Part #2 /10: The Systems of the Body

Learning Activity

Part of the rationale for why a Health Psychologist should know about how the systems of the body function is so
that they can explain that functioning to others in the context of helping people make positive choices for their health. For
this learning activity, you will practice the skill of explaining how a system of the body functions in layman terms, highlighting
how various body systems work together and how psychological and social factors can impact the body’s functioning.

Instructions:
Imagine that you have a client that has high blood pressure and is at risk for a heart attack. This client does not
believe that stress has any effect on their risk for a heart attack and therefore they have not been motivated to try to reduce
their stress.
 Write out a script (i.e., a dialogue between you and your client) as though you were talking to this client and explain to
them how stress increases their risk for a heart attack through the effects of stress on the cardiovascular system (i.e.,
explain the mechanism of how stress affects the cardiovascular system through hormone release, increased blood
pressure, blood vessel muscles, immune response, clogged arteries, etc to ultimately lead to a heart attack). Refer to
module 2 video #3.
 Include at least two relevant visuals (different from the ones found in the module #2 slides) to help with your explanation
and explicitly refer to those visual in your script as if you were using them to explain concepts to your client.
 Include one question that your client might ask after your explanation and how you would answer their question.
 Remember, you are talking to someone that doesn’t have much knowledge about how the body works or how the mind
affects the body. (Hint: A good idea is to use your script to explain how stress affects cardiovascular functioning to
someone in your own life and see if it makes sense to them, then see what questions they might have.)

Grading Rubric: 19 marks possible

Explanation Content Great (3) Ok (2) Minimal (1) Absent (0)
Explanation is accurate
Explanation is specific and detailed
Explanation is understandable to someone without prior background knowledge
Explanation is presented in a logical order

Visuals Yes (1) No (0)

Visuals are helpful for understanding the explanation
Visuals are explicitly referred to in the script

Client Question Yes (1) No (0)

A specific client question is included that is relevant and not covered in the explanation

Response to Client Question Great (3) Ok (2) Minimal (1) Absent (0)
An accurate and understandable response to the client question is given

Writing Yes (1) No (0)

Writing is coherent and (nearly) free from errors.