
133. Review a number of definitions/conceptions of stress.
134. Discuss the three steps of Selye's stress model?
135. Discuss Mason's stress model.
136. Discuss Lazarus' appraisal model of stress indicating the conceptual differences between this model and the previous models reviewed as well as describing the three stages of this model.
137. Demonstrate your familiarity with a number of scales employed to measures stress. What are the problems and/or advantages associated with each of these scales.
138. Cite some examples of Stress-Health-interactions (ranging from immune system, covered earlier, to other specific conditions).
139. Discuss the nature of the relationship between stress and psychological illness.
140. What are the guidelines (rules of thumb) to be aware of when considering coping strategies for stress.
141. Discuss the following stress coping strategies:
· tension reduction
· problem solving
· denial
· cognitive re-appraisal
142. In general terms describe Borkovec's progressive muscle relaxation technique.
143. In general terms describe meditation as a technique to control stressful responses.
144. What are the principles/procedures of biofeedback training.
145. Review three different types of biofeedback most common in clinical use, indicating the applications for which they are most useful. What is the evidence for the success of these techniques.
146. Discuss the general principles underlying Meichenbaum's stress inoculation.
· What are the three stages of stress inoculation.
· What types of stress seem to respond were to this type of approach.
147. Review behavioral evidence that bears on the issue of pain perception indicating the variety of variables that mediate the pain experience.
148. Describe the gate control theory of pain perception.
149. Turk et al., has suggested five categories of pain. List and describe these.
150. Briefly discuss a number of different pain syndromes.
151. Briefly review a number of physiological measures of pain
152. In some detail indicate how you would conduct a behavioral assessment of pain (including self-reports).
153. Briefly review the following methods of pain management indicating the relative effectiveness of the methods.
· pharmacological control
· sensory control
· surgical control
· hypnosis
· progressive muscle relaxation
· biofeedback
· behavior modification (specify treatment goals as well as management techniques).
· cognitive therapy