Chapter 12: Stress & Health Key Terms

Question 1

Stress:

Answer 1

A response elicited when a situation overwhelms a person’s perceived ability to meet the demands of the situation.

Question 2

Stressors:

Answer 2

Events that trigger a stress response.

Question 3

Primary appraisal:

Answer 3

A quick assessment of the meaning of a given environmental event for the individual.

Question 4

Secondary appraisal:

Answer 4

Self-assessment of the resources available to cope with stress.

Question 5

Neuroendocrine system:

Answer 5

The hormonal systems involved in emotions and stress.

Question 6

Catecholamines:

Answer 6

Chemicals released from the adrenal glands that function as hormones and as neurotransmitters to control ANS activation; they are involved in the “fight or flight” response. Major catecholamines include dopamine and norephinephrine.

Question 7

Glucocorticoids:

Answer 7

Hormones responsible for maintaining the activation of physiological systems during emergencies. They control many metabolic functions and mobilize resources for the body. The major glucocorticoid in humans is cortisol.

Question 8

Adrenal-medullary system:

Answer 8

A major neuroendocrine pathway stimulated during stress, in which the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system.

Question 9

Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis:

Answer 9

A major neuroendocrine pathway relevant to the stress response involving the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal cortex.

Question 10

Cortisol:

Answer 10

The major glucocorticoid produced in humans, also commonly known as the “stress hormone.” It regulates many important metabolic functions.

Question 11

General adaptation syndrome (GAS):

Answer 11

As defined by Hans Selye, a generalized, nonspecific set of changes in the body that occur during extreme stress.

Question 12

Alarm stage:

Answer 12

The phase of the general adaptation syndrome in which all of the body’s resources respond to a perceived threat.

Question 13

Resistance stage:

Answer 13

In the general adaptation syndrome, extended effort by the body to deal with a threat.

Question 14

Exhaustion stage:

Answer 14

The phase of the general adaptation syndrome when all resources for fighting the threat have been depleted and illness is more likely.

Question 15

Allostasis:

Answer 15

The process by which the body achieves stability through physiological change.

Question 16

Coping:

Answer 16

The act of dealing with stress or emotions.

Question 17

Problem-focused coping:

Answer 17

A way of dealing with stress that aims to change the situation that is creating stress.

Question 18

Emotion-focused coping:

Answer 18

A way of dealing with stress that aims to regulate the experience of distress.

Question 19

Telomerase:

Answer 19

An enzyme that adds DNA sequences to telomeres.

Question 20

Psychosomatic theory:

Answer 20

The idea that emotional factors can lead to the occurrence or worsening of illness.

Question 21

Health psychology:

Answer 21

The study of the role psychological factors play in regard to health and illness.

Question 22

Physiological reactivity approach:

Answer 22

An explanation for the causal role of stress-related bodily changes in illness.

Question 23

Health behavior approach:

Answer 23

An explanation for illness or health that focuses on the role of behaviors such as diet, exercise, or substance abuse.

Question 24

Cardiovascular system:

Answer 24

The heart, the blood, and all the blood vessels.

Question 25

Antigen:

Answer 25

Any foreign substance that triggers an immune response.

Question 26

Natural immunity:

Answer 26

The form of immunity that is the first response to antigens.

Question 27

Acquired immunity:

Answer 27

Immunity provided by antibodies produced in the body in response to specific antigens.

Question 28

Cellular immunity:

Answer 28

The immune response that occurs when T lymphocytes (T cells) fight antigens.

Question 29

Type A Behavior Pattern (TABP):

Answer 29

A way of responding to challenge or stress, characterized by hostility, impatience, competitiveness, and time urgency.

Question 30

Cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) model:

Answer 30

The hypothesis that hostility can increase the likelihood of heart disease through at least two different causal routes.

Question 31

Microbiome:

Answer 31

The environment of trillions of various microorganisms living with our bodies, which perform important metabolic and physiological functions.

Question 32

Gut-brain axis:

Answer 32

The bidirectional pathway between the intestines and the central nervous system, by which changes in the intestinal environment affect the brain and vice versa.

Question 33

Metabolic syndrome:

Answer 33

A group of factors related to body composition, weight, and diet that increase risk of stroke, diabetes, and heart disease.

Question 34

Infectious diseases:

Answer 34

Diseases that can be transmitted from person to person, or from animal to person.