Biological Explanation - Adrenaline And Acute Stress Flashcards
What are the 4 areas of evaluation for adrenaline and acute stress?
Supporting evidence
Stress may not a causal factor
Gender differences
Challenge vs threat
Explain the sympathomedullary (SAM) pathway
When a threat is percieved, the hypothalamus coordinates a response from the ANS, arousing the Sympathetic branch of the ANS, sending signals to the adrenal medual to stimulate the release of adrenaline and noradrenaline, it is damped by the parasympathetic branch when the threat goes
Explain why the SAM pathway is known as the fight of flight response
The release of adrenaline and noradrenaline gets the ready for fight or flight, as it diverts blood away from non essential processes and carrying it to muscles so they can work harder and sharpen our senses, we sweat to cool down the overworking of our bodies etc
What is the SAM responses link to evolution and explain how it applies to us?
It is an adaptive strategy to deal with threats in the EEA, such as lions, however, stressors in modern society usaly don’t require an energetic response, e.g scare when looking at bank balance, so we are left in a permenant state of arousal
Explain the effects of the SAM pathway on the heart
High levels of adrenaline and noradrenaline have a direct effect on the heart, and have been linked to cardiovascular disorders (strokes and heart attacks)
Why does the SAM pathway have negative effects on the heart?
As sympsthetic arrousal causes the heart to work faster, blood pressure is raised due to the constriction of blood vesels, artieries can then become blocked due to the dislodging of plauqe on the walls of blood vesels —> exacerbated heart problems
What did research show about the cardiovascular health of medical healthcare staff on inrensive care wards? (effects on the heart - desc)
They had thickened arteries and an increased number of white blood cells, which caused inflammation and produced small legions, blood platelets and clotting proteins then rushed to fill these legions, which increased the risk of clots and heart attacks
What is the condition that suggests that the SAM pathway can have negative effects on the heart (EV - Sup Evidence - SAM)
Stress cardiomyopathy (broken heart syndrome) - is caused by a huge dump of adrenaline being released when people suffer severe emotional stress
Its paralysis of the bottom half of the heart, which requires the top to work harder
Explain the evaluation point of stress may not be a causal factor (SAM)
We may need to be careful when claiming stress causes heart disease
Research on 700,000 women, after 10 years, 4% had died, but there was no link between their levels of stress
Explain the evaluation point of gender differences (SAM)
Research into the fight or flight response (which was widely accepted as the same for males and females) found that females tended to adopt a tend and befriend response to threats, which would have protected their young
Explain the evaulation point of challenge vs threat (SAM)
Research suggests that we can either see a stressor as a challenge, or a threat, which can cause the response to have vastly different effects on us
Challenge - relaxed blood vessels, strong heartbeat
Threat - high heart rate and negative effects
Explain the pathway of SAM (flow chart style)
Stressor –> hypothalums –> ANS (sympathetic branch) –> adrenal medula releases adrenaline and noradrenaline
