Physical vs. Psychological Stress

Question 1

What is the Painstation?

Answer 1

It is a version of the game Pong. It is rigged to cause pain to the players when the other person scores. Pain could be caused by shock, heat, and a built-in-whip.

Question 2

What is Bottom-up Processing?

Answer 2

It is physically demanding on the body. Signal is sent from the body up to the brain.

Question 3

What is Top-Down Processing?

Answer 3

It is mentally demanding. Signals are sen down from the brain to the body.

Question 4

What is Activation?

Answer 4

It is the amount of physiological and metabolic response. It is High vs. Low.

Question 5

What is Valence?

Answer 5

Appetitive vs. Aversive.
Positive vs. Negative
Pleasent vs. Unpleasent

Question 6

What does appetitive activation mean?

Answer 6

It is enjoyable even if the metabolic response is high. Examples of this is sexual arousal and eager anticipation.

Question 7

What does aversive activation mean?

Answer 7

They are unpleasant even if the distress causes less physiological demands. Examples of this are public speaking anxiety and relationship loss.

Question 8

What are the 2 classifications of emotions?

Answer 8

Valence and Activation/Arousal.

Question 9

What emotions do activations/arousal have?

Answer 9

High energy vs. Low energy
Expend energy vs. conserve energy

Question 10

What does an exercise response require?

Answer 10

It requires a change in physical homeostasis in order to maximize the amount of oxygen and fuel available for muscles. It is a bottom-up influence.

Question 11

What kind of changes happen when responding to exercise?

Answer 11

changes in cardiac out, blood pressure, breathing, hormone levels, water, and electrolyte balance.

Question 12

What system does exercise activate?

Answer 12

The sympathetic nervous system.

Question 13

Where does the preparatory phase of exercise begin?

Answer 13

It begins in the higher brain areas. Prefrontal cortex–>supplementary motor cortex–>premotor cortex–>motor cortex.

Question 14

What parts of the brain are altered in the preparatory phase?

Answer 14

The hypothalamus and brainstem. There is an increase in sympathetic activity and suppression in parasympathetic activity.

Question 15

What changes happen in the preparatory phase?

Answer 15

Increased heart rate, cardiac output, and blood flow to muscles, increased vasoconstriction.

Question 16

What is an example of the preparatory phase in exercise?

Answer 16

Increased heart rates in runners preparing for a race. Higher heart rate increases for sprinters than long-distance runners.

Question 17

What happens in the active phase of exercise?

Answer 17

Muscle activity increases physiological demands. Sensory nerves detect muscular contractions and signal CNS.

Question 18

What changes happen to the body parts in the active phase of exercise?

Answer 18

Substantial and prolonged increase in blood flow. Increased cardiac output, and increased blood return from the body, increased vasodilation.

Question 19

What is Frank-Sterling Reflex?

Answer 19

The heart pumps harder when the volume of blood is increased.

Question 20

What are the endocrine changes happen during exercise? (Epinephrine/Adrenaline)

Answer 20

Increase force of heart contractions.
Dilate blood vessels
Release stored fat to be turned to energy

Question 21

What are the endocrine changes happen during exercise? (Cortisol)

Answer 21

Release stored fats and glucose to be turned into energy
Aids conversion of proteins into glucose

Question 22

What are the endocrine changes happen during exercise? (Beta-endorphin)

Answer 22

Released from pituitary gland with ACTH release in equal amounts. Reduce
Reduce pain and discomfort from exercise
may promote positive mood, reduce negative emotions

Question 23

What is Beta-Endorpin and ACTH made from?

Answer 23

It is made from the same precursor molecule, POMC.

Question 24

What is Vasoconstriction?

Answer 24

heart pumps harder, but the blood vessels are narrowed. It is increased in preparation for excerise.

Question 25

What is Vasodilation?

Answer 25

heart pumps harder, but blood vessels are more relaxed. It is increased in active exercise.

Question 26

Why is exercise good for you?

Answer 26

It is a stressor, the body responds to cope with stressors, body can adapt to repeated exposure to a stressor.

Question 27

When can exercise promote health and increase physical capacity?

Answer 27

When it is voluntary and meant to promote positive outcomes, there is sufficient recovery time and resources given.

Question 28

What is the runner’s high?

Answer 28

Described as a feeling of euphoria that long-distance runner can experience. Occurs after prolonged effort but not total overexertion. Going at 80% for a couple of hours instead of 110%.

Question 29

What elevated levels are there in runner’s high?

Answer 29

Elevated levels of endogenous opioids like beta-endorphin. They are released from the pituitary and specialized neurons. Also an increase in endocannabinoids.

Question 30

What is endocannabinoids?

Answer 30

It activates similar receptors as found in THC in cannabis. It can be produced by most cells including muscles. It can pass though blood-brain barriers, and the ones produced by muscles can have psychological impacts.

Question 31

What similar responses to “fight or flight” and exercise have in endocrine changes?

Answer 31

Epinephrine, cortisol, and beta endorphin
free up stored forms of energy
promote strength and vigor in physical reactions.

Question 32

What similar responses to “fight or flight” and exercise have in autonomic changes?

Answer 32

Enhance sympathetic activity
suppress parasympathetic activity
use energy, don’t conserve

Question 33

Why is “fight or flight” highly averise?

Answer 33

It is associated with negative emotions like anxiety, fear, and anger. There is also limited control and high states. Fight or flight for survival and if your efforts fail, you die.

Question 34

What are the similar bottom-up components that fight-flight response and exercise have?

Answer 34

High activation
Burns energy

Question 35

Why do fight-flight response and exercise have different top-down components?

Answer 35

Exercise is appetitive. It is voluntary, linked to positive emotions, and positive outcomes.
Fight or flight is averise. It is involuntary, linked to negative emotions, and may have disastrous outcomes.

Question 36

What does the aversive nature of fight or flight increase?

Answer 36

The intensity of physiological response. Greater allostatic load if the experience is aversive even if physical requirements are the same.

Question 37

What are some common psychological stressors?

Answer 37

Social loss or rejection
Failure to achieve a goal
Anxiety or anticipation of a negative event
cognitive and attentional overload (doing math in your head)

Question 38

What are the physiological effects of mental math?

Answer 38

Decreased vagal tone (decreased parasympathetic activity)
increased sympathetic activity
Increased heart rate and contractility
Vasoconstriction (increasing blood pressure)
increased cortisol
more difficult = more aversive

Question 39

What were the aversive outcomes (Noise and Shock) from the Study of Physiological Responses to Aversive and Appetitive Outcomes?

Answer 39

Physiological outcomes similar to fight or flight
increased blood flow
increased blood pressure
increased norepinephrine
increased cortisol
increased subjective emotional distress.

Question 40

What were the aversive outcomes (Monetary Rewards) from the Study of Physiological Responses to Aversive and Appetitive Outcomes?

Answer 40

Increased blood flow
Increased blood pressure
increased norepinephrine
BUT no significant increase in cortisol.

Question 41

When do levels of cortisol increase?

Answer 41

They increase with levels of aversion. More negative = more cortisol.