biopsych- fight or flight response

Question 1

role of adrenaline int he flight or fight response
explain the reasons for the physiological changes below
- increased heart rate
- increased swear production
- inhibited digestive system, salivation

Answer 1

heart rate- increased blood flow to all organs and muscles
- raised movement of adrenaline around the body
sweating- in order to regulate temperature
reduced production in nonessential functions- to increase energy in essential functions

Question 2

sudden stressors which cause the F/F response
describe the 6 sections of this process

Answer 2

1. person enters a stressful or dangerous situation
2. Amygdala activates and sends signal to the hypothalamus
3. hypothalamus activates the sympathomedullary pathway (SAM pathway) which travels to the sympathetic NS (SNS) as well as the adrenal medulla
4. the SNS stimulates the adrenal medulla (part of adrenal gland)
5. Adrenal medulla secretes adrenaline and nor adrenaline hormones into bloodstream
6. Adrenaline causes physiological changes to prepare the body for the F/F response

Question 3

an acute stressor occurs after the response, what is it called

Answer 3

Parasympathetic NS

Question 4

name and explain the on going chronic stressors

Answer 4

a second system begins if the brain continues to see something as threatening
The adrenaline subsides and then the hypothalamus activates the stress response system called HPA axis

Question 5

what does the HPA axsis consist of
and what was it’s function

Answer 5

H- Hypothalamus= releases CHR (corticotrophin- releasing hormone), into the bloodstream
P- Pituitary gland CHR triggers pituitary gland to release ACTH (AdrenoCorticotrophic hormone)
from pituitary gland ACTH transports this into bloodstream to target the adrenal gland
A- adrenal gland= adrenal cortex releases a stress related hormone, cortisol which has effects in this response
positive effects of cortisol are quick burst of energy
negative effects causes impaired cognitive performance and lowered immune system

Question 6

evaluation for f/f response
1st para - limitation
fre…….. re………….

Answer 6

P- One issue is that human behaviour is not limited to only 2 responses
E- Gray is research support for suggesting there are other responses. eg. freeze response
E- This is where they become hyper-vigilant to surroundings and then decide what is best to do when faced with this threat.
L- This suggests that the F or F response is limited, which leads it not being able to explain cognitive and biological explanations which underpin the human response to stress or danger.

Question 7

2nd eval is another limitation
heal………. e…….. in m……… ….. l………

Answer 7

P- Another weakness is that it can lead to detrimental effects on health, in modern day life.
E- Although it was a useful survival mechanism for ancestors who faced life threatening situations from predators, but in the modern world now we rarely need this intense biological response
E- This matters because this response leads to increase in blood pressure which could damage vessels, which potentially contributes to heart diesease
L- Therefore, the F/F response is now a maladaptive response in modern day life

Question 8

eval 3 - final issue
doesn’t fully explain f…….. str…. resp…….

Answer 8

P- A final issue is that the F/F response doesn’t fully explain what females stress response entails, which makes it reductionist and androcentrism.
E- e.g. Taylor et al, suggested the response where females adopt the ‘tend and befriend’ response.
E- This suggests that females are more likely to try protect their offspring (which is tending) and form alliances with other women (befriend).
L- This is suggested to occur in females instead of the F/F response, which highlights that in the response their generalised the findings to females which is a form of beta bias. Although this F/F explanation is limited in it’s application to females, but it did lead to other researches finding alternative suggestions for females responses.

Question 9

eval 4 is research support for suggesting there’s a genetic basis to sex differences in the F/F response
e.g. L.. and H……
found the S…Y ge….

Answer 9

P- There’s research support to suggest a genetic basis to sex differences in the F/F response
E- e.g. Lee and harley found the SRY gene is only in males due tot he Y chromosome.
E- This means it is directly influences male development which promotes aggression and that leads tot he F/F response to stress.
This gene makes males respond to stress by releasing adrenaline, which triggers this response of increase blood flow to organs
L- In contrast, the absence of the SRY gene is that it prevents this response to stress whic leads to an alternative response such as the tend and befriend behaviour that surrounds this explanation.

Question 10

recap on the AO1 flow diagram of sudden stressors for the F/F response

Answer 10

1. This response is triggered by a stressful event which activates the amygdala so it sends a distress signal to the hypothalamus (hyp)
2. The hyp activates the SAM pathway which leads to the SNS and the adrenal medulla
3. The SNS stimulates the adrenal medulla to release the hormones adrenaline and nor-adrenaline into the bloodstream
4. These hormones form physiological changes in the body, in preparation for F/F response
5. As a result this leads to the chronic stressor response of the HPA axis, this is a form of response that occurs when there’s only going threats that cause the F/F response
   HPA stands for:
   H- hypothalamus releases CRH
   P- pituitary gland releases ACTH
   A- Adrenal gland receives ACTH from pituitary gland and that stimulates the adrenal cortex to release the hormone cortisol