Psychology stress Flashcards
What is the chronic pathway for stress
Hypothalamus Sends signals to pituitary gland Releases ACTH Adrenal cortex responds to ACTH Releases corticosteroids in blood which travel to brain
What do corticosteroids do
Increase blood sugar level by turning protein into glucose and making fats available for energy
What is the acute stress response
Hypothalamus Activated sympathetic branch of autonomic nervous system Adrenal medulla releases stress hormones Adrenaline and nor adrenaline FIGHT OR FLIGHT RESPONSE
How does the acute stress response stop
Para sympathetic pathway is activated allowing body to rest and digest
How does chronic stress effect the immune system
Corticosteroids hinder immune system which decreases WBC count
Less T and B cells to fight antigens
Illnesses like influenza and herpes
Support for heart disease and evaluation (rosengren)
7000 men and those that diagnosed themselves with high levels of stress were more likely to contract heart disease after 11 years
Longitudinal study has high attrition rate
Sample is all men so it gender biased
Self reports so men could be lying as there may be demand characteristics
HOWEVER
Control of risk factors such as age and lifestyle so suggests clear link
EVALUATE KIECOLT AND GLASER
- Correlational research so cannot claim cause and effect as extraneous variables not controlled THEREFORE experiment lacks internal validity as it is not measuring what it set out to measure
- sample bias as all students so may respond to stress differently than adults and also all medical students so probably quiet bright, experiment doesn’t control for links between IQ and susceptible to stress
- natural experiment with high validity and low demand characteristics BUT extraneous variables not controlled
STRESS AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM ARNETZ ET AL
Group of manual labourers
Reduced lymphocyte activity associated with unemployment
STRESS AND THE IMMUNE SYSTEM IRWIN ET AL
Immune system of recent widows much lower level of age matched women who had not lost their spouse
What did Kubasa say about people with hardy personalities
3 characteristics COMMITMENT CONTROL CHALLENGE acts as protection against negative stressor effects
HARDY PERSONALITY WEISS
Parents of children with autism had more negative effects than parents with children of other psychological disorders or parents of children who are functioning “normally”
However parents with greatest hardiness showed least stress related symptoms
evaluate Hardy personality
1) developed hardiness training as though without the 3C’s could learn to have them
2) a lot of evidence for control but not challenge and commitment; funk said hardy and negativity same thing
3) Maddi et al showed hardiness training more effective at reducing stress than others ; however work done with middle class businessman so lack population validity and generalisibility
4) hardiness may not be stable all the time
Type a and b personalities and heart disease
A more likely to get it as more hostile and intolerant therefore SAMP is activated releasing adrenaline and nor adrenaline which makes blood vessels constrict reducing blood flow and will remain constricted
B less likely to get it but more likely to die from it
Evaluation of type a and b personalities
1) Purely type A or B people hard to find as many people may have admixture of the 2 and it is very hard to define the world into two different categories
2) Type a collection of characteristics some of which more to blame for stress and stress related illness than others (heckler et al) and (irinson et al)
3) some research not clear link between type A and CHD (Ragland and brand)
4) Type A mostly found in western cultures. More American men than Japanese 18.7% compared to 50%
LIFE EVENTS AND STRESS STUDY RAHE ET AL (HOW THEY CONDUCTED IT AND WHAT THEY FOUND)
HOW THEY DONE IT
-SRRS scores from 2500 male soldiers before 6 month tour of duty
-kept medical records
-after six month correlated SRRS score with illness
FINDINGS
-positive correlation between stress and illness
