Fight or Flight Response

Question 1

Instructions

SAM

Answer 1

1. Situation is percieved as stressor in the hypothalamus in the brain
2. Pituarity gland
3. ANS Changes from normal resting state (parasympathetic state) to physiologically arounsed state known as sympathetic state
4. Adrenal glands
5. Adrenal medulla
6. Releases adrenanline
7. Adrenaline is the hormone which causes physiological changes in body for fight or flight
8. Goes back to parasympathetic

Question 2

What physiological changes happen to release of adrenaline

Answer 2

• Increased ALERTNESS
• Increased respitual breathing rate
• Increase blood flow to muscle
• Pupils dilate
• Increase heart rate and raised blood pressyre
• Reduced activity in digestive system to conserve energy

Question 3

What happens in HPA?

Answer 3

1. Chronic stress
2. Hypothalmus
3. Pituarity gland
4. ACTH released
5. Adrenal Glands
6. Adrenal cortex
7. Cortisol
8. Supressed immune system

Question 4

What to put in AO1?

Answer 4

Fight or flight response

Question 5

Limitation

Most animals initally display a freeze response

Answer 5

• Gray 1988 proposes that before confronting or fleeing a stressor most animals (including humans) display a freeze response
• By freezing the animal is hyper-viligant which has an adaptive advantage as new information is sought
• This allows the best possible response to be made for that particular threat
• Therefore makes it not valid to explain this finding

Question 6

Limitation

Negative consequence of fight or flight response

Answer 6

• Stressors in modern life rarely require a heightened physical response
• Repeated activation of the SNS can lead to physical damage to the blood vessels and eventually heart disease
• Too much cortisol leads to supression of immune respone making the body vunerable to infection

Question 7

Females - The tend and befriend response

AO3

Answer 7

• The female response to stress is charatercised by tend (nurturing) and befriend (forming protective alliances) behaviours.
• Research with rats suggest the release of oxytocin increases relaxation and reduces fearfulness
• So this decreases fight-or-flight response

Question 8

AO3

A genetic basis to sex differences in fight or flight response

Answer 8

• The SRY gene which promotes aggression is only present in male Y chromosome
• This may prime the fight or flight response in males
• Females do not have the Y chromosome
• Along with this with the action of oestrogen and oxytocin may prevent fight or flight response to stress