Chapter 4 Flashcards
Health psychology
The field of psychology that studies the relationship between psychological factors ( e.g. attitudes, beliefs, situational influences, and overt behavior patterns) and the prevention and treatment of physical illness.
General adaption syndrome (GAS)
Selye’s term for a hypothesized three-stage response to stress.
Alarm stage
The first stage of the GAS, which is “triggered” by the impact of a stressor and characterized by activity of the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system.
Fight or flight reaction
Cannon’s term for an innate adaptive response to the perception of danger.
Endocrine system
A body system involved in regulating many bodily processes and consisting of ductless glands that empty their secretions, called hormones, directly into the bloodstream.
Autonomic nervous system (ANS)
The part of the nervous system that regulates glands and involuntary activities such as heartbeat, respiration, digestion, and dilation of the pupils of the eyes.
Sympathetic nervous system
The division of the ANS that is most active during activities and emotional responses-such as anxiety and fear- that spend the body’s reserves of energy.
Parasympathetic nervous system
The division of the ANS that is most active during processes that restore the body’s reserves of energy, such as digestion.
Hypothalamus
A small, pea-sized structure in the brain involved in regulating many bodily processes, including hunger, sleep, emotions, and body temperature.
Corticosteroids
Hormones produced by the adrenal cortex that increase resistance to stress in ways such as fighting inflammation and causing the liver to release stores of sugar.
Hypertension
High blood pressure
Hormones
Substances secreted by endocrine glands that regulate various body functions.
Resistance stage
The second stage of the GAS, characterized by prolonged sympathetic activnity in an effort to restore lost energy and repair damage.
Exhaustion stage
The third stage of the GAS, characterized by weakened resistance and possible deterioration.
Trait anxiety
Anxiety as a personality variable, or persistent trait.
State anxiety
A temporary condition of anxiety that may be attributed to a specific situation.
Immune system
The system of the body that recognizes and destroys foreign agents (antigens) that invade the body.
Pathogens
Microscopic organisms (i.e. bacteria and virus) that can cause disease.
Leukocytes
White blood cells
Antibodies
Substances formed by white blood cells that recognize and destroy antigens.
Inflammation
Increased blood flow to an injured area of the body, resulting in redness, warmth, and increased supply of white blood cells.
Psychoneuroimmunology
The field that studies the relationships between psychological factors (i.e. attitudes and overt behavior patterns) and the functioning of the immune system.
Multifactorial model
The view that health and illness are a function of mutiple factors involving biological, psychological, and cultural domains- and their interactions.
Migraine headache
A throbbing headache caused by wavelike firing of neurons on the brain, which creates ripples of neural activity that reach pain centers in the brainstem.
