Stress

Question 1

Physiological measure: recording devices and sample tests

Answer 1

Recording devices
fMRI scans
- oxygen in blood flow in brain
PET scans
- tracer
GSR
- sweat
ECG
- heart rate variability

Wang et al

Sample test: blood, urine, sweat

Evans and Wener

Question 2

Describe Wang et al

Answer 2

• lab experiment, repeated measure
• high, low stress task (mental arithmetic tassks in fMRI)
• to determine whether stress tasks were valid:
• used physiological measures
  heart rate and salivary cortisol
• psychological measure
  self report of stress and anxiety (1-9 scale)

all measures showed an increase for the low stress task, higher increase for high stress task, showing the stress tasks were valid

Question 3

Causes of stress

Answer 3

P1 - workplace stress, Chandola et al

P2 - life event, Holmes & Rahe

P3 - type A, Friedman & Rosenman

Question 4

Aim and procedure of Chandola et al

Answer 4

• biological, behavioural factors link work stress with CHD
• longtidinal
• accumulation of work stress = higher chances of developing CHD?

Data was collected about
work stress, behavioural risk factors (e.g. poor diet, smoking)
metabolic syndrome (e.g. high blood sugar, excess body fat)
heart rate variability
morning rise in cortisol (stress hormone)
incidence of CHD.

Question 5

Findings from Chandola et al

Answer 5

• association was stronger among participants aged under 50.
• high work stress, low physical activity, poor diet, and lower heart rate variability.
• higher morning rise in cortisol.

Conclusion: Work stress may be one factor for levels of CHD among working-age populations, which can be seen through its impact on health behaviours as well as the neuroendocrine stress pathways.

Question 6

Evaluate Chandola

Answer 6

Strengths:

• large sample
• longitudinal

Weaknesses:
-Can’t prove a cause and effect relationship, solely correlational.
Cultural Bias, since it’s London based.

Question 7

Describe Friedman and Rosenman

Answer 7

• to see whether people who seem to be susceptible to CHD have similar personalities
• self report, questions in irritating way
• behavioural/observational data, categorised A or B
• sample developed CHD 70% from type A

Important to develop behavioural modification programme, reduce type A behaviour, reduce risk of CHD

Question 8

Evaluate Friedman and Rosenman

Answer 8

• validity

- cultural bias

Question 9

Describe Holmes and Rahe

Answer 9

• use SRRS
• 43 life events, amount of adjustment needed
• LCU 11-100, marriage = 50, compare
• death of spuse 100, minor violations in law 11
  cumulative, if happened more than once within last 12 month, x no. of occurance
• 150 or less=good, 30%
• 150-299, 50%
• 300 or more, 80%

Question 10

Describe Evans and Wener

Answer 10

• field exp, commuting to work
• car density and seat density
• physiological: cortisol in saliva, psychologycal: mood
• stressful, density not associated, seating density is
• individual spacing among persons that leads to personal space invasion is a more important environmental condition than density

Question 11

Essay: sources of stress

Answer 11

P1: GAS model
causes of stress
P2: work
P3: life events
P4: personality

Question 12

Essay: measures of stress

Answer 12

P1: Physiological measure examples
P2: Wang et al, Evans and wener
P3: Psychological measure examples
P4: Method used in Holmes, Friedman

Question 13

Evaluate physiological measures

Answer 13

• objective
• quantatitive
• time consuming
• validity (technological issues)

Question 14

Evaluate psychological measures

Answer 14

• psychometric
• application (diagnose, understand, prevent)
• social desirability bias
• validity (individual differences)

Question 15

Evaluate Evans and Wener

Answer 15

• application
• validity
• reductionist (only two measures)
• volunteer sample