Environmental Psychology Priority Flashcards
90-100%
Environmental Stressors
Noise
- unwanted noise is annoying and can’t be controlled and its harder to concentrate on other things
- Glass+Singer: noise is only stressful when unpredictable and loud
Environmental Stressors
Temperature
- extreme temperature is stressful because it can be too hot or too cold
- Kenrick+ McFarlane: interpersonal hostility increase as temperature increased. >38 degrees 34% of this who used horn, 50% used for total interval. <32degrees none.
Environmental Stressors
Crowding
- can’t get out or around and there is no personal space
- Christian et al: deer had enlarged adrenal glands which releases the stress hormone in those that were enlarged
- higher rates of suicides in overcrowded prisons
Environmental Stressors
Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome-
1-Alarm reaction stage
Adrenal glad secretes adrenaline and cortisol, preparing for fight or flight.
Environmental Stressors
Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome-
2-The resistance stage
Tries to adapt to new situation. Allocates energy resources to repair damaged muscles but body’s defence system weakens. Production of stress hormones lowered. Body remains on-guard.
Environmental Stressors
Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome-
3-The exhaustion stage
Depleted resources and will continue its recovery. In this stage for long term=exhaustion deteriorates further.
Environmental Stressors
Musculoskeletal system
Muscles tense to prepare for stress and a way of preventing harm.
Constant=chronic pain
Environmental Stressors
Cardiovascular system
Short term:
-increased BP, HR and strong contractions
Long term:
-hypertension, heart attacks and stroke
Environmental Stressors
Gastrointestinal
Increase in stomach acid and therefore contents won’t break down normally. Acid reflux from build up of acid and severe ulcers.
Environmental Stressors
Respiratory system
Airways constrict, restricting O2 from coming in.
Hyperventilation-rapid breathing to compensate for which is restricted.
Environmental Stressors
Endocrine system
Adrenal glands secrete cortisol which provides energy by mobilising glucose and fatty acids from the liver to be used.
Chronic: impaired communications= metabolic disorders, liver issues.
Environmental Stressors
Nervous system
Adrenaline released to activate fight or flight in the sympathetic nervous system.
Chronic= leads to anxiety disorders.
Environmental Stressors
Black and Black (2007)
Aim
Is health-related qualities of life worse in a community chronically exposed to aircraft noise? Is it associated to elevated BP?
Environmental Stressors
Black and Black (2007)
Sample
Questionnaire send out to 1500 on ‘environmental noise’ and received 704 back completely filled out.
Noise: 50 noise events a day louder than 70db
Control: 55km from airport-no aircraft noise
Groups matched on socio-economic indices devised form the questionnaire. Less responses from control group.
Environmental Stressors
Black and Black (2007)
Method
Quasi experiment
Self-report- questionnaire made of yes or no questions and rating scales.
Environmental Stressors
Black and Black (2007)
7 characteristics in the questionnaire
- health related quality of life
- hypertension condition (‘reported’)
- noise stress (out of 10 on a rating scale)
- noise sensibility
- noise annoyance (out of 10 on a rating scale)
- demographic characteristics
- confounding factors
Environmental Stressors
Black and Black (2007)
Results
Noise annoyance: Noise= 6.27 Control=1.03 Noise stress: Noise=6.44 Control=4.25 Hypertension (BP): Noise=51 Control=55 [p=0.45 not significant and a lot due to chance]
Environmental Stressors
Black and Black (2007)
Conclusions
Longterm aircraft noise was significantly associated with chronic noise stress (mental.)
Chronic noise stress is not significantly associated with prevalence of hypertension- no significant difference been the two groups.
Environmental stressors
Dealing with stress-
Situational: extend the curfew of when airlines can’t
Flights less likely to happen at night= better nights sleep- helps to overcome the GAS exhaustion stage and allows for recovery.
The government and council can enforce laws. Logistics at the airport would have to ensure flights coincide with the regulations.
-flights more likely to occurs during the day which makes then more stressful because of the increased frequency
Environmental stressors
Dealing with stress-
Individual: anti-hypersensitive drugs
Decreased sympathetic outflow, vasodilation, decreased blood volume, decreased blood pressure and blocks certain activity. Doctors will asses individual to see if they need to be put on these drugs. -extra urination -erection problems -weakness -fatigue -depression -sleep problems
Biological Rhythms
Circadian Rhythms
1-environmental changes in day signal its tine for sleep
2-body receives signals from the retinal ganglion cells of the eye
3-this is sent to the suprachiasmatic nucleus
4-infro sent to the pineal gland, responsible for melatonin and serotonin release-sleep and wakefulness
5-Melatonin produced 2 hours before bedtime
6-these hormone levels remain elevated for 12 hours
7-levels of this hormone starts to decrease with exposure to sunlight again
8-creates a phase response curve to create a regular cycle
Biological Rhythms
Phase delay
Extending the duration of the rhythms cycle.
Biological Rhythms
Phase advance
Shortening the duration of the rhythm’s cycle.
Biological Rhythms
Circadian Misalignment
Times when melatonin would normally beat its peak, it should be flatline. Constantly having night shifts/ day shifts would lead to confusion in melatonin release. SCN would wake at random times.
Biological Rhythms
Randy Gardner
11 days without sleep. Problems with concentration, short term memory, paranoia, hallucinations, delusions.
Biological Rhythms
Ultradian Rhythms-sleep cycle Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3 Stage 4 Rapid Eye Movement
Lasts approx 90 minutes
Stage 1-relaxed theta waves, reduction HR, muscle tension and body temperature
Stage 2-waves become slower and larger with bursts of high frequency- it is easy to be woken
Stage 3-sleep deepens and difficult to wake-long slow delay waves
Stage 4-can toss and turn, very little muscular activity, body temp drops, hard to wake- sleep walking and night terrors can occur
Rapid Eye Movement-paradoxical sleep (active brain but hard to wake)body paralysed and often have dreams