1. HEALTH & CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
Stress
Causes of Stress
Measuring Stress
Stress Management
HEALTH & CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY
G543

2. 2. Measuring Stress
Physiological
Self-Report
Combined

3. EXAM STYLE QUESTIONS (ESQ) Measuring Stress
Physiological
June 2010
Describe one physiological measure of stress. (10)
Assess the validity of different methods of measuring stress. (15)
Self-report
June 2012
Describe the self-report method of measuring stress. (10)
Compare the different measures of stress. (15)
Combined approach
Example
Describe combined methods for measuring stress (10 marks)
Evaluate the reliability of methods of measuring stress.

4. Resources: Information Booklet PowerPoint Essay Help Booklet
Exam Style Questions (ESQ)

6. Activity 1 Worksheet 1: KEY WORDS
Complete the key terms related to this topic
You can use the resources and internet to help
Each definition should be at least two sentences long
You should use these terms where appropriate in your essays

8. Worksheet 2: Summary Notes
Activity 2
Worksheet 2: Summary Notes
Complete summary notes for each study
Physiological: Geer
Self Report: Holmes & Rahe
Combined Approach: Johansson
You can use the resources and internet to help

9. 2a. Summary Information: PHYSIOLGICAL GEER, 1972
Aims
Method & Procedures
What method was used?
What type of design was selected?
What happened?
Group 2 was yoked to group 1, what does this mean?
What did the control group see?
What happened in the predictability and no control conditions?
Why was each recording performed in a sound and electrically-shielded room?
What was the aim of this study?
Background
What do people prefer?
By definition, what can people do?
If people can predict when a unpleasant events if going to happen, what should they have?
Results
Sample
What did GSR show?
Where was there no difference?
Which group showed a lower skin response?
What was concluded?
How many university undergraduates were used?
Which university were they from?

10. Repeat Study: Geer You should focus on the measurements in particular
Two physical measures were used: the heart rate and the GSR.
As described earlier, there were problems with the reliability of both measures.

11. 2a. Summary Information: PHYSIOLOGICAL GEER, 1972
Aim
Does lower stress result from being able to predict the occurrence of an unpleasant stimuli or is the lower stress related to the controlling behaviour itself?
Background
People prefer predictable rather than unpredictable averse events. By definition, people who control the termination of a stimulus can also predict it length. Therefore, people who can predict when an unpleasant event is going to stop should have lower response to it.
Sample
60 psychology undergraduates from New York University.

12. 2a. Summary Information: PHYSIOLOGICAL GEER, 1972
Method
A laboratory experiment involving three groups and using an independent measure design.
Procedure
The control group saw ten pictures of victims of violent death at 60-second intervals with a warning tone ten seconds before each one. They could press a button to change the picture as they wished. The ‘predictability’ and ‘no control’ group had no button and instead were ‘yoked’ to the control group. The ‘predictability’ group were unable to terminate or control the presentation but they knew about the relationship of the warning tone to the picture so they know when it would come and how long it would last. The ‘no control’ group had no control and no idea how long each picture would last. They thought pictures and tones occurred at random. Data was collected by heart rate monitors and galvanic skin response via a polygraph.
Results & Conclusion
GSR results showed a clear difference between the prediction group and the other two, with a much greater stress response to the warning tone. There was not difference in response to the photographs between the predictability and not control groups but the control group itself show a lower skin conductance. Therefore, being able to predict what was coming did not seem to prevent the stress response, whereas being able to stop it did. Heart rate monitors malfunctioned and were not included in the analysis.

13. 2b. Summary Questions: SELF-REPORT HOLMES & Rahe, 1967
Aims
Method & Procedures
What was the aim of this study?
What method was used in this study?
What type of questions were used in the design of this study?
What did each person do?
How were the final scores created?
Background
What is assumed about major life events?
Why would major life events cause the onset of illness?
What was needed for doctors?
Sample
Results
What sampling technique was used? How many males and females were used? What was the age range of the participants? Provide any additional details about the sample
Where was they very high agreement?
Did males and female agree?
Where was the lowest correlation?

14. 2b. Summary Questions: SELF-REPORT HOLMES & Rahe, 1967
Aim
To create a method of measuring stress to take account of major events in a person’s life.
Background
It is assumed that certain major life events such as marriage, bereavement and divorces are major stressors because they require change and cause the onset of stress-related illnesses. A tool was needed which would given an idea of the scale of such disruption in people’s lives so that doctors has some idea of the extent they were affecting their patients.
Sample
An opportunity sample of 394 people were used: 179 males and 215 females, of which 171 were single and 223 were married. They were aged between 20-60yrs and were mainly middle class and white.

15. 2b. Summary Questions: SELF-REPORT HOLMES & Rahe, 1967
Method/ Procedure
A questionnaire containing 43 items was used. Each person assigned a value to various life events, starting with marriage which was given an arbitrary value of 500, and working down a list of 43 items. For each item, participants had to decide whether the life event would need more or less readjustment than marriage. The final scores were then created by working out the mean value for the entire sample for each item. They were then put in order and the most stressful event – the death of a spouse was given a value of 100.
Results & Conclusion
Very high agreement (>.90) was achieved between each group in the sample for each item. Males and females agree, as did participants of various ages and religions. The lowest correlation was 0.82 between black and white individuals.

16. 2c. Summary Questions: CoMBINED Johansson, 1978
Aims
Method & Procedures
What was the aim of this study?
What type of experiment did Johansson carry out?
What research method was used in this study? What were the IVs?
What happened? What was measured?
Where did Johansson carry out his research?
Background
What are stressors?
What does adrenaline attack?
What do modern production methods require?
What has this lead to?
Results
Sample
What happened to the adrenaline levels of the high-risk group throughout the day?
What was twice as high in the high-risk workers?
What happened to the control group?
What did self-reports show?
When was positive mood, most reported?
What are the details of the sample?
How many high risk workers?
How many workers were in the control group?
How were shift workers paid?

17. Repeat Study: Johansson
Work measures were collected through urine tests, body temperature and self-ratings of mood and alertness as well as consumption of caffeine and tobacco on the first or second day of the working week.
These measures were compared to a day spent at home where the participants were asked to stay up as if there were at work.
The same four times a day were used for the tests in both conditions.

18. 2c. Summary Information: COMBINED Johansson, 1978
Aim
To measure the amount of stress experienced by sawmill workers and to look for a causal relationships on work satisfaction and production.
Background
Modern production methods require constant attention to detail on monotonous repetitive production lines which have increased efficiency by requiring workers to specialise in particular tasks. However, this has led to low self-esteem and a lack of work satisfaction in the workforce, increasing stress-related illness.
Sample
14 high-risk workers, who cut, edged and graded wood and a control group of 10 repair and maintenance workers. The mean age of both groups was All were shift workers paid by piece rate based on group performance.

19. 2c. Summary Information: COMBINED Johansson, 1978
Method
This was a quasi-experiment where the workers fell naturally into the two groups.
Procedure
Work measures were collected four times a day through urine tests, body temperature and self-rating of mood and alertness and consumption of caffeine and tobacco on the first or second day of the working week. These were compared to a day spent at home where workers were asked to stay up as if they were at work.
Results & Conclusion
Excretion of adrenaline in the urine of the high-risk workers was twice as high as the baseline and continued to increase to the end of the day, while the control group peaked in the morning then declined for the rest of the day. Self-reports showed the high-risk group feeling more rushed and irritated than the control group. More positive mood was reported by those doing non-repetitive tasks.

20. Worksheet 3: Evaluation
Activity 3
Worksheet 3: Evaluation
Part 1: EVALUATION & DEBATES
Part 2: EVALUATION GRID

21. 3a. Evaluation Questions: PHYSIOLOGICAL
Why is this study unethical?
Is GSR a reliable measure? Why
What are issues with other measuring techniques?
DEBATES
Why is this study a poor reflection of ‘psychology as a science?’
Why is this study low in usefulness?

22. 3a. Evaluation Questions: PHYSIOLOGICAL
The images may have caused stress to the participant, breaching ethical guidelines.
GSR is know to be unreliable as are polygraph test and the hear rate measures.
DEBATES
This was a poor reflection of ‘psychology as a science’ with weak generalisabilty and validity.
It was low in usefulness and failed to clarify the mechanism involved in prediction and control of aversive stimuli.

23. 3b. Evaluation Questions: SELF REPORT
EVALAUTION
What are the strengths and limitations of using self-report?
Consider why these may be particularly relevant to asking people about their stress?
Comment of the generalisability of the sample
Is it a problem that uplifts were not included?
Consider how valid these results will be?
Why is this research useful to doctors?
DEBATES
How will individual /situational debate link with this method?
How does this related to the nature-nurture debate?
Why could this research be seen as ethnocentric?

24. 3b. Evaluation Questions: SELF REPORT
The usual issue with self-report techniques apply. However, the powerful agreement and large sample suggest this was a minor effect.
Contrast with the hassles and uplifts scale: this has only the negative life events and they are major and quite irregular.
DEBATES
Nature-Nurture – are some people more prone to stress?
Is it natural and do some people benefit?
Items conformed to a western way of life so it could be seen as ethnocentric.
Usefulness – the tool has been used by doctors for many years and can give a score of how much stress a person may have been subjected to in the recent past.

25. 3c. Evaluation Questions: COMBINED
EVALAUTION
Why does this study have good reliability?
Does this study have good validity? Why?
What are the problems with using self-report?
What are the limitations with the sample?
DEBATES
Are some people more stress prone than others?
Is it useful to know about the type of work environment that promotes stress?

26. 3c. Evaluation & Debates: COMBINED
Good reliability with the two methods supporting each other’s findings.
Good validity because it is a quasi-experiment in the field.
Small sample and self-reports could mean problems with generalising these results to a wider sample in more interesting occupations.
DEBATES
Situational vs. Individual explanations of behaviour – are some people more stress prone or is it situationally determined?
Usefulness – useful to know how to improve conditions for factory workers. Moving them around the factory gives variety and therefore reduces monotony and stress.

28. Worksheet 4: Essay Plans
Activity 4
Worksheet 4: Essay Plans
10 Mark Questions
15 Mark Questions

30. EXAM STYLE QUESTIONS (ESQ) Measuring Stress
Physiological
June 2010
Describe one physiological measure of stress. (10)
Assess the validity of different methods of measuring stress. (15)
Self-report
June 2012
Describe the self-report method of measuring stress. (10)
Compare the different measures of stress. (15)
Combined approach
Example
Describe combined methods for measuring stress (10 marks)
Evaluate the reliability of methods of measuring stress.

32. Physiological Measurement [10]
Introduction:
Method:
Geer:
Conclusion:

33. Self-Report [10]
Introduction:
Method:
Holmes & Rahe:
Conclusion:

34. Combined Approach [10]
Introduction:
Method:
Johansson:
Conclusion: