6. BIOPSYCHOLOGY (THE FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE – INCLUDING THE ROLE OF ADRENALINE) Flashcards
What is the fight-or-flight response?
The fight-or-flight response is the body’s physiological reaction to stress, preparing an individual to either fight an aggressor or flee from a threat. It is triggered by the autonomic nervous system, specifically the sympathetic branch.
What is the role of the sympathetic nervous system in the fight-or-flight response?
The sympathetic nervous system raises the body’s arousal levels (increased heart rate and breathing), preparing the body to either fight or flee. It also triggers the adrenal glands to release adrenaline.
How does the body react when the fight-or-flight response is activated?
The body experiences increased heart rate, faster breathing, muscle tension, pupil dilation, sweating, and reduced digestive function. Blood flow is diverted to muscles and vital organs to prepare for action.
What role does adrenaline play in the fight-or-flight response?
Adrenaline, produced by the adrenal glands, increases heart rate, contracts blood vessels, and dilates air passages. This prepares the body for immediate physical activity during stress or danger.
What is the physiological effect of increased heart rate during the fight-or-flight response?
Increased heart rate speeds up blood flow to vital organs and muscles, allowing for a quicker response and improving the spread of adrenaline throughout the body.
Why does the body experience faster breathing during the fight-or-flight response?
Faster breathing increases oxygen intake, which is crucial for muscle function and energy production during stressful situations.
What is the purpose of muscle tension during the fight-or-flight response?
Muscle tension improves reaction time and speed, allowing the individual to react faster to a threat.
Why does pupil dilation occur during the fight-or-flight response?
Pupil dilation improves vision, which helps the individual to better assess their surroundings during stressful situations.
What is the role of sweat production in the fight-or-flight response?
Sweat production helps with temperature regulation, ensuring the body does not overheat during physical exertion.
How does the fight-or-flight response affect the digestive and immune systems?
The digestive and immune systems’ functions are reduced to save energy for more vital processes, such as running or fighting.
Why is blood flow diverted from the surface of the skin during the fight-or-flight response?
Blood is diverted to vital organs and muscles (e.g., the heart and legs) to support the physical action needed to fight or flee, rather than to the skin.
What happens when the stressor causing the fight-or-flight response disappears?
The parasympathetic nervous system is activated, returning the body to a normal state after the stressor is removed.
What is a general evaluation point about assessing the biological influence on behaviour in biopsychology?
Assessing the biological influence on behaviour is difficult as biological structures may be seen as tools enabling behaviour rather than the cause of it. Most research is correlational, meaning cause-and-effect cannot be established.
What is the reductionist approach in biopsychology?
The reductionist approach in biopsychology attempts to explain human behaviour solely in terms of biological processes, often focusing on specific components like hormone levels, which some psychologists argue is overly simplistic.
What are the strengths of the scientific nature of biopsychology?
The physical nature of the bodily systems studied in biopsychology means that research can be scientific, with objective measures of activity and function, which increases the reliability and validity of results.
