PSYC 314 - Lecture 8 Part 1 Exam Questions with Correct Answers Latest Update 2025/2026
Why focus on pain in health psychology? - Answers 1. pain is the symptoms of greatest concern
to patients
2. the most likely symptom to lead people to use health services
3. pain heavily influenced by psychosocial processes
Pain serves a purpose of... - Answers warning self or others of tissue damage/injury/disease
- evokes care
Pain leads to... - Answers - poor health behaviours
- loss of employment/income
- depression, fear, anxiety
- social isolation
- sleep disorders
- marital and family dysfunction
Specificity Theory of Pain (Descartes) - Answers idea that pain is directly proportional to the
amount of tissue damage
Steps of Specificity Theory of Pain - Answers 1. upon injury, pain messages originate in nerves
associated with damage tissue and travel to the spinal cord
2. a signal is send to (a) a motor never, and (b) the brain, where pain is received
- biomedical approach
Biomedical approach of pain - Answers assumption of one-to-one correspondence to
injury/disease
- leads to unfortunate practices (blaming patient, assuming psychiatric disorder or intentional
faking of symptoms)
- focus on pharmacological, surgical, or other medical interventions to control pain
- ex. Specificity Theory of Pain
Brave men vs emotional women bias - Answers belief that when men seek out help, they are in
real and intense pain, and when women do, they are being emotional and dramatic
Gate-control Theory - Answers idea that pain is NOT directly proportional to tissue damage
Why focus on pain in health psychology? - Answers 1. pain is the symptoms of greatest concern
to patients
2. the most likely symptom to lead people to use health services
3. pain heavily influenced by psychosocial processes
Pain serves a purpose of... - Answers warning self or others of tissue damage/injury/disease
- evokes care
Pain leads to... - Answers - poor health behaviours
- loss of employment/income
- depression, fear, anxiety
- social isolation
- sleep disorders
- marital and family dysfunction
Specificity Theory of Pain (Descartes) - Answers idea that pain is directly proportional to the
amount of tissue damage
Steps of Specificity Theory of Pain - Answers 1. upon injury, pain messages originate in nerves
associated with damage tissue and travel to the spinal cord
2. a signal is send to (a) a motor never, and (b) the brain, where pain is received
- biomedical approach
Biomedical approach of pain - Answers assumption of one-to-one correspondence to
injury/disease
- leads to unfortunate practices (blaming patient, assuming psychiatric disorder or intentional
faking of symptoms)
- focus on pharmacological, surgical, or other medical interventions to control pain
- ex. Specificity Theory of Pain
Brave men vs emotional women bias - Answers belief that when men seek out help, they are in
real and intense pain, and when women do, they are being emotional and dramatic
Gate-control Theory - Answers idea that pain is NOT directly proportional to tissue damage
