You Are at the Office and One of Your Coworkers

question 97

Multiple Choice

You are at the office and one of your coworkers, who you only know casually, makes eye contact with you, stares you down, and dashes past you. Assuming you are in the United States, what is your likely reaction?

• A) You ignore the man…he means nothing to you
• B) You ignore the man….he is obviously crazy
• C) You become alarmed…he is obviously crazy
• D) You become alarmed…you might have somehow offended him
• E) You become angry…he should have said hello

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Definitions:

Hormonal Stress Theory

The hypothesis suggesting that stress responses are mediated by hormones, particularly those secreted by the adrenal glands, affecting the body's ability to deal with stressors.

Chronic Stress

A state of ongoing and continuous stress that can negatively affect an individual's physical and mental health over time.

Immune-System Functioning

The processes and activities through which the immune system protects the body from infections, diseases, and other foreign substances.

Preoperational Stage

Piaget’s second stage of cognitive development, lasting from about two to seven years of age, during which thought is more symbolic than sensorimotor thought.