Problem 1: Stress

Question 1

Define stress

Answer 1

discrepancy between resources and demands for a ‘stressful’ situation

Question 2

strain

Answer 2

physical reactions caused by stress

Question 3

transaction

Answer 3

assessing demands, resources and discrepancies

Question 4

psychological measurement

Answer 4

Questionnaire: scoring over a threshold
Hassles scale: answering questions daily & more precise rating

Question 5

stress in the autonomic nervous system = SAM pathway (sympathetic adrenal medullary pathway)

Answer 5

stressor activates locus coeruleus –> activates sympathetic nervous system –> activates adrenal medulla –> adrenaline is released

Question 6

stress in the hypothalamus, pituitary adrenal axis

Answer 6

stressors –> hypothalamus is activated and releases CRH –> adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) from pituitary –> glucocorticoids from adrenal cortex –> stress

Question 7

General adaptation syndrome

Answer 7

1. alarm reaction (fight or flight, HPA axis is activated)
2. stage of resistance (body tries to adapt to stressor)
3. stage of exhaustion (weakens the immune system, prolonged arousal has negative effect on the body)

Question 8

allostatic load

Answer 8

the effect of the body’s having to adapt repeatedly to stressors that accumulate over time. it is influenced by:
-amount of exposure
-magnitude of reactivity
-rate of recovery
-resource restoration

Question 9

is stress good?

Answer 9

too little or too much stress is not good. there is an ‘optimal’ amount of stress, however that differs per person. we define them as eustress and distress

Question 10

how do we cope with stress?

Answer 10

-primary appraisal: assessing a potentially stressful situation as either irrelevant, good, or stressful. stressful is then subdivided into harm-loss, threat of a challenge
-secondary appraisal is the assessment of the resources available for coping

Question 11

cortisol working hypothesis

Answer 11

working hypothesis:
1. cortisol increases goal-directed control over emotional information processing and behaviour
2. this decreases influence of irrelevant threat information and thereby reducing fear
3. emotional information that is goal-relevant –> increases expression of trait-like approach/avoidance behaviour which promotes more effective coping –> reducing fear and increasing reward-oriented behaviour

Question 12

what is the startle response and how is it used to investigate fear?

Answer 12

-the startle reflex is a startle in the body in response to a stimulus, which is used to measure a fear response.
-the magnitude of the startle is content dependent –> used to measure fear response.
-it is measure through EMG (electromyography)
-uses low road

Question 13

high vs low road processing

Answer 13

Low road: stimulus –> thalamus –> amygdala –> hypothalamus (quick unassisted response, subcortical)
High road: stimulus –> thalamus –> sensory cortex –> hippocampus –> amygdala –> hypothalamus (analytical, slower, cortical)

Question 14

how does cortisol help with stress

Answer 14

-facilitate effective coping
-strengthens cognitive inhibition
-it resets behaviours and cognitive processes after dealing with stress to adaptive goal-directed behaviour

Question 15

what factors help in coping with stress

Answer 15

-better executive functioning helps
-better emotion management helps
-social support