Activity for the book My Psychology

Instructions

Listen to the following podcast and then answer the questions that follow.

Question 1

Which of the following statements is true when it comes to stressors?

Choice A, A stressor is something that generates stress in all people who are exposed to it.

Choice B, What serves as a stressor for one person will not necessarily be a stressor for another person.

Choice C, In order for something to be officially labeled as a stressor, it must engage the flight-or-fight response in at least 90% of people.

Choice D, A stressor is an unpleasant physical or psychological reaction to anything a person perceives as challenging.

Question 1 SUBMIT

Question 2

You really despise your commute every day to work, because people drive with little regard for others on the road. You’ve noticed lately that the minute you get into your car your heart starts to race and your neck feels tense. How would you label the elements of this scenario?

Choice A, The car is the stressor, and the drivers represent the stress.

Choice B, Your racing heart and tense neck are the stressor, and the commute is the stress.

Choice C, The commute is the stressor, and your racing heart and tense neck are the stress.

Choice D, The drive to work is the stressor, and people not caring about others is the stress.

Question 2 SUBMIT

Question 3

In the podcast, what recommendation does Dr. Comer offer regarding to test taking?

Choice A, Appraise it as a threat, because a high level of stress is really motivating.

Choice B, Spread out your studying to ensure the test doesn’t feel stressful.

Choice C, Think of the test as something that will reduce anxiety.

Choice D, Appraise exams as a challenging opportunity to show what you’ve learned.

Question 3 SUBMIT

Question 4

Ricky had a troublesome childhood, where he not only grew up in poverty, but was also a victim of physical abuse. As a teen, Ricky has used his difficult childhood experiences as an opportunity to thrive despite obstacles, and he also volunteers as a teen mentor to younger children growing up in poverty. Ricky can best be described as showing:

Choice A, acute stress disorder.

Choice B, a Type A personality.

Choice C, posttraumatic growth.

Choice D, biofeedback.

Question 4 SUBMIT

Question 5

Fill in the blank: Jeri is a costume designer and has weeks when she must work consistently long days with little rest. She starts these periods feeling a bit overwhelmed, then just focuses on getting through the work, and eventually winds up with a cold. According to general adaptation syndrome, when she initially feels overwhelmed, she’s in the _____BLANK phase.

Choice A, exhaustion

Choice B, alarm

Choice C, fight

Choice D, resistance

Question 5 SUBMIT

Question 6

What example did Dr. Roberts provide of her own personal experience with general adaptation syndrome?

Choice A, When traveling back and forth to visit her very ill mother, she ended up getting sick due to reaching the exhaustion phase.

Choice B, When trying to get hired as a full-time instructor, she did a successful of job maintaining the resistance phase through her interviews.

Choice C, When she was in graduate school, she and her schoolmates regularly experienced the exhaustion phase after midterms and finals.

Choice D, When she had her first child, she went through the alarm phase in the weeks after giving birth.

Question 6 SUBMIT

Question 7

Which of the following provides an example of primary appraisal without secondary appraisal?

Choice A, Keri is taking an exam at school and isn’t nervous at all because she knows she’s very capable of doing a great job.

Choice B, Raj is starting a new position, but he feels that his previous position prepared him well.

Choice C, Shawn is anxious about an upcoming work presentation because he knows the executives are going to ask hard questions.

Choice D, Tully has a work meeting with a new client, but only has slight jitters because she has the tools she needs to succeed.

Question 7 SUBMIT

Question 8

Your friend, Rosa, is going back to school after being in the workforce for 7 years. She’s extremely nervous about tests and also worries that she won’t fit in. What would you say if you’re trying to help her engage in secondary appraisal?

Choice A, Remind her she is extremely resilient and has everything she needs to succeed.

Choice B, Suggest she request special testing conditions and remind her she will likely find friends her own age.

Choice C, Share a story of an acquaintance who went back to school and had a really difficult time adjusting to prepare her.

Choice D, Tell her to just do her best and if she doesn’t succeed, it was not meant to be.

Question 8 SUBMIT

Question 9

Khanh has recently moved to Vietnam with her parents from the United States where she was born. While she speaks Vietnamese, she often feels anxious reading aloud at school for fear the students will make fun of her. She also feels uncomfortable bringing her lunch, because her mom packs very different items than the other kids. Khanh would be best described as experiencing:

Choice A, chronic stress.

Choice B, acculturative stress.

Choice C, marginalization.

Choice D, primary appraisal.

Question 9 SUBMIT

Question 10

What topic in this chapter does Dr. Comer propose as being useful for even non-psychology students to understand?

Choice A, posttraumatic stress disorder

Choice B, general adaptation syndrome

Choice C, personality types

Choice D, coping strategies

Question 10 SUBMIT